Studies have highlighted the prevalence of sedentary behaviours in the university student population and have noted the significant potential for the promotion of physical activity in educational settings for young adults. Following the epidemiological procedure and ecological approach, the main purpose of this thesis focused on the university student population to review the previous research results by a systematic review method (first study), to compare the differences between UK and Taiwanese participants' and relevant effective variables by using a quantitative study method (second study), to have a deeper understanding of the Taiwanese university students' physical activity behaviours by using a qualitative study method (third study), then to evaluate the efficiency of designed interventions in university settings (fourth study). The whole thesis applied the ecological approach to classify the survey variables' effect to university students' physical activity behaviours. A total of 55 published papers were reviewed and majority of studies were conducted in the US using a cross-sectional design. Finding variables consistently related to university students physical activity level were female gender(-), attitude self-efficacy perceived barrier (-), family support (+), physical activity and sport history (+). These survey variables were more consistent in the literature and corresponded to previous adults' study. Some survey variables linked to university student were also found in the literature but still need more studies for this target population to come to a robust conclusion. Seven days recall design measurement and stage of changes survey for physical activity levels were more identified and have been more frequent using in the reviewed papers. Also, more studies on different ethnicity, environmental variables and intervention with different methodology such as qualitative study method are needed to enrich the knowledge of university's students' physical activity behaviours.

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.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The first year of university studies is usually accompanied by many new experiences, often stressful, and family members fulfil a significant role in helping to reduce students' stress and facilitate their adjustment. Research has indicated that the overall first year experience sets the tone for the subsequent well-being of students both academically and personally, and if this is negative then the university dropout rates are likely to remain high. This study seeks to determine the effects of family structure and parental autonomy-support on students' adjustment during the first year of university. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational research design. Participants were selected by means of convenient sampling, and only consisted of first year university students between the ages of 18 and 25 years who were registered at the University of the Western Cape. Data was collected via an online survey consisting of three self-reported questionnaires, namely the perceived parental autonomy-support scale, the college adaptation questionnaire, and also demographic information. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Participants' right to privacy, confidentiality and anonymity was observed throughout the study. The results suggest that students from two-parent families are better adjusted than students from one-parent families. Furthermore, results of the total sample suggest a significant relationship between good adjustment and autonomy-supportive parenting, while a significant negative relationship exists between poor adjustment and autonomy-supportive parenting. When determining the separate results for two-parent families and one-parent families, it was established from the regression analysis that good adjustment was only predicted by mother autonomy-support in two-parent families, accounting for 7% of the variance. Poor adjustment in two-parent families was negatively predicted by mother and father autonomy-support, and was accounted for by 11% of variance. In one-parent families, neither good nor poor adjustment was predicted by parenting behaviours.

The use of English has increased greatly in the higher education system with universities across the world including English as part of their education programs. One of many consequences of this is that many students have to read and study in a second or foreign language, which has shown to be of difficulty for many students according to previous research. The purpose of this present study is to investigate the academic reading habits of students and explore their perceptions and attitudes towards reading academic English, and what experiences they have in relation to that. A total of 68 participants took part in this study, all recruited at Stockholm University. All participants responded to a questionnaire and interviews were conducted with four of the students. A relatively high degree of commitment was reported towards the assigned reading and a majority of the students did not perceive reading academic English as difficult and reported mostly positive attitudes about it. The results suggest that the personal interest and perception of the assigned reading is crucial and matter more for students than the target language.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / In the context of recent attacks that occurred against foreign nationals (migrants) in South Africa, this study sought to explore attitudes toward migrants and immigration among a sample of students at the University of the Western Cape. Previous studies in South Africa and elsewhere have suggested that in most countries, nationals tend to hold negative attitudes toward migrants and express protectionist attitudes toward migration policies. Research around students' attitudes toward migrants and immigration has shown similar trends. The present study employed a sample survey design to investigate: a) Students' attitudes toward African migrants, b) Students' attitudes toward migration into South Africa and c) Degree of contact that students have with African Migrants. A convenience sample of 183 undergraduate psychology students was used. Students‟ age ranged between 18 and 38 years of age (x = 20 years). Data was collected using a questionnaire comprising of 27 questions related to attitudes towards migrants and immigration as well as a section on contact with migrants. The results show that students showed exclusionary attitudes in terms of immigration, limited contact with migrants and negative attitudes toward African migrants. However, attitudes toward migrant‟s rights were positive. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In many parts of the world and in South Africa in particular, there is a growing body of literature supporting the opinion that intentions play a crucial role in the decision to become an entrepreneur. Models of entrepreneurial intentions around the world have been developed, but in South Africa studies in this regard are still inconclusive, especially among the youth. This research study primarily aimed at investigating how social, cultural and socio-economic factors of entrepreneurship students in the universities of the Western Cape Province shape their entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurial intentions, social factors, cultural values, as well as socioeconomic factors, were reviewed in the literature and are presented in this dissertation. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach through the amalgamation of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. A survey questionnaire was administered to the respondents — entrepreneurship students from the University of Cape Town (UCT), the University of Stellenbosch (US), the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Data collected was coded by means of the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22. Six variables out of nine of the instrument had a coefficient Alpha (Cronbach) of more than 0.7, while the remaining three had a coefficient Alpha of between 0.5 and 0.7; this extended its reliability. The study discovered that most of the items of the instrument had a positive relationship with their variables, leading to the variables being considered as having an influence on entrepreneurial intentions. In fact, the study found that social factors, as well as cultural values and socio-economic values, impact on self-efficacy and entrepreneurial intentions. The result of the research is that the study suggests a model of entrepreneurial intentions among university students, and in the final chapter concludes with recommendations and suggestions for future research.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Background: There is compelling body of evidence that coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors are present in people of all ages. The extent to which the problem exists in university students in South Africa (SA) has not been confirmed in the literature. Furthermore, the effects of physical activity, physical fitness, diet and health behaviours on CHD risk factors has not been studied extensively in SA and needs further investigation. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of multiple behaviour health intervention strategies on CHD risk, health-related physical fitness(HRPF) and healthrisk behaviours (HRB) in first year students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). It was hypothesized that exposure to various health behavioural interventions would reduce CHD risk factors in subjects at moderate risk, and improve health-related physical fitness, as well as health-risk behaviours.Methods and Study Design: An experimental study design was used wherein subjects at moderate risk for CHD were identified and exposed to multiple health behavioural interventions for 16 weeks in order to determine the impact of the various interventions on CHD risk, health-related physical fitness and health-risk behaviours. Population and Sample: The target population consisted of first year students at UWC aged 18 – 44 years who were screened and a sample of 173 subjects were identified as being at moderate risk for CHD. Next, the subjects were randomly assigned to a control and four treatment groups, namely, health information, diet, exercise, and a multiple group that included all three treatments. The intervention, based upon Prochaska‟s Transtheoretical Model of behaviour change, continued for a period of 16 weeks and, thereafter, the subjects were retested. Data Collection Process: Subject information was obtained using self-reported questionnaires, namely, the physical activity readiness questionnaire (PAR-Q), the stages of readiness to change questionnaire (SRCQ), the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ), and the healthy lifestyle questionnaire (HLQ), together with physical and hematological (blood) measurements. The measurements taken before and after the intervention programme were the following:• Coronary heart disease risk factors, namely: family history, cigarette smoking, hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose and a sedentary lifestyle; • Health-related physical fitness, namely: body composition, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility; and • Health-risk behaviours, namely: physical activity, nutrition, managing stress, avoiding destructive habits, practising safe sex, adopting safety habits, knowing firstaid, personal health habits, using medical advice, being an informed consumer, protecting the environment and mental well-being. Types of interventions: A control group was used in which subjects did not receive any treatment. The health behavioural interventions were arranged into four groups of subjects that received either the health information, diet, exercise or a combination of all three individual treatments. Statistical analyses of data: In the analyses of the data, the procedure followed was that where the outcome variable was approximately normally distributed, the groups were compared using a two-sample t-test. For outcomes with a highly non-normal distribution or ordinal level data, the nonparametric Wilcoxon Rank Sum test was used for group comparisons. To account for baseline differences, repeated measures analysis of variance was used. In the case where nonparametric methods were appropriate, analysis was done using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) methodology stratifying on the baseline values. For the case of nominal level outcomes, groups were compared by Chi-square tests for homogeneity of proportions. When baseline values needed to be incorporated into the analysis, this was done using CMH methodology. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measures tested in the study related to the three areas of investigation, namely: • Modifiable CHD risk factors: systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cigarette smoking, total cholesterol (TC) concentration, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration, triglycerides, fasting glucose, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-hip ratio and physical inactivity; • Health-related physical fitness: body mass, percent body fat, absolute body fat, percent lean body mass, absolute lean body mass, the multi-stage shuttle run, handgrip strength, repeated sit-ups in a minute, and the sit-and-reach test; and • Health-risk behaviours: physical activity, nutrition, managing stress, avoiding destructive habits, practising safe sex, adopting safety habits, knowing first aid, personal health habits, using medical advice, being an informed consumer, protecting the environment and mental well-being. Results: The results showed significant decreases for body mass, waist and hip circumferences, resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure, cigarette smoking and a sedentary lifestyle (p < .05) primarily in the multiple group. No significant differences were recorded for blood biochemistry, however, favourable trends were observed in the lipoprotein ratios. For health-related physical fitness, only the multiple group showed significant (p < .005) improvements in predicted maximal oxygen consumption ( O2max), body composition, muscular strength and muscular endurance. The exercise group also recorded significant differences in muscular endurance. In all groups, including the controls, no significant differences were found for stature, waist-hip ratio, and flexibility at pre- and post-test. Overall, the participants reflected positive health behaviours, especially for managing stress, avoiding destructive habits, practising safe sex, adopting safety habits, personal health habits and mental well-being at pre- and post-test. The intervention programme had a corrective influence on providing the participants with a more realistic perception of their level of physical activity and nutritional habits. The participants scored poorly on being informed consumers and for recycling waste both at pre- and post-test. A substantial net reduction in CHD risk factors as well as in cumulative risk was achieved with treatment that impacted positively on the re-stratification of participants at moderate risk. In terms of treatment efficacy, the dietary intervention appeared to be the least effective (10.91%), with health information and exercise sharing similar levels of efficacy (32.81% and 33.93%, respectively) and, the combined treatment in the multiple group stood out as the most effective treatment (50.00%), and supported the hypothesis of the study. Conclusions: The net and cumulative decline in CHD risk factors was substantial with treatment and was directly related to the number of treatments administered. The evidence suggests that such multiple health behaviour interventions when implemented through a university-based setting have substantial benefits on reducing CHD risk and may be of considerable public health benefit. Key messages • Despite being a relatively educated population, a substantial number of first year university students are at considerable heart disease risk. • Physical inactivity constitutes one of the main CHD risk factors amongst first year students and, together with smoking, place many of them at moderate CHD risk. • The effectiveness of health behavioural strategies designed to modify lifestyle and prevent coronary heart disease is supported by this study.

Introduction: Studies reveal differential cognitive effects of alcohol use, with moderate to heavy alcohol having some beneficial effects in older adults, whereas in young adulthood, heavier alcohol use produces deficits. The aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between patterns of alcohol use and the cognitive and symptomatic functioning of university students over one year, and to discern which demographic, clinical and alcohol factors might moderate cognitive outcomes. Method: The sample included undergraduate Psychology students from a South African University, aged 18 to 23 years (n = 86). The sample was divided into two alcohol use groups based on four categories from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) (Babor et al., 2001), including a lighter drinking group (Safe/Hazardous, n = 74) and a heavier drinking group (Harmful/Dependent, n = 12). The two drinking groups were statistically equivalent for distribution of age, gender, English first language, race groups, history of neurological or psychiatric vulnerability, a measure of initial intelligence/cognitive reserve (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test: PPVT-4) (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and for a measure of test-taking validity (Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test: ImPACT Impulse Control) (p = < 0.05 in all instances). Participants were tested on the computerized ImPACT battery (ImPACT, 2007) at three intervals over an academic year (May, August, October 2012). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to investigate cognitive and symptomatic differences between the two alcohol use groups, in association with moderating factors. Results: The heavier drinking group revealed: (i) poorer performance on ImPACT Visual Motor Speed, Reaction Time and Cognitive Efficiency Index scores, including less ability to benefit from practice over time; (ii) symptom reports of severe Numbness/Tingling, Balance problems and Dizziness. Deleterious cognitive outcome was exacerbated by longer lifetime duration of alcohol use, passing out monthly, beer or wine drinking, smoking or substance use. Conclusion: Deleterious cognitive and symptomatic effects of heavy alcohol use are in evidence for undergraduate university students implicating current and/or cumulative alcohol induced brain impairment. The results of the study are of concern for optimal academic performance of students at an early stage of university level study, who engage in heavier (Harmful/Dependent) drinking patterns, with negative implications for future career attainment.

The implications of the rapid political, social, economic and technological changes at present occurring both in South Africa and internationally demand a review of the traditional approach to university training with regard to its relevance in terms of preparing students both for life in general and for the successful practising of a future career in particular. The Information Age requires that a shift take place from the teaching only of the mastery skills of previous eras to the encompassing of life or core skills that can be adapted to changing circumstances. As it cannot be assumed that students will acquire these skills incidentally or vicariously, they need to be consciously and deliberately taught in order to provide graduates with the ability to adjust to and cope with the uncertainties of the future. Universities as a whole need to become involved in an alternative approach to higher education. The aims of this study are:<ul><li> To employ a life-skills questionnaire that may be used as a diagnostic medium designed to ascertain if and where problem areas lie with regard to university entrants so as to facilitate addressing of said problem areas</li><li> To ascertain the needs and expectations of both employers and private practitioners in order to identify where the training of graduates falls short of the above with respect to life skills, and to establish what steps both employers and the self-employed are having to take to remedy the situation</li><li> To suggest the concept of relevant Guidance Support as a means to both address and redress problems surrounding issues of insufficient training of graduates with respect to life or core skills. </li></ul> The study comprises a title and concept elucidation, methodological justification, formulation of the problem and research hypotheses, an exposition of the aim of the study and an outline of the programme. Perspective is gained on the level of life skills present in university entrants via the presentation of a Life Skills Questionnaire and its possible uses are discussed. A survey of the needs of both employers and the self-employed, comprising a literature review, a Life Skills Questionnaire aimed at deans of faculties and councils and personal or telephonic interviews, revealed that graduates are insufficiently prepared to meet the demands of the world of work in terms of life competencies and skills. The concept of Guidance Support, concomitant with the notion of establishing a guidance support department is explored. The value of considering such a concept is covered, followed by a discussion of the functions and the advantages to a university of a guidance support department. The study contains a number of recommendations with regard to promoting the training of graduates sufficiently skilled to meet the demands of the world of work. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

To ensure a long-term successful product brand, it is important to build brand awareness, to reach the consumer’s mind, encourage a consumer to develop a preference and eventually provide a positive contribution to consumer decision-making. Therefore, there is a need to understand and identify the role of brand awareness in the purchase process. An understanding of students as consumers and their brand awareness is important to marketers, particularly as students are recognised as a specialised market segment for a variety of products. The research focused on identifying the differences, if any, in brand awareness and its role in students’ purchase of sportswear clothing and sportswear shoes (high-involvement products) and coffee (a low-involvement product). A drop-off survey was used to collect the required empirical data from a convenience sample of 450 students enrolled at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The empirical findings showed that students were more aware of sportswear clothing and shoe brands than of coffee brands. Advertising played an important role in the awareness of sportswear shoes and clothing brands, but seemed unimportant in the case of coffee. Brand elements were found to enhance brand awareness. The brand name was important for coffee, while the name and the logo played a role in students’ awareness of sportswear brands. The study deduced that differences in brand awareness between high-involvement and low-involvement products exist among the students. Marketers thus need to choose appropriate strategies to create and increase brand awareness for the different products.