The Personal Wellbeing Index in the South African isiXhosa translation: a qualitative focus group study
- Moller, Valerie, Roberts, Benjamin J, Zani, Dalindyebo
- Authors: Moller, Valerie , Roberts, Benjamin J , Zani, Dalindyebo
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67125 , vital:29034 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0820-6
- Description: publisher version , International scholars who rely on the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) to compare cross-cultural quality of life have often been confronted with the problems of nuances getting ‘lost in translation’. This qualitative study explored the meaning of the isiXhosa version of the PWI in focus group discussions with native speakers. Participants in the study discussed how they understood and rated their lives on each item in the index. The discourse conveyed the different shades of meaning associated with the PWI items of life satisfaction and eight domains of life. The study found that PWI items related to material well-being, living standards, achievements in life and future (financial) security were best understood. The PWI items referring to personal relationships and community connectedness were seen as nearly identical in meaning. Both translation and cultural factors may be responsible for the conflation of these two items. Noteworthy is that the PWI item on religion and spirituality was seen to embrace both Christian and traditional African beliefs and practice, without prejudice. A new item on daily activities was piloted with good results. The focus group study also showcased the manner in which discussants worked with the rating scale and drew on social comparisons when evaluating global and domain satisfactions. It is concluded that cognitive testing of PWI items in different translations will serve not only to appraise the validity of PWI ratings across cultures, but importantly also opens a window on what makes for a life of quality in a particular social setting.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Moller, Valerie , Roberts, Benjamin J , Zani, Dalindyebo
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67125 , vital:29034 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0820-6
- Description: publisher version , International scholars who rely on the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) to compare cross-cultural quality of life have often been confronted with the problems of nuances getting ‘lost in translation’. This qualitative study explored the meaning of the isiXhosa version of the PWI in focus group discussions with native speakers. Participants in the study discussed how they understood and rated their lives on each item in the index. The discourse conveyed the different shades of meaning associated with the PWI items of life satisfaction and eight domains of life. The study found that PWI items related to material well-being, living standards, achievements in life and future (financial) security were best understood. The PWI items referring to personal relationships and community connectedness were seen as nearly identical in meaning. Both translation and cultural factors may be responsible for the conflation of these two items. Noteworthy is that the PWI item on religion and spirituality was seen to embrace both Christian and traditional African beliefs and practice, without prejudice. A new item on daily activities was piloted with good results. The focus group study also showcased the manner in which discussants worked with the rating scale and drew on social comparisons when evaluating global and domain satisfactions. It is concluded that cognitive testing of PWI items in different translations will serve not only to appraise the validity of PWI ratings across cultures, but importantly also opens a window on what makes for a life of quality in a particular social setting.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2015
Southern African Journal of Gerontology, volume 1, number 1, October 1992
- Ferreira, Monica (editor), Moller, Valerie, HSRC/UCT Centre for Gerontology
- Authors: Ferreira, Monica (editor) , Moller, Valerie , HSRC/UCT Centre for Gerontology
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Older people -- Care -- South Africa , Gerontology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:8065 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012658
- Description: Southern African Journal of Gerontology; Produced within the framework of the Co-operative Research Programme on Ageing , The broad social issue of generational competition versus generational interdependence is discussed. The way elders are housed offers an excellent example of how benefits putatively allocated to older people in fact more often than not subsume benefits to family members of all ages. Data on generationally shared households from a number of countries and the results of recent studies from the United States are discussed in this context. Separate housing of generations is often preferred where feasible. Where economic, environmental. health, or social needs of either elder or young generations make autonomous households dysfunctional, members of each generation show in their household-formative behaviour their willingness to assist the other generation .
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
- Authors: Ferreira, Monica (editor) , Moller, Valerie , HSRC/UCT Centre for Gerontology
- Date: 1992
- Subjects: Older people -- Care -- South Africa , Gerontology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Text
- Identifier: vital:8065 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1012658
- Description: Southern African Journal of Gerontology; Produced within the framework of the Co-operative Research Programme on Ageing , The broad social issue of generational competition versus generational interdependence is discussed. The way elders are housed offers an excellent example of how benefits putatively allocated to older people in fact more often than not subsume benefits to family members of all ages. Data on generationally shared households from a number of countries and the results of recent studies from the United States are discussed in this context. Separate housing of generations is often preferred where feasible. Where economic, environmental. health, or social needs of either elder or young generations make autonomous households dysfunctional, members of each generation show in their household-formative behaviour their willingness to assist the other generation .
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1992
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