Browsing by Author "Du Toit, Susan"

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    Die belewing en die vergestalting van veerkragtigheid van ouers van kinders met aandagtekort- en hiperaktiwiteitsversteuring in hul middelkinderjare
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Du Toit, Susan; Swart, R. E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Department of Educational Psychology
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterised by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with daily functioning and development. Statistics indicate that an increasing number of children are affected by this condition. Children with ADHD in their middle childhood years require special support with the mastering of various developmental tasks inherent in this phase. This may place extra pressure and stress on parents, in addition to the normal demands of parenthood. It could be beneficial for parents of children with ADHD to learn from the shared knowledge of other parents in similar situations. This enables them to acquire coping mechanisms and implement other processes to better handle the challenges along this path. In the same vein, educational psychologists and other key members of the community can use this research as a knowledge base from which to offer these parents more effective support. If we were to further pursue this strategy, it would be valuable to gather more information regarding (1) the experiences of parents of children with ADHD in their middle childhood years, as well as (2) the determiners of resilient parenthood in such circumstances. The goal of this study is to gain insight into the concerned phenomenon in order to develop a diagrammatical representation of the experience of parents of children with ADHD in their middle childhood years, as well as the actualisation of resilient parenthood in this context. A qualitative approach was used in this study and an exploratory narrative case study was chosen as a research plan to direct the interpretative research. The data was generated through semi-structured interviews and supplemented with close observations, field notes during interviews, participants’ diary entries, as well as reflective journal entries. The data was processed using thematic analysis and the intra-comparison of themes. This was followed by in-depth descriptions of the experiences of parents who have children with ADHD in their middle childhood years, as well as the actualisation of resilient parenthood in this context. These insights were summarized by a diagrammatical representation that illustrated some of the determiners and obstacles to resilience, as well as the causes, consequences, relationships and processes that were related therein. In this light, society’s ignorance is found to be the biggest obstacle to the actualisation of resilient parenthood. It is seen as the main cause of (1) people’s critique and prejudice against ADHD, (2) the exclusion of children with ADHD, as experienced in mainstream schools, and (3) the stigma associated with the use of medication for ADHD, as well as the placement of children with this condition in special needs schools. The determiners of resilience identified in this research, include: (1) a positive attitude and a strict routine at home, (2) time and experience in adapting to this condition, and (3) the support provided by family, the staff of special needs schools and other parents of children with ADHD in their middle childhood.
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    Die ervaring van vier adolessente met kogliere inplantings
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Du Toit, Susan; Swart, E.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Educational Psychology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure, where an electronic device is implanted into the inner ear to give people, with severe to profound hearing loss, access to sound and the spoken word. In spite of a wealth of international research, local studies on cochlear implants, and more specifically research concerning the experience of adolescents with the device, are limited. Adolescence, as a development stage, is also a very difficult phase, which is marked as a crisis period in the developement process towards maturity, as well as a continued selfconsciousness and worry about how others perceive them. It may therefore be deduced that the use of the cochlear implants could cause this to be an intense experience during this developmental phase and that served as motivation to conduct my research specifically on adolescents. This generic qualitative study had a dual purpose: Firstly it endeavoured, through explorative and descriptive research, to determine the experience of adolescents with cochlear implants in school and also in other social circumstances. That sparked off a better understanding and insight, concerning the experience of adolescents with these devices. Secondly, the purpose of this study was to enquire into and describe the experience of adolescents with their support systems. This in turn lead to the identification of support systems, but also the lack of such systems in the personal-, social- and learning environment. An interpretative qualitative study was designed to explain the experience of adolescents with cochlear implants. The Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Model of human development was used as framework to discuss the complex experience of adolescents with cochlear implants. The Asset based approach, as well as Outcomes of well-being founded on the principles of Positive Psychology, was also used as theoretical and conceptual framework to explain existing assets, support systems and management strategies. Four adolescents with cochlear implants and their parents took part in the the study. In-depth data was generated through alternative methods of interviewing, which were adjusted according to the unique requirements of each participant as well as the level of their loss of hearing. Interactive activities, that targeted the interest of participants, were adapted to their language ability and visually interactive were also used. Interviews were constantly supported by thorough field notes. Raw data was then transcribed and processed by using the constant comparative method. The themes, that were constructed from these, seem to indicate that the experieces of these adolescents are unique and are influenced by several intrapersonal and external factors. The exploration of these factors revealed the following: • Adolescents with cochlear implants sometimes experience social exclusion at school as well as amongst their friends. • Various obstacles lead up to social exclusion: Firstly, adolescents with cochlear implants are not able to follow group conversations and background interference further hampers their limited hearing. Secondly, they experience a lack of effort from their peers and teachers to include them in conversations, because the latter have a wrong perception that cochlear implants restore deaf people's hearing 100%. • Participants often experience powerlessness concerning their deafness and are selfconscious due to the visibility of the cochlear implant. • Scholastic advancement is further hampered by the ignorence of teachers, concerning the needs of learners with cochlear implants, and also due to language impairments caused by their deafness. • Personal strengths, like a positive outlook, assertiveness and perseverance, along with coping strategies, like extreme effort and mediation by parents at school, for their adolescents with cochlear implants, improve the resilience of this group to handle the above mentioned obstacles. • Other children with cochlear implants, the families of participants and school are considered to be the primary support systems. Suggestions, concerning the development and improvement of the support systems of adolescents with cochlear implants, were made on the basis of the data results. Due to the limited range of this study, further research suggestions have been made, that are supported by the knowledge gained in this study about the experience of adolescents with cochlear implants.
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    Ouers van kinders in hulle middelkinderjare met aandagtekort- en hiperaktiwiteitsversteuring se belewing : ’n veerkragtigheidsperspektief
    (LitNet, 2018) Du Toit, Susan; Swart, Estelle
    Aandagtekort- en Hiperaktiwiteitsversteuring (ATHV) word gekenmerk deur ‘n aanhoudende patroon van onoplettendheid en/of hiperaktiwiteit-impulsiwiteit wat ‘n negatiewe invloed op daaglikse funksionering en ontwikkeling het. Statistiek dui daarop dat al hoe meer kinders, ook in die middelkinderjare, daardeur geraak word. Middelkinderjare verwys na die ouderdomme van ses tot twaalf jaar. Kinders met ATHV in die middelkinderjare het eiesoortige ondersteuning nodig in die bemeestering van verskeie ontwikkelingstake eie aan hierdie fase. Dit plaas, bo en behalwe die gewone eise van ouerskap, eiesoortige druk en stres op ouers. Hierdie studie is vanuit bekwaamheidsteorie as teoretiese raamwerk benader, wat die navorsing gerig het om individuele bepalers, hulpbronne, sosiale bepalers, en faktore van veerkragtigheid te identifiseer in die beantwoording van die navorsingsvrae, te wete: Wat is die belewing van ouers van kinders met ATHV in hulle middelkinderjare? en Wat is die bepalers vir die vergestalting van veerkragtige ouerskap in terme van kinders met ATHV in hulle middelkinderjare? ‘n Verkennende narratiewe gevallestudie is as navorsingsontwerp gevolg. Een-en-twintig ouers van kinders met ATHV in hulle middelkinderjare het aan die studie deelgeneem. Data is oor ‘n tydperk van twee maande en primêr deur semigestruktureerde onderhoude gegenereer. Tematiese ontleding het ses temas opgelewer, naamlik (1) die proses van diagnose en behandeling; (2) ‘n ouer se algemene ervaring en emosies; (3) die invloed van ATHV op die gesinsdinamika; (4) die invloed van ‘n skoolstelsel; (5) die waarde van ‘n ondersteuningstelsel; en (6) die samelewing se persepsie van ATHV. Bevindinge is in ‘n diagrammatiese voorstelling saamgevat wat enkele bepalers van en hindernisse tot veerkragtigheid, asook prosesse wat hiermee verband hou, illustreer. Samevattend is onkunde van die samelewing as die grootste hindernis tot die vergestalting van veerkragtige ouerskap bevind, en hou dit klaarblyklik verband met mense se kritiek en oordeel, die uitsluiting van kinders met ATHV in hoofstroomskole, en die stigma wat aan die gebruik van medikasie, asook die plasing van kinders met hierdie toestand in spesiale skole, kleef. Die bepalers van deelnemers se veerkragtigheid sluit in: ‘n positiewe ingesteldheid en ‘n streng roetine tuis, tyd en ervaring om by hierdie toestand aan te pas, en die ondersteuning wat deur familie, die personeel van spesiale skole en ander ouers van kinders met ATHV in hulle middelkinderjare gebied word. In die lig hiervan lewer die studie ‘n bydrae tot die begryping van die belewing en vergestalting van veerkragtige ouerskap in terme van die teikengroep.