Magister Curationis / Background: A preceptor is defined as a specialized tutor who gives practical training to the student in the practice settings. Preceptors are frequently used to orientate nursing students to prepare them for their duties as professional nurses. In the Western Cape Province professional nurses attend a training programme to prepare them for the role of preceptor. Following the training it is unclear how the trained nurse preceptors' perceive their preparation for the role. The perceptions of preceptors may also influence their commitment to their role. Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the interrelationships among preceptors' perceptions of benefits and rewards of, support for and commitment to the role. A conceptual framework guided the study which replicated previous studies that explored nurse preceptors' perceptions. Research Methodology: A descriptive, correlational design was used in this study to address the research questions. A quantitative approach was used to establish the perceptions of nurse preceptors' benefits, support and commitment to the role. The convenience sample was drawn from the preceptors (n=60) who completed the preceptor training programme at the University of the Western Cape. Instrumentation for the study included the following scales: Preceptor's Perceptions of Benefits and Rewards Scale, the Preceptor's Perceptions of Support Scale and the Commitment to the Preceptor Role Scale. Data analysis was performed through SPSS 20.0 to produce both descriptive and inferential statistics and to establish the relationships between the variables. Results and Recommendations: Statistical significance was examined and correlation between variables were analysed. The findings indicated that nurse preceptors were committed to their role: the workload of nurse preceptors needs to be refined and in-service training should be given to the nursing staff in relation to the goals of the nurse preceptor in the clinical and education units. The findings of this study will add to what is known about preceptors' perceptions and may assist in guiding the evaluation of the preceptorship programme. In addition, the results may inform nurse managers about the perceived benefits, rewards and support required by preceptors, thus adding to the body of knowledge about clinical teaching and learning. Ethical Considerations: Ethical clearance was sought from the Ethics Committee of the University of the Western Cape and informed consent was obtained from the participants. iv

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / Transformations in education policy following the establishment of a democratic South Africa have resulted in a marked increase in first-generation students in the country’s higher education institutions. While broadening access to higher education certainly represents a positive shift, student success rates at South African higher education institutions are of great concern. The literature globally points to a wide range of challenges experienced by first-generation students that place them at risk of not completing their education. These include financial stress, poor social support, isolation and marginalisation, cultural adaptation challenges, and greater family and work responsibilities. There is, however, a significant gap in the South African literature pertaining to the challenges experienced by first-generation students.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Women living with HIV (WLHIV) desire to bear children. Safe conception (SC) education for informed decision-making to prevent peri-conception HIV infection is needed but not routinely available. Poor SC knowledge, attitude, skills in addition to the absence of a standardised training programme were challenges that limited delivery. This study therefore aimed at developing a training programme for healthcare workers to facilitate SC education among WLHIV. The study adopted the intervention research approach. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed.

The South African National Development Plan (NDP) (National Planning Commission, 2011, p. 1) provides the road map for a reformed public health system by 2030. The proposed health system will be facilitated by, amongst others, training an appropriate balance of healthcare professional s including a cadre of community health workers (CHWs) that have a broad skills mix suited to reaching a larger number of people with first level intervention. With this in mind, a pilot group of CHWs were up-skilled as Rehabilitation Care Worker s (RCWs). The training program was a joint project between the Division of Disability Studies and the Departments of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech and Language Therapy at UCT. Problem: Little is known about the perspectives of RCWs on the benefits and challenges of additional training in rehabilitation and disability related skills. Rationale: To inform the curriculum for a rehabilitation care worker (RCW) training program and the Western Cape Department of Health (WCDoH) of ways in which this cadre of worker could contribute to the realization of the 2030 Healthcare Plan. Aim: To describe the outcomes of a pilot RCW training program from the perspective of the pilot group of graduates. The objectives were to identify the areas of practice where RCWs feel competent/incompetent, to identify aspects of the health services where RCWs believe they can contribute the most/the least and to identify the facilitators/barriers they experienced when deployed in the health field. Methodology: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Method: Focus groups were carried out with three groups of six participants. Findings: The plot that permeated the participants’ perspectives revolved around how the RCWs were pioneers in breaking new ground for the Western Cape Department of Health (WCDoH). Two themes informed the plot: "we move health services to a new level" and "we manage change in new ways". Discussion: It is argued that the pilot RCW curriculum achieved its’ objective of equipping a cadre of worker with basic rehabilitation, care and disability inclusion skills. While the envisaged role of RCWs in the health service and in making the NDP a reality is supported, it is argued that attention needs to be given to supervision structures and to training of all other health workers in order to promote inter professional practice. Conclusions: The pilot group of RCWs believe that they have acquired a new and large variety of skills that have enabled them to make a broad and positive impact in their places of work, at home and in the broader community.

Yes / Assess feasibility, acceptability and costs of delivering a physically active lessons (PAL) training programme to secondary school teachers and explore preliminary effectiveness for reducing pupils' sedentary time. Secondary schools in East England; one school participated in a pre-post feasibility study, two in a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial. In the pilot trial, blinding to group assignment was not possible. Across studies, 321 randomly selected students (51% male; mean age: 12.9 years), 78 teachers (35% male) and 2 assistant head teachers enrolled; 296 (92%) students, 69 (88%) teachers and 2 assistant head teachers completed the studies. PAL training was delivered to teachers over two after-school sessions. Teachers were made aware of how to integrate movement into lessons; strategies included students collecting data from the environment for class activities and completing activities posted on classroom walls, instead of sitting at desks. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to assess feasibility and acceptability of PAL training and delivery. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and ~8 weeks post-training; measures included accelerometer-assessed activity, self-reported well-being and observations of time-on-task. Process evaluation was conducted at follow-up. In the feasibility study, teachers reported good acceptability of PAL training and mixed experiences of delivering PAL. In the pilot study, teachers' acceptability of training was lower and teachers identified aspects of the training in need of review, including the outdoor PAL training and learning challenge of PAL strategies. In both studies, students and assistant head teachers reported good acceptability of the intervention. Preliminary effectiveness for reducing students' sedentary time was not demonstrated in either study. No evidence of preliminary effectiveness on the primary outcome and mixed reports of teachers' acceptability of PAL training suggest the need to review the training. The results do not support continuation of research with the current intervention. ISRCTN38409550.

Title: Effect of training on the development condition in Allkampf-jitsu. Objectives: The main objective is to design and evaluate a training program teaching selected techniques in Allkampf-jitsu, which would have a selected group for a period of time to increase the level of physical fitness. Methods: The experiment was carried out by direct and participant observation of two test groups (each group consisted of approximately 15 subjects studied). It was used method of testing and measurement. In this work it was found using the test method level motor ability and motor skills. To determine the physical fitness tests were used selected from the test battery SPFT (Specific Physical Fitness Test). Results: The aim of this work was to design and evaluate a training program for advanced in Allkampf-jitsu, which should at selected experimental group for a period of time to increase physical fitness. The level of physical fitness is verified using the test battery SPFT. For statistically significant (significant) result was considered such a result, when the p value was less than 0.05 (5% probability). For the statistical evaluation, we used paired t-test for dependent data. From the final results showed that the proposed training program is effective in developing high-speed capability. The...

Background/Aims: Understanding predictors, moderators and mediators of child externalising behaviour problems could lead to improvements in engagement and outcomes for children and their families. Parental cognitions, including self-efficacy and attributions, have been proposed as mediators in the relationship between parenting and child behaviour problems. Although mediation is increasingly recognised as an effective way of examining relationships between variables, only a small proportion of studies that identify potential mediators actually conduct a mediation analysis. This thesis consists of two studies: a systematic review (Journal Article 1) and an empirical study (Journal Article 2). The systematic review investigated the ways in which mediation analysis has been used to examine the role of parental cognitions in studies of child behavioural problems, and to assess the methodological quality of these studies. The empirical study investigated the role of parental cognitions and characteristics in relation to pre-school child externalising behaviour problems. Methods: In Journal Article 1, a systematic search of three electronic databases, a quality assessment of included studies, and a subsequent narrative synthesis were conducted. In Journal Article 2, 125 parents of children aged 3-6 years old attending a community-based parent management training programme, across three local authorities, completed a battery of self-report questionnaires before and after the intervention. Correlational and mediation analyses were conducted to investigate relationships between child behaviour and parental attachment style, metacognition, dysfunctional attributions and parental stress. We also tested the possibility that parents' reported levels of stress and child behaviour problems, and their demographic variables, played a role in whether they completed the intervention. Results: In Journal Article 1, after screening, 14 studies were reviewed using an adapted quality criteria tool. The most commonly studied parental cognition was parental self-efficacy, with a small number of studies investigating parental attributions. A variety of approaches to mediation analysis had been used and caution should be exercised when interpreting the results of many of the reviewed studies. Despite a growing recognition of the limitations of some traditional methods (e.g. causal steps approach), research into mediators of child externalising behaviour could be improved by a wider adoption of more appropriate tools, in line appropriate theoretical frameworks. In Journal Article 2, as hypothesised, the results indicated significant relationships between parents' attachment insecurity and baseline levels of parental stress, parental attributions and child behaviour problems. Support was found for the hypothesis that parental attributions mediated the relationship between attachment insecurity and child externalising behaviour problems. We did not find significant that any demographic variables other than parent age predicted whether parents completed the programme. Conclusions: Taken together, the two studies provide evidence of a complex relationship between parental factors, particularly parental cognitions, and externalising child behaviour problems. The systematic review found some evidence that parental cognitions mediate how aspects of parenting (e.g. behaviour and affect) and child externalising behaviour problems are associated, and the empirical study also showed that parental attributions are important in relation to child behaviour problems. Of particular interest was the finding that they mediate the relationship between child behaviour problems and attachment insecurity. However, to advance the field both theoretically and clinically, future studies should endeavour to ensure adequate sample size and power, using optimal study designs, in conjunction with strong theoretical grounding. Exploring cognitive mediators beyond self-efficacy, such as parental attributions, will allow us to further develop our understanding of the relationship between child behaviour and parenting.

The economic growth in the tourism industry is changing the structure of labour markets, increasing the level of competitiveness and thereby creating a need for improved labour productivity and a more flexible workforce. Education and the creation of employment are among the key priorities of the South African government. This process can be successful only if companies raise performance and productivity standards through the enhancement and development of skills. To succeed in the rebuilding process, it is imperative that the various stakeholders interact to establish the composition of the relevant skills and qualifications required. Consequently, the growth of job opportunities in the tourism sector has uncovered various challenges, including gaps in the areas of education, training and development. These gaps have resulted in low levels of productivity and are currently creating unsatisfied expectations for students and job providers. Hence, it is a priority of government to develop quality Learnerships and Internships in South Africa to improve skills and the qualifications of the tourism workforce. Employers are increasingly conscious of the value for money from their investments in training and are demanding that training be more deliberately aligned with the strategic needs of their organisations. However, the tourism industry is still complaining that learners are not adequately prepared for the workplace and the learners believe that they have sufficient knowledge to meet the needs of the industry. The purpose of this research was to analyse the skills expectations of learners versus employers: the case of the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport SETA (CATHSSETA). To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: to analyse literature concerning human resource management with the main focus falling on training, to contextualise the current tourism education environment in South Africa, to compare the differences in skills expectations between learners and employers in the tourism industry and, lastly, to draw conclusions and make recommendations regarding the skills expectations in tourism education. This was achieved by conducting quantitative research by means of a structured questionnaire that was distributed to 202 employers and 1023 learners on the CATHSSETA database. The questionnaires were linked and captured on an online program named SurveyMonkey. The application of SPSS, descriptive statistics, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, ANOVA and t-tests resulted in indicating various significant differences between skills expected by employers and skills presented by learners. These statistical analysis methods were used to demonstrate the gaps between the skills expectation of the role players. It was surprising to find that significant differences existed for most skills with the biggest gaps on self-reliance and people skills. The employers’ survey reflected that a priority for employers is customer orientation and learners’ willingness to learn. In all instances, employers expected learners to be better skilled than was the actual case. The results suggest that the learners are unable to adhere to the current demands of the industry. It was also found that learners rated their own skills much higher than the perception of employers. The results of this study can be used to assist CATHSSETA in improving their current training programmes to ensure they meet the needs of the broader tourism industry. It can also be used as a guideline for any training institution for improving the current tourism training programmes. This will contribute to the overall quality and sustainability of the tourism industry. / Thesis (MCom (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The economic growth in the tourism industry is changing the structure of labour markets, increasing the level of competitiveness and thereby creating a need for improved labour productivity and a more flexible workforce. Education and the creation of employment are among the key priorities of the South African government. This process can be successful only if companies raise performance and productivity standards through the enhancement and development of skills. To succeed in the rebuilding process, it is imperative that the various stakeholders interact to establish the composition of the relevant skills and qualifications required. Consequently, the growth of job opportunities in the tourism sector has uncovered various challenges, including gaps in the areas of education, training and development. These gaps have resulted in low levels of productivity and are currently creating unsatisfied expectations for students and job providers. Hence, it is a priority of government to develop quality Learnerships and Internships in South Africa to improve skills and the qualifications of the tourism workforce. Employers are increasingly conscious of the value for money from their investments in training and are demanding that training be more deliberately aligned with the strategic needs of their organisations. However, the tourism industry is still complaining that learners are not adequately prepared for the workplace and the learners believe that they have sufficient knowledge to meet the needs of the industry. The purpose of this research was to analyse the skills expectations of learners versus employers: the case of the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport SETA (CATHSSETA). To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: to analyse literature concerning human resource management with the main focus falling on training, to contextualise the current tourism education environment in South Africa, to compare the differences in skills expectations between learners and employers in the tourism industry and, lastly, to draw conclusions and make recommendations regarding the skills expectations in tourism education. This was achieved by conducting quantitative research by means of a structured questionnaire that was distributed to 202 employers and 1023 learners on the CATHSSETA database. The questionnaires were linked and captured on an online program named SurveyMonkey. The application of SPSS, descriptive statistics, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, ANOVA and t-tests resulted in indicating various significant differences between skills expected by employers and skills presented by learners. These statistical analysis methods were used to demonstrate the gaps between the skills expectation of the role players. It was surprising to find that significant differences existed for most skills with the biggest gaps on self-reliance and people skills. The employers’ survey reflected that a priority for employers is customer orientation and learners’ willingness to learn. In all instances, employers expected learners to be better skilled than was the actual case. The results suggest that the learners are unable to adhere to the current demands of the industry. It was also found that learners rated their own skills much higher than the perception of employers. The results of this study can be used to assist CATHSSETA in improving their current training programmes to ensure they meet the needs of the broader tourism industry. It can also be used as a guideline for any training institution for improving the current tourism training programmes. This will contribute to the overall quality and sustainability of the tourism industry. / Thesis (MCom (Tourism Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.