Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study is rooted in career psychology with implications for career management. In addition, the study draws from various fields including the positive organisational behaviour paradigm. The underlying assumption of this study is that certain organisational and individual factors influence the experience of subjective career success amongst black employees in the South African work environment. In order to evaluate this assumption an attempt was made to gain an understanding of the antecedents of subjective career success. An overview of the literature led the researcher to the conclusion that transformational leadership, job resources, supportive organisational climate, psychological empowerment, and psychological capital (PsyCap), could be regarded as antecedents of subjective career success. Based on the literature, a theoretical model was developed that portrays a sequential process within which the identified variables play roles that vary in salience, depending on the stage in the sequential process. A mixed-methods research design was employed to guide the investigation. More specifically, the study consisted of a qualitative strand, followed by two quantitative strands. In the qualitative strand (Phase 1), a semi-structured interview was used to obtain information about the factors influencing career success from 30 black employees in white-collar jobs from three different South African organisations. The purpose of the qualitative strand was two-fold, firstly to seek confirmation that the instruments utilised covered the most salient issues. Secondly, to obtain guidance on how to supplement constructs that were not adequately covered, before continuing with the subsequent quantitative strands. The outcome of Phase 1 provided evidence of sufficient coverage of the variables as based on the literature review. However, it was decided to add three questions to the job resources measuring instrument, as well as two items to the supportive organisational climate instrument. During both the quantitative strands, survey research was used. To facilitate the collection of data during the survey research, an electronic web-based questionnaire was compiled. Standardised questionnaires were utilised to measure each of the ten constructs. The purpose of Phase 2 was to pilot test the composite questionnaire. A total of 220 usable questionnaires were analysed during Phase 2 with regard to the psychometric properties associated with each of the constructs. Evidence of the psychometric properties was obtained by means of internal consistency, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. All the instruments used in Phase 2 had acceptable reliabilities and goodness-of-fit, with the exception of the psychological capital instrument (PCQ). More specifically, less than satisfactory reliability coefficients were observed for resilience (α= .60) and optimism (α= .48). On the basis of this, no changes were made to the content of the instruments for use in Phase 3. However assumptions about the factorial structure of the job resources scale had to be revisited. The outcome of Phase 2 was a set of reliable and valid measuring instruments that could be used with confidence. The purpose of Phase 3 was to evaluate thirteen propositions guiding the current study. A total of 418 usable questionnaires were analysed during Phase 3. During Phase 3, further confirmation was found that all the instruments used had acceptable reliabilities, as well as goodness-of-fit. In addition, correlation analysis, step-wise multiple regression and structural equation modelling (variance and covariance-based) were employed. All the independent variables were significantly related to the dependent variable, subjective career success, except for objective career success (past). Job resources, psychological capital and supportive organisational climate, however, were the only significant predictors of career success. In order to evaluate the appropriateness of the proposed sequential model, both variance and covariance-based structural equation modelling were used. Model exploration was facilitated by the use of variance-based structural equation modelling. Both non-significant paths, as well as significant, but weak paths, were removed during the exploration process. The covariance-based approach allowed the utilisation of modification indices to arrive at an optimal model. A model consisting of only the significant paths were subjected to covariance-based structural equation modelling. The modification indices suggested adding three direct paths between subjective career success and transformational leadership, job resources, as well as supportive organisational climate. However, in the optimal model, the direct path between transformational leadership and subjective career success was excluded due to not being statistically significant. In the optimal model all the proposed paths were significant. Acceptable goodness-of-fit was obtained for this optimal model. The results of Phase 3 provided evidence supporting the majority of the thirteen propositions that guided the current study. With the unique combination of variables, this study can be seen as making a contribution to the existing theory and literature by explicating the interrelationships between transformational leadership, job resources, supportive organisational climate, psychological empowerment, psychological capital (PsyCap), and subjective career success. The researcher made recommendations for future research, as well as for scientific and practical interventions regarding the development of subjective career success. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie is gegrond in loopbaansielkunde met implikasies vir loopbaanbestuur. Hierbenewens het die studie op verskeie velde gesteun, insluitend, en veral, die positiewe organisatoriese gedragsparadigma. Die onderliggende aanname in die studie was dat die ervaring van subjektiewe loopbaansukses onder swart werknemers in die Suid-Afrikaanse werkomgewing deur sekere organisatoriese en individuele faktore beïnvloed word. Ten einde hierdie aanname te evalueer, is gepoog om ’n begrip te vorm van die aanleidende oorsake van subjektiewe loopbaansukses. ’n Literatuuroorsig het die navorser tot die slotsom gebring dat transformasionele leierskap, werkhulpbronne, ondersteunende organisatoriese klimaat, sielkundige bemagtiging en sielkundige kapitaal (PsyCap) as oorsaaklike faktore van subjektiewe loopbaansukses beskou kan word. ’n Teoretiese model wat op die literatuur gebaseer was, is ontwikkel om ’n opeenvolgende proses waarin die geïdentifiseerde veranderlikes wissellende rolle ten opsigte van prominensie speel, weer te gee. ’n Gemengde-metodes-ontwerp is in die navorsing gebruik om die ondersoek te rig. Meer besonderlik het die studie ’n kwalitatiewe fase behels, wat deur twee kwantitatiewe fases gevolg is. In die kwalitatiewe fase (Fase 1) is semigestruktureerde onderhoude met 30 swart gesalarieerde werknemers in drie verskillende Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies gevoer om inligting oor die faktore wat loopbaansukses beïnvloed, in te win. Die doel van die kwalitatiewe fase was tweeledig: eerstens om bevestiging te verkry dat die instrumente wat gebruik is, die mees belangike kwessies gedek het. Tweedens was die doel om uit te vind hoe om die konstrukte wat nie behoorlik gedek is nie, aan te vul voordat daar met die daaropvolgende kwantitatiewe fases voortgegaan word. Die uitkoms van Fase 1 het getuienis gelewer dat daar, soos op die literatuuroorsig gebaseer, voldoende dekking van die veranderlikes was. Daar is egter besluit om drie vrae by die meetinstrument vir die meet van werkhulpbronne by te voeg, sowel as om twee items by die meetinstrument vir die meet van ondersteunende organisatoriese klimaat by te voeg. Opname-navorsing is gedurende beide kwantitatiewe fases gebruik. ’n Elektroniese web-gebaseerde vraelys is opgestel om die opname-navorsing te vergemaklik. Gestandaardiseerde vraelyste is gebruik om elk van die tien konstrukte te meet. Die doel van Fase 2 was om ’n voortoetsing met die saamgestelde vraelys uit te voer. Twee honderd en twintig bruikbare vraelyste is gedurende Fase 2 ontleed met betrekking tot die psigometiese eienskappe wat met elk van die konstrukte geassosieer was. Getuienis omtrent die psigometriese eienskappe van die meetinstrumente is deur middel van interne konsekwentheid, en bevestigende en ondersoekende faktorontleding verkry. Al die instrumente wat in Fase 2 gebruik is, het aanvaarbare betroubaarheid en goeie passing getoon, met die uitsondering van die sielkundige kapitaal (PsyCap) instrument, meer spesifiek, minder aanvaarbare vlakke van betroubaarheid is gevind in die geval van veerkragtigheid (α= .60) en optimisme (α= .48). Daar is egter geen veranderinge vir gebruik in Fase 3 aan die inhoud van die instrumente aangebring nie. Aannames ten opsigte van die faktoriale struktuur van die werkhulpbronneskaal moes egter hersien word. Die uitkoms van Fase 2 was ’n betroubare en geldige stel meetinstrumente wat met vertroue gebruik kon word. Die doel van Fase 3 was om die dertien hipoteses wat die huidige studie gerig het, te evalueer. Hiervoor is 418 bruikbare vraelyste tydens Fase 3 ontleed. Verdere bevestiging dat al die instrumente aanvaarbare betroubaarheid, asook goeie passing getoon het, is tydens Fase 3 verkry. Daarbenewens is korrelasie-ontleding, stapsgewyse meervoudige regressie en strukturele vergelykingsmodellering (variansieen kovariansie-gebaseerd) gebruik. Behalwe vir objektiewe loopbaansukses (vorige), was al die onafhanklike veranderlikes beduidend verwant aan die afhanklike veranderlike, naamlik subjektiewe loopbaansukses. Werkhulpbronne, sielkundige kapitaal en ondersteunende organisatoriese klimaat was egter die enigste beduidende voorspellers van loopbaansukses. Beide variansie- en kovariansie-gebaseerde strukturele vergelykingsmodellering is gebruik om die toepaslikheid van die voorgestelde konseptuele model te evalueer. Verkenning van die model is met gebruik van variansie-gebaseerde strukturele vergelykingsmodellering bewerkstellig. Beide nie-beduidende bane, sowel as beduidende, maar swak bane, is tydens die verkenningsproses verwyder. Met die benutting van modifikasie-indekse het die kovariansie-gebaseerde benadering dit moontlik gemaak om ’n optimale model daar te stel. Die model, wat slegs uit die beduidende bane bestaan het, is aan kovariansie-gebaseerde strukturele vergelykingsmodellering onderwerp. Die modifikasie-indekse het die toevoeging van drie direkte bane tussen subjektiewe loopbaansukses en transformasionele leierskap, werkhulpbronne, en ondersteunende organisatoriese klimaat voorgestel. In die optimale model is die direkte baan tussen transformasionele leierskap en subjektiewe loopbaansukses egter uitgeskakel omdat dit nie statisties beduidend was nie. Al die voorgestelde bane was in die optimale model beduidend en goeie passing is vir hierdie optimale model verkry. Die resultate van Fase 3 het bewys gelewer vir die aanvaarding van die meerderheid van die dertien hipoteses wat die huidige studie gerig het. Vanweë die ontwikkeling van die onderlinge verband tussen transformasionele leierskap, werkhulpbronne, ondersteunende organisatoriese klimaat, sielkundige bemagtiging, sielkundige kapitaal (PsyCap), en subjektiewe loopbaansukses, kan hierdie studie, met hierdie unieke samestelling van veranderlikes, as bydraend tot die bestaande teorie en literatuur beskou word. Die navorser doen aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing, sowel as vir wetenskaplike en praktiese intervensies ten opsigte van die ontwikkeling van subjektiewe loopbaansukses.

Although quality management is used in occupational therapy in South Africa, no comprehensive description or standardisation of it exists. Literature in the context of this topic is scarce. As a consequence of this problem, the purpose of this study was to describe the extent of occupational therapists’ involvement in quality management. A quantitative study in the form of a survey was carried out. A convenience sample of 80 occupational therapists was surveyed, using a structured questionnaire. Results of the study indicate that most occupational therapists have some knowledge of quality frameworks. Standardisation on documentation and its auditing appears to be one of a number of problems. Another challenge is that occupational therapists may work in relative professional isolation making it problematic to implement quality management. Recommendations were made for occupational therapy practice and further research, as well as recommendations for a quality management framework for occupational therapy in South Africa. / Health Studies / M. A. (Public Health)

Text in English / A survey by means of mailed questionnaires was conducted to compile a career profile of persons who completed the B.Cur programme at Medunsa. The sample consisted of all the nurses who had completed the B.Cur. programme over a decade from 1985 to 1994. Forty-one percent of the questionnaires were returned and the findings indicated that the nurse graduates were committed to nursing and were contributing to the nursing services in south Africa. The public service was the largest employer of the graduate nurses. Their commitment to nursing is shown by their long service as well as post-registration qualifications sought in nursing. The B.Cur programme at Medunsa had adequately prepared them to practice nursing. There appears to be a need, however, to review the curriculum in some areas. It was concluded that Medunsa has contributed to the provision of well qualified nurses. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It has become evident over the past several years that there are a substantial number and a variety of career-related barriers that individuals perceive and experience in the workplace and that consequently interfere with their career development. Up to date, a vast amount of studies have investigated and reported on this topic world wide, yet little research has been gathered regarding the career-related barriers that South African citizens, especially students from higher educational institutions, perceive or experience. The aim and purpose of this quantitative research study was therefore to explore the diverse barrier perceptions and experiences of South African university students by means of determining the degree to which a range of internal and external barriers would hinder or has hindered their career development and whether these barriers (a) vary by gender, (b) vary by race/ethnicity and (c) vary by course level or academic year of study. In order to meet the study objectives and answer the three primary research hypotheses (a, b and c), respondents were invited via electronic mail to participate in a once-off online survey which consisted of a demographic questionnaire and the Career Barriers Inventory-Revised (CBI-R) (Swanson, Daniels, & Tokar, 1996). The results of the three primary research hypotheses indicated that the nature or type of career-related barriers perceived and experienced by the sample of South African university students (N = 1897) differed significantly among gender, racial-ethnic groups and course level or academic year of study. Significant gender differences were found on all 13 CBI-R scales, racial-ethnic differences on 9 of the 13 CBI-R scales (both assessed by means of a one-way independent ANOVA) and course level or academic year of study differences on 3 of the 13 CBI-R scales (measured by Spearman’s correlation coefficient). The present research study therefore revealed descriptive and exploratory baseline data regarding the perceived career barriers among South African university students and clearly demonstrated the CBI-R’s validity and applicability in the South African student context. Awareness of these students’ barrier perceptions can be a useful tool in planning and developing future intervention strategies for coping with and overcoming obstacles to their career progress. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oor die afgelope paar jaar het dit aan die lig gekom dat daar ‘n groot aantal en ‘n verskeidenheid loopbaanverwante hindernisse is wat individue waarneem en ondervind in die werksplek en wat gevolglik inmeng met hul loopbaanontwikkeling. Tot op hede is daar ‘n groot aantal studies wat hierdie onderwerp wêreldwyd ondersoek en daaroor berig het, tog is daar slegs ‘n klein hoeveelheid navorsing gedoen met betrekking tot die loopbaanverwante hindernisse wat Suid-Afrikaanse burgers, veral studente in hoëronderwys opvoedkundige instellings, waarneem en ondervind. Die doel en voorneme van hierdie kwantitatiewe navorsingstudie was gevolglik om die diverse hindernispersepsies en -ervarings van Suid-Afrikaanse universiteitstudente te bestudeer deur die graad te bepaal waartoe ‘n verskeidenheid interne en eksterne hindernisse hul loopbaanontwikkeling sal bemoeilik (of reeds het) en of hierdie hindernisse (a) verskil van geslag, (b) verskil van ras/etnisiteit en (c) verskil van kursusvlak of akademiese jaar van studie. Om aan die doel van hierdie studie te voldoen en die drie primêre navorsingshipoteses (a, b en c) te beantwoord, is respondente deur middel van elektroniese pos uitgenooi om aan ‘n eenmalige aanlyn-opname deel te neem wat die voltooing van ‘n demografiese vraelys en die Career Barriers Inventory-Revised (CBI-R) (Swanson, Daniels, & Tokar, 1996) behels het. Die resultate van die drie primêre navorsingshipoteses het aangedui dat die aard of tipe loopbaanverwante hindernisse wat deur die steekproef Suid-Afrikaanse studente (N = 1897) waargeneem en ondervind word, beduidend verskil ten op sigte van geslag, ras/etniese groep en kursusvlak of akademiese jaar van studie. Beduidende geslagsverskille is gevind op al 13 CBI-R skale, ras/etniese verskille op 9 van die 13 CBI-R skale (albei geassesseer deur middel van ‘n eenrigting onafhanklike ANOVA) en kursusvlak of akademiese jaar van studie verskille op 3 van die 13 CBI-R skale (gemeet deur Spearman se korrelasie koëffisiënt). Die huidige navorsingstudie het dus beskrywende en ondersoekende grondslag-data aangaande die waargenome loopbaanhindernisse van Suid Afrikaanse studente onthul en het duidelik die CBI-R se geldigheid en toepaslikheid in die Suid-Afrikaanse studente-konteks gedemonstreer. Bewustheid van hierdie studente se hindernispersepsies kan ‘n nuttige maatstaf wees in die beplanning en ontwikkeling van toekomstige intervensiestrategieë vir die hantering en oorwinning van struikelblokke tot hul loopbaanvordering.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Arts Faculty (Industrial Psychology), 2002 / The aim of this research was to investigate the career paths of individuals working in an Information Technology (IT) environment. The focus of the study is on the career history, subjective career views and career expectations and aspirations of these individuals. The study is exploratory and involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine individuals working in an IT environment in one financial institution. Results indicate that the career paths of these individuals no longer follow the traditional approaches to Career Development (CD), but rather amalgamate aspects of the traditional with the less traditional CD approaches. The results also indicate that the emphasis of CD is increasingly becoming the responsibility of the individual themselves, thereby requiring a more proactive and self-directed Career Management (CM) style. The results are discussed and interpreted in light of the literature reviewed. / AC 2016

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2015

D. Tech. Education / The effectiveness of teacher development has been a concern for decades in South African schools. Linked to this, is the lack of or no innovative networks that is dependent on quality of teachers and continuous professional growth is an essential part of improvement in the quality of teaching. However, in this study it has emerged that professional development for teachers is unsatisfactory and has not met its intended purpose. Research indicated that the ineffectiveness of teacher development programmes is based on faulty assumptions or even no research at all. This study aimed to investigate a new paradigm on how cluster systems as innovative network could enhance teacher development to improve quality teaching because of the major obstacles perceived in its implementation.

This study uses a narrative and hermeneutic approach to explore the career development often professional Black South African women. Using an interview guide developed by Brown and Gilligan (1991) and adapted by Mautner and Doucet (1996) career narratives were collected from the ten women. The narratives were analysed using a Reading Guide (Tappan and Brown, 1992). This method involved reading each narrative a number of times, focusing on a particular aspect of the respondent's narrative with each reading. Four major themes emerged through the process of interpretation; 1) contextualised career narratives, 2) positive non-directional career narratives, 3) the social embeddedness of the career narratives and 4) gendered career development. A number of recommendations for research, practice and theory building were made on the basis of the interpretation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

This research study is an exploration of the self-directed professional development of teachers, teaching in public schools in an era of democracy and educational change in South Africa. Amidst an ever-changing educational system, these teachers - Mbeje, Shabeer, Carolina, Shakila and Tasneem - position themselves as self-directed teacher-learners. As self-directed teacher-learners they adopt particular learning practices which enable change within the broader discourses of public schooling. Life-story interviews were used to enter into the public and private spaces of these five teachers which offered me glimpses of how particular systems shaped their identities, and how the meanings of teacher-learner shaped their learning practices. I employed the thematic restorying approach to represent the narratives. Through collaboration with the teachers in this study, I identified critical moments in their lives which shaped their self-directed learning for change within the broader discourses of public schooling. The reconstructed narratives are located within the social, political and educational systems of apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa Positioning this study in the critical paradigm, I developed a multi-layered framework of analysis and interpretation. I offer my interpretations of the stories through three lenses: restorying the field texts - the self through story; the teacher-learner in relation to socio-cultural contexts, and practices of self-directed learning. This study shows that as teacher-learners learn for change through self-directed learning , they develop their agency as transformative intellectuals, which is necessary for the reworking of South African public schools. Self-directed learning is critical for the transformation of the teacher-learner: as their race, class and gender meanings are disrupted for new meanings of teacher- learner. In their becoming they consciously and subconsciously create a “new professional teacher-learner” for South African public schooling. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

At present globalisation has engulfed the world in what has been described as a whirl wind effect, in that is has swirled around the globe and encapsulated it; almost to the extent that the effects of globalisation appear completely inescapable to most nations and citizens. One can assume thus that the influence of globalisation on education, and in particular teacher education, is inevitable. This study focuses on teachers' conceptions of globalisation and its relationship to teacher professional learning with an aim to understand how six teachers exposed to global discourses conceive globalisation and its effect on their professional learning. Given that an effect of globalisation is the merging of various ideas and the exertion of simultaneous influences on such ideas from a variety of sources, a single focus group discussion was used for the generation of dat in this study to produce an environment very similar to the one achieved by globalisation (i.e. an environment in which various ideas are generated simultaneously and are subjected to influences from a variety of sources). From this, rich data emerged highlighting that the teachers in this study have very similar and in some cases very different conceptions of globalisation, teacher professional learning, and the relationship between the two. Interestingly, what stands out is the teachers involved in this study conceive that context, plays an integral role in contemporary teacher learning. The analysis generated theses such as retrogression, inequity, contradictions as well as the experiences of these teachers in learning and not learning. In essence, globalisation and teacher professional learning are shown to be inseparable in this area in which teachers are currently forced to learn for specific contexts and in most cases have to relearn as their contexts change in accordance with the ever evolving nature of globalisation. Indeed teacher professional learning at present is placed under tremendous strain, and so an understanding of the links between globalisation and teacher professional learning is expressed in this study. In addition, what emerges as a plausible solution to the problem of how teacher professional learning may keep up with globalisation, appears to be a need for teachers to take charge of their professional learning and to move away from positions of dependency and passivity to a position of active agency. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2012.