The aim of this study was to demonstrate how postgraduate students cope with the stress induced while adjusting to the various proposal and research report writing phases they are involved in. It is further purported that difficulties in adjusting to the various proposal and research report writing phases and lack of support lead to students experiencing stress. The population consisted of 815 students enrolled for masters and doctoral programmes at Unisa for the 2012 academic year. This study employed the Stress and Support Questionnaire for University Students to determine the stress postgraduate students encountered while adjusting to the proposal and research report writing phases they were in. Furthermore, this questionnaire was also used to understand how these students use support as a coping mechanism. The various research hypotheses were tested using an explanatory mixed method research design. The population consisted of 815 students enrolled for masters and doctoral programmes at Unisa for the 2012 academic year. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Strata software and Microsoft Excel. Statistical analyses included tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and chi-square tests. The results demonstrated that students experience stress during the adjustment process to the various research report writing phases. However, masters students showed higher levels of stress while adjusting to the research report writing phases, compared with doctoral students. Some of the doctoral students reported that they felt fewer levels of stress, because they were already exposed to postgraduate studies and were aware of what is expected. Furthermore, students who reported feeling stress to a large extent indicated the reasons to be a lack of support from supervisors, delayed and insufficient feedback, lack of financial support, lack of social support, procrastination, and balancing work and studies. Some of the students iv indicated that they do not feel any stress at all because they have surrounded themselves with people who have travelled the path, and their environment is conducive to study. Support from colleagues at work, supervisors, friends and family have also shown to help students adjust to the research report writing phases of their programmes. Although some of the students indicated that they do not experience stress, it is imperative that interventions be designed for those students who do experience challenges when adjusting to the research report writing phases. / Psychology / MA (Psychology)

Existing scales were modified and factor-analysed through "prepilof' and pilot studies for exploring relations between academic motivation, achievement, and cognitive factors such as locus of control (LOC), attributions, perceived self-determination and ability. Distinct, conceptually meaningful factors emerged. Thirty-seven hypotheses were tested on Unisa students. Among notable findings were: • Internal LOC related to academic motivation, but treating LOC as a set of distinct factors rather than a bipolar dimension offered more insights (e.g. "Impotence" rather than other external LOC factors related negatively to · achievement). • Little was gained from categorising attributions according to Weiner's dimensions. • Intrinsic motivation and "identified regulation" related positively to motivation. • Students' (especially unsuccessful students') expectations of success and perceptions of their ability were over-estimated. • Different factors related to motivation and achievement in different cultural groups. • Although motivation and achievement are usually positively related, this did not apply to disadvantaged groups. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

A distinguishing characteristic of the current world economy is the decline in the number of industrial job opportunities which is also affecting South Mrica. The multi-ethnical and multicultural society of South Africa is also experiencing low economic growth rates, high population growth rates and an unacceptably high unemployment rate. Entrepreneurship currently plays an important role in the successful economies of the world. The small business can make important contributions to economic growth, job creation and social development. For this reason it is important that entrepreneurial behaviour be promoted in South Mrica. In previous research studies, researchers isolated different variables of entrepreneurial behaviour such as the environment, personal characteristics, values and personal background of individuals. Of these variables, only personal characteristics may be manipulated to advance entrepreneurial behaviour. The objectives of this study were to indicate whether certain biographical and demographical factors are related to an individual's behaviour towards the formation of a new enterprise and to indicate whether certain personal characteristics, namely achievement motivation and locus of control, are related to an individual's behaviour in the formation of a new enterprise. It was decided to compare four groups, namely white non-entrepreneurs, black nonentrepreneurs, white entrepreneurs and black entrepreneurs. Three factors of achievement motivation and three factors of locus of control were identified by means of factor analysis, and statistical analyses were done on the four different groups. To establish the above-mentioned relationships, the researcher made use of sophisticated statistical analyses. The following conclusion were drawn from the results: The models of achievement motivation and locus of control seem to predict membership of the group black entrepreneurs better than the group white entrepreneurs. Using the locus of control scales, membership of the group black entrepreneurs can be predicted well. The study revealed that there are differences between black groups and white groups (entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs) in South Africa. It is clear from the present study that there have to be additional factors, other than achievement motivation and locus of control, that influence entrepreneurial behaviour. The ethnic and cultural situation in South Africa also influences entrepreneurial behaviour in this country. / Business Management / D.Com. (Business Management)

The problem with which this investigation was concerned was that of gaining a better understanding of factors which promote public school teachers' job satisfaction and the determination of the degree of impact of two specific organizational factors upon such job satisfaction. The two organizational factors are those of involvement in the decision-making process of the school district and the locus of control construct. This study had two purposes. The first was to determine if the direct involvement of classroom teachers in the decision-making process of a public school district affected their perceptions of job satisfaction. The second was to determine the relationship of locus of control on job satisfaction when teachers were directly involved in the decision-making process of a public school district.

The number of students that apply for studies at South African universities has increased dramatically over the past years, but the resources of the universities have stayed the same. It is therefore imperative that academic performance can be predicted on a short- and long-term basis. The Developing Expertise model might be able to predict academic performance on a short- and long-term basis. This study focussed primarily on academic performance on short-term basis by focussing on three of the model’s elements. The three elements that were investigated were: metacognition, intrinsic motivation and critical thinking. One of the contributions of this study is the refinement of some of the elements of the expertise model. The study helped to determine the validity of the instrument in a South African context. The measurement instrument can also be used as a selection meganism on short-term basis. In order to measure each of the elements of the expertise model, a measuring tool consisting of five questionnaires was compiled. A convenience sample of first year psychology students provided 326 students for the study. A second sample, compiled from the original sample, consisting of 209 first year students was used for the multiple regression analyses. These students are registered for psychology for the first time in 2005. The students were placed in three groups according to the student’s means of registering for the CBT centre. The first group was those students who completed the instrument on computers. The second group consisted of those students who completed a paper and pencil version of the measurement. The third group consisted of the Mamelodi students. These students completed a paper and pencil version of the measurement and brought it back a week later. The statistical analysis included factor analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Based on the literature research and the results of the statistical analysis, the expertise model was expanded to include metamemory as the functional unit for metacognition. Motivation can be divided in three subcomponents, namely: self-efficacy, intrinsic value and test anxiety. The motivational component, knowledge of cognition and external control can be used as predictors of academic performance on a short-term basis. The findings of this study can only be used as a selection meganism of academic performance on a short-term basis and therefore the results must be used with caution. / Dissertation (MA (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

L’objectif principal de ce mémoire est l’étude de la relation entre la violence en milieu de travail et le profil de sécrétion diurne du cortisol salivaire et le rôle modérateur exercé par le centre de contrôle interne sur cette relation. Les données ont été recueillies dans le cadre du projet SALVEO mené au Canada par l’Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale (ERTSM) entre 2009 et 2012. L’échantillon de participants est composé de 391 employés de 34 établissements québécois du secteur secondaire et tertiaire. Un nombre total de 3771 échantillons de salive ont été prélevés durant cinq occasions de la journée (réveil, 30 min après le réveil, 14h00, 16h00 et au coucher) répétés à trois moments de la semaine (mardi, jeudi et dimanche). Des modèles de régression multiniveaux ont été effectués sur les mesures de cortisol salivaire à chaque occasion de la journée au niveau 1, les travailleurs au niveau 2 et les établissements au niveau 3. En contrôlant pour les variables susceptibles d’influencer la concentration de cortisol salivaire telles que le sexe, l’âge, l’indice de masse corporelle (IMC), la consommation de tabac, la consommation d’alcool, l’activité physique, l’utilisation de médicaments, la saison d’échantillonnage et certains problèmes de santé, les résultats ont révelé des variations significatives dans la concentration de cortisol salivaire. En effet, les travailleurs vivant un niveau élevé de conflits interpersonnels présentaient un niveau de cortisol salivaire significativement plus faible à 16h00 et au coucher. Cependant, le niveau de harcèlement physique et sexuel n’influençait pas significativement la concentration de cortisol salivaire. Le centre de contrôle interne modérait la relation entre le niveau de conflits interpersonnels et la concentration de cortisol salivaire. Le centre de contrôle interne donne une indication sur la capacité du travailleur à gérer une situation de stress. Plus les conflits interpersonnels étaient élevés et plus la concentration de cortisol salivaire au coucher était forte pour les hommes avec un centre de contrôle interne élevé, comparativement à ceux exprimant un centre de contrôle interne faible et pour l’ensemble de l’échantillon. Ces résultats suggèrent que les conflits interpersonnels sont une source de stress associée à des variations significatives de concentration de cortisol salivaire. Les organisations devraient encourager le développement de pratiques de gestion en ressources humaines misant sur la résolution des conflits interpersonnels de leurs membres. Ces pratiques de RH contribueraient à prévenir les problèmes de santé associés à la violence au travail. / The main goal of the thesis was to study the relationship between violence at work and salivary cortisol variation. Specifically, we assessed the moderation effect of internal locus of control on the relationship between sexual and physical harassment and interpersonal conflicts at work with variations in salivary cortisol concentrations. Questionnaire data and saliva samples for cortisol analysis were collected on 391 day-shift workers employed in Canadian workplaces. Workers provided five saliva samples a day (awaking, 30 min after awaking, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., bedtime) repeated 3 times (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday) on a week. Data was collected during the SALVEO Canadian study by the Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale (ERTSM) throughout 2009 - 2012. Multilevel regression models were performed from cortisol measurements at each occasion within a day at level-1, workers at level-2 and workplace at level-3. Controlling for sex, age, body mass index (IMC), tobacco, alcohol, physical activity, medication, sampling season and health problems, results revealed significant variations in salivary cortisol concentration between sample, workers and workplace. Workers with high interpersonal conflicts have a lower salivary cortisol concentration at 4 p.m. and bedtime. Results revealed no significant relationship between sexual and physical harassment at work and salivary cortisol. Internal locus of control moderated the relationship between interpersonal conflicts and salivary cortisol variation. Higher interpersonal conflicts are associated with higher salivary cortisol concentration at bedtime for men with a strong internal locus of control than for men with low internal locus of control and for all workers. Overall, results suggest the interpersonal conflicts are a chronic stress significantly associate with salivary cortisol variation during a working day. Organisations should encourage the development of human resources management practices focusing on resolving interpersonal conflicts of their members. These HR practices help to prevent health problems associated with violence at work.

Rapid forces for change in the post-modern society have left their mark on the labour market, creating a metamorphosis in the nature of work and the way in which careers should be approached. This has resulted in the need for individuals to possess a combination of attributes that will enable them to take an adaptive, proactive approach to their careers, which involves managing their employability. Employability is especially relevant to graduates, who are expected to acquire more than academic capabilities to ‘hit the ground running’ in their transition from higher education to the workplace. Despite the significance of the topic, it remains conceptually ambiguous with few empirical studies that explain its foundation, and fewer still that have constructed a measure explicitly gauging employability, particularly in South Africa. The main purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a measure of graduate employability in the context of the new world of work. A theoretical model of graduate employability was developed based on an extensive review of the literature and the Graduate Employability Measure (GEM) was subsequently constructed. A cross-sectional survey was utilised to collect data from a random sample of final-year undergraduates and postgraduates from the College of Economic and Management Sciences at a higher distance learning institution in South Africa. The 272 useable questionnaires returned were subjected to exploratory factor analysis, which revealed a reliable three-factor model consisting of the dimensions of career self-management drive, career resilience and cultural competence, and explaining 36.42%, 3.5% and 2.97% of the variance respectively. Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there were any significant differences between the biographical variables of the sample and the GEM factors. It was found that females and final-year undergraduates obtained significantly higher means on all the GEM dimensions than males and postgraduates respectively. The findings inform the conceptualisation of the employability construct, the elements it consists of, and how it can be measured in a valid and reliable manner. The GEM has the potential to be useful to students in a career guidance context, to employers that desire to select and develop highly adaptable employees, and to higher education, which can incorporate these important employability attributes in the curriculum to deliver highly employable graduates. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Depuis les années 90, l’employabilité est devenue un objet de recherche. Cependant, malgré l’engouement suscité en sa faveur, elle est encore peu étudiée. Le présent travail résulte de ce constat, avec pour objectifs de proposer une définition de l’employabilité et de bien cerner ses dimensions, de développer une échelle de mesure de ce concept, et d’identifier ses déterminants. Sur la base d’une d’arguments théoriques et de conclusions d’une étude qualitative exploratoire avec les acteurs de l’emploi, une définition de l’employabilité a été proposée et ses dimensions ont été ont été précisées. En outre, une échelle de mesure de l’employabilité de 62 items a été créée. Afin de valider sa qualité, cette échelle a été soumise, dans un premier temps, aux tests de l’analyse factorielle exploratoire et de cohérence interne. Dans un second temps, nous avons procédé à la consolidation des résultats de l’analyse factorielle exploratoire à travers une analyse factorielle confirmatoire. La version finale de l’échelle développé et validée comprend 42 items répartis en six dimensions. Par ailleurs, un examen de la littérature a permis de construire un modèle de recherche sur le développement de l’employabilité. Ce modèle théorique propose de retenir conjointement des déterminants organisationnels, personnels, et sociodémographiques. L’opérationnalisation du modèle s’appuie sur une étude quantitative (N=204). Les résultats obtenus montre que la formation professionnelle, l’apprentissage organisationnel, le soutien du supérieur hiérarchique, le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle, et le locus de contrôle interne sont des facteurs favorisant le développement de l’employabilité. Le diplôme, la situation familiale, et l’état de santé se sont également révélés explicatifs de l’employabilité. / Since the 90s, employability has become an object of research. However, despite of its relevance this theme is less studied. This thesis is the result of this statement with the aims to propose a definition of employability and determine its dimensions, to develop a measuring scale of the concept, and to identify its determinants. On the basis of theoretical arguments and conclusions extracted from an exploratory study undertaken with actors of employment, a definition of employability was proposed and its determinants were précised. Then, a questionnaire including 62 items is created. In order to evaluate its quality, firstly the questionnaire was subjected to an exploratory factorial analysis and internal coherence tests. And secondly we have consolidated the exploratory factorial structure through confirmatory factor analysis. The final scale developed includes 42 items divided into six dimensions. In additions, thanks to an examination of literature, we built a theoretical model of employability development. This model simultaneously incorporates determinants about organizational, personal, and socio-Demographical variables. The empirical test of the model was performed in the third and final quantitative study with a heterogeneous population working in different companies (N=214). The results obtained show that training, organizational learning, the support of hierarchical superior, the self-Efficacy, and the internal locus of control are factor facilitating the development of employability. The diploma, the professional experience, the family situation, and the health also appeared to explain employability.

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