Psychology

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Open Access
Assertiveness and perception of style of assertiveness among future South African employees
(University of the Free State, 2017) Van Heerden, Rian E.; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
This study explored the assertiveness and the person perception of the style of assertiveness among future South African employees. An ethnic comparison was made and gender differences investigated with respect to perceptions of assertion. Regarding the style of assertiveness, prior findings indicate that assertion plus extra consideration (empathic assertiveness) seems to be preferred by test subjects to pure assertion. It is important to note, however, that how a leader is perceived matters a great deal and flexibility in assertiveness is key; it should be appropriate to the situation and take into consideration the assertiveness of the team members. It was also found that persons with low assertion reacted relatively negatively to assertive behaviour. When it comes to the two variables, race and gender, previous research indicates that racial variables are important for assertion (even if it was not as predicted by researchers). Regarding gender, a consistent pattern of sex differences could initially not be found. Later on, research found that the gender variable indeed plays a role in the perception of assertiveness. A non-probability sampling method, namely convenience sampling, was used. The study initially made use of the AI (Assertion Inventory), a 40 item self-report inventory to test the assertiveness of the participants. The mean scores of the different groups were then compared using one-way MANOVAs. In case of a significant value of F, the analyses were followed up by one-way variance analyses to determine on which of the dependent variables significant differences in averages appeared. The Scheffe post hoc t-test was applied to determine between which of the four groups (combination of gender and ethnicity) these differences appeared. Regarding own assertion, the entire group (black males, white males, black females, white females) was more assertive than non-assertive. Concerning the subgroups themselves, major differences were not found between the genders regarding the levels of discomfort experienced, although they did differ in the likelihood of a response. The research did not indicate any differences between the two ethnic groups with regard to their levels of discomfort or probability of action. However, if ethnicity and gender are combined, a clear picture emerged with regard to differences in assertive behaviour. Black males were found to be the most assertive, followed by white females, white males and lastly, black females. Black females experienced higher levels of discomfort and were less likely to act in the situations described by die Assertion Inventory. Regarding the perception of the style of assertiveness in the workplace, the majority of the participants preferred empathic-assertive behaviour. In the case of gender, both genders regarded empathic-assertiveness as the most appropriate and effective. The same applied to the two ethnic groups. It is important to note that significant differences were found between the two genders and two ethnic groups regarding the appropriateness and effectiveness of some of the statements. In the case of the combination of the two, it seems as if black females are less of the opinion that empathic-assertive, assertive or non-assertive behaviour is appropriate in a corporate environment. Black females also seem to regard aggressive behaviour as effective in a corporate environment. According to this study, it seems as if the appropriate and effective manager should communicate with his multi-cultural staff using an empathic-assertive approach with the understanding that employees with low levels of assertiveness (especially young black females) will tend to have a negative view of all forms of assertiveness. Flexibility is indeed the key and the behaviour of a leader should be adjusted depending on the assertiveness of the team members.
Open Access
Die audiblox-program as aanvullende tegniek tot remediërende onderwys
(University of the Free State, 1999-12) Van Wyk, Hanmarie; Beukes, R. B. I.; Grobler, A. A.
English: Each school has a significant percentage of learners with learning disabilities who receive Remedial Education in addition to their classroom teaching. There are numerous approaches to the treatment of learning disabilities of which Remedial Education is one. Remedial Education comprises of a number of techniques. The Audiblox Programme is one such technique which is based upon one of the approaches to the treatment of learning disabilities, namely process training. As a process training approach Audiblox is considered by many researchers as a controversial programme. The purpose of this research is to determine the supplementary value of the Audiblox Programme in Remedial Education. If learners who are already receiving Remedial Education undergo the Audiblox Programme at the same time, what effect would this have on their scholastic performance, specifically reading and spelling abilities? A study of the literature was undertaken to find a frame of reference within which this research could be accommodated. The relevant phenomena, i.e. Remedial Education and Audiblox, as well as generally controversial techniques, were defined and investigated. After a thorough analysis of the literature no evidence could be found to prove the effectiveness of the Audiblox Programme as a remedial technique. The findings in this research however, cannot be verified with findings from previous investigations. The empirical part of this research was conducted by means of the z-test for related groups. The following hypothesis was tested: the reading and spelling abilities of Remedial Education learners (RE learners) who are subjected to the Audiblox Programme in addition to the ordinary Remedial Programme, will improve more than that of RE learners who only underwent the Remedial Programme. This hypothesis was tested over the short, as well as the long term. In a companson between the experimental and the control groups, t-d values were calculated for both reading and spelling. All four of the calculated t-d values are less than the critical value and subsequently the nil hypothesis cannot be rejected This means that no indication was found that the Audiblox Programme is effective in improving the reading and spelling abilities of RE learners - neither in the short-, nor in the long term. Thus, the supplementary value of Audiblox - as it was implemented in this research _ was found to be insignificant. When the Audiblox Programme is classified as process training (as it has been indicated in this research) these findings do correspond with the majority of research results on this subject. Due to the practical constraints of this research (resulting, inter alia, in a small sample) it is advisable that this study be repeated, using a much larger sample.
Open Access
Die beleweniswêreld van serebraal gestremde adolossente en die rol van psigososiale faktore in hulle sielkundige weerbaarheid
(University of the Free State, 2013-01) Visser, Dirkie Amalia; Nel, L.; Beukes, R. B. I.
English: Cerebral palsy is a complex condition and stressor, posing specific challenges to the affected individual and those involved. According to the literature, existing studies do not reflect the subjective experience and self-reporting of the person with a disability (Lutz & Bowers, 2005; Reeve, 2006; Singh & Ghai, 2009; Stalker, 2012; Tisdall, 2012; Watermeyer & Swartz, 2008; Watson, 2012). Thus, this study attempts to let the voices be heard of adolescents with cerebral palsy in order to gain new insight into the way in which they ascribe meaning to disability, manage their disability and overcome social, physical and emotional barriers. A qualitative approach within a psychofortigenic framework was followed in the study. The role of psychosocial factors in the psychological resilience of the adolescent with cerebral palsy was investigated in order to include the strength perspective. The theories, frameworks and models of the positive psychology paradigm were used as theoretical foundation to the study. Analysis and interpretation of data from the six semi-structured interviews was done by means of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Furthermore, the identified themes were contextualised within an ecological systems framework according to intrapsychic, interpersonal and broader community factors. A preliminary conceptual process model was compiled from the cross-case analysis and describes the interrelationship and general dynamics of the experience of disability as well as the role of psychosocial factors (risk and protective factors) in the psychological resilience of the adolescents with cerebral palsy. The results confirm the impact and experience of disability as a multi-layered phenomenon and that each individual ascribes unique meaning to it according to personality traits, needs, emotional and social support, life contexts and life demands. The need of the adolescent with cerebral palsy to be recognised and treated as a unique individual is central in this study. The experience of disability within the broader social community does not only have a psycho-emotional effect on the person with a disability, but also psycho-social implications. Risk and protective factors are interacting in a multi-levelled way and the adolescent applies personal and contextual sources of power in order to ensure positive outcomes. The value of this study is letting the voices be heard of people with a disability regarding their lived reality of disability and psychological sources of resilience. The knowledge gathered in this study can also contribute to improved aid, support and understanding of the person with a disability.
Open Access
Die verband tussen humorsin en psigologiese welstand by adolessente
(University of the Free State, 2002-05) Boshoff, Louisa; Beukes, R. B. I.
English: The aim of this study was to examine the nature of humour and sense of humour, the dynamics of psychological wellbeing as well as adolescence as a critical phase of life, and to determine whether there is an empirical relationship between sense of humour and psychological wellbeing among adolescents. Various theories involving humour and sense of humour were described and a model of humour and sense of humour was developed. In the discussion of psychological wellbeing the relationship with sense of humour was indicated. During the empirical study a cross-sectional survey was held among 884 Grade 12 learners at ten schools in the Pretoria area (Gauteng) and the East London area (Eastern Cape) in respect of sense of coherence, satisfaction with life, fortology/ fortitude, and sense of humour. Sense of coherence was measured by means of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence questionnaire (SOC: 1987), while satisfaction with life was assessed using the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (SWLS) of Diener, Emmans, Larson and Griffen (1985), fortology by means of the Fortology Questionnaire (FORQ) developed by Pretorius (1997), and sense of humour was measured by means of the Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale (MSHS) of Thorson and Powell (1993). Biographical information was obtained by means of a short biographical questionnaire. In this study relatively favourable reliability indicators were obtained for almost all scales and subscales of the measuring instruments used in the research. The current research found that four subscales of humour yielded a statistically significant contribution in the explanation of fortology among adolescents, whereas three of the four subscales, creation of humour, social use of humour and attitude towards humour, yielded a statistically significant contribution in explaining the variance in sense of coherence among adolescents. It would appear from the results that boys show higher levels of sense of humour in terms of the creation of humour and the social use of humour than girls. Considering the interaction between gender and school placement, it is evident that the boys in mixed-gender schools and girls in mixed-gender schools achieved a significantly higher score on the creation of humour as well as the social use of humour than boys in single-gender schools. As far as attitude to humour is concerned, the boys in the single-gender schools returned a significantly lower score than boys in mixed-gender schools and girls in single-gender schools. These findings are related to findings discussed in the literature study. In conclusion proposals are made regarding the use of humour and sense of humour in practice as well as the promotion of psychological wellbeing among adolescents .
Open Access
An evaluation of the efficacy of a career preparation programme
(University of the Free State, 2008-05) Burgess, Natasha; Beukes, R. B. I.; Naidoo, P.
English: The efficacy of the Career Preparation Programme (CPP) of the University of the Free State (UFS) was qualitatively evaluated from a phenomenological approach. By way of focusing on the evaluation of the programme through the explication of experiences, the research branched into the refined area of existential phenomenology. The qualitative study also exemplified the significance surrounding an awareness of the researcher's affiliation with the research subject matter. Three groups of participants were selected according to predetermined criteria to ensure their ability to adequately describe and express their experiences. Data was gathered from the participants using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and then interpreted using Giorgi's existential phenomenological research method, a four-step method for psychological phenomenological data interpretation. Comparisons were then reported in terms of the various groups' similarities and differences regarding the efficacy of the programme.
Open Access
Evaluering van dienslewering deur die studentevoorligtingsdiens van die Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat
(University of the Free State, 1998-12) Morton, Melissa; Beukes, R. B. I.; Venter, J. A.
English: The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which UOFS students utilise the student counselling center and to determine their attitude concerning services rendered. This kind of feedback from students can help to insure that services rendered by the counselling center are effective and of a high standard. Literature shows that the structure of the student counselling center of the UOFS compares well with that of most other counselling services, that the center's aims and functions comply with the standards for accreditation set by the International Association of Counseling Services, that its functions include a wide range of services and that earlier research showed that more effective marketing is necessary to inform students of services available to them. The study was executed on 219 secondyear students Iiving in hostels on the campus of the UOFS. The respondents were categorized in terms of their sex (male/female) and language (traditional Afrikaans- or Englishspeaking/ nontraditional non Afrikaans- or Englishspeaking). A questionnaire was developed for the purpose of this study and most of the questions could be answered on a Likert-scale, although the questionnaire also included a few open ended questions. The most important findings were the following: CP) Only about half of the respondents has made use of UOFS student counselling services. There is no significant difference between traditional and non-traditional students' utilisation, but women seem to make use of these services more often than men do. - The counselling services students make use of most often, are careercounselling and studytherapy; most students are referred to the center by their fellow students or their parents; students seem to have a positive attitude towards the counselling service, but they are not satisfied with the marketing of these services. - The most important reasons why students do not make use of the counselling service of the UOFS are that they have no need for counselling or are unaware of services available to them. - According to the respondents the most effective way of marketing the student counselling service is to distribute brochures and posters and to advertise on the campus radiostation. - Students seem to be satisfied with the training they have received from the counselling service, but has additional needs which include the following themes: sexuality, careers, multiculturalism, timemanagement and religion. - Respondents who have received individual psychotherapy seem to have a positive attitude about the therapists and the process of psychotherapy. As a result of these findings, the following recommendations were made: - That a study of the attitudes and needs of UOFS students not living on campus is done. - That similar studies are done at other South African universities in order to compare student's use of counselling services and to identify students' changing needs. - That the student counselling service of the UOFS implement a more effective marketing strategy in order to make students aware of the wide range of counselling services available.
Open Access
Die gebruik van fantasie om kreatiwiteit by kleuters te bevorder: 'n begeleidingsprogram vir moeders
(University of the Free State, 2002-08-31) Hattingh, Johannes Gerhardus; Beukes, R. B. I.
English: In order for individuals to be able to deal with life’s current demands, they must be able to focus on various creative solutions. Therefore it is important to enrich a child’s life by stimulating his/her imagination, developing his/her mind and freeing his/her emotions from reality in order to find his/her meaning of life. The 5- and 6-year-old phase is seen as the most creative phase of development, where a child’s imaginary world can be stimulated through fantasy. To give creative support to the child may have a positive impact on his/her development, but this effect could be neutralised if he/she doesn’t have the support, understanding and stimulation from the mother. Since she is also the primary caregiver, this programme focused on mothers of 5- and 6-year-old children. A guidance programme was developed in accordance with a wide literature search. Psychofortology was used as a theoretical frame of reference in order to emphasise fortogenesis as opposed to pathogenesis. In order to gain a more holistic view, the developmental tasks of both mother and child were discussed. Creativity is a proficiency that can be developed, stimulated and enhanced, and is something that every human being is capable of. From the definition of creativity the following areas are important : the person, the environment, the process and the product. Fantasy carries strong psychological themes, and includes myths, stories, fables, legends, imagination and fairy tales. It gives ideas on how to explore various alternatives. Fantasy is thus a critical element in creative imagination, and parents, as well as children, should explore it as a part of balanced development. Creative fantasy must be re-evaluated in order to help individuals cope in a swift changing society. The Creation meta-model was used here as a summarised version in order to explain creative fantasy. This model was developed through the use of the following meta- models : The Fantasy Tornado and the Creativity Cycle. The sample of this study consisted of 83 Afrikaans speaking mothers with their 5- and 6-year-old children. These children attended private pre-primary schools and playgroups in Witbank and the surrounding area (Mpumalanga). The Solomon four-group design was used for the experimental research. The implementation of the guidance programme on the experimental group served as the intervention. The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, (TTCT) figural form, was used as the measuring instrument and the Creativity Index as the parameter of creativity. The most important findings of this study are : • It is possible to stimulate and enhance creativity of mothers and their 5- and 6-year- old children in the short term, through the use of fantasy, by putting the mothers through a programme. • The Fantasy Tornado is a meta-model that was developed to explain fantasy. • As a meta-model the Creativity Cycle tried to emphasise the most important aspects of creativity. • The Creation meta-model was developed in order to provide an integrated theory of creative fantasy.
Open Access
Die intrapsigiese funksionering van die kind met asma in die middelkinderjare
(University of the Free State, 2003-05) Brand, Albertus; Beukes, R. B. I.
English: The primary aim of this study was to establish whether the intrapsychic functioning of the child with asthma in late middle childhood significantly differs from that of the child without asthma. The physiological aspects of asthma were briefly discussed with specific reference to its definition, incidence, diagnoses, aetiology and treatment. An explanation was given of relevant developmental aspects during middle childhood, which could possibly be influenced by chronic diseases, in order to establish a framework against which the intrapsychic aspects of children with asthma could be further investigated. An effort was made to clarify the term intrapsychic from the available literature with specific reference to children with asthma. In the empirical research a non-recurrent cross-sectional design was used. The research group consisted of learners in their late middle childhood, representative of all population, language and socio-economic groups from schools in the North West Province, Free State, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. From an availability sample of 1067 learners two further groups were identified, namely those with asthma and a random sample of relatively healthy children proportionally representative of the background variables (gender, language and age). Apart from a general health questionnaire and biographical questionnaire, the test battery consisted out of subscales from the following measuring instruments: the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, Locus-of-Control Scale for Children, Social Support Appraisal Scale, Child Symptom Inventory, Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale and Stress Response Scale. Acceptable reliability and validity indices for all the measurements were obtained. The data obtained from these scales was used to evaluate the intrapsychic functioning of the study sample regarding self-concept, handling of stress, locus of control, perception of social support, emotional functioning and psychiatric symptoms. The statistical significance of differences in functioning was established by means of Hotelling’s T² tests, followed up with post hoc t-tests and calculated for effect sizes. Finally a discriminant analyses was performed in order to validate the results of the study. Statistically meaningful differences between children with asthma and relative healthy children in the late middle childhood years were found for five of the 20 dependant variables. Children with asthma during the middle childhood years showed a significantly higher perception of support from three social structures (viz. peer group, family and teachers), a stronger acknowledgement of behaviour problems and a higher incidence of generalized anxiety disorder. Contradictions in the literature were found regarding the other dependant variables and more research is deemed necessary. It appears from the empirical results that the majority of children with asthma still portray healthy psychological functioning, in spite of a possible higher risk for comorbid psychosocial problems. Finally recommendations were made for future research.
Open Access
Jong volwassenes se persepsies van gesonde gesinsfunksionering
(University of the Free State, 2002-11) Mudie, Mia Melinda; Venter, C. A.; Beukes, R. B. I.
English: The aim of this research was to determine which factors, according to a group of young adults, contribute to healthy family functioning and to determine how their perceptions correspond with existing literature in this respect. Qualitative research, specifically a multiple case study design was used. Snowball sampling was used to obtain 10 participants between the ages of 20 and 39. These participants responded in writing to the question: "In your opinion, what are the factors contributing to healthy family functioning?", after which individual interviews were held surrounding the same question. Analysis of the participants' responses yielded 31 themes, 14 of which were mentioned by five or more participants. These 14 themes are: the handling of conflict, misunderstandings and problems; communication; respect; religion; hierarchy; love; example setting by parents; roles and roll distribution; support and co-operation; acknowledgement towards family members; to spend time together; finances; trust; and active investment in the family. These themes were compared to the research/utterances of authoritative family therapy models and it appears that participants' responses correspond with literature surrounding factors contributing to healthy family functioning. Participants' responses also suggested new dimensions not previously indicated in literature. Suggestions were made concerning future research.
Open Access
'n Kreatiwiteitsprogram vir kleuters
(University of the Free State, 1998-11) Venter, Liezel; Beukes, R. B. I.; Sharp, A. A.
English: The purpose of this study is the development of a creativity programme for pre-school children. What distinguishes this study from others, is that the implementation of the programme is not primarily aimed at the pre-school child, but the parent is used to cultivate the creativity of his pre-school child. The eco-systemic approach has been used as a theoretical framework. This approach does not only comply with all the requirements where-by the interdependent relationships of systems can be observed, but it also provides a framework according to which the programme could be designed and the influence of the programme on the different systems can be studied. The different developmental milestones of individuals are important in the compilation of the programme. Thus a separate chapter has been devoted to the developmental milestones of both participant (parent), the pre-school child and the family with the emphasis on creativity. Literature on creativity is confusing, conflicting and diverse. Traditionally creativity was approached from the viewpoint of either the person, the process, the product or the environment. This approach can lead to people losing sight of the total picture. More and more recent literature advocates a more systemic approach in which all four approaches are considered in the study of creativity. According to the eco-systemic approach this relatively new approach in the study of creativity is to be welcomed. Thus, the parents, the nursery school, the educational implications from the side of the authorities as well as the subsystems in the individual, namely the cognitive, psycho-social and physical are taken into consideration. The compilation of the creativity programme demanded a thorough study of existing literature and is very much activity-orientated. Experimental research, more specifically the random double group design, has been used in this study. The creativity programme was implemented on the experimental group. The TTCT, figural form, has been used as measuring instrument. The statistical method used to analyze the data is the Hotelling T2 Test. No significant result has been obtained. The researcher has also received feedback from participants in the programme in terms of recommendations and the evaluation of the programme. The result could possibly be ascribed to the following: Firstly the time-span given for acquiring new behaviour was too short. Secondly the premise is supported that creative behaviour cannot be develop. Thirdly the TTCT, figural form, measures only the nonverbal creativity of pre-school children. Lastly the motivation of the participants and the pre-school children could influence the result.
Open Access
Moedertaalonderrig as moderator by die verband tussen intelligensiekwosiënt en akademiese prestasie
(University of the Free State, 2003-11) Louwrens, Louise; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F
English: The primary purpose of this research was to determine what role mother-tongue teaching plays in the relationship between intelligence and academic performance. At present, English enjoys both national and international status, and as a result of this, this language is sometimes the only language in which the majority of South Africans want their children educated. Parents believe that their children need to have a command of English in order to be able to cope with international demands that they may be faced with in the future and that skill in the English language will offer their children access to training, work opportunities and economic freedom. The teaching language in our schools is a matter of great concern as well as a source of conflict between different language groups. Internationally it is accepted that mother-tongue teaching is the most effective form of teaching. The Constitution also stipulates that every person is entitled to receive teaching in the language of his choice, where this is practicable. Researchers recommend that a learner should use his mother tongue as medium of education from the commencement of the school career and that this should continue for as long as it is practically possible. Mother-tongue teaching would then at least be present during the commencement phase of the school career. In the light of all of the above, the purpose of this study was to determine whether learners who are taught in their mother tongue perform better academically than those who receive teaching in their second language. Intelligence is a factor that could have an effect upon the latter. During this study the emphasis was therefore mainly placed on the relationship between academic performance and intelligence. Academic performance is usually expressed as a percentage and in the school it is expected that learners with a high intelligence also attain high achievements. Although there are several factors that play a role in academic performance, intellectual ability is the single most important contributing factor in academic performance. Language, however, plays an important role in the intellectual development of the child. The literature indicates a close relationship between language and thoughts. Language and intelligence are inter-dependent. A learner�s verbal ability is mainly developed by his verbal assimilation, because concepts are taught to the learner through his verbal comprehension. Therefore, the better his verbal comprehension, the better he will conceptualise and the better he will use his abilities. If a learner experiences language problems, this will have a direct influence on his abilities. With regard to this latter statement, the assumption can be made that if a learner experiences problems in the second language it will negatively influence his abilities and more specifically his academic performance. The research group for this study consisted of 138 Grade 2 learners (from schools in Bloemfontein). All of the Grade 2 learners from these two schools were involved, but for various reasons not everyone took part in the research project. The selection of the schools was done on the grounds of the teaching language used and the distribution of non-mother-tongue speakers in these schools. The intelligence of the learners was determined by means of the Group Test for seven to eight-year-olds. Their academic performance was determined by the latest results in Literacy and Numeracy and the average percentage of these two subjects was used as an indication of the average academic performance of the learners. The results indicated that mother-tongue teaching was certainly a moderator in the relationship between intelligence and academic performance of the Grade 2 learners in the study. The learners who received mother-tongue teaching tended to perform better academically than those who did not receive mother-tongue teaching. These results were confirmed by the literature and indicate that learners succeed up to 6% better when taught in their mother tongue. The results of the study show that parents should be careful if they wish to have their children taught in a second language in the commencement phase of education. Key words: Mother-tongue teaching, second language teaching, commencement phase of education, intelligence, academic performance.
Open Access
Die ontwikkeling en evaluering van 'n kreatieweprobleemoplossingsprogram vir adolessente
(University of the Free State, 2003-11) Ströh, Glaudina; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyzen, K. G. F.
English: The aim of the research was the development and evaluation of a programme which will enhance creative thinking under adolescents. Psychofortology was used as a theoretical framework. In psychofortology the development of healthy psychological function is stressed and thereby psychological wellness is enhanced. The ability to think creatively can be acquired by learning. Because of the nature of cognitive, emotional, social and psycho-social development during adolescence, adolescence is a critical period in life wherein creative thinking can be developed. In South Africa difficult demands in every circumstance of life are set to adolescents. Creative problemsolving thinking can be used within the psychofortology framework to solve many dominant problems. It gives the adolescent more control over his/her life and this enhances psychological wellness. An extensive literary survey was used in the compilation of the programme, while the theoretical assumptions of creative thinking by different researchers was integrated into a unit in the compilation of the different modules. In the experimental design the Solomon four-group design was used. The target population was adolescents in Grade XI and XII in Academical Secondary Schools in Middelburg who speak Afrikaans. The figurative testform of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used to determine the ability of creative problemsolving. The results show that in both experimental groups a meaningful improvement in the ability of creative thinking occurred (originality, abstractness of titles, expansion, as well as resistance to closure). Only in the achievement on the fluency scale were there no meaningful changes. The programme evaluation by the adolescents shows that they experienced the programme in a very positive way. The research has thus shown that creative problem-solving by adolescents can be developed by means of a computer programme.
Open Access
Die opstel en standaardisering van lees- en speltoetse vir primêreskoolleerlinge
(University of the Free State, 1997-11) Esterhuyse, Karel George Frederik; Beukes, R. B. I.; Heyns, P. M.
Essentially, language maybe divided into two primary systems, namely spoken or auditory language and secondly visual or written language. Each of these systems comprises of a receptive and an expressive component. Listening and speech respectively represent the receptive and expressive components of the auditory language form, while reading and writing represent the corresponding components of the visual language form. The study focused upon the latter two language skills, namely reading and more specifically spelling. The ability to read is imperative for effective scholastic functioning. During the reading process, the written symbol is associated with the specific sound of the word and its associated meaning. Reading is therefore an integrated process of decoding (word recognition) and understanding/comprehending symbols. Reading comprehension is entirely dependent upon the recognition of the words and the ability to place them in context. However, it is important to note that reading comprehension is not necessarily the result of word recognition. Word recognition results from a direct (visual) as well as an indirect (phonological) process. This emphasizes the importance of both the visual and the auditory modalities in the acquisition of reading skills. The symbol to be read must clearly be distinguished from other visual symbols and be associated with the appropriate auditory symbol which was previously learnt and stored in the memory. A large proportion of learning problems may be prevented by effective reading. Written language results from the spoken word and is the ultimate language skill mastered by man. The focus of this study pertains to spelling skills as one of three areas of written language. The ability to spell correctly, heavily relies on a person’s ability to sequence the letters in a word, to ‘name’ the letters, to recognize the sounds represented by the letters as well as all the exceptions which may occur. This would inter alia require the optimal development of auditory and visual perceptual, haptic and motoric skills as well as the integration of these skills. Due to the close relationship between reading and spelling skills, the teaching methodology employed during the initial reading phase and the child’s level of language development play an important role. In accordance with the aim of this study, the ESSI reading and spelling tests were compiled. These tests may be used to determine the reading (word recognition) and spelling abilities of primary school pupils. During the construction of these tests, care was taken to ensure that certain criteria were met, the most important referring to the measurement of the attribute. This implies that the measurement must be objective and standardized. To ensure objectivity, item analyses were performed by utilizing the item response theory. This prevented the item statistics from being sample dependent. During the standardization process, separate term norms were calculated for the word lists (reading and spelling) of each grade. These norms are available as both stanine scales and percentile ranks. To heighten the utility value of these tests, sifting tests were compiled. These tests consist of 35 spelling and reading words in both English and Afrikaans which may be used to quickly and effectively determine the appropriate grade level at which a specific pupil must be tested with respect to the final tests. In addition to this, the tests also possess qualitative analysis value which may be successfully utilized in practice to determine specific reading and/or spelling errors to facilitate the remedial process. The ESSI reading and spelling tests are reliable and valid measuring instruments. The tests successfully predict the pupils’ achievements at the end of the year in the various academic subjects. The spelling and reading skills of pupils displaying inadequate academic progress may thus be tested to determine whether their inability to read or spell effectively does not underlie this poor progress.
Open Access
The relationship between coping and spiritual well-being during adolescence
(University of the Free State, 2008-11) Moodley, Trevor; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
ARTICLE I: The factor analyses of the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire using a South African adolescent sample Gomez and Fisher (2003) developed the Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire (SWBQ) based on a theoretical model of spiritual well-being proposed by Fisher. According to Fisher, spiritual well-being comprises the personal, communal, environmental and transcendental domains, which are interrelated and cohere to give a global spiritual well-being dimension. The 2003 study showed the SWBQ to have good reliability and validity. Item response theory analyses of the SWBQ (Gomez & Fisher, 2005a) suggested general support for the psychometric properties of the SWBQ. However, there were also indications that certain items in the questionnaire needed to be improved. The present study was undertaken to do a factor analyses of the SWBQ using an adolescent South African sample to gauge its suitability. Gomez and Fisher’s (2005a) recommendation was considered and certain items were added to the SWBQ for factor analyses with the aim of replacing some of the original items. The factor structure that was found in this study corresponds with the factor structure found in Gomez and Fisher’s study (2003). Acceptable coefficients of internal consistency for the different subscales (factors) as well as for the global score of the SWBQ were found. In addition, in line with Gomez and Fisher’s (2005a) recommendation, the revised SWBQ scale presented in this study seems to have been improved in terms of its psychometric properties and appears to be a reliable instrument in measuring the spiritual well-being of adolescents. ARTICLE II: The role of age, gender and specific religious variables in the coping of adolescents This study investigated whether there were statistically meaningful associations (using Scheffé tests to determine effect sizes) between the coping strategies used by adolescents and the variables of age, gender, importance of religion/ spirituality, attendance of church activities and frequency of prayer. The sample comprised of 1283 high school learners located in the metropole of Cape Town, South Africa. The results are as follows: females used the “developing social support” coping strategy much more than males, older adolescents used the “avoiding problems” coping strategy more than younger adolescents, an inverse correlation was found between the “avoiding problems” coping strategy and an increase in the “importance of religion” variable, a positive correlation was found for the three dimensions of religion/spirituality (importance of religion/spirituality, frequency of church attendance and frequency of prayer) and the “seeking spiritual support” coping variable. ARTICLE III: The relationship between coping and spiritual well-being in a group of South African adolescents This study investigated whether there were statistically meaningful associations (using Scheffé tests to determine effect sizes) between coping and spiritual well-being in a group of South African adolescents. The sample consisted of 1283 adolescent learners drawn from high schools in the metropole of Cape Town, South Africa. The ACOPE (Patterson & McCubbin, 1987) instrument was used to measure coping in terms of 12 coping strategies. Spiritual wellbeing was measured by the SWBQ (Gomez & Fisher, 2003) instrument, which gives a global score as well as a score for each of four spiritual well-being domains (personal, communal, environmental and transcendental). The results indicated a significant positive association, with large effect size, suggesting practical importance between the coping subscale “seeking spiritual support” and the transcendental spiritual well-being domain. In addition, a significant positive association with medium effect size, suggesting moderate practical importance, was found for the coping subscale “developing social support” and the communal spiritual well-being domain.
Open Access
Die rol van sosiale ondersteuning in die lewenstevredenheid van MIV-geaffekteerde adolessente
(University of the Free State, 2012-02) Malgas, Albertus J.; Beukes, R. B. I.; Botha, A.
English: South Africa is characterised as a country with high levels of socioeconomic inequalities, poverty, violence and a high incidence of HIV/AIDS, which imply numerous challenges for living conditions of South Africans. These contextual factors cause South African adolescents to be exposed to multiple life stressors. One of the greatest life threats confronting young South Africans is the loss of control over their lives caused by HIV/AIDS. The impact of HIV/AIDS threatens the survival and normal development of children and adolescents. The most destructive effect of the pandemic on children and adolescents is the disintegration of traditional social support structures and social networks. Social support is regarded as one of the most important predictors of physical health and life satisfaction and plays an important role in the relationship between life stressors and life satisfaction. It functions as a buffer to decrease the impact of stress and to increase coping abilities when people find themselves in stressful situations. Social support is provided by parents, family, extended family, friends, teachers and the broader community and plays an important role, because these sources of support can soften the impact of stressful life events. With reference to the details stated above, the purpose of the research was to determine the role of social support in the life satisfaction of a group of adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS. This study was undertaken with a group of 218 HIV/AIDS-affected adolescents from the Northern Cape Province. A qualitative approach was used. A biographical questionnaire including aspects such as sex, race, home language and the parents' marital status and socioeconomic status was developed to measure the biographical variables. The Satisfaction with Life Questionnaire was used to obtain a measure of their life satisfaction. The Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends Questionnaire and the Life Stressors and Social Resources Inventory – Youth Form (LISRES-Y) were used to obtain a measure of their social support. An analysis of the research results indicates that some biographical variables do play a role in the life satisfaction and social support of this group of adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS. Differences in sex and age, socioeconomic status, race and the family structure seem to play a role in the social support and life satisfaction of these adolescents. In addition, it is apparent from the research that social support by the family and friends plays a significant role in the differences in respect of adolescents with high and low levels of life stressors and life satisfaction. However, throughout the study it was clear that adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS experienced lower levels of life satisfaction, regardless of the level of social support.
Open Access
The role of school connectedness in the relationship between pro-social behaviour and classroom peer relations in Sesotho speaking HIV/AIDS orphans
(University of the Free State, 2013-02) De Gouveia, Amanda; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
Article 1: It is estimated that at present there are 4.253 million orphans in South Africa, comprising 23% of children in this country. In the Free State, 27% of the province’s children are orphaned. At the commencement of this study it was estimated that there were 3.95 million orphans in South Africa, comprising 21% of children in this country, while 26% of children in the Free State children were orphaned. From these statistics it is apparent that South Africa is still experiencing an ever increasing magnitude of orphans, all of whom must be absorbed within the school system. Despite many developmental risk factors associated with orphan-hood in South Africa, a study among primary school HIV/AIDS orphans in Mangaung in the Free State, found high scores of positive development and normal childhood functioning, namely pro-social behaviour and good classroom peer relations. Data analysis of the raw scores, by means of the Pearson product moment correlation, established a coefficient of 0.291 on the 1% level of significance between pro-social behaviour and classroom peer relations in a sample of 234 Sesotho speaking HIV/AIDS orphans. This outcome is in line with international studies, but is noteworthy within the South African childhood context of HIV/AIDS and poverty, where the risk factors that potentially compromise developmental outcomes for HIV/AIDS orphans are rampant and robust. Article 2: Among the many risk factors to be navigated by HIV/AIDS orphans in South Africa, is the risk regarding attainment of educational outcomes. In the South African context, orphans are the demographic group most likely not to complete their education. Yet, there are protective factors that can help orphans to manage some of the risk factors that they face daily. One such a protective factor is school connectedness. A study among a sample of 234 primary school HIV/AIDS orphans, aged 7-11 years, in Mangaung in the Free State, found high scores of school connectedness among the selected sample of learners. Product term regression analysis of the data shows that school connectedness plays a moderator role in a previously established relationship between pro-social behaviour and classroom peer relations among the same sample of orphaned learners. This study concludes that there is indeed a need to foster and research school connectedness among orphans and other vulnerable children in South African schools, as the protective qualities of this construct could counteract some of the risk factors regarding educational outcomes, not only for HIV/AIDS orphans, but for all children growing up in the context of adversity.
Open Access
Spiritual well-being in a group of South African adolescents
(University of the Free State, 2007-11) Van Rooyen, Brenda Mary; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
Findings in this South African sample of adolescents confirm that adolescents who highly value religion/spirituality also report both praying and attending church/spiritual activities more frequently. Thus there is congruence between their commitment, and their practices – both personal (prayer) and public (church/spiritual activity attendance) – associated with positive psychological outcomes (Pargament, 1997). Whether belief precedes practice or practice precedes belief is arguable (Spilka et al., 2003), but this research supports evidence of a correspondence between belief and practice. This research also suggests that a high valuing of religion/spirituality, more frequent church/spiritual activity attendance and more frequent prayer are all related to higher levels of transcendental spiritual well-being or a self-reported significant and harmonious relationship with a divine Other or energy. Thus commitment to spirituality and public and private practices associated with spirituality seems to generate a closer relationship with the divine and thus higher levels of transcendental spiritual well-being. Similarly this research suggests that a higher valuing of religion/spirituality and more frequent prayer are related to higher levels of personal spiritual well-being and to higher levels of global spiritual health. Thus commitment and private practice, more consistent with an intrinsic religious orientation (Allport & Ross, 1967; Milevsky & Levitt, 2004; Pargament, 1997), seem related to a closer relationship with self and to more developed relationships in all domains (personal, communal, environmental and transcendental) generating higher levels of spiritual health.
Open Access
Spiritualiteit as mediator in die verband tussen coping en sielkundige weerbaarheid by adolessente met emosionele- en gedragsprobleme
(University of the Free State, 2009-11) Grobbelaar, J. C.; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
English: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping and resilience in adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems, and to describe it according to relevant literature and research. The research group consisted of 150 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 years, and represented both genders and Afrikaans-, English- and African language groups. The Coping Response Inventory (Moos, 2004) was selected to measure the coping responses and the Resilience Scale (Wagnild & Young, 1993) to measure the resilience of the adolescents. The study findings indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between coping responses (consisting of approach coping responses and avoidance coping responses) and resilience. By implication, resilient adolescents will be more successful in the application of coping strategies, regaining balance despite adversity and find meaning amidst confusion and tumult (Wagnild, 2009).
Open Access
Die toekomsverwagtinge van die Suid-Afrikaanse skoolverlater: 'n kruiskulturele ondersoek
(University of the Free State, 2003-11) Joubert, Emmerentia; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
English: The primary aim of this research was to determine the similarities, as well as the differences, which exist between South African school leavers from the different race groups. The construct future expectations was investigated in the study. The theoretical principle of the research was based on the broad conceptual framework of Psychofortology. The ecological systems theory was used to investigate the different contexts in which the school leaver finds himself. Due to the fact that school leavers are in their late adolescence, this stage was discussed at length. The research design includes the Hope Scale of Snyder to determine the levels of hope, as well as the socio-economic index of Riordan, which determines the socio-economic standing of families, and which pointed out large differences between Whites on one side and Blacks and Coloureds on the other. In addition, the researcher has developed a future expectations scale to measure the future expectations of school leavers. Hope has been used as co-variant. Information was acquired from matriculants from 20 schools – 50% in rural areas and 50% in cities. A total of 1823 respondents participated in the research. Of these, 50.06% were Afrikaans speakers (mostly white and Coloured), while 42.46% indicated that they speak an African language. Due to the fact that the focus of the study was cross-cultural and because it was deemed necessary to keep the three groups as homogenous as possible with regard to language, a decision was made to use only respondents from the White and Coloured groups who speak Afrikaans and only speakers of an African language (Sesotho) from the black group. Following these adjustments, the total sample consisted out of 1637 respondents. The future expectations scale was designed in such a way that it was able to show cultural or ethnic, as well as gender differences between the three groups. This was not possible with the application of the Hope Scale. The future expectations scale shows a high correlation with the Hope Scale of Snyder. In fact, the future expectations scale is probably able to indicate the contents of hope – that on which the individual hopes – better than the Hope Scale. The results confirm the hypothesis that there are differences between the general future expectations count (as on the four sub-scales) for school leavers from the different race groups, gender, socioeconomic strata, academic performance levels as well as study and career possibilities. The majority of school leavers think that crime and HIV/Aids will play a large to very large negative role in the development of South Africa in the next decade. The majority of White school leavers (83.3%) are of the opinion that political factors will play a large to very large role in the development of the country in the next decade, compared to only 44.4% of Black and 57.6% of Coloured school leavers. Currently, the South Africa school leaver does not experience a overwhelming negative feeling towards the future. Compared to the other two groups, Black school leavers are experiencing a higher level of hope. White school leavers as well as female Coloured respondents have shown significantly higher family expectations than Black school leavers. Black and Coloured school leavers have indicated that school forms an important frame of reference for them. They have also shown a more positive attitude towards school than White respondents. Black school leavers shows a higher degree of self motivation than the other groups. The use of the self-designed future expectations scale as well as the Hope Scale has enabled the researcher to reach the goals of the research satisfactorily.
Open Access
Die verband tussen aggressie en houding teenoor verskillende musiekgenres by studente
(University of the Free State, 2007-12) Erasmus, Mianda; Beukes, R. B. I.; Esterhuyse, K. G. F.
Afrikaans: Musiek-emosie is ’n baie komplekse fenomeen en alhoewel navorsers nog nie konsensus bereik het oor presies hoe die proses werk nie, is daar genoeg bewyse dat individue wel emosie ervaar in reaksie op musiek en juis vir hierdie rede by musiek betrokke is. Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die teoretiese verband tussen musiek en emosie te beskryf na aanleiding van relevante literatuur. Temas wat bespreek word sluit in: begripsbepaling, navorsing oor die onderwerp, emosie en musiek-emosie, die doel van musiek-emosie, emosie: uitlok versus uitdruk, bronne van musiek-emosie, opwekking van musiek-emosie, eienskappe van musiek-emosie en implikasies vir toekomstige navorsing. ’n Vereenvoudigde skematiese voorstelling van die belangrikste komponente in die beskrywing van musiek-emosie word ook gegee.