M.Com. ( Industrial Psychology and People Management) / Life role salience reflects the importance and value individuals ascribe to the roles central to their lives and identities. As such, life role salience has meaningful implications for a variety of individual as well as organisational outcomes. Prior to this study no life role salience measures had been developed or validated within the South African context. This is problematic because the use of valid measuring instruments is regarded as a prerequisite for reporting research findings, especially when unobservable constructs are measured through the use of subjective questionnaires. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a life role salience scale within the South African context. Specifically, the Life Role Salience Scale (LRSS) developed by Amatea, Cross, Clark, and Bobby in 1986 was examined to determine its validity and reliability using a South African sample. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed using a sample of South African working adults (n=300) from the Gauteng province. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were applied as statistical methods. CFA failed to confirm the original eight-factor structure of the LRSS. Subsequent exploratory factor analyses indicated superior fit of a five-factor version of the scale. Limitations and recommendations for future research are presented. The findings of this study highlight the importance of instrument validation and adaptation prior to application in different cultural contexts.

Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Teacher Education, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-53).

Thesis (DPhil(Social Work)--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 37-42). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR45973

Thesis (MA (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 125-133).

Outdoor education offers a promising method for developing life skills, however this field is undermined by ad hoc theory and limited research. This thesis offers a critical synthesis of theoretical and empirical outdoor education literature, develops instrumentation to measure life effectiveness, and reports on a large, longitudinal study of outdoor education program life effectiveness outcomes. Outdoor education was reviewed as consisting of seven theoretically interactive domains (participant, environment, program, activity, group, instructor, and culture) within a dynamic, experiential milieu. A theoretical systems framework is proposed, drawing on Dewey’s theory of experience, to illustrate how participants’ experiences of outdoor education might be understood as arising within a “complex system”. A critical review of traditional and meta-analytic reviews of empirical outdoor education research indicated small-moderate positive impacts on typically measured outcomes (e.g. self-concept, locus of control, and social skills; ES ~ 0.35). However, this research has been limited by a lack of appropriate dependent measures, low statistical power, over-reliance on inferential statistics, a lack of control and comparison groups, a lack of longitudinal data, and a lack of investigation of independent variables. To address such issues, Study 1 developed new measurement instrumentation and Study 2 conducted a large, longitudinal study. “Life effectiveness” was proposed to refer to generic life skills which facilitate surviving and thriving across a variety of situations. Life effectiveness skills were further proposed to be enhanceable through intervention. Study 1 investigated the psychometrics of the 11-factor, 64-item Life Effectiveness Questionnaire version G (LEQ-G) through congeneric and confirmatory factor analyses (N = 1,164). Three problematic factors and several weaker items were removed, leading to an 8-factor, 24-item model (LEQ-H) with an excellent fit (TLI = .984; N = 1,892). A global second-order model also provided an excellent fit (TLI = .980), with evidence for factorial invariance of the second-order factor across gender and age, and promising evidence for factorial invariance of the first-order model. Further development of the LEQ was recommended to consider construct validity, other life effectiveness factors, and ongoing item development (e.g. to reduce skewness). / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Psychology, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 270-288).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 62 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-42).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 199 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes bibliographical references (p. 128-141). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (MA(Filosofie)--Universiteit van Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.