Emotional intelligence (EI) in organisations has grown immensely over the past two decades. Considerable research regarding this concept and the advantages it poses for the individual as well as the organisation has been conducted; however, one aspect that has not been explored sufficiently is the extent to which EI can be viewed as a culturally relevant concept. The presumption that emotions can be explained in the same way across different culture cannot be made; therefore measuring EI across cultures becomes important and challenging. Language can be viewed as a vehicle of culture, and emotions are shaped by the language spoken in the specific culture. A quantitative research design was used in this study. The sample consisted of mid-level miners from the Gauteng and North West Province (N = 357). Stratified sampling was used to include the West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans; n = 158) and Sotho group (North Sotho, South Sotho, and Setswana; n = 199). Questionnaires were distributed amongst the participants from the different mines, were completed within a set time, and collected immediately afterwards. The first objective of the study was to determine whether the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale (GEIS) is a reliable test when measuring West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. A four-factor model on the combined sample as well as the two language groups was tested. The four factor model of the West-Germanic group showed poor alphas. (Expression and Recognition of Emotions = 0.66; Caring and Empathy = 0.63; Control of Emotions = 0.80 and Use of Emotions to Facilitate Thinking = 0.62.) Several items from the expression and recognition scale cross-loaded on the other three factors, and it was decided to test a three-factor model. The three factor model indicated the best goodness-of-fit indices and showed acceptable alpha coefficients (Use of Emotion to Facilitate Thinking = 0.83; Caring and Empathy = 0.83 and Control of Emotions = 0.77). The second objective was to determine if the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale is an equivalent measuring instrument when measuring the West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. Goodness-of-fit was tested on the total population as well as the two language family groups. The four factors are Expression and Recognition of Emotions, Caring and Empathy, Control of Emotions and Use of Emotions. The model indices (GFI, CFI and RMSEA) were satisfactory on the total population as well as the Sotho groups, but there were problems noted when testing the goodness-of-fit for the West- Germanic language group. It was therefore decided to test a three factor model (Use of Emotions, Caring and Empathy and Control of Emotions). These problems could possibly be explained by the cultural differences between the two language groups. The final research objective was to investigate whether the items of the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale are unbiased when measuring West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. Firstly, ANOVAS were produced to determine the mean differences between the groups. There weren’t many differences, indicating none or little biasness between the groups. Then, the uniform and non-uniform biasness was tested by means of Ordinal Logistic Regression to asses Differential Item Functioning. The majority of the items did not have both uniform and non-uniform biasness. The few that did however, (41, 37, 36, 14 and 18) can be explained by the different ways in which cultures interpret emotions as proven in the literature. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Emotional intelligence (EI) in organisations has grown immensely over the past two decades. Considerable research regarding this concept and the advantages it poses for the individual as well as the organisation has been conducted; however, one aspect that has not been explored sufficiently is the extent to which EI can be viewed as a culturally relevant concept. The presumption that emotions can be explained in the same way across different culture cannot be made; therefore measuring EI across cultures becomes important and challenging. Language can be viewed as a vehicle of culture, and emotions are shaped by the language spoken in the specific culture. A quantitative research design was used in this study. The sample consisted of mid-level miners from the Gauteng and North West Province (N = 357). Stratified sampling was used to include the West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans; n = 158) and Sotho group (North Sotho, South Sotho, and Setswana; n = 199). Questionnaires were distributed amongst the participants from the different mines, were completed within a set time, and collected immediately afterwards. The first objective of the study was to determine whether the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale (GEIS) is a reliable test when measuring West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. A four-factor model on the combined sample as well as the two language groups was tested. The four factor model of the West-Germanic group showed poor alphas. (Expression and Recognition of Emotions = 0.66; Caring and Empathy = 0.63; Control of Emotions = 0.80 and Use of Emotions to Facilitate Thinking = 0.62.) Several items from the expression and recognition scale cross-loaded on the other three factors, and it was decided to test a three-factor model. The three factor model indicated the best goodness-of-fit indices and showed acceptable alpha coefficients (Use of Emotion to Facilitate Thinking = 0.83; Caring and Empathy = 0.83 and Control of Emotions = 0.77). The second objective was to determine if the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale is an equivalent measuring instrument when measuring the West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. Goodness-of-fit was tested on the total population as well as the two language family groups. The four factors are Expression and Recognition of Emotions, Caring and Empathy, Control of Emotions and Use of Emotions. The model indices (GFI, CFI and RMSEA) were satisfactory on the total population as well as the Sotho groups, but there were problems noted when testing the goodness-of-fit for the West- Germanic language group. It was therefore decided to test a three factor model (Use of Emotions, Caring and Empathy and Control of Emotions). These problems could possibly be explained by the cultural differences between the two language groups. The final research objective was to investigate whether the items of the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale are unbiased when measuring West-Germanic (English and Afrikaans) and Sotho (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, and Setswana) languages. Firstly, ANOVAS were produced to determine the mean differences between the groups. There weren’t many differences, indicating none or little biasness between the groups. Then, the uniform and non-uniform biasness was tested by means of Ordinal Logistic Regression to asses Differential Item Functioning. The majority of the items did not have both uniform and non-uniform biasness. The few that did however, (41, 37, 36, 14 and 18) can be explained by the different ways in which cultures interpret emotions as proven in the literature. Recommendations were made for future research. / Thesis (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The dissertation is mainly made up of three empirical theses on the Optimum Currency Area theory, business cycle synchronization, and intra-industry trade. The second chapter conducts an empirical test into the theory of Optimum Currency Area. I investigate the feasibility of creating a currency union in East Asia by examining the dominance and symmetry of macroeconomic shocks. Relying on a series of structural Vector Autoregressive models with long-run and block exogeneity restrictions, I identify a variety of macroeconomic disturbances in eleven East Asian economies. To examine the nature of the disturbances, I look into the forecast error variance decomposition, correlation of disturbances, size of shocks, and speed of adjustments. Based on both statistical analysis and economic comparison, it is found that two groups of economies are subject to dominant and symmetrical domestic supply shocks, and that the two groups respond quickly to moderate-sized shocks. Therefore, it is economically feasible for the two groups of economies to foster common currency zones. The third chapter investigates the different effects of intra- and inter-industry trade on business cycle synchronization, controlling for financial market linkage and monetary policy making. The chapter is the first attempt to use intra- and inter-industry trade simultaneously in Instrument Variable estimations. The evidence in my paper is supportive that intra-industry trade increases business cycle synchronization, while inter-industry trade brings about divergence of cycles. The findings imply that country pairs with higher intra-industry trade intensity are more likely to experience synchronized business cycles and are more feasible to join a monetary union. My results also show that financial integration and monetary policy coordination provide no explanation for synchronization when industry-level trade are accounted for. The fourth chapter extends the third chapter and explores how the characteristics of global trade network influence intra-industry trade. Borrowing the concept of structural equivalence, the similarity of two countries’ aggregate trade relations with other countries, from the social network analysis, this study incorporates this measure of trade network to the augmented gravity model of intra-industry trade. I build up two fixed effects models to analyze intra-industry trade in the raw material and final product sectors among 182 countries from 1962 through 2000. Structural equivalence promotes intra-industry trade flows in the final product sector, but it does not influence intra-industry trade in the crude material sector. Moreover, structural equivalence has been increasingly important in boosting intra-industry trade over time. / Graduate / 0508

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The diversity embodying South Africa has emphasized the importance and influence of language in education and thus the additive bilingual programme is being implemented in the Eastern Cape by the ABLE project in order to realize the South African Language in education policy (LEiP). In accordance with this, the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (which specializes in measuring cognitive academic language proficiency) was chosen as one of the instruments to evaluate the language outcomes of the programme and was adapted into South African English and isiXhosa. The current study was a subset of the ABLE project, and was located within the bigger project dealing with the translation of the WMLS into isiXhosa and the successive research on the equivalence of the two language versions. This study evaluated the structural equivalence of the English and isiXhosa versions of the WMLS on matched sample groups (n= 150 in each language group). Thus secondary data analysis (SDA) was conducted by analyzing the data in SPSS as well as CEFA (Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis). The original data set was purposively sampled according to set selection criteria and consists of English and isiXhosa first language learners. The study sought to confirm previous research by cross-validating the results of structural equivalence on two subscales, namely the Verbal Analogies (VA) and Letter-Word Identification (LWI) subscale. The research design reflects psychometric test theory and is therefore located in a bias and equivalence theoretical framework. The results of the exploratory factor analysis found that one can only accept structural equivalence in the first factor identified in the VA subscale, while structural equivalence was found in the factor for the LWI subscale. The use of scatter-plots to validate the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that one can tentatively accept these results. The study thus contributed to the literature on the translation of the WMLS, and the adaptation of language tests into the indigenous languages of South Africa,as well as additive bilingual programmes. / South Africa

<p>The diversity embodying South Africa has emphasized the importance and influence of language in education and thus the additive bilingual programme is being implemented in the Eastern Cape by the ABLE project in order to realize the South African Language in education policy (LEiP). In accordance with this, the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (which specializes in measuring cognitive academic language proficiency) was chosen as one of the instruments to evaluate the language outcomes of the programme and was adapted into South African English and isiXhosa. The current study was a subset of the ABLE project, and was located within the bigger project dealing with the translation of the WMLS into isiXhosa and the successive research on the equivalence of the two language versions. This study evaluated the structural equivalence of the English and isiXhosa versions of the WMLS on matched sample groups (n= 150 in each language group). Thus secondary data analysis (SDA) was conducted by analyzing the data in SPSS as well as CEFA (Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis). The original data set was purposively sampled according to set selection criteria and consists of English and isiXhosa first language learners. The study sought to confirm previous research by cross-validating the results of structural equivalence on two subscales, namely the Verbal Analogies (VA) and Letter-Word Identification (LWI) subscale. The research design reflects psychometric test theory and is therefore located in a bias and equivalence theoretical framework. The results of the exploratory factor analysis found that one can only accept structural equivalence in the first factor identified in the VA subscale, while structural equivalence was found in the factor for the LWI subscale. The use of scatter-plots to validate the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that one can tentatively accept these results. The study thus contributed to the literature on the translation of the WMLS, and the adaptation of language tests into the indigenous languages of South Africa,as well as additive bilingual programmes.</p>

<p>The diversity embodying South Africa has emphasized the importance and influence of language in education and thus the additive bilingual programme is being implemented in the Eastern Cape by the ABLE project in order to realize the South African Language in education policy (LEiP). In accordance with this, the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (which specializes in measuring cognitive academic language proficiency) was chosen as one of the instruments to evaluate the language outcomes of the programme and was adapted into South African English and isiXhosa. The current study was a subset of the ABLE project, and was located within the bigger project dealing with the translation of the WMLS into isiXhosa and the successive research on the equivalence of the two language versions. This study evaluated the structural equivalence of the English and isiXhosa versions of the WMLS on matched sample groups (n= 150 in each language group). Thus secondary data analysis (SDA) was conducted by analyzing the data in SPSS as well as CEFA (Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis). The original data set was purposively sampled according to set selection criteria and consists of English and isiXhosa first language learners. The study sought to confirm previous research by cross-validating the results of structural equivalence on two subscales, namely the Verbal Analogies (VA) and Letter-Word Identification (LWI) subscale. The research design reflects psychometric test theory and is therefore located in a bias and equivalence theoretical framework. The results of the exploratory factor analysis found that one can only accept structural equivalence in the first factor identified in the VA subscale, while structural equivalence was found in the factor for the LWI subscale. The use of scatter-plots to validate the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that one can tentatively accept these results. The study thus contributed to the literature on the translation of the WMLS, and the adaptation of language tests into the indigenous languages of South Africa,as well as additive bilingual programmes.</p>

The diversity embodying South Africa has emphasized the importance and influence of language in education and thus the additive bilingual programme is being implemented in the Eastern Cape by the ABLE project in order to realize the South African Language in education policy (LEiP).In accordance with this, the Woodcock Munoz Language Survey (which specializes in measuring cognitive academic language proficiency) was chosen as one of the instruments to evaluate the language outcomes of the programme and was adapted into South African English and isiXhosa.The current study was a subset of the ABLE project, and was located within the bigger project dealing with the translation of the WMLS into isiXhosa and the successive research on the equivalence of the two language versions. This study evaluated the structural equivalence of the English and isiXhosa versions of the WMLS on matched sample groups (n= 150 in each language group). Thus secondary data analysis (SDA) was conducted by analyzing the data in SPSS as well as CEFA (Comprehensive Exploratory Factor Analysis). The original data set was purposively sampled according to set selection criteria and consists of English and isiXhosa first language learners. The study sought to confirm previous research by cross-validating the results of structural equivalence on two subscales, namely the Verbal Analogies (VA) and Letter-Word Identification (LWI) subscale. The research design reflects psychometric test theory and is therefore located in a bias and equivalence theoretical framework. The results of the exploratory factor analysis found that one can only accept structural equivalence in the first factor identified in the VA subscale, while structural equivalence was found in the factor for the LWI subscale.The use of scatter-plots to validate the results of the exploratory factor analysis indicated that one can tentatively accept these results. The study thus contributed to the literature on the translation of the WMLS, and the adaptation of language tests into the indigenous languages of South Africa,as well as additive bilingual programmes. / Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)

世界各國政府在知識經濟的潮流之下更加重視本土學術研究的品質，各國投注資源以提升學術研究水準、促進學術社群的國際化。台灣順應此種趨勢，近年制定各種學術政策與評鑑計畫，其中推動學術社群的知識生產品質，是國家政策中既定的一項重點目標。台灣社會學門的知識生產也受到國家施政方向的影響，國家科學委員會於 1997、2001與2006年執行三波的社會學門專業期刊排序計畫，針對社會學門的學術期刊進行評比。 本研究著眼於此種學術場域的改變，將主要的研究關懷聚焦在學術社群的知識變遷；回顧科學社會學的研究傳統，引用行為是探查學社群知識生產的重要指標，引用代表學術知識傳遞與溝通的情形；而近年社會網絡分析（Social Network Analysis） 研究的興起，更擴充知識引用的研究方式與概念，採以引用網絡（Citation Networks） 分析知識結構與社群互動行為。本研究立基於社會網絡的研究概念，利用網絡分析工具試圖捕捉當代台灣社會學知識引用結構的現狀；社會學門的知識引用結構；究竟學術知識的引用會有何種變遷？引用的機制為何？ 本研究採用2007年第三波社會學門專業期刊排序資料，進行次級資料分析，研究問題環繞在2001~2006年引用網絡結構的多層次架構，開展出三項研究問題： （一）社會學門學術期刊引用網絡的現況，互引網絡結構的動態變化為何？ （二）社會學門內部學者引用期刊的情形為何？社會學門各類型期刊的引用變遷又如何？ （三）以社會學門期刊引用的產生是偏向於以內容為主的規範論或符合以社會關係為主的建構論的機制？ 研究結果分成三部份。第一，在期刊對期刊引用網絡層次部份，顯示學術期刊的引用網絡結構朝向集中化的趨勢，《台灣社會學》、《台灣社會學刊》成為引用結構中主要被引用的學術期刊組織，而且成為引用網絡結構中優勢地位的引用副團體。第二，社會學門學者引用學術期刊的雙元網絡層次，顯示社會學者與社會福利、社會工作學者的引用分流；社會學專業期刊與社會工作專業期刊的引用也存在著分流的情形。最後，《台灣社會學》、《台灣社會學刊》與《台灣社會研究季刊》的社會學者引用機制為內容為主的規範論。此三項結果顯示期刊排序制度施行社會學門的學術期刊，特定學術期刊的學術論文被其他期刊所肯定，產生引用結構的集中化變遷，同時社會學者與社會福利、社會工作學者對學科專業期刊分流引用也逐漸成形。而三種學術期刊內，社會學者的引用網絡影響來自於學者專長的相同與否，更是為台灣社會學的知識引用現狀，提出一個解釋的答案。 / Abstract In recent years, as the world has been trending toward a Knowledge-based Economy, governments worldwide have recognized the importance of academic research, providing resources to upgrade the academic research level in order to internationalize scholarly pursuit. Taiwan, as a latecomer to the concept of Knowledge-based Economy, has begun to constitute science and social science rules and evaluations for academic development. The study intends to capture the transformation of the academic field by examining citations. In early works in the science of sociology, citation was an important indication of scholarly productivity. Social network analysis (SNA) enriches the methodology, and makes the indication to the idea of citation networks. Based on the perspective of SNA, the study investigates the citation network database of sociological journals between 2001 and 2006, and the concurrent citation networks of sociologists from three prior sociological journals. The results include three parts: first, the structure of journals' citation networks shows the trend of centralization, and two academic journals attain privileged status by means of structural equivalence. Second, the dual network of authors and journals demonstrate the citation divisions of sociologists and social workers. The sociological professional journals and social worker professional journals also are divided by time. Finally, the citation mechanism of sociologists verifies the normative pattern. In conclusion, the analysis confirms the impact of social science policy, which influences the centralization of citation networks and the advantageous status of specific sociological journals. The sociologists' citation networks are related to the specialty similarities of scholars, not the social relations. The study gives a pioneer explanation of citation networks of Taiwanese sociology.