Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 141-144). Also available in print.

Canada's volunteer military faces a major manning problem. High attrition rates reflect youth indifference to military service, and research indicates that the manpower pool from which recruits are drawn will shrink significantly in the next two decades, exacerbating an already difficult situation. / This thesis reports on the first part of a two phase study investigating some of the variables and the dynamics underlying training attrition. In this phase three personality inventories, Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI), Levenson's Locus of Control Scale (LCS), and Super's Work Values Inventory (WVI) were related to four discrete categories of attrition and to several composite attrition criteria. In addition, Holland's personality-environment congruence hypothesis was tested. / Two distinct samples were used: military recruits, and their supervising Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs). The recruit sample consisted of 795, 17-25 year old, males who successfully completed Canadian Forces Basic Training without being recoursed, as well as 185 recruits grouped into four discrete and three composite attrition categories. The NCO sample consisted of the 30 Squad NCOs in charge of training the recruit sample. / Both recruit and NCO samples were administered questionnaires prior to the start of training. The questionnaires, contained the personality inventories indicated, as well as measures of variables to be analyzed in the second phase of this study. / Statistical analysis was carried out using (chi)('2), ANOVA, and point biserial corrrelations. Since this was a field study, the level of significance utilized was p < .05. / Three of four hypotheses were supported: (a) Recruits who share congruent LCS personality types with their Squad NCO and the modal squad personality type had lower attrition rates, supporting Holland's congruency hypothesis. (b) As a group, recruits with Realistic, Investigative and Conventional personality types, were more congruent with the squad environments, and exhibited significantly less attrition than Artistic, Social and Enterprising types, supporting the congruency hypothesis, and the use of Holland's theory in the analysis of vocational change. (c) A postulated difference in attrition between LCS personality types, Internals, Externals-Chance and External-Powerful Others, was not supported by the data. However, recruits in one of the composite attrition categories scored significantly higher on the External-Chance sub-scale of Levenson's LCS, suggesting poorer adaptation among those who believe that chance has a controlling effect on their lives. (d) Several work values were negatively correlated with the various attrition categories, possibly an outcome of the modal "blue collar" orientation of the sample. However, the "life style" value correlated positively with those who were passing and requested release and the "surroundings" value correlated positively with those who were failing and requested release, suggesting a consistent relationship between certain work values and attrition categories. / Overall results confirm the usefulness of utilizing multiple, discrete, and composite attrition criteria and of investigating attrition from a micro-environmental perspective. The study also supports Holland's personality-environment congruence hypothesis, and suggests a consistent relationship between personality variables and attrition.

The problem in this study was the relationship of personality factors and interests to the choice of major fields of study.

Increasingly, developmental psychology has emphasized that childhood career development should be viewed as holistic and comprise all aspects of a child’s maturation. This would include an emphasis on the career development of children which is considered vital to the complete education of the child (Brown, 2002). Career development refers to the process of developing beliefs, values, skills, aptitudes, interests, personality characteristics and knowledge of work (Zunker, 2006). Research has indicated that early societal factors and personal preferences associated with gender influence the child’s later occupational aspirations (Stockard & McGee, 1990). There are many ways in which individuals learn about gender roles and acquire “gender-appropriate” behaviour during childhood, some of which manifest in the occupational aspirations of children. As children grow up they learn, through reinforcement and modeling, that society has different expectations and standards for the behaviour of males and females. While family and friends are often the most important agents of socialization in young children, television and other popular media have also played a vital role in gender stereotyping, resulting in children forming perceptions regarding which occupations “belong” to which gender (Taylor, Peplau, & Sears, 2006). The present research aims to explore, describe and compare the occupational aspirations and the occupational gender stereotyping of male and female South African and Australian senior primary school learners. The research approach for the study was descriptive and exploratory in nature and was conducted within a quantitative framework. A survey-type questionnaire, the Career Awareness Survey xiii (McMahon & Watson, 2001), was used as the data collection measure as part of a larger international study. The sample comprised of 511 South African and 372 Australian participants from Grades 6 and 7. Responses to the occupational aspirations questions were coded according to Holland’s (1985) interest typology and status level coding for occupations. For descriptive purposes, frequency counts were computed for the coded typology, status level and occupational gender stereotyping data. The z-test and chi-square test for independence were computed in order to test whether gender groups differed in terms of their occupational aspirations and occupational stereotyping. The chi-square test was also used to compare the occupational aspirations and gender stereotyping of South African and Australian senior primary school learners. The results of the present research indicate that male and female South African and Australian female children tend to aspire towards more Investigative and Social type occupations in the high status level category. The Australian male children, however, tend to aspire towards more Social and Realistic type occupations in the high status level category. Across nation and gender, the majority of the children believed that both males and females could perform certain occupations, with senior primary school children tending to limit the range of occupations which they believe to be predominantly suited to either male or female. Cross-national comparative results yielded interesting findings with few significant differences emerging on occupational aspiration typology, status level and the occupational gender stereotyping of occupations. The results of the present research emphasise the need for further cross-national comparative studies on the occupational aspirations and occupational gender stereotyping of senior primary school children.

No description available.

Forms in pocket. / Digitized by Kansas State University Libraries

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic)- Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2007. xv, 168 leaves. / Choosing a career is something which all learners are expected to do between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. A school learner who is at their final year of study in their academic career will be required to think of career options for their future and it is generally assumed that the learner has sufficient information in order to make this often life changing decision

Thesis (MSc (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The purpose of this investigation was to standardise the MB-10 on adults. As it has already been standardised for grade 7, grade 9 and grade 11 learners, as well as first year students, the next logical step would be to extend it to adults. This study is further motivated by a suggestion of the Psychometric Committee of the Vocational Council for Psychology that there is indeed a need to standardise the MB- 10 on adults. Altogether 233 adult volunteers between the ages of 22 and 55 years participated in this study. The average age of the male group (35 years) is more or less the same as that of the female group (34 years). The majority of the participants (184) are Afrikaans speaking. Regarding the level of education, marginally more men and women (51% and 52% respectively) have post-matric qualifications, whereas 49% of the men and 48% of the women only have a school qualification. From the investigation the following conclusions might be drawn: * The same form of the MB-10 which has already been standardised on other groups, can be used as a reliable and valid instrument of measurement for adult interest. * Item analysis has indicated that there are only a few items which did not make a positive contribution to the relevant field, but that the overwhelming majority of the item correlations are highly satisfactory. A possible reason for the low correlations may be that certain items that should have been simple enough for grade 7 learners, were too simplistic for adults. * No meaningful differences were found regarding interest between adults with different educational levels, except that persons with no post school qualifications tend to have a preference for business activities. Results of this investigation have resulted in the setting of separate norm tables for adult men and women.

D. Litt et Phil.

by Au Chung Park, Raymond. / Title also in Chinese. / Thesis (M.A.Ed.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 100-109.