MA, Industrial Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2010 / This study explored the career barriers of black women in middle management through the application of Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. The rationale behind the study was informed by statistics that show that there are few black women in top management, a fact attributable to the double discrimination faced during Apartheid because of their gender and race. The two aims of the study were to explore any career barriers that these women may be experiencing or have experienced as they attempt to advance their careers to top management; and secondly, to explore the coping strategies that these women use to deal with the barriers experienced while attempting to advance their careers. In order to investigate the research questions, nine women who met the criteria of the study participated in semi-structured interviews. The study was qualitative in nature, and the interview transcripts were analyzed through thematic content analysis. The main themes were identified and presented under the 4 S’s: Situation, Self, Support and Strategy. What became apparent from the findings was that the participants were dealing with a dual challenge of gender and race discrimination. They were also dealing with role conflict and other barriers such as politics in the workplace and age discrimination. However, it was found that these women were proactive in confronting their challenges as they engaged in numerous coping strategies including education and social support to cope with the career barriers. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory proved to be an appropriate framework for exploration of the career barriers and thus the application of this theory had implications for theory, organisations and future research.

The number of recent U.S. military veterans attending college has increased due to the Veterans Education Assistance Act; however, retention and graduation rates for this population have declined. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the experiences and academic needs of recent military veterans as they transition from the military to academic life at a for-profit, proprietary college. In addition, this study identified differences in the problems faced by male and female veterans and explored whether veterans understood the resources available to them as they enrolled in higher education. Schlossberg's transitional theory was the conceptual framework used in this ethnographic case study. Eight female and 8 male military veterans of the Iraq or Afghanistan war were selected for focused interviews through purposeful sampling. The results of the study indicated that regardless of gender, military veteran students at the local college needed time management skills, help with medical and social issues, and career development. While the college was perceived as student centered, another emergent theme was ineffective classroom management. A 3-day professional development program was designed for faculty and staff in order to increase their knowledge of the challenges faced by veterans in transition and to help military veteran students achieve academic success. Future research could expand the numbers of colleges and students represented in the study. This study promotes positive social change by providing higher education faculty members the results of the study so that they can apply the findings in amending current teaching strategies in an effort to provide a comprehensive learning environment for military veteran student.