Since the fall of man, God in His grace has called specific persons and set them apart for a specific purpose. This calling can only be realised through the powerful working of the Spirit of God. However, this calling does not indemnify the called person against the stressful dispensation, where Satan still has influence and where people are still in a struggle with their own sin as well as the sin of others. The high stress levels which some ministers experience because of their calling can result in chronic stress, depression, bum-out and even early death. Research in this study made it clear that most ministers of the GKSA probably experience high levels of negative stress and show signs of burnout and depression. Ministers of the GKSA find themselves in a world where secularism reigns, among others because humanism, rationalism, individualism, pluralism and even relativism are emphasised and are gaining ground, as a result of the current popularity of the postmodem spiritual trend. The result is that people are inclined to elevate themselves and to question absolute spiritual truths, at the expense of the honest teachings of the gospels. An empirical study was conducted involving nine ministers of the GKSA in an in-depth study of stress by means of a qualitative research topic. A grounded phenomenological qualitative study method was chosen, since the study concerned people who were not a homogenous group and who could not be quantified. It is their perceptions of the world they are living in which are important here and which can give rise to high stress levels. The results indicate that ministers experience tremendous inner conflict to maintain a focus on God only in their ministry and not to succumb to the temptations and pressure of present-day worldly standards. In addition, they are in a constant conflict with secularism in their congregations, especially with regard to the tendency to compare, measure and manipulate the minister and his congregation according to worldly standards. Based upon the basis theory and the meta-theory, a practice theory was developed by outlining the contours of a model for pastoral guidance for ministers with high stress levels. On the one hand, factors giving rise to high stress levels among the ministers of the GKSA may be addressed by introspection regarding their relationship with their Creator, their own spiritual growth and the example they set for their congregations. On the other hand, they are also tasked with guiding the congregation in which God placed them to break away from their own sinful worldly nature and to direct them towards God and His promises. The ministers are important instruments in God's divine plan in which all of the chosen will be allowed to share in His salvation, when Christ will return and glorify God. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Research on the definition and conceptual understanding of meaningful work is fragmented. The purpose of this study is to better understand characteristics of people who experience meaningful work. Variables will be selected based on conceptual importance and empirical significance from a range of theoretical perspectives on meaningful work. The following constructs were studied through cluster analysis: (a) meaningful work, (b) authenticity at work, (c) career confidence, (d) work centrality, (e) religiousness, (f) meaning in life, (g) coworker satisfaction, (h) calling, (i) work engagement, (j) career commitment, and (k) work values. A sample of 437 adults who endorsed finding their work meaningful were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) online data collection service. A two-step process by Gore (2000) was followed for the data analysis. First, hierarchical cluster analysis using the “NbClust” package in R statistical software (Charrad, Ghazzali, Boiteau, & Niknafs, 2015) was used to determine the best number of clusters. Subsequently, k-means cluster analyses were used to assign individual cases to specific clusters.

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Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-11-13T12:52:57Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Tailise Marques Dias - 2015.pdf: 1168693 bytes, checksum: baf8f1add06723394d5cf4cca3be7937 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-11-13T12:55:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Tailise Marques Dias - 2015.pdf: 1168693 bytes, checksum: baf8f1add06723394d5cf4cca3be7937 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-13T12:55:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Tailise Marques Dias - 2015.pdf: 1168693 bytes, checksum: baf8f1add06723394d5cf4cca3be7937 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In anurans, acoustic communication is related to many different behaviors, either reproductive or territorial. In this sense, this study investigated the reproduction and the acoustic and territorial behavior of Hypsiboas goianus. The study was performed in the Floresta Nacional de Silvânia, municipality of Silvânia, state of Goiás, Brazil. Firstly, we investigated the use of calling sites, the calling pattern of the males along the night and the within-individual variation of the acoustic parameters along the night. We found a positive relationship between male snout-vent length and their distance from the water. The males emitted more aggressive calls at the early hours of the night and the number of advertisement calls emitted increased in the middle of the night. Besides, the repetition rate and interval between notes varied along the night. Additionally, we investigated the reproductive ecology and the dynamics of the territorial behavior of H. goianus. We found no relationship between the size of the female and clutch size, and also between egg size and number of eggs. Matings were not assortative. We also performed two territoriality experiments, which included manipulation of the distance between males and the placement of intruder males next to an established resident. In both experiments the number of calls emitted was influenced by size, and physical combat was rare. The results from this study show that male H. goianus maintain a reproductive strategy along the night and that, for this species, acoustic communication is greatly important in different social contexts. / Em anuros, a comunicação acústica é a comunicação primária e está envolvida em diferentes comportamentos, sejam eles reprodutivos ou territoriais. Nesse sentido, este trabalho investigou a reprodução e o comportamento acústico e territorial de Hypsiboas goianus. O estudo foi realizado na Floresta Nacional de Silvânia, município de Silvânia, estado de Goiás, Brasil. Primeiramente, nós investigamos o uso do sítio de vocalização, o padrão de vocalização dos machos ao longo da noite e a variação intraindividual dos parâmetros acústicos ao longo da noite. Nós encontramos uma relação positiva entre o comprimento rostro-cloacal dos machos e a distância deles até a água. Os machos emitiram mais cantos agressivos no início da noite e o número de cantos de anúncio emitidos aumentaram no meio da noite. Além disso, os parâmetros acústicos taxa de repetição e intervalo entre as notas variaram ao longo da noite. Adicionalmente, nós investigamos a ecologia reprodutiva e a dinâmica do comportamento territorial de H. goianus. Nós não encontramos relação entre o tamanho da fêmea e o tamanho da desova, e entre o tamanho dos ovos e o número de ovos. Ainda, os acasalamentos não foram assortativos. Além disso, nós realizamos dois experimentos de territorialidade, os quais incluíram manipulação de distância entre os machos e introdução de machos na área do macho residente. Em ambos experimentos o número de cantos emitidos pelos machos foi influenciado pelos seus tamanhos e os combates físicos foram raros. Os resultados encontrados neste trabalho mostram que os machos de H. goianus mantêm uma estratégia reprodutiva ao longo da noite e que a comunicação acústica é muito importante em diferentes contextos sociais para essa espécie.

Variation in advertisement call structure of whistling frogs, Litoria ewingi, was studied among breeding sites in the vicinity of Christchurch on the East coast and Harihari on the West coast of the South Island. Males vocalized in breeding choruses throughout the year and females moved toward and appeared to evaluate calls of territorial males before initiating amplexus. Acoustic interactions between neighbours led to modification of call structure and timing, and wrestling matches between males were frequent. I quantified call structure for 1623 calls of 168 individuals using 24 call parameters. Most temporal characteristics were significantly correlated with the caller's body temperature and dominant frequency was negatively correlated with body size. These results are consistent with the prediction of temperature-dependent metabolic rates in a poikilotherm's nervous system. I compared call structure among the study populations using both multivariate and univariate analyses. Advertisement call structure showed highly significant variation among populations for most call variables. The greatest difference occurred between the West and East coast populations, and a clinal trend occurred in the East coast populations on a microgeographic scale. Variation among East coast populations in some variables was comparable to the scale of variation between coasts. These results suggest that whistling frogs exhibit natal philopatry. I obtained repeated recordings for 21 individuals and examined variation in call structure within and among individuals using nested multivariate analyses of variance. Highly significant variation occurred both within and among individuals for most call characters, but certain call characters were more variable among individuals. This suggests that whistling frog advertisement calls are individually distinctive.

In the current South African context, negative work attitude of teachers has become a phenomenon to be reckoned with as it has a detrimental effect on the education system. Although research on this phenomenon is still scarce, a growing interest in work attitude and its different underlying constructs is obvious from the increase of work attitude research. It is now time to investigate ways to improve work attitude, one of which could be to invest in meaningful work. The aim of this study is to expand on the understanding of the relationship between experiencing a sense of calling and work attitude as well as to determine the influence of meaningful work on this relationship. Through this study the researcher proposed an adapted model of Steger, Pickering, Shin and Dik (2011) which will serve as an academic tool for future research. This model will also be applicable as a management tool to understand and deal with teachers’ negative work attitude. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used. The analysis was based on data from a representative sample of teachers recruited from primary and secondary schools in the Fezile Dabi district (n = 270) formerly known as the Northern Free State School district. The following measuring instruments were administered: The Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ), The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI), The Work Preference Inventory (WPI) and The Career Decision Profile (CDP). The researcher used the analytic approach of structural equation modelling by means of the statistical program Mplus. The results revealed that a statistically significant relationship existed between the experience of a sense of calling and work attitude. Results also supported the hypothesis that meaningful work has an indirect effect on the relationship between the experience of a calling and work attitude. The findings of this study indicated that positive work attitude tends to be enhanced by the addition of meaningful work. The Department of Education will have to take ognisance of ways to create meaningful work if they wish to succeed in educational transformation, as meaningful work has an indirect effect on the relationship between the experience of a calling and work attitude of teachers. Future studies should include longitudinal studies to validate the proposed adapted model and to identify more predictors of positive work attitude. / MA (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

In 1996, socio-economic rights were included in the Constitution of South Africa as fundamental human rights. The state is thus compelled to give attention to the protection of people's socioeconomic rights. The question is: Is it the duty of the state alone, or does the church also have a calling with regard to socio-economic rights? In this study, the calling of the church with regard to the protection of socio-economic rights in South Africa is researched. Firstly, socio-economic rights as ethical principle are evaluated in the light of the Scripture. The conclusion is that socio-economic rights are important human rights that can be grounded as fundamental human rights. Thereafter, the history of the origin of socio-economic rights is researched and evaluated. In the history of socio-economic rights, it is grounded in the natural dignity of a human being. However, the Bible teaches that God gave people dignity. The history of socio-economic rights in South Africa is also researched and evaluated. South Africa has a long history of colonialism, segregation and apartheid, and the church has not always been an effective advocate for socio-economic rights. To understand the calling of the church with regard to socio-economic rights, the calling of the church in society is researched. Views of different church and theological traditions are researched and evaluated. The reformed view focuses on the kingdom of God, and the calling of the church with regard to socio-economic rights is described as worship, fellowship, testimony and service. In conclusion, concrete guidelines of how to be an advocate for socio-economic rights are given to the church. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Master of Science / Department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs / Doris Carroll / Hall and Chandler argued that one of the deepest forms of satisfaction or psychological success can occur when the person experiences work as more than a job or career – when it is a calling (2005, p. 160). They defined calling as work that a person perceives as his purpose in life. Adams (2012) said “there has been a recent awareness of the need to find ways to incorporate meaning into people’s work (p. 66).” Steger defined meaning as “the extent to which people comprehend, make sense of, or see significance in their lives, accompanied by the degree to which they perceive themselves to have a purpose, mission, or over-arching aim in life” (Steger, 2009, p. 680). Historically, an individual received an external calling from God but today another type of calling is being discussed: that of an internal calling. The Student Volunteer Movement or SVM was the name of one of history’s most impactful Christian missionary movements to ever take place, and it originated in collegiate America (Ahrend, 2010). More missionaries were sent out in the first year of the Student Volunteer Movement than had been sent from the United States in the previous century. From 1890 to 1930 the SVM was comprised of 100,000 volunteers who committed to give their lives to the employment of Christian missions. Of those, 20,000 actually left America to live in other countries while 80,000 stayed behind in America. Those who stayed behind formed the Laymen's Missionary Movement to financially support the goers (Ahrend, 2010). During these forty years, this mobilization effort was able to recruit one out of every thirty-seven university students in the United States (Ahrend, 2010). Undoubtedly, there are important implications for understanding the Student Volunteer Movement if you are affiliated with a Christian campus ministry. However, if the Student Volunteer Movement were seen as only religious individuals, then one would have misunderstood the developmental excellence of the SVM. The lessons learned from the Student Volunteer Movement, transcend religious boundaries. Examining the Student Volunteer Movement helps student development educators create new ways to support students as they discover their calling. Additionally, it has implications for how faculty and professionals advise students who have calling. This paper provides an example of the relationship between student affairs professionals and spiritual development among students. This comprehensive analysis of the Student Volunteer Movement informs student affairs professionals how best to support a student’s holistic development.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Globally, anurans have experienced significant declines and reliable monitoring protocols are required to track population trends. This thesis compares the effectiveness of manual call surveys (MCS) and automated recording systems (ARS) and describes the calling profiles of seven anuran species in southern Ontario. Using detailed audio recordings, we identify the seasonal and hourly calling patterns of seven anuran species at Warwick and Silver Creek Conservation Areas in the Credit River watershed. We employ descriptive and graphical methods to establish calling profiles. Given the low detection rate of American toads, grey treefrogs and northern leopard frogs, a survey protocol comprised of 9 weekly site visits are recommended in May and June. The optimal time of day for detecting the greatest abundance and species richness is 23h30 whereas optimal survey duration varies with hour and season given the target species. Climatic variables may induce or inhibit call activity and until the extent of these variables can be established, protocol guidelines should implement longer and more frequent site visits. The urgency of this revision is exacerbated for commercial surveys used to make contentious land management decisions.