Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-110). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-70). Also available in print.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Career indecision is one of the key aspects that professionals in career guidance counselling are interested in assessing. Career indecision, in the context of university students has been defined as the "inability to select a university major or occupation" (Borgen & Hiebert,2006, p. 58). Thus, with the purpose of addressing career indecision, the proposed study would examine the nature thereof amongst prospective university students. The prevalence of specific aspects of career maturity (namely, self-information, decision-making, career information,integration of self-information and career information, and career planning) underlying career indecision will be investigated, as well as the correlations between these aspects. In addition, the correlations between the aspects of career maturity and certain biographical variables such as gender, home language, declared career choice, differentiation of interests, and self-reported level of career indecision will be examined. Thus, career indecision is encapsulated as either a trait or state an individual encompasses. The term career indecision has been widely used with reference to problems relating to career development, particularly problems in making career-related decisions. The construct of career indecision is strongly coupled with society's expectations of certain chosen career paths and a strong belief that many should pursue these careers. Therefore, current societal trends push people to revise their career decisions over their life spans. As a result the perceptions and expectations that society holds can gravely impact a student's level of career readiness and the lack thereof. Furthermore, the role of the family as a fundamental influence on the career development of adolescents and young adults has been stressed by some classic theories of career development and choice. However, the exact nature and degree of the family's influence on career decision making is not completely understood. Thus, cognizance should be taken of the fact that there are multiple facets impacting on the levels of career indecision experienced by some and not all, prospective university students. Furthermore, deciding on a career is an most important aspect of individual's development and satisfaction and establishing what they are suited to do, and securing an opportunity to do it, is imperative to an individual's life goals. A biographical and Career Decision Making Difficulties Questionnaire was administered to respondents. The sample group (N=200) consists of Grade 10, 11 and 12 male and female students from model c, private and lower income schools in the Somerset West District in the Western Cape. Future research on career decision making difficulties experienced by students could yield interesting insights into the causes of these factors. The results indicate that irrespective of the type of high school these students attended, indecision exists and is prevalent amongst many students. Notwithstanding the insights derived from the current research, results need to be interpreted with caution since a convenience sample was used, therefore restricting the generalizability to the wider population of students.

The present study compared the career development concerns and other vocationally relevant variables of employees of organizations who have and have not engaged in downsizing within a one year timeframe. The sample consisted of 162 participants, 72 layoff survivors (those who remained in an organization after its downsizing) and 92 non-survivors (employees in organizations who have not downsized within 12 months). Significant results were found that differentiated the career related experiences of participants in the survivors group, survivors from non-survivors, and participants in general regardless of survivorship status. In general, results indicated that non-survivors reported greater job satisfaction and job security than layoff survivors, that being married with children may increase job satisfaction, and social support may buffer the grief reactions that survivors have to the loss of their co-worker friends. Furthermore, Super's age-associated stages within the Life-Span, Life-Space Theory were moderately upheld in the sample, especially for the Exploration stage. However, younger workers demonstrated more Maintenance concerns that would be predicted by the theory. A discussion of the relevant literature is included as well as possible explanations of the results, small sample size, and implications for future research.

One of the challenges imposed by the 21st century is to retain talented staff by keeping employees engaged in their work. Engagement in itself is a complex construct, which still requires much clarification. One of the gaps in the literature is the link between engagement and the competencies required by individuals to craft a career in the 21st century. These competencies are referred to as psychological career resources (Coetzee, 2008). This study was conducted in a medium-sized South African software and services organisation using a random sample of 111 consultants. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between psychological career resources (career preferences, career values, career enablers, career drivers and career harmonisers) and engagement (dedication, vigour and absorption). The second and third objectives were to find whether there were any significant differences between individuals who differed as to gender, age, marital status, occupational field, occupational level and department in which employed with regard to engagement and psychological career resources. A further objective was to establish the dominant psychological career resources and engagement constructs of the consultants in the sample. The data was collected using the 9-item U-WES (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale) and the PCRI (Psychological Career Resources Inventory). The study found that behavioural adaptability and self-esteem have a significant impact on vigour and dedication, while behavioural adaptability also has a significant impact on absorption. This study could contribute meaningful information to the field of well-being and career development, allowing professionals to assist individuals in developing career competencies that contribute to engagement and ultimately to well-being. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

This study explores career maturity, self knowledge and career knowledge and how they influence career decision-making processes among psychology honours students at a South African institution of higher learning. A mixed method approach was used to collect data among (N=62) students who were asked to fill in two career development questionnaires namely, the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) and the Career Development Questionnaire (CDQ). 10 scales were measured using the CDDQ. Analysis of the CDDQ revealed moderate difficulties on the General Indecisiveness, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Occupational Information scales. Pertaining to the CDQ, 5 distinct scales which explore the levels of Self information (Self knowledge), Decision making, Career information (Career knowledge), Integration of self information and career information, and Career planning were assessed. Analysis of the CDQ revealed that respondents had adequate levels of career maturity. The results of the content analysis on the qualitative data indicate clinical psychology to be the most popular in relation to other fields of study, followed by research psychology counselling psychology and psychometry. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study explores career maturity, self knowledge and career knowledge and how they influence career decision-making processes among psychology honours students at a South African institution of higher learning. A mixed method approach was used to collect data among (N=62) students who were asked to fill in two career development questionnaires namely, the Career Decision-making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) and the Career Development Questionnaire (CDQ). 10 scales were measured using the CDDQ. Analysis of the CDDQ revealed moderate difficulties on the General Indecisiveness, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Occupational Information scales. Pertaining to the CDQ, 5 distinct scales which explore the levels of Self information (Self knowledge), Decision making, Career information (Career knowledge), Integration of self information and career information, and Career planning were assessed. Analysis of the CDQ revealed that respondents had adequate levels of career maturity. The results of the content analysis on the qualitative data indicate clinical psychology to be the most popular in relation to other fields of study, followed by research psychology counselling psychology and psychometry. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

This study explored the role of family on the career development of Xhosa-speaking graduates in South Africa. There are multiple environmental and individual influences on career development. However, this study focused specifically on family. The Xhosa culture, like other African cultures, endorses cultural values of deference and strong familial connections with extended family. Data from fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The key themes that emerged were (1) cultural beliefs, (2) social support and (3) the notion of black tax. The findings suggested that there is a strong relation between a family's cultural beliefs, family responsibilities and the perceived social support on graduate's career development. The understanding of ‘western' career aspirations with familial cultural expectations and support in forming a coherent self-concept could be considered a significant challenge in the career development of these Xhosa graduates. The findings supported the familial influences on graduates' career development and contributed new insights on how family influence is perceived and maintained from an intersectional perspective. The implications for career development in diverse contexts are offered.

Teacher attrition continues to impact public schools that seek to retain teachers in the classroom and meet rising enrollment rates. The recruitment of experienced career changing professionals into the educational workforce is a viable option to address teacher shortages. In addition, while the use of mentorship may support teacher retention and job satisfaction for novice teachers, inconsistencies in mentoring practices have limited the effectiveness of mentoring programs and support systems. The problem of limited research that examines the needs of career changing teachers (CCTs) and their initial mentoring experiences was addressed in this study. The social learning theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs frameworks were used in this phenomenological study to explore perceptions of 15 novice CCTs from the middle or high school levels, who had completed 1 to 5 years of teaching service. The research questions focused on CCTs' perceptions of their mentoring experience, and the support they needed as novice teachers. Data collected from 2 rounds of semistructured interviews were analyzed with a multilevel coding approach to identify patterns and emergent themes. Emergent themes revealed CCTs' experiences and skills as viable teaching candidates, perceptions of their mentoring experiences, and support and retention needs. The findings revealed CCTs' desire for support in mentorship availability and quality, improvement in instructional pedagogy, and the promotion of emotional resiliency and job satisfaction. Recommendations point to the need for mentorship as ongoing practice, the personalization of mentorship programs, and the leveraging of professional development practices to provide mentoring support. The major implications for social change are the improvement of mentoring program design and the implementation for the development and retention of highly effective teachers to impact student achievement.