Magister Educationis - MEd / Insights into the experiences of students at TVET colleges can inform policies and practices. This paper focuses on an investigation into students’ experiences of access, and barriers to participation, and success at a TVET college in the Western Cape. I mainly used the theories by Margaret Archer (2003), Anthony Giddens (1979; 1984), Albert Bandura (1989; 2001; 2006), Steven Hitlin and Glen H. Elder (2006), Kjell Rubenson and Richard Desjardins (2009), and K. Patricia Cross (1981) related to structure and agency to analyse my data. Data was collected from interviews with the exit level students at a TVET college who are registered for a National Certificate (Vocational) programme. The evidence of this qualitative research revealed that students experience several institutional, dispositional and situational barriers, but find ways of overcoming these in order to complete their studies successfully. Findings show that elements of ‘agency’ such as ‘intentionality’ ‘forethought’ and self-reflectiveness are prevalent in the ways that students overcome barriers. The findings further revealed that the majority of participants accessed vocational education at a TVET college to improve their lives with the desire and intention to study further. This study generally suggests that intentionality and resilience, amongst other factors, are important elements of agency and are used to explain and interpret the positive relationship between agency, barriers to participation and success.

Both meaning in life and forgiveness have been shown to separately contribute to better mental health. However, no prior research examined the linkage between meaning in life and forgiveness. This quantitative study was therefore to identify if there was a relationship between meaning in life, as measured by the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and overall dispositional forgiveness, dispositional forgiveness of self, dispositional forgiveness of others, and dispositional forgiveness of situations, as measured by the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS). Survey data were gathered from 250 college students in Western Canada, and multiple linear regression controlling for sociodemographic factors was used. The results showed a relationship between meaning in life and 3 out of the 4 variables. A significant relationship was found between meaning in life and dispositional forgiveness, dispositional forgiveness of situations, and overall dispositional forgiveness. There was no relationship found between meaning in life and dispositional forgiveness of others. These findings may be explained by extant literature suggesting differences in both cognitions and emotions between self forgiveness, other forgiveness, and overall forgiveness. Mental health professionals applying therapeutic intervention options that incorporate these 2 constructs may help to precipitate social change in terms of the treatment and management of mental health, especially with respect to the potential to improve treatment options for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and anger. Improved treatment interventions and options for individuals can potentially lead to increased employability, reduction in crime, better school attendance and performance, and overall improved physical health across the lifespan.

Judgment and subject of the proceedings Abstract This diploma thesis deals with the topic of the judgment and the subject of the proceedings. First, it analyses both concepts and then focuses on their relationship, both in litigation and in undisputed proceedings. The diploma thesis is divided into four separate chapters. The first chapter explains the concept of the subject of the proceedings, further deals with the claim, defines it and analyses its requirements, defines the claim petit and divides it into basic types, which it also specifies in more detail. It then focuses on the principle of disposition as a fundamental principle of litigation, which allows the parties to dispose of the subject of the proceedings or of the proceedings themselves. The second chapter describes the judgment. It first lists its requirements given by law and then specifies what its properties are. Subsequently, it also deals with the concepts of correction of the judgment and supplementation of the judgment. Last but not least it explains the different types of judgment according to various classification criteria. The third chapter analyses the relationship between the judgment and the subject of the proceedings in the dispute. It first briefly describes what litigation is at all, then focuses on the general definition of...

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A positive physician-patient relationship is crucial for high quality and effective health care. Yet, cultural and language differences between providers and patients often challenge the establishment of effective physician-patient relationships. These challenges are especially evident in provider-refugee-patient interactions in which patients have experienced loss, torture, and trauma. Understanding of what constitutes a positive doctor-patient relationship is fundamental to diagnosis and treatment and is crucial for the delivery of quality care for diverse patient populations, including refugees. This qualitative, phenomenological case-study focuses on physician-reported experiences caring for refugees in order to identify what experiential factors contribute to effective therapeutic relationships.

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Acquisition is a crucial element of consumer behavior. By gaining a deeper understanding of the factors that influence consumers' acquisition of products, marketers and managers can develop more effective marketing strategies, and design products that better align with the needs and desires of their target customers. This dissertation develops two essays that examine key components of consumers' interest to acquisition: (1) the impact of ownership language on product evaluation, and (2) the influence of dispositional greed on the experience of diminishing marginal utility. Essay 1 investigates the impact of ownership language (e.g., this is my car) on prospective buyers' item evaluation. Results show that using ownership language has a negative effect on both tangible and intangible item evaluation. Specifically, using more ownership language raises contamination concerns and leads to decreased item evaluation. Essay 2 focuses on the individual differences in the experience of diminishing marginal utility (DMU), which is an essential component of consumers' interest in acquisition. By examining the relationship between dispositional greed and the experience of DMU, this research provides valuable insights into the motivations and desires that drive consumer behavior. The findings from six studies demonstrate that individuals with higher levels of dispositional greed are less likely to experience DMU and that such a heterogeneous experience of DMU depends on consumption scenarios (i.e., quantity-based vs. non-quantity-based). / Doctor of Philosophy / Understanding what motivates people to buy things is a key focus for consumer research. By studying consumers' interest in acquisition, businesses can gain valuable insights into the factors that drive consumer behavior, which can help them design better marketing strategies and create products better suited for the needs of their target customers. This dissertation features two essays that focus on the concept of "consumers' interest in acquisition." Essay 1 studies how using phrases like "this is my car" (i.e., ownership language) affects consumers' evaluation of second-hand products. The results find that using ownership language makes consumers evaluate both tangible and intangible items less favorably. To be specific, using ownership language raises contamination concerns (e.g., the feeling of having been "polluted"), which leads to lowered item evaluation. Essay 2 investigates an aspect of consumer behavior that has received little attention in previous research: the individual differences in the experience of diminishing marginal utility (DMU). I argue that individuals' dispositional level of greed (e.g., dissatisfaction of not having enough, combined with the desire to acquire more) is related to the experience of DMU, such that individuals with higher levels of greed tend to experience less DMU compared to less greedy consumers. In other words, as greedy consumers acquire more of a good or service, the additional satisfaction they gain from each additional unit does not decrease as rapidly as it does for less greedy people. Moreover, I discovered that this heterogeneous experience of DMU was more evident when consumption experiences involved changes in quantity vs. attributes or features of a product/service.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2007.