This study examined the effects of visual statistics software on undergraduate students’ achievement in elementary statistics and the role of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in their achievement. An experimental design was implemented using ViSta – a visual statistics program. A sample of 273 undergraduate students at a leading, urban, southeastern research university enrolled in six sections of Elementary Statistics were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and comparison groups. The participants completed four surveys, with pre and post-test measures, which assessed their attitudes, statistics self-efficacy, perceptions of their learning environment, and statistical reasoning abilities. To further guide this study, the modified trichotomous framework (Beyth-Marom, Fidler, & Cumming, 2008; Elliot & McGregor, 2001) of goals, cognition, and achievement was used as the theoretical foundation to categorize the cognitive and non-cognitive predictors in relation to student achievement. Two quantitative data analysis methods were utilized. Mann-Whitney tests were employed to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in overall achievement and cognitive and non-cognitive sub-scales between the experimental and comparison groups. Correlation analysis was used to determine if there were any statistically significant associations between the overall grade in the course and the cognitive and non-cognitive sub-scales. For the qualitative data, error analysis was used to determine any underlying processes or misconceptions evident in students’ problem-solving application. Additionally, reliability analysis determined the internal consistency of the data and fidelity of implementation analysis ensured that the intervention was being applied appropriately. In this study, no statistically significant differences in achievement were noted. However, a significant difference was noted in students’ statistics self-efficacy between the comparison and experimental groups. Finally, using the Pearson product moment correlation (r), a statistically significant correlation was found between the overall grade and attitudes towards the course, attitudes towards statistics in the field, interpreting and applying statistical procedures, identifying scales of measurement, and the negotiation scale of students’ learning environment. In order to improve undergraduate statistics instruction, it was recommended that classes should involve more face-to-face engagement with the instructor, focus more on student-centered practices through the use of interactive technology, and incorporate activities from a variety of disciplines.

Recasting (i.e., corrective feedback in which the teacher paraphrases a learner's incorrect utterance without explicitly labeling it as erroneous) is a frequent phenomenon in classroom discourse. Despite its frequency and naturalness, educators continue to debate its efficacy. At issue is whether learners notice such implicit feedback in order to make use of it. This on-going debate centers on the following question: What makes a teacher's recast noticeable to a student? While most of the studies in the recast literature have emphasized student factors such as working memory and/or developmental readiness (e.g., Havranek & Cesnik, 2001), few studies have explored how teacher factors affect learner perceptions of and receptivity to recasts. This study fills this gap by employing qualitative methods to investigate student perceptions of their teacher recasts. Six classes in Applied English Departments at three different institutes of technology in mid-southern Taiwan participated in this study. Different methods were employed to gather student and teacher data in order to arrive at a more complete understanding of classroom recasts: classroom observations, individual student interviews, group stimulated recall interviews, and teacher interviews. According to student interview data, seven teacher categories (e.g., nativeness, teacher language use, teacher affect, etc.) were found to have a significant impact on students’ noticing of and receptivity to recasts. In particular, the findings indicate that EFL student perceptions of recasts are profoundly affected by teachers’ language use (e.g. phonetic and syntactic features) and teachers' nativeness (e.g., native vs. nonnative). Other factors such as teacher-student rapport also mediate students’ attention to and understanding of feedback. In addition to the student self-report data, classroom observation data of teachers' behavior indicated striking differences as well--native teachers tended to correct more grammatical errors while nonnative teachers corrected more phonological errors. In light of these findings, suggestions for improving student awareness of corrective recasts are given to both native and nonnative teachers. It is hoped that the qualitative categories uncovered in this study will lead to more rigorous, testable hypotheses for future quantitative analysis. / text

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship have been the focus of economic development for the past 22 years. The aim is to spark economic growth that will be sustainable for the years to come. The current state of entrepreneurship will be better understood when the economic, educational and political past of black entrepreneurship is unpacked. Blacks constitute the majority of the South African population and South Africa requires entrepreneurs to reach its goals stipulated in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030. Entrepreneurial education is vital to the development of entrepreneurs to enter the economy, which would alleviate unemployment and ensure economic growth, as many other countries have done in the past. Commerce faculties that offer entrepreneurship education are the focus of this study to determine the effect of four cognitive factors on the entrepreneurial intention of students. These four factors are attitude towards entrepreneurship, role models, entrepreneurial leaders, and resources and opportunities within commerce faculties. This study uses the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a model to determine entrepreneurial intention. This theory has been proven to be a sound instrument to use when determining intention and behaviour. The study took place at the University of the Western Cape’s Economic and Management Science Faculty (School of Business and Finance), the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Commerce, Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and Cape Peninsula’s University of Technology’s Business and Management Faculty. The data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire which was designed for the purpose of this study which was tested for reliability and validity. The population size was 240 from the various institutions mentioned previously. SPSS 24 was used for the statistical data analysis. There findings were that attitude towards entrepreneurship and resources and opportunities were statistically significant in affecting or influencing entrepreneurial intention. The model explained 57.6% of the variance in entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurship education should be seriously considered as a tool to influence entrepreneurial intention as the study showed that entrepreneurship education can and will influence entrepreneurial intention. This implies that the higher education institutions are the custodians for future entrepreneurs in the education they provide and the manner in which the entrepreneurship education is presented.

The purpose of this thesis was to establish the importance of cognitive factors in the ability to follow therapeutic diets by examining participants’ reading behaviours when shown food labels. In two laboratory experiments, 64 undergraduate students were asked to repeatedly make decisions about the safety of foods that did or did not contain specified allergen targets. Mock food labels were presented in randomized and intermixed orders, with each of 30 products being presented 15 times. At each presentation students were able to make their safety judgement with or without consulting the food ingredient list on the label. With repetition of products, participants traded the certainty of verification for the facility of using memory. Mean target accuracy did not reach 100% implying limitations to people’s reading accuracy, learning, and judgements about that learning. The findings from this study suggest that people probably choose not to read food labels as often as they should and miss seeing target ingredients when they are consulting the label.

The study was undertaken to identify the factors that influence standard seven pupils when they choose whether to continue with mathematics at senior secondary level or not. The relative importance of the factors was also determined. The literature study identified the following factors: attitude towards mathematics, utility of mathematics, family members' influence, mathematics teacher's influence, peer group influence, achievement and gender. The empirical study dealt with the following: * A 77 item questionnaire was completed by 201 standard seven pupils. * The statistical analysis revealed significant differences between pupils who chose mathematics and those who did not, with regard to all variables except gender. * A regression analysis identified the most influential factors as achievement, family members' influence, attitude and the mathematics teacher. * The overall implications were: - Pupils be made to experience success so that their attitudes may change. - Parents must be involved in their children's education. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of the psychological variables on the academic performance of first year students at the University of Potchefstroom. The reason that research in this field is important is that it can address the negative influence that the high failure rate of the first year students have on the community, the economy, and the severe financial and personal strain. Academic performance is the product of various inter-related factors. It is however difficult to get a representative model of all these factors. This is because academic performance, especially at university level, is an extremely complex and multi-facetted system. These factors need to be examined in conjunction with one another. A clear definition of the criteria used for academic performance evaluation is essential. A distinction is made between first year students that are successful in their studies as opposed to those that are not. A successful first year student is defined as a student who is credited with a pass mark in all the subjects required for that year of study, for the course taken. An unsuccessful first year student is a student that fails 50% or more of the subjects required for his I her course in that year, thus forcing the student to prolong the duration of the total study period by at least one year. A literature survey was done, in an attempt to identify and discuss some of the factors that influence academic performance. Various researchers' opinion on these factors were highlighted. The variables were grouped under the following headings: biographic, socio-economic, cognitive, personality, and academic factors. The following empirical tests were used: Senior Aptitude Test (SAT), the Ninteen Field Interest Inventory (19-FII), the Personal, Home, Social and Formal Relations Questionnaire (PHSF) and the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA). The study population consisted of academically successful and unsuccessful first year students that started their studies in 1998 at the University of Potchefstroom. The population included diversity in terms of faculty, race and gender. Detailed statistics were used to correlate the variables by means of graphs for each assessment technique. Statistical variance is shown in tabular form. Psychological differences between men and women are highlighted, as well as differences between race groups and faculties. The empirical study shows that there definitely are psychological factors that play a role in academic performance. A correlation between intelligence, personality, career interests, study habits and attitude, and the academic performance of the student is shown. From the literature, and on grounds of the empirical study done, it can be shown that psychological variables do influence the academic performance of the student, and that there is a correlation between the variables and academic performance. / Thesis (M.A.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2000

The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of the psychological variables on the academic performance of first year students at the University of Potchefstroom. The reason that research in this field is important is that it can address the negative influence that the high failure rate of the first year students have on the community, the economy, and the severe financial and personal strain. Academic performance is the product of various inter-related factors. It is however difficult to get a representative model of all these factors. This is because academic performance, especially at university level, is an extremely complex and multi-facetted system. These factors need to be examined in conjunction with one another. A clear definition of the criteria used for academic performance evaluation is essential. A distinction is made between first year students that are successful in their studies as opposed to those that are not. A successful first year student is defined as a student who is credited with a pass mark in all the subjects required for that year of study, for the course taken. An unsuccessful first year student is a student that fails 50% or more of the subjects required for his I her course in that year, thus forcing the student to prolong the duration of the total study period by at least one year. A literature survey was done, in an attempt to identify and discuss some of the factors that influence academic performance. Various researchers' opinion on these factors were highlighted. The variables were grouped under the following headings: biographic, socio-economic, cognitive, personality, and academic factors. The following empirical tests were used: Senior Aptitude Test (SAT), the Ninteen Field Interest Inventory (19-FII), the Personal, Home, Social and Formal Relations Questionnaire (PHSF) and the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA). The study population consisted of academically successful and unsuccessful first year students that started their studies in 1998 at the University of Potchefstroom. The population included diversity in terms of faculty, race and gender. Detailed statistics were used to correlate the variables by means of graphs for each assessment technique. Statistical variance is shown in tabular form. Psychological differences between men and women are highlighted, as well as differences between race groups and faculties. The empirical study shows that there definitely are psychological factors that play a role in academic performance. A correlation between intelligence, personality, career interests, study habits and attitude, and the academic performance of the student is shown. From the literature, and on grounds of the empirical study done, it can be shown that psychological variables do influence the academic performance of the student, and that there is a correlation between the variables and academic performance. / Thesis (M.A.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2000

The study was undertaken to identify the factors that influence standard seven pupils when they choose whether to continue with mathematics at senior secondary level or not. The relative importance of the factors was also determined. The literature study identified the following factors: attitude towards mathematics, utility of mathematics, family members' influence, mathematics teacher's influence, peer group influence, achievement and gender. The empirical study dealt with the following: * A 77 item questionnaire was completed by 201 standard seven pupils. * The statistical analysis revealed significant differences between pupils who chose mathematics and those who did not, with regard to all variables except gender. * A regression analysis identified the most influential factors as achievement, family members' influence, attitude and the mathematics teacher. * The overall implications were: - Pupils be made to experience success so that their attitudes may change. - Parents must be involved in their children's education. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) continues to have enormous implications on the health, economic and psychosocial well-being of individuals, family structures, and communities. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by the HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this study is to investigate the social and cognitive factors associated with HIV test uptake in the general population of Kenya. Data from the 2009/2010 Kenya Demographic Health Survey were utilized. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using STATA/SE software. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences between men and women in previous HIV testing status and HIV test uptake. Over 90% of participants reported knowing a place to seek testing. The mean HIV related knowledge was higher in men than women (x =0.1; 95% CI 0.04-0.16) than women (x = 0.04; 95% CI [0.01- 0.1]). Differences were found in expressed HIV stigmatizing attitudes, with women reporting more stigmatizing attitudes than men. For example 9.9% of women compared to 4.7% of men reported very high HIV stigmatizing attitudes. Weighted multinomial regression analyses were conducted with individuals who had not been previously tested and unwilling to be tested utilized as the reference group. Among the factors found to be significantly associated with HIV uptake include: HIV related knowledge- higher levels of HIV related knowledge were associated with increased HIV test uptake for men and women, HIV related stigma- lower levels of HIV related stigma were significantly associated with HIV test uptake for women but not men, acceptance to teach condoms to children and knowledge of someone infected with HIV/AIDS was positively associated with HIV test uptake, gender- compared to men, women were significantly less likely to agree to be take the HIV/AIDS test if not previously tested (OR 0.79; 95% CI [0.64, 0.97]) but significantly more likely to accept the HIV/AIDS test when offered (OR 1.341; 95% CI [1.02, 1.76]). Other significant associations included: Age, education attainment, sex of head of household, and wanting to keep a family member's tuberculosis infection a secret.

Recent research on the contribution of cognitive and social factors to psychopathology has been narrowly focused on isolated cognitive-social aspects of adjustment. This study takes a broader perspective by examining a) cognitive structure in addition to cognitive content and b) general aspects of interpersonal style rather than isolated social behaviors. Maladjustment was. examined with respect to premorbid history as well as current adjustment. The hypotheses were that cognitive integration interacts with cognitive complexity to influence psychological disturbance; that a positive relationship exists between interpersonal flexibility and psychopathology; and that a positive relationship exists between the proportion of ambiguous constructs which they employ and a person's level of psychopathology.