This study examined the effect of the types of family on learner drug abuse in selected high schools in Soweto, South Africa. The study adopted a correlational survey research design. The sample size comprised 80 students obtained using census sampling. Data from the learners was gathered using the learner drug abuse and family drug abuse scales. Data was analyzed using inferential statistics such as Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey HSD test. The study findings established that the type of family has statistically significant relationship with (F=3.972; P=.011) the level of drug abuse among the secondary school learners, with learners living in well-organized type of family, like nuclear, are likely to indulge less in drug abuse than their counterparts who live in a single-parent family, child headed family, and extended family. The study recommends that school counsellors should adopt holistic therapy techniques to support learners who abuse drugs.

Transition from secondary school to universities remain a great challenge to the students. Thus, first year students continue to experience adjustment challenges leading to stressful conditions. There is paucity of stressful experiences of first year students with respect to funding options available. The study aimed to examine the effect of modes of financing on stressful experiences of first year students at university in Kenya. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping by Lazarus and Folkman (1984) served as the foundation for this investigation. The study adopted a causal-comparative research design. The sample size of 198 first year students in Kenya were obtained using stratified sampling method. Data from students in their first year of study at university was obtained using Stressful Experiences Scale. Inferential analysis, with the use of t-test was used to analyze data. The study findings indicated that the scores on overall stress experience levels were significantly higher for self-sponsored students (M = 3.26, SD = 0.34) than for government sponsored students (M = 2.89, SD = 0.82), t(196) = 2.397, p = .017, Cohen’s d = .842. The implications of the findings of the study are that the University management should develop responsive programs to assist first year students who are at risk of stressful experiences.

This study explored the barriers experienced by teachers in the use of curiosity in classrooms in selected secondary schools in South Africa. By using a multiple case study design within a qualitative framework, data were obtained from 15 teacher participants from 3 (private) independent secondary schools in the Midlands area of KwaZulu Natal. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, and the data were analyzed by using thematic analysis. Teacher participants identified several key barriers which were divided into three main themes: teacher-related barriers, learner-related barriers, and school-related barriers. The findings indicate that teacher-related barriers include inadequate time available for lesson planning, teacher fatigue and over-extension, and teachers’ fear of the unknown. The findings also indicate that learner-related barriers include learner fatigue and over-extension, learner engagement and apathy, and a results-orientated mindset. Finally, the findings report that school-related barriers include curriculum demands and time constraints, rigid assessment criteria and a diverse range of learners in classrooms. It recommends that the Department of Education should prioritize professional development for teachers so that to equip them with the skills to foster greater curiosity, leading to more empowered and effective teaching.

The study aimed to examine social incompetence of learners with insecure attachment styles in three secondary schools in South Africa. The study employed a multiple case-study research design. The sampling frame comprised 27 participants, including 6 life orientation teachers, 18 grade 10 learners, and 3 deputy principals from 3 specifically chosen secondary schools in the Sedibeng West district. Data collection for this study involved the utilization of open semi-structured interviews. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews was evaluated thematically, using research questions as a framework. The results indicated that learners with social incompetence exhibited low self-esteem, antisocial behaviours, aggressive behaviours, poor anger control, poor interpersonal skills, lack of emotional competence, and external locus of control. The study recommends that parents should be trained on best parenting programs and increase awareness in the community on secure homes.

This chapter provides a conceptual framework (Conservation of Resources Theory) to analyze adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies students have used, contributing to the theoretical understanding. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health of students in universities since it resulted in increased levels of anxiety, depressive moods, low self-esteem, psychosomatic problems, and substance abuse in students, some of whom indulged in suicidality. Available literature indicates that university students were unprepared to address the traumatic experiences brought about by the pandemic. However, without adequate support, job-related stress and experiences of vicarious trauma lead to compromised mental health and, ultimately, worse outcomes for students. The main gap in the research is that there are few studies on coping mechanisms for trauma among university students during the global pandemic. Thus, this chapter contributes to filling this gap by adopting a conceptual review guided by the Conservation of Resources Theory to examine coping mechanisms for trauma among students in universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings in the chapter indicate that even as some students adopted adaptive coping mechanisms, most of them utilized maladaptive coping strategies in their response to trauma and distress associated with the pandemic. The chapter concludes that students who utilize maladaptive coping mechanisms are likely to develop poor mental health and well-being because these strategies only provide temporary relief and tend to increase dysfunction by maintaining and strengthening the underlying distress. The chapter further recommends that university management provide special psychological care to students who utilize maladaptive coping mechanisms to help them manage trauma and distress better.

The study examined persuasive arguments and adjustment in career decisions among grade 12 learners in selected secondary schools in South Africa. Persuasive Arguments theory guided the research. The design adopted in this research was a multiple case study. The participants comprised 14 learners in grade 12 in two selected secondary schools in South Africa. Data was collected using Focus Group Discussions. Thematic analysis framework was used in data analysis. The findings indicated that persuasive arguments in the form of new information, knowledge from other learners and original information influenced career adjustment among learners. The implication of this finding is that universities reconsider training teacher counsellors on career paths and subject requirements to equip them with the best knowledge on varied careers.

Educational institutions continue to adopt group decision making to address student related behaviours. However, incidences of student behaviour problems continue to rise in schools. The present study explored social comparisons and Decisions making among teacher-members of secondary school disciplinary panels. A multiple case study research design was adopted in this study. The sample size comprised 10 teachers. Data was collected using interviews and analysed thematically. The findings reported lateral, upward and downward social comparisons among the teachers which resulted in cautious shifts in decisions on offending students with behavioural problems. Implications have been discussed. There is need for designing a training manual in group decision making for teachers in schools.

This paper analysed anxiety in the works of Martin Heidegger, Frantz Fanon, and Sigmund Freud from an integrative literature review perspective. Based on synthesised literature, it is established that while for Heidegger and Freud, anxiety means the natural indicator of a person living their authentic lifecycle, aware of their living and mortality towards their death with conviction and purpose, Fanon perceives anxiety as something all individuals inevitably experience as part of the actual reactions to everyday life challenges. Heidegger, Fanon, and Freud’s perspectives of anxiety define anxiety as freedom’s dizziness, that is, people learning to ultimately and correctly live with their anxieties. Heidegger, Freud, and Fanon endeavour to distinguish clearly between existential, neurotic, and normal anxiety to indicate that the misdiagnosis of “normal” anxiety as a disorder result in current concerns and irresponsibility in people’s actions and choices. Therefore, the paper recommends that psychologists in education and people with anxiety should understand that appreciating the inner stimuli as disturbing some basic and inherent equilibrium state in a person helps appreciate responses to anxiety stimuli.

The psychological impacts of war on young learners' social and emotional development are examined in this integrated review. Not only can war and armed conflict have a profound influence on individual children, but they also negatively affect the entire family system. The difficulties associated with relocation, migration, and acclimatisation to new conditions exacerbate the repercussions of war. Instead of growing and developing in a safe, predictable, emotionally and physically healthy environment, children are faced with war. Children who have witnessed or experienced conflict are more likely to face psychosocial difficulties, which could seriously jeopardise their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. By combining the results of a wide range of studies, the review demonstrates how exposure to armed conflict significantly alters children's and teenagers' developmental trajectories. The results show that trauma-related problems are common, social behaviours have changed, and the foundations of education are being undermined. The review emphasises the necessity for targeted policies and practices that address the unique needs of war-affected youth, advocating for a holistic approach to foster resilience and recovery. Furthermore, the review underscores the importance of creating social interaction and collaborating with international organisations to offer peace education as a subject to bring social cohesiveness to a warring nation.

This study explored the strategies for developing schools with secure bases for learners from insecure parental attachments in South Africa. The study employed a multiple case-study research design. The sampling frame comprised 27 participants, including 6 life orientation teachers, 18 grade 10 learners, and 3 deputy principals from 3 specifically chosen secondary schools in the Sedibeng West district. A purposive sample strategy was used to select grade 10 learners, with 6 learners selected from each school. Data collection for this study involved the utilization of open semi-structured interviews. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews was evaluated and analyzed thematically. The findings indicate social support to include fighting against poverty, social development initiatives, life development initiatives, teamwork and teacher trainings. The study concludes that a significant number of learners who have insecure attachments have not gotten adequate psychological and social support from their homes and schools to help them enhance their attachment and social competence. The study recommends that train parents on best parenting programs and increase awareness in the community on secure homes.

This study examined the effect of age on stressful experiences of first year students at one selected university in Kenya. The study adopted causal-comparative research design. 198 students were sampled using stratified sampling method from a population of first years in western region of Kenya. Data was obtained using Stressful Experiences Scale. The reliability co-efficient of all the sub-scale are above 0.744. The findings indicated that there is a significant effect of age on overall stressful experiences among first year students, thus, age is a critical factor that affects how students cope with stress, F (2, 195) = 5.687, p=.004. The study recommends that universities should develop wholistic support programs to support the young first year students to adjust appropriately to the new university environments.

The realization of inclusive education in South African schools has been controversial. Despite enacted policies, inclusive education implementation remains low in schools. The study aimed to explore teacher related challenges experienced by teachers in implementation of inclusive education in one selected mainstream school in South Africa. The social model of disability approach served as the theoretical foundation for the current investigation. The present study was conducted using a qualitative research methodology with a case study as the chosen research design within an interpretivist research paradigm. The researcher used non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews to gather data. Interviews with just six individuals and one classroom observation were conducted. The study reported that teacher related challenges include negative attitudes, inadequate knowledge of inclusive education policies, low self-efficacy towards inclusive education, and a lack of teacher training on inclusive education aspects. The study recommends that the Department of Education prioritizes in-service teachers' initial and ongoing training on knowledge of disabilities, identification and their effective management.

The freshmen in universities continue to face adjustment issues to new environments. Thus, transition to the university is characterized by expected independent decisions as compared to the previous secondary school teacher controlled learning environment.When the transition challenges are not well managed by the university administration, then it could lead to the emergence of psychopathology, as pre-existing mental health problems are exacerbated or new symptoms emerge in response to novel environmental stressors.The present study examined the relationship between social comparison and overall adjustment among the freshmen in one selected public university in Kenya. The study was informed by Social Comparison Theory (SCT) and Student Integration Theory.This study was anchored in the positivist research paradigm. The study was guided by the cross-sectional survey research design. The sample size comprised 213 freshmen in one public university in Western Kenya. The Social Comparison Scale and Adjustment Questionnaire were used to collect data. The validity results indicated that the Keiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was 0.753. The Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity at 95% level of confidence was significant (p-value of .000 < 0.05). The finding shows that there was a low negative (r = -.142, n =213, p<.05) relationship between social comparison and overall adjustment among the first year university students. The study concludes that the social comparison regression model was adequate to predict overall adjustment among first year university students [F (1, 211) = 4.366, p< .05)].The study recommends that the university counseling center should develop holistic counseling therapies, which would enhance coping skills, seeking support, and counseling seeking behaviours among first year students

The study investigated teacher preparedness and integration of digital technologies among foundation phase teachers in Kenya. The Ex post facto research design was adopted. The target population for the study was 345 teachers consisting of 225 grade 1-3 teachers and 90 foundation phase teachers. The sample size for the study consisted of 263 foundation phase teachers. Reliability of the questionnaires was ascertained by Cronbach’s alpha method and α of 0.7 to 0.8 were reported. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to analyze data. The findings indicated a significant highly positive correlation (n=202; r =.711; p < 0.05)between status of digital literacy and integration of digital technologies; a low positive correlation (n=202; r =.292; p <.05) between relevancy and adequacy of teachers training and integration of digital technologies; a weak (n=202; r =.332; p<.05), positive correlation between teachers’ ICT advancement and integration of digital technologies; and, a statistically significant (n=202; r =.384; p < 0.05) positive correlation between teachers’ perception and integration of digital technologies. The teacher’s status of digital literacy had the highest impact on enhancing Integration of Digital Technology. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education Science and Technology should enhance more structured training on literacy for teachers.

The study investigated the effects of age on self-efficacy among teachers in secondary schools in Kenya. The concurrent triangulation design was adopted. A sample size of 327 teacher participants was obtained using both stratified and simple random sampling techniques. The Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to collect quantitative data. In addition, semi-structured interview was used to collect qualitative data. The reliability coefficient for the TSES was α = 0.996. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to test the hypothesis. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The MANOVA results indicate that the effect of age on teachers’ self-efficacy was not significant, Wilk’s λ (6, 320) = 0.947, p = 0.498. Qualitative results reported a significant effect of age on teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management. The Kenyan Teachers’ Service Commission should carry out periodical assessment of teachers’ selfefficacy to identify teachers that are vulnerable to low self-efficacy.

Several issues affect students in higher education institutions including pressure of studies, cost of education, inadequate sleep, and stress. While mobile learning offers some advantages for the students in terms of convenience and flexibility matters, there are also disadvantages of using mobile devices, including addiction, health, distraction, and privacy because mobile phones can be distracting. The chapter indicates that protective factors also contribute to mental health as well as allow a person to be resilient in the face of challenges. The review also looked at different types of well-being, including emotional, physical dimension, occupational, social, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, and financial wellbeing.