Please read the abstract in the section 04back of this document / Dissertation (MEd (Vocational Orientation Pedagogics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that impacted on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment, as well as to determine the decision making processes applied by engineering professionals when seeking alternative employment. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate the impact of various factors on labour turnover and the decision making processes that could be followed by engineering professionals when seeking alternative employment. The factors impacting on labour turnover were organised into four categories, namely external, internal, expectations and personal trait factors. The theoretical study revealed that employees were more likely to leave their present organisations if they perceived that there was ample opportunity for acceptable alternative employment (Bigliardi, Petroni & Dormio, 2005). Zimmerman (2008) stated that employee turnover was a problem faced by all organisations globally. In their study they mentioned that high labour turnover rates have been associated with decreased customer satisfaction, productivity, future revenue growth and profitability. A sense of instability and frustration can also cause work backlogs and slow productivity. At times employees lose faith in their organisations as more individuals seek alternative employment (Drake International, 2010). When the organisation experiences high turnover, burnout also increases and could possibly lead to stayers also seeking alternative employment. Previous studies contain evidence of an extensive poaching of South African engineering professionals (technologists and engineers) by overseas companies (Du Toit & Roodt, 2009). As a result of this mobility and the lack of significant engineering graduates entering the industry, companies competed for a limited number of engineering professionals. This challenge resulted in a higher labour turnover rate among engineers as the demand for engineering professionals was higher than the supply. The skills shortage of engineering professionals in South Africa was one of the perceived contributing factors impacting engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment. Apart from the shortage of skills there were other factors that impacted on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment. External factors, such as slow recruitment due to the low economy, have been identified as having an impact on labour turnover rates. Bigliardi et al (2005) stated that external factors, also referred to as push factors, such as changes in economic, social and technological conditions,created challenges for retaining engineering professionals. Through developing multivariate models that combine a number of factors contributing to labour turnover and empirically testing these models, researchers have attempted to predict why individuals decide to seek alternative employment (MINTRAC, 2010). The job search process was evaluated and referred to as the process of looking for alternatives to a current job, and the evaluation of those alternatives (Brown, 2009). Various decision making models, including the rational decision making model, Steers and Mowday’s model, image theory and the unfolding path model were studied to provide an understanding of how engineering professionals decided whether to seek alternative employment. Donnell and Quirin (2006) explained two decision making models. These are the image theory and Lee and Mitchell’s unfolding model. According to Zimmerman (2008), the studies carried out did not clearly reflect the impact of individual characteristic factors. An empirical study, by means of a survey and a questionnaire as a data collecting tool, was conducted to determine the factors that impacted on engineering professionals at GIBB to seek alternative employment and the decision making process they applied in seeking alternative employment. This study reflected that personal traits such as openness to new experiences, high levels of competency, the ability to form relationships at work, a general level of commitment, ability to incorporate other people’s views at work and a general positive attitude towards work itself influenced the decision to seek alternative employment. The external, internal, expectancy and personal trait factors that were perceived to be the most influential in impacting on engineering professionals’ decision to seek alternative employment were presented in a revised concept model. This model could be valuable for developing retention strategies at GIBB. Future research that could be beneficial to GIBB and the engineering industry was also identified.

This study was conducted to determine whether individuals who followed plans developed in collaboration with vocational counsellors would later reveal greater job satisfaction than would individuals who did not act upon these plans. These two sub-populations are referred to as Group I and Group II, respectively. A structured interview schedule, together with the Brayfield-Rothe Index of Job Satisfaction, was administered to a random sample of 48 males who resided in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and who had, in 1964, received counselling from the Vocational Counselling Service for British Columbia. Of the 48 ex-clients, 28 were allocated to Group I by a panel of experts, while 20 were allocated to Group II. It was hypothesized that six years following counselling, Group I individuals would reveal greater satisfaction with their jobs that would Group II individuals. It was also hypothesized that Group I individuals would have experienced fewer periods of unemployment, fewer changes of employers, a greater number of promotions, and higher incomes in 1969, and that these individuals would rate themselves more capable in their work than would individuals in Group II. Non-parametric statistical techniques were employed to assess the significance of the relationships between individuals in Group I and Individuals in Group II with respect to the six variables referred to above. In no instance could the null hypothesis be rejected at the .05 level. The results of the study imply that individuals who followed plans developed in concert with counsellors at the Vocational Counselling Service were no more satisfied with their jobs six years following counselling than were individuals who did not act upon these plans. Likewise, those who had acted upon plans developed in collaboration with counselors had no greater vocational success, as measured by number of changes of employers, number of promotions, income, and their self-ratings of ability for their present jobs than had individuals who had chosen careers different from those planned in collaboration with counsellors. On the other hand, individuals working in occupations similar to those planned in collaboration with counsellors in 1964 experienced fewer periods of unemployment than did individuals in occupations different from those planned with counsellors. The study offers little support for the contention that vocational counselling as conducted by the Vocational Counselling Service leads to improved vocational adjustment. Indeed, the evidence suggests that many more follow-up studies which incorporate sound research methodology and include a job satisfaction measure are required before the worth of vocational counselling can be accurately assessed. Findings observed, but not directly related to the hypotheses, are outlined in Appendix C. These included a high correlation between the relatively long Brayfield-Rothe Index and one multiple-answer question incorporated in the interview schedule. This observation suggested the feasibility of employing a short, but valid measure to assess job satisfaction. Also, a moderate correlation between a question concerning occupational satisfaction and scores on the Brayfield-Rothe Index was indicated. This finding implied an additional problem in evaluating the results of counselling, for it is the general occupation, and not the particular job that the counsellor considers in "predicting" suitable vocations. Further, more individuals in the sample indicated that they would prefer some other job than would choose their present one if they could start out over again in the world of work. Finally, correlation analysis was employed to investigate relationships between scores on the Brayfield-Rothe Index and seventeen variables including age, IQ, and marital status. Of these seventeen variables, three showed significant relationships with the Index. Two of these (income and the obtaining of promotions) were positively related to the job satisfaction scores, while the third (number of years with present employer) showed a negative relationship. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Using the questionnaire method, data were collected on 1335 students, or 85 per cent of all students enrolled in Canadian schools of pharmacy during the 1961-62 academic year. The data are assembled in this presentation in an effort to provide (i) a general descriptive study of pharmacy students, and (ii) a detailed analysis of the factors leading to the choice of field within the profession. The descriptive portion of the study focuses on four sets of factors, those being: (i) social background factors, including ascribed characteristics (sex, socioeconomic status, religion, urban-rural residence, and geographic region) and achieved characteristics (practical experience, occupational inheritance, and high school grades), (ii) sources of information and influence, ranging from practice-oriented sources (those oriented to the practice of the profession) to ideology-oriented sources (those geared to the goals toward which the profession is striving), (iii) occupational values, including intrinsic-people-oriented-extrinsic values, business, entrepreneurial, and independence values, and (iv) the age at which a career in pharmacy is first considered and finally chosen. The findings show that students with different social backgrounds vary in the amount of contact with the profession; that practice-oriented sources of information and influence generally are more important than ideology-oriented sources; that pharmacy students hold positively values which, according to Rosenberg’s "continuum of psychological distance," are ambivalent; and that students who differ in the age of first considering and finally choosing pharmacy vary in social background, derive information and influence from different sources, and feel differently about their chosen profession. The choice of field is analysed in accordance with an analytic scheme which attributes independent causal significance to three sets of factors: social background factors, sources of information and influence, and occupational values. According to this scheme, the latter two sets of factors, although exerting some independent influence, are thought to be affected by the former. In a purposive sample achieved and ascribed social characteristics are expected to be related. The findings generally are consistent with the analytic scheme. Occupational alternatives within the profession are arranged along a continuum (B-P continuum) from retail pharmacy, the most business-like of the fields, to prescription pharmacy, to hospital pharmacy, to the residual fields, which are regarded as most profession-like. Students who choose a field at the business end of the B-P continuum, as compared with those who choose a field at the profession end, tend to enter pharmacy with more practical experience; to have parents and, to a lesser extent, relatives in the profession; to have lower high school grades; to utilize practice-oriented, as opposed to, ideology-oriented, sources of information and influence; and to hold positively extrinsic, as opposed to intrinsic, business, independence, and entrepreneurial values, together with the value, "meet the public and deal directly with people." The choice of field is independent of the factor of socio-economic status but varies with the factors of sex, religion, urban-rural residence, and geographic region. Although these findings may be explained partly by the intervening variables considered above, there is some evidence to support the view that social background factors play an independent part in the choice of field by affecting the visibility, accessibility, and "social appropriateness" of career alternatives. By juxtaposing ascribed social factors, achieved social factors, sources of information and influence, occupational values, and the choice of field, and by considering the relationships among these sets of factors, the author gives an account of the process by which pharmacy students choose a field within the profession. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

The concern with the need for leaders in the nursing profession as well as knowledge that many current nursing leaders advocate alliance with the Women's Liberation Movement, gave rise to the study of leadership characteristics, attitudes towards feminism, and the relationship between these in selected female populations. The samples chosen for study were thirty graduating baccalaureate nursing students, thirty members of organized groups of the Women's Liberation Movement, and as another comparison group, twenty four library science students. Five hypotheses concerning leadership characteristics and attitudes towards feminism were tested. The hypotheses were: 1. There is no significant difference in leadership characteristics, as measured by scores on the Gordon Personal Profile and the Gordon Personal Inventory, among students graduating from a baccalaureate nursing program, women belonging to organized groups of the Women's Liberation Movement, and students in a library science program. 2. There is no significant difference in attitudes towards feminism, as measured by the FEM scale, among students graduating from a baccalaureate nursing program, women belonging to organized groups of the Women's Liberation Movement, and students in a library science program. 3. There is no significant relationship between attitudes towards feminism, as measured by the FEM scale, and leadership characteristics, as measured by scores on the Gordon Personal Profile and the Gordon Personal Inventory, in graduating baccalaureate nursing students. There is no significant relationship between attitudes towards feminism, as measured by the FEM scale, and leadership characteristics, as measured by scores on the Gordon Personal Profile and the Gordon Personal Inventory, in women belonging to organized groups of the Women's Liberation Movement. 5. There is no significant relationship between attitudes towards feminism, as measured by the FEM scale, and leadership characteristics, as measured by scores on the Gordon Personal Profile and the Gordon Personal Inventory, in students of a library science program. No significant differences in leadership characteristics among the three groups were found. Significant differences in attitudes towards feminism were found with the members of the Women's Liberation Movement differing most from the other two groups. No significant relationships between leadership characteristics and attitudes towards feminism were found in any of the three groups. It was concluded that a belief in feminism does not cause leadership characteristics, and that leadership characteristics do not cause a belief in feminism. Similarly, any other variable common to the three groups could not be considered causal for both the possession of leadership characteristics and the expressed attitudes towards feminism. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

Mini-thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, 2006. / Inclusive Education is very much in its infancy stage in South Africa and therefore a lot of research still needs to be conducted in this area. In an attempt to find answers. many questions are being asked about this topic. The present study is one of those attempts. It is an effort to investigate what was provided in terms of training and support to mainstream educators in an inclusive educational setting in two schools which participated in the SCOPE Project in the Mpumalanga Department of Education. These educators were all subjected to a two-week training programme before commencement of the project. The researcher embarked on a search to establish whether the educators believed the training and support that they received was effective. Various studies. both local and abroad. suggest that training and support are the two issues that the majority of mainstream educators are most concerned about. when it comes to the implementation of inclusive education. The researcher specifically puts aspects like pre-service training. inservice training and continuous professional development (CPD) under the spotlight. with reference to training. With reference to the issue of support. a closer look is taken at classroom support. professional collaboration and peer support, in order to get a clearer understanding of what is needed in this regard. Lastly. the researcher also looked at the skills that can act as a "minimum requirement'· for the successful implementation of inclusive education in South African schools. Data were collected through the administration of a questionnaire. The main findings revealed that the majority of educators believed that the training. support and skills they received in preparation for the SCOPE were effective. The results were quite surprising. given the fact that on an international level. Most educators were still mostly concerned about training and support. the very issues under scrutiny in present study. This may be due to the fact that the sample was relatively small. In the same vein the study reveals significant food for thought e.g. integration of preservice and inservice training programmes, as well as value of continuous professional development. In addition the researcher identify parental involvement and collaboration between special and mainstream schools as key focus areas. especially within the South African context. where the National Department of Education has embarked on a twenty-year roll out plan. for the implementation of inclusive education in all South African schools.

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From a rather obscure beginning in Boston in 1908, with emphasis on vocational counseling, the concept of guidance has expanded in a variety of directions and today is generally interpreted to cover broadly the areas of educational, vocational, and social adjustment. The term has received a valuable boost from the recent emphasis in education on building the offerings of the school around the needs of the student. This is evident in reading the literature on the subject, wherein there is general agreement that education is the broader term and guidance is an aspect or element in education. Regardless of how the term is interpreted, there can be no doubt that some of the fundamental changes in our society have made evident the need for offering assistance to individuals making adjustment, and particularly as applied to the youth of the nation. / Typescript. / "June, 1951." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Advisor: H. F. Cottingham, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-36).

A need for guidance is found wherever the environment is sufficiently complex to permit a variety of responses and whenever individuals are not equipped to react instinctively to the stimulus of the environment. The chaotic world conditions which have produced two World Wars within 25 years are ample proof that men has not prepared himself to solve his problems in a satisfactory manner. / "July, 1949." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Advisor: Mode L. Stone, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-84).

Submitted in Fulfilment or Partial Fulfilment Of the requirements for the DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Psychology at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 1986. / The object of this study was to determine the extent to which a Black female adolescent in KwaZulu and Natal is orientated with respect to the vocational world. The study was approached from a psychopedagogic perspective. Existing literature was studied. When the problem was stated it became apparent that several factors interact to bring about a situation in which the Black female adolescent school leaver with no experience as a worker and no particular skills to sell in the labour market faces problems. Exploratory media were used on individual basis to determine the adolescent's present pedagogic situation which has a direct bearing on her vocational orientation. Exploratory media were also used to determine the adolescent's actualized potentials and also to determine her present orientation. After the insertion of exploratory media the reports of the vocational orientation investigations were written. Twenty case studies were conducted with standard ten pupils from eight schools. One case study is written in detail. Three other reports appear in a summarized form. The other remaining reports are given in a tabular form. Vocational orientation of the Black female adolescents in KwaZulu and Natal was found to be affected by socio-economic, political and cultural factors. Recommendations for the establishment of properly organized vocational guidances services in Black schools, introduction of career education at all levels and informing the general public about career education were made. / Human Sciences Research Council