Dance as a tool for emotional well-being

vital:20779Dance has numerous benefits for emotional well-being. For young people specifically it can serve as a prosocial activity where they can engage in a purposeful activity, in a safe space with consistent boundaries and discipline, while surrounded by peers, teachers and positive role models. Recreational spaces that allow young people to feel safe and express themselves is especially important in low socioeconomic areas where there are limited resources and exposure to heightened levels of crime as young people may be less likely to engage in negative behaviours when they have access to alternative, positive activities. This research aimed to explore the lived experiences of a group of young people who participate in dance classes at a community dance project in the Western Cape. The sample group consisted of four young people between the ages of 16 and 20. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants and the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three major themes emerged from the data, namely 1) My exposure to dance - The impact of context, 2) What motivates me to continue attending classes - The fulfilment of the three basic psychological needs, and 3) How does dance make me feel - The experience of emotional well-being through dance. The discussion of the findings yielded many similarities between the experiences of the participants and the relevant literature. Further, it appears that all four participants experience the satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy and relatedness) at the centre. This may serve as a motivator to continue attending classes as well as contribute to sustained eudaimonic wellbeing. Recommendations include further studies being conducted with groups of young people engaging in dance projects in different socioeconomic contexts and in different parts of South Africa. This could give us a more rounded understanding of how people young people experience dance class and how it contributes to emotional well-being. Further research could also be conducted with recreational projects that offer other activities in under-resourced areas in order to better inform the development of such recreational activities

Everyone has the right to participate : exploring the lived experiences of adolescents with cerebral palsy and their involvement in physical activity

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Engagement in physical activity is a basic human right and has numerous benefits for mental well-being. Persons with disabilities are often denied this right due to a number of barriers existing on physiological, psychological and structural levels. Adolescents with motor impairments may be even further marginalised due to the physical nature of their impairment as well as being at a developmental stage where their opinions may not be taken into account based on their age. Research that has been conducted in this area has mostly focused on the accounts of parents and teachers with little voice being given to adolescents. This research aimed to explore the lived experiences of a group of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and their involvement in physical activity. The sample group consisted of 15 adolescents with CP between the ages of 12 and 18 in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. In addition, three staff members were interviewed in order to add a secondary layer of data to the study. The interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis which aims to give voice to participants and to make meaning of these accounts through interpretation by the researcher. Five major themes emerged from the data, namely: (1) “When they call me cripple” – what it means to have a motor impairment, (2) My experience of physical activity – perceived benefits, facilitators and barriers to participation, (3) Protective factors and coping strategies employed by participants to overcome barriers to participation, (4) What I would like and what I recommend, and (5) Perceptions of staff members at the school. These themes were discussed through a theoretical framework focused on the psychological and social factors which influence an individual’s participation in (or avoidance of) physical activity. While this theoretical framework is based on able-bodied persons, it was interesting to compare the experiences of adolescents with CP. The findings were further discussed in comparison to the relevant literature, although the purpose of qualitative research is not to necessarily generalise findings. This discussion yielded similarities and differences in terms of experiences relating to barriers and facilitators to participation. In addition, the findings supported the notion that adolescents with disabilities know what they want and have valuable input to offer in terms of their own experiences. Recommendations include further studies being conducted with groups of adolescents with disabilities other than CP as well as in other areas of South Africa. This could give a more rounded understanding of the experiences of adolescents with disabilities and could better inform projects that could be developed.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Betrokkenheid in fisiese aktiwiteit is ‘n basiese mensereg en het verskeie voordele vir verstandelike gesondheid. Mense wat gestremdhede het word dikwels ontken van hierdie reg, as gevolg van getalle struikelblokke wat bestaan op fisiologiese, sielkundige en strukturele vlakke. Adolessente met motoriese gestremdhede mag dalk nog meer gemarginaliseerde word as gevolg van die fisiese aard van hul gestremdheid, asook die feit dat hulle in ‘n ontwikkelings stadium is waar hulle opinie dalk nie in ag geneem word nie weens hulle ouderdom. Navorsing wat uitgevoer is in hierdie gebied het meestal gefokus op die mededeling van die ouers en onderwysers en het min stem gegee aan die adolessente self. Hierdie navorsing het daarop gemik om die beleefde ervaringe van ‘n groep adolessente met serebrale verlamming en hulle betrokkenheid in fisiese aktiwiteit te ondersoek. Die monster groep het bestaan uit 15 adolessente met serebrale verlamming tussen die ouderdomme van 12 en 18 in die Wes-Kaap. Semi- gestruktureerde onderhoude was gedoen met die deelnemers. Bykomend is daar ook onderhoude gedoen met drie personeellede om ‘n sekondêre vlak van data aan die studie te verleen. Die onderhoude was geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van interpreterende fenomenologiese analise, wat daarop gemik is om ‘n stem te gee aan die deelnemers en om sin te maak van hulle beskrywinge deur interpretasie van die navorser. Vyf groot temas het na vore gekom uit die data, naamliks: (1) Wanneer hulle my verlam noem – wat dit beteken om ‘n motorise gestremdheid te hê, (2) My ondervinding van fisiese aktiwiteit – waargenome voordele, fasiliteerders en struikelblokke tot deelname, (3) Beskermende faktore en hanteringsvaardighede wat gebruik word deur die deelnemers om struikelblokke tot deelname te oorkom, (4) Waarvan ek sal hou en wat ek voorstel, en (5) Persepsies van personeellede by die skool. Hierdie temas was bespreek deur ‘n teoreties raamwerk wat gefokus is op die sielkundige en sosiale faktore wat ‘n individu se deelname aan (of vermyding van) fisiese aktiwiteit beïnvloed. Alhoewel hierdie teoretiese raamwerk gebaseer is op ongestremde persone, was dit interessant om die ondervindinge te vergelyk met adolessente met serebrale verlamming. Die bevindinge is verder bespreek in vergelyking met relevante literatuur, al is die doel van kwalitatiewe navorsing nie noodwendig om bevindinge te veralgemeen nie. Die bespreking het ooreenkomste, so wel as verskille ten opsigte van ondervindinge met betrekking tot hindernisse en fasiliteerders tot deelname opgelewer. Daarbenewens verleen die bevindinge ook ondersteuning aan die idee dat adolessente met gestremdhede weet wat hulle wil hê en dat hulle waardevolle insette het om te lewer in terme van hulle eie ervarings. Aanbevelings sluit in dat daar verdere studies gedoen moet word met ‘n groep adolessente wat ‘n gestremdheid anders as serebrale verlamming het, asook om verdere studies te doen in ander areas van Suid-Afrika. Dit sal ‘n meer afgeronde begrip van die ondervindinge van adolessente met gestremdhede lewer en sal ook beter instaat wees om projekte in te lig wat dalk ontwikkel mag word

The Influence Of Atmospherics In Consumer Research Data Collection

This study investigates the effects of ambient atmosphere on market research survey response quality, following approaches in the retail atmospherics literature.  Participants completed a survey task and reported their affect states in a between subjects factorial experiment which manipulated ambient music, lighting and aroma conditions. Structural equation methods were used to test for effects of atmospheric factors on response quality and respondent affect. Findings suggest that ambient atmosphere may contribute to cognitive enrichment up to a point where it becomes distracting. At that point, ambient cues appear to interfere with cognitive processing. Survey response quality may be compromised through reduced positive affect, increased fatigue, or boredom, but the influence mechanism is different between males and females. The importance of stimulus manipulations is stressed and the effects of specific stimulus are provided to help researchers understand the impact toward response quality. Marketing researchers from both the academic and managerial community may be able to improve survey response quality by managing environmental conditions to enhance survey experience

'Your experiences were your tools.' How personal experience of mental health problems informs mental health nursing practice

INTRODUCTION: Expertise by experience' is a highly valued element of service delivery in recovery-oriented mental health care, but is unacknowledged within the mental health nursing literature. AIM: To explore the extent and influence of mental health professionals' personal experience of mental ill health on clinical practice. METHOD: Twenty seven mental health nurses with their own personal experience of mental ill health were interviewed about how their personal experience informed their mental health nursing practice, as part of a sequential mixed methods study. RESULTS: The influence of personal experience in nursing work was threefold: first, through overt disclosure; second, through the 'use of the self as a tool'; third, through the formation of professional nursing identity. DISCUSSION: Mental health nurses' experience of mental illness was contextualised by other life experiences and by particular therapeutic relationships and clinical settings. In previous empirical studies nurses have cited personal experience of mental illness as a motivator and an aspect of their identity. In this study there was also an association between personal experience and enhanced nursing expertise. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: If drawing on personal experience is commonplace, then we must address the taboo of disclosure and debate the extent to which personal and professional boundaries are negotiated during clinical encounters

Consumer Evaluations of Competing Brands: Perceptual versus Predictive Validity

This study applies the concepts of consumer predictive and confidence values of information to consumer evaluations of food quality. Examining hypothetical findings from a thought experiment, the study offers advances in cue utilization, predictive validity, and achievement of consumer's perceived quality and actual quality. Separately, metrics for these concepts were applied in a consumer product-quality evaluation study of three brands of peanut butter. Actual quality was operationally defined in terms of Consumers Union ratings of the peanut butter. Using a between-groups, posttest only experimental design, female graduate students (n = 98) tasted and rated one of three peanut butters on the basis of quality and nine product attributes. These informants received no knowledge of brand names or comparative qualities prior to the test. The analysis indicates a nonsignificant correlation between actual quality of the brands and quality as perceived by the informants. The major cues used by informants in making their qualitative judgments (cue utilization) differed from the significant dimensions associated with actual quality (predictive validity). The findings inform the suggestion for consumer training in the process of making accurate quality evaluations

Retail format selection in on-the-go shopping situations

Consumers patronize different store formats to purchase products. Prior literature describes store and format choices for big, multi-item shopping baskets, but limited insights determine consumers' unique shopping routines when they seek to buy just one or a few items while on the go. Such shopping situations might affect consumers' format selections for both search and experience goods. This study uses multi-attribute utility theory to develop a framework, tested with a scenario-based experiment. For search goods, a format's economic utility (price level, speed) is more important; its functional utility (quality, variety) and psychological utility (atmosphere, service) become less important considerations. Furthermore, the tolerable range of formats is larger for search goods. The level of on-the-go purchase and consumption frequency moderates these effects. Therefore, this research helps to clarify what drives consumers' format selections in on-the-go shopping situations, with useful managerial insights for how retailers can compete in the growing on-the-go market

Why single-sex schools? Discourses of culture/faith and achievement

This paper is developed from a study carried out to explore factors influencing the choices of a range of stake-holders in a multi-ethnic urban community - students, parents, teachers, community representatives - with regard to single-sex schooling. The paper discusses competing perspectives underpinning the focus of the study. Recent legislation in America approving single-sex schooling (Hutchison Amendment in June 2001), and increased provision of single-sex classes in UK and elsewhere have augmented the debates around single-sex education and achievement. However, another important but less explored aspect is association between single-sex education and culture/faith in certain communities/countries. In today's multi-ethnic multi-faith societies, it is highly significant to look at schooling preferences from the perspectives of different groups and communities for the purposes of responding to their needs and expectations. This paper extends the debate by discussing the impact of culture and faith on school choices with regard to single-sex versus co-educational schooling