Experience, expertise, but also self-confidence and attitudes towards computer technology play an important role in how people interact with computers, especially when problems arise (cf. Janneck, Vincent-Höper, & Ehrhardt, 2013). In this regard, attribution theory is a promising approach to explain general types of user behavior. Attribution theory deals with the causal explanations people find for things happening around them, and also with the extent of control people feel they have over external events. Attribution styles have a considerable influence on motivation, behavior, and emotions (Weiner, 1985; Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978). While originating in social psychology, attribution theory is also applicable to computer-related experiences. Recent research found distinct computer-related attribution styles (Niels & Janneck, 2015). Moreover, a study has shown that users with more unfavorable (e.g. low sense of control) attribution styles are less motivated in handling computer issues – such as breakdowns or learning to use new features – than users with more favorable attribution styles (Niels & Janneck, 2017). These results raise the question which specific measures are appropriate to specifically support users with less favorable attribution styles with the intention to increase their motivation to master computer applications. [... from the Introduction]

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Text in Afrikaans / Die invloed van die persoonskonstruk, lokus van kontrole, op die akademiese prestasie van leerlinge in die senior sekondere skoolfase is aangespreek. Literatuur bevestig 'n verband tussen lokus van kontrole en akademiese prestasie. Interne kontrole word met hoe akademiese prestasie en verantwoordelikheidsaanvaarding geassosieer. Persoonlikheidskenmerke van intern of ekstern georienteerde leerlinge, die invloed van lokus van kontrole op persoonlike perspektief, selfkonsep en akademiese prestasie toon dat internes hulself as bekwaam, effektief en suksesvol beskou terwyl eksternes meer negatiewe persoonskenmerke beklemtoon. Die CNS-IE en IAR vraelyste is gebruik om algemene- en akademiese lokus van kontrole onderskeidelik te meet. Leerlinge wat akademies volgens vermoe presteer, behaal hoer interne tellings as die wat onderpresteer. Geen een-tot-een verwantskap tussen lokus van kontrole en akademiese prestasie is tydens die empiriese ondersoek gevind nie. Daar is dus ander faktore wat saam met lokus van kontrole die akademiese prestasie van senior sekondere leerlinge beinvloed. / The influence of the personality construct, locus of control, on the academic achievement of pupils in the senior secondary school phase was investigated. Literature confirms a relation between locus of control and academic achievement. Internal control is associated with high academic achievement and acceptance of responsibility. Personality characteristics of internals and externals, the influence of locus of control on personal perspective, self-concept and academic achievement shows that internals view themselves as capable, ef cient and succesful while externals emphasise more negative personality characteristics. The CNS IE and IAR were used to measure general and academic locus of control. Academic achievers obtained higher internal scores than underachievers on both questionnaires. The results of the Empirical research indicate that locus of control is not the sole determinant of academic achievement. Therefore, other factors in conjunction with locus of control influence academic achievement. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabiana Rocha Biagigo.pdf: 934226 bytes, checksum: 77ae4574316234df5b706b4d1f22e764 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-24 / The overarching objective of this study is to investigate 197 women in treatment stage diagnosed with either breast or gynecologic cancer in regard to their beliefs about the causes of their very own diseases. Specifically, the present study aims to establish correlations of these subjects reported causal beliefs with selected sociodemografic and clinical variables. All subjects found themselves under treatment at a public hospital located in São Paulo, where the data was collected. The tools adopted specifically for data collection were a sociodemografic and clinical questionnaire as well as the Causes subscale from Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised (IPQ-R). A quantitative method was implemented and Analytical Psychology used for theoretical reference. Subjects reported several factors as causes for their cancer and attributed an important role to stress and emotional factors. The predominant causes mentioned were: stress or worry (77,2%), worries or family problems (77,2%), emotional state (69,5%), poor medical care administered in the past (54,3%), changes in the body defense system (52,3%) and fate or bad luck (45,3%). The sociodemografic and clinical variables (age, educational level, household income, type of cancer, tobacco addiction, changes in healthcare behavior, religion, family or own history of cancer and psychological treatment) influenced the causal beliefs reported by the subjects. Marital status was not observed as having influence over causal attribution. Low educational level on top of lack of information as well as low family income presented great influence in causal beliefs in regard to these subjects. Educational campaigns are crucial initiatives to the studied subjects, especially those targeting causes and factors that if acted upon might mitigate risk of cancer / Este estudo tem como objetivo geral investigar as crenças de 197 mulheres diagnosticadas com câncer de mama ou ginecológico, em fase de tratamento, a respeito das causas de sua própria doença. O objetivo específico é de correlacionar as crenças causais relatadas pelas participantes com as variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas. Todas as participantes encontravam-se em tratamento em um hospital público da cidade de São Paulo. Os instrumentos utilizados na coleta de dados foram: questionário clínico e sociodemográfico e a subescala de Causas do Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised (IPQ-R). O método utilizado foi quantitativo e o referencial teórico foi o da Psicologia Analítica. As participantes citaram diversos fatores como causa de sua doença e atribuíram papel importante para o estresse e os fatores emocionais. Entre as causas mais mencionadas estiveram: estresse ou preocupação (77,2%), preocupações ou problemas familiares (77,2%), estado emocional (69,5%), pouca assistência médica no passado (54,3%), alteração das defesas do organismo (52,3) e destino ou má sorte (45,3%). As variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas (idade, nível de escolaridade, renda familiar, tipo de câncer, tabagismo, mudanças nos cuidados com a saúde, religião, histórico anterior da doença, histórico familiar e realização de acompanhamento psicológico), influenciaram as crenças causais relatadas pelas participantes. A condição marital das pacientes não teve influência significativa sobre as atribuições causais. O baixo nível de escolaridade, somado à falta de informação, e a baixa renda familiar foram variáveis que apresentaram grande influência sobre as crenças causais das participantes da amostra. Campanhas educativas, que tenham como foco as causas do câncer e os fatores de risco que podem ser modificados a fim de reduzir o risco da doença, são de grande importância para a amostra estudada

Text in Afrikaans / Die invloed van die persoonskonstruk, lokus van kontrole, op die akademiese prestasie van leerlinge in die senior sekondere skoolfase is aangespreek. Literatuur bevestig 'n verband tussen lokus van kontrole en akademiese prestasie. Interne kontrole word met hoe akademiese prestasie en verantwoordelikheidsaanvaarding geassosieer. Persoonlikheidskenmerke van intern of ekstern georienteerde leerlinge, die invloed van lokus van kontrole op persoonlike perspektief, selfkonsep en akademiese prestasie toon dat internes hulself as bekwaam, effektief en suksesvol beskou terwyl eksternes meer negatiewe persoonskenmerke beklemtoon. Die CNS-IE en IAR vraelyste is gebruik om algemene- en akademiese lokus van kontrole onderskeidelik te meet. Leerlinge wat akademies volgens vermoe presteer, behaal hoer interne tellings as die wat onderpresteer. Geen een-tot-een verwantskap tussen lokus van kontrole en akademiese prestasie is tydens die empiriese ondersoek gevind nie. Daar is dus ander faktore wat saam met lokus van kontrole die akademiese prestasie van senior sekondere leerlinge beinvloed. / The influence of the personality construct, locus of control, on the academic achievement of pupils in the senior secondary school phase was investigated. Literature confirms a relation between locus of control and academic achievement. Internal control is associated with high academic achievement and acceptance of responsibility. Personality characteristics of internals and externals, the influence of locus of control on personal perspective, self-concept and academic achievement shows that internals view themselves as capable, ef cient and succesful while externals emphasise more negative personality characteristics. The CNS IE and IAR were used to measure general and academic locus of control. Academic achievers obtained higher internal scores than underachievers on both questionnaires. The results of the Empirical research indicate that locus of control is not the sole determinant of academic achievement. Therefore, other factors in conjunction with locus of control influence academic achievement. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between occupational stress and locus of control, to analyse and investigate the nature of nurses’ work and to determine the sources of stress and how they influence the nurses’ work environment and personal lives. The Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire (WLQ) and Rotter’s 23-item scale were applied in a probability, simple random sample consisting of 302 South African nursing students and nurses currently employed in the private and public healthcare sector. Significant relationships were observed between the variables. Supporting evidence indicates that there is a negative correlation between occupational stress and locus of control. The results further indicate significant differences among the different locus of control orientations and the participants perceived level of stress; as well as a difference in the correlations between occupational stress and demographics such as marital status, working time and occupational level. Finally, the researcher was able to determine which stressors cause the highest level of stress among the participants. The findings should contribute valuable new information to the employee well-being literature and human resource management practices relating to employee assistance programmes, employee well-being and the retention of staff, especially in the healthcare sector. Copyright / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

There is compelling evidence that parental involvement positively influences children’s academic achievement. Its benefits occur across all socio-economic classes. In spite of its significance, parental involvement has received scant attention in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study sought to establish how parents in a materially poor rural district of Zimbabwe were involved in their children’s education. Barriers to their involvement were investigated with the view to overcoming or mitigating them for the benefit of the affected primary school pupils. The attribution theory was used not only to substantially explain the status of parental involvement in Zaka District, but also to generate strategies to promote parents’ participation in their children’s school education. Observation, semi-structured interviews (for school heads), focus group interviews (for parents) and the open-ended questionnaire (for teachers) were used in this qualitative study covering ten primary schools. Respondents were selected through the use of chain reference sampling and sampling by case. A total of one hundred and forty (140) participants were selected. It emerged from the research that parents, teachers and school heads/principals had very limited understanding of parental involvement. They generally thought that it was confined to activities done at school such as payment of school fees and levies, providing labour for the construction or renovation of school buildings and providing teaching/learning resources. Most teachers, school heads/principals and parents believed that parents were too poor and too lowly educated to meaningfully be involved in their children’s education. However, there were a few parents who believed that their socio-economic status did not prevent them from participating in their children’s education. They actually indicated useful ways in which they could be involved. The research also revealed that parents, school teachers and school heads/principals made wrong attributions about themselves and each other in connection with limited parental involvement in their schools. Both school staff and parents, after identifying barriers to involvement, were willing to learn about how they could overcome or mitigate the barriers. They believed that the challenges they were facing regarding parental involvement were capable of resolution. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

There is compelling evidence that parental involvement positively influences children’s academic achievement. Its benefits occur across all socio-economic classes. In spite of its significance, parental involvement has received scant attention in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study sought to establish how parents in a materially poor rural district of Zimbabwe were involved in their children’s education. Barriers to their involvement were investigated with the view to overcoming or mitigating them for the benefit of the affected primary school pupils. The attribution theory was used not only to substantially explain the status of parental involvement in Zaka District, but also to generate strategies to promote parents’ participation in their children’s school education. Observation, semi-structured interviews (for school heads), focus group interviews (for parents) and the open-ended questionnaire (for teachers) were used in this qualitative study covering ten primary schools. Respondents were selected through the use of chain reference sampling and sampling by case. A total of one hundred and forty (140) participants were selected. It emerged from the research that parents, teachers and school heads/principals had very limited understanding of parental involvement. They generally thought that it was confined to activities done at school such as payment of school fees and levies, providing labour for the construction or renovation of school buildings and providing teaching/learning resources. Most teachers, school heads/principals and parents believed that parents were too poor and too lowly educated to meaningfully be involved in their children’s education. However, there were a few parents who believed that their socio-economic status did not prevent them from participating in their children’s education. They actually indicated useful ways in which they could be involved. The research also revealed that parents, school teachers and school heads/principals made wrong attributions about themselves and each other in connection with limited parental involvement in their schools. Both school staff and parents, after identifying barriers to involvement, were willing to learn about how they could overcome or mitigate the barriers. They believed that the challenges they were facing regarding parental involvement were capable of resolution. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Text in English, abstracts and keywords in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / Secondary educational institutions need to constantly scan their environment for crises that could hamper their operations and hinder the achievement of their organisational objectives. These institutions should also engage their strategic stakeholders in a mixed motive communication to collaboratively discuss the crises and find amicable solutions; thereby avoiding crises like the proliferating student strikes in secondary educational institutions in Kenya. This study explored the need for a customised Proactive Crisis Communication Process (PCCP) framework for secondary educational institutions in Kenya to avoid student strikes. A two-phased approach was adopted to collect the data. The first phase involved 12 one-on-one semi-structured interviews with the principals of the secondary educational institutions in Mirangine Sub-County, while the second phase involved five focus group discussions with the students of Ruiru Secondary School. The results indicated that student strikes in secondary educational institutions in Kenya were proliferating and that despite this, these institutions lack proactive measures to avoid strikes. Hence, this study posited a PCCP framework that proposed various proactive measures to avoid student strikes in secondary educational institutions in Kenya. / Sekondêre opvoedkundige instellings moet konstant hul omgewing ondersoek vir krisisse wat hul bedrywighede kan belemmer en die bereiking van hul organisatoriese doelwitte kan verhinder. Hierdie instellings moet ook hul strategiese belanghebbers by gemengdemotief- kommunikasie betrek om gesamentlik die krisisse te bespreek en minlike oplossings te vind; en sodoende krisisse soos die toenemende studentestakings in sekondêre opvoedkundige instellings in Kenia te vermy. In hierdie studie is die nodigheid vir ʼn doelgemaakte ProaktieweKrisiskommunikasieproses (PCCP)-raamwerkvir sekondêre opvoedkundige instellings in Kenia ondersoek om studentestakings te voorkom. ʼn Tweefase-benadering is gevolg om die data in te samel. Die eerste fase het 12 halfgestruktureerde onderhoude behels wat een-tot-een met die hoofde van die sekondêre opvoedkundige instellingsin Mirangine Sub-Countygevoer is, terwyl die tweede fase bestaan het uit vyf fokusgroepbesprekings met die studente van RuiruSecondarySchool. Die resultate het getoon dat studentestakings in sekondêre opvoedkundige instellingsin Kenia vinnig toeneem en dat hierdie instellings, ten spyte daarvan, nie oor proaktiewe maatstawwe beskik om stakings af te weer nie.Gevolglik het hierdie studie ʼn PCCP-raamwerk aangeneem wat verskeie proaktiewe maatstawwe voorstel om stakings deur studente in sekondêre opvoedkundige instellings in Kenia te verhoed. / Izikhungo zemfundoyomkhakhawamasekhondari kumele zihlale ziqaphele ukuthi akukho yini endaweniezikuyookungasusaudweshubesekuphazamisaukusebenzakwazokuvimbe impumeleloyazoezinhloswenizayo.Lezizikhungokumelezibuyezisebenzisane nabathintekayo balawule amasu okusebenza ukuba kubenokuxhumana okunhlobonhlobo kuxoxwe ngokubambisana ngodweshu olungavela nokuthi lungasonjululwa kanjani ngendlela egculisayo; ngaleyo ndlela-ke ingagwemeka imibhikisho yabafundi elokhu isabalala ezikhungwenj zamasekhondari eKenya. Lolu cwaningoluhlola isidingo sohlaka lwekhethelo lokusheshe kusukunyelweudweshu lungakenzeki,i-Proactive Crisis Communication Process (PCCP) olungasebenza ezikhungweni zemfundo yamasekhondari eKenya ukuze kugwenywe imibhikisho yabafujni. Kwemukelwaindlela ezigaba zimbili yokuqoqainingwane. Isigaba sokuqala ngokuxoxisana okuyi-12 komuntu ebhekene nomuntu okuthi akuhleleke nje, okwenziwa nothishanhloko bezukhungo zemfundi yamasekhondaribaseMiringane Sub-County, kanti isigaba sesibili sabandakanya izingxoxo eziyisihlanu zamaqembu agxike kokuthile nje, zenziwa nabafundi besikole iRuri Secondary School. Imiphumela yaveza ukuthi imibhikisho ezikhungweni zemfundo yamasekhondari eKenya yabe yanda nokuthi nangaphandle kwalokhu izikhungo lezi zazingenazo izinyathelo ezingazithatha ngaphambi kwesikhathi ukuvimba ukwenziwa kwemibhikisho. Yikho-ke lolu cwaningo luphakamisa uhlaka lwe-PCCP oluncoma izinyathelo ezahlukene okumele zisheshe zithathwe ukugwema imibhikisho yabafundi ezikhungweni zamasekhondari eKenya. / Communication / M.A. (Communication)