A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education / The recognition of prior learning (RPL) is framed in the discourse of equity and redress. It is tasked with transforming education and training and bringing about opportunities of access to those whose educational paths were disrupted by apartheid. While policy in higher education has a vision, conditions on the ground remain unexamined, bringing to the fore complex challenges which relate to prior knowledge on the one hand and its capacity to compete with academic ways of knowing on the other, begging the question: Can RPL deliver on espoused goals of equity, access and redress? This research utilises critical education theory and qualitative research to enquire into participants', recipients' and implementers' perceptions of RPL programmes. In particular the research probed the epistemological and philosophical framings of such programmes, participants' perceptions of the capacity of RPL to deliver equity and redress in education and their ideas for changes and improvements to future RPL programmes and practices. The predominant research method consisted of in-depth interviews with 37 respondents in five RPL projects within four institutions of higher education in South Africa, 14 of whom were academics who implemented RPL, and 23 of whom were RPL students who were the recipients of RPL. In addition, scholarly articles and reports written by the academics as well as RL portfolios, compiled by the students were used as source material. The research results are reported as institutional case studies reflecting the initial responses to RPL in higher education and the ideas, beliefs and perceptions that animate them. The case studies provide a picture of the institutional environment in which RPL operates, and highlight the different levers that are shaping and influencing the practice of RPL in South Africa. The research results show that RPL in practice raises personal questions for those who implement it and for those who receive it - questions about themselves as raced, gendered and classed actors. Different academics have responded to these personal questions in varied ways resulting in contending versions of RPL propelled by different epistemological orientations. On another level the research results show that RPL in practice requires institutional support from senior managers in particular, that such support needs to be driven by an institutional vision and an institutional champion. In the institutions in this study these variables were largely absent. Equity and redress on their own have not been the levers for the implementation of RPL in higher education in South Africa. Keywords: Access; Assessment of Prior Experiential Learning; Equity; Higher Education; Recognition of Prior Learning; South Africa / AC 2018

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / South African Universities are faced with the pandemic issues of student‟s through-put. The postgraduate intake at higher education doesn‟t correspond with the completion rate. South Africa is relatively the lowest in higher education success rate compared to other countries. This study aimed at investigating factors contributing to postgraduate students through-put at Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership (TGSL), in the University of Limpopo. This study adopted a quantitative descriptive research design. Questionnaire were utilised to collect data from master‟s students and academic staff at TGSL. Data was gathered through structured questionnaire from 42 master‟s students. Semi-structured questionnaire were used to gather data from five experienced academic staff members. The study utilised simple random sampling and judgemental or purposive sampling. Descriptive analysis was used and data was analysed using Statistical package for social science (SPSS). The findings reveal that the number of students graduating from the three programmes within TGSL is increasing from time to time suggesting a decline in supervision backlog. The study indicated that most master‟s students take more than maximum duration of three years to complete their study as these students have completed their modules (course work) and remain with research project. Despite these and other academic support provided by the university, masters students encounter certain challenges that influence their academic performance. The major factors influencing through-put include: Lack of commitment; personal issues such as workload; lack of support from spouse and family members and poor time management; lack of personal interest and hard work on the part of students; lack of focus; poor time management; inadequate writing skills; lack of time. Most students are working and may not have adequate time to consult their supervisors. This study has made recommendations to further improve master‟s students‟ through-put. Based on the findings and conclusions of the study it is recommended that students should be self-disciplined; committed to their studies. Students should put more effort on their mini-dissertation and attend the writing retreats organised by the university to improve their writing skills.

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L’objectif principal de ce mémoire est de vérifier l’effet modérateur du soutien social hors-travail sur la relation entre les conditions de l’organisation du travail et l’épuisement professionnel. Dans un deuxième temps, nous cherchons aussi à déterminer l’effet direct que peut entretenir chacune des variables sur le niveau d’épuisement professionnel. Pour nous aider à réaliser notre recherche nous avons utilisé des données secondaires provenant de l’Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale, qui sont basées sur un échantillon de 410 travailleurs (civil et policier) du Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) atteint de décembre 2008 à février 2009. Les analyses multivariées réalisées ont révélé que plusieurs facteurs du travail ont une influence sur le niveau d’épuisement professionnel des employés du SPVM. En effet, l’utilisation des compétences, l’autorité décisionnelle et le soutien social au travail sont trois facteurs du travail qui agissent comme protecteur contre l’épuisement professionnel. À l’inverse, les demandes psychologiques, les demandes contractuelles (c’est-à-dire les horaires de travail irréguliers ou imprévisibles), la supervision abusive ainsi que le conflit travail-famille sont quatre autres facteurs du travail qui font augmenter significativement le niveau d’épuisement professionnel. De plus, nos résultats soutiennent que le fait de vivre en couple, de ne pas avoir d’enfant, de vivre un conflit famille-travail et d’avoir un score élevé au trait de personnalité amabilité sont tout autant de caractéristiques associées à un haut niveau d’épuisement professionnel.Parallèlement, les analyses multivariées n’ont pas permis de confirmer le lien modérateur du soutien social hors-travail sur la relation entre les conditions de l’organisation du travail et l’épuisement professionnel. / The main objective of this master thesis is to verify the moderating effect of social support outside of work on the relation between the work organization conditions and burnout. In a second time, we also try to determine the direct effect that each variable has on burnout. To help us achieve our research we used secondary data from l’Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale, which are based on a sample of 410 employees (civilian and police) of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) consulted from December 2008 to February 2009. The completed multivariate analyses revealed that many work organization conditions impact the level of burnout of the SPVM employees. Indeed, skills utilization, decision authority and social support at work are three work organization conditions that help to prevent burnout. In contrast, psychological demands, contractual demands (i.e. irregular or unpredictable work schedule), abusive supervision and work to family conflict are four factors increasing the level of burnout. Moreover, our results show that living with a life partner, not having a child,living a family to work conflict and having a high score for the trait of personality related to agreeableness are related to a high level of burnout. In parallel, multivariate analyses did not confirm the moderating effect of social support outside of work on the relation between work organisation conditions and burnout.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

L’objectif principal de ce mémoire est de vérifier l’effet modérateur du soutien social hors-travail sur la relation entre les conditions de l’organisation du travail et l’épuisement professionnel. Dans un deuxième temps, nous cherchons aussi à déterminer l’effet direct que peut entretenir chacune des variables sur le niveau d’épuisement professionnel. Pour nous aider à réaliser notre recherche nous avons utilisé des données secondaires provenant de l’Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale, qui sont basées sur un échantillon de 410 travailleurs (civil et policier) du Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) atteint de décembre 2008 à février 2009. Les analyses multivariées réalisées ont révélé que plusieurs facteurs du travail ont une influence sur le niveau d’épuisement professionnel des employés du SPVM. En effet, l’utilisation des compétences, l’autorité décisionnelle et le soutien social au travail sont trois facteurs du travail qui agissent comme protecteur contre l’épuisement professionnel. À l’inverse, les demandes psychologiques, les demandes contractuelles (c’est-à-dire les horaires de travail irréguliers ou imprévisibles), la supervision abusive ainsi que le conflit travail-famille sont quatre autres facteurs du travail qui font augmenter significativement le niveau d’épuisement professionnel. De plus, nos résultats soutiennent que le fait de vivre en couple, de ne pas avoir d’enfant, de vivre un conflit famille-travail et d’avoir un score élevé au trait de personnalité amabilité sont tout autant de caractéristiques associées à un haut niveau d’épuisement professionnel.Parallèlement, les analyses multivariées n’ont pas permis de confirmer le lien modérateur du soutien social hors-travail sur la relation entre les conditions de l’organisation du travail et l’épuisement professionnel. / The main objective of this master thesis is to verify the moderating effect of social support outside of work on the relation between the work organization conditions and burnout. In a second time, we also try to determine the direct effect that each variable has on burnout. To help us achieve our research we used secondary data from l’Équipe de Recherche sur le Travail et la Santé Mentale, which are based on a sample of 410 employees (civilian and police) of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) consulted from December 2008 to February 2009. The completed multivariate analyses revealed that many work organization conditions impact the level of burnout of the SPVM employees. Indeed, skills utilization, decision authority and social support at work are three work organization conditions that help to prevent burnout. In contrast, psychological demands, contractual demands (i.e. irregular or unpredictable work schedule), abusive supervision and work to family conflict are four factors increasing the level of burnout. Moreover, our results show that living with a life partner, not having a child,living a family to work conflict and having a high score for the trait of personality related to agreeableness are related to a high level of burnout. In parallel, multivariate analyses did not confirm the moderating effect of social support outside of work on the relation between work organisation conditions and burnout.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This study explored the implementation of the recognition of prior learning (RPL) at Unisa by investigating the strengths and weaknesses of the RPL methodology, instruments and processes when taking students through the RPL process. The successes and challenges experienced by the RPL academic advisors and the academic assessors were determined and guidelines provided for the effective implementation of RPL at Unisa. The empirical research design was exploratory within a qualitative framework employing participant observation, focus group interviewing, individual interviewing and the distribution of questionnaires that consisted of open-ended questions. The research sample comprised 26 purposefully selected participants. With regard to the research findings, the challenges include a lack of administrative support, a lack of support from top management and the academic staff, and a lack of communication between management and the RPL department. The strength of the RPL department lay in its well-documented process manual. / Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Cette thèse doctorale poursuit l’objectif de mieux comprendre le rôle joué par la profession réglementée en tant que déterminant de la détresse psychologique de la population en emploi au Québec et au Canada. Ceci, dans un contexte où plusieurs ordres professionnels représentant des professions réglementées, s’inquiètent de la santé mentale de leurs membres et de la pression considérable exercée sur eux dans une économie caractérisée par des pénuries de main-d’oeuvre importantes. Cette thèse fut également inspirée par les nombreuses limites constatées à la suite d’une revue de la littérature sur la santé mentale au travail, alors que les risques différenciés auxquels seraient soumis ces professionnels, comparativement à l’ensemble de la population en emploi, demeurent largement à documenter. La profession réglementée s’associe-t-elle directement à l’expérience de détresse psychologique? Quelles sont les conditions de travail susceptibles de conduire au développement ou à l’aggravation de la détresse psychologique pour ces professions? Dans le but de mieux comprendre le rôle joué par la profession réglementée en matière de détresse psychologique, nous avons eu recours à un modèle théorique multidimensionnel qui postule que les contraintes et les ressources découlent d’un ensemble de structures sociales incluant la profession, le travail, la famille, le réseau social hors-travail et les caractéristiques personnelles. Ce modèle découle des théories micro et macro en sociologie (Alexander et al., 1987; Ritzer, 1996), de l’approche agent-structure(Archer, 1995; Giddens, 1987) ainsi que de la théorie du stress social (Pearlin,1999). Trois hypothèses sont soumises à l’étude à travers ce modèle. La première hypothèse, est à l’effet que la profession réglementée, les conditions de travail, la famille ainsi que le réseau social hors-travail et les caractéristiques individuelles, contribuent directement et conjointement à l’explication du niveau de détresse psychologique. La seconde hypothèse induite par le modèle proposé, pose que le milieu de travail médiatise la relation entre la profession réglementée et le niveau de détresse psychologique. La troisième et dernière hypothèse de recherche, postule enfin que la relation entre le milieu de travail et le niveau de détresse psychologique est modérée par les caractéristiques individuelles ainsi que par la famille et le réseau social hors-travail. Ces hypothèses de recherche furent testées à partir des données longitudinales de l’Enquête nationale sur la santé de la population (ENSP) (cycles 1 à 7). Les résultats obtenus sont présentés sous forme de 3 articles, soumis pour publication, lesquels constituent les chapitres 5 à 7 de cette thèse. Dans l’ensemble, le modèle théorique proposé obtient un soutien empirique important et tend à démontrer que la profession réglementée influence directement les chances de vivre de la détresse psychologique au fil du temps, ainsi que le niveau de détresse psychologique lui-même. Les résultats indiquent que les professions réglementées sont soumises à des risques différenciés en termes de conditions de travail susceptibles de susciter de la détresse psychologique. Notons également que la contribution du milieu de travail et de la profession réglementée s’exerce indépendamment des autres dimensions du modèle (famille, réseau social hors-travail, caractéristiques personnelles). Les résultats corroborent l’importance de considérer plusieurs dimensions de la vie d’un individu dans l’étude de la détresse psychologique et mettent à l’ordre du jour l’importance de développer de nouveaux modèles théoriques, mieux adaptés aux contextes de travail au sein desquels oeuvrent les travailleurs du savoir. Cette thèse conclue sur les implications de ces résultats pour la recherche, et sur les retombées qui en découlent pour le marché du travail ainsi que pour le développement futur du système professionnel québécois et canadien. / This doctoral thesis aims to understand the role played by the regulated occupations as a determinant of psychological distress of the working population in Quebec and Canada. This, in a context where several professional organizations, representing regulated occupations, are concerned about the mental health of their members and the pressure exerted on them in an economy characterized by important shortages of labor. This thesis was also inspired by the many limitations observed after a literature review on work and mental health, whereas the differentiated risks which would be subjected to these professionals, compared to the total working population, remains largely undocumented. Is there a direct link between the regulated occupation and the experience of psychological distress? What working conditions contribute to the development or accentuate psychological distress for these regulated occupations? In order to better understand the role played by the regulated occupations in psychological distress, this thesis proposes a multidimensional theoretical model which postulates that the constraints and resources are generated by a set of social structures including the regulated occupation, the working conditions, family, social network outside of work and personal characteristics. This model stems from the micro and macro theories in sociology (Alexander et al., 1987; Ritzer, 1996), the agent-structure approach (Archer, 1995; Giddens, 1987) as well as the social stress theory (Pearlin, 1999). Three hypotheses are subject to analysis through the model. The first hypothesis assumes that regulated occupations, work conditions, family, social network outside the workplace, and individual characteristics contribute directly and jointly to explaining the level of psychological distress. The second hypothesis induced by the proposed model postulates that the workplace mediates the relationship between regulated occupations and psychological distress levels. The third and final research hypothesis postulates that the relationship between the workplace and psychological distress levels is moderated by individual characteristics, as well as by family and the social network outside the workplace.These hypotheses have been validated using longitudinal data from the National population health survey (NPHS) (cycles 1 to 7). The results of these analyses are presented in three articles submitted for publication, which are the chapters 5-7 of this thesis. Overall, the theoretical model gets an important empirical support and suggests that the regulated occupations directly influence the chances of living psychological distress over time as well as the level of psychological distress itself. The results also suggest that the regulated occupations are exposed to differentiated risks in terms of working conditions likely to generate psychological distress. The contribution of the workplace and regulated occupations is exercised independently of other dimensions of the model (family, social network outside of work, personal characteristics). The results also corroborate the importance in considering many dimensions of the life of an individual in the psychological distress and to put on the agenda the importance of developing new theoretical models, better suited to the realities characterizing today’s working environments in which knowledge workers work. This thesis concludes on the implications of these findings for research, and the benefits it brings to the labor market and for the future development of the professional system in Quebec and Canada.

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