This study investigated relationships between learning style, as measured by the Kolb Learning-Style Inventory, and brain hemisphere dominance, as measured by the Herrmann Participant Survey. The possible influence of either or both of these factors on organizational role selection as a supervisor, subordinate or work project group member was also studied. Subjects were 134 graduate management students. Pearson product moment correlations at p <.01 (n = 125) were found between the following dimensions: Concrete Experience and right brain hemisphere dominance, r = .41; Concrete Experience and the Right Limbic, r = .42; Abstract Conceptualization and left brain hemisphere dominance, r = .23; Abstract Conceptualization and the Overall Cerebral, r = .49; Abstract Conceptualization and the Left Cerebral, r = .42. Although some results regarding organizational role selection based on learning style or brain hemisphere dominance were significant at p <.05 using chi square analysis, strong evidence was not found to support the concept that individuals would prefer working with others like themselves. There was some evidence, however, that the longevity of the acquaintance may influence students to select right brain hemisphere dominant students in some situations. The bipolarity of the factors measured by both instruments was assessed. Using a level of p <.01, Concrete Experience and Abstract Conceptualization were correlated at -.46 (n = 133), whereas Reflective Observation and Active Experiementation were correlated at -.52 (n = 133) on the Kolb instrument. On the Herrmann instrument, Overall Left and Overall Right measures were correlated at -.84 (n = 126), whereas Overall Cerebral and Overall Limbic measures correlated at -.73 (n = 126). Split-half correlations on the Kofb factors yielded reliabilities of .85 to .90 (n = 133) for the four factors measured. Test-retest correlations for the Herrmann ranged from .67 to .81 (n=30) for the subscales. Suggestions for future research using these instruments were made.

Human resource management, or people management, is concerned with the philosophies, policies, programmes, practices and decisions that affect the people who work for an organisation. The various people management functions are aimed at helping the organisation achieve its strategic goals and as such are an integral part of the management process. People management consists of several aspects and sub-divisions of which pro-active conflict handling and management is one and which is also the subject of this study. The objective of this study was to assess causes of conflict and interventions and styles of conflict management in the workplace. Workplace politics, change management, diversity, cultures and religious views are but a few major sources for the emergence of conflict. We are currently in the era of fast change or more aptly put “hyperchange” and conflict is inevitable and management styles can also create and/or escalate conflict situations including, the composition of diversity in the workplace. This adds to the new challenges of management. Organisations in this decade need to acknowledge that their management styles of days gone by are not relevant anymore and one must understand to recognise conflict and resolve it in an appropriate manner. This study assessed the major causes of conflict in the workplace and whether the managerial style of managers and management interventions impacts on the overall conflict situations experienced by staff members in organisations in Cape Town and Windhoek. It also gave an indication if interventions and conflict management training/programmes are in place or used, if at all. Sometimes conflict is resolved successfully or unsuccessfully and what impact it has on the managers, his/her staff and colleagues and the organisation as a whole. This can have a detriment impact on the business and the culture within the organisation and which could result in or give rise to high labour turnover, underlying unhappy staff and disempowerment of managers and staff and poor production and service levels.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of the influential factors of teacher stress in the special education settings: specifically, some cognitive aspects of the coping process. The importance of the study was summarized in terms of the reported incidence of teacher stress and the need to develop more effective stress intervention and prevention programs. A two-part study was designed to determine the differences in the coping processes of high- and low-stressed teachers in terms of particular cognitive variables. In the first part, high- and low-stressed teachers were differentiated on the basis of the responses of approximately 150 teachers to the Teacher Stress Inventory. In the second part, eleven subjects from each of the low- and high-stressed groups were interviewed. The interviews involved the recollection and report of stressful teaching-related incidents. Teachers were asked to rate each of their incidents in terms of self-evaluation, self-efficacy, outcome evaluation, and incident resolution. As well, they were asked to describe their coping behaviours and to explain what the consequences of the situations meant to them. Statistical and descriptive comparisons were made to determine if there were differences in the responses of the high- and low-stressed teachers. The most significant results of the study were that low-stressed teachers attributed more positive meaning to the consequences of stressful incidents, and that the responses of the low-stressed teachers reflected established philosophies and attitudes. These results have implications for counsellors who are interested in developing intervention and prevention programs and for individuals who conduct teacher-training programs. As well, teachers who feel ineffective at coping with stress are encouraged to seek guidance and to gain awareness of how they contribute to their experience of stress. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

No description available.

Candidates for Florida real estate sales associate licensure responded to a two-part questionnaire based on William A. Long’s Reactive Behavior Patterns Theory and Robert J. Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence. Examination scores were converted to a dichotomous pass/fail variable based on the Florida Real Estate Commission-mandated cut-off score of 75 correctly answered questions out of 100. The candidates’ responses to the questionnaire comprising the Long-Dziuban Inventory and the Cognitive Strengths Task List based on Sternberg’s theory, were crosstabulated with pass/fail to identify differential passing proportions, if any, based on reactive behavior pattern and/or cognitive strength. An ANOVA procedure was used with the raw scores to determine whether statistically significant differences in mean exam scores existed between the four Long Types and the three Cognitive Types adapted from Sternberg’s theory. The data were subjected to similar analyses to ascertain whether the ancillary traits described by Long were predictive of exam performance. A crosstabulation of Long Type by Cognitive (Sternberg) Type was performed to find out if any significant relationships existed between the several dimensions of the Long-Dziuban Inventory and the Cognitive Strengths Task List. The results revealed a moderate statistically significant relationship between exam performance and cognitive strength, with analytical types and creative types having the greatest exam success. Tenuous relationships were identified between exam performance and the Long types and traits and between the Long-based and the Sternbergbased components of the research instrument. Although the results of this study did not establish definitive relationships between the Long and Sternberg constructs, by combining them into a measure of cognitive style, it forged a framework for future research into the relationship between licensing examination performance and cognitive styles. Within this framework are the components of a predictive model potentially useful for identifying not only real estate licensing exam performance but also for identifying persons likely to succeed in the real estate industry.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.