Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. "The Newton Summer Academy is a program intervention funded by the National Science Foundation. It was developed at the University of Missouri-Columbia by a team of scientists, instruction and curriculum personnel, and educators."--Leaf 8. "The present study sought to investigate the saliency of social cognitive factors in the career decision-making processes of bright, adolescent females. In addition, the present study aimed to gain empirical information about the effectiveness of the Newton Summer Academy, a National Science Foundation intervention program."--Leaf [12]. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-162). Also available on the Internet.

The main aim of this thesis was to investigate decision making from a broad developmental perspective to clarify the role of the underlying mechanisms influencing it. Problem solving and cognitive inhibitory capacity were chartered initially through the use of hypothetical vignettes depicting socially relevant situations and through the use of the Stroop task, to tap into automatic inhibitory capacity. Initial assumptions that prefrontal cortical refinement would denote enhanced social problem ability were not confirmed. Experience emerged as distinct factor in problem solving/decision-making, with the youngest participants equally as effective in producing solutions to situations that they had the most experience in. A shift in development is observed with maturation denoting greater experience and this being applied directly to problem solving and decision-making situations. Education was identified as a possible contributory factor in decision-making and this was explored in a cross-cultural study that tapped into a non-schooled population. The results reinforced the centrality of experience in shaping decision-making. Decision-making in regards to the use of experience was then looked at through real life decision-making situations, where adolescents were asked to provide their knowledge or experience of situations where risk was involved. Adolescents possessed the necessary knowledge to distinguish between optimal and sub-optimal decisions in terms of the consequences that risk behaviours carried with them. However, many still chose to engage in risky behaviours. This paradox could also be explained by actual experience, with the suggestion that positive experience in a peer group was serving as a pool from which adolescents drew to make future decision-making. If risk behaviours were not experienced adversely, the likelihood of their repetition was high. Taken together the findings suggest that adolescents are well equipped with the cognitive skills to make decisions. Compared to younger children, they have more experience of a greater range of situations from which to extrapolate responses from. They also have a great deal of knowledge and information about the negative consequences associated with a range of challenging situations and risk-taking behaviours. However, when faced with decisions in the social domain, the behaviour of friends and perceptions of what other people are doing are powerful influences on adolescent decisions.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2002. / Typescript. Vol. 2 subtitled: TANDEM intervention package. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

The contribution of this research is in the area of adolescent decision making. The specific decision examined is the decision to use or not use drugs. Several factors were expected to have significant impacts on this crucial adolescent decision. These factors included peer, school, family, and religion influences. The source of the data was a sample of ninth through twelfth grade students in a north Texas city. The students responded to a survey questionnaire in the spring semester of 1989. A total of 632 students responded to the questions about alcohol- and drug-related attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Four major hypotheses were tested, and each one was supported by the research findings. In the first hypothesis, it was expected that family drug use factors would have a positive effect on adolescent drug use. Family factors included the following: parental use of alcohol, problems for family members due to parental drinking, and problems for the respondent due to parental drinking. Family factors had a statistically significant effect on alcohol use and any drug use.

This study investigates the effectiveness of an instructional strategy that uses students' prior understanding of informal evidence based reasoning (EBR) to build an understanding of scientific EBR. A pre and post instructional strategy survey revealed that students' understanding of EBR increased over the length of the study. Data collected from pre and post instructional discussions also showed increases in the amount of EBR students used.

As unemployment is on the rise in developing economies as the result of a decline in the global economy during the past decade, increased attention is paid to entrepreneurship as generator of global economic growth. It has been noted that sustainable economic development cannot be achieved without entrepreneurship, nor can a country increase its gross domestic product and stock of wealth, or improve its citizens’ quality of life, if entrepreneurship is not increased. In order to increase the prospect of entrepreneurship in a country, it is necessary to introduce secondary school learners to entrepreneurship from the early grades, specifically the Grades 8 and 9 General Education and Training phase years. To stimulate learners’ interest in the subject, it is important to provide them with appropriate resources and textbooks, competent teachers and a well-structured curriculum. The knowledge and skills gained from studying entrepreneurship could influence learners’ future career choices. The unemployment rate in South Africa is high and 70 per cent of unemployed South Africans are youths. This percentage grows annually as learners exit the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. There is a dearth of literature on the attitudes of South African Business Studies learners in the FET phase towards entrepreneurship as a future career. Additionally, the role that entrepreneurship education plays in the potential career choices of Business Studies learners in the FET phase has not been explored extensively. Consequently this study attempted to explore the role of entrepreneurship education in influencing Business Studies learners in the FET phase in choosing entrepreneurship as a career. A qualitative case study research method was used to conduct the study. Three schools were identified and data were collected from them. The data-gathering methods employed were face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with Business Studies teachers; and focus group interviews with Business Studies learners in the three schools. The objective of the interviews was to determine the respondents’ views on the role that entrepreneurship education plays in learners’ career choices. The findings of the study indicate that teachers and learners strongly agree that entrepreneurship education plays a significant role in learners’ choice of entrepreneurship as a career. However, the respondents (both teachers and learners) highlighted challenges that could prevent learners from choosing entrepreneurship as a career. / Namate ʼn insinking in die wêreldekonomie die afgelope dekadewerkloosheid in ontwikkelende lande laat toeneem het, geniet entrepreneurskap as stimulus vir globale ekonomiese groei groter aandag. Dit is alombekend dat entrepreneurs noodsaaklik is vir volhoubare ekonomiese ontwikkeling. Sonder entrepreneurs kan geen ekonomie groei nie, kan geen land sy bruto binnelandse produk en rykdomreserwe vermeerdernie, en bly sy burgers se lewenstandaard onveranderd. Ten einde entrepreneurs te kweek, moet hoërskoolleerders reeds in Graad 8 en 9, in die jare van Algemene Onderwys en Opleiding (oftewel die AOO-fase), met entrepreneurskap kennis maak. Om hulle belangstelling te prikkel, isgeskikte hulpmiddels en handboeke, bevoegde onderwysers en ʼn behoorlik gestruktureerde kurrikulum noodsaaklik. Die kennis en vaardighede wat leerders in die studie van entrepreneurskap opdoen, kan hulle loopbaankeuse bepaal. Suid-Afrika het ʼn hoë werkloosheidsyfer en 70 persent van die land se werkloses is jongmense. Hierdie persentasie styg jaar na jaar namate leerders die fase vir Verdere Onderwys en Opleiding (VOO) voltooi. Daar is ʼn skaarste aan literatuur oor die vraagof Besigheidstudiein die VOO-fase Suid- Afrikaanse leerders se ingesteldheid jeens entrepreneurskapas loopbaan beïnvloed. Ook is die rol wat onderrig in entrepreneurskap in leerders se keuse van ʼn loopbaan speel, nog nie volledig ondersoek nie. Gevolglik poog hierdie studie om te bepaal of onderrig in entrepreneurskap Besigheidstudieleerders in die VOO-fase entrepreneurs van beroep laat word. ʼn Kwalitatiewe gevallestudie is as navorsingsmetode gebruik. Data is by drie skole ingesamel. By hierdie skole is deels gestruktureerde onderhoude van aangesig tot aangesig gevoer met Besigheidstudieonderwysers en fokusgroeponderhoude met Besigheidstudieleerders. Die doel van die onderhoude was om vas te stel of leerders van mening is dat onderrig in entrepreneurskap hulle loopbaankeuse bepaal. Volgens die bevindings van hierdie studie is onderwysers en leerders dit volkome eens dat onderrig ʼn bepalende rol in leerders se keuse van entrepreneurskap as loopbaan speel. Desnietemin het sowel onderwysers as leerders op uitdagings gewys wat verhoed dat leerders hierdie loopbaan volg. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

South African learners transitioning into the world of work are currently lacking adequate career education in schools. It is well documented that preparedness for the world of work sets learners in a locus of control. The main aim of this case study was to interpret learners’ reflections of selfconstructing a career with the psychosocial construct of career adaptability as an instructional scaffold. The study leaned on the life design for career construction theory, a combination of the career construction theory of Savickas, and the selfconstruction theory of Guichard. I utilised interpretivism as a research paradigm and a single case study design. Following purposeful convenience sampling, sixteen Grade 11 learners in a South African public school participated in Phase 1: a workshop comprising five sessions. Phase 2 consisted of a focus group interview with eight learners selected from the original group on their level of contribution and commitment. Data collection included group reflection, reflective writing, observation, researcher reflective field notes, and a focus group interview. Six themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the data. Learners successfully initiated career planning activities by reflecting on the career adaptability construct. The research results suggest a need for an alternative approach in the manner career education is presented in schools. This study hopes to provide insight into career selfconstruction initiatives learners employ when using the career adaptability construct as an instructional scaffold. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)