<p dir="ltr">As the US population ages, scientists and policy makers are giving renewed attention to not just increasing the quantity of years lived but improving the quality of those years. Disability, defined as difficulty in performing basic, necessary, socially defined tasks such as bathing and eating, represents a threat to quality of life. Disability has been acknowledged as a major public health issue among policy makers, practitioners, and multidisciplinary researchers for older adults, yet few have investigated the lifetime predictors of this condition. The purpose of this dissertation is to (1) identify how exposure to stressful events across the life course influences disability, (2) examine the role that social relationships play in disability onset in later life, and (3) investigate the appraisal of stress rather than just the discrete occurrence of an event to understand how this subjective experience alters disability status in later life. This dissertation aims to understand how these relationships vary among demographic groups, with two chapters identifying racial, ethnic, and nativity disparities, and one explaining the moderating effect of gender. Drawing from life course theories including the stress process and cumulative inequality, this dissertation uses longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the effect of lifetime stress exposure, adult social relationships, and chronic stress appraisal on the occurrence and onset of disability among adults 50 years and older. This dissertation is composed of an introductory chapter, three empirical chapters, and a concluding chapter.</p><p dir="ltr">The first empirical study investigates disparities in stress and disability and further examines how the relationship between stress exposure (both cumulatively and domain-specific) and disability differs by race, ethnicity, and nativity. The second empirical chapter examines the gendered relationship between patterns of social relationship quality in adulthood (identified by high quality, adverse, indifferent, or ambivalent) and the onset of disability in later life. The third empirical chapter builds on the conceptual design of the first chapter, but instead examines chronic stress exposure and chronic stress appraisal and how each has a unique influence on later-life disability for White, Black, US-born Hispanic, and foreign-born Hispanic adults. Overall, findings reveal that higher levels of stress exposure, more detrimental patterns of relationship quality, and appraising stress as upsetting are associated with an earlier onset of disability in later life among adults in the United States. Although empirical chapter 2 did not find any racial, ethnic, and nativity differences among social relationships and disability, negative relationship patterns (i.e., adverse and ambivalent) are associated with disability at a younger age for all older adults. In addition, men who report adverse or indifferent relationships have higher odds of disability than men in high quality relationships. The two chapters examining different conceptualizations of stress exposure and disability find racial, ethnic, and nativity differences. Compared to White adults, cumulative stress burden, particularly childhood traumatic events, are especially harmful for US-born Hispanic adults. Moreover, appraising chronic stressors as more upsetting has a detrimental influence on later-life disability for Black adults, but a protective effect for foreign-born Hispanic adults.</p><p dir="ltr">This dissertation highlights several lifetime antecedents of disability and identifies that it is important to account for demographic factors when addressing interventions to reduce the overall occurrence of disability. Disability is more prevalent among older adults and represents a threat to quality of life. Interventions aimed at reducing exposure to stressful experiences and improving quality of relationships may alleviate some of the noxious effects that disability has on optimal aging.</p>

In recent years, the South African education system has experimented with different appraisal systems in an attempt to evaluate the performance of educators in public schools. Educator appraisal is receiving attention throughout the world as governments become aware of the need to examine educational provision critically to ensure that it is both relevant for and appropriate to, the needs of the youth. Before 1994, the appraisal of educators was mainly based on traditional approaches to evaluate their performance. For instance, it was the responsibility of the inspectors from the Department of Education (DoE) to evaluate the performance of educators in schools. Consequently, a great deal of criticism was levelled at this appraisal system such as the prevalence of political bias in the system, the unchecked power that the inspectors wielded, the incompetence of inspectors and irrelevance of some evaluation criteria and absence of contextual factors. After 1994, there was a paradigm shift from the traditional to the developmental approach to evaluate the performance of educators in public schools. That is, there was a need to develop educators through appropriate appraisal schemes with a view to enhancing their continued professional growth. Therefore, the present education system calls for a decentralised appraisal system, which places greater emphasis on the professional development of educators. Stakeholders such as educators and teacher unions have also made higher demands for improved educator evaluation and professional growth. In 1998, at the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), the Department of Education (DoE) agreed to introduce the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS) followed by the Whole-School Evaluation (WSE) in 2001. Both these policies were rejected by educators and their teacher unions since they regarded these appraisal systems as summative, judgmental and that failed to offer opportunities for further development. In August 2003, the DoE and the unions signed two collective agreements, which led to the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) and it was intended to integrate and strengthen various components of DAS, WSE and performance measurement (PM). The IQMS was first implemented in South African schools in 2005 with the aim of enhancing the continuing professional growth of educators. Furthermore, the National Department of Education (NDoE) introduced the National Policy Framework on Teacher Education and Development (NPFTED) in 2006. This policy aimed to equip educators to undertake their essential and demanding tasks and to enable them to enhance their professional competence and performance on a continuing basis. Even though the IQMS was introduced as a new system to evaluate the performance of educators and to enhance their professional growth, it does not actually serve its purpose since it is not properly implemented and monitored in schools. Instead of using it as a tool to enhance the professional growth of educators, its emphasis is on getting assessment scores, which are directly related to remuneration. As a result, the ultimate aim of professional development for educators is neglected. This means that the IQMS is regarded as a separate entity that is not linked to the continuing professional growth of educators and its developmental programmes are criticised for being traditional since they are only confined to class visits, which are conducted once or twice a year for PM purposes. Therefore, since the introduction of the IQMS in 2003 and its implementation in 2005 in South African schools, no empirical research has been conducted on the need to link appraisal to professional development in the IQMS in South African schools. The study conducted by Bisschoff and Mathye (2009) focusses on the advocacy of an appraisal system for teachers. Another study conducted by Dhlamini (2009) concentrates on the role of the IQMS to measure and improve teaching and learning in the South African further education and training (FET) sector. Furthermore, the study by Rabichund (2011) focusses on the assessment of the IQMS and its implications for whole school development. Furthermore, the study by Mahlaela (2011) investigates the IQMS as a transformational strategy for teacher development in South Africa. Accordingly, this study builds on these studies and it seeks to investigate how appraisal and professional development can be linked in the IQMS in South African schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

In recent years, the South African education system has experimented with different appraisal systems in an attempt to evaluate the performance of educators in public schools. Educator appraisal is receiving attention throughout the world as governments become aware of the need to examine educational provision critically to ensure that it is both relevant for and appropriate to, the needs of the youth. Before 1994, the appraisal of educators was mainly based on traditional approaches to evaluate their performance. For instance, it was the responsibility of the inspectors from the Department of Education (DoE) to evaluate the performance of educators in schools. Consequently, a great deal of criticism was levelled at this appraisal system such as the prevalence of political bias in the system, the unchecked power that the inspectors wielded, the incompetence of inspectors and irrelevance of some evaluation criteria and absence of contextual factors. After 1994, there was a paradigm shift from the traditional to the developmental approach to evaluate the performance of educators in public schools. That is, there was a need to develop educators through appropriate appraisal schemes with a view to enhancing their continued professional growth. Therefore, the present education system calls for a decentralised appraisal system, which places greater emphasis on the professional development of educators. Stakeholders such as educators and teacher unions have also made higher demands for improved educator evaluation and professional growth. In 1998, at the Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), the Department of Education (DoE) agreed to introduce the Developmental Appraisal System (DAS) followed by the Whole-School Evaluation (WSE) in 2001. Both these policies were rejected by educators and their teacher unions since they regarded these appraisal systems as summative, judgmental and that failed to offer opportunities for further development. In August 2003, the DoE and the unions signed two collective agreements, which led to the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) and it was intended to integrate and strengthen various components of DAS, WSE and performance measurement (PM). The IQMS was first implemented in South African schools in 2005 with the aim of enhancing the continuing professional growth of educators. Furthermore, the National Department of Education (NDoE) introduced the National Policy Framework on Teacher Education and Development (NPFTED) in 2006. This policy aimed to equip educators to undertake their essential and demanding tasks and to enable them to enhance their professional competence and performance on a continuing basis. Even though the IQMS was introduced as a new system to evaluate the performance of educators and to enhance their professional growth, it does not actually serve its purpose since it is not properly implemented and monitored in schools. Instead of using it as a tool to enhance the professional growth of educators, its emphasis is on getting assessment scores, which are directly related to remuneration. As a result, the ultimate aim of professional development for educators is neglected. This means that the IQMS is regarded as a separate entity that is not linked to the continuing professional growth of educators and its developmental programmes are criticised for being traditional since they are only confined to class visits, which are conducted once or twice a year for PM purposes. Therefore, since the introduction of the IQMS in 2003 and its implementation in 2005 in South African schools, no empirical research has been conducted on the need to link appraisal to professional development in the IQMS in South African schools. The study conducted by Bisschoff and Mathye (2009) focusses on the advocacy of an appraisal system for teachers. Another study conducted by Dhlamini (2009) concentrates on the role of the IQMS to measure and improve teaching and learning in the South African further education and training (FET) sector. Furthermore, the study by Rabichund (2011) focusses on the assessment of the IQMS and its implications for whole school development. Furthermore, the study by Mahlaela (2011) investigates the IQMS as a transformational strategy for teacher development in South Africa. Accordingly, this study builds on these studies and it seeks to investigate how appraisal and professional development can be linked in the IQMS in South African schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Most companies are competing in the diverse global markets, and competitive advantage through human capital is becoming very important. Employee development for high productivity and the use of effective tools to measure their performance are therefore paramount. One such tool is the 360-degree performance appraisal system. The study on the effectiveness of the 360-degree performance appraisal was conducted on a selected steel organisation. The primary objective of the research study was to determine whether the current 360-degree performance evaluation system the organisation uses is effective or whether there is a need to explore other employee evaluation and feedback systems across the industry to identify the best practice. Constructs that were measured are the impact of 360-degree appraisal on the employee motivation and performance, job satisfaction, the organisation‟s performance, succession planning as well as training and development. The findings showed that the 360-degree appraisal system is effective in most of these areas. The findings will also assist management with a better understanding of where the process has failed and what gaps need to be filled. The results concluded that there is no need to explore other performance appraisal systems; however, as recommended, the identified deficiencies in the current evaluation process need to be addressed. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Most companies are competing in the diverse global markets, and competitive advantage through human capital is becoming very important. Employee development for high productivity and the use of effective tools to measure their performance are therefore paramount. One such tool is the 360-degree performance appraisal system. The study on the effectiveness of the 360-degree performance appraisal was conducted on a selected steel organisation. The primary objective of the research study was to determine whether the current 360-degree performance evaluation system the organisation uses is effective or whether there is a need to explore other employee evaluation and feedback systems across the industry to identify the best practice. Constructs that were measured are the impact of 360-degree appraisal on the employee motivation and performance, job satisfaction, the organisation‟s performance, succession planning as well as training and development. The findings showed that the 360-degree appraisal system is effective in most of these areas. The findings will also assist management with a better understanding of where the process has failed and what gaps need to be filled. The results concluded that there is no need to explore other performance appraisal systems; however, as recommended, the identified deficiencies in the current evaluation process need to be addressed. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Human resources are the most important assets of any health system. In recent years it has been increasingly recognised that improving the performance of health personnel should be at the core of any sustainable solution to health system performance. However, it is widely acknowledged that health systems are not producing the desired output of health interventions due to factors such as insufficient skilled and experienced health personnel, demotivated health personnel, lack of management skills, poor working conditions and environment, and inadequate remuneration. This study explores the factors that affect performance of nurses in Namibia with the aim of providing a management framework for improving the performance of professional nurses. The study followed a quantitative research approach using an explorative descriptive design. A survey method using questionnaires was applied. The reaction to the study was positive as a response rate of 75.8% was obtained. Data analysis included identifying and comparing existence or absence of factors using the SSPS package. The target population included all professional nurses in Oshana, Otjozondjupa and Khomas regions. Baseline results revealed various factors which affect performance. The study revealed that hospitals currently have deficiencies in human resource management aspects such as recognition of employees who perform well, working conditions, implementation of performance appraisal systems, feedback on performance outcomes and management skills. These aspects are strongly associated with level of performance of health personnel. Based on the results, a management framework was proposed. The framework consists of activities for enhancing the nursing profession; strengthening knowledge and expertise, including management skills; improving performance; and generating knowledge through research. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil.(Health Studies)

This study describes the research that was carried out at a boys-only primary school in the Pinetown District of Kwazulu-Natal. The study was conducted with the purpose of investigating the management duties undertaken by the principal regarding time, staff and curriculum. In order to achieve the aim of this study the main research question was formulated, that is: How does the principal of X primary boys-only school manage the administrative and instructional programme in the process of executing his duties? Chapter One orientates the reader regarding the purpose, research problem, motivation and design of the study. Chapter Two provides the theoretical framework in terms of the types of school management models with particular focus on the democratic management model and the systems theory. Qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews and participant observation was undertaken in an attempt to answer the research question. Interviews were conducted with the school principal and four educators. Chapter Four presents the findings of the study which highlight the role of the principal in managing the aspects of the school while he delegates the various areas of management to the members of staff. The findings further reveal the principal’s involvement in all the processes from inception to end. Chapter Five concludes the study summatively. The chapter includes a brief account of what the study covered, assumptions made in the theoretical framework, and draws important conclusions and makes relevant recommendations about the management duties of the school principal. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Education Management)

Text in Afrikaans, abstract in Afrikaans and English / Die primere doelstellings van die navorsing is om die verband tussen persoonlikheid en toesighouersukses te bepaal. Persoonlikheid is deur die 16-Persoonlikheidsfaktorvraelys ( 16PF) en toesighouersukses deur 'n prestasiebeoordelingstelsel gemeet. 'n Literatuurstudie van persoonlikheidsteoriee en vorige navorsing is gebruik om die verwantskap tussen persoonlikheid en werksukses te verifieer en die navorsingsbehoefte aan te dui. Die steekproef is 74 toesighouers, hoofsaaklik blanke mans, by 'n fabriek van 'n suiwelvervaardigingsmaatskappy. Die verwantskap tussen die 16PF-resultate en toesighouersukses is statisties deur Pearson en Spearman se Produkmomentkorrelasiemetode, Standaard en Stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie en T-toetse vir onafhanklike groepe bepaal. Die resultate toon dat slegs faktore B, C, L, 0, Q4 en die tweedeordefaktor QII van die 16PF 'n beduidende verband met toesighouersukses het. Dit is bevind dat ouderdom, ondervinding en kwalifikasie nie die verwantskap tussen persoonlikheid en toesighouersukses be'invloed nie. Hoewel hierdie bevindinge nie veralgemeen kan word nie, moet persoonlikheid wel deeglik by die evaluering van personeel, byvoorbeeld in seleksie, oorweeg word. / The aim of the research is to establish the relationship between personality and supervisor success. Personality was measured with the 16-Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) and supervisor success through a performance measuring system. A literature study was done to verify the relationship between personality and work success. The sample consisted of 74 supervisors, mainly white males, working at a dairy factory. The relationship between the 16PF results and supervisor success has been statistically established through Pearson and Spearman's Product-moment correlation method, standard and stepwise multiple regression analysis and T-tests for independent groups. The results show that factors B, C, L, 0, Q4 and the second order factor QII of the 16PF has a meaningful relationship with supervisor success. It was found that age, qualifications and experience do not influence the relationship between personality and supervisor success. The findings cannot be generalized but personality can be taken into consideration when evaluating employees, for example in selection. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Comm. (Bedryfsielkunde)

An increasing number of reports indicate that managers are opposed to performance appraisal. It is important to understand why managers have favourable or unfavourable attitudes towards performance appraisal and it is necessary to investigate the causing factors of these attitudes. The aim of this research was therefore to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence managers’ attitudes towards performance appraisal. This study was conducted within the interpretive research paradigm and situated in a medium-sized organisation within the financial services industry. The sample was purposefully selected and the data were collected through in-depth interviews and naïve sketches. The data were analysed applying Tesch’s descriptive analysis method. The main findings indicated that managers who needed to conduct performance appraisals perceived and experienced performance appraisal as an uncomfortable and emotional process that might cause them to become defensive. Moreover, it was revealed that the managers experienced uncertainties about aspects of performance appraisal, such as the purpose of performance appraisal, what must be measured and frequency of performance appraisal. As a result of such uncertainties, managers might not always have the ability or readiness to conduct performance appraisals, especially when the performance appraisal contains negative performance feedback. Furthermore, the organisational context might put managers in an undesirable situation to distort performance ratings of employees in order to achieve organisational goals or the manager’s personal goals, which in turn influence the attitude of the manager. The findings of the study can assist organisations in influencing managers’ attitudes more positively and in enhancing the overall performance appraisal process. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem throughout the world. It accounts for one death certificate among nine in the United States. Heart failure and sudden death combined are responsible for the largest number of deaths in America. The total costs of HF in the United States are estimated to be $37 billion each year. Despite substantial medical and surgical advances related to treatment of HF, it remains a very costly condition with high mortality and morbidity rates. Although biological factors contribute to high morbidity and mortality in HF, there are many unexplored psychosocial factors that also likely contribute to these rates. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine the association between some of the psychosocial factors (i.e. depression, anxiety, comorbid depression and anxiety, stress, cognitive appraisal, and coping) and health outcomes as defined by rehospitalisation and mortality among HF patients. The first paper is a report of longitudinal study of 1,260 patients with HF. The purpose of the study was to determine whether co-morbid symptoms of depression and anxiety are associated with all-cause mortality or rehospitalization for cardiac causes in patients with HF. Anxiety and depression were treated first as continuous level variables, then as categorical variables using standard published cut points. Patients were then divided into four groups based on the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. When depression and anxiety were treated as continuous level variables, both comorbid depression and anxiety, and depression alone were significant predictors of all-cause mortality. However, when depression and anxiety were treated as categorical variables, comorbid depression and anxiety was a predictor of all-cause mortality, while anxiety and depressive symptoms considered alone were not independent predictors of the same outcome. None of those variables were significant predictors of cardiac rehospitalization outcome, regardless of whether entered as continuous or categorical level variables. The second paper is a report of a study that was conducted to (1) examine the association of stress with 6-month cardiac event-free survival; (2) examine the relationship of stress with salivary cortisol; and (3) examine the association of salivary cortisol level with 6-month cardiac event-free survival. The study sample was 81 HF patients. A prospective design was used in which patients were followed for 6 months to determine occurrence of 6-month cardiac event-free survival, defined as time to the combined endpoint of cardiac rehospitalization or all-cause death. Stress was not a significant predictor of event-free survival in HF, salivary cortisol was a significant predictor of event-free survival in the unadjusted model, but not in the adjusted model, and stress was not a significant predictor of salivary cortisol level. The final paper is a report of prospective design study that aimed to describe self-reported stress level, cognitive appraisal and coping among patients with HF, and to examine the association of cognitive appraisal and coping strategies with event-free survival based on a proposed model of HF patients’ response to stressors that been suggested according to literature to date. The study sample consisted of 88 HF patients who been followed for 6 months to determine occurrence of the combined endpoint of rehospitalization for cardiac causes or all-cause death. The study showed that stress level was associated with harm and loss cognitive appraisal. Harm/loss and threat cognitive appraisals were associated with avoidant emotional coping. Furthermore, harm/loss cognitive appraisal was a significant predictor of avoidant emotional coping and event free survival. Finally avoidant emotional coping was a significant predictor of event free survival among HF patients in the unadjusted model, but not in the adjusted model. The findings from this dissertation provided further evidence of the importance of psychosocial factors to health outcomes in HF patients. It also filled important gaps in the body of knowledge related to health outcomes among those with HF by demonstrating the need for cognitive and behavioral therapy among HF patients who negatively appraise their health condition.