Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology is a profession which entails a broad spectrum of working activities. One of these activities is workplace counselling which forms a significant part of the internship programme. However, interns often lack the necessary skills to provide counselling. In order to function in a counselling role, the I-O psychologist should have the necessary training to be equipped with counselling skills. It is evident from previous studies that I-O psychology practitioners often feel they lack the ability to counsel individuals sufficiently. Therefore it is important for I-O psychology students to focus on their development to become effective counsellors by focussing on their inter- and intrapersonal skills as part of the skills package as a counsellor. Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) is one way of measuring a person’s intrapersonal skills in terms of the individual’s intention to change and grow. The main aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of PGI among I-O psychology students. Participation in this study was limited to I-O psychology students (N = 568). The students differed in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and language. The results provided the researcher with an indication of what the students’ intention to grow and develop as an individual entails in order to provide a basis for further research, namely to develop a training programme for I-O psychology students as workplace counsellors.. The PGI of the students were measured by means of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS). This is a nine-item instrument with a six-point Likert type scale ranging from 0 (definitely disagree) to 6 (definitely agree). The results indicated that PGI is prevalent among the I-O psychology students. Furthermore, the study showed that PGI is relevant to all gender and ethnic groups amongst I-O psychology students. Significant differences were found for the different ages and languages. From the results it is recommended that higher education institutions adapt training programmes to foster personal growth initiative amongst I-O psychology students. Future research can also make use of the PGIS-II to measure PGI as this is the latest version of the construct. In terms of the organisation it is recommended that I-O practitioners should be more growth focussed. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology is a profession which entails a broad spectrum of working activities. One of these activities is workplace counselling which forms a significant part of the internship programme. However, interns often lack the necessary skills to provide counselling. In order to function in a counselling role, the I-O psychologist should have the necessary training to be equipped with counselling skills. It is evident from previous studies that I-O psychology practitioners often feel they lack the ability to counsel individuals sufficiently. Therefore it is important for I-O psychology students to focus on their development to become effective counsellors by focussing on their inter- and intrapersonal skills as part of the skills package as a counsellor. Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) is one way of measuring a person’s intrapersonal skills in terms of the individual’s intention to change and grow. The main aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of PGI among I-O psychology students. Participation in this study was limited to I-O psychology students (N = 568). The students differed in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and language. The results provided the researcher with an indication of what the students’ intention to grow and develop as an individual entails in order to provide a basis for further research, namely to develop a training programme for I-O psychology students as workplace counsellors.. The PGI of the students were measured by means of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS). This is a nine-item instrument with a six-point Likert type scale ranging from 0 (definitely disagree) to 6 (definitely agree). The results indicated that PGI is prevalent among the I-O psychology students. Furthermore, the study showed that PGI is relevant to all gender and ethnic groups amongst I-O psychology students. Significant differences were found for the different ages and languages. From the results it is recommended that higher education institutions adapt training programmes to foster personal growth initiative amongst I-O psychology students. Future research can also make use of the PGIS-II to measure PGI as this is the latest version of the construct. In terms of the organisation it is recommended that I-O practitioners should be more growth focussed. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

There have been on-going debates regarding wellness and management roles. There are several general programmes for facilitation of wellness. Some are implemented but others not. The urge to develop a coaching programme for college managers was triggered by personal experiences as the principal of a nursing college with the aim of helping the managers to facilitate employee wellness. The research was conducted to make a meaningful contribution to a body of knowledge, in particular knowledge related to the facilitation of employees’ wellness by the nursing college management. Aim The aim of the study was to develop a coaching programme for nursing colleges’ managers to facilitate employee wellness. The research was conducted into two phases. Phase one The first phase is a situational analysis. A qualitative strategy, which is explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature, was used. The perceptions of employees, guided by a literature review, were explored and described. Research Design Method The design of the study was qualitative, with explorative, descriptive and contextual elements. The nursing college managers were interviewed in both individual and in focus groups interviews. Only six main samples were used, namely: principals, vice-principals, HODs, registrars, nurse educators and support staff. An interview schedule was prepared by the researcher and experts in qualitative design. The first focus group interviews were conducted with the heads of departments in four nursing colleges. Three focus group interviews were held with heads of departments, nurse educators and support staff. Individual interviews were held with three principals and college registrars. The data analysis procedure from Henning, Van Rensburg and Smit’s (2008:106) writing was adopted as the bases for data analysis in phase one of the study. Deductive and inductive strategies were used. The results of phase one relating to the experiences and perceptions of employees and managers were used in conjunction with the integration of the embedded literature to develop the conceptual framework and coaching programme for the management of nursing colleges. Phase two The second phase was the description of the conceptual framework. An integrated map was compiled by mapping the concepts from the conclusions from all the empirical findings from Chapters 3 and 4.The main concepts of the integrated map are described. Finally, a visual conceptual framework was presented. A coaching programme for nursing college managers to facilitate employee’s wellness was developed. The programme was presented into 2 parts; part 1 for training managers to empower them with coaching skills. Part 2 addressed facilitation of employee’s wellness. Ethical considerations were observed throughout the study. Results and findings The results from both the employees and managers reflected challenges which involved the political mandate of increasing numbers of students without extra human and material resource allocation. Most of the employees complained about college management, which did not recognise their efforts and qualifications. Other causes of dissatisfaction included increased workload, the large numbers of students and decreased facilities through the rationalisation and merger of the nursing colleges. / Thesis (PhD (Nursing))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

There have been on-going debates regarding wellness and management roles. There are several general programmes for facilitation of wellness. Some are implemented but others not. The urge to develop a coaching programme for college managers was triggered by personal experiences as the principal of a nursing college with the aim of helping the managers to facilitate employee wellness. The research was conducted to make a meaningful contribution to a body of knowledge, in particular knowledge related to the facilitation of employees’ wellness by the nursing college management. Aim The aim of the study was to develop a coaching programme for nursing colleges’ managers to facilitate employee wellness. The research was conducted into two phases. Phase one The first phase is a situational analysis. A qualitative strategy, which is explorative, descriptive and contextual in nature, was used. The perceptions of employees, guided by a literature review, were explored and described. Research Design Method The design of the study was qualitative, with explorative, descriptive and contextual elements. The nursing college managers were interviewed in both individual and in focus groups interviews. Only six main samples were used, namely: principals, vice-principals, HODs, registrars, nurse educators and support staff. An interview schedule was prepared by the researcher and experts in qualitative design. The first focus group interviews were conducted with the heads of departments in four nursing colleges. Three focus group interviews were held with heads of departments, nurse educators and support staff. Individual interviews were held with three principals and college registrars. The data analysis procedure from Henning, Van Rensburg and Smit’s (2008:106) writing was adopted as the bases for data analysis in phase one of the study. Deductive and inductive strategies were used. The results of phase one relating to the experiences and perceptions of employees and managers were used in conjunction with the integration of the embedded literature to develop the conceptual framework and coaching programme for the management of nursing colleges. Phase two The second phase was the description of the conceptual framework. An integrated map was compiled by mapping the concepts from the conclusions from all the empirical findings from Chapters 3 and 4.The main concepts of the integrated map are described. Finally, a visual conceptual framework was presented. A coaching programme for nursing college managers to facilitate employee’s wellness was developed. The programme was presented into 2 parts; part 1 for training managers to empower them with coaching skills. Part 2 addressed facilitation of employee’s wellness. Ethical considerations were observed throughout the study. Results and findings The results from both the employees and managers reflected challenges which involved the political mandate of increasing numbers of students without extra human and material resource allocation. Most of the employees complained about college management, which did not recognise their efforts and qualifications. Other causes of dissatisfaction included increased workload, the large numbers of students and decreased facilities through the rationalisation and merger of the nursing colleges. / Thesis (PhD (Nursing))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The student market is a large and growing segment of the tourism industry that contributes approximately one billion rand annually to the tourism economy Unfortunately, despite the apparent profitability of this market, students are still disregarded by the South African tourism industry This may be explained by the perception and ignorance by the industry and that little is known about the characteristics, travel motivations and behaviour of this market The literature review revealed that students have specific characteristics which influence their travel behaviour such as money, time, social factors, personal characteristics, motives, special interests and especially cultural or ethnic backgrounds. Thus it is clear that although the student market seems homogeneous, heterogeneous differences do exist In order to capitalise on this market and to comprehensively understand student behaviour, information is needed about the activities which the students pursue, with whom and where these activities are pursued and even more importantly , how the students make the decision to purchase the product to go on holiday Thus the main purpose of this study was to determine the travel behaviour of students at the NWU, Potchefstroom Campus. This was achieved firstly by analysing motivation (Chapter 2) and conceptualising travel behaviour (Chapter 3) by means of extensive literature reviews. Motivation is understood as the underlying forces that arouse and direct the behaviours in which students engage, in order to realise certain benefits Behaviour can be viewed as a process of internal psychological factors (e.g. needs, wants and goals) which generate tension to some extent Different students have different needs; their purchase decision may be influenced by individual preference and social circumstances at the least The aim of conducting a literature review concerning the total concept of travel behaviour was to analyse the process of travel behaviour and effecting factors including travel motives, in order to understand and how best to attract the student market. In order to determine the travel behaviour of students at the NWU, Potchefstroom Campus, a survey was conducted between the 5th and 14th of October 2010 The survey was conducted by means of distributing a Questionnaire among third -year students during contact sessions in each of the different Faculties. From the data obtained from the questionnaire; a profile of the third-year students could be compiled and through factor analyses, the travel behaviour of the students could be determined. ANOVAs and Chi-square tests were used to determine whether the student travel behaviour in the different faculties differed from each other as well as to what extent These analyses were conducted in Chapter 4. Evidently convenience was considered as the most important factor with regard to the travelling characteristics of the students, Relaxation and Having fun as the most important factors influencing the travel motivation of students and Finance was the most important factor influencing the travel behaviour of the third-year students at the NWU, Potchefstroom_ Overall it was clear that the students in each faculty differed in their travel characteristics, activities influencing the holiday experience, motives to go on holiday and factors influencing the choice of destination as well as holiday preferences The Faculty of Theology stood out as the faculty which differed the most with regard to the afore-mentioned, whereas the Faculty of Health Sciences indicated the least differences This research therefore revealed that the third-year student market at the NWU, Potchefstroom Campus cannot be seen as a homogenous market since there are definite heterogeneous differences with regard to their travel behaviour. This market is also very complex since the Faculty to which the student belongs, contributes to these heterogeneous differences Knowledge of the travel behaviour of students can aid in segmentation of the student market in order to refine the marketing strategies of the destination as well as the development of target specific marketing messages. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Self–regulation is a psychological skill that helps individuals to flexibly plan, execute and monitor their own behaviour. The key self–regulation processes include goal establishment, planning, the striving towards a goal and the revision thereof. Although it is clear that poor self–regulation is associated with psychopathology, the role gender plays is not well understood. Some differences between men and women suggest that gender may be a possible factor in self–regulation and the development of specific forms of psychopathology. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the relationship between self–regulation, psychopathology and gender amongst a group of university students. Participants consisted of an availability sample of 384 (284 female and 100 male) students at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus. Self–Regulation was measured with the Shortened Self–Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) of Carey, Neal and Collins (2004). In this study, the factor structure proposed by Potgieter and Botha (2009), based on a factor analysis of the SSRQ in the South–African context, was used. Psychopathology was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) of Goldberg and Hiller (1979) as well as with a selfcompiled Alcohol and Eating Risk Questionnaire (AERQ). Data were captured and analysed using SAS. The two gender groups did not differ clearly regarding either self–regulation or psychopathology. This supports other studies that found no gender differences in specific selfregulation contexts, but contradicts a number of studies which indicate gender differences related to psychopathology. Interesting tendencies were noted regarding the association between self–regulation and psychopathology, independently for male and female students. Decision making and learning from mistakes, was found to be an important self–regulatory skill for both gender groups in this study, but with practical significance for male students only. For male students, differences in self–regulation were found regarding lower and higher risk for alcohol–related problems in contrast to female students, where differences were found only regarding risk for eating–related problems. It is more acceptable for males to misuse alcohol than it is for females in many societies, and this might explain why self–regulation is important for men regarding alcohol use. Current cultural values, attitudes, and practices and social norms, with particular emphasis on the sexualisation and objectification of women and their bodies, contribute to eating disorders and body image distress in females across their life span and specifically in college women. Thus, self–regulation becomes more important for females, as they are more vulnerable to eating–related problems. It was concluded that there is an important relationship between self–regulation and psychopathology, and in this study this relationship was found to be somehow different for male and female students. The results of this study have great implications both for further research and for clinical practice. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The student market is a large and growing segment of the tourism industry that contributes approximately one billion rand annually to the tourism economy Unfortunately, despite the apparent profitability of this market, students are still disregarded by the South African tourism industry This may be explained by the perception and ignorance by the industry and that little is known about the characteristics, travel motivations and behaviour of this market The literature review revealed that students have specific characteristics which influence their travel behaviour such as money, time, social factors, personal characteristics, motives, special interests and especially cultural or ethnic backgrounds. Thus it is clear that although the student market seems homogeneous, heterogeneous differences do exist In order to capitalise on this market and to comprehensively understand student behaviour, information is needed about the activities which the students pursue, with whom and where these activities are pursued and even more importantly , how the students make the decision to purchase the product to go on holiday Thus the main purpose of this study was to determine the travel behaviour of students at the NWU, Potchefstroom Campus. This was achieved firstly by analysing motivation (Chapter 2) and conceptualising travel behaviour (Chapter 3) by means of extensive literature reviews. Motivation is understood as the underlying forces that arouse and direct the behaviours in which students engage, in order to realise certain benefits Behaviour can be viewed as a process of internal psychological factors (e.g. needs, wants and goals) which generate tension to some extent Different students have different needs; their purchase decision may be influenced by individual preference and social circumstances at the least The aim of conducting a literature review concerning the total concept of travel behaviour was to analyse the process of travel behaviour and effecting factors including travel motives, in order to understand and how best to attract the student market. In order to determine the travel behaviour of students at the NWU, Potchefstroom Campus, a survey was conducted between the 5th and 14th of October 2010 The survey was conducted by means of distributing a Questionnaire among third -year students during contact sessions in each of the different Faculties. From the data obtained from the questionnaire; a profile of the third-year students could be compiled and through factor analyses, the travel behaviour of the students could be determined. ANOVAs and Chi-square tests were used to determine whether the student travel behaviour in the different faculties differed from each other as well as to what extent These analyses were conducted in Chapter 4. Evidently convenience was considered as the most important factor with regard to the travelling characteristics of the students, Relaxation and Having fun as the most important factors influencing the travel motivation of students and Finance was the most important factor influencing the travel behaviour of the third-year students at the NWU, Potchefstroom_ Overall it was clear that the students in each faculty differed in their travel characteristics, activities influencing the holiday experience, motives to go on holiday and factors influencing the choice of destination as well as holiday preferences The Faculty of Theology stood out as the faculty which differed the most with regard to the afore-mentioned, whereas the Faculty of Health Sciences indicated the least differences This research therefore revealed that the third-year student market at the NWU, Potchefstroom Campus cannot be seen as a homogenous market since there are definite heterogeneous differences with regard to their travel behaviour. This market is also very complex since the Faculty to which the student belongs, contributes to these heterogeneous differences Knowledge of the travel behaviour of students can aid in segmentation of the student market in order to refine the marketing strategies of the destination as well as the development of target specific marketing messages. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Self–regulation is a psychological skill that helps individuals to flexibly plan, execute and monitor their own behaviour. The key self–regulation processes include goal establishment, planning, the striving towards a goal and the revision thereof. Although it is clear that poor self–regulation is associated with psychopathology, the role gender plays is not well understood. Some differences between men and women suggest that gender may be a possible factor in self–regulation and the development of specific forms of psychopathology. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the relationship between self–regulation, psychopathology and gender amongst a group of university students. Participants consisted of an availability sample of 384 (284 female and 100 male) students at the NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus. Self–Regulation was measured with the Shortened Self–Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ) of Carey, Neal and Collins (2004). In this study, the factor structure proposed by Potgieter and Botha (2009), based on a factor analysis of the SSRQ in the South–African context, was used. Psychopathology was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) of Goldberg and Hiller (1979) as well as with a selfcompiled Alcohol and Eating Risk Questionnaire (AERQ). Data were captured and analysed using SAS. The two gender groups did not differ clearly regarding either self–regulation or psychopathology. This supports other studies that found no gender differences in specific selfregulation contexts, but contradicts a number of studies which indicate gender differences related to psychopathology. Interesting tendencies were noted regarding the association between self–regulation and psychopathology, independently for male and female students. Decision making and learning from mistakes, was found to be an important self–regulatory skill for both gender groups in this study, but with practical significance for male students only. For male students, differences in self–regulation were found regarding lower and higher risk for alcohol–related problems in contrast to female students, where differences were found only regarding risk for eating–related problems. It is more acceptable for males to misuse alcohol than it is for females in many societies, and this might explain why self–regulation is important for men regarding alcohol use. Current cultural values, attitudes, and practices and social norms, with particular emphasis on the sexualisation and objectification of women and their bodies, contribute to eating disorders and body image distress in females across their life span and specifically in college women. Thus, self–regulation becomes more important for females, as they are more vulnerable to eating–related problems. It was concluded that there is an important relationship between self–regulation and psychopathology, and in this study this relationship was found to be somehow different for male and female students. The results of this study have great implications both for further research and for clinical practice. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Many students in South Africa are unable to cope with the academic demands of tertiary education as they are not fully prepared for Higher Education (HE). Various inefficiencies in the South African HE system have been identified, including low throughput rates, student dissatisfaction, unsatisfying graduation rates, learner dropouts, learner repetition, motivation, self–efficacy, attitude, personality differences, maturation, the retention of failing learners and unit costs. Student performance and satisfaction cause concern for the government and the HE sector. The purpose of this study is to understand student satisfaction amongst Open Distance Learning BEd Hons students. It further aims to improve student satisfaction and quality in the programme by recognising the context sensitive needs, expectations and experiences of students from different cultural–language groups, as well as constructing guidelines to improve satisfaction. The purposeful sampling consisted of Second year BEd Hons teacherstudents enrolled for open distance learning at the School for continuing teacher education (SCTE). A total of 34 students participated in the study. This number comprised of fifteen students from the focus–group interviews and nineteen students who completed open–ended questionnaires. Students were chosen according to three criteria dimensions: major language groups, gender and number of years teaching experience. This study followed a qualitative investigation of two semi–structured, open–ended focus–group interviews in the format of conversations, as well as documentary analysis of the teaching and learning policy of the North West University (NWU), and an open–ended questionnaire. The data were taperecorded for accurate transcription and analysed by using Atlas.ti. Through the use of Atlas.ti, I constructed categories of recurring patterns in the dataset, and explored the relationships of these categories. Different strategies were used to enhance validity and reliability respectively. The findings indicated that students’ satisfaction with HE environment is influenced by the quality of the programmes offered to them, communication between lecturers/facilitators and students, environment at the learning centres and the support that students received from HEI. The students in their capacity as clients with Higher education institutions (HEIs) are influenced by the support they receive from their work environment, as well as the level of appreciation they receive from HEI regarding their own culture and values. They also value iii the environment they experience during course facilitations at the HEIs. The various student attributes also play a significant part in their satisfaction levels towards the HEIs. Findings also highlighted that students were not satisfied with the support they received from the Open distance learning (ODL) unit. It is clear that the students’ perception of the quality of the programme influences their level of satisfaction. Students are mostly satisfied with the quality of the programme but they feel the communication as well the support from HEI and ODL is not adequate. The students indicated that HEI and ODL do not display sufficient understanding and concern for students. They feel there should be a greater commitment from HEI and ODL to understand and consider the profiles of the students. HEI and ODL should actively consider the background, culture, values, attributes, and personal, as well as domestic circumstances of their students. The BEd Hons programme is a valuable and popular programme, but the responsibility rests with both HEI and ODL to ensure that both the quality and delivery of this programme are enhanced and improved so as to guarantee higher levels of satisfaction amongst students. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Many students in South Africa are unable to cope with the academic demands of tertiary education as they are not fully prepared for Higher Education (HE). Various inefficiencies in the South African HE system have been identified, including low throughput rates, student dissatisfaction, unsatisfying graduation rates, learner dropouts, learner repetition, motivation, self–efficacy, attitude, personality differences, maturation, the retention of failing learners and unit costs. Student performance and satisfaction cause concern for the government and the HE sector. The purpose of this study is to understand student satisfaction amongst Open Distance Learning BEd Hons students. It further aims to improve student satisfaction and quality in the programme by recognising the context sensitive needs, expectations and experiences of students from different cultural–language groups, as well as constructing guidelines to improve satisfaction. The purposeful sampling consisted of Second year BEd Hons teacherstudents enrolled for open distance learning at the School for continuing teacher education (SCTE). A total of 34 students participated in the study. This number comprised of fifteen students from the focus–group interviews and nineteen students who completed open–ended questionnaires. Students were chosen according to three criteria dimensions: major language groups, gender and number of years teaching experience. This study followed a qualitative investigation of two semi–structured, open–ended focus–group interviews in the format of conversations, as well as documentary analysis of the teaching and learning policy of the North West University (NWU), and an open–ended questionnaire. The data were taperecorded for accurate transcription and analysed by using Atlas.ti. Through the use of Atlas.ti, I constructed categories of recurring patterns in the dataset, and explored the relationships of these categories. Different strategies were used to enhance validity and reliability respectively. The findings indicated that students’ satisfaction with HE environment is influenced by the quality of the programmes offered to them, communication between lecturers/facilitators and students, environment at the learning centres and the support that students received from HEI. The students in their capacity as clients with Higher education institutions (HEIs) are influenced by the support they receive from their work environment, as well as the level of appreciation they receive from HEI regarding their own culture and values. They also value iii the environment they experience during course facilitations at the HEIs. The various student attributes also play a significant part in their satisfaction levels towards the HEIs. Findings also highlighted that students were not satisfied with the support they received from the Open distance learning (ODL) unit. It is clear that the students’ perception of the quality of the programme influences their level of satisfaction. Students are mostly satisfied with the quality of the programme but they feel the communication as well the support from HEI and ODL is not adequate. The students indicated that HEI and ODL do not display sufficient understanding and concern for students. They feel there should be a greater commitment from HEI and ODL to understand and consider the profiles of the students. HEI and ODL should actively consider the background, culture, values, attributes, and personal, as well as domestic circumstances of their students. The BEd Hons programme is a valuable and popular programme, but the responsibility rests with both HEI and ODL to ensure that both the quality and delivery of this programme are enhanced and improved so as to guarantee higher levels of satisfaction amongst students. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.