Thesis (MComm (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The choice of career path could create a stressful situation for many individuals. Researchers seem to agree that if a person is able to find fit between what they would like to do and what a job (work environment) involves then a person is likely to perform their chosen occupation well. Interest assessment is a method that assists in making personal and organisational career related decisions. The Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS, Campbell, Hyne & Nilsen, 1992) is a well-known interest assessment instrument that can be used for such decisions. Even though interest assessment can assist, these instruments have been criticised for being gender biased and typically forcing people into stereotypical gendered type occupations. Bias is indicated as nuisance factors that threaten the validity of cross-group (cultural) comparisons (Van de Vijver & Leung, 1997). These nuisance factors could be due to construct bias, method bias and/or item bias. Therefore, due to the importance of the decisions made, it would seem essential that the information provided by test results apply equally across different reference groups – this would imply equivalent measurement. Equivalence is achieved at three levels: Configural, metric and scalar (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000; Vandenberg, 2002). Full measurement invariance (achieved when scalar invariance is found) implies the ability to compare observed scores directly. By making use of confirmatory factor analytic techniques suggested by Vandenberg and Lance (2000), increasing constraints of equivalence were proposed for the CISS measurement model. While adequate model fit was found for the CISS Basic scales, the sample size did not afford independent gender sample confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) and consequent measurement invariance tests to be conducted on the Basic scales. The CISS Orientation scales were then subjected to CFA on the combined gender sample and then were subjected to independent CFAs on the separate gender samples. Unfortunately poor model fit was found at this global level of measurement in the CISS. This prevented the researcher from completing the necessary measurement invariance tests on the Orientation scales for the CISS. The implications of the results are discussed, limitations are indicated and areas for further research are highlighted. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die maak van ‘n loopbaankeuse kan spanning veroorsaak in baie mense. Dit wil voorkom of navorsers saamstem dat indien ‘n person se werklike beroep ooreenstem met dit wat hy/sy graag sou wou doen – dan sal die persoon waarskynlik goed presteer in die gekose beroep. Die benutting van belangstellingsvraelyste kan individue help om effektiewe persoonlike en beroepsgerigte keuses te maak. Die “Campbell Interest and Skill Survey” (CISS, Campbell, Hyne & Nilsen, 1992) is ‘n bekende belangstellingsvraelys wat gebruik kan word om ondersteuning te bied om bogenoemde keuses te maak. Alhoewel belangstellingsvraelyste oor die algemeen waardevolle hulpbronne is in die maak van beroepskeuses, is hierdie vraelyste al gekritiseer dat hulle sydig kan wees op grond van geslag en as sulks mense kan lei om geslagsgetipeerde beroepskeuses te maak. “Sydigheid” in toetse kan beskryf word as “lastige” faktore wat die geldigheid van kruiskulturele vergelykings bedreig (Van de Vijver & Leung, 1997). Hierdie faktore kan veroorsaak word deur konstruksydigheid, metodesydigheid en/of itemsydigheid. Dit is dus noodsaaklik dat die informasie wat verskaf word deur die toetsresultate dieselfde betekenis moet hê oor al die verskillende verwysingsgroepe en dit noodsaak ekwivalente meting. Ekwivalensie kan bereik word op drie vlakke: konfiguraal, metries en skalêr (Vandenberg & Lance, 2000; Vandenberg, 2002). Volle invariansie van meting (wat bereik word wanneer skalêre invariansie bevind word) impliseer dat waargenome metings direk met mekaar vergelyk kan word. Deur gebruik te maak van bevestigende faktoranalitiese tegnieke voorgestel deur Vandenberg en Lance (2000), is toenemende ekwivalensiebeperkinge voorgestel vir die “CISS” metingsmodel. Alhoewel ’n bevredigende passing gevind is vir die “CISS Basic scales” model, het die grootte van die steekproef nie toegelaat dat die “CISS Basic scales” model onafhanklik op die twee geslagsgroepe gepas word nie en ook nie toegelaat dat die metingsinvariansie van die model oor die twee geslagsgroepe ondersoek word nie. Die “CISS Orientation scales” is toe blootgestel aan bevestigende faktorontleding op die gekombineerde geslagsteekproef en asook op die onderskeie geslagsgroepe. Op hierdie globale vlak kon daar egter nie bevredigende modelpassing gevind word nie. Die gebrekkige modelpassing het gevolglik die navorser verhoed om enige verdere metingsvariansie toetse op die “Orientation scales” te doen. Die implikasies van die resultate word bespreek, beperkinge word aangedui en verdere moonlike navorsingsgebiede word uitgelig.

D.Litt. et Phil. / In recent times the South African society has been subject to rapid and important changes. These changes resulted in new responsibilities placed on social workers and psychologists. This situation has lead to the development of new perspectives and the expansion of knowledge and understanding. Social workers and psychologists are increasingly under pressure to provide cost effective services to an increasing number of clients without reducing accountability. Counsellors have to be able to support their decisions with scientific evidence ...

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1956.

Thesis (MCom) --Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Organisations in a free market economy exist with the purpose to serve and provide the market with products and services that the market values while at the same time satisfying the triple bottom line of profit, people and planet. The extent to which an organisation will succeed in this aim, however, depends to a large extent on the calibre of its workforce. Human resource management represents a range of interventions with the purpose of contributing to an organisation’s success, through the acquisition and maintenance of a high quality and competent work force, as well as to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent in a manner that will add value to an organisation. Personnel selection represents one of these human resource functions and thereby constitutes a critical human resource management intervention in as far as it attempts to regulate human capital movement into, through and out of the organisation with the expectation that this will result in increased employee job performance. Industrialorganisational psychologists and human resources practitioners frequently use psychometric/psychological tests in the selection process, which provide them with objective information on complex constructs such as intellectual ability or personality, that are hypothesised to be determinants of the level of job performance that selected applicants will achieve. Accurate predictions can however, only be derived from measures of such psychometric/psychological tests if the constructs they attempt to measure are in fact determinants of job performance, if the tests provide reliable, valid and unbiased measures of these constructs and the nature of the relationship between the predictor constructs and the criterion construct is validly understood. Personality represents an influential determinant of job performance. The Personality and Preference Inventory-Normative (PAPI-N) is a personality questionnaire that is widely used in industry. This provides the essential justification for the primary objective of this research, which was to evaluate the first-order factor structure of the PAPI-N through a factor analytic investigation on a relatively large sample of the South African working population. The data used in this study was obtained from the data archives of Cubiks (Pty) Ltd, with written permission from the intellectual property holder, to utilise the sample data for the purpose of this research. The South African PAPI-N database comprised all respondents who were assessed by Work Dynamics, the official distributor of Cubiks’s products and services in South Africa, in the period 2007 to 2012. Item and dimensionality analyses were performed on the 20 subscales of the PAPI-N as well as the Social Desirability scale. This was done to assess the success with which the subscales represented the underlying personality constructs. The results in the item analysis revealed that in about 50% of the PAPI-N subscales concern arose about the extent to which the items of the subscales responded in unison to systematic differences in a single underlying latent variable. Results from the dimensionality analysis showed that 12 of the 20 personality dimension measures were compatible with the position that the items comprising these subscales measure what they are designed to measure. In contrast, eight out of the 20 subscales failed the uni-dimensionality test. A spectrum of goodness-of-fit statistics was used to evaluate the measurement model fit. The measurement model’s overall fit was acceptable. The null hypothesis of exact fit was rejected but the null hypothesis of close fit could not be rejected (p>.05). The fit indices reflected a close fit in the parameter and a very good model fit in the sample. Although the measurement model fitted the data closely, the factor loadings (although statistically significant) were generally of a moderate degree. Approximately twenty-eight percent (27.78%) of the completely standardised factor loadings fell below the critical cut-off value of .50. This would suggest that the individual items generally (72.22%) do represent the latent personality dimensions they were designed to reflect acceptably well, but that in a little bit more than a quarter of the items, less than 25% of the variance in the item responses was due to variance in the latent variable it was designed to reflect. Discriminant validity was also investigated. The results showed that PAPI-N, although with some difficulty, permit the successful discrimination between the unique aspects of the latent personality dimensions. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses suggests that while the intention of the PAPI-N to have sets of items reflecting specific primary personality factors succeeded, the subscale item measures mostly hold a sizable amount of systematic and random error. Based on the above findings, this personality measure should be used with caution in personnel selection in South Africa. Nevertheless, this study serves to extend the understanding of the psychometric properties of the PAPI-N on samples different from the UK sample on which it was originally developed and standardised. Its findings should assist in eliciting the necessary further research needed to establish the psychometric credentials of the PAPI-N as a valuable assessment instrument in South Africa with confidence. Recommendations for future research are made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Organisasies in ‘n vrye-mark ekonomie het ten doel om die samelewing te dien en om die mark met produkte en dienste te voorsien wat waarde toevoeg, terwyl hulle terselfertyd die driedubbele eis van wins, mense en die planet bevredig. Die mate waarin die organisasie in hierdie doel slaag, hang egter in ‘n groot mate af van die kwaliteit van sy werksmag. Menslike hulpbronbestuur verteenwoordig 'n verskeidenheid ingrypings met die doel om by te dra tot 'n organisasie se sukses, deur die verkryging en instandhouding van 'n hoë gehalte en bekwame arbeidsmag, sowel as om die doeltreffende en doelmatige gebruik van menslike talent te verseker op 'n wyse wat waarde tot die organisasie toevoeg. Die keuring van personeel verteenwoordig een van hierdie menslike hulpbronfunksies. As sodanig vorm dit 'n kritieke menslike hulpbronbestuuringryping insoverre dit poog om die beweging van menslike kapitaal in, deur en uit die organisasie te reguleer met die verwagting dat dit sal lei tot verhoogde werksprestasie deur werknemers. Bedryfsielkundiges en menslike hulpbronpraktisyns gebruik dikwels psigometriese/sielkundige toetse in die keuringsproses, wat hulle met objektiewe inligting oor komplekse konstrukte soos intellektuele vermoë of persoonlikheid voorsien, onder die veronderstelling dat hulle belangrike determinante is van die vlak van werkverrigting wat gekeurde aansoekers sal bereik. Akkurate voorspellings kan egter slegs uit sodanige psigometriese/sielkundige toetse afgelei word indien die konstrukte wat hulle probeer meet, in werklikheid determinante van werkprestasie is, indien die toetse betroubare, geldige en onsydige metings van hierdie konstrukte gee en indien die aard van die verwantskap tussen die voorspellerkonstrukte en die kriteriumkonstruk geldig verstaan word. Persoonlikheid is 'n invoedryke determinant van werkprestasie. Die Personality and Preference Inventory-Normative (PAPI-N) is 'n persoonlikheidsvraelys wat algemeen in die bedryf gebruik word. Daarin lê die regverdiging vir die primêre doel van hierdie navorsing, naamlik om die eerste-orde faktor struktuur van die PAPI -N deur 'n factor-analitiese ondersoek op 'n relatief groot steekproef van die Suid-Afrikaanse werkende bevolking te evalueer, geleë. Die data wat in hierdie studie gebruik is, is verkry uit die data-argiewe van Cubiks (Pty) Ltd, met die skriftelike toestemming van die intellektuele eiendiom-eienaar, om die steekproefdata aan te wend vir die doel van hierdie navorsing. Die Suid-Afrikaanse PAPI-N databasis bestaan uit al die kandidate wat geassesseer is deur Work Dynamics, die amptelike verspreider van Cubiks se produkte en dienste in Suid-Afrika, in die tydperk 2007-2012. Item en dimensionaliteitsontledings is uitgevoer op die 20 subskale van die PAPI-N, sowel as die sosiale wenslikheidskaal. Dit is gedoen om die sukses te bepaal waarmee die subskale die onderliggende persoonlikheidskonstrukte verteenwoordig. Die resultate van die itemontleding het getoon dat ten opsigte van sowat 50 % van die PAPI-N subskale, kommer bestaan oor die mate waartoe die items van die subskale in harmonie reageer op sistematiese verskille in 'n enkele onderliggende latente veranderlike. Resultate van die dimensionaliteitontleding het getoon dat 12 van die 20 persoonlikheidsdimensiesmetings versoenbaar is met die standpunt dat die items waaruit hierdie subskale bestaan, meet wat hulle ontwerp is om te meet. In teenstelling hiermee het agt uit die 20 subskale nie die uni- dimensionaliteitstoets geslaag nie. A verskeidenheid pasgehalte-maatstawwe is gebruik om die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel te ondersoek. Oorkoepelend was die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel aanvaarbaar. Die nulhipotese van presiese passing is verwerp maar die nulhipotse van benaderde passing is nie verwerp nie (p>.05). The pasgehalte-maatstawwe het gedui op ‘n benaderde passing in die parameter en baie goeie modelpassing in die steekproef. Ofskoon die metingsmodel benaderde passing getoon het was die faktorladings (alhoewel statisties beduidend) oor die algemeen matig in omvang. Ongeveer agt-en-twintig present (27.78%) van die volledig gestandaardiseerde faktorladings was kleiner as die kritieke afsnywaarde van .50. Dit suggereer dat die items oor die algemeen (72.22%) wel die latent persoonlikheidsdimensies wat hul geoormerk is om te reflekteer, bevredigend reflekteer. In ‘n klein bietjie meer as ‘n kwart van die items is minder as 25% van die variansie in die itemresponse te wyte aan variansie in die latent veranderlike wat die item ontwerp was om te reflekteer. Diskriminantgeldigheid was ook ondersoek. Die resultate dui daarop dat die PAPI-N, ofskoon nie sonder problem nie, wel die suksesvolle onderskeid tussen die unieke aspekte van die persoonlikheidsdimensies moontlik maak. Die resultate van die bevestigende faktorontleding dui daarop dat, terwyl die bedoeling van die PAPI-N om stelle items te hê wat spesifieke primêre persoonlikheidsfaktore reflekteer geslaagd was, die subskaal-itemmetings meestal 'n aansienlike hoeveelheid sistematiese en toevallige fout bevat. Gebaseer op die bogenoemde bevindinge, moet hierdie persoonlikheidsmeting met omsigtigheid gebruik word in personeelkeuring in Suid-Afrika. Nietemin, dra hierdie studie by tot ‘n groter begrip van die psigometriese eienskappe van die PAPI-N op steekproewe wat verskil van die Verenigde Koninkryk steekproef waarop dit oorspronklik ontwikkel en gestandaardiseerd is. Die bevindinge sal help om die nodige verderde navorsing te ontlok wat nodig is om die PAPI-N met vertroue as 'n waardevolle meetinstrument in Suid-Afrika te vestig. Aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing word gemaak.

This study examined the effects of level and quality of education on WAIS-III Digit Symbol-Incidental Learning performance. The Pairing and Free Recall measures were administered to a South African sample (N = 68, age range 19-30), which was stratified for English and African language, level of education attained (Grade 12s and Graduates) and quality of education (advantaged and disadvantaged schooling). Results yielded no significant main or interaction effects between acculturation factors of level and quality of education. Normative guidelines of 13 or more pairs and 8 or more free recall symbols, appropriate to a non-clinical sample in a multicultural setting, are provided. Digit Symbol-Incidental Learning proved to be a culture-fair test, which contributes to its clinical utility as a sensitive memory screening tool.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - 3rd Edition (WAIS-III) is the newest of the internationally recognised Wechsler family of intelligence tests. It has been improved in terms of its psychometric properties, neuropsychological assessment abilities and its content. This test is in the process of being standardised by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa. As the adapted South African version will be available shortly for use in the multicultural circumstances of South Africa, the application of the various aspects of this test needs to be investigated. This test is very comprehensive and thorough, however its one disadvantage is that it takes on average three hours to administer in its entirety. Thus there is a need to find ways in which to abbreviate the test for particular purposes when time is limited, for example in research, brief clinical assessments or neuropsychological screenings. The concept of abbreviating tests, including the earlier Wechsler intelligence test can be traced back to 1917, when it was asked if all the items on the Binet-Simon scale were required to give an accurate assessment of IQ (Levy, 1968). Since then there have been many short form suggestions made, with many different considerations in mind. These can be divided into two main approaches or methods. Firstly, the number of subtests of the scale can be reduced. Thus with the WAIS-III which consists of 14 subtests in total, an option is to use, for example only four of the subtests to get an estimate of a person's IQ. Secondly, the number of items in each subtest can be reduced. Thus only half the items or even only a third of the items on a subtest can be administered to get an estimate of the persons' performance on each subtest and in this way estimate their overall IQ. Both methods have been used on the WAIS and WAIS-R, although the reduction of the subtests is favoured. Both should now be validated and considered for use with the WATS-III in South Africa. Wechsler tests and their constituent subtests have been found to be differentially effected by race, education, language and socio-economic status (Kaufman, McLean & Reynolds, 1988; Nell 1999). These differences have also been found to impact on the short forms which are suggested, as certain subtests are considered to be more biased towards particular groups than others. Vocabulary and Block Design in particular bias testees who are not as westernised or acculturated towards a largely American and European culture (Kaufman, McLean & Reynolds, 1988). These differences, although often ascribed to race, language or socio-economic status can best be understood more broadly in terms of degree of acculturation (i.e. westernisation) (Shuttleworth-Jordan, 1996) and test-wiseness (Nell, 1999). In South Africa in particular, with its extreme cultural diversity these factors need to be carefully considered when developing short forms. In the present study the development of a short form appropriate to South Africa's diverse cultural circumstances will be approached, through a sample which has been stratified according to gender, first language (English vs. African), quality of schooling received (Private/Model C vs. DET) and level of education achieved (Matric vs. Graduate). Both a subtest reduction method and an item reduction method will be considered to arrive at a short form. The subtest reduction method will be considered further in an attempt to clarify which subtests would be more or less appropriate to include in a short form considering group differences. Finally the thesis will develop suggestions as to which short forms would be best for use in South Africa.

This study, which formed part of a larger research project, investigated the effect of gender on test performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Third Edition (WAIS-III). The WAIS-III was administered to a sample of 68 participants in the Eastern Cape following the initiative of the Human Sciences Research Council to standardise the WAIS-III for a South African population. The participants, aged 19 to 30, were stratified according to language of origin (African or English First Language), educational attainment (matriculant or graduate), quality of education (Department of Education and Training or private/"Model C" school) and gender. Analyses of variance and two sample t tests were used to compare male and female test performance. For the total sample, no significant difference between males and females on Verbal, Performance and Full Scale IQ were found. On the factor indices, females scored marginally higher than males on Processing Speed at a level which was approaching significance (p = 0.105), but no significant differences were found. On subtest performance, females significantly outperformed males on Digit Symbol (p = 0.020). Differences which were approaching significance were found on Information (p = 0.133) in favour of males, and on Matrix Reasoning (p = 0.092) in favour of females. For subgroups of the total sample, the most significant differences in test performance were found for the African First Language private/"Model C" school cohort in favour of females. Thus the overriding implication that emerged from this research was that on this relatively highly educated sample, no significant gender differences in cognitive ability were apparent.

M.A. / The principal aim of the study was to determine whether or not certain aspects of emotional intelligence account for the difference between students' academic success or failure. Although an in-depth study of existing literature on the topic of academic prowess soon disclosed that all aspects of an individual's functioning play a part in his or her academic performance, a flaw was uncovered in this argument in terms of the link between the individual's ability to deal with emotional processes and his or her academic functioning. The present study could, therefore, be considered to be the springboard for theory-building regarding the link between aspects of emotional intelligence and academic performance. Various studies in the domain of emotions have been undertaken with a view to study the manner in which individuals evaluate, communicate and apply emotions in their bid to solve problems and to adapt to circumstances of life. Emotional intelligence can be viewed as a meta ability that co-determines the extent to which an individual develops his or her potential, acquires and hones skills (including his or her intellect) and achieves his or her objectives. The manner in which the individual processes emotional contents could, therefore, have a profound effect on all intra and interpersonal aspects of his or her functioning, including his or her academic performance. In addition, existing literature soon discloses the multidimensional nature of the concept academic success to be a complex interchange between cognitive and non-cognitive factors. The interdependency between a number of these factors often serves to complicate any attempt to study them, however, and oft-times results in inconsistent and even contradictory findings. In the present study, the part that the individual's way of coping with emotional contents plays in his or her academic performance is subjected to close scrutiny. The experimental group selected for the purposes of the present study comprised 133 students in the age group 18 to 23 enrolled for a course in Psychology 1 at the Rand Afrikaans University. The said experimental group was deemed to represent the population of Human Sciences students at this institution. Based on their final-marks for Psychology 1, these students were divided into two categories, namely students who achieved academic success and students who failed to achieve academic success. Following, both groups of students were subjected to the Emotional Intelligence Battery of tests. Hotelling's T2-test was then used to determine whether or not the mean vectors of the two groups differed from each other. The F-test was applied to determine whether or not the variances between the two independent groups were homogeneous. Student's t-test was used to determine whether or not there be a statistically significant difference between the two means in terms of the five sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery. A stepwise discriminant analysis was conducted to determine which of the five variables (viz. the Social Translations (CBT) sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence, the Hogan Empathy Scale (HIES), the Self—Control Schedule (SCS), the Neuroticism sub-scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), the total score of the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS)) to the greatest extent contributed towards the differences between the two criterion groups (viz. academically successful students; academically unsuccessful students). The results of Hotelling's T 2-test indicated that the Emotional Intelligence Battery did indeed differentiate between students who achieved academic success and those who failed to achieve academic success in the specified population. Statistically significant differences were found in the vectors of means of Group 1 (viz. students who achieved academic success) and Group 2 (viz. students who failed to achieve academic success) with respect to the five sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery taken together. Statistically significant differences were found between the means of the two groups in respect of both the Social Translations sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence and the Hogan Empathy Scale. No statistically significant differences were, however, uncovered between the means of the two groups in respect of the rest of the sub-scales of the Emotional Intelligence Battery. The results of the stepwise discriminant analysis indicated that the variables Test 1 (the Social Translations sub-scale of the Four Factor Tests of Social Intelligence) and Test 5 (the Adolescent Self-Concept Scale (ASCS)) contributed towards the discrimination between Group 1 (academically successful students) and Group 2 (academically unsuccessful students). All in all, 64.8% of the experimental subjects was correctly classified by the two variables. In the present study, research was only undertaken in respect of the link between certain aspects of emotional intelligence and academic success. The present study could, therefore, be deemed to constitude an exploratory study, as no other study has ever been undertaken in the domain of the processing of emotional content in academic success. It is recommended that future research subject academic performance to a multidimensional scrutiny, with emotional intelligence being one of the factors. Further, it is recommended that future research be undertaken to determine the skills and abilities of experimental subjects from different cultural backgrounds and of both sexes, and that a comparison be drawn between these subjects' abilities and skills and their emotional intelligence.

M.A. (Information & Knowledge Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

In South Africa, the issue of lack of black pilot skills is a most talked about topic in commercial airlines. Airlines need to find the right set of skills and attitude to operate safely and successfully. Airline safety remains a topic of discussion, therefore airlines need ensure robustness of their selection processes. There are many requirements that a person has to meet before s/he can be offered a first officer job at an airline. The majority of the pilots in South Africa are white males. The study aimed to determine if there are statistically significant differences in cognitive ability test results between Black and White applicants for pilot positions with a South Africa airline. The test battery included a verbal reasoning test, numerical reasoning test, visual thinking, abstract reasoning test, spatial reasoning test, short term memory test, monitoring ability test, hand-eye coordination, sense of orientation test, reactivity test, and a multi-tasking test. The data were extracted with permission from a database maintained on behalf of the airline by an online test provider and subjected to a statistical analysis using measures of central tendency, and spread, in order to report on the significance of the differences between the groups. There is strong evidence that the White group performed better than the Black group on the majority of the tests. It is recommended that further research is done in order to determine the causes of these differences. A comparative study of results on other airlines’ recruitment selection tests and an exploratory study of the impact of socio-economic factors, education quality and language on cognitive ability tests are recommended.