The transition period from student nurses to professional nurses has been acknowledged as being very stressful, particularly in the military health service due to the dual transition. The phase is marked as final year nursing students try to consolidate the experience and knowledge gained during their four year training period with clinical decision making and problem solving skills being applied in the work environment. The students require support and guidance to effect a successful transition from being a student to being a professional nurse. The transition of students in the military health setting might be experienced differently due to the context that is vastly different from the other health care settings (Moore, 2006:541). The aim of the research was to explore the experiences of role transition of final year nursing students, particularly their preparedness to take up the role of a professional nurse in the military health setting in order to assist managers and educators to support and facilitate this professional adjustment appropriately. A qualitative, descriptive, contextual design was employed for the study and followed a three-phase approach. Phase one comprised a qualitative approach, where semi-structured and focus group interviews were conducted to gather the data. Nurse managers, nurse educators, final year nursing students and novice professional nurses formed part of the population for the study. Creswell’s method of data analysis was employed in analysing the data. The second phase dealt with the integrative review of literature on the transition of final year nursing students into professional nurses. Data extracted from the guidelines formed themes that were triangulated to form phase three of the study. Lastly, a best practice guideline was developed to facilitate the transition period of final year nursing students to professional nurses. Principles of trustworthiness were adhered to, participants were treated in a fair manner and confidential information was not divulged without the consent of the participants. Participants were asked to take part voluntarily and without coercion. Ethical approval was requested to give consent for the study to be undertaken and ethical principles were adhered to throughout the study. Findings were then disseminated after the conclusion of the study.

The study sought to investigate the perceptions of TVET students regarding vocational education and its relation to the labour market. It hoped to illuminate connections or disconnections between vocational education and employment. The research emanated from the prevailing view that TVET education by its very nature is work-oriented and therefore those who enroll in TVET colleges are able to find employment. Furthermore, that conceptually the TVET curriculum was and continues to be regarded as skills-based for labour market demands thereby enhancing national competiveness and economic growth. Qualitative questionnaires, which are open-ended in nature, were used to gather facts about students’ beliefs and experiences regarding certain engineering programmes and services offered at TVET colleges. Non-probability sampling was used to select one hundred and thirteen (113) participants who voluntarily completed qualitative questionnaires, which were structured to elicit the required information, and the results reveal divergent views shared by students. There are those who feel very strongly that a TVET qualification, in engineering in particular, leads to employment due to its demand and the fact that the institution generally assists students through the placement unit makes it even easier to find employment. Other students firmly believed that whatever qualifications one attained, the world of work cannot accommodate them, as they do not have work experience. They felt this was unfair because they are unable to find employment without being properly monitored and trained by the very same industry that hopes to employ them in the near future. They argue that the only problem pertaining to unemployment is job scarcity, rather than skills scarcity. The research is framed within the human capital theory. Research findings reveal the fact that there is no link between vocational education and the labour market and as a result employment is not easy. There are personal skills required but they are not available in our educational curriculum, which focuses on educational aspirations. The research further posits five distinct but necessary interventions that students are suggesting in order to increase their lack of experience in the job market.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine how the current hospitality management curriculum at The International Hotel School contributes to students’ preparedness from their own perspectives. Generic and curriculum specific skills that can be used for curriculum evaluation were identified, a framework of curriculum variables to rate the level of student preparedness was developed, the effectiveness of the hospitality management curriculum from the perspectives of students’ perceptions of preparedness was analysed, and the aspects that contribute most to student preparedness were identified through a literature study and an empirical investigation. The findings were summarised and it was recommended that The International Hotel School needs to review the hotel and restaurant accounting course and the experiential learning components. Furthermore, lecturers of The International Hotel School should receive training on the implementation of more interactive course content delivery methods. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

This study explored both the relationship between coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory) and psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and also whether individuals from different gender and employment status groups (part-time work experience versus no work experience) differ significantly regarding their coping resources and psychological career resources. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to analyse the data which was obtained from a purposive non-probability sample of N = 197 early career unemployed, black graduates. The results showed significant positive associations between psychological career resources and coping resources. It also emerged that the male and female participants differed significantly with regard to their emotional, spiritual and physical coping resources and the psychological career resources of career harmonisers and career drivers. In addition, it was found that those participants who had part-time work experience displayed a significantly higher need for career venturing and also manifested higher behavioural adaptability than those who had no work experience. Recommendations for future research and practice were made. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This research focuses on the relationship between self-esteem, graduateness skills and attributes and career adaptability among young adults in the school-to-work transition phase to assist them in dealing with the transitions they are faced with during the school-to-work transition phase in the hopes of making them more career adaptable and employable. A cross-sectional quantitative research approach was followed, and a non-probability convenience sample (N = 332) of undergraduate black (98.5%) and female (62%) young emerging adults (18 to 29 years) at a Further Education and Training (FET) college in South Africa participated in the study. A canonical correlation analysis indicated a significant overall relationship between the graduateness/self-esteem canonical variate and the career adaptability canonical variate. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the relationship between graduateness skills and attributes and career adaptability was moderated by self-esteem. Tests for mean differences revealed that males and females differed significantly regarding their personal self-esteem and lie items. Recommendations are suggested for use by human resource professionals in terms of career development practices. / Human Resource Management / M. Com. (Human Resource Management)

The primary purpose of this study was to determine how the current hospitality management curriculum at The International Hotel School contributes to students’ preparedness from their own perspectives. Generic and curriculum specific skills that can be used for curriculum evaluation were identified, a framework of curriculum variables to rate the level of student preparedness was developed, the effectiveness of the hospitality management curriculum from the perspectives of students’ perceptions of preparedness was analysed, and the aspects that contribute most to student preparedness were identified through a literature study and an empirical investigation. The findings were summarised and it was recommended that The International Hotel School needs to review the hotel and restaurant accounting course and the experiential learning components. Furthermore, lecturers of The International Hotel School should receive training on the implementation of more interactive course content delivery methods. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

This study explored both the relationship between coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory) and psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory) and also whether individuals from different gender and employment status groups (part-time work experience versus no work experience) differ significantly regarding their coping resources and psychological career resources. A cross-sectional survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to analyse the data which was obtained from a purposive non-probability sample of N = 197 early career unemployed, black graduates. The results showed significant positive associations between psychological career resources and coping resources. It also emerged that the male and female participants differed significantly with regard to their emotional, spiritual and physical coping resources and the psychological career resources of career harmonisers and career drivers. In addition, it was found that those participants who had part-time work experience displayed a significantly higher need for career venturing and also manifested higher behavioural adaptability than those who had no work experience. Recommendations for future research and practice were made. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Text in English with abstracts in English and isiZulu / This qualitative study set out to discover the lived experiences of South African transgender individuals within the liminal space of having been confirmed for gender affirming surgery, yet who have not completed their surgery. The aim included seeking out how participants’ wellbeing was affected by being within this liminal space. Six participants were recruited in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. Thematic analysis was used to derive themes from the transcripts. Themes included coming out; relationships; wellbeing; misgendering/misnaming; support; public and private medical care; and liminality. Recommendations for future studies are included, and recommendations on interventions and support are discussed. / Lolu cwaningo lohlobo lwekhethelo lenzelwe ukuthola noma ukubheka izinselelo zabantu abafuna ukushintsha ubulili babo baseNingizimu Afrika ababhekana nazo uma basohlelweni lokuyohlinzwa ngoDokotela ukuze bakhone ukushintsha ubulili babo. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo ukubheka ngqo kubantu abayihambile lena ndima ukuthi bahlukumezeka kanjani ngesikhathi basohlelweni lokuthi bashintshe ubulili babo. Abantu abayisithupha abazibandakanye nalolu cwaningo batholakale eGoli, ePitoli kanye naseKapa. Kusetshenziswe ucwaningo olubheka indikimba ukuze kutholwe izihloko ezivele embalweni osuselwe enkulumeni eqoshiweyo. Izihloko ezivelayo yilezi, ubudlelwano; impilo; ukubizwa ngobulili ongasibona/ukubizwa ngegama okungasilona elakho; ukwesekwa; usizo lwezibhedlela zikahulumeni nezibhedlela ezizimele; kanye nokuba sesimeni sokushintsha ubulili. Izincomo zocwaningo oluzayo zifakiwe nazo, kuphindwe kwakhulunywa noma kwabhekwa ukuthi kungangenelelwa kanjani ngosizo. / M.A. (Clinical Psychology) / Psychology