Positiv psykologi har influerat studier om att leva det bra livet. Forskning om karaktärsstyrkor för att öka välbefinnande har tillsammans med betoningen på social kontext bidragit till insatser för att främja ungdomars utveckling. En viktig faktor i ungdomars utveckling har visats vara deras insatser i skolan. Insatsen i skolan på gymnasienivå kan ha ett stort inflytande på introduktionen till vuxenlivet. Studien undersökte vilka relationer som finns mellan ungdomars sociala stöd, välbefinnande och självskattade skolinsats. Detta skedde utifrån tre hypoteser och en frågeställning. I studien deltog 212 gymnasieelever genom att svara på en enkät som bestod av EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-Being, Multidimensional Scale of Percieved Social Support samt frågor för självskattad skolinsats. Materialet undersöktes med korrelationer, t-tester och två regressionsanalyser. Slutsatsen var att gymnasieelevers kön, välbefinnande och sociala stöd till olika grad har betydelse för den självskattade skolinsatsen. Ihärdighet visade sig vara den starkaste prediktoren för hur ungdomar skattar sina skolinsatser.

Higher education systems are imperative to social and economic upliftment in any society, the ability of the national labour force and income disparity differentials between members of the populous are directly associated to academic achievement and associated pass rates in higher education. The apparent utility of higher education is however overshadowed by poor student retention, academic performance and consequent pass rates and is an issue of concern at both an international and local level. The identification of factors that could potentially improve student academic performance and consequent attainment of a tertiary qualification is becoming an increasingly important field of research. Research into such factors would have wide reaching implications in South Africa, where high unemployment rates and talent migration plague efforts to build a strong national economy. The primary imperatives of this research undertaking were to investigate the relationship between hope, social support, fluid intelligence and academic achievement in the form of grade point average (GPA), as well as determine the extent to which hope and social support moderate the relationship between fluid intelligence and GPA. The research method is comprised of a literature review and empirical study. Data collection was conducted via a cross-sectional survey design, with an availability sample (N = 308) being taken from first year students at a higher educational institution. The Hope Scale (HS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Abstract Reasoning Test (ART) and biographical questionnaire were administered. Statistical analysis was carried out with the SPSS 20.0 programme. Principle component factor analysis provided confirmation of a four factor structure for the MSPSS, with the resultant factors being labelled Friend Support, Significant Other Support, Family Support and Lecturer Support. In this study the original 3 factor structure of the MSPSS was supplemented by adding the fourth dimension of lecturer support. A two factor structure for the HS was confirmed, with the resultant factors being labelled Agency Hope and Pathways Hope. All utilised scales indicated acceptable levels of reliability, with the resultant Cronbach alpha statistics ranging from 0,75 to 0,89. Pearson correlation coefficient correlations gave indication of a statistically and practically significant correlation of positive medium effect between fluid intelligence and grade point average. Social support from lecturers showed statistically and practically significant correlations of medium effect with social support from friends. Pathways hope was statistically and practically related to agency hope with a positive medium effect. No practically significant relations in this sample could be established between hope and grade point average and social support and grade point average. Statistically significant relations were established between lecturer social support and fluid intelligence and between agency hope and social support from significant other sources. The ability of fluid intelligence to predict grade point average was proven via regression analysis in which fluid intelligence was found to be a statistically significant predictor of grade point average. Proposed moderating effects of hope and social support on the relation between fluid intelligence and grade point average were tested via multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that within the parameters of the research sample in this study, no statistically significant moderating effects could be established for hope or social support. Based on these findings, a hypothesised cause for such relations was established based on the characteristics of the current research sample and research literature. Recommendations for future research were made, as well as organisational recommendations for the participating higher educational facility. / MA, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

One of the great challenges for positive psychology is that academics, researchers and authors are yet to reach agreement on the terminology, constructs and methodology of the various positive psychological concepts and interventions. One such concept that has been ambiguously and often inconsistently conceptualised is happiness. Interventions that are structured around these conceptualisations have produced mixed results, which are attributable to various aspects such as the unidimensional conceptualisation of the concept, inconsistent measurement, psychometric measuring instruments that have not been validated for the population in question, and fragmented intervention methodologies. Research was, therefore, needed regarding happiness and the development of interventions aimed at increasing happiness. Therefore, this thesis aimed to investigate the concept, manifestation, measurement and development of happiness and positive psychological interventions (PPIs) within a tertiary educational environment. A mixed method research approach was followed to reach the research objectives. The first study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of positive psychological assessment measures, and to determine the relationship between flourishing and academic performance within a tertiary educational institution. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to address this objective. The Mental Health Continuum Long Form, Positive and Negative Affect Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered and indicated acceptable levels of internal consistency. The MHC-LF would need to be adapted for future studies within the tertiary educational environment. No significant correlations could be established between academic performance and flourishing. However, cross-tabulation indicated some evidence of the impact that flourishing/languishing had on academic performance. Individuals with moderate levels of flourishing typically performed in the „above average‟ to „excelling academically‟ range. Languishing individuals performed at the lower levels of the academic performance spectrum. The results indicated that a large number of individuals within this tertiary educational environment were languishing. Flourishing students experienced higher levels of positive affect and satisfaction with life, as well as lower levels of negative affect than their languishing and moderately flourishing counterparts. The second study aimed to investigate the main streams of research on happiness, the approaches/models flowing from these philosophies and the methodology of happiness interventions. A quantitative meta-analysis of the literature was used to address the aforementioned research objective. Seeing that the literature presents with such incongruent findings regarding the effectiveness of PPIs, research was needed to establish how happiness should be conceptualised, which moderating factors should be addressed in this conceptualisation, and what the content of PPIs should be. A qualitative meta-analysis of the literature indicated that happiness is approached from either a hedonic, eudaimonic or integrated approach. These philosophies gave birth to a stream of scientific literature regarding happiness and its various conceptualisations, namely (a) Subjective well-being; (b) Hedonic well-being; (c) Eudaimonic well-being; (d) Psychological well-being; (e) Flourishing, and (f) Authentic happiness. Furthermore, the results highlighted three causes for failing interventions: (a) unidimensional models/approaches towards happiness, (b) targeting the concept of happiness instead of the mediating factors; and (c) fragmented methodological interventions. The study suggested a multidimensional model for happiness and happiness interventions. Furthermore, the study proposed a multifaceted methodology for happiness interventions, comprising self-administered intentional activities, group-administered interventions and individual coaching. The third study aimed to evaluate a PPI aimed at increasing happiness of students in a tertiary educational institution. A longitudinal pre-experimental research design was used to address the aforementioned research objective. Qualitative data were used to explore the findings further. The results indicated that the overall happiness of a student may be increased through developing individuals on both an emotional and psychological level. The results showed some scientific merit to a multifaceted approach towards PPIs. The PPI affected all the aspects conceptualised in this study except for two components of authenticity, namely authentic behaviour and relational orientations. / PhD, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012

College success, as defined by adjustment to college and academic performance, is a multidetermined with a number of contributing influences, including academic factors, personality variables, family characteristics, and environmental factors. This study attempted to provide an organizing model of the college success literature that was based on previous research (e.g., Aspinwall & Taylor, 1994) and current stress-coping theory (Moos & Swindle, 1990). Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that the hypothesized model did not fit the data well. However, subsequent regression analyses did validate the view that college success is multidetermined. Specifically, academic performance was predicted by a combination of academic factors (SAT score and class rank) and academic adjustment. In turn, academic adjustment was predicted by locus of control, perceived social support, and high school class rank. Personal adjustment was predicted by coping strategies employed, parents who fostered autonomy, locus of control, self-esteem, and high school class rank. Finally, social adjustment was predicted by optimism, coping strategies employed, and locus of control. Treatment implications as well as directions for future research were discussed.

M. Tech. (Information Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences) Vaal University of Technology / The majority of research studies completed on podcasting technology focused on the acceptance of podcasting technology in the educational settings and the challenges that it poses for higher education institutions and instructors. Very little interest has been accorded to the effect that podcasting could have on the learners‟ academic performance. Utilizing a quasi-experimental non-equivalent group posttest, a wide used research method in the education discipline, the relationship between podcasting technology and academic performance, is investigated. The quasi-experimental was performed based on data collected over a period of 12 months, in which a non-random sample of 150 learners was taken from a population group of 350 management and entrepreneurship undergraduate learners at the Tshwane University of Technology. The sample was separated into two groups, namely the experimental group of 75 students, and the control group of 75 students. Both groups were offered the same subject by the same instructor. Control group learners are learners who have already completed the subject in the first semester before the podcasting technology was introduced in the subject. The experimental group learners are learners who have completed the subject through the support of podcasting technology. The assessment marks for four formal tests of the two groups were compared by means of a t-test to determine the effect of the intervention. The outcomes of the study showed an increase in the overall mean score of the experimental group in comparison to the mean score of the control group. The number of students obtaining distinctions also increased, compared to the control group. These considerations possibly indicate a positive relationship between the availability of podcast lectures and academic performance.

This article presents the evaluation of the UPC Student Tutorial Service of for students with a poor academic performance and who are at risk of being dismissed from the university. This study aims at investigating the students perception of the tutorial service when they are at academic risk, taking into account their attendance and how they overcame the risk. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 24 students at academic risk and the study of their perceptions was based on four dimensions: general services, methodology, facilitator and suggestions. The results reveal that most students regardless of their risk status or attendance, appreciate the service, especially the support provided by the university and the facilitator as well as providing their suggestions to implement the service. The results are discussed based on the theoretical approach of the tutorial services provided. / Se presenta la evaluación del servicio tutorial que se brinda a los alumnos de la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) que tienen dificultades académicas y, por ello, se encuentran en riesgo de ser separados de la universidad. El objetivo del estudio es indagar, desde un enfoque cualitativo, la percepción que tienen los estudiantes sobre el servicio de asesoría de riesgo académico, en función de la condición de asistencia y superación de riesgo. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 24 estudiantes en situación de riesgo académico sobre su percepción en base a cuatro dimensiones: dimensión general del servicio, metodología, facilitador y sugerencias. Los resultados reflejan que en general los alumnos tienen una percepción favorable del servicio, sobre todo en lo relacionado al apoyo brindado por la universidad y por el facilitador; además brindan sugerencias para mejorar el servicio. Los resultados son discutidos en base al planteamiento teórico sobre la acción tutorial en la universidad.

Learning styles can be defined as the set of features that characterize the way people learn and process information. The aim of this study is to establish the relationship between learning styles and academic performance of students who completed the fifth year of the Pharmacy Program at Universidad de Costa Rica during the years 2011 to 2013. We applied the Honey-Alonso Learning Styles questionnaire. Regarding the overall mean, we obtained that there are no differences in the preference for an active, reflective, theoretical or pragmatic style. Students don’t have a pure learning style, but a combination of two or more of them, which favours the learning process as they have more tools to adapt to the teachers’, the courses’ and the study program’s requirements. / Los estilos de aprendizaje se pueden definir como el conjunto de rasgos que caracterizan la forma en que aprenden y procesan información las personas. El objetivo del presente estudio es establecer la relación entre los estilos de aprendizaje y el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes que cursaron el V año de la carrera de licenciatura en Farmacia de la Universidad de Costa Rica, durante los años 2011 a 2013. Se aplicó el Cuestionario de Honey-Alonso de Estilos de Aprendizaje. Se obtuvo que en relación con el promedio global, no existen diferencias entre preferencias para los estilos activo, reflexivo, teórico o pragmático. Los estudiantes no presentan un estilo de aprendizaje puro, sino una combinación de dos o más de estos, lo cual favorece el proceso de aprendizaje al tener más herramientas de adaptación a los requerimientos de los profesores, los cursos y la carrera.

Developmental transitions are experienced throughout the life-span and necessitate adapting to significant and unpredictable changes (Heckhausen et al., 2010; Perry, 2003). The shift from high school to university in young adulthood serves as an exemplar of how these challenging junctures can undermine motivation and well-being. Recent evidence suggests that most (85%) young adults making this transition feel overwhelmed, half (50%) experience immense anxiety (ACHA, 2012), and more than one quarter (28%) withdraw from their institutions by the end of their first year (Snyder & Dillow, 2013). The present dissertation was designed to counter these developments by conducting a systematic analysis of whether motivation-focused thinking (selective secondary control) sustained young adults’ goal striving, goal attainment, and well-being based on propositions stemming from the motivational theory of life-span development (Heckhausen et al., 2010). Study 1 comprised a seven-month field study and showed that motivation-focused selective secondary control striving positively predicted young adults use of behavior-focused selective primary control strategies, which in turn influenced academic performance. Study 2 was based on a seven-month field study and built on Study 1 by demonstrating that increasing selective secondary control striving was related to lower levels of depressive and stress-related physical symptoms for young adults with low high school grades. These effects were mediated by theoretically-derived mechanisms involving selective primary control and discrete emotions. Building on the preceding studies, Study 3 involved a seven-month, pre-post, field design and showed that students with low high school grades and high perceived control who received a motivation-enhancing selective secondary control treatment attained year-end course grades that were 8% higher than their no-treatment peers (74.85% vs. 66.68%). Consistent with theory, treatment effects were mediated by selective secondary and primary control strategies and emotions. Findings from these studies advance the literature by documenting previously unexplored antecedents, consequences, mediators, moderators, and manipulations (treatment) of selective secondary control for young adults in the midst of a challenging life course transition. / October 2016

A specifically oriented instrument was used to partially replicate a study by Dietz (1988) in an effort to compare the utility of the phi coefficient and Rescorla index measures of perceived contingency of reinforcement in children and examine the relationship of these measures to locus of control, teacher ratings of helplessness and academic performance.

The attribution model of achievement motivation has been applied to academic achievement as a way of understanding underachievement and as a basis for developing intervention programs. There has been little applied research in this area, however, that supports the use of the model in school settings. The purpose of the present study was to test the applicability of the model to an actual school setting. Subjects were 149 tenth grade students in a large urban school district. In accordance with the model, specific attributions for success or failure were assessed, as well as subjects' perceptions of the locus, stability, and controllability of attributions. Attribution patterns found in previous analog research were not found in a school setting. Immediate effort attributions were the most prevalent, regardless of performance level or outcome. Causal beliefs were found to relate to performance in ways predicted by the model but also in some ways not predicted. Relationships were generally stronger for high performers. Comparing subjects' perceptions of the dimensional properties of attributions across outcomes showed a strong outcome bias. Attributions were perceived as more internal and stable following successes, consistent with previous research. In addition, a performance level bias was found. Low performers rated attributions as less internal, stable, and controllable following successes and more so following failures than did high performers. This bias, termed the underachievement bias, was discussed in terms of its detrimental effects on school performance. The differences between high and low performers regarding perceptions of dimensionalities were consistent with the predictions of the attribution model. It was concluded that the attribution model is applicable to school settings. Suggestions were made that more applied research be conducted, that intervention programs based on this model should target subjects' perceptions of attributions rather than just the specific attributions themselves, and that because of the differences among subjects in perceptions of dimensional properties of attributions, researchers should obtain a direct measure of subjects' perceptions rather than assuming them.