Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the light of the political dispensation and the subsequent changes in Education, it has become imperative to offer every learner the best possible opportunities with regard to the curriculum. This would imply that every learner has to be equipped with skills and values which would enable him / her to enter the Labour market with confidence in order to realise his / her potential and to become a useful member of society. It should also be kept in mind that learners would be able to exit from the schooling system at an earlier stage, as education is compulsory only to the level of grade nine. This presupposes that learners will have to receive information on different types of school, subject choices and further training as early as grade seven. Research also proves that interest is the most important factor in the choice of a career. Previously, the Kodus was the only standardised measuring instrument used to determine fields of interest of learners in grade seven, and it was only standardised in relation to white learners. The need for a measuring instrument, which will include all race groups (white, black and coloured) seems to be a pressing one at the moment. The purpose of the investigation was to standardise the MB-IOon learners in grade seven. In the process, special attention had to be devoted to cross-cultural factors, gender, interest in different occupations as well as the permanence and stability of this interest. The investigation was conducted in two phases. Firstly, 710 learners from 10 different schools (urban / rural) were tested. Afterward, English and Afrikaans glossary were compiled to accommodate black learners whose mother tongue was not English, and to make provision for regional variants of Afrikaans. Secondly, an experimental group, consisting of 1923 learners from 26 schools (urban / rural), was tested; during this process the new glossary were used. The results of the experimental group were then processed statistically. From the investigation the following become evident: • an analysis of the fields and items indicates that there are 14 items in four fields with an unacceptably low reliability - an inspection of content indicated that this could be attributed mainly to a lack of knowledge of the meanings of words, poor word comprehension, a lack of exposure and the general unfamiliarity of the activity. • that there are no significant differences in the ten fields of interest between white, coloured and black learners; such differences do, however, exist between the sexes. • That an investigation of validity confirmed that the MB-lO indeed measures levels of interest. On the basis of the result of the investigation and statistical analysis, the compilation of separate norms for boys and girls in grade seven went ahead. According to Meyer (1998) it is not desirable to change a questionnaire which is generally reliable, as it will not necessarily lead to an improvement. In the light of this we recommend that the MB-lO be used unmodified for grade sevens, as well as the glossary. In the case of the 14 "problem items", learners must be referred back to the glossary specifically in order to check the meanings of words. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die lig van die nuwe staatkundige bedeling en gepaardgaande veranderings op onderwysgebied, het dit noodsaaklik geword om elke leerder die beste moontlike geleenthede tot die kurrikulum te bied. Dit impliseer dat elke leerder sodanig met kennis, vaardighede en waardes toegerus moet word om tot die wêreld van werk te kan toetree ten einde 'n nuttige landsburger te word. Hiermee saam moet ook in gedagte gehou word dat leerders die skoolsisteem vroeër kan verlaat deurdat hulle verpligte onderwys slegs tot graad nege salontvang. Dit bring mee dat leerders alreeds ten minste in graad sewe leiding moet ontvang in terme van skooltipe, vakkeuses en verdere opleiding. Navorsing het ook bevind dat belangstelling die belangrikste faktor by beroepskeuse is. Voorheen was die Kodus die enigste gestandaardiseerde meetmiddel om graad sewe leerders se belangstelling te meet, maar dit was net op die wit leerders gestandaardiseer. Die noodsaak aan 'n meetmiddel wat al die rasgroepe (wit, bruin, swart) sou insluit, blyk 'n groot behoefte te wees. Die doel van die onderhawige ondersoek was om die MB-lOop graad sewe leerders te standaardiseer. In die proses moes daar deeglik met veral die kruiskulturele aspekte soos taal, die verskille tussen die geslagte, die permanentheid en stabiliteit van die belangstelling en die ouderdom van die jong leerders rekening gehou word. Die ondersoek is tweeledig uitgevoer. Eerstens is 710 leerders by 10 skole (stad I platteland) getoets waarna 'n Afrikaanse woordelys sowel as 'n Engelse woordelys saamgestel is om veral swart leerders te akkommodeer wie se moedertaal nie Engels is nie asook om vir streeksvariante in Afrikaans voorsiening te maak. Tweedens is 'n eksperimentele groep, bestaande uit 1923 leerders by 26 skole (stad I platteland), getoets waartydens van die woordelyste soos uit die loodsondersoek saamgestel, gebruik gemaak is. Hierdie eksperimentele groep se resultate is toe statisties verwerk. Uit die ondersoek blyk die volgende: • 'n ontleding van die velde en items toon dat daar 14 items in vier velde is waarvan die betroubaarheid onaanvaarbaar laag is - 'n inhoudelike inspeksie het aangetoon dat dit hoofsaaklik aan gebrek aan woordbetekenis, swak woordbegrip, gebrek aan blootstelling en onbekendheid met die aktiwiteit toegeskryfkan word • dat daar nie beduidende verskille op die tien belangstellingsvelde tussen die rasse wat hulle belangstelling betref bestaan nie, maar dat daar slegs verskille tussen geslagte bestaan • dat die geldigheidsondersoek bevestig dat die MB-lO inderdaad belangstelling meet. Op grond van die ondersoek se resultate is toe voortgegaan om gesamentlike norms vir seuns (wit, bruin, swart) asook vir meisies (wit, bruin, swart) op te stel. Volgens Meyer (1998) is dit nie wenslik om 'n vraelys wat in die geheel betroubaar is, te verander nie omdat dit nie noodwendig tot 'n verbetering lei nie. In hierdie lig beskou, word daar aanbeveel dat die MB-lO onveranderd vir graad sewes saam met die woordelyste wat toegevoeg is, gebruik word. By die betrokke 14 "probleemitems" moet die leerders ook pertinent na die woordelys terug verwys word om die woordbetekenisse na te gaan.

This problem involved a study of relationships between vocational preferences and certain selected variables of ninth grade students in a junior high school in a large city school district. The selected variables were intelligence, socio-economic status or parental occupational level, school achievement, participation in school activities, only or non-only child status, parental vocational aspirations for the child, educational level of parent or guardian, and family cohesiveness.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in college aptitude test scores, academic achievement, personality test scores, extra-curricular activities, age and class in school of (1) a group of men students who are undecided about their vocational choice or who have made as many as two changes while in college and (2) another group of men students who have made no changes in vocational choice since high school or who have made no more than one change in college. / Typescript. / "August, 1950." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Advisor: Stewart Murray, Major Professor. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 42).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-131).

Thesis (M.Ed.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 302-313.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 124-136.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong. / Mimeographed.

This research aimed to investigate whether or not intellectual styles are value-laden and if they are malleable. This aim was achieved through understanding the types of intellectual styles that teachers and students prefer each other to use in the teaching-learning process. It was further achieved by examining whether or not teaching styles affect students’ learning styles and their career interests. This research employed a mixture of experimental and longitudinal designs as well as a combination of quantitative and qualitative procedures. It was composed of one pilot study and three main studies. The pilot study was intended to evaluate the two inventories (the Preferred Thinking Styles in Learning Inventory, PTSLI, and the Preferred Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory, PTSTI) used in the first study. The purpose of Study One was to identify teachers’ preferences for students’ learning styles and students’ preferences for teachers’ teaching styles. A total of 226 teachers and 268 students participated in Study One. A series of data analyses revealed that the PTSLI and the PTSTI were applicable to Chinese secondary school teachers and students. The pilot study and Study One consistently revealed that teachers and students preferred each other to use Type I styles in learning and teaching, respectively. These findings also indicated that styles are value-laden. Study Two was an experimental study to examine the impact of teaching styles on students’ learning styles and on their career interests. A total of seven teachers and 464 students participated in the control group, whereas the experimental group was composed of six teachers and 219 students. Classroom instruction was implemented in each participating teacher’s school for one semester (6 months). A pre-test and post-test were conducted before and after the classroom instruction. Students’ learning styles were measured by the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II in both tests. At the time of post-test, students also completed the Self-Directed Search that assessed their career interests. In a series of repeated-measures MANOVA, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and paired t-tests conducted in Study Two, changes in students’ learning styles in both the control and the experimental groups were identified. Students in the experimental group demonstrated a trend towards Type I learning styles, whereas students in the control group increased their use of Type II learning styles after the instruction period. Furthermore, teachers’ teaching styles had a direct impact on students’ development of particular types of career interests. Students in the experimental group developed a wider range of career interests than students in the control group. Study Three was a qualitative study conducted among 16 students to explore how and why their learning styles underwent changes. Findings from Studies Two and Three supported the contention that styles are malleable. Results demonstrated that students in the control group showed more features of using Type II learning styles, whereas students in the experimental group gradually increased their use of Type I learning styles after the instruction period. Contributions and implications of the findings are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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