M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts (University of Zululand) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology, 2007. / The effect of career guidance on grade 9 learners' readiness to make career choices was measured. The specific research question was: does career guidance increase the learners' ability to make more informed career choices? The sample consisted of learners from Trenance Manor Secondary School. 35 subjects were randomly selected to serve as the experimental group and 35 subjects were randomly selected to serve as the control group. Data was collected using the career readiness questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to the experimental group as a pre-test and post-test measure and was administered to the control group once. Frequency tables and f-tests were utilized to analyse data obtained, it was found that the difference between the pre-test scores and the post-test scores (for the experimental group) were statistically significant and not due to sampling error. The post-test scores were significantly higher than the pre-test scores, it was found that there was no significant difference between the pre-test scores and the control group's scores. It was concluded that career guidance does increase the learners' readiness to make informed career choices.

Professional development (PD) is an instrument that provides educators with knowledge, strategies, and skills to meet the needs of today's student learners. To ensure professional learning experiences serve their intended purpose, an investigation into teacher perception of PD and its impact on student achievement was conducted. This dissertation examined teacher perceptions and their impact on PD topics and delivery methods and its impact on changes in instructional practices and student achievement. Sampled were 207 classroom teachers from one rural, suburban, and urban Virginia high school. The findings relative to the sample size suggest that overall PD is impactful on instructional practice and student achievement and that technology integration followed by student learning styles is most impactful. Targeted traditional and reform professional learning activities may offer a means of impacting instruction and student achievement. Findings also suggest that if policymakers and school leaders want to impact instruction and student achievement, they must be strategic in delivering PD hours towards initiatives that will yield the most significant results for instruction and student achievement. To enhance teaching and learning through PD, educational leaders must continue to see the significance in PD as well as provide sustained, on-going, job-embedded PD experiences. This study provides educational leaders with a teacher perspective on the impact of PD on instructional practice and student achievement. These findings imply that PD could be a means of transforming teaching and learning. Few studies have examined teacher perception of PD, its correlation to changes in instructional practices, and its potential impact on student achievement. / Doctor of Education / Professional development (PD) is a tool that provides educators additional training to meet the needs of today’s students. A more in-depth look into teacher feelings of PD and its effect on student learning was examined. This dissertation examined teacher perceptions and their impact on PD topics and delivery methods and its impact on changes in instructional practices and student achievement. Two-Hundred and seven educators from one rural, suburban, and urban Virginia high school were requested to participate in this study. The findings relative to the sample size suggest that overall PD is impactful on instructional practice and student achievement and that technology integration, followed by student learning styles has the most effect. Various professional learning activities may offer a means of impacting instruction and student achievement. Findings also suggest that if policymakers and school leaders want to impact instruction and student achievement, they must be intentional in delivering PD hours towards actions that will provide positive outcomes for instruction and highest results for student achievement. PD must be sustained, on-going, job-embedded learning experiences. This study provides educational leaders with a teacher perspective on the impact of PD on instructional practice and student achievement.

Faculty of Humanities; School of Psychology; MA Dissertation / This study aimed to explore Blau’s (1989) Career Commitment Scale, Greenhaus’ (1971) Career Salience Scale, Kanungo’s (1982) Job Involvement Questionnaire and how each of these outdated instruments may confound the concepts of career commitment, career salience, and job involvement. A thorough analysis of the literature pertaining to these concepts was conducted in line with the definition of a career and how it has evolved over the years. Blau’s (1989) Career Commitment Scale, Greenhaus’ (1971) Career Salience Scale, and Kanungo’s (1982) Job Involvement Questionnaire were all administered to a sample of 145 full-time store level employees at a large retail organisation in the Gauteng region. After conducting correlations, partial correlations, and a factor analysis, the results from this study identified that there is a need for revising the three scales under investigation as the correlations found evidence to suggest convergence whilst the factor analysis discovered a lack of discriminant validity amongst the three instruments. Having discussed these results, the implications for this work were mentioned, both theoretically and practically. Limitations of the study were acknowledged and future research directions were suggested.

D.Comm. (Leadership Performance and Change) / The purpose of this thesis is to develop a theory, which is based on the career transition phenomenon as experienced by transitioning individuals. Specific focus is given to professionals who transition either to a new profession where a new South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) qualification is required, or to a wholly unrelated non-professional job where no new qualifications are required. This thesis also provides a theoretical overview of the movement from old career concepts to new career concepts and its related influence on both individuals, as well as the organization, as this is the environment in which career transition take place. An interpretive qualitative approach with a specific grounded theory strategy was employed. Data and information was collected by way of memoirs, interviews and literature. The data came from a total of eight participants who each submitted a personal account of their career transitions as they experienced it in the form of a memoir. Additional data was collected via structured interviews, where participants were requested to provide their inputs and comments. These interviews were also a form of member checking, as the questions were developed based on the initial analysis of their memoirs. Information was also collected from literature, where any and all related career transition concepts were explored, and included in the final analysis. The specific application of grounded theory that was followed to analyse the data was Straussarian. This analysis process entails three steps. Firstly, the researcher applied open coding, followed by axial coding, and, lastly selective coding. Each new participant who was analysed was chosen by following the theoretical sampling technique. The qualitative data analysis software programme called ATLAS was utilized to store all data that was collected, including the developed codes and theoretical memos. Mind maps were developed as the analysis progressed and assisted in the development of the final story on career transitions. Data analysis ended when theoretical saturation was obtained.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2019. / The study is a career assessment and counselling programme for disadvantaged high schools in the Eastern Cape Province, in South Africa. The specific aim was to guide learners through a process of career exploration in order to make appropriate career choices and plans. The sample consisted of 90 blacks, 1 coloured and 2 Indians from selected schools in the Eastern Cape Province. The main objectives were to formulate a career assessment and counselling programme, as an ongoing process of change, and not as an event, to empower disadvantaged students through their participation in the process; to nurture learning through engendering a tolerance of mistakes and differences in ideas, and to provide opportunities for the development of all. Using a qualitative research design, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to respondents. A convenient/purposive, non-probability sampling procedure was utilised. Descriptive statistics were used to to analyse demographic data, including frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data, obtained from open-ended questions of the survey questionnaire, were content analysed to identify the main themes. Nine themes were identified. The results showed that many disadvantaged high schools did not have educators who were qualified in career guidance issues. Furthermore, there was a lack of governmental support in career guidance in disadvantaged schools. Additionally, there was a lack of equipment and funding required in career guidance. It has been indicated that the use of psychologists and x psychometric assessment in career assessment will improve the quality of career guidance. It can be concluded that many disadvantaged and poor schools do not have educators who are qualified in career guidance issues. Disadvantaged schools do not have adequate resources such as money to pay qualified professionals to help learners in making optimised and better career decisions. The South African government is not supportive of these disadvantaged schools. Learners continue to be ignorant as far as career guidance issues are concerned. Many students are not aware of the benefits of counselling.

The single most common decision that people between the ages of 16 years and 22 years need to make is that of their career choice. Research in the field of career guidance has shown that the world of work is changing. It is generally accepted that an individual will be presented with many opportunities in the world of work and these give rise to the notion of multiple careers. To predict accurately what these opportunities might be is impractical and naive, if not impossible. Career guidance counsellors are now expected to understand the interrelationships between occupations and occupational groups; an understanding that is vital when providing a comprehensive and realistic career guidance service. The career guidance processes or programs that counsellors use, need to allow for the identification of base or entry level careers that will provide opportunity for both horizontal and vertical career movement. While the schooling system has traditionally been the primary role player in preparing learners for the world of work, recent budgetary cuts have forced schools to focus on academic subjects, and, as a result, career guidance as a subject has become ancillary to the school syllabus. This situation is unlikely to be remedied unless career guidance becomes an examinable subject as are mathematics, physical science, biology and so on. A literature study surrounding career guidance practices in South Africa and career choice and development theories from around the world, suggest that existing career guidance programs in South Africa need to be restructured to allow for a more comprehensive solution for learners, that need to make a career choice. The "PACE" career guidance program was designed to enhance the career knowledge of learners, increase their self awareness in relation to careers, and ultimately to accelerate the career maturity process. Learners from schools in East London were exposed to the program, with the intention of determining the effect of the program on their career maturity levels. Whilst certain elements which constitute career maturity were not influenced by the program, results obtained from the research indicated a significant increase in the overall career maturity level of these learners. Resulting from this dissertation, recommendations have been made relating to the length of a career guidance program, the point of departure and the point of exit, the importance of balancing realism with circumstances, and the necessity for career guidance practitioners to possess a thorough understanding of careers and the various paths that careers may follow. Suggestions regarding further research in the area of career guidance are also provided. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

The single most common decision that people between the ages of 16 years and 22 years need to make is that of their career choice. Research in the field of career guidance has shown that the world of work is changing. It is generally accepted that an individual will be presented with many opportunities in the world of work and these give rise to the notion of multiple careers. To predict accurately what these opportunities might be is impractical and naive, if not impossible. Career guidance counsellors are now expected to understand the interrelationships between occupations and occupational groups; an understanding that is vital when providing a comprehensive and realistic career guidance service. The career guidance processes or programs that counsellors use, need to allow for the identification of base or entry level careers that will provide opportunity for both horizontal and vertical career movement. While the schooling system has traditionally been the primary role player in preparing learners for the world of work, recent budgetary cuts have forced schools to focus on academic subjects, and, as a result, career guidance as a subject has become ancillary to the school syllabus. This situation is unlikely to be remedied unless career guidance becomes an examinable subject as are mathematics, physical science, biology and so on. A literature study surrounding career guidance practices in South Africa and career choice and development theories from around the world, suggest that existing career guidance programs in South Africa need to be restructured to allow for a more comprehensive solution for learners, that need to make a career choice. The "PACE" career guidance program was designed to enhance the career knowledge of learners, increase their self awareness in relation to careers, and ultimately to accelerate the career maturity process. Learners from schools in East London were exposed to the program, with the intention of determining the effect of the program on their career maturity levels. Whilst certain elements which constitute career maturity were not influenced by the program, results obtained from the research indicated a significant increase in the overall career maturity level of these learners. Resulting from this dissertation, recommendations have been made relating to the length of a career guidance program, the point of departure and the point of exit, the importance of balancing realism with circumstances, and the necessity for career guidance practitioners to possess a thorough understanding of careers and the various paths that careers may follow. Suggestions regarding further research in the area of career guidance are also provided. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between archetypal values (measured by the PMAI), career orientations (measured by the COI), perceived career success and meaningfulness (measured by open-ended questions) in a sample of 207 participants employed in the science and engineering sector. The secondary objective was to qualitatively assess the core themes underlying individuals‟ perceptions of their career success and meaningfulness. The tertiary objective was to determine whether demographic groups differ in terms of their archetypal values and career orientations. The research findings indicated significant relationships between participants‟ archetypal values, career orientations, their perceptions of career success and meaningfulness. The findings further revealed a number of core themes underlying individuals‟ perceptions of their career success and meaningfulness. Significant differences were observed between demographic groups in terms of their archetypal values and career orientations. The findings contributed valuable new knowledge to inform career counselling and decision-making practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between archetypal values (measured by the PMAI), career orientations (measured by the COI), perceived career success and meaningfulness (measured by open-ended questions) in a sample of 207 participants employed in the science and engineering sector. The secondary objective was to qualitatively assess the core themes underlying individuals‟ perceptions of their career success and meaningfulness. The tertiary objective was to determine whether demographic groups differ in terms of their archetypal values and career orientations. The research findings indicated significant relationships between participants‟ archetypal values, career orientations, their perceptions of career success and meaningfulness. The findings further revealed a number of core themes underlying individuals‟ perceptions of their career success and meaningfulness. Significant differences were observed between demographic groups in terms of their archetypal values and career orientations. The findings contributed valuable new knowledge to inform career counselling and decision-making practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)