Reflections on using community-based action research with a group of women/youth to explore the socio-emotional factors that enhance or inhibit participation in sustainable poverty alleviation initiatives
| dc.contributor.advisor | Damons, Lynne | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Petersen, Melanie | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Educational Psychology. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2020-11-25T19:07:21Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-01-31T19:44:43Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2020-11-25T19:07:21Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-01-31T19:44:43Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2020-12 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Youth unemployment is a serious problem in South Africa, particularly so among women. The exacerbating rates of unemployment leave many young women in the undesirable position of being unable to provide for themselves or their families, and often developing feelings of hopelessness and depression. Moreover, their unemployed status often leaves them vulnerable to being exploited and lacking the self-esteem to break out of the trap of poverty. With women and youth constituting a major portion of the world’s population, the empowerment of women has become a worldwide priority in addressing poverty reduction. This study explored the experiences of six young women who engaged in one such an initiative which was aimed at alleviating the challenge of poverty and unemployment in their community. A social constructivist research paradigm underpinned this exploratory study which generated qualitative data through the use of semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with six women, participant-generated artefacts, as well as a semi-structured interview with a social development officer from local government structures. A multi-theoretical lens, including aspects from Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and Social Interdependence Theory (SIT) were used to analyse and interpret the data generated in this study. Triangulation of theories created opportunity to explore the data from various vantage points and to produce new perspectives. This added to the rigour of the study. Thematic analysis revealed that women’s trajectories into unemployment are complex and multifaceted, encompassing aspects of personal, contextual, structural, economic and socio-emotional nature. The findings indicated that women often have to navigate many challenges in these areas, to the extent that many of them reported that their self-esteem and self-efficacy had been eroded by these adverse conditions and experiences. This lack of confidence and insecurity caused them to struggle to access the job market. The impact that their participation in a social justice initiative had on them in terms of identity formation, however, built their resilience and enabled them to exercise their agency to actively and intentionally seek opportunities to access the job market. The Global University of Lifelong Learning (GULL) initiative enabled them to develop strategies that they employed to move themselves from impoverished self-perception to taking both personal and collective responsibility to collaborate and intentionally work towards becoming self-sustainable, with the added vision of extending their own learnings to empower other community members. Building developmental relationships where care and acceptance were expressed and a sense of belonging was experienced, strengthened their engagement in this initiative, enhanced their self-efficacy and sharpened their insights into aspects of starting and managing their own businesses. The results of this study highlighted a number of socio-emotional factors, such as engaging in regular self-reflection, critical decision-making and committing to shared goals, as crucial aspects to include for poverty alleviation initiatives to be truly successful and sustainable. Women economic empowerment has thus been revealed as extending beyond personal and professional empowerment to include fundamental shifts in how economic, social and mental well-being of women are perceived and enabled. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Jeugwerkloosheid is ’n ernstige probleem in Suid-Afrika, veral by vroue. Die verergering van die werkloosheidskoers laat baie jong vroue in die ongewenste posisie om nie vir hulself of hul gesinne te kan sorg nie, en dat hulle dikwels gevoelens van hopeloosheid en depressie ontwikkel. Boonop laat hul werklose status hulle dikwels kwesbaar vir uitbuiting deur ander en ’n gebrekkige selfbeeld wat dit moeilik maak om uit die strik van armoede te ontsnap. Met vroue en jeugdiges wat ’n groot deel van die wêreldbevolking uitmaak, het die bemagtiging van vroue ’n wêreldwye prioriteit geword om die vermindering van armoede aan te spreek. Hierdie studie ondersoek die ervarings van ses jong vroue wat aan so ’n inisiatief deelgeneem het om die uitdaging van armoede en werkloosheid in hul gemeenskap te verlig. ’n Sosiaal-konstruktivistiese navorsingsparadigma was die grondslag vir hierdie verkennende studie wat kwalitatiewe data gegenereer het deur die gebruik van semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude en fokusgroeponderhoude met ses vroue, visuele artefakte deur die deelenemers gegenereer, sowel as ’n semi-gestruktureerde onderhoud met ’n maatskaplike ontwikkelingsbeampte van die plaaslike regeringstrukture. ’n Multi-teoretiese lens, insluitend aspekte uit Bronfenbrenner se bioekologiese model, Kultureel-Historiese Aktiwiteitsteorie (CHAT) en Sosiale Interafhanklikheidsteorie (SIT), is gebruik om die data wat in hierdie studie gegenereer is, te ontleed en te interpreteer. Die gebruik van verskeie teoretiese lense het die moontlikheid geskep om die data vanuit verskillende invalshoeke te ondersoek en nuwe perspektiewe te ontdek. Hierdie benadering het bygedra tot die kwaliteit van die studie. Tematiese analise het aan die lig gebring dat vroue se trajekte na werkloosheid kompleks en veelsydig is en aspekte van persoonlike, kontekstuele, strukturele, ekonomiese en sosio-emosionele aard insluit. Die bevindinge het aangedui dat vroue dikwels baie uitdagings in hierdie areas moet navigeer, tot so ’n mate dat baie van hulle gerapporteer het dat hul selfbeeld en selfdoeltreffendheid deur hierdie ongunstige toestande en ervarings afgebreek is. Hierdie gebrek aan selfvertroue en gepaardgaande onsekerheid het veroorsaak dat hulle moeilik toegang tot die arbeidsmark kon verkry. Die impak van hul deelname aan ’n sosiale geregtigheidsinisiatief op hul identiteitsvorming, het egter hul veerkragtigheid opgebou en hulle in staat gestel om hul agentskap uit te oefen om aktief en doelbewus geleenthede te soek om toegang tot die arbeidsmark te verkry. Die Global University of Lifelong Learning (GULL) -inisiatief het hulle in staat gestel om strategieë te ontwikkel wat hulle kon aanwend het om van verarmde selfpersepsies te beweeg tot die aanvaarding van persoonlike sowel as kollektiewe verantwoordelikheid om doelbewustelik daaraan te werk om selfonderhoudend te word, met die addisionele visie om hul eie leer uit te brei deur ander lede van die gemeenskap te bemagtig. Die bou van ontwikkelingsverhoudinge waar sorg en aanvaarding uitgespreek is en waar hulle kon voel dat hulle aan die groep behoort, het hul betrokkenheid by hierdie inisiatief versterk, hul selfdoeltreffendheid verbeter en hul insigte verskerp in aspekte ten opsigte van die begin en bestuur van hul eie ondernemings. Die resultate van hierdie studie het ’n aantal sosio-emosionele faktore beklemtoon as belangrike aspekte om in te sluit ten einde armoedeverligtings-inisiatiewe werklik suksesvol en volhoubaar te maak, soos byvoorbeeld gereelde selfrefleksie, kritiese besluitneming en toewyding aan gedeelde doelwitte. Die studie het dus aan die lig gebring dat die ekonomiese bemagtiging van vroue baie meer as net persoonlike en professionele bemagtiging insluit. Dit vra ook vir fundamentele denkverskuiwings in hoe die ekonomiese, sosiale en geestelike welstand van vroue gesien en ondersteun word. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xii, 158 pages ; illustrations, includes annexures | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109324 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Unemployed youth -- Social aspects -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Action research in education | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Unemployed youth -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Unemployed women workers -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Poverty -- Prevention -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | Reflections on using community-based action research with a group of women/youth to explore the socio-emotional factors that enhance or inhibit participation in sustainable poverty alleviation initiatives | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |