M.A. (Psychology) / The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of career involvement on the psycho-social well-being of the aged. An attempt was made to establish whether there would be any significant differences in life satisfaction, depression and self-concept, between economically active and non-active elderly persons. The research design was of an ex post facto nature. The sample consisted of 128 subjects between the ages of 60 and 80 years and was drawn from a middle to upper socio-economic population in the Witwatersrand area. Fifty of the respondents were still employed full-time, 16 were employed part-time and 62 were retired. Persons who reported poor physical health were excluded from the study. The Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale of Salamon and Conte and the Affect Balance Scale of Bradburn were used as measures of life satisfaction; the Centre for Epidemiological StudiesDepression Scale was used to measure depression and Vrey's Selfconcept Scale was used to measure self-concept. One way and two way analysis of variance were used to test the hypotheses...

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / In many countries defined by multilingualism, language has been identified as a great influence during psychological and educational testing. In South Africa (SA), factors such as changes in policies and social inequalities also influence testing. Literature supports the translation and adaptation of tests used in such contexts in order to avoid bias caused by language. Different language versions of tests then need to be evaluated for equivalence, to ensure that scores across the different language versions have the same meaning. Differences in dialects may also impact on the results of such tests.Results of an isiXhosa version of the Woodcock Muñoz Language Survey (WMLS),which is a test used to measure isiXhosa learners’ language proficiency, show significant mean score differences on the test scores across rural and urban firstlanguage speakers of isiXhosa. These results have indicated a possible problem regarding rural and urban dialects during testing. This thesis evaluates the item bias of the subtests in this version of the WMLS across rural and urban isiXhosa learners. This was accomplished by evaluating the reliability and item characteristics for group differences, and by evaluating differential item functioning across these two groups on the subtests of the WMLS. The sample in this thesis comprised of 260 isiXhosa learners from the Eastern Cape Province in grade 6 and grade 7, both males and females. This sample was collected in two phases: (1) secondary data from 49 rural and 133 urban isiXhosa learners was included in the sample; (2) adding to the secondary data, a primary data collection from 78 rural isiXhosa learners was made to equalise the two sample groups. All ethical considerations were included in this thesis. The results were surprising and unexpected. Two of the subtests in the WMLS showed evidence of scalar equivalence as only a few items were identified as problematic. However, two of the subtests demonstrated more problematic items. These results mean that two subtests of the WMLS that demonstrated evidence of scalar equivalence can be used to measure the construct of language proficiency, while the other two sub-tests that showed problematic items need to be further investigated, as the responses given by learners on these items seem to be determined by their group membership and not by their ability.

An overview of recent literature and research indicates that stress in teaching is now a wellrecognised phenomenon. More specifically, research has found special education to be more demanding than mainstream education. However, in comparison with the literature on mainstream education, both South African and international research relating to special education do not occupy prominent status in the literature. This study thus aims to explore and describe the coping orientation and resources of teachers educating learners with intellectual disabilities. The sample consisted of 59 special education teachers (49 females and 10 males) in the Nelson Mandela Metropole who educate learners with intellectual disabilities. The special education teachers who agreed to participate in the study were requested to complete a biographical questionnaire, Antonovsky’s Orientation to Life Questionnaire (SOC-29) and Hammer and Marting’s Coping Resources Inventory (CRI). An exploratory, descriptive design was utilised in this study. The data for this study was analysed by using descriptive and correlation statistics. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was utilized in order to explore and describe the relationship between the sense of coherence and the coping resources of the sample. Key findings include the following: Results from the SOC-29 revealed fairly high mean scores for the current sample. Results from the CRI indicated average mean scores on both the total coping resources scale and all five subscales. Significant positive relationships were found to exist between the SOC-29 and the CRI for the current sample. Significant positive relationships were also found between the SOC-29 score and some of the subscale scores of the CRI for the current sample. In general, the findings of the present study reveal a need for further research on special education teachers. The focus should not only be limited to the pathogenic orientation, but should include more salutogenic approaches to better assist special education teachers to more effectively cope with their challenging work environment.

The evolution of the Systems Model approach to personnel selection marks the emergence of the relationship between the organization and the applicant. It has made organizations become increasingly aware of the potential influence of applicant reactions to selection procedures.

We administered the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) to five raters and compared the results with functional analysis outcomes for 12 cases in which agreement was obtained for at least four out of five raters on either anecdotal assessment. The scores for functional categories on the MAS and QABF were ranked by averaging the scores for the raters who agreed on the primary maintaining variable. Functional analysis results were ranked by examining average responding across all conditions. A comparison showed correspondence between the highest category and the highest functional analysis condition for 10 out of 11 cases for the MAS and all 10 cases for the QABF. Correspondence for the category and condition ranked second was found for 2 out of 11 cases for the MAS and 2 out of 10 cases for the QABF. The magnitude of difference between categories on the MAS/QABF did not appear to predict the amount of difference in responding in the corresponding functional analyses.

The diploma thesis is a business proposal for the establishment of a business in the field of psychological-career testing. These are services that will help predominantly the last years of primary school pupils to determine which career paths to go further The business plan includes the process of establishing the company, defining the market environment, competition, marketing and promotional strategy along with the sales concept. The financial plan evaluates the economic success of the proposed business. Subsequently, the results of the work are useful as a basis for the company executives as well as for product and service creators.

New Spanish versions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) were assessed with the Spanish translation of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) as the gold standard. Findings from categorical and dimensional analyses suggest that, although the degree of diagnostic concordance of both measures with the DIS was found to be moderately high, the MMPI-2 clinical scales yielded greater specificity but lower sensitivity than the PAI scales on two of four diagnostic categories (i.e., Major Depression, and Schizophrenia). Both measures failed to correctly diagnose Anxiety Disorders, while the MMPI-2 also showed poor diagnostic accuracy with Alcohol Dependence.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a meal supplement fortified with micronutrients would, statistically, significantly improve the intelligence scores of Grade 3 and 4 learners. The data collection procedures in this study took the form of a pre-test – post-test control group design. The Paper and Pencil Games (PPG) Level 3, a standardised psychological test, was administered before and after the respondents were exposed to the meal supplements. For a treatment period of 16 weeks the experimental group received the meal supplement fortified with micronutrients and the control group the meal supplement without any added micronutrients. Data analysis took the form of statistical analysis to determine whether the meal supplements consumed by those in the experimental group could significantly contribute to improving their intelligence scores. The results indicated statistically significant increases in scores, between the pretest and post-test on the various scales of the PPG, of both the experimental and control group on the one hand, but no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups on the post-test on the other. The null hypothesis that there are no (statistically significant) differences between the average post-test scores (V, NV, and T) of the experimental and control groups could not be rejected. However, the increase between the pre-test and post-test stanine scores of the two treatment groups has led to recommendations for further research. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The aim of this research was to develop a competency model for auditors by identifying those characteristics and behaviours that predict success as an auditor. The Work Profiling System (WPS), the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) were the tools and techniques used to achieve this aim. This research was conducted in two groups: trainee accountants (year 1- 3) and chartered accountants (year 4-5+). The results of the research, which was conducted within one of the Big 5 auditing firms, indicated that the competencies required of a trainee accountant are largely consistent with those of registered chartered accountants, working in the same environment. The most noticeable difference was the change in focus from cognitive or technical skills during the earty years to a focus on managerial competencies in later years. The competencies identified in this research compare well with reported models in literature. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The aim of this research was to develop a competency model for auditors by identifying those characteristics and behaviours that predict success as an auditor. The Work Profiling System (WPS), the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) and the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) were the tools and techniques used to achieve this aim. This research was conducted in two groups: trainee accountants (year 1- 3) and chartered accountants (year 4-5+). The results of the research, which was conducted within one of the Big 5 auditing firms, indicated that the competencies required of a trainee accountant are largely consistent with those of registered chartered accountants, working in the same environment. The most noticeable difference was the change in focus from cognitive or technical skills during the earty years to a focus on managerial competencies in later years. The competencies identified in this research compare well with reported models in literature. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)