M.Com. (Industrial Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Ed (Educational Psychology) / It is a well known fact that, especially in the developed and industrialised countries the child can not but attain adulthood and independence via the school and school learning. The child's progress at school depends largely on his readiness to learn. Because it is no longer acceptable for the school to receive school beginners with a take-it or leave-it attitude and practice, the Transvaal Education Department adopted the policy that all school beginners be subjected to a school readiness programme to ensure that they will in fact profit from formal learning. Because application of the prescribed procedures which underlies all these programmes had not yet been investigated empirically, an intensive evaluation was conducted in 1977 at the RAU. The findings indicated certain deficiencies in the existing programme. It appeared, for example, that differentiation was not applied sufficiently and that more emphasis should be laid on certain aspects of cognitive development. An attempt was therefore made in this study to redesign the existing programme. Firstly it was necessary to arrive at a pedagogical view of school entrance which implied a close examination of the school beginner's development and learning, whi~h also emphasised the importance of the teacher's becoming acquainted with the child's level op development on school entry as well as with its learning in order to know how, where and how much she can, may and ought to intervene in the child's development and learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Instrumental Enrichment, an educational program developed by Reuven Feuerstein, which attempts to improve an individual's ability to reason. A meta-analysis was performed on studies that had been conducted between the years 1979 to 1996. Thirty-six studies were analyzed according to their results from measurements in the cognitive/visual-perceptual, academic achievement and affective domains. The results from the meta-analysis were mixed. There were significant combined effect sizes of 0.24 for non-verbal ability, 1.41 for verbal ability, and 0.60 for one combination of full-scale ability. Significant effect sizes for measures of visual perception and visual-motor ability were 0.42, 0.71 and 1.68. There were also significant effect sizes for general achievement and for one combination of math achievement at 0.26 and 0.29 respectively. The intellectual achievement locus of control effect size was significant at 0.33. (Cohen (1988) considers an effect size of 0.20 to be small, that of 0.50 to be of medium size, and that of 0.80 to be large.) All effect sizes for reading were non-significant as was that for the Learning Potential Assessment Device. All other measures, such as those for self-confidence, self-concept, motivation and attitudes, in the affective domain were non-significant. One effect size for motivation and attitudes was significantly negative, indicating that the control group outperformed the treatment group. The results are discussed in terms of near- and far-transfer of learning.

Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The last two decades have witnessed an upsurge in the research and use of psychometric tests to aid in the prediction of managerial performance. Currently the most prevailing predictor constructs of managerial performance are cognitive ability, personality, and experience. However, researchers and practitioners are still looking for ways in which to maximise the prediction of managerial performance. In recent years, Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) have become an increasingly popular selection tool. SJTs are multidimensional psychometric instruments designed to assess an individual’s judgement concerning work-related situations. Evidence to date indicates that SJTs are valid predictors of performance, especially for managerial positions in which interpersonal interactions are important. The main objective of this study was to examine whether SJTs significantly add to the prediction of managerial performance over other measures used for managerial selection, such as measures of cognitive ability and personality. Measures of specific cognitive abilities, personality and a SJT were administered to branch managers in a South African retail bank (N = 124) to investigate the ability of the measures to predict managerial performance. Managerial performance was measured using three measures; Performance Ranking, a Behavioural Observation Scale (BOS) and an Overall Performance Rating. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate the relationship between the predictor composites and the managerial performance measures. Findings reveal different prediction patterns for the three criteria. A multiple correlation coefficient of .442 (p > .05) was obtained when predicting Performance Ranking measures, .308 (p < .05) was obtained for predicting the Behavioural Observation Scale (BOS) measure, and .318 (p > .05) was obtained when predicting the Overall Performance Rating measure. Therefore, only when predicting the BOS measure, the SJT provided incremental validity over cognitive ability and personality measures. Consequently, the average of the scores of the three criterion measures, i.e., the Managerial Performance Composite, was used to evaluate the a priori hypotheses. A multiple correlation of .366 (p > .05) was obtained for predicting the Managerial Performance Composite criterion. Results therefore indicate that the SJT did not exhibit meaningful or statistically significant incremental prediction over cognitive ability and personality to predict the composite managerial performance measure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die laaste twee dekades het ‘n toename in die gebruik van psigometriese toetse in die voorspelling van bestuurdersprestasie waargeneem. Tans is kognitiewe vermoë, persoonlikheid en ervaring die mees algemene voorspellingskonstrukte vir bestuurdersprestasie. Navorsers en praktisyns is egter op soek na maniere om die voorspelling van bestuurdersprestasie te verbeter. ‘n Onlangse verwikkeling is dat “Situational Judgement Tests” (SJTs) toeneem in gewildheid as seleksie-metode. SJTs is multi-dimensionele psigometriese toetse wat ontwerp is om ‘n individu se oordeelsvermoë ten opsigte van werksverwante situasies te assesseer. Navorsing tot op hede wys dat SJTs geldige voorspellers van prestasie is, veral vir bestuursposisies waarin interpersoonlike interaksies belangrik is. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om te ondersoek of SJTs betekenisvolle waarde toevoeg tot die voorspelling van bestuurdersprestasie bo die gebruik van ander meetinstrumente wat vir bestuurskeuring gebruik word, soos metings van kognitiewe vermoë en persoonlikheid. Vir hierdie doel, is takbestuurders in ‘n Suid Afrikaanse bank (N = 124) se kognitiewe vermoëns, persoonlikheid en situasionele beoordelingsvermoë getoets om die vermoë van die meetinstrumente om bestuurdersprestasie te voorspel, te ondersoek. Bestuurdersprestasie was deur middel van drie meetinstrumente bepaal; prestasie-rangordening (“Performance Ranking”), ‘n gedragsobservasieskaal (“Behavioural Observation Scale”) en ‘n algehele prestasiebeoordelingsmeting (“Overall Performance Rating”). Hiërargiese meervoudige regressie-ontleding was gebruik om die verhouding tussen die voorspellers en die bestuurdersprestasiemetings te ondersoek. Verskillende voorspellingspatrone is vir die drie meetinstrumente gevind. ‘n Meervoudige korrelasie koeffisiënt van .308 (p < .05) is vir die voorspelling van die BOS meting verkry, terwyl .442 (p > .05) en .308 (p < .05) onderskeidelik vir die voorspelling van die prestasie-rangordening en algehele prestasiebeoordelingsmeting verkry is. Gevolglik het slegs die BOS meting inkrementele geldigheid getoon. Die gemiddeld van hierdie drie metings se tellings is gebruik om ‘n bestuurdersprestasie-kombinasietelling “Managerial Performance Composite” te skep wat gebruik is om die finale besluit rakende die a priori hipoteses te maak. ‘n Meervoudige korrelasie van .366 (p >.05) was gevind ten einde die bestuurdersprestasie-kombinasietelling te voorspel aan die hand van die voorspellers.

D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology) / The generalizability of scores obtained on the General Scholastic Aptitude Test (GSAT) was investigated for a number of subpopulations. It was shown that acceptable procedures for limiting bias against certain subpopulations had been implemented in the course of test development. In order to facilitate an empirical investigation of the GSAT, random samples of Afrikaans-speaking whites, English-speaking whites, Afrikaans-speaking coloureds, English-speaking coloureds and English Speaking Indians were tested. The nature and intensity of cognitive stimulation as well as the direction of intellectual development differed from group to group and had definite implications for achievement in a test such as the GSAT. All the groups contained persons who could be regarded as fully integrated into an advanced technological society, but their average level of development, measured against this criterion, differed considerably. The test displayed a one-factor structure with respect to all the groups. On the basis of the content of the subtests this factor can be equated with Spearman's g factor. The ecological validity of test scores was studied on the basis of Berry's model for the generalization of behaviour aeross various environmental contexts. The nature of the differences between the groups with respect to both the internal and external structure of the test scores was investigated by means of conceptual as well as statistical analyses. The extent to which test scores could be generalized was indicated for different combinations of groups. On the basis of regression models it was shown that could to a large extent be used as a substitute for group membership as regards the explanation of GSAT scores. Differences in functioning found between the groups could often be attributed to differences in levels of achievement. Within Berry's experimental context the test was found to be almost equally valid for all the groups and it measured developed general scholastic ability equally well. With respect to most of the pupils in the white groups, the Indian group and the English-speaking coloured group, the test results could be generalized similarly in the behaviour context. The test measured general reasoning ability with scholastic symbol material almost equally well for these four groups, so that cross-cultural comparisons witp respect to this type of reasoning ability could be made reasonably reliably. However, most of the Afrikaans-speaking coloured subjects were probably handicapped by a lack of relevant experience. There are substantial differences between the groups as regards the generalizability of scores to intellectual achievements in the ecological context. In respect of the majority of white pupils such generalization is probably acceptable, as they could be regarded as fully integrated into an advanced technological society.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Instrumental Enrichment, an educational program developed by Reuven Feuerstein, which attempts to improve an individual's ability to reason. A meta-analysis was performed on studies that had been conducted between the years 1979 to 1996. Thirty-six studies were analyzed according to their results from measurements in the cognitive/visual-perceptual, academic achievement and affective domains. The results from the meta-analysis were mixed. There were significant combined effect sizes of 0.24 for non-verbal ability, 1.41 for verbal ability, and 0.60 for one combination of full-scale ability. Significant effect sizes for measures of visual perception and visual-motor ability were 0.42, 0.71 and 1.68. There were also significant effect sizes for general achievement and for one combination of math achievement at 0.26 and 0.29 respectively. The intellectual achievement locus of control effect size was significant at 0.33. (Cohen (1988) considers an effect size of 0.20 to be small, that of 0.50 to be of medium size, and that of 0.80 to be large.) All effect sizes for reading were non-significant as was that for the Learning Potential Assessment Device. All other measures, such as those for self-confidence, self-concept, motivation and attitudes, in the affective domain were non-significant. One effect size for motivation and attitudes was significantly negative, indicating that the control group outperformed the treatment group. The results are discussed in terms of near- and far-transfer of learning. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education