Thesis (MCurr)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In view of the escalating shortage of nurses, attention is focused on the emerging workforce and efforts to retain new nurse graduates. The aim of this study was to investigate possible factors that could influence the retention of new nurse graduates currently employed within the public sector in the Cape Winelands District of the Western Cape. The objectives of the study were to determine whether the retention of new nurse graduates is influenced by: • the mentoring programme • leadership in the workplace • workload pressure and stress • complexity of care • staff shortages A quantitative approach with a descriptive design was applied. The total population (N=73) consisted of all new nurse graduates who had registered with the South African Nursing Council within the last three years, and who were employed at one of the 6 provincial hospitals included in the study. Since the total population was relatively small, no specific sampling method was employed but the whole population served as the sample. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from the Health Research Ethical Committee at Stellenbosch University. Permission to conduct the study at the specific hospitals was obtained from the provincial government of the Western Cape. Informed consent was obtained from all the respondents. A pilot test was completed, prior to the initiation of the main study, during which the questionnaire was issued to n=7 respondents who were not part of the total population utilized in the actual study. Data was presented in the form of tables, histograms and frequencies. The results revealed diminished implementation of mentoring and orientation programmes for new graduates. Most respondents, however, indicated that they had received appropriate day to day guidance in the workplace. Unit managers had provided guidance relating to the development of leadership, problem-solving and conflict management skills. The new graduate nurses had not been sufficiently exposed to managerial duties such as supervising the budget and scheduling of off-duties. Most respondents reported that they had experienced work-related stress due to work overload associated with shortage of staff. Furthermore, respondents reported that they would be likely to resign due to issues that relate to complexities in patient care; for example, limited numbers of trained staff in specialization units, too little support and direction and the presence of low levels of motivation and burnout among staff. Recommendations: • Mentoring and orientation programmes for new nurse graduates should be reviewed or initiated. • New nurse graduates should be exposed to all leadership activities. • Staffing management issues should be reviewed to address issues such as work overload, burnout and unrealistic nurse-patient ratios. • Managers should focus on the strengths of new nurse graduates and structure a workforce that will support the new graduate with professional duties in order to reduce complexities of care. In conclusion, implementation of the transformational leadership approach and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory are proposed to ensure motivation, productivity and job satisfaction, which will ultimately improve the retention of new nurse graduates in the public sector. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die lig van die toenemende tekort aan verpleegsters, word die aandag gevestig op die ontluikende werksmag en pogings om nuutgegradueerde verpleegsters te behou. Die doel van die studie was om moontlike faktore te ondersoek wat die behoud van nuutgegradueerde verpleegsters wat tans in die diens van die openbare sektor in die Kaapse Wynland-distrik van die Wes-Kaap staan, te ondersoek. Die doelwitte van hierdie studie was om vas te stel of die behoud van nuutgegradueerde verpleegsters beïnvloed word deur • die mentorprogram • leierskap binne die werksplek • werksdruk en stres • die kompleksiteit van pasiëntsorg • personeeltekorte. ’n Kwantitatiewe benadering met ’n beskrywende ontwerp was toegepas. Die totale teikengroep (N=73) het bestaan uit alle nuutgegradueerde verpleegsters wat by die Suid- Afrikaanse Raad van Verpleging binne die afgelope drie jaar geregistreer is en wat in diens was by een van die ses provinsiale hospitale wat in hierdie studie ingesluit is. Aangesien die totale teikengroep relatief klein is, is geen spesifieke steekproefmetode toegepas nie, maar die hele teikengroep het as steekproef gedien. ’n Selfgeadministreerde vraelys was vir data-insameling gebruik. Etiese goedkeuring om die navorsing te doen is van die Gesondheidsnavorsing se Etiese Komitee aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch verkry. Toestemming om die studie by die spesifieke hospitale te doen, is van die Provinsiale Regering van die Wes-Kaap verkry. Ingeligte toestemming is van al die deelnemers verkry. ’n Loodsstudie is voor die aanvang van die hoofstudie voltooi waartydens die vraelys uitgereik is aan n=7 deelnemers wat nie deelgevorm het van die totale teikengroep wat in die eintlike studie gebruik is nie. Data is aangebied in die vorm van tabelle, histogramme en frekwensies. Die resultate het verminderde implementering van mentorskap en oriënteringsprogramme vir nuutgegradueerdes getoon. Die meeste deelnemers het nietemin saamgestem dat hulle gepaste leiding daagliks binne die werksplek ontvang. Eenheidsbestuurders het leiding verskaf wat te make het met die ontwikkeling van leierskap, probleemoplossing en konflikbestuursvaardighede. Die nuutgegradueerde verpleegsters was nie genoegsaam blootgestel aan bestuurspligte soos die begroting en skedulering van afdienste/diensroosters nie. Die meeste deelnemers het rapporteer dat hulle werksverwante stres ervaar weens werksoorlading wat met personeeltekorte geassosieer word. Voorts het deelnemers rapporteer dat hulle sal bedank as gevolg van aangeleenthede wat met kompleksiteit van siekeversorging verband hou.Dit is,beperkte hoeveelhede van opgeleide personeel veral in gespesialiseerde eenhede, te min ondersteuning en leiding, asook die aanwesigheid van uitputting en lae vlakke van motivering onder personeel. Aanbevelings: • Mentorskap en oriënteringsprogramme vir nuutgegradueerdes moet hersien of ingestel word. • Nuutgegradueerde verpleegsters moet blootgestel word aan alle leierskap aktiwiteite. • Personeelbestuur kwessies moet hersien word om die faktore soos werksoorlading, ooreising en onrealistiese verpleeg-pasiënt ratio’s te adresseer. • Bestuurders moet fokus op die sterk punte van nuutgegradueerdes en ’n werksmag struktureer wat die nuutgegradueerdes met professionele pligte sal ondersteun ten einde die kompleksiteit van siekeversorging te verminder. Ten slotte, die transformasie leierskap benadering en Herzberg se Twee-Faktor Teorie word voorgestel om motivering, produktiwiteit en werksbevrediging wat uiteindelik die behoud van nuutgegradueerdes binne die openbare sektor sal verbeter, te verseker.

Unemployment and precarity have become key features of 21st century work. Employability is presented as a solution to these issues. Individuals are exhorted to manage their employability, in order to be able to exercise choice in the labour market. While employability is individuals' responsibility, governments, employers and educational bodies simply provide opportunities for its development. Higher education is a key site for this process, as employability rhetoric increasingly informs policy and practice. It is founded on rhetoric that emphasises flexibility, skills and marketability, shaping students in certain ways with the risk of being deemed unemployable as the consequence of disengagement. At the same time, there has been a rise in employer presence on university campuses. Recruitment is no longer its key feature. Traditional 'milkround' recruitment has been replaced by year round marketing campaigns. As a result, students are continually exposed to a selection of employers promoting a specific image of work and work orientations. The theoretical framework of this study is informed by works of Antonio Gramsci and Mikhail Bakhtin. Gramsci's notion of 'common sense?' is central to analysing the rhetoric on work and employability present on campus. I also give voice to students by recounting how they as 'dialogical selves' engage with such 'common sense'. These issues are explored through an analysis of data gathered during seventeen months of fieldwork. This includes longitudinal interviews with students, participant observation, documents, interviews with careers advisors and non-participant observation of career consultations. From this, I argue that there was a strongly normative image of work constructed around an orientation I term 'consumption of work'. This image was closely associated with consumption opportunities, marketed to students through corporate presence on campus. 'Consumption of work' was central to shaping students' work orientations and only few of them resisted the 'common sense'. Those who made 'alternative' choices articulated doubt about these, with the challenge to employability as a key reason for it. Employability was presented to students as a lifelong project of the self, where constant acquisition, development and selling of skills were necessary to maintain a position in the labour market. Many students embraced the rhetoric of skill 'possession', but were 'playing the game' when 'demonstrating' skills. Conforming to what the employers were willing them to 'demonstrate' and understanding how to do this became the primary condition for achieving employability.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to examine the claim that 70 to 90% of youth ministry participants abandon the church after high school graduation. Chapter 1 examines the current statistics related to the church retention of young adults. The research questions used to guide the study are introduced. In order to accomplish the goal of the study, Shields' Youth Ministry Retention Questionnaire (YMRQ) was used to compare the youth ministry commitment of Christian high school graduates with their current levels of church involvement. Chapter 2 reviews the critical literature to this study. The issues of the role of church and the calling for Christians to be together, understanding who is defined as a young adult, and Protestant schooling in America are explored. Chapter 3 describes the process by which the data for this study was gathered. Graduates from the four types of Christian high schools (covenantal independent, covenantal church-related, open-admission independent, and open-admission church-related) were invited to participate in the YMRQ survey. All of the respondents were graduates of ACSI member schools. Chapter 4 reports the analysis of the data from the completed surveys. The data was analyzed using Chi-Square tests and ANOVA tests to determine the statistical significance between the two variables. For all levels of youth ministry commitment, these young adults maintained a low to high level of involvement with a church after graduating high school. Bridging the language of statistics and the language of the practice of youth ministry, a clearer retention rate of Christian school graduates is 82.9%. This percentage represents those students in the moderate and high levels of church engagement as young adults. The final chapter presents the conclusions based on the findings of this study. Any variances in the data and the reasons for their existence are also explored. Based on the results of the research, applications are made for Christian schooling and local church youth ministry.

This multi-faceted study of dual credit programs in Texas was motivated by perceived discrepancies in dual credit data reporting and a lack of comprehensive, statelevel information about dual credit student populations and coursework patterns. Using a P-16 framework, the author explored alignment issues that influence the delivery of dual credit programs and the tracking of dual credit participants in Texas. A review of dual credit partnership agreements between high schools and colleges, an analysis of dual credit course crosswalks, interviews with secondary and postsecondary dual credit coordinators, and a cross-agency analysis of state-level dual credit data provided insight into data and program alignment concerns. These research efforts informed the construction of a database of 2004-2007 Texas public high school graduates who took dual credit courses while in high school. Demographic differences and college outcomes were analyzed for the full cohort and cohort subpopulations. Two ANOVAs were used to explore differences in the number of dual credit courses students took and freshman college GPA by several demographic and outcome variables. Study results showed regional differences in dual credit coursetaking patterns and differences in student populations who took academic dual credit courses, non-academic dual credit courses, and both types of courses. Longitudinal data revealed differences in dual credit coursetaking populations over time, including growth in the number of economically disadvantaged and underrepresented minority students who took advantage of dual credit opportunities. Study findings emphasized the value of improving dual credit data reporting and course alignment practices. Important state-level goals were identified as ensuring: that students have access to rigorous, quality programs; that educators and policy-makers have access to accurate data; and that dual credit partnerships maintain the flexibility to innovate and respond to student needs while preserving program quality and equity. / text

This study examined the relationship between ten selected characteristics and persistence in different types of four-year institutions. The characteristics examined were divided into three separate clusters: personal (sex, race, religion), environmental (socioeconomic status, parents' educational level, number of children in the family), and academic (aptitude, high-school grades, size, and program). The data were extracted from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972. The Carnegie classification was used to segregate four-year institutions of higher education into six major categories. Persistence in higher education was defined and examined in two different ways. In the first instance a persister was a student who enrolled in a particular institution in the fall of 1972 and graduated or continued his/her enrollment in the same type of institution according to the Carnegie classification on a full- or part-time basis through the fall of 1976. In the second instance a transfer student was defined as a student who persisted over the four-year period but moved his/her enrollment to an institution in other than the original Carnegie classification. First, data were gathered to examine the rates of student persistence. The resulting information was presented in tabular format. The second objective focused on the analysis of the relationship of the selected characteristics with persistence among and within the six classifications of institutions. The relationship of the selected characteristics and the distribution of persisting students among the six categories were analyzed. Different types of college-attendance patterns (persist, transfer, dropout) were isolated. These groups were compared using chi-square to determine significance of the comparisons. The findings were highlighted by the following statements. The recruitment and retention of black students in Research and Doctoral-Granting Universities were found ineffective. There was little difference between males and females in overall persistence rates. An association existed between religion and persistence in certain types of institutions illustrated by a strong overall persistence rate for Jewish students. High socioeconomic status students had a greater opportunity at institutional mobility by transferring into other classifications and then persisting in larger proportions than students in the low and medium range. As parental education levels increased so did the persistence rates of offspring. Aptitude and high-school grades were found strongly associated with persistence, however, different patterns were found in different institutional classifications.

The educational plans of black high-school seniors over the past decade were examined and compared to the plans of white students by analyzing selected base-year data from The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 and High School and Beyond: A National Longitudinal Study for the 1980s. Chi-square was used to detect significant changes between survey years. Expectations to participate in post-secondary education were essentially the same for all black and white seniors between 1972 and 1980 though black expectations were greater. Among whites, women exceeded men in 1980. When levels of educational expectation were examined, significant differences were apparent for both races. Large declines occurred in the four-year college category though they were partially offset by increases in the graduate school category. Small increases also occurred among both blacks and whites in the community college category. No clear trends were seen in the vocational school category. Black expectations were greater than those of whites in the combined upper two categories with the most striking difference seen among low-aptitude and low-SES students. Immediate plans for two- or four-year college attendance changed significantly for both blacks and whites with more students indicating four-year preference in 1980. Overall, more blacks than whites planned four-year attendance in both survey years and the largest differences between races were found on the low- and middle-aptitude levels. Preferences for planned field of study also changed for both blacks and whites between survey years. The largest increase for both races occurred in the business category, with the next largest expansion appearing in engineering. The largest decreases occurred in education and the social sciences, with the downturn being greater among blacks than whites. Black and white seniors in the middle and upper-aptitude levels were more likely to select the biological and physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences while low-aptitude seniors were more likely to choose vocational studies, health-related studies, and education.

Employability is a field of research and a concept that has developed considerably over the past century. Today, employability contributes to discussions in higher education, psychology and even labour market politics. What influences employability is thus of great importance to a number of stakeholders. Since employability consists of assets that make an individual employable, the employer’s perception of employability is essential. An area within organisational strategy called ambidexterity discusses the competitive advantage that can be obtained by hiring staff with certain characteristics, indicating that there could be a relation between ambidexterity and employability.   The purpose of this study is to explain how organisational ambidexterity influences employers’ preference in regards of employability. To do so, a conceptual model was developed from theoretical research. The model included: education, experience and personal characteristics. A questionnaire was used to collect data in order to explain the relation between ambidexterity and employability.   The findings of the study did not show that organisational ambidexterity influences employer preferences regarding employability considerably even though indications that a relation exists were found. Moreover, the study findings indicated that other factors such as gender and age of recruiter might have an influence on employer preferences instead.

The purpose of this study was to make a survey of the graduates of Technical High School of Fort Worth, Texas, for a period of ten years, from 1942 to 1952, to determine the effectiveness of the preparation they received in helping the graduates to choose a vocation and acquire the basic skills and attitudes that helped them in obtaining a position and to continue as successful workers.

The problem with which this study was concerned was to identify employment status of the 1964-1971 industrial arts majors who graduated from the colleges and universities in Texas. Specifically this study analyzed the status of the following industrial arts graduates: those with and without teaching certificates, those in educational employment, those in industrial employment, those who had changed their employment from education to industrial or self-employment and vice versa, and those who returned to campus for further studies.