Research examining Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) has mostly focused on the long-term effects of these experiences on adult mental and physical health. Less attention has been focused on the impact of ACEs on college student satisfaction, dropout rates, and major choice. The overarching questions for the current study sought to further research by (1) assessing if there is a relationship between the ACE scores of college students and their mental and physical health, (2) if ACEs play a role in student satisfaction or desire to drop out, and (3) determining if there is a connection between students with high ACE scores and their major choice. Survey data was collected from a sample of East Tennessee State University students. Findings serve to improve our understanding of the topic and promote research for the future.

The study explored readiness to accommodate career construction (CC) of learners with visual impairment (LVI) in 2 full service schools (FSSs) within 2 provinces in South Africa (SA) (see Annexure B). A qualitative research approach was applied to gather rich information. Research participants were selected using non-probability, purposeful sampling. The sample consisted of a total of 26 teachers recruited from the 2 provinces of the Free State (2) (see Annexure C) and the Eastern Cape (24). Data was generated through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, observations and teacher participation in participatory action research (PAR) workshops. Data were analysed employing inductive, thematic data analysis, where themes emerged that answered the study’s research questions (see Annexure H). The findings from the study indicated the following themes arranged according to prominence: (1) the role FSSs play in CC; (2) positive and negative perceptions teachers hold towards accommodating CC of LVI; and lastly (3) skills and resources needed by FSSs and teachers. It is hoped that the results will assist the Department of Higher Education in collaboration with the University of Pretoria (UP) to develop a qualification to train teachers on accommodation of LVI. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to understand what knowledge and skills retired educators have and how these skills can be harnessed and utilised to benefit career development programmes in Botswana. The Tri-KCC conceptual model of career development was deductively and inductively developed from an interplay of the economics of knowledge management, the epistemology of constructivism, career psychology and gerontology. A mixed methods-sequential explanatory was used in this study, following assumptions of pragmatism. The participants of the study were retired educators in Botswana, with a convenience sample located in Gaborone. The participants had retired between 2000 and 2012. One hundred and eight participants (108), out of a sample of 200 responded to a survey questionnaire. Sixteen (16) participants from the survey formed focus group discussions of 5, 5 and 6 participants each. The participants were purposively selected through respondent directed and snowball techniques. The quantitative aspect of the study was conducted first, followed by the qualitative aspect. The quantitative phase helped to explore the concept of harnessing experiential knowledge of the retired educators. The survey questionnaire highlighted the following soft skills of retired educators: self-awareness and others-awareness, leadership, mentoring and counselling. The quantitative stage informed the qualitative stage during which the focus groups took place. Thus the qualitative phase had more weighting in the study. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively and inferentially, while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Results confirmed that retired educators have acquired a great wealth of knowledge and skills and that the success of being an educator is linked to both professional and personal identities. In addition, experiences that were meaningful to the retired educators were those where self-discovery boosted their self-esteem. Botswana is losing skilled resources to the early retirement age. In view of the findings, the Tri-KCC conceptual model was constructed to incorporate knowledge capture and management to guide practice. Career construction theory, through narratives of retired educators, was proposed to guide the practice of career development. Based on the results, it appears that an improved career development theory and practice that utilises retired professionals may not only benefit Botswana but other countries as well. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

Både i Sverige och internationellt är det brist på sjuksköterskor. Det behöver utbildas fler sjuksköterskor, men det finns också tendenser som visar att många sjuksköterskor väljer att byta yrke under sitt arbetsliv. Bristen på sjuksköterskor leder till ökad risk för vårdskador samt en sämre arbetsmiljö för den personal som stannar kvar. Med hjälp av en kvalitativ ansats är därför syftet med den här studien att analysera sjuksköterskors reflektioner kring deras beslut att byta yrke. Frågeställningarna som undersöks i studien är vilka faktorer sjuksköterskorna beskriver som avgörande för sitt karriärbyte, samt hur sjuksköterskorna beskriver sin egen beslutsprocess vid valet att byta yrke. I studien har sju sjuksköterskor som idag har en annan yrkestitel eller är studerande inom ett annat område inkluderats. Resultatet analyseras med hjälp av begreppen roller och beslutspunkt, hämtade från Life-span – Life-space theory, samt begreppen livstema, yrkespersonlighet och karriäranpassningsförmåga, hämtade från Career Construction theory. Det framkommer i studien att sjuksköterskorna har haft en lång beslutsprocess där de beskriver sig själva som aktörer för sitt eget beslut. Två orsaker till karriärbyte har varit behovet av förändring samt den kravfyllda yrkesrollen som inte alltid vägs upp av meningsfullheten i deras arbete. Ett yrke som upplevts spännande tidigare behöver inte nödvändigtvis ge samma stimulans ett antal år senare. Resultatet visar även att sjuksköterskorna upplever trygghet i att ha sin utbildning, vilket skapat mod till att pröva en annan bana.

No description available.

Preadolescence is a transitional stage between childhood and adolescence characterized by rapid and erratic change. Preadolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to negative impacts to self-concept and adaptability and may benefit from support to strengthen these key aspects of their development. School-based expressive arts groups provide a developmentally appropriate opportunity for preadolescent girls to process their thoughts, feelings, and experiences that can influence their self-concept and adaptability. Additionally, providing expressive arts groups from a career perspective provides participants a three-fold developmental intervention that includes components of the personal/social, academic, and career domains. Lindo and Ceballos combined the Career Construction Interview (CCI) with expressive arts school-based group counseling to create a developmentally appropriate intervention called the Child and Adolescent Career Construction Interview (CACCI). This study examined preadolescent girls' perceptions of participated in a CACCI group. Analysis of data yielded four major themes: (a) experiencing, (b) connecting, (c) expressing, and (d) becoming. Finding of this study have the potential to inform developmentally appropriate career counseling for preadolescents.

No description available.

This study examined the career development experiences of one African American man, a former student-athlete in a Division I revenue generating football team. This study focused on his experiences as a student-athlete who participated in football as he transitioned out of elite athletics. Division I collegiate athletics represents a highly sought opportunity (NCAA, 2015h). However, this opportunity may reduce college completion and disrupt maximal career development (Hartman, 2014; Van Rheenen, 2013). This qualitative case study of one participant explored the nuanced influences and pathways the participant used to enter his current career after completing college. Mark Savickas’s (2002) Career Construction Theory (CCT), a constructivist non–a priori narrative theory, served as the theoretical framework. Qualitative interview data were collected during a progressive series of three separate in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Data were first analyzed using an inductive, open-coding process. Four patterns emerged from the data relative to the participant’s career development experiences: ambivalence, performance prioritization/competitive spirit, practical mind-set/good judgment, and value of selected communities, which helped him decide on the ideal career environments. Findings were then analyzed via the Savickas CCT tenets of successful career construction that include life themes, self-concepts, and life design. Findings include (a) the participant executed a largely linear pathway developing his career since retirement from elite athletics, (b) the participant experienced minimal challenges to reaching his current level, and (c) that participation in collegiate football provided valuable career development experiences. Additionally, the findings demonstrated a positive career development based on the participant’s alignment of CCT tenets life themes, self-concepts, and life design.

Sammanfattning  Ohälsosamma karriärövergångar, det vill säga sammanhang där utmanande karriäröver- gångar leder till negativa konsekvenser, förekommer exempelvis inom (elit)idrotten. Utmanande karriärövergångar kan exempelvis ge upphov till psykisk ohälsa. Det är därmed angeläget med hälsofrämjande insatser som genererar hållbara karriärövergångar. Idrotten är ett utvecklat område när det gäller forskning kring olika typer av karriärövergångar ur ett psykologiskt perspektiv på förändring. Tidigare forskning visar att god karriäradaptabilitet främjar konstruktiv hantering av utmaningar och framgångsrik karriärutveckling. Genom att arbeta holistiskt med idrottares adaptionsprocesser kan empowerment stärkas och resultera i en hälsofrämjande effekt.  Syftet med studien var att undersöka idrottares upplevelser av utmanande karriäröver- gångar genom att analysera adaptionsprocessen och karriäradaptabiliteten ur ett konstruk- tivistiskt karriärteoretiskt perspektiv. Ändamålet var att identifiera faktorer som påverkar och underlättar idrottares karriärövergångar. Genom mejlintervjuer besvarades studiens frågeställningar med beskrivningar av hur adaptionen vid utmanande karriärövergångar upplevdes, hur konsekvenserna såg ut och vad som hade kunnat göra karriärövergångarna hållbara. Samtliga karriärövergångar var karriäravslut förknippade med skador, som orsakade övervägande negativa konsekvenser. Studien visade framträdande mönster och samband mellan beslutsfattande, motivation, identitet och adaptabiliteten vid karriäröver- gångarna. I det fall det upplevdes en negativ effekt eller bristande känsla av kontroll/egen- makt samt avsaknad av framgång, tillfredsställelse och utveckling i beslutsprocessen, blev det utmanande att anpassa sig vid karriärövergången. Idrottarna belyste därmed vikten av utbildning och professionellt stöd för hållbara karriärövergångar.  I studien identifierades strategier för framgångsrik hantering av karriärövergångar. Slutsatsen var att nya meningsfulla mål som resulterade i nya karriärmöjligheter och ett återskapande av en sammanhållen identitet visades vara viktiga faktorer för en fram- gångsrik adaptionsprocess. Detta gav ett underlag till diskussionen kring hur konstruk- tivistisk karriärvägledning kan tillämpas salutogent inom idrotten, för att stärka idrottares karriäradaptabilitet.

The number of children being abandoned in South Africa is rising steeply. With already existing challenges in the current South African labour market, one must consider the expectations of abandoned adolescents in terms of future careers. It is unreasonable to expect an abandoned adolescent to be guided towards making career decisions using modern career counselling methods, as these were developed for use with individuals from traditional, nuclear families. Most abandoned adolescents are taken in by extended family; grow up in children’s homes or on the streets. One can expect these circumstances to negatively impact the abandoned adolescent’s outlook and hope for the future. There is thus a need for an approach to career facilitation, which takes into account the abandoned adolescent’s subjective experience of his/her context. It was the primary goal of this study to investigate the possibility and limits of life design counselling with an abandoned adolescent. This was done against the background of both the systems theory and social constructionism in order to help the researcher to focus on the experience of the participant within his/her unique context. The study specifically focused on the experience of an abandoned adolescent. In order to better understand the subjective and diverse experiences of the participant, I aimed to investigate, through the lens of social constructionism, the way in which abandoned adolescents in general (and my participant in particular) create meaning through interaction with others as well as his/her environment. Within the qualitative paradigm this study was conducted by means of a case study during which a variety of postmodern techniques were implemented in order to facilitate co-constructive conversations with the participant. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted