Understanding bullying in three inclusive secondary schools in Johannesburg : a wellness perspective

This research is about bullying in schools. The aim of the study was to investigate how the problem of bullying is understood in schools, its causes, types, effects, general patterns and strategies to curb this bullying problem in schools derived from the bioecological theory, through interviewing teachers, learners and principals at secondary school level. Qualitative approach and a case study were used. This qualitative research was conducted at three inclusive secondary schools in Johannesburg North District in Gauteng province in South Africa through engaging eighteen learners in Grade Eleven and Twelve in focus groups. One focus group composed of six learners was conducted at each of three participating schools. Nine teachers, three from each of the three participating schools were involved in semi- structured interviews to solicit data on how they understand bullying, its causes, types, effects, general patterns and ways of addressing bullying in schools. Three principals, one from each of the selected schools also participated in this study. All the participants participated in this research through invitation to voluntary participation after being made aware of the purposes of the study by the researcher. Thus, a purposive sample of three principals, nine teachers and eighteen learners was used by the researcher. Semi- structured interviews and focus group interviews were used as research instruments in this study. Teachers and principals were engaged in semi- structured interviews and learners were involved in focus group interviews. The bio- ecological theory and the wellness theory were used as theoretical frameworks in this research to understand bullying, its causes, types, effects and general patterns, so as to come up with strategies to address bullying that target the learners’ social contexts rather than the learners themselves as is with the case with the psychological model. Before conducting this research, the researcher obtained ethics clearance from the University of South Africa’s ethics committee, clearance was also obtained from Gauteng Department of, clearance from Johannesburg North District as well as acceptance letters from participating inclusive secondary schools. The researcher also obtained assent from the eighteen Grade eleven and twelve learners who participated in this study. Assent was also obtained from parents of learners who participated in this research. Consent was also obtained from the nine teachers and three principals who participated in this research. After conducting focus group discussions and semi- structured interviews with teachers and principals, the researcher transcribed data verbatim for the purposes of analysing it. After transcribing data, it was colour coded, then categorised and categories were further fused into themes which were discussed in chapter five in relation to literature reviewed in chapter two. Some interesting findings were discovered in this research. Lack of resources, violence and violent video games were found to be causes of bullying in schools. ‘Gangsterism’ and peer influence were said to be general patterns of bullying in schools. Low academic performance and absenteeism were said to be effects of bullying in schools. Physical bullying, verbal bullying, emotional bullying, social bullying, sexual bullying, teacher- learner bullying, learner to learner bullying, gender based bullying and cyber bullying were said to be some types of bullying prevalent in schools. Working with various stakeholders in education such as organisations like Love Life, S.E.N.C.A, South African Police Services and Community Based Youth Centres as well as other professionals like social workers, psychologists and specialist teachers was found to be helpful address bullying in schools. Findings also indicated that involving parents and community leaders in school activities assist to address bullying in schools. Installing cameras and suggestion boxes, reporting all forms of bullying installing cameras, bullying awareness campaigns, training staff and having bullying lessons in the school timetable were mentioned effective methods of eradicating all forms of bullying in all schools. However, the study recommends that, teachers and principals be staff developed on issues related to how bullying is understood in schools in relation to its causes, types, effects, general patterns and strategies to stop it in school.Inclusive EducationM. Ed. (Inclusive education

Utilization of academic support programs by African students

This study investigated the utilization of academic support programs by African students at Iowa State University. The subjects were 75 African students from 42 countries who were enrolled at Iowa State University during Spring of 1987 to Spring of 1988. The students surveyed were approximately 56.0% of total African students enrolled. New students were not included in the study. Students who participated were enrolled in the following colleges: Agriculture, Business Administration, Design, Education, Engineering, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Science and Humanities;The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the utilization of academic support programs by African students was due to the following factors: (a) gender, (b) age, (c) marital status, (d) length of time at Iowa State University, (e) English used as an official language in home country, (f) TOEFL score, and (g) degree student is pursuing;The dependent variables used for this study were: (a) problems/needs the African students expressed, (b) what motivated them to utilize academic support programs, (c) level of participation (why they did not participate or participate more), (d) barriers they encountered, and (e) satisfaction with academic support programs;The data were analyzed using item-by-item frequency of responses, coefficient of reliabilities, and cross-tabulation. Chi-square was used to find the relationships between the background information and the principal issues (problems/needs, motivation, participation, barriers, and satisfaction with academic support programs);The following conclusions were drawn based upon the findings of the study;The only significant relationships were between gender and participation, and between gender and barriers. Also of interest, the study found that females are more likely to use academic support programs than males. The study also revealed that males perceived fewer barriers to use academic support programs than females. Interestingly enough, the study found that although the African students knew about the existence of the academic support programs, they did not use them;However, the study did not find any significant relationships between age, marital status, length of time at Iowa State University, English as an official language spoken in home country and TOEFL scores with the principal issues;Implications are presented and recommendations for practice and further research provided

Extensions of the First Borel-Cantelli Lemma in Riesz Spaces

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, February 2018The classical First and Second Borel-Cantelli theorems as well as the Kolmogorov Zero-One Laws have been extended to the abstract setting of Riesz spaces by Wen-Chi Kuo, Coenraad C. A. Labuschagne and Bruce A. Watson. This dissertation aims to extend upon the work of these authors. In particular, an extension of the Barndorff-Nielsen Zero-One Law to the Riesz space setting.XL201

High post-exposure prophylaxis uptake but low completion rates and HIV testing follow-up in health workers, Harare, Zimbabwe.

INTRODUCTION: Health care workers (HCWs), especially from sub-Saharan Africa, are at risk of occupational exposure to HIV. Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can reduce this risk. There is no published information from Zimbabwe, a high HIV burden country, about how PEP works. We therefore assessed how the PEP programme performed at the Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe, from 2017-2018. METHODOLOGY: This was a cohort study using secondary data from the staff clinic paper-based register. The chi square test and relative risks were used to assess associations. RESULTS: There were 154 HCWs who experienced occupational injuries. The commonest group was medical doctors (36%) and needle sticks were the most frequent type of occupational injury (74%). The exposure source was identified in 114 (74%) occupational injuries: 91% of source patients were HIV-tested and 77% were HIV-positive. All but two HCWs were HIV-tested, 148 were eligible for PEP and 142 (96%) started triple therapy, all within 48 hours of exposure. Of those starting PEP, 15 (11%) completed 28 days, 13 (9%) completed < 28 days and in the remainder PEP duration was not recorded. There were no HCW characteristics associated with not completing PEP. Of those starting PEP, 9 (6%) were HIV-tested at 6-weeks, 3 (2%) were HIV-tested at 3-months and 1 (< 1%) was HIV-tested at 6-months: all HIV-tests were negative. CONCLUSIONS: While uptake of PEP was timely and high, the majority of HCWs failed to complete the 28-day treatment course and even fewer attended for follow-up HIV-tests. Various changes are recommended to promote awareness of PEP and improve adherence to guidelines

Hepatitis B infection in people living with HIV who initiate antiretroviral therapy in Zimbabwe.

SETTING: There is little information about the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Zimbabwe despite recommendations that tenofovir (TDF) + lamivudine (3TC) is the most effective nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) backbone of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in those with dual infection. OBJECTIVE: To determine 1) numbers screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg); 2) numbers diagnosed HBsAg-positive along with baseline characteristics; and 3) NRTI backbones used among PLHIV initiating first-line ART at Mpilo Opportunistic Infections Clinic, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, between October 2017 and April 2019. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study using routinely collected data. RESULTS: Of the 422 PLHIV initiating first-line ART (median age 34 years, IQR 25-43), 361 (85%) were screened for HBV, with 10% being HBsAg-positive. HBsAg positivity was significantly associated with anaemia (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 2.3, 95%CI 1.1-4.7) and elevated ala-nine transaminase levels (aPR 2.9, 95%CI 1.5-5.8). Of 38 PLHIV who were diagnosed HBsAg-positive, 30 (79%) were started on ART based on tenofovir (TDF) and lamivudine (3TC), seven were given abacavir (ABC) + 3TC-based ART and one was given zido vudine (ZDV) + 3TC-based ART. CONCLUSION: In PLHIV, HBV screening worked well, the prevalence of HIV-HBV co-infection was high and most patients received appropriate treatment for both conditions. Recommendations to improve screening, diagnosis and treatment of HIV-HBV co-infection are discussed

An observational study of critical care physicians' assessment and decision-making practices in response to patient referrals

Previous studies of critical care admissions have largely compared patients that have been granted or declined admission. To better understand the decision process itself, our ethnographic approach combined observation of and interviews with critical care physicians in a large English hospital. We observed 30 critical care doctors managing 71 referrals and conducted ten interviews with senior decision-makers to explore the themes raised by our observations. We analysed data using the constant comparative method. We found that the decision to move a patient to critical care was just one way in which the trajectory of critical illness could be modified. When patients were admitted to critical care, it was not always for invasive monitoring or advanced organ support, with some admitted for more general medical and/or nursing care. When patients were declined admission, they were not simply forgotten or left behind; they nevertheless underwent careful assessment and follow-up. Thus, depicting admission or refusal as a binary event is misleading. We suggest that prescriptive admission algorithms are problematic for clinicians, in that they may not take into account the complexity of clinical practice

Utilization of academic support programs by African students

This study investigated the utilization of academic support programs by African students at Iowa State University. The subjects were 75 African students from 42 countries who were enrolled at Iowa State University during Spring of 1987 to Spring of 1988. The students surveyed were approximately 56.0% of total African students enrolled. New students were not included in the study. Students who participated were enrolled in the following colleges: Agriculture, Business Administration, Design, Education, Engineering, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Science and Humanities;The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not the utilization of academic support programs by African students was due to the following factors: (a) gender, (b) age, (c) marital status, (d) length of time at Iowa State University, (e) English used as an official language in home country, (f) TOEFL score, and (g) degree student is pursuing;The dependent variables used for this study were: (a) problems/needs the African students expressed, (b) what motivated them to utilize academic support programs, (c) level of participation (why they did not participate or participate more), (d) barriers they encountered, and (e) satisfaction with academic support programs;The data were analyzed using item-by-item frequency of responses, coefficient of reliabilities, and cross-tabulation. Chi-square was used to find the relationships between the background information and the principal issues (problems/needs, motivation, participation, barriers, and satisfaction with academic support programs);The following conclusions were drawn based upon the findings of the study;The only significant relationships were between gender and participation, and between gender and barriers. Also of interest, the study found that females are more likely to use academic support programs than males. The study also revealed that males perceived fewer barriers to use academic support programs than females. Interestingly enough, the study found that although the African students knew about the existence of the academic support programs, they did not use them;However, the study did not find any significant relationships between age, marital status, length of time at Iowa State University, English as an official language spoken in home country and TOEFL scores with the principal issues;Implications are presented and recommendations for practice and further research provided.</p