The research focused on constructing a psychological well-being profile for flourishing practices for junior leaders by establishing the relationship between junior leaders' dispositional attributes (emotional affect, career orientations, and organisational commitment) and the flourishing attribute (positive psychological functioning). A nonprobability purposive sampling quantitative method was applied to a sample of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel in Gauteng (N = 458) at junior leadership levels to explore the statistical relationship between their dispositional attributes (emotional affect, career orientations, and organisational commitment) and the flourishing attribute (positive psychological functioning) attribute. Multiple regression analyses indicated the dispositional attributes with the exception of emotional affect as significant predictors of the flourishing variable. The structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated a good fit of the data with the correlation-derived measurement model. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses indicated that age, race, gender and years of service as significant moderators of the relationship between the participants‘ dispositional attributes (emotional affect, career orientations and organisational commitment) and flourishing (positive psychological functioning) attribute. Tests for mean differences discovered that participants differed in terms of their age and race. The study made a significant contribution to the bulk of knowledge in the field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. On a theoretical level, the study deepened the understanding of the individual and cognitive, affective, conative and relations management dimensions of the hypothesised psychological well-being profile. On an empirical level, the study developed an empirically tested psychological well-being profile that informs flourishing practices for individual junior leaders and organisational levels. On a practical level, dispositional and flourishing practices that inform the dimensions of the psychological well-being profile were recommended. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Ph. D. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The National Senior Certificate Diagnostic Reports for the 2014 and 2015 National Senior Certificate Examinations for the subject Physical Sciences reported that many candidates lacked understanding of basic concepts in the subject. Most basic concepts are introduced and taught to learners as early as grade 10. Grade 10 provides learners with the foundation required to build a more intricate, and critical understanding of science. Critically, teachers have to drive this process. The nature of the experiences of the teachers would therefore be of primary influence during classroom practices to assist these learners. Teachers have to provide meaningful learning. Teacher experiences are derived from professional development, beliefs and subject content knowledge. This was a qualitative study which made use of a case study design. It involved three cases from one of the districts of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education, South Africa. Data was collected using multimethod strategies and analysed using the typology approach. This study was guided by the following main research questions: What are the nature of the experiences of teachers in implementing the Physical Science curriculum in a grade 10 class? The study sought to answer the following sub-questions, how does teacher knowledge influence classroom practice in the implementation of grade 10 Physical Sciences curriculum? What is the nature of the professional development received by the grade Physical Sciences teacher? and What are the teacher’s beliefs with regard teaching and learning of Physical Sciences in a grade 10 class? The findings of the study revealed that the status quo of traditional teaching of Physical Sciences still exists in the grade 10 classroom practices of teachers. Teacher generally displayed some good subject matter knowledge. A lack of professional development for grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers’ negatively impacted on classroom practices of the teacher. Teacher beliefs had major influence on classroom practices of the teacher. This study recommends teachers have to undergo meaningful, ongoing professional development to assist them improve their classroom practice skills. A Model of Intensive Professional Development is recommended for teachers in the South African Classroom. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

After the transition from the Apartheid government to the first democratically elected government of South Africa in 1994, massive challenges of inequality had to be addressed. The career development and ability of those individuals who were discriminated against, to participate economically, are still a challenge today which indicate that past inequalities have not yet been addressed. The study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how inequality influence the career development of emerging adults in South Africa. The findings indicated that the legacy of inequality in South Africa is still a highly influential factor in the career development of emerging adults with regards to the lack of mentorship and access to information experienced. The inability of South Africans as a collective to address the legacy of inequality also influence prospects for career development with regards to emerging adults not being financially able to gain access to career development opportunities. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

A considerable amount of research effort has been invested in investigating the under-representation of women and their career advancement in traditionally male dominated sectors. Although it is widely recognised that females’ participation at all levels of management as well as in the economy has increased substantially over the years, more than half of the economically active women in South Africa are still found in occupations which are extensions of the traditional female role. The technology sector is regarded as one of the vital sectors to the economic development and sustainability of any country, therefore, attracting and retaining women in the sector is an imperative. Despite initiatives to address inequalities in the workplace, attracting and retaining women in the ICT sector nevertheless remains a challenge. Thus, the aim of this research was to explore the career advancement experiences of female managers in the ICT sector. An exploratory qualitative study approach was adopted to gain insights into the said career advancement experiences of female managers at different levels in an ICT company. Semi-structured interviews were administered to ten female managers in the company. Insights from the interviews formed the basis of the data analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Integrating the participants’ experiences with pertinent literature provided an in-depth understanding of female managers’ career advancement experiences. Literature and findings of the research indicate that various factors combine to give effect to the so-called glass ceiling, which denies women access to opportunities crucial for their career advancement. Lack of role models, mentoring and networking opportunities, work/family conflict, working hours, training and development and organisational culture were identified as factors that inhibit the advancement of women into senior leadership positions. In addition, the findings further revealed that commitment to ongoing development, mentorship, an enabling organisational culture and flexible work environment are career advancement enablers. The outcome of the study confirms that there is an imbalance in the representation of women at senior management levels in the participating organisation (at the time the study was done) and, while numerous studies have sought to analyse the trends in employment and retention, in South Africa very little is known about the factors that influence the retention and advancement of women, specifically in the ICT sector. The study thus highlights the interventions required to attract, develop and retain women in the ICT sector as a means for organisations gaining a competitive advantage. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

MEd (Curriculum Studies) / Department of Curriculum Studies / The purpose of this study was to investigate how continuing professional teacher development can improve learners’ achievement and schooling in Mathematical Literacy. This study adopted a qualitative research design. The qualitative research method was used to collect data. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The population comprised of all Mathematical Literacy teachers, heads of departments and principals of schools in the Soutpansberg North Circuit. Purposive sampling was used to the select participants. The sample consisted of 3 school principals, 3 heads of departments’ and 9 teachers. Data was analysed thematically. The study revealed that continuing professional teacher development improves learner achievement, teacher skills and knowledge. The study recommended that teachers should be supported by the community, schools and the department of Basic Education, in order to improve their knowledge, skills and learner achievement. In addition, Learners’ needs, engaging parents, assessment strategies and teacher practice were used to measure the impact of CPTD on learner achievement. Of equal importance, teachers should further their studies and engage themselves in reading materials relevant to their profession. / NRF

This study explored both the relationship between coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory) and psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and also whether individuals from different gender and employment status groups (part-time work experience versus no work experience) differ significantly regarding their coping resources and psychological career resources. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to analyse the data which was obtained from a purposive non-probability sample of N = 197 early career unemployed, black graduates. The results showed significant positive associations between psychological career resources and coping resources. It also emerged that the male and female participants differed significantly with regard to their emotional, spiritual and physical coping resources and the psychological career resources of career harmonisers and career drivers. In addition, it was found that those participants who had part-time work experience displayed a significantly higher need for career venturing and also manifested higher behavioural adaptability than those who had no work experience. Recommendations for future research and practice were made. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Motivation is critical to the effective management of social workers in an organisation. A literature study of the concept motivation and an empirical study on the motivational function of the social work manager were conducted. This exploratory/descriptive study aimed to set scientifically grounded guidelines for the implementation of motivation as management function of social work managers. The literature indicated that motivating employees is the responsibility of social work managers. Research showed that social workers, social work managers and the organisation do benefit from motivation. The respondents indicated that motivation as a management function is important. They highlighted that intrinsic motivation and internal and external motivators influence their motivation positively. Organisational policies and a leadership style characterised by autocracy and a laissez-faire approach are demotivating. Social work managers should apply the principles of motivation theories, motivational strategies and guidelines to maintain and sustain motivation. Conclusions and recommendations were made regarding the motivational function of the social work manager. / Social work / M. Diac. (Social Work)

The introduction of e-learning in teaching and learning has necessitated the training of staff members in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This study focuses on the challenges that staff members, who are the facilitators of learning, experience when undergoing training in ICT. The research design employed a qualitative methodology which involved focus groups from a public university. Data was collected from the participants through semi-structured interviews. The findings indicate that the challenges that staff members experienced during ICT training are related to a lack of computer competence, lack of time, an information overload, the non-involvement of staff in the planning of their training, facilitation limitations, lack of technical support and institutional challenges that involve infrastructure. The study further revealed that the principles of adult learning play a reciprocal role in the staff’s professional developmental challenges. In view of these findings, this study offers recommendations for improving the ICT training of staff members. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

The aim of this explorative and descriptive study was to develop an action plan for criminologists to become specialised practitioners within the South African child justice system. An exploratory, sequential, mixed-methods approach was used, where data was collected during the first phase using a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire, including closed- and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was distributed to members of the Criminological Society of Africa (CRIMSA), as well as criminologists, magistrates, and other experts in the field of child law, known to the researcher. Sixteen questions were posed to collect data, consisting of nine Likert scale questions and seven open-ended questions. A semi-structured interview schedule was employed during the second phase of the study, to conduct 22 face-to-face and telephonic interviews with experts in the field of child law, probation officers, social workers, and criminologists. Descriptive data analysis was utilised during the first, and thematic analysis during the second phase of this study. The findings indicate that the absence of a regulating, professional body, limits career opportunities for criminologists as far as exercising their skills in practice. Furthermore, it was established that the role and function of criminologists, and the academic field of criminology, remain unfamiliar to various practitioners in the human science professions. Subsequently, criminologists are often considered mere crime researchers with limited applied skills for use in the South African criminal justice system. Though it was proven that, at least to some degree the academic training of criminologists is deficient, it was established that criminologists have a unique skill-set that places them in a unique position to execute various functions within the child justice sector as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Findings suggest that the Child Justice Act (75 of 2008) should be amended to facilitate the inclusion of criminologists in the South African child justice sector. / Die doel van hierdie verkennende en beskrywende studie was om ʼn aksieplan vir kriminoloë te ontwikkel om hulle in staat te stel om gespesialiseerde praktisyns in die Suid-Afrikaanse kindergeregtigheidstelsel te word. ʼn Verkennende, opeenvolgende, gemengdemetode-benadering is gebruik waar data gedurende die eerste fase ingesamel is deur middel van ’n selfgeadministreerde vraelys, wat geslote en oop vrae ingesluit het. Die vraelys is versprei onder lede van die Kriminologiese Vereniging van Suider-Afrika (CRIMSA), asook kriminoloë, landdroste en ander kundiges op die gebied van kinderreg wat aan die navorser bekend is. Altesame 16 vrae is gestel om data in te samel, wat uit nege Likert-skaalvrae en sewe oop vrae bestaan het. ’n Halfgestruktureerde onderhoudrooster is gedurende die tweede fase van die studie gebruik om 22 onderhoude van aangesig tot aangesig asook telefoniese onderhoude met kundiges op die gebied van kinderreg, proefbeamptes, maatskaplike werkers en kriminoloë te voer. Beskrywende dataontleding is gedurende die eerste, en tematiese ontleding gedurende die tweede fase van hierdie studie gebruik. Die bevindings dui aan dat die afwesigheid van ’n regulatoriese, professionele liggaam loopbaangeleenthede vir kriminoloë beperk wat die uitoefening van hul vaardighede in die praktyk betref. Daar is voorts vasgestel dat die rol en funksie van kriminoloë, en die akademiese gebied van kriminologie, onbekend aan verskeie praktisyns in die geesteswetenskapberoepe is. Kriminoloë word gevolglik dikwels bloot as navorsers met beperkte toegepaste vaardighede vir gebruik in die Suid-Afrikaanse strafregspleging beskou. Hoewel bewys is dat die akademiese opleiding van kriminoloë in ’n mate ontoereikend is, is vasgestel dat kriminoloë ’n unieke stel vaardighede besit wat hulle in ’n unieke posisie plaas om as deel van ’n multidissiplinêre span verskeie funksies in die kindergeregtigheidsektor uit te voer. Bevindings dui daarop dat die “Child Justice Act” 75 van 2008 gewysig behoort te word om vir die insluiting van kriminoloë in die Suid-Afrikaanse kindergeregtigheidsektor voorsiening te maak. / Sepheo sa phuputso ena ya kutullo le tlhaloso e ne e le ho hlahisa morero wa ketso bakeng sa ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe hore ebe basebetsi ba ikgethang sistiming ya Afrika Borwa ya toka ya bana. Ho latetswe katamelo ya kutullo, ya mekgwa e kopaneng e latellanang. Tlhahisoleseding e bokelleditswe nakong ya mokgahlelo wa pele wa phuputso ho sebediswa lethathamo le dipotso le iketsetswang, le nang le sebopeho se sa fellang le nang le dipotso tse kwetsweng le tse butsweng. Lethathamo la dipotso le fuwe ditho tsa Mokgatlo wa Ditsebi tsa tsa Botlokotsebe le Ditsebi tsa tsa ho ba Phofu wa Afrika e Borwa (Criminological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA)), hammoho le ditsebi tse ding tsa tsa botlokotsebe, bommasterata le ditsebi tse ding lekaleng la molao wa bana. Ho botsitswe dipotso tse 16 ho bokella tlhahisoleseding; di ne di kenyelletsa dipotso tse robong tsa Likert-scale le tse supileng tse butsweng. Tlhophiso ya sebopeho se sa fellang ya inthavu e sebedisitswe mokgahlelong wa bobedi wa phuputso ho etsa diinthavu tsa phuputso tsa batho ba shebaneng mahlong le tsa mohaleng le ditsebi lekaleng la molao wa bana, diofisiri tsa batshwaruwa ba sa tswa lokollwa, di-social worker le ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe. Manollo ya tlhaloso ya datha e sebedisitswe nakong ya mokgahlelo wa pele wa phuputso le manollo ya ditema nakong ya mokgahlelo wa bobedi. Diphetho di supa hore tlhokeho ya setheo se laolang sa seprofeshenale e sitisa menyetla ya mesebetsi ya ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe hobane e kgina menyetla ya bona ya ho sebedisa ditsebo tsa bona tshebetsong. Ho feta moo, ho fumanwe hore mosebetsi wa ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe, lekala la dithuto lefapheng la tsa botlokotsebe, di ntse di sa tsebahale ho basebetsi ba fapaneng diprofesheneng tsa mahlale a botho. Ka lebaka leo, ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe hangata di nkwa e le bafuputsi feela ba tsa botlokotsebe ba nang le botsebi bo itseng ba ka nkang karolo sistiming ya Afrika Borwa ya toka ya botlokotsebe. Leha ho ile hwa pakwa hore thupelo dithutong tsa ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe e ya fokola ka tsela e itseng, ho fumanwe hore ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe di na le bokgoni bo ikgethileng bo di behang sebakeng se ikgethileng sa ho etsa mesebetsi e fapaneng lekaleng la toka ya bana jwalo ka karolo ya dihlopha tsa mafapha a fapaneng. Diphetho di supa hore Molao wa Toka ya Bana (75 wa 2008) o lokela ho fetolwa ho dumella kenyelletso ya ditsebi tsa tsa botlokotsebe lekaleng la toka ya bana Afrika Borwa. / Criminology and Security Science / Ph. D. (Criminal Justice)

Foreign exchange banking organisations afford individuals great career opportunities, and therefore endeavour to attract high-caliber employees who are self-motivated and create the dynamic, innovative and professional culture characteristic of the organisation. Retaining key talent characterised by skills shortages has become an imperative for sustaining competitive business performance in a fast-changing economic environment. The general aim of this research was to develop a model of employee motivation and job satisfaction for staff retention practices in a foreign exchange banking organisation. The concepts of employee motivation, job satisfaction and employee retention were discussed with regard to their history, conceptual foundation, theoretical approaches, types, variables and consequences. The theoretical model was developed accordingly on the basis of the literature review, and revealed the factors that could influence employee retention. The main purpose of the empirical research was to operationalise the theoretically derived motivation and job satisfaction concepts, statistically determine the underlying variables of motivation and job satisfaction that influence employee retention and develop a structural equation model to verify the theoretical model. A quantitative empirical research paradigm using the survey method was followed. Explanatory and descriptive research was used in this study, with a sample of 341 foreign exchange banking individuals drawn from a financial institution. Three questionnaires and a biographical questionnaire were adapted and administered to employees. The Work Preference Inventory (WPI) measured employee motivation, the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) measured job satisfaction, and the Employee Retention Questionnaire (ERQ) measured employee retention intention. A structural equation model development strategy produced a new best-fitting retention model based on the new constructs postulated in the factor analysis. The model indicated that job satisfaction explained the highest variance of retention when compared to motivation. The research should contribute towards a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence employee retention. The new model of employee motivation and job satisfaction for staff retention practices in a South African foreign exchange banking organisation could assist organisations in retaining skilled and talented staff. The study should encourage practitioners to take cognisance of the fact that organisations are different and that the motivation and job satisfaction factors for employee retention need to be considered. / Public Administration and Management / D. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)