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Professor Vera Roos

Affiliate Research Fellow

Past Visitor

vera.roos@nwu.ac.za

Research

Vera Roos is a Professor of Psychology at the North-West University’s  since 2004. To date she has published 61 peer reviewed papers in national and international journals and contributed to 19 chapters in textbooks. She has also presented various papers and posters at national and international conferences on topics related to community psychology with a focus on enabling contexts, intergenerational relational wellbeing and the contributions of older persons in challenged contexts.

Vera’s theoretical approach, namely that the broader social environment informs the dynamic processes in complex systems, provided the background for the development of the Mmogo-method®. This method assists social researchers to access the dynamic interactions between people in relation to their communities within a particular context in a culturally sensitive manner. The Mmogo-method® is regarded as a visual narrative that assists people to recount experiences and to make sense of the context in which they function. Vera is committed to promote the relational and collective wellbeing of older people and communities in relation to the contextual realities by eliciting strengths and competencies. Vera Roos is a NRF-rated scientist on level C2

 

Recent Professional Commitments

  • Teaching, critical research skills (postgraduate) as well as qualitative research (postgraduate).
  • Module Coordinator and Presenter for the MSC in Gerontology
  • Supervision of 69 completed Masters theses and 7 PhD completed dissertations.
  • Funded research projects:
    • Impact of drought on older people in South Africa (2007)
    • International Research Project on Loneliness and Older Persons (2007)
    • Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site.  The Determination of Sense of Place (2008)
    • Citizenship, Belonging and Intergenerational Relations in African Migration (2008)
    • Intergenerational relations and sense of place in Ikageng (2010)
    • Senior solutions: Intergenerational relations and technology (2012)
    • Intergenerational care and respect in rural South Africa (2013)
    • Quality of life of older people in residential care (2013)
    • Baseline assessment of services and programmes provided by  local government (2014)
    • Intra/InterGenerational Networks through Information Technology (2014)
  • A publication on the Mmogo-method® was prepared for Springer during 2014 which will be published later in 2015. A provisional proposed title is: Visual data collection towards understanding relational and group experiences: The Mmogo-method®.  

 

Recent publications and presentations

 

Publications

  • Roos, V. (2008), The Mmogo-method®: discovering symbolic community interactions. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 18(4), 659-668.
  • Roos, V., & Nel. C. (2010). The meaning of friendships among older women in a residential care facility. The Social Work/Practitioner, 22(2), 241-258.
  • Roos, V., & De Jager, L. (2010). Older women’s subjective experience of loneliness -  applying the Mmogo-method®. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe.[Journal for Humanities], 50(1), 15-30.
  • Roos, V., & Klopper H.C. (2010). Older persons’ experiences of loneliness: A South African perspective. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 20(2), 281-292.
  • Roos, V. (2011). 'The Generational Other:' The Cultural Appropriateness of an Intergenerational Group Reflecting Technique. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 9(1), 90-98. 
  • Sedick, S., & Roos, V. (2011). Older People’s Portrayal in the Print Media: Implications for Intergenerational Relations. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 21(4), 549-554. 
  • Fivaz, M., Herbst, A. G., Roos, V. & Hoffman, J. R. (2012). Social Gerontology Training in South Africa: a Co-constructed Learning Environment. New Voices, 7(2), 84-98.
  • Roos, V. (2012). The Mmogo-Method®:  An exploration of experiences through visual projections. Qualitative research in psychology, 9(3), 249-261. 
  • Shabangu, T. R., & Roos, V. (2012). An exploration of the experiences of older persons in an economically deprived residential care facility. Social Work Researcher/Practitioner, 24(2),210-228.
  • Roos, V., & Malan, L. (2012) The role of context and the interpersonal experiences of loneliness of older people in a residential care facility. Global Health Action, 5:
  • Roos, V., Hoffman, J. R., & Van der Westhuizen, (2013). Ethics and Intergenerational Programming:  A Critical Reflection on Historic Environment Education in South Africa. Journal of Intergenerational Relations. 11(4), 1-9. 8
  • Roos, V., Kolobe, P. S., & Keating, N. (2014). (Re)creating community: Experiences of older women forcibly relocated during Apartheid. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 24(1), 12-25.
  • Roos, V. & Du Toit (2014). Perceptions of effective relationships in an institutional care setting for older people. South African Journal for Industrial Psychology, 40(1), 1-9.
  • Van Biljon, L., Roos., V., & Botha, KHF. (2014). A conceptual model of Quality of Life for older people in residential care facilities in South Africa. Applied Research in Quality of Life.

 

Presentations

  • Rossouw, S., & Roos, V.  (2006).  Friendship patterns among the elderly: discovering alternative and innovative ways of promoting friendships. Poster presented at the South African Conference on Psychology: Individual, social and work wellness, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
  • Roos, V., De Bruyn, C., & Klopper, H.C. (2009). “…antidote for loneliness”: Older persons’ experiences of loneliness. Paper presented at the 15th South African Psychology Congress, Cape Town, 12-14 August, 2009.
  • Roos, V. (2009). The importance and meaning of friendships to older persons in South Africa. Paper presented at the 19th IAGG World Congress of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Parys, 5-9 July 2009.
  • Douglas, M., Roos, V., Kalule-Sabiti, I., & Mbenga, B. (2009). Intergenerational Relations  of African Migrants in  post-Apartheid South Africa: Implications for older persons.Poster presented at the 19th IAGG World Congress of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Parys, 5-9 July.
  • Roos, V. (2008).  Older persons’ experiences of drought:  Applying the Mmogo-method® to explore indigenous knowledge practices.  University of Oxford, Institute of Ageing, Oxford, 12 June.
  • Roos, V., & Aboderin, I. (2010). Older Persons’ ‘Neglect’ and Contributions in sub-Saharan Africa:  Theoretical Frameworks and Key Issues in Developmental Psychology. Invited symposia at ISSBD, 18-22 July 2010, Lusaka, Zambia.
  • Kalule-Sabiti, I., Mbenga, B., Roos, V., & Hoffman, J. (2011). Intergenerational experiences of African Migrants in Post-Apartheid South Africa. Paper presented at the scientific workshop presented by the HRSC, Pretoria, South Africa: Framing migration as the anvil on which both vectors and discourses of change are shaped, Mafikeng, 10 February 2010.
  • Roos, V., & Du Toit, F. (2011). Relationships within an economically deprived residential care facility: an appreciative approach. Workshop presented 26 September 2011 at Kinross, Germiston, South Africa.
  • De Jager, L., & Roos, V. (2012). Quality of life of older persons. A relational perspective. Poster presented at the 30th International Congress of Psychology, 22-27 July, Cape Town, South Africa
  • De Lange, E., Mabaso, T., & Roos, V. (2012). Intergenerational relationships between young adults and older people in a rural South African community. Poster presented at 1st Africa Region Conference of Gerontology and Geriatrics on "Ageing Africa" Beyond Madrid +10", 17-20 October, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Malan, L., & Roos, V. (2012). Interpersonal experiences of loneliness of older people in a residential care facility. Paper presented at 1st Africa Region Conference of Gerontology and Geriatrics on "Ageing Africa" Beyond Madrid +10", 17-20 October, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Roos, V. (2012). A relational theory applied to intergenerational relations in South Africa. Paper presented at the 30th International Congress of Psychology, 22-27 July, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Roos, V. (2012, July). The development and theoretical underpinnings of the Mmogo-method®
  • In V Roos (Chair), The Mmogo-method®: Gaining a deeper understanding of personal, relational and collective meanings of people in different contexts.Symposium presented at the International Congress of Psychology, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Roos, V., Hewett, M., Mulder, B., Muller, L., Schmitz, C., Theron, B., & Van Eeden, C. (2012). “Play it forward”…. The development and implementation of a board game to promote intergenerational relations between unrelated older people and young adults. Paper presented at 1st Africa Region Conference of Gerontology and Geriatrics on "Ageing Africa" Beyond Madrid +10", 17-20 October, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Van Aardt, J., & Roos, V. (2012). A description of the network of relations in an intergenerational research project. Poster presented at the 30th International Congress of Psychology, 22-27 July, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Roos, V. (2013). Care a rare commodity? A relational theory applied to intergenerational relations. Invited presentation in colloquium dealing with Ageing in Sub-Saharan Africa; Spaces and Practices of Care. Organised by IARA (K Pyper) and Oxford Institute of Population Ageing (Jaco Hoffman) at the Catholic University Lueven, 10 May.
  • Roos, V. (2013). An interactional approach to explain intergenerational relationships. Presentation at workshop on families. Convened by the Global Social Initiative on Ageing (GSIA), IAGG and the North-West University Potchefstroom, 29-31 July.
  • Roos, V., Nagel, U., & Hoffman, J.R. (2013). “It’s all in the eye of the beholder: Intergenerational experiences from the perspective of young adults in South Africa”. Paper presentation at 2nd South African Positive Social Sciences Symposium, 28-29 October, 2013, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
  • Keating, N., & Roos, V. (2014). Liveability in the context of deprivation: the case of older women in South Africa. Invited presentation at the OPAN seminar, Swansea Univerity, 5 February. Swansea.
  • Roos, V. (2014). The Mmogo-method® as self-constructed visual research method to explore older people's relational experiences with young adults. Micro keynote at the 13th Advances in Qualitative Methods Conference. June, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
  • Roos, V. & Hoffman, J.R. (2014). Positive ageing and active engagement: Too much of good thing? 7th European Conference on Positive Psychology 2-4 July 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

 Further details:  http://veraroos.com/

 

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