Although growing evidence suggests that relational victimization is harmful to children as it occurs and shortly after, less is known about the potential long-term effects. The present study develops and validates a retrospective measure of childhood relational victimization experiences. A model is tested of the relations between childhood relational victimization experiences and early parental attachment quality on early adult psychological and social adjustment factors such as peer attachment quality, loneliness, and social anxiety, as mediated by rejection sensitivity. It has been proposed that early parental attachment quality, mediated by rejection sensitivity, may largely impact adult functioning (Downey, Khouri, & Feldman, 1997), but childhood relational victimization may also affect this psychosocial functioning. The Retrospective Relational Victimization Questionnaire (RRVQ) was developed and validated for this study to measure past relational victimization experiences. The primary study used structural equation modeling to assess a primary model of how both childhood parental attachment quality and relational victimization contribute to the experience of rejection sensitivity and in turn affects early adult functioning. A comparison is made with an alternative model which included only early parental attachment as a predictor of early adult adjustment. The RRVQ was found to be a reliable and valid measure of college students’ retrospectively recalled childhood relational victimization experiences. Neither the primary nor the alternative model was found to be well-fitting; however, additional exploratory results suggest that both early parental attachment and relational victimization experiences are significantly associated with current rejection sensitivity, while early relational victimization is somewhat more associated with current adult peer attachment, loneliness, and social anxiety than is early parental attachment. Educational, clinical, and research implications are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a study abroad experience on levels of ethnocultural empathy and global-mindedness. Now more than ever, universities are being asked to provide concrete evidence about the effectiveness and outcomes of studying abroad. Participation in study abroad programs has continued to substantially increase over the past decade, resulting in a higher demand of such international programs at universities (IIE, 2004). A sample of 76 university students completed the following measures: demographics questionnaire, Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy, and Global-Mindedness Scale. It was hypothesized that students who study abroad would exhibit higher levels of both pre- and post-test ethnocultural empathy and global-mindedness. It was also expected that participants with previous experience abroad would have higher levels of both pre- and post-test ethnocultural empathy and global-mindedness. Results indicated that levels of ethnocultural empathy and global-mindedness did not differ based on the study abroad, diversity class, or control group, but that scores on both measures increased from the pre- to post-test for both the diversity class and the control group. Results for the study abroad group remained the same between the pre- and post-test for both measures. Despite the fact that this study had no significant findings, it has provided groundwork for future research regarding study abroad experiences, ethnocultural empathy, and global-mindedness. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Although student enrolment at South African universities has significantly increased over recent years; student retention and graduation rates remain low, while student dropout rates are high, especially among historically disadvantaged students. One reason for the low student academic success is poor academic performance which is, in part, influenced by a variety of psychosocial constructs. The present study examined the influence and predictability of the psychosocial constructs of help-seeking, academic motivation, self~ esteem, academic overload, perceived-stress, test~anxiety, self~efficacy and perceived social support on students' adjustment and academic performance at university. The current study had four distinctive aims seeking to aid in addressing the current situation: firstly, to identify the relationship between psychosocial constructs, adjustment and academic performance. Secondly, to replicate an earlier model with psychosocial constructs proposing that a partially mediated model is preferred in explaining students' adjustment and academic performance at university- compared to a direct or totally mediated model. Thirdly, to theoretically and empirically extend and test an extended model of psychosocial constructs to explain students' adjustment and academic performance at university. Fourthly, to test for and identify possible group differences among the psychosocial constructs; as well as to establish if students' gender, age and residence status functioned as moderator variables. The present study was conducted at the historically disadvantaged University of Fort Hare. The number of participants was 280 and included first and second-year undergraduate students. Path analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses of the present study. Results partially supported previous findings with regard to relationships between psychosocial constructs, adjustment and academic performance; they also confirmed that a partially mediated model is preferred to explaining students' adjustments and academic performance at university; results showed that the additional constructs oftest-anxiety and self-efficacy increased the explained variance of an extended model to predict students' success at university; and identified some path differences between psychosocial constructs, adjustment and academic performance. It is recommended that universities focus on psychosocial factors as well as students' overall adjustment and well-being as it impacts on their academic performance capabilities. It is further recommended that psychosocial factors are incorporated into existing, or at least considered for, new or enhanced student development, support and intervention initiatives. These university services could be administered and implemented by training existing academic staff along with help from university counselling centres or psychology departments. An integral part of any intervention or support program should be the teaching of coping skills or strategies as well as the incorporation of graduate students to assist and help students adjust to university in order to perform well academically. / Psychology / Ph.D (Psychology)

M.Ed. (Tertiary and Adult Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract.

Cognitive-attentional test anxiety theory posits that test-anxious individuals direct attention internally, thus interfering with task-relevant information processing. Nevertheless, working-memory deficits are often obscured by compensatory exertion of increased effort by anxious subjects on cognitive tasks. Failure to identify anxietyspecific performance decrements has led some authors to replace the test anxiety construct with one emphasizing skill deficiencies. This investigation examined whether information-processing deficits are inherent sequelae of test anxiety or merely reflect lowered exam-taking ability in test-anxious persons.

Literature suggests positive relationships with caregivers during childhood facilitate intimacy in young adulthood. The three hypotheses in this inquiry related to the students' relationship between parental intimacy and friend intimacy, gender differences in intimacy, and the perceived acceptance of parents. Subjects were 322 male and female university students, aged 17 through 25 years. Most were single, white, and middle class. During class the Children's Report of Parental Behavior, the Miller Social Intimacy Scale, and a demographic sheet were administered. ANOVA revealed that relationships between parental intimacy and friend intimacy were not significant. Females reported greater intimacy with friends than males. For both sexes, correlations between recalled parental intimacy and acceptance were higher for mothers than fathers.

M.Ed. (Tertiary and Adult Education) / The purpose of this empirical study which forms part of a team research project, was to identify personality variables which may influence the academic achievement of first-year engineering-students. It was undertaken in the light of the relatively high failure rate of first-year students and the negative implications this has for an institute of higher learning and the students. The Bureau for University Education aims to establish a better student selection mechanism. The test group consisted of first-year engineering-students who registered at the Rand Afrikaans University during 1989, 1990 and 1991. This study focused on a single non-cognitive factor, namely personality, and its influence on academic achievement. The 16-PF-Questionnaire was used as a measuring instrument. student's t-test was utilized to establish significant differences between the two identified groups. The available data was processed by means of the BMDP-3S computer programme. The findings of this empirical study indicate that personality cannot be utilised in the prediction of academic achievement as a single factor, but in combination bined with other factors it forms an integral part of the selection mechanism. The successful engineering-students differed significantly from the less successful enigeering-students with regard to the following factors of the 16-PF-Questionnaire: * Factor G (dutyfullness) * Factor N (shrewdness)

M.A. (Psychology) / This study has been undertaken in the belief, on the one hand, that it will stimulate awareness among student counsellors of the fact that factors like a third world orientation, minority group membership, culturalism and ethnocism has an influence on the emotional experience and behavior of the students which have wide implications for career maturity as well as for counseling and, on the other hand, that it may provide guidelines for student counsellors in their guidance and helping of students. This study consists of two phases. The first phase, as expounded in chapters one, two and three, is devoted to an exploration of the situation of the student, possible theories in career guidance and the role and function of student counsellors in cross-cultural situations. Chapters four, five and six deals with the second phase which consists of an empirical investigation. An experimental approach was followed and the crites Maturity Investigation was used as a pre- and posttest to measure the achievement of the students. The experimental group completed a program based on the model of Super for the development of career maturity. computer analyses with the BDMP3D-program was employed to compare the raw . scores among the experimental group and control group. comparisons were also made among the students of SWA/Namibia as members from a third world orientation and the students of the RAU as members of a first world orientation.The results were that there was a significant difference in performance between the experimental group and the control group, as well as between the SWA/Namibia and RAU students. In conclusion it is recommended that a guidance the development of career maturity in such situation as existing at the Academy, should form total guidance program. program for a complex part of the It is also recommended that the guidance service should be extended and developed to make provision for a career library and information centre as well as for the opportunity to give ample guidance to students during the orientation period and to pupils before entering the Academy.

D.Phil. / The advances in information technologies have created an array of possibilities for today's learners in institutions of higher education. Kaye (1989) predicted that online education would ultimately emerge as a new educational paradigm, taking its place alongside conventional (face to face) education as well as distance education, and even changing the face of education in general. Although online education is becoming a common component of higher education, Wang & Newlin, (2000) confirm that relatively little is known about the characteristics of learners who choose to enroll for courses in an online learning environment. Schlosser and Anderson (1997) published a report entitled Distance education: Review of the literature in which they did not cite a single study on the characteristics of online learners. What seem to remain unanswered out of the literature are the questions: > Who are the students who undertake and succeed in online learning? > Are these students different from students who take and succeed in traditional, face-to-face classes? The answers to these questions are critical for the future of higher education.

One problem facing the hospitality industry today is turnover. Management turnover rates of 50 and 75 percent continue to plaque all segments of the industry. Personality type theory holds that people are happier in environments that are compatible with their personalities. This study examines 229 undergraduate students enrolled in hospitality education at the University of North Texas. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator was administered to these students to determine their predominant personality types, and to compare these types to those desired by hospitality industry professionals for success within the industry. Variables such as gender, work experience, and classification were also examined in comparison to student personality types.