Browsing by Author "Kvalsvig, Jane Dene."

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An ethological study of the exploratory and play behaviour of pre-school children.
(1977) Kvalsvig, Jane Dene.; Lucas, John.
The behaviour of a group of nursery school children with respect to a novel object in a familiar playground was recorded on videotape and film. Recording sessions of half an hour's duration took place on 5 consecutive days. The behaviour was analysed according to receptor-contact patterns, and recurring patterns of behaviour derived from McGrew's (1972) list of social behaviour patterns. Evidence is discussed to support the hypothesis that group exploratory behaviour contained elements of wariness and competition as well as a general trend from specific to diversive exploration (Berlyne 1960). Sex differences in exploratory behaviour are discussed as well as the proposition that boys are generally more suited to an active exploratory role whereas girls tend to perform a communicative role.
Development and validation of a bilingual language battery for language-based learning disabilities.
(2018) Mazibuko, Xolisile Innocentia.; Flack, Penelope Susan.; Kvalsvig, Jane Dene.
There are social, linguistic, cultural, and political dimensions that impact on health and education in South Africa. The evolving nature of these dimensions demand the use of language assessment tools that are developed and validated for the South African population. Speech-language assessment informs parents and educators of the nature of speech and language difficulties the learner may have and guides the intervention. IsiZulu is the most widely spoken African language in South Africa. Therefore, development of a tool to assess expressive, receptive, and written language skills of learners with language-based learning disorders in isiZulu, is imperative. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a tool for language assessment of isiZulu-English speaking learners in grades 1, 2, and 3 who may have language-based learning disabilities. An assessment tool was designed to assess core language skills and identify early indicators of language-based learning disabilities that may result in academic difficulties. The tool development process aimed to construct an innovative test that is linguistically and culturally sensitive to bilingual or isiZulu-English speakers while the content is rich for identifying indicators of language-based learning disability. Elements in expressive and receptive language, phonological awareness, listening, reading, and mathematically-based language concepts were considered. The conceptual tool development phase involved a systematic literature review, pretesting with two existing tools and consultation of a five member Delphi review panel for advice and reviews. Field trials contributed to the development of test items and procedures and tested the tool’s application in mainstream and remedial schools as well as rural and urban communities of learners in KwaZulu-Natal. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyse data. The results indicated that the new tool was linguistically and culturally appropriate. The majority of the subtests provided good reliability and valid results. The study makes a worthy contribution to the body of knowledge in the field of speech-language therapy and basic education. The results and guidelines from this study set out the basic elements required for development of language assessment tools in other African languages. The development of the assessment tool will yield standardization of a bilingual language assessment tool in South Africa.
The effects of schistosomiasis on the behaviour of children.
(1981) Kvalsvig, Jane Dene.; Lucas, John.
An ethological study was undertaken in two primary schools in Natal to assess the effect of schistosome infections on the ordinary behaviour of schoolchildren in endemic areas. The following topics are discussed :- 1. The life cycle of the parasite, the possibility of an evolved tolerance of it, the likely limits of such tolerance, the possibility of selective exposure of certain kinds of children to the parasite, and the role of severity of infection in impairment. 2. Appropriate measures for investigating the impairment of the human host centring around the measurement of activity in the context of social interaction. 3. An ethological approach to evaluating human response to disease. Results indicate that there is selective exposure of more active, sociable children to the disease. In low-level infections of both Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni there is little evidence of a drop in energetic activity under normal conditions. In subjects with higher egg counts or simultaneous infections with both schistosomes, activity levels drop generally, and especially under hot, humid weather conditions where the drop in activity is greater than that for control subjects. This work throws doubt on earlier studies indicating that the parasite had no behavioural effect on humans: these studies did not control for selective exposure and may have used methods of low sensitivity and doubtful relevance to everyday life.
The socio-emotional impact of malnutrition : a comparison of infants hospitalised for malnutrition and infants hospitalised for surgical reasons.
(1998) Khumalo, Bheki.; Lachenicht, Lance Gary.; Kvalsvig, Jane Dene.
The present study looks at the socio-emotional impact of malnutrition. This is done by comparing infants who are hospitalised for malnutrition, and infants hospitalised for surgical reasons. Twenty infants were selected from the medical ward (malnutrition ward), and twenty from the surgical ward were selected as a control group. Observation was used as a method of collecting data on socio-emotional behaviour. The results of analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups of children in social and emotional responsiveness. Malnourished children showed less responsiveness, which was suggested by less activity, less affect, and low reactions to situations compared to the control group. The results also indicated that females are more sensitive than males. The results of this study invite possibilities for further investigations.
Understanding variability in child development outcome in resource-constricted settings : the contribution of the home environment.
(2015) Wekulo, Kadzo Patricia.; Kvalsvig, Jane Dene.
The main purpose of the present study was to establish the manner in which children’s home environments (proximal processes) and family household wealth (distal contexts) individually and collectively influence child development, and how these relationships change at different child ages. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, I hypothesized that proximal processes within the home environment would have a stronger impact on child outcomes than the distal factors within the children’s contexts. The effects of these factors were explored through two different studies: Sub-Study 1 among a rural school-age population (the School-age Study) and Sub-Study 2 among a rural infant population (the Infant Study). The data in the School-age Study were derived from a larger cross-sectional study examining the development of appropriate methodologies to assess executive functions, motor development and the home environment in 308 school-age children. A prospective follow-up study of approximately 300 mother-infant dyads was conducted as Sub-Study 2. The participants in the Infant Study were drawn from families enrolled in a then ongoing longitudinal study on the neurobehavioural outcomes of children exposed to HIV and malaria. Both studies were conducted at the coast of Kenya, one in the northern, and the other in the southern mainland. As tools to assess child development outcomes were not readily available for the school-age population, existing measures of language skills, motor abilities and the home environment were modified and adapted to make them culturally meaningful, and then validated for this population to establish whether or not they maintained their psychometric properties. Information on child functioning was obtained through interviews with caregivers, direct observations and assessment of children. I used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) as the main analysis method to examine the relationships among the variables of interest in both studies. For the two groups, the varying strength of the associations between background variables and outcomes demonstrated that there are different causal pathways through which the home environment and family household wealth influence child functioning at different ages. These findings provided partial support for the bioecological theory. This study has made important contributions to the knowledge base by illustrating which aspects within the home environment have the strongest impact on child outcomes. Such information is important to child development researchers working within similar settings. We recommend, based on the findings of the current study, that these aspects be considered when planning interventions to improve future outcomes for children living in resource-constricted settings.