Die invloed van gereelde daggagebruik op die skoolprestasies en intellektuele vermoe van 'n groep leerlinge in 'n nywerheidskool

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The present research attempted to determinethe effect of regular dagga usage on schoolperformance and intellectual ability of agroup or adolescent boys.The research sample comprised of eighty subjectsof which forty were smokers and forty non-smokersin a residential industrial school. Mostof the pupils resided in the Cape Peninsula,but some came from other parts of the CapeProvince. the Transvaal, Natal and the OrangeFree State. Their ages varied between 13 yearsand 18 years.Only standards 6 and 7 pupils participatedin the present research. All subjects wereAfrikaans-speaking Coloured boys. The selectioncriterion applicable in identifying pupilsas smokers were as follows: all pupils whosmoked dagga two times a week or more withinthe school context were regarded as beingregular daggasmokers. The non-smokers wereall those pupils who did not smoke dagga withinthe school context. The experimental and controlgroups were paired according to their intellectualability.Measures of the intellectual ability wereobtained by means of the NB-Group Test (Intermediateseries). School achievement results in Afrikaans, English and Mathematics werederived by means of the H.S.R.C.'s (Human Science Research Council) school achievementtests, whilst the Science marks for both standardswere obtained from the final examination results.To differentiate between smokers and non-smokers,a self-compiled biographical questionnaire,which was specifically compiled for the presentresearch, was used.Related studies pertaining to the presentresearch has been done in South Africa, whilstin other countries numerous similar studieshave already been conducted, albeit in normalschools, colleges and universities.The present research made use of the Bravais-PearsonCorrelation method, t-tests and Chisquareas statistical procedures to determinewhether dagga-usage affected school achievement.However, the present research did not provideconclusive evidence for possible negativeeffects of daggasmoking on school performance.No significant differences were found betweenthe academic performance of smokers and nonsmokers.In both groups statistically significantcorrelations were found between academic performanceand intellectual ability. Regardingthe self-compiled biographical questionnaireon dagga, statistically significant differencesamong the smokers group were found on allthe questions, with the exception of questions 5 and 18. Furthermore, it was found that agreat deal of ignorance still exists concerningdagga. This emphasizes the need for a broadlybased educational programme to inform bothparents and children about the potential damagesof dagga usage.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University