This project investigated the views of 49 university undergraduate students regarding the phenomenon of bullying in three distinct settings: their memories of compulsory education (primary and secondary), their personal workplace experience (or workplace study placement), and their life at one post-1992 university. The research design used 'active interviews' comprised of phases of interviewing individually and in groups, in which progressively deeper layers of interrogation sought to question their initial constructions of bullying. The study addressed two main research questions: how did students construct the concept of bullying in different contexts or settings, and how did the students explain differences in these constructions. The findings indicated that participants tended to view school-based bullying as being precipitated by within-person traits and personalities, but workplace bullying was thought to be driven by organisational structure or institutional ethos. Bullying at university was more difficult for them to discuss as most claimed little or no experience, directly or indirectly, of bullying while in higher education. As the study progressed, the participants expressed their understanding of bullying firstly through stereotyped and clichéd terms, but became much more critical and analytical when they were presented again with some of the contradictions and anomalies inherent in their earlier descriptions and explanations. Another important contribution to knowledge is the finding that participants viewed the higher education context as having several features that were protective against bullying behaviour, reducing their experience of bullying in HE to almost nil. These features: porosity, value of the learner to the institution, and voluntarism, were shown to hold important implications for understanding bullying in organisations or institutions; they develop and extend existing models found in adjacent fields of study.

This study investigated whether a predictive tool developed by authors in the United States (Konvalina, Stephens and Wileman) could be used with University students in Australia (in particular the Australian Capital Territory) to predict their success in first year University computing courses. It also investigated the effect of demographic and past academic factors in conjunction with, and instead of the predictive test. The study examined differences in performance between male/female students, English as a Second Language (ESL)/non-ESL students and full-time/part-time students. It also examined the effect of all the above factors on the continuing success of students in the course. While significant differences in first-time performance were found between ESL and non- ESL students, no differences were found between the other pairings. No differences were found between any of the groups in the continuing success in the course. The KSW Test, while being an indicator of first year success, was not a strong enough model to be able to be used as a predictive tool. The demographic and previous academic data from students recently at High School, in particular, the Tertiary Entrance Score, level of mathematics studied, and previous computing study, were found to be more useful as an indicator of success in fust year, explaining 53% of the variation in h a 1 unit score. In addition, 67% of the variation in continuing success in their course was also explained by the Tertiary Entrance Score, ASAT verbal and ASAT quantitative scores.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Mississippi State University. Department of Counselor Education. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.

This study is a qualitative review to identify factors impacting on the management of student development and support at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in a developing country. For the purpose of the study student development and support includes all developmental and supportive services and interventions for rural and urban students within an institution of higher learning, regardless of the current structuring of the functions. The study first contextualises the scenario of a developing country in terms of the socio-economic, political, higher education, labour and other factors that set the scene for student development and support and then continues with a systematic exposition of factors that have direct relevance and impact on the future of student development and support. A systematic investigation of NMMU by means of interviews with student affairs professionals make it possible to identify factors that have direct relevance and impact on the future management and provision of student development and support. The result of the study is a construction of the specific factors identified on the international, national and institutional levels as well as the intricate relationships between rural and urban students. This research provides a potential framework for future management and provision of strategic focus areas for student development and support functions within NMMU and higher education in a developing country to ensure that it effectively positions the function within higher education as a key component of the core agenda.