Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1995. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2936. Abstract precedes thesis as preliminary leaves i-iv. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-84).

Research on differences in STEM outcomes for females and students of color has been an ongoing educational research imperative, but Latinas continue to be under-represented in high school and college science classes and majors (National Science Foundation, 2011; Riegle-Crumb & King, 2010). The aim of this study was to investigate how Latina adolescents seek to establish themselves as future scientists within their environments and how others help sustain these developing identities. I used a mixed method procedure called an exploratory sequential design that starts with a qualitative stage followed by a quantitative stage (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007). In the qualitative stage, 32 college-aged Latinas in science majors participated in focus groups with an additional 12 in interviews. Using Interactive Qualitative Analysis (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004), eight factors of science identity development were identified: home environment, teacher influences, school experiences, environmental factors, media influences, using your brain, emotions, and career planning. Participants saw the first four factors as drivers of their development, with media as an irregular contributor. These social factors were filtered through the individual factors of using your brain and emotions, with career planning as the outcome. The qualitative results were used to develop a survey given to middle school students in the next stage. The majority of the survey consisted of previously validated scales that corresponded in content to the qualitative factors. One new measure was developed to address science-related experiences. In the quantitative stage, 90 middle school Latinas from two central Texas school districts participated in the survey study. Univariate analysis showed differences in science-related experiences by demographic variables of parent occupation, parent nativity, first language spoken, and school district. Multivariate regression analysis found positive emotions about science to be the best predictor of science career related outcomes, and that emotions act as a mediator between science experiences and career outcomes. These results are discussed in light of current career theories. / text

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Mathematical Literacy (ML) was introduced as a new subject in 2006, as an alternative to Mathematics for learners in Grade 10 to 12 in South African schools. The challenge of the shortage of Mathematics teachers (and hence Mathematical Literacy teachers), was exarcebated. Hence the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education (KZNDoE) jointly with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) initiated a programme designed to re-skill teachers to teach this new subject. This study explores the professional development of such teachers as a result of their participation in the Advanced Certificate in Education (ACEML) course at UKZN. Their professional development is explored in terms of their content knowledge, a content specific pedagogy and their professional identity and beliefs. The study was informed by a naturalistic, interpretivist orientation. Two versions of semi-structured questionnaires were completed by a total of twenty-three teachers. The first version, called Questionnaire A, was completed by fifteen teachers while the second version, Questionnaire B, by eight teachers respectively. Later, semi-structured interviews with four of the teachers were conducted. Their previous academic records were also used as data sources. The key findings of the study revealed that all teachers interviewed perceived improvement in their content knowledge as a result of their participation in the programme. Examples of improvements in their content-specific pedagogies were their increased repertoire of teaching strategies, their increased confidence, their focus on learners‟ prior understanding and their ability to link their teaching to real life applications. Findings also indicate that many teachers developed strong identities as Mathematical literacy teachers. A shift in identity was also evident with some teachers switching over from previous specialisations to teaching only Mathematical Literacy. Many teachers also felt that the generic modules helped them gain a broader understanding of their role. Claims that Mathematics teachers who have not studied the ACEML cannot teach ML as successfully as those who have, were made by most teachers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

The aim of the study is to understand the significance and the impact of the careerdevelopment and counseling with consideration of cultural aspects in an internationalcompany in Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China. The aim has been achievedthrough three research questions. What experiences do employees have from careerdevelopment and counseling in an international company in Shanghai? Whatcontributions from the company do employees perceive to be necessary inexperiencing an ongoing upward trend in their career development? What kind ofcultural aspects influence employees’ career development in an internationalcompany? The field study is conducted through the Cultural Intelligence Theory. Aqualitative approach has been used in the study. Six in-depth interviews wereconducted with employees and one in-depth interview with a HR manager in aninternational company in Shanghai.The experiences that the interviewed employees at the international company havehad from career development and counseling, which is defined as a professionalguidance of the individuals and a process of helping an individual discover anddevelop his/her vocational and professional potentialities, are quite positive. Formaintaining constant progress in their career development, employees have suggestedsome practical actions that can be taken by the company. The interviewed employees’viewpoints are that managers in international companies give them freedom ofactions, which leads to more responsibility and creativity, allow them to makemistakes and learn from them, support them in their career development, provideregular feedbacks on their performance.

Tidigare har målteorier, föräldrastöd och karriärutveckling studerats men hur upplever unga vuxna sin anställningsbarhet i relation till sitt sociala arv från föräldrarna? Detta är studiens syfte att undersöka. Intervjuer genomfördes med 15 deltagare från två klasser på en gymnasiefriskola. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys för kategorisering och tematisering utfördes. Det uppkom tre teman: handling, medvetet betydelsefullt och teoretiskt betydelsefullt. Resultatet visade bland annat att deltagarna prioriterar socialt umgänge, olika idrotter och egen tid men upplever utbildningen som betydelsefull för framtiden. De unga vuxna som vuxit upp med vårdnadshavare utanför arbetskraften talade om hur arbetslösheten kan undvikas medan unga vuxna uppvuxna med vårdnadshavare i arbetskraften fokuserade på att utveckla sin anställningsbarhet. För att belysa skillnader i materialet utfördes viss jämförelse. Slutsatsen var att arbetsgivare kan tänkas möta både naiva och skeptiska arbetssökanden som inte ser kopplingen mellan yrke och drivkrafter men som är medvetna om att de egna valen är avgörande för livssituationen.

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The purpose of this study was to determine how one organization from the private sector managed the socialization and development of its middle management personnel at the growth career life cycle stages of its managers: recruitment and hiring, entry-level, mid-career, and the retirement stage. The organization studied was a Quebec based retail chain composed of twenty stores located in Quebec and Ontario. / The findings indicated that there was a discrepancy between what the organization stated it was doing and what its middle management perceived was actually occurring. In three out of the five career life cycle stages, as described in the review of literature, the necessary formal structures and processes required to accomplish the socialization and development of the organization's middle management personnel were nonexistent. In only two of the career life cycle stages did the organization have in place a formal structure and set of processes relating to the specific socialization and development stages of its employees. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This study reports on the occupational choices of 87 individuals with learning disabilities, who had successfully completed Grade 12 between 1996 and 2001 at a long-term remedial school, in a city suburb in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa. The sample consisting of 54 males and 33 females between the ages of 18 and 26 years was divided into two age-cohort groups. The main question that guided this investigation was: What are the factors that influenced occupational choices of adults with learning disabilities? Career development theories were used as a lens to understand the various factors that influenced their occupational choices and the systems theory was used as an overarching framework to conceptualise the occupational choices of these individuals. In attempting to capture how individuals with learning disabilities make occupational choices, a combination of two research methods were employed in a complimentary manner. Quantitative data was gathered from individuals in the sample using a telephonic questionnaire. This data was used to provide the study with baseline information to pave the way for more in-depth data gathering. The quantitative research method using face-to-face interviews was used to develop narrative career stories. Data from narrative career stories was used with the intention of understanding the factors that influenced the occupational choices from a broad social and historical context. Evidence from the data revealed that a significant number of participants were employed in the service sector in predominantly part-time, low-skill, low-wage positions such as waiters, waitresses, clerical workers, salespersons and secretaries. Gender differences were apparent with more females being employed than males. In recent years an increasing number of males from the younger age cohort were pursuing studies at colleges and technikons. Very few females aspired towards further education. The data also revealed that many individuals continued to live with their parents and were dependent on them for financial and emotional support. The study concludes with recommendations to individuals with learning disabilities, parents, education departments, employers and future researchers. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.