Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
Human rights are currently the focal point of discussion. It is an actuality which' gains
prominence as the complexity of society increases. This study will focus on the rights of the individual in relation to the other members of the group and the family. The family is seen as a bond of community in which the individual is anchored. The problems which are therefore addressed in this dissertation, are: Are children sufficiently informed about the rights of the individual in his group and his family? Are there any aspects with regard to the rights of the individual in his group or family about which children have almost no knowledge? The aim of this study was to ascertain to what extent the rights of the individual in the group are communicated to the child by the school, and to determine which educational gaps exists in this respect. The nature of this study is exploratory and descriptive. Exploratory studies have as their aim
the exploration of a relatively unknown area. In this project the rights of the individual in his group and family are examined; also whether, and to what extent, these rights are
communicated to the child - it is a relatively unknown area in educational studies which is explored. The ways in which the research in this study was by undertaken and carried out, includes amongst others a study of the literature which contains the relevant and, where possible the youngest views of experts on the appropriate area of research. It will form the frame of reference for the empirical study which will follow.
The empirical component of the investigation was based on the implementation of a
questionnaire. The variables were subjected to an item analysis. The independent
variables, ie., sex; character; age; language; language of instruction; religion; news value; experience in teaching; qualification; professional skill and guardianship, were used to investigate the importance of the rights of the individual in relation to the other members of the group and the family.