Meaningfulness as satisfaction of autonomy, compe-tence, relatedness, and beneficence: Comparing the four satisfactions and positive affect as predictors of meaning in life.
Martela, F., Ryan, R. M., & Steger, M. F.
Journal of Happiness Studies
Abstract
Positive affect (PA) has consistently been shown to predict meaning in life (MIL). In one of the first investigations to examine multiple predictors of MIL simultaneously, we tested in three studies the hypothesis that satisfactions associated with being benevolent and fulfilling psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are more central predictors of MIL, and could explain the correlation between PA and MIL. Study 1, a cross-sectional survey, regressed the four suggested factors and PA simultaneously on MIL, showing that all four emerged as independent predictors, whereas PA and MIL were no longer connected. Study 2 looked at recollections of meaningful situations, showing that all four satisfactions and PA emerged as independent predictors of situational meaning. Study 3 used a diary method to show that daily fluctuations in autonomy, competence, relatedness, beneficence, and PA all simultaneously and independently predicted daily sense of meaning. However, a brief longitudinal study showed that whereas combined satisfaction of autonomy, competence, relatedness, and beneficence at T1 predicted general sense of MIL at T2, PA did not. Together, these studies show that the four satisfactions consistently emerge as independent predictors of both general and short-term meaning, in some situations even accounting for the relation between PA and general MIL.
Journal article
Emotional abuse of girls in Swaziland: Prevalence, perpetrators, risk and protective factors and health outcomes.
Meinck, F, Fry, D, Ginindza, C, Wazny, K, Elizade, A, Spreckelsen, T, Maternowska, MC & Dunne, M.
Journal of Global Health Vol 7, Issue 1, Pages 1-12
Abstract
Research on emotional child abuse in sub–Saharan Africa is scarce. Few studies thus far have examined prevalence, risk and protective factors for emotional child abuse or the associations between emotional abuse and girls’ health. A nationally representative two–stage, cluster–sampled, household survey of females aged 13–24 years (n = 1244) on childhood abuse victimisation was conducted. Participants completed interviewer–assisted questionnaires. Associations between emotional abuse and putative risk, and protective factors and health outcomes were analyzed using separate logistic regression models accounting for sampling design. Marginal effects of cumulative risk factors for emotional abuse victimisation were examined. Lifetime prevalence of emotional abuse was 28.5% with 58.3% of these girls reporting many abusive incidents. The most common perpetrators were female (27.8%) and male (16.7%) relatives and, more rarely, biological parents. Risk factors associated with emotional abuse were frequent caregiver changes (odds ratio (OR) 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.970, poverty (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.12–2.03), physical abuse (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.45–2.71) and sexual abuse (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.57–3.10) victimisation. Being close to one’s mother was a protective factor (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80–0.97). Risk for emotional abuse increased from 13% with no risk factors present to 58.4% –with all four risk factors present. Health outcomes associated with emotional child abuse were suicidal ideation (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.30–2.63) and feeling depressed (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.31–2.71). Girls in Swaziland experience high levels of emotional abuse victimisation. Emotional abuse is associated with economic disadvantage, family factors, other types of abuse victimisation and poor mental health. Therefore, a holistic approach to prevention is needed, incorporating poverty reduction and programmes to improve parent–child relationships, reduce the use of harsh criticism, and change parenting social norms.
Journal article
The resilience of child protection social workers: are they at risk and if so, how do they adjust? A systematic meta-synthesis.
Truter, E., Fouché, A., & Theron, L
British Journal of Social Work Vol 47, Pages 846–863
Abstract
Globally, social workers protect, among others, children who are in need of care and protection. Child protection social workers protect children by means of statutory intervention. Concomitant professional risks threaten child protection social workers’ well-being and competence, resulting in sub-standard services, attrition and calls for child protection social worker resilience. Promoting child protection social worker resilience requires a deep understanding of child protection social worker risk and resilience. Given the scarcity of studies focused on child protection social worker risk and resilience around the globe, we aimed to ascertain how well child protection social worker risk and resilience are understood. We thus undertook a systematic metasynthesis of fourteen qualitative studies on child protection social worker risk and resilience. This meta-synthesis demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of child protection social worker risk in minority-world countries, but not in majority-world countries. It also demonstrates an inadequate understanding of child protection social worker resilience worldwide.
Journal article
Sense of place; using people's experiences in relation to a rural landscape to inform spatial planning guidelines.
Puren, K., Roos, V., Coetzee, H.
International Planning Studies
Abstract
This paper explores the interplay between people and a distinctive rural locality namely Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site, South Africa to inform spatial planning guidelines. A transdisciplinary, qualitative research methodology was followed. First, participants’ experiences in relation to the rural landscape were obtained using photographs, interviews and focus groups. Experiences related to physical and emotional safety, relaxation and tranquillity, hope and curiosity, and relational experiences with people and a divinity emerged. Drawing on these interactional experiences, participants (divided into multidisciplinary groups) made visual collages of how to maintain the sense of place. Guidelines developed included two-dimensional site planning guidelines: (i) a sense of arrival; (ii) development zones; (iii) conservation zones; (iv) compatible land uses; (v) a low density, spatially dispersed development pattern and (vi) footpaths. Three-dimensional design guidelines included: (i) unity in style with a diversity of detail designs; (ii) restricted buildings sizes; (iii) building heights of maximum two storeys; (iv) specified building materials and (v) prescribed colour codes. The paper contributes to existing sense of place research by proposing an integrated, contextual and participatory approach as a possible way forward to make the sense(s) of place explicit by integrating these in spatial planning guidelines.
Journal article
Sex in the shadow of HIV: A systematic review of prevalence, risk factors, and interventions to reduce sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents and youth in sub-Saharan Africa.
Toska, E., Pantelic, M., Meinck, F., Keck, K., Haghighat, R., & Cluver, L.
Plos One Vol 12, Issue 6, Pages e0178106
Abstract
Evidence on sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents and youth in sub-Saharan Africa is urgently needed. This systematic review synthesizes the extant research on prevalence, factors associated with, and interventions to reduce sexual risk-taking among HIV positive adolescents and youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies were located through electronic databases, grey literature, reference harvesting, and contact with researchers. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Quantitative studies that reported on HIV-positive participants (10±24 year olds), included data on at least one of eight outcomes (early sexual debut, inconsistent condom use, older partner, transactional sex, multiple sexual partners, sex while intoxicated, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy), and were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa were included. Two authors piloted all processes, screened studies, extracted data independently, and resolved any discrepancies. Due to variance in reported rates and factors associated with sexual risk-taking, meta-analyses were not conducted. 610 potentially relevant titles/abstracts resulted in the full text review of 251 records. Forty-two records (n = 35 studies) reported one or multiple sexual practices for 13,536 HIV-positive adolescents/youth from 13 sub-Saharan African countries. Seventeen cross-sectional studies reported on individual, relationship, family, structural, and HIV-related factors associated with sexual risk-taking. However, the majority of the findings were inconsistent across studies, and most studies scored <50% in the quality checklist. Living with a partner, living alone, gender-based violence, food insecurity, and employment were correlated with increased sexual risk-taking, while knowledge of own HIV-positive status and accessing HIV support groups were associated with reduced sexual risk-taking. Of the four intervention studies (three RCTs), three evaluated group-based interventions, and one evaluated an individual-focused combination intervention. Three of the interventions were effective at reducing sexual risk-taking, with one reporting no difference between the intervention and control groups. Sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents and youth is high, with inconclusive evidence on potential determinants. Few known studies test secondary HIV-prevention interventions for HIV-positive youth. Effective and feasible low-cost interventions to reduce risk are urgently needed for this group.
Journal article
A systematic review of Bayesian papers in psychology: The last 25 years.
Van de Schoot, R., Winter, S., Yran, O., Zondervan-Zwijnenburg, M., & Depaoli, S.
Psychological Methods Vol 22, Issue 2, Pages 217-239
Abstract
Although the statistical tools most often used by researchers in the field of psychology over the last 25 years are based on frequentist statistics, it is often claimed that the alternative Bayesian approach to statistics is gaining in popularity. In the current article, we investigated this claim by performing the very first systematic review of Bayesian psychological articles published between 1990 and 2015 (n _ 1,579). We aim to provide a thorough presentation of the role Bayesian statistics plays in psychology. This historical assessment allows us to identify trends and see how Bayesian methods have been integrated into psychological research in the context of different statistical frameworks (e.g., hypothesis testing, cognitive models, IRT, SEM, etc.). We also describe take-home messages and provide “big-picture” recommendations to the field as Bayesian statistics becomes more popular. Our review indicated that Bayesian statistics is used in a variety of contexts across subfields of psychology and related disciplines. There are many different reasons why one might choose to use Bayes (e.g., the use of priors, estimating otherwise intractable models, modeling uncertainty, etc.). We found in this review that the use of Bayes has increased and broadened in the sense that this methodology can be used in a flexible manner to tackle many different forms of questions. We hope this presentation opens the door for a larger discussion regarding the current state of Bayesian statistics, as well as future trends.
Journal article
Improving transparency and replication in Bayesian statistics: The WAMBS-checklist.
Depaoli, S., & Van de Schoot, R.
Psychological Methods Vol 22, Issue 2, Pages 240–261
Abstract
Bayesian statistical methods are slowly creeping into all fields of science and are becoming ever more popular in applied research. Although it is very attractive to use Bayesian statistics, our personal experience has led us to believe that naively applying Bayesian methods can be dangerous for at least 3 main reasons: the potential influence of priors, misinterpretation of Bayesian features and results, and improper reporting of Bayesian results. To deal with these 3 points of potential danger, we have developed a succinct checklist: the WAMBS-checklist (When to worry and how to Avoid the Misuse of Bayesian Statistics). The purpose of the questionnaire is to describe 10 main points that should be thoroughly checked when applying Bayesian analysis. We provide an account of “when to worry” for each of these issues related to: (a) issues to check before estimating the model, (b) issues to check after estimating the model but before interpreting results, (c) understanding the influence of priors, and (d) actions to take after interpreting results. To accompany these key points of concern, we will present diagnostic tools that can be used in conjunction with the development and assessment of a Bayesian model. We also include examples of how to interpret results when “problems” in estimation arise, as well as syntax and instructions for implementation. Our aim is to stress the importance of openness and transparency of all aspects of Bayesian estimation, and it is our hope that the WAMBS questionnaire can aid in this process.
Journal article
Parents’ posttraumatic stress after burns in their school-aged child: A prospective study.
Egberts, M. R., Van de Schoot, R., Geenen, R., & Van Loey, N. E. E.
Health Psychology Vol 36, Issue 5, Pages 419-428
Abstract
This prospective study examined the course and potential predictors of parents’ posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after burn injury in their child (Age 8 to 18 years). One hundred eleven mothers and 91 fathers, representing 118 children, participated in the study. Within the first month after the burn event and subsequently at 3, 12, and 18 months postburn, both parents completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Parental emotions related to the burn event and appraisal of threat to the child’s life were assessed, which were investigated in a multilevel regression model. Within the first month postburn, 48% of the mothers and 26% of the fathers reported clinically significant PTSS (IES _26), which decreased to, respectively, 19% and 4% 18 months postburn. Symptoms of intrusion were mainly individually experienced, whereas parents within a couple were more similar in terms of their avoidance symptoms. The perceived life threat and feelings of guilt and anger linked to the burn event were significantly related to parental PTSS, especially in mothers. The results indicate that a burn event to a child has a severe (acute) psychological impact on parents and that clinical levels of PTSS may persist in a subgroup of parents. The findings underline the need to incorporate parent support in burn care, especially for mothers with a strong emotional response during the first months after the burn event.
Journal article
Antecedents of basic psychological need satisfaction of pharmacy students: The role of peers, family, lecturers and workload.
Basson, M.J. & Rothmann, S.
Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy Vol http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.sapharm.2017.04.015
Abstract
Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a model to improve pharmacy students' wellbeing or functioning in their study context. According to SDT, students need a context that satisfies their needs for autonomy, relatedness and competence in order to function optimally. Contextual factors that could have an impact on a student's functioning are lecturers, family, peers and workload. To investigate whether there is a difference between the contributions family, lecturers, peers and workload make towards the satisfaction of pharmacy students' basic psychological needs within a university context. An electronic survey was administered amongst students registered with the North-West University's School of Pharmacy. Registered pharmacy students, 779, completed said electronic survey comprised of a questionnaire on demographics, BMPN (Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs) and self-developed ANPNS (Antecedents of Psychological Need-satisfaction Scale). Data derived from the afore-going was analysed with the aid of structural equation modelling (SEM). Structural equation modelling explained 46%, 25% and 30% respectively of the total group's variances in autonomy, competence and relatedness satisfaction, and 26% of the variance in psychological need frustration. Peers and family played a significant role in the satisfaction of students' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence, whilst workload seemingly hampered satisfaction with regards to relatedness and autonomy. Workload contributed towards frustration with regards to psychological need satisfaction. The role played by lecturers in satisfying pharmacy students' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence will also be highlighted. This study added to the body of knowledge regarding contextual factors and the impact those factors have on pharmacy students' need satisfaction by illustrating that not all factors (family, lecturers, peers and workload) can be considered equal. Lecturers ought to recognise the important role family and peers play in the emotional and mental wellbeing of students and utilise those factors in their teaching.
Journal article
Do online privacy concerns predict selfie behavior among adolescents and adults?
Dhir, A., Torsheim, T., Pallesen, S., Andreassen, C.S.
Frontiers in Psychology Vol 8, Pages 815
Abstract
Selfies, or self-portraits, are often taken and shared on social media for online self-presentation reasons, which are considered essential for the psychosocial development and well-being of people in today’s culture. Despite the growing popularity and widespread sharing of selfies in the online space, little is known about how privacy concerns moderate selfie behavior. In addition to this, it is also not known whether privacy concerns across age and gender groups influence selfie behavior. To address this timely issue, a survey assessing common selfie behaviors, that is, frequency of taking (individual and group selfies), editing (cropping and filtering), and posting selfies online, and social media privacy concerns (over personal data being accessed and misused by third parties) was conducted. The web-survey was administered to 3,763 Norwegian social media users, ranging from 13 to 50 years, with a preponderance of women (n = 2,509, 66.7%). The present study investigated the impact of privacy concerns on selfie behaviors across gender and age groups (adolescent, young adult, and adult) by use of the structural equation modeling approach. The results suggest that young adults have greater privacy concerns compared to adolescents and adults. Females have greater privacy concerns than males. Greater privacy concerns among female social media users were linked to lower engagement in selfie behavior, but privacy concerns did not influence selfie behavior in the case of male adolescents and young adults. Overall, privacy concerns were more consistently and inversely related to selfie behavior (taking and posting) among females than males. The study results have theoretical as well as practical implications for both researchers and policy makers.
Journal article
“A boy, being a victim, nobody really buys that, you know?”: Dynamics of sexual violence against boys.
Von Hohendorff, J., Habigzangb, L.F., Koller, S.H
Child Abuse and Neglect Vol 70, Pages 53-64
Abstract
The aim of this study was to present the dynamics of sexual violence against boys. Interviews were conducted with four male victims of sexual abuse between the ages of six and 10, as well as four psychologists employed in the health care system and involved in the treatment of sexually abused boys. Results were examined using thematic content analysis, based on six deductively identified themes corresponding to the following stages of sexual violence against children and adolescents: preparation, episodes, silencing, narratives, repression and overcoming. The results suggested that proximity between victims and offenders, who were mostly adolescent boys, was a facilitator of abuse. The interviews also revealed that victims faced significant levels of disbelief and discrimination. Lastly, the findings pointed to the importance of protective actions and of the system itself, though all practitioners perceived the latter as flawed and unprepared to handle cases involving sexually abused boys. These findings underscore the social invisibility of sexual violence against boys, due to the low number of referrals as well as the disbelief and discrimination, which permeates the management of these cases.
Journal article
The experiences of African Roman Catholic Church seminarians
Juma, J.O., Van der Merwe, K., & Du Toit, D.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies Vol 73, Issue 3, Pages 4151. https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v73i3.4151
Abstract
This qualitative study describes and interprets the lived experiences of African Roman Catholic Church seminarians (priests-in-training). The interpretive lens employed was world view, a conceptual tool extensively used in African-centred psychology. Sixteen African seminarians (age range 21–31 years) were purposely selected and interviewed in depth. Additional sources of data were reflexive notes and observation notes. Data were subjected to various iterative cycles of analysis. Participants described their difficulty in adjusting in the seminaries where teaching and living predominantly reflects a Western world view. They evidenced cognitive dissonance, emotional discomfort and feelings of marginalisation. The findings point to the importance of acknowledging the world views and cultural heritage of seminarians in their training.
Journal article
Person-environment fit, flourishing and intention to leave in universities of technology in South Africa
Janse van Rensburg, C., Rothmann, S., & Diedericks, E.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 43(0), a1422. https://doi. org/10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1422
Abstract
Retaining staff is vital to ensure that universities accomplish their missions. To optimise the potential of staff members and retain staff, it is necessary to study their flourishing and fit in their jobs and organisations. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between person-environment fit, flourishing at work and intention to leave. Research is needed to validate a measure of flourishing at work. Outcome variables such as intention to leave have not been studied in relation to flourishing at work. Moreover, it is necessary to study antecedents of flourishing at work, such as person-environment fit. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample of 339 academic employees from three universities of technology in South Africa. Three perceived fit scales, the Flourishing-at-Work Scale (FAWS) and the Turnover Intention Scale were administered. Findings supported a three-factor model of flourishing at work, consisting of emotional, psychological and social well-being. The highest mean frequencies on flourishing dimensions were obtained for competence and emotional engagement. The lowest mean frequencies were obtained for relatedness and social well-being. Person-environment fit predicted intention to leave, both directly and indirectly, via flourishing. The findings support the internal consistency and validity of the FAWS. Managers and human resource practitioners should consider the use of a multidimensional measure to assess flourishing at work. Considering certain dimensions of well-being at work (e.g. work engagement and competence of employees) without considering other dimensions (e.g. job satisfaction, affect balance and meaning at work) will not be sufficient to assess and promote the subjective well-being of employees. This study contributes to knowledge regarding the reliability and validity of a measure of flourishing at work. It confirms that person-environment fit has a strong positive effect on flourishing of employees and a strong negative effect on their intentions to leave.
Journal article
Engagement of employees in a research organisation: A relational perspective
Asiwe, D., Rothmann, S., Jorgensen, L., & Hill, C.
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences Vol 20, Issue 1, Pages a1534. https://doi. org/10.4102/sajems.v20i1.1534
Abstract
Increasing work engagement in a sustainable way remains a challenge despite years of research on the topic. Relationships at work are vital to foster engagement or disengagement. While the relational model by Kahn and Heaphy is conceptually appealing to explain work engagement, it lacks empirical support. The aims of this study were to investigate the associations among relational factors, psychological conditions (psychological meaningfulness, availability and safety) and work engagement and to test a structural model of work engagement. Setting: A total of 443 individuals in an agricultural research organisation participated in a cross-sectional study. Four scales that measured relational factors, the Psychological Conditions Scale and the Work Engagement Scale were administered. Latent variable modelling was used to test the measurement and structural models. The results confirmed a structural model in which relational facets of job design contributed to psychological meaningfulness. Emotional exhaustion (inverse) and co-worker relationships contributed to psychological availability. Supervisor relationships contributed to psychological safety. Psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability contributed to work engagement, while emotional exhaustion contributed to disengagement. Conclusion: The relational context is an important target for intervention to affect the psychological conditions which precede work engagement. To promote work engagement, it is vital to focus on psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability and emotional exhaustion.
Journal article
Associations between adolescent experiences of violence in Malawi and gender-based attitudes, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors.
Ameli, V., Meinck, F., Munthali, A., Ushie, B., & Langhaug, L.
Child Abuse and Neglect Vol 67, Pages 305-314
Abstract
Little is known about adolescent exposure to and factors associated with violence in Malawi. The aim of this research was to describe the prevalence of exposure to violence among adolescents in Malawi, and test the hypotheses that such exposures are associated with gender-based violent attitudes, and with internalizing and externalizing problems. In 2014, 561 primary school pupils were interviewed (50% girls), and logistic regression analysis was performed on gender-stratified data, adjusting for sociodemographic differences. Both girls and boys had witnessed domestic violence (28.5% & 29.6%), experienced emotional abuse at home (23.1% & 22.9%), physical abuse at home (28.1% & 30.4%), physical abuse at school (42.4% & 36.4%), and been bullied (33.8% & 39.6%). Among girls, internalized violent attitudes towards women were associated with emotional abuse at home (OR 2.1) and physical abuse at school (OR 1.7). Condoning rape was associated with physical abuse at school (OR 1.9). Bullying perpetration was associated with emotional abuse at home (OR 4.5). Depression was associated with emotional abuse at home (OR 3.8) and physical abuse at school (OR 2.4). Among boys, violent attitudes towards women and condoning rape were not associated with violence exposure. Bullying perpetration was associated with having been a victim of bullying (OR 2.9) and physical abuse at school (OR 2.7). Depression was associated with emotional abuse at home (OR 2.9), domestic violence (OR 2.4) and physical abuse at school (OR 2.5). These findings can inform programs designed to reduce violence victimization among Malawian girls, both in homes and schools.
Journal article
Disclosure of physical, emotional and sexual child abuse, help-seeking and access to abuse response services in two South African Provinces
Meinck, F., Cluver, L., Loening-Voysey, H., Bray, R., Doubt, J., Casale, M., & Sherr, L.
Psychology, Health & Medicine Vol 22, Pages 94-106
Abstract
Physical, emotional and sexual child abuse are major problems in South Africa. This study investigates whether children know about post-abuse services, if they disclose and seek services, and what the outcomes of help-seeking behaviour are. It examines factors associated with request and receipt of services. Confidential selfreport questionnaires were completed by adolescents aged 10–17 (n = 3515) in South Africa. Prevalence of frequent (>weekly) physical abuse was 7.4%, frequent emotional abuse 12.4%, and lifetime contact sexual abuse 9.0%. 98.6% could name one suitable confidante or formal service for abuse disclosure, but only 20.0% of abuse victims disclosed. Of those, 72% received help. Most common confidantes were caregivers and teachers. Of all abuse victims, 85.6% did not receive help due to non-disclosure or inactivity of services, and 14.4% received help: 4.9% from formal health or social services and 7.1% through community vigilante action. Emotional abuse, sexual abuse and female gender were associated with higher odds of help-seeking. While children in South Africa showed high knowledge of available services, access to and receipt of formal services among abused children was low. Notably fewer children received help from formal services than through community vigilante action. Urgent action is needed to improve service access for child abuse victims.
Journal article
Fostering self-regulated learning: From clinical to whole class interventions.
Hessels-Schlatter, C., Hessels, M.G.P., Godin, H., & Spillmann-Rojas, H.
Educational and Child Psychology Vol 34, Issue 1, Pages 110-125
Abstract
We describe the theoretical model underlying our interventions in metacognition and self-regulated learning (SRL). Our studies are the only ones in which all SRL components are trained in various learning domains and transfer between these domains is explicitly addressed, and that use both offline and online measures to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Pre-experimental and quasi-experimental studies in regular classes were conducted. Offline and online measures were used to evaluate the effects of the interventions. Self-regulated learning can be enhanced in students with learning difficulties and intellectual disabilities, as well as in typically developing students. Improved SR behaviours are accompanied by improved academic performance. Typical problems associated with data collecting using questionnaires (offline) were encountered. On the other hand, online measures require an important investment of resources. Therefore, the number of participants was limited in the observational studies, which makes generalisation more difficult. Furthermore, it must be acknowledged that quasi-experimental studies are difficult to realise in a natural context. Interventions based on metacognition and self-regulated learning can be effectively implemented in various natural settings. The results of our first series of studies are very positive, but more studies with control groups and delayed post-test to assess maintenance of the learned skills are needed.
Journal article
Antecedents and outcomes of meaningful work among school teachers.
Fouche, E., Rothmann, S., & Van de Vyver, C.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 43(0), a1398. https://doi. org/10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1398
Abstract
Quality education is dependent on the well-being, engagement, performance and retention of teachers. Meaningful work might affect these employee and organisational outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate antecedents and outcomes of meaningful work among school teachers. Meaningful work underpins people’s motivation and affects their well-being and job satisfaction. Furthermore, it is a significant pathway to healthy and authentic organisations. However, a research gap exists regarding the effects of different antecedents and outcomes of meaningful work. Across-sectional survey was used with a convenience sample of 513 teachers. The Work-Life Questionnaire, Revised Job Diagnostic Survey, Co- worker Relations Scale, Work and Meaning Inventory, Personal Resources Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Turnover Intention Scale and a measure of self-rated performance were administered. A calling orientation, job design and co-worker relations were associated with meaningful work. A low calling orientation and poor co-worker relationships predicted burnout. A calling orientation, a well-designed job, good co-worker relationships and meaningful work predicted work engagement. Job design was moderately associated with self-ratings of performance. The absence of a calling orientation predicted teachers’ intention to leave the organisation. Educational managers should consider implementing interventions to affect teachers’ calling orientation (through job crafting), perceptions of the nature of their jobs (by allowing autonomy) and co-worker relations (through teambuilding) to promote perceptions of meaningful work. Promoting perceptions of meaningful work might contribute to lower burnout, higher work engagement, better self-ratings of performance and retention of teachers. This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding the effects of three antecedents, namely a calling orientation, job design and co-worker relationships on meaningful work. It also contributed to knowledge about the effects of meaningful work on employee and organisational outcomes.
Journal article
Adolescent perceptions of resilience-promoting resources: The South African pathways to resilience study.
Van Rensburg, A., Theron, L., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Psychology
Abstract
Resilience, or being well-adjusted despite facing adversity that predicts negative life outcomes, is a process that is scaffolded by resilience-enabling supports. How well resilience-enabling resources support positive adjustment depends, in part, on adolescents’ perceptions of the availability and usefulness of such resources. Currently, there is limited quantitative, generalisable evidence of the aforementioned. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to document how two groups of Sesotho-speaking adolescents perceived available social-ecological resources and how significantly varied perceptions related to these adolescents’ use of formal supports. The advisory panel to the Pathways to Resilience Study clustered participating adolescents into a resilient group (n = 221) and vulnerable, or service-using, group (n = 186). In comparison with the service-using adolescents, resilient
adolescents reported significantly higher perceptions of physical and psychological caregiving. Analyses of variance revealed that higher perceptions of caregiving were associated with higher voluntary and lower mandatory service usage. We concluded that relationship-building was a crucial resilience mechanism and would, therefore, encourage psychologists to both prioritise and facilitate caregiving.
Journal article
Intergenerational care perceptions of older women and middle adolescents in a resource-constrained community in South Africa.
Roos, V., Silvestre, S., & De Jager, T.
Journal of Gerontological Social Work
Abstract
This study describes intergenerational care perceptions in a resource-challenged community. Ten women (aged 60+) and eight middle adolescents (3 boys and 5 girls) participated in the Mmogo-method®, a visual data-collection method. Textual data were analysed thematically, and visual data by applying Roos and Redelinghuys (2016) proposed steps. Both groups provided physical and instrumental care to the other. Older women cared for adolescents by teaching and disciplining them, while the adolescents cared for them by obtaining an education and by showing respect. Older women felt being cared for when adolescents helped them, obeyed and complied with instructions and discipline, while the youngsters expressed it when their basic needs were addressed and school attendance was enabled. Older women’s expressions of caring about were vague, while the younger people detected, act and elicited reactions from the elders. The adopted care approach informed care perceptions. Joint intergenerational activities are proposed to discover care currencies and contributions of generational members.
Journal article
Understanding the relationship between intensity and gratifications of Facebook use among adolescents and young adults
Dhir, A. & Tsai, C.
Telematics and Informatics Vol 34, Pages 350-364
Abstract
Facebook is a well-known computer-mediated communication platform considered popular among adolescents and young adults. New media scholars have coined the term ‘‘intensity of Facebook use” (IFU) for the concept that measures the emotional and affective attitude towards Facebook use among young people. IFU is an important service use concept that has been positively linked with the different psychosocial outcomes of student well-being. However, only a limited amount of the prior literature has investigated the relationship between IFU and different Facebook uses and gratifications (U&G). The existing literature suggests inconsistent findings with a sole emphasis on young adults. To address these gaps, the present study has investigated the differential role of different Facebook U&G among adolescents and young adults in predicting IFU. A total of three cross-sectional data sets (N = 373, 107, 105) represented adolescents and university attending young-adult Facebook users. The study results suggest that process U&G do and content U&G do not play any significant role in predicting IFU. Adolescents and young adults differ in their sought Facebook U&G. In addition to this, cultural differences were observed in the sought Facebook U&G and their differential role in predicting IFU.
Journal article
No strangers to adversity: Resilience-promoting practices among South African women child protection social workers
Truter, E., Theron, L.C., & Fouché, A.
Qualitative Social Work
Abstract
Globally the well-being of child protection social workers (CPSWs) is placed at risk by the taxing nature of their profession. In response, there have been international calls for the prioritization of CPSWs’ resilience. Despite the call to enhance the resilience of CPSWs, to date, only five research studies have explored resilience processes in CPSWs. In this article, we present findings that describe resilience-enhancing practices in the lives of 15 South African CPSWs who were considered resilient. They were recruited by means of snowball sampling and engaged in in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that the overall well-being and functioning of these 15 South African CPSWs are endangered by several occupational risk factors including work pressure, inadequate professional support, financial strain, challenges unique to CPSW such as removal of children and exposure to aggressive clients, and emotional exhaustion. Their resilience was informed by four differently weighted but interrelated resilience practices: practice and purpose-informing creeds, support systems, constructive transactions, and accentuating the positive. These practices are potentially useful to contribute to the body of knowledge on CPSWs’ resilience as well as to the development of resilience-enhancing guidelines and subsequent intervention programmes with the purpose of protecting CPSWs globally and contributing to efficient service delivery. However, given the dynamic nature of resilience, continued explorations of CPSW resilience processes in different cultural contexts are needed.
Journal article
Gaming is related to enhanced working memory performance and task-related cortical activity.
Moisala, M., Salmelaa, V., Hietajärvib, L., Carlson, S., Vuontelae, V., Lonka, K., Hakkarainena, K., Salmela-Arog, K., & Alho, K. (2017).
Brain Research Vol 1655, Pages 204-215.
Abstract
Gaming experience has been suggested to lead to performance enhancements in a wide variety of working memory tasks. Previous studies have, however, mostly focused on adult expert gamers and have not included measurements of both behavioral performance and brain activity. In the current study, 167 adolescents and young adults (aged 13–24 years) with different amounts of gaming experience performed an n-back working memory task with vowels, with the sensory modality of the vowel stream switching between audition and vision at random intervals. We studied the relationship between self-reported daily gaming activity, working memory (n-back) task performance and related brain activity measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The results revealed that the extent of daily gaming activity was related to enhancements in both performance accuracy and speed during the most demanding (2-back) level of the working memory task. This improved working memory performance was accompanied by enhanced recruitment of a fronto-parietal cortical network, especially the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In contrast, during the less demanding (1-back) level of the task, gaming was associated with decreased activity in the same cortical regions. Our results suggest that a greater degree of daily gaming experience is associated with better working memory functioning and task difficulty-dependent modulation in fronto-parietal brain activity already in adolescence and even when nonexpert gamers are studied. The direction of causality within this association cannot be inferred with certainty due to the correlational nature of the current study.
Journal article
The impact of contact on students’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities.
Schwab, S.
Research in Developmental Disabilities Vol 60, Pages 160-165
Abstract
This study aimed to understand the relationship between contact with peers with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and students’ attitudes towards their peers with SEN, by examining the inter-group contact theory in regular and inclusive classes. A total of 463 students in 8th grade, with a mean age of 14.42 years, from 25 secondary school classes in Styria(Austria) completed a self-report questionnaire regarding their contact with peers with SEN and their attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Contact was indicated by nominations for joint activities and examined in inclusive and regular classes. The German short version of the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes towards Children with Handicaps scale (CATCH; Schwab, 2015b; Rosenbaum et al., 1986) was used to measure students’ attitudes towards peers with learning disabilities and emotional disorders. Students with SEN are less frequently nominated by their peers for joint activities, such as working together on a school project. Students from inclusive and regular classes did not differ in their attitudes towards peers with SEN. However, those students who nominated at least one peer with SEN for a joint activity had more positive attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Freely choosing contact with a peer with SEN was associated with more positive attitudes towards disability while simply attending the same class may have no effect or even a negative impact on students’ attitudes.
Journal article
Pathways to flourishing of athletes: The role of team and individual strength use.
Stander, F. W., Rothmann, S., & Botha, E.
South African Journal of Psychology Vol 47, Issue 1, Pages 23-34
Abstract
Information is needed regarding the antecedents and outcomes of flourishing, particularly in sports contexts, where the study of this optimal well-being state has remained largely unexplored. This study examined the role of strength use to facilitate flourishing, enhance team embeddedness, and counter withdrawal behaviour of athletes. It further investigated the role of flourishing to retain athletes to their sport and teams and examined the role of team embeddedness in this relationship. A cross-sectional research design was utilised with structural equation modelling to assess model fit and examine postulated relationships. The sample comprised 235 student athletes. The results suggested that team strength use predicts flourishing. It further revealed positive paths to team embeddedness from both individual and team strength use. Flourishing was also positively related to team embeddedness. Lastly, a negative association was found between team embeddedness and withdrawal behaviour among the athletes.
Journal article
A strengths-based group intervention for women who experienced childhood sexual abuse.
Walker-Williams, H.J., & Fouché, A.
Research on Social Work Practice Vol 27, Issue 2, Pages 194-205
Abstract
This study evaluated the benefits of a ‘‘survivor to thriver’’ strengths-based group intervention program to facilitate posttraumatic growth in women survivors of child sexual abuse. A quasi-experimental, onegroup, pretest, posttest, time-delay design was employed using qualitative methods to evaluate the benefits of the intervention with 10 purposively selected women with a history of child sexual abuse. Six group sessions were conducted as well as a delayed follow-up session. Qualitative data were collected using drawings, narratives, and transcriptions. Qualitative thematic content data analysis portrayed enabling processes of PTG such as emotional awareness, decisive action, posttrauma identity, and a healing group context. These themes suggest growth outcomes. However, a longitudinal study is recommended to establish efficacy and to inform practice with replicable interventions.
Journal article
The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose and significance.
Martela, F., & Steger, M. F.
Journal of Positive Psychology Vol 11, Pages 531-545
Abstract
Despite growing interest in meaning in life, many have voiced their concern over the conceptual refinement of the construct itself. Researchers seem to have two main ways to understand what meaning in life means: coherence and purpose, with a third way, significance, gaining increasing attention. Coherence means a sense of comprehensibility and one’s life making sense. Purpose means a sense of core goals, aims, and direction in life. Significance is about a sense of life’s inherent value and having a life worth living. Although some researchers have already noted this trichotomy, the present article provides the first comprehensible theoretical overview that aims to define and pinpoint the differences and connections between these three facets of meaning. By arguing that the time is ripe to move from indiscriminate understanding of meaning into looking at these three facets separately, the article points toward a new future for research on meaning in life.
Journal article
Supportive college environment for meaning-searching and meaning in life among American college students.
Shin, J. Y., & Steger, M. F.
Journal of College Student Development Vol 57, Issue 1, Pages 18-31
Abstract
We examined whether American college students who perceive their college environment as supportive for their meaning searching report higher levels of meaning in life. We also examined whether students’ perception of college environmental support for meaning searching moderates the relation between the presence of and search for meaning. Students’ perception of college environmental support for meaning searching significantly predicted their presence of meaning in life above and beyond the variance accounted for by searching for meaning and life satisfaction. The relation between the presence of and search for meaning differed by the levels of students’ perception of college environmental support for meaning searching. For students with a lower sense of college environmental support for meaning searching, the presence of meaning decreased as searching for meaning increased. In contrast, for students with a higher sense of support, the presence of meaning increased as searching for meaning increased. The findings suggest that a supportive college environment for meaning searching may promote American college students’ sense of meaning by buffering the potential negative effect of searching for meaning.
Journal article
Do educational affordances and gratifications drive intensive Facebook use among adolescents?
Dhir, A., Khalil, A., Lonka, K., & Tsai, C.
Computers in Human Behavior Vol 68, Pages 40-50
Abstract
Adolescents are active users of Facebook and are spending an increasing amount of their daily time on its use. Several recent studies have advocated the need to integrate Facebook use into our existing educational practices. However, at the same time, scholars and educators are wary of the fact that intensive Facebook use (IFU) may not translate into educational uses, learning outcomes and academic well-being. IFU represents an important service use concept that evaluates any user's emotional attachment, connectivity and integration with Facebook use. To address this gap, the present study investigated the role of different Facebook U&G and educational affordances in predicting the IFU among adolescents. A cross-sectional study with 942 adolescent Facebook users from India was conducted. The study results suggest that content U&G did not, while process, technology and social U&G did, play significant roles in predicting IFU. In comparison to Facebook U&G, different educational affordances, namely perceptions of Facebook use in Mathematics, Science and English education, perceptions of its formal use in classrooms and academic information seeking and sharing, did not significantly predict IFU. The study concludes with various theoretical and practical implications for scholars, educational solution developers, pedagogical experts as well as education policy makers.
Journal article
Do psychosocial attributes of well-being drive intensive Facebook use?
Dhir, A., Kaur, P., Lonka, K., & Tsai, C.
Computers in Human Behavior Vol 68, Pages 520-527
Abstract
Prior extensive literature on Social Networking Sites (SNSs) has linked their use with psychosocial wellbeing. Facebook use has also been associated with different attributes of psychosocial well-being. However, the extant literature is inconclusive regarding the nature of the relationship shared by the different attributes of psychosocial well-being and Intensity of Facebook Use (IFU). Furthermore, the prior literature has also revealed inconsistent findings concerning this relationship. To address this gap, this study investigated the significant role of different attributes of psychosocial well-being associated with Facebook use, namely civic-political participation, satisfaction of life, bridging and bonding of social capital, and online sociability on IFU. A total of four cross-sectional surveys were undertaken with adolescent and young-adult Facebook users from India over a period of one year. The results suggest that online sociability was the strongest, and life satisfaction was a non-significant predictor of IFU of both adolescents and young adults across all four studies. The bonding and bridging of social capital was a significant predictor of the IFU of high social economic condition (SES) adolescents, unlike young adults. Furthermore, bridging was, but bonding of social capital was not, a significant predictor of the IFU of low SES adolescents.
Journal article
Employee engagement. In L.G. Oades, M.F. Steger, A. Delle Fave, & J. Passmore (Eds.).
Rothmann, S.
The Wiley Blackwell handbook of the psychology of positivity and strengths-based approaches at work. Pages 317-341. Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley.
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of the research regarding employee engagement. First, employee engagement is conceptualized and current knowledge regarding the measurement and prevalence thereof is reported. Second, an overview of the theories and models which explain employee engagement is given. Third, drivers and outcomes of employee engagement are identified. Finally, future research regarding employee engagement is discussed.
Journal article
Positive employment relations: A qualitative meta-synthesis of the evidence.
Smith, S., & Diedericks, E.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 26, Issue 6, Pages 527-534
Abstract
This study utilises a qualitative meta-synthesis approach to scope the evidence on qualities that define positive employment relations. The selection criteria included the identification of emerging themes, concepts and commonalities comprising positive employment relations throughout literature. Findings suggest that 21 core constructs comprised and affected positive employment relations on individual, team and organisational levels. Of the 21 constructs, only six key constructs are positive workplace relations resources: trust, respect, support, communication, equity and equality, and conflict management. Optimal functioning and flourishing of individuals result in an optimally thriving organisation, and, to ensure flourishing individuals and teams, an organisation should attend to and improve the quality of relationships within the work context.
Journal article
Mindfulness and psychological well-being among Black South African university students and their relatives.
Nell, H.W.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 26, Pages 485-490
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between mindfulness and psychological well-being in a convenience sample of black South African students (n = 203) and their parents and other relatives (n = 204) (66.1% = female; age range 18–73). The students self-reported on their mindfulness on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and psychological well-being on the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Adult Trait Hope Scale and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. A multivariate regression model was specified and analysed via structural equation modelling in Mplus 7.3. Results revealed that mindfulness scores strongly predicted elevated levels of meaning and positive affect, and lowered levels of negative effect, and were moderately strong predictors of life satisfaction and hope. The findings imply that mindfulness likely plays an important role in relation to the psychological well-being of cross-generational African culture community members.
Journal article
Conceptualising the professional identity of industrial/organisational psychologists within the South African context.
Van Zyl, L.E., Nel, E., Stander, M.W., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 42, Issue 1
Abstract
Lack in congruence amongst industrial and organisational psychologists (IOPs) as to the conceptualisation of its profession poses a significant risk as to the relevance, longevity and professional identity of the profession within the South African context. This study aimed to explore the professional identity of IOPs within the South African context. Specifically, the aim of this study was four-fold: (1) to develop a contemporary definition for IOP, (2) to investigate IOP roles, (3) to determine how the profession should be labelled and (4) to differentiate IOP from human resource management (HRM) from IOPs’ perspectives within South Africa. IOPs do not enjoy the same benefits in stature or status as other professions such as medicine, finances and engineering in the world of work. IOPs need to justify its relevance within organisational contexts as a globally shared understanding of ‘what it is’, ‘what it does’ and ‘what makes it different from other professions’, which is non-existent. In order to enhance its perceived relevance, clarity as to IOPs professional identity is needed. A post-positivistic qualitative content analytic and descriptive research design was employed in this study. Data from practising industrial and organisational psychology (IOP) within South Africa (N = 151) were gathered through an electronic web-based survey and were analysed through thematic content analysis. The results indicate that IOP in South Africa seeks to optimise the potential of individuals, groups, organisations and the community by implementing scientific processes to support both individual and organisational wellness and sustainability. ‘Work Psychology’ was considered a more fitting professional designation or label than industrial and/or organisational psychology. The industrial psychologist’s major roles related to the well-being and development of employees. A clear distinction between a more dynamic, pro-active approach of IOP compared to a more transactional approach of HRM was also evident. IOP within South Africa appears to have a community development function. The longevity, relevance and impact of IOP as a profession requires alignment amongst practitioners as to shared common professional identity. This study provides a contemporary understanding of the roles, functions, labels and unique value proposition of industrial and organisational psychology within the South African context.
Journal article
A group intervention programme for adults survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Fouché, A. & Walker-Williams, H. J.
Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk Vol 52, Issue 4, Pages 524-529
Abstract
This study reports on the core components of the Survivor to Thriver strengths-based group intervention programme for women who experienced childhood sexual abuse. It advocates a balanced approach and draws on an eclectic mix of theories, and has been field tested with two groups of women. An exposition of the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings, a description of the context, the role of the expert companion, outcomes and activities of the programme, evaluation methods and standard of care is provided. Finally, critical reflections on the intervention are discussed as well as limitations and the way forward.
Journal article
Towards a culturally- and contextually-sensitive understanding of resilience: Privileging the voices of black, South African young people.
Theron, L.
Journal of Adolescent Research Vol 31, Issue 6, Pages 635-670
Abstract
Extant theories of resilience, or the process of adjusting well to adversity, privilege the voices of minority-world young people. Consequently, the resilience of marginalized, majority-world youth is imperfectly understood, and majority-world social ecologies struggle to facilitate resilience in ways that respect the insights of majority-world youth and their cultural and contextual positioning. Accordingly, this article makes audible, as it were, the voices of 181 rural, Black, South African adolescents with the purpose of explicating which resilience-supporting processes characterize their positive adjustment to disadvantaged life-worlds, and how contextual and cultural realities shape such processes. Deductive and inductive analyses of a narrative and visual data set, generated in the qualitative phase of an explanatory mixed-methods study, revealed that universally occurring resilience-supporting mechanisms inform positive adjustment. Importantly, which mechanisms these youth prioritized, and the form these mechanisms take, are shaped by contextual realities of absent men and commonplace suffering, and a cultural reality of strong women, human and spiritual care, and valorization of education. Attention to these adolescents’ voices not only prompts specific, culturally and contextually relevant leverage points for resilience but also reinforces the importance of attending to young people’s preferred pathways of resilience in order to understand and champion resilience in socially just ways.
Journal article
Underpinnings of user participation in service provider-hosted online communities.
Kaur, P.
Service Science Vol 8, Issue 3, Pages 249-262
Abstract
The recent emergence of social media-based brand communities is seen as an effective channel for practicing user-centric service innovation. However, user participation is the major hurdle in their sustainability. Despite the growing popularity of these brand communities, there has been only limited research examining the factors affecting user intention to continue using these communities. Teenagers represent an important demographic group, not only as the dominant users, but also in their value and potential in contributing toward successful business. To date, no previous research has investigated the participation behaviour of teenagers in these communities. To address this research gap, the present study examines the factors affecting teenagers’ intention to continue participating in Facebook-based brand communities. The roles of social and individual factors in the formulation of their attitudes to participation are examined. The relationship between users’ attitudes, activity levels, and continuation intentions are explored. The study findings suggest that self-efficacy, hedonic motivation, reciprocal benefit, and social influence have a positive impact on user attitude. Among these, self-efficacy has the strongest influence. Furthermore, attitude, continuation intention, and activity levels are significantly related. The findings have implications for organisations intending to use social media-based brand communities to practice user-centric service innovation.
Journal article
Understanding students’ instrumental goals, motivation deficits and achievement: Through the lens of a latent profile analysis.
Fryer, L.K., Van den Broeck, A., Ginns, P. & Nakao, K.
Psychologica Belgica Vol 56, Issue 3, Pages 226-243
Abstract
Building on the future oriented and regulated nature of instrumental goals, Lens and colleagues developed a 2 (proximal-distal) x 2 (internal-external) motivational framework. The current study aimed to test this framework from a person-centred perspective, while equally taking into account students’ lack of motivation as to extend the empirical and theoretical borders of the model. Latent Profile Analyses were used to test the viability of two to five motivational profiles among Japanese second-year students (N = 781). A solution with three latent subgroups fitted the sample best, explaining 6% to 62% of the variance in the measured variables. The profiles were labelled “low future oriented motivational profile”, “average motivated profile”, and “highly motivated profile”. The highly motivated subgroup reported the most adaptive pattern of motivation and highest levels of deep level learning, while few differences were found for surface learning and GPA. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Journal article
Am I in the right place? Academic engagement and study success during the first years at university
Ketonen, E.E., Haarala-Muhonen, A., Hirsto, L., Hänninen, J.J., Wähälä, K. & Lonka, K.
Learning and Individual Differences Vol 51, Pages 141-148
Abstract
Entrance to university does not automatically lead to high academic engagement and success, and there may be individual differences in student engagement. In the present study, university students' (N=668) academic engagement and disengagement profiles, and the differences between them in terms of academic achievement, were investigated. Students from introductory courses were classified by Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) into homogenous groups having similar patterns according to the following variables: study engagement, study-related exhaustion, lack of interest, lack of self-regulation, and uncertainty of one's career choice. Four groups of students were identified: engaged, disengaged, undecided, and alienated. Engaged students received the highest grades, with disengaged and undecided students performing most poorly. In addition, the profiles were related to the behavioral indicators of engagement (i.e., ECTS credits). Even after two years of studying, engaged students were performing better than disengaged students. The study's implications for both research and practice are discussed.
Journal article
Exploring the utilization of funds to support health promotion programs in early learning environments
Kwatubana, S.
Journal of Social Science Vol 48, Issue 1-2, Pages 147-160.
Abstract
The Department of Basic Education has instituted several measures for improvement in the provision of early education in South Africa. Despite these efforts and resource allocations, health promotion in centers of early learning remains a challenge. This study focused on utilization of funds allocated to Grade R classes. Participants from schools and community-based sites with Grade R classes participated in this research. The main instruments for data collection included individual interviews, photographs and documents. The findings from this study indicated that funds allocated to health programs are channeled to fund other priorities, which are academically inclined. A low priority given to health promotion was visible in the budgets, with schools as worst culprits. Lack of monitoring and control of the budgets and absence of adherence to the stipulations in circular 33/2010 were the main challenges. The visibility and involvement of the government departments in Community-Based Centers, assisted in ensuring that funds are utilized to enhance health initiatives.
Journal article
Engagement of secondary school teachers in Namibia: Relational context effects
Janik, M. & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 26, Issue 4, Pages 316-325
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate relational antecedents of work engagement for secondary school teachers and to determine whether specific psychological conditions mediate the effects of relational factors on work engagement. A cross-sectional survey was used. The participants were 502 secondary school teachers in Namibia (females = 64.7%, Afrikaans-speaking = 49%). They completed the following measuring instruments: Co-worker and Supervisor Relationships Scales, Emotional Exhaustion Scale, Perceived Organizational Support Scale, Psychological Conditions Scale and the Work Engagement Scale. Data were analysed using Mplus 7.3. The results showed that low emotional exhaustion and high psychological meaningfulness and availability explained work engagement. Relational factors (i.e. co-worker relations, supervisor relations, and emotional exhaustion) influenced psychological meaningfulness and safety strongly, and psychological availability moderately. Supervisor relationships and emotional exhaustion indirectly influenced work engagement via psychological meaningfulness. Co-worker relationships and emotional exhaustion indirectly affected work engagement via psychological availability. The results provide support for a relational model of work engagement.
Journal article
Age and gender differences in photo tagging gratifications
Dhir, A., & Torsheim, T.
Computers in Human Behavior Vol 63
Abstract
The immense popularity of Facebook use among people from varying demographic groups has attracted the attention of communication scholars. While much is known about the age and gender differences in Facebook usage patterns and the general gratifications underlying its use, minimal attention has been paid to examining the age and gender differences among adolescents and young adults. Using multiple cross-sectional studies with Indian adolescent and young-adult photo-taggers, this study investigated (a) the age and gender differences in the photo-tagging gratifications of adolescents (12e18 years), (b) how photo-tagging gratifications among adolescents change over historical time, (c) the effect of different interactions among age, gender and the effect of time on the sought photo-tagging gratifications of adolescents, and (d) the age and gender differences between adolescent and young-adult photo-taggers. Theoretical and practical implications for new media research and practice are presented.
Journal article
How school ecologies facilitate resilience among adolescents with Intellectual Disability: Guidelines for teachers.
Hall, A. M., & Theron, L. C.
South African Journal of Education Vol 36, Issue 2, Pages Art. # 1154, 13 pages, doi: 10.15700/saje.v36n2a1154
Abstract
The global prioritisation of the inclusion of learners with disabilities, and of vulnerable young people’s resilience, means that teachers worldwide require insight into how best to facilitate the resilience of adolescents made vulnerable by intellectual disability (ID). To provide such insight, we conducted a secondary data analysis of a multiple case study of resilient adolescents with ID attending special schools in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The visual and narrative data that inform this case study were generated by resilient adolescents with ID (n = 24), and their teachers (n = 18). Four school-related themes emerge from their accounts of resilience-supporting factors associated with their schools for the physically and severely intellectually disabled (SPSID). From these, we distill three uncomplicated actions mainstream school ecologies can execute in order to enable the resilience of included adolescents with ID. Their simplicity and ordinariness potentiate universally useful ways for mainstream teachers to champion the resilience of included adolescents with ID.
Journal article
Work engagement in the mining industry: The role of tasks and relationships.
Palo, J., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 26, Issue 3, Pages 221-229
Abstract
The platinum mining sector in South Africa presents a significant context for the study of work engagement, given the major changes and turmoil experienced by employees in this sector. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of task and relational factors on work engagement in the platinum mining industry in South Africa. A stratified random sample (N = 564) comprising employees in a platinum mining organisation in South Africa was surveyed (females = 35.1%, blacks = 51.6%, middle managers = 40.8%). The employees completed a biographical questionnaire and several other measures: the Engagement Scale, Supervisory Support Scale, Social Support Scale and Job Diagnostic Survey. The results supported a reliable three-factor structure (consisting of autonomy support, competence support, and relatedness support) for the Supervisory Support Scale. The structural model confirmed that task characteristics (comprising task significance and task identity) were strongly related to work engagement. Supervisor support and co-worker support showed a positive relationship with work engagement, albeit to a lesser extent.
Journal article
Assessing flow experience in social networking site based brand communities
Kaur, P., Dhir, A., & Rajala, R.
Computers in Human Behavior Vol 64, Pages 217-225
Abstract
The sustenance of the Social Networking Site (SNS)-based brand communities relies on user retention and their active participation. Therefore, understanding the intrinsic aspects of user behavior in such communities is important for devising strategies to ensure user retention and active participation. Especially, information about the elements that induce flow experiences - the intrinsically enjoyable and immersive experiences - of users in SNS has become important for organizations that host online communities. In our empirical study, we chose to focus especially on SNS-based brand communities, as they are increasingly interesting from an organization-community interaction perspective, but they lack the instruments needed for measuring user experience. The present study addresses this gap by developing an instrument aimed at measuring the user’s flow experience on SNS-based brand communities. A cross-sectional survey with 577 Facebook brand community users was carried out. The findings show that enjoyment, concentration, and social interaction are the components that constitute a user’s flow experience. In addition to providing a valuable tool for business practitioners, the developed instrument offers several theoretical and practical implications for improving user experience of social media.
Journal article
Do age and gender differences exist in selfie-related behaviours.
Dhir, A., Pallesen, S., Torsheim, T., & Andreassen, C.S.
Computers in Human Behavior Vol 63, Pages 549-555
Abstract
Recently scholars have started examining selfie-related behaviour, with an emphasis on young women. However, little is known about age and gender differences in selfie-taking and posting patterns. To address this gap, an online survey of a sample of 3763 Norwegian social media users was carried out. This study provides the first empirical evidence on how adolescents (aged 12 to 19), young adults (20-30) and adults (31-50) differ in terms of selfie behaviour. Females were more likely to take personal and group selfies, post personal selfies, crop photos and use photographic filters compared to males. Adolescents were found to be more likely than young adults to take own and group selfies, post own selfies, and use photographic filters. Similarly, young adults were more likely to take own and group selfies, post and edit photos than older adults. The predictive effect of age was stronger among women than among men regarding selfie taking, posting and editing behaviour. The interpretations and implications of the study findings are discussed in the light of previous literature.
Journal article
Why do young people avoid photo tagging? A new Service Avoidance Scale
Dhir, A.
Social Science Computer Review Pages 1-18
Abstract
Despite the growing attention to the study of various issues concerning online self-presentation, little research has investigated the different reasons underlying the avoidance of online identity and presentation building features. Using a multistage investigation, this study has developed and validated a 25-item instrument for investigating the various reasons why young people avoid Facebook photo tagging. The instrument items were developed based on open-ended qualitative essays written by 141 Indian and Pakistani adolescents who use the Facebook photo-tagging service. From their qualitative responses, 38 items were first extracted and evaluated with 780 Indian adolescent photo taggers. This resulted in the development of a 25-item instrument which was reexamined a year later with 314 Indian adolescent and 106 young adult photo taggers. The study participants were recruited from India and Pakistan in order to address the criticism of previous Facebook research which is chiefly based on U.S.-only study samples. The developed instrument indicated six reasons: destruction of capital, dislike, worry, parental control, embarrassment, and personal appearance. The study results indicate that the developed instrument has a stable factorial structure, validity, and reliability over time. This new instrument offers various theoretical and practical implications for scholars engaged in research involving computer-mediated communication, online self-presentation, and young people.
Journal article
The resilience of child protection social workers: are they at risk and if so, how do they adjust? A systematic meta-synthesis.
Truter, E., Fouche, A., & Theron, L.
British Journal of Social Work
Abstract
Globally, social workers protect, among others, children who are in need of care and protection. Child protection social workers protect children by means of statutory intervention. Concomitant professional risks threaten child protection social workers’ well-being and competence, resulting in sub-standard services, attrition and calls for child protection social worker resilience. Promoting child protection social worker resilience requires a deep understanding of child protection social worker risk and resilience. Given the scarcity of studies focused on child protection social worker risk and resilience around the globe, we aimed to ascertain how well child protection social worker risk and resilience are understood. We thus undertook a systematic meta-synthesis of fourteen qualitative studies on child protection social worker risk and resilience. This meta-synthesis demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of child protection social worker risk in minority-world countries, but not in majority-world countries. It also demonstrates an inadequate understanding of child protection social worker resilience worldwide.
Journal article
Pathways to flourishing of athletes: The role of team and individual strength use.
Stander, F.W., Rothmann, S., & Botha, E.
South African Journal of Psychology
Abstract
Information is needed regarding the antecedents and outcomes of flourishing, particularly in sports contexts, where the study of this optimal well-being state has remained largely unexplored. This study examined the role of strength use to facilitate flourishing, enhance team embeddedness, and counter withdrawal behaviour of athletes. It further investigated the role of flourishing to retain athletes to their sport and teams and examined the role of team embeddedness in this relationship. A cross-sectional research design was utilised with structural equation modelling to assess model fit and examine postulated relationships. The sample comprised 235 student athletes. The results suggested that team strength use predicts flourishing. It further revealed positive paths to team embeddedness from both individual and team strength use. Flourishing was also positively related to team embeddedness. Lastly, a negative association was found between team embeddedness and withdrawal behaviour among the athletes.
Journal article
The idealism of education policies and the realities in schools: the implementation of inclusive education in South Africa.
Engelbrecht, P. Nel, M., Smit, S. & Van Deventer, M.
International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol 20, Issue 5, Pages 520-535
Abstract
Inclusive education as a global movement emerged over the past 30 years to ensure quality mainstream education for all learners. Since 1994 the newly democratic South Africa also had expectations as well as the political will to change education by adjusting legislation and policies. However, the vision of a truly inclusive education system in South Africa has been difficult to achieve and results regarding the implementation of inclusive education remain questionable. There has been a growing realisation that the advent of democracy was not in itself a sufficient condition for the elimination of historical and structural inequalities in education with as recurring theme the dissonance between the government’s socio-political imperative for change and economic realities. This article focuses on the development of policy and guidelines on inclusive education in dynamic interaction with the complexity of realities in South African schools with a special focus on the policy recommendations regarding the development of full-service schools. The constant comparative analysis of the two phased case study of a full-service school in a rural town revealed interesting results illustrating the complexities regarding the implementation of inclusive education and the challenges and opportunities in bridging the gap between the idealism of policies and the realities in schools.
Journal article
Escapism motive for sport consumption as a predictor of meaning in life.
Stander, F.W.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 26, Issue 2, Pages 113–118
Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine whether spectator escapism motive for sport consumption could predict meaning in life, and to explore the role of psychological ownership in this relationship. A sample of 806 football spectators (African = 85%, male = 67.4%, Sesotho = 26.2%) completed the Motivation Scale for Sport Consumption (MSSC), the South African Psychological Ownership Questionnaire (SAPOS) and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). Structural equation modelling was utilised to investigate the postulated paths of the structural model. Escapism motive for sport consumption predicted meaning in life among spectators through psychological ownership. The sports escapism motive can yield positive psychological outcomes for sports fans.
Journal article
The religious lives of students at a South African university.
Nell, W.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies Vol 72, Issue 1, Pages a3177. http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/hts.v72i1.3177
Abstract
Whilst significant research has been conducted on religious affiliation and on general levels of religiosity in the South African context, few studies specifically investigated the religious lives of South African university students in a comprehensive way. This is unfortunate as such research could significantly inform and support the effectiveness of youth and student ministries. As such, this article explored the religious lives of students at a university in the Gauteng province of South Africa, focusing specifically on students’ self-assessed religiosity, the maturity of their religious attitudes, their spiritual well-being, the religious practices in which they engage and the relationship between such practices and their spiritual well-being. Gender, racial and religious differences concerning these variables were also investigated. Data were collected from 356 undergraduate students by means of a structured survey consisting of the Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire, the Religious Fundamentalism Scale and two other scales aimed at assessing religiosity and religious practices. Results indicated that 98.9% of participants were religious with the majority (86.9%) being Christian. Generally, students espoused highly fundamentalist religious attitudes but had high levels of spiritual well-being. Prayer and virtual or in-person attendance of religious gatherings such as church services were the most prevalent religious practices whereas fasting and meditation were practiced least. All practices were positively correlated with students’ spiritual well-being. Based on these findings, the article concludes with several specific, practical recommendations relevant to student ministries and those working with university students in religious contexts.
Journal article
Identification with team as a predictor of buying behaviours amongst South African Premier Soccer League fans.
Stander, F.W., De Beer, L.T., & Stander, A.S.
African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure Vol 5, Issue 2
Abstract
Sport fan consumer spend has traditionally been largely influenced by the level of identity with team that individuals experience. This being said, no empirical work was found to directly relate these concepts. Based on the customer engagement (CE) – and social identity theories, this research evaluated the role of identity with team as a predictor of positive buying behaviours amongst sport fans. The study included 735 adult fans of teams in the Professional Soccer League (PSL), South Africa’s foremost commercial football league. A cross-sectional research design was implemented through self-report measures that participants were requested to complete. Statistical analysis through structural equation modelling was utilised to assess the postulated measurement models and to scrutinise the anticipated structural paths between the variables. Indirect effects were evaluated through mediation techniques. Results revealed a direct association between identity with team and fan engagement and specified fan engagement as an activator of the identity experience into buying behaviour. Findings are discussed and recommendations made.
Journal article
See you at the match: Motivation for sport consumption
Stander, E., & Van Zyl, L. E.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 42(1), Art. #1302, 18 pages
Abstract
Local football contributes significantly to the social- and economic welfare of South Africa through its spectators. Understanding the motives and experiences of football spectators could provide opportunities for capitalising on football as revenue stream feeding the South African economy. The research purpose was to investigate how motives for sport consumption predict intrinsic psychological reward of South African premier league football spectators. Sport - particularly football - is an untapped resource for stimulating economic development and growth through its consumers. Spectators, who often experience their investment in the sport as deeply rewarding and meaningful, should participate more frequently in purchasing products or services associated with the sport. Through understanding the motives for sport consumption of South African premier league football spectators and the impact of these motives on intrinsic psychological reward experiences, football clubs are able to provide a targeted experience or service to spectators in order to further stimulate economic growth. A census sample of 806 football spectators attending various matches at a football stadium in Soweto was drawn. A cross-sectional research design was implemented. This research was exploratory and descriptive. Structural equation modelling was implemented to assess the factor structures of the constructs, to confirm composite reliability of the measures and to assess the structural paths between the variables. A predictive model for intrinsic psychological rewards (life satisfaction and meaning) through the motivation for sport consumption (individual – and game related factors) was confirmed. It was further established that motivation for sport consumption is significantly positively a) related to and b) associated with the experience of intrinsic psychological reward by South African football spectators. Football clubs should tailor spectator experiences around both individual and game related spectator motives in order to develop experiences associated with intrinsic psychological reward. The study contributes to consumer psychology research relating to the motives associated with the consumption of football within South Africa.
Journal article
An appreciation of learning disabilities in the South African context.
Nel, M. & Grosser, M.M.
Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal Vol 14, Issue 1, Pages 79-92
Abstract
It is important that any education system should secure the provision of quality education to a diverse learner population. The development of Education White Paper Six (EWP6) special needs education, building an inclusive education, and training system (SA, 2001), reflects the South African government’s commitment towards the development of an inclusive education system that would enable all learners to realize their potential. This article provides insight into the unique initiatives aimed at translating the EWP6 policy ideals that recognize the needs, and rights of all learners, including those with learning disabilities in the South African context, into practice. In addition, the article elucidates the etiology, epidemiology, and processes for diagnosing, assessing, and supporting learners with learning disabilities, and concludes with a brief reference to challenges that could stifle the provision of quality education for learners with learning disabilities.
Journal article
Children’s positive adjustment to first grade in risk-filled communities: A case study of the role of school ecologies in South Africa and Finland.
Kumpulainen, K., Theron, L., Kahl, C., Bezuidenhout, C., Mikkola, A., Salmi, S., Khumalo, T., Uusitalo-Malmivaara, L.
School Psychology International Vol 37, Issue 2, Pages 121-139
Abstract
This article presents a comparative case study on the ways in which children’s school ecologies facilitate their adjusting positively to first grade in risk-filled contexts in South Africa and Finland. The insights of two children (one South African, one Finnish) from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, their teachers, parents and significant others constitute the data corpus of this study. The data were collected via semi structured interviews, ‘Day-in-the-Life’ video-recorded observations, and Draw-and-talk and photo elicitation methods. The data were analysed deductively using the seven, commonly recurring mechanisms of resilience as documented by Ungar (2015). The results demonstrate how resilience processes are co-constructed and gain their meaning within the given social ecology of a child. They underscore the importance of school ecologies being functional enough, in the face of socio-economic adversity, to continue to facilitate everyday resilience-supporting processes for children. The article ends by considering the lessons of this study for school psychologists.
Journal article
Bolstering resilience through teacher-student interaction: Lessons for school psychologists.
Liebenberg, L., Theron, L. C., Sanders, J., Munford, R., Van Rensburg, A., Rothmann, S., & Ungar, M.
School Psychology International Vol 37, Issue 2, Pages 140-154
Abstract
Schools are often the only formal service provider for young people living in socioeconomically marginalized communities, uniquely positioning school staff to support positive psychosocial outcomes of youth living in adverse contexts. Using data from 2,387 school-going young people [Canada (N=1,068), New Zealand (N=591), and South Africa (N=728)] living in marginalized communities and who participated in the Pathways to Resilience study, this article reviews how student experiences of school staff and school contexts moderated contextual risks and facilitated resilience processes. Findings of these analyses affirm that school staff play an important role in moderating the relationship between resilience resources and community/family risk in both global North and global South contexts. Findings hold important implications for school psychologists, including the need to champion the ways in which teachers can scaffold resilience resources for young people through the quality of the relationships they build with students.
Journal article
The everyday ways that school ecologies facilitate resilience: Implications for school psychologists.
Theron, L.C.
School Psychology International Vol 37, Issue 2, Pages 87-103
Abstract
From a socio-ecological perspective of resilience, social ecologies are crucial to children’s functional outcomes in the face of adversity. Schools, in particular, are integral to the multiple social systems that children are embedded in. Consequently schools have a special responsibility towards meaningfully and routinely supporting children’s resilience. Drawing on a synthesis of 33 publications, I document the everyday ways that school ecologies enact this responsibility. I caution that although much of this everyday routine is potentially protective, it neglects important leverage points for supporting resilience. These include championing resilience in contextually-sensitive ways, pre-empting risk and advocating for systemic change, and being mindful of the costs of resilience. To optimize these leverage points, school psychologists need child-informed understandings of how school ecologies facilitate resilience differentially. They also need to adopt an activist stance that animates social change. The resilience-themed edition of School Psychology International, which this article introduces, develops this agenda.
Journal article
Challenges experienced by district-based support teams in the execution of their functions in a specific South African province.
Makhalemele, T., & Nel, M.
International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol 20, Issue 2, Pages 168-184
Abstract
This article reports on the findings of an embedded mixed-method South African study that investigated the challenges experienced by District-Based Support Team (DBST) members in the sub-directorate of Inclusive Education of a South African province in the execution of their functions. A Likert-scale questionnaire and individual semi-structured interviews were used in the study. The findings showed that the participants experienced a variety of challenges in effectively executing their functions. These challenges included the ineffective integration of Special Schools as Resource Centres into the DBSTs, poor availability of infrastructure, equipment, human and physical resources, insufficient collaboration with the national department of education, a lack in adequate training of DBST members and an insufficient awareness of the role that they play in school communities.
Journal article
Comparing trust levels of male and female managers: Measurement invariance of the Behavioural Trust Inventory
Heyns, M., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Psychology Vol 46, Issue 1, Pages 74-87
Abstract
Despite the widely acknowledged need for validated trust measurement instruments and the legal obligation to ensure that psychometric tests are unbiased towards different groups in South Africa, no attempt has ever been made to address the aim of this study, which is to investigate the measurement invariance of the Behavioural Trust Inventory for managers of different genders. A cross-sectional survey with a convenience sample (N = 539) was used. The Behavioural Trust Inventory and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The results showed that a two-factor model (consisting of reliance and disclosure) fitted the data best. Measurement invariance by gender was computed with the establishment of subsequent invariance constraints in the model parameters across groups. Configural, metric, and partial scalar invariances of the two-factor model of the Behavioural Trust Inventory were confirmed across male and female managers. One item that measures one’s willingness to share personal beliefs with a leader demonstrated a lack of scalar invariance for the female group; results for this item should therefore be treated with caution. Finally, latent factor mean analyses revealed no significant differences between male and female managers on the trust scales.
Journal article
Predicting a high rate of self-assessed and parent-assessed peer problems: Is it typical for students with disabilities?
Schwab, S., Gebhardt, B., Hessels, M.G.P., & Nusser, L.
Research in Developmental Disabilities Vol 49-50, Pages 196-204
Abstract
Journal article
Bolstering resilience through teacher-student interaction: Lessons for school psychologists.
Liebenberg, L., Theron, L. C., Sanders, J., Munford, R., Van Rensburg, A., Rothmann, S., & Ungar, M.
School Psychology International Vol doi:10.1177/0143034315614689
Abstract
Schools are often the only formal service provider for young people living in socioeconomically marginalized communities, uniquely positioning school staff to support positive psychosocial outcomes of youth living in adverse contexts. Using data from 2,387 school-going young people [Canada (N=1,068), New Zealand (N=591), and South Africa (N=728)] living in marginalized communities and who participated in the Pathways to Resilience study, this article reviews how student experiences of school staff and school contexts moderated contextual risks and facilitated resilience processes. Findings of these analyses affirm that school staff play an important role in moderating the relationship between resilience resources and community/family risk in both global North and global South contexts. Findings hold important implications for school psychologists, including the need to champion the ways in which teachers can scaffold resilience resources for young people through the quality of the relationships they build with students.
Journal article
The everyday ways that school ecologies facilitate resilience: Implications for school psychologists
Theron, L.
School Psychology International Vol doi:10.1177/0143034315615937
Abstract
From a socio-ecological perspective of resilience, social ecologies are crucial to children’s functional outcomes in the face of adversity. Schools, in particular, are integral to the multiple social systems that children are embedded in. Consequently schools have a special responsibility towards meaningfully and routinely supporting children’s resilience. Drawing on a synthesis of 33 publications, I document the everyday ways that school ecologies enact this responsibility. I caution that although much of this everyday routine is potentially protective, it neglects important leverage points for supporting resilience. These include championing resilience in contextually-sensitive ways, pre-empting risk and advocating for systemic change, and being mindful of the costs of resilience. To optimize these leverage points, school psychologists need child-informed understandings of how school ecologies facilitate resilience differentially. They also need to adopt an activist stance that animates social change. The resilience-themed edition of School Psychology International, which this article introduces, develops this agenda.
Journal article
Children’s positive adjustment to first grade in risk-filled communities: A case study of the role of school ecologies in South Africa and Finland.
Kumpulainen, K., Theron, L., Kahl, C., Bezuidenhout, C., Mikkola, A., Salmi, S., Khumalo, T., Uusitalo-Malmivaara, L.
School Psychology International Vol doi:10.1177/0143034315614687
Abstract
This article presents a comparative case study on the ways in which children’s school ecologies facilitate their adjusting positively to first grade in risk-filled contexts in South Africa and Finland. The insights of two children (one South African, one Finnish) from socio-economically disadvantaged communities, their teachers, parents and significant others constitute the data corpus of this study. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews, ‘Day-in-the-Life’ video-recorded observations, and Draw-and-talk and photo elicitation methods. The data were analysed deductively using the seven, commonly recurring mechanisms of resilience as documented by Ungar (2015). The results demonstrate how resilience processes are co-constructed and gain their meaning within the given social ecology of a child. They underscore the importance of school ecologies being functional enough, in the face of socio-economic adversity, to continue to facilitate everyday resilience-supporting processes for children. The article ends by considering the lessons of this study for school psychologists.
Journal article
The role of law in prompting parents to practice accountably with education partners.
De Waal, E., & Serfontein, E.M.
Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal Vol 18, Issue 6, Pages 2329-2346.
Abstract
Journal article
The role of teammate relationships, communication and self-efficacy in predicting athlete flow experience.
Stander, F.W., Rothmann, S., & Botha, E.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 25, Issue 6, Pages 494-503
Abstract
This study aimed at testing a structural model of athlete flow in a sample of South African students. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was implemented. Participants completed self-report measures at pre-arranged times that were in close proximity to the completion of athletic activity. Student athletes (n = 235) participating in South Africa’s two major sports, football and rugby, were surveyed. The instruments utilised in this study included the Short Flow State Scale-2, the Questionnaire on Experience and Assessment of Work, and the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale. The results indicated positive relationships between the variables and established predictor paths. Teammate relationships and self-efficacy were established to as the best predictors of flow experiences of athletes.
Journal article
A bibliography of randomized controlled experiments in Social Work (1949–2013): Solvitur Ambulando.
Thyer, B.A.
Research on Social Work Practice Vol 25, Issue 7, Pages 753-793
Abstract
A strong theme in the social work literature contends that randomized experiments are an impractical, inappropriate, unethical, and rarely undertaken research method for use in social work. In a test of this claim, the author undertook a review of the English language published literature and prepared a provisional bibliography of primary social work studies that used experimental methodology. Astonishingly, over 740 such studies were located, with the first being published in 1949. The existence of this large experimental social work literature has been largely unrecognized, in part, because much of it has appeared in a diverse array of journals associated with other disciplines. It is no longer tenable to claim that experiments are either impractical or inappropriate as a social work research method of value in making causal inferences. This bibliography will be amended in coming years, and subsequent analyses of the types of problems and interventions, which are the focus of these studies, will add to the empirical foundations of social work practice.
Journal article
Requirements for evidence by a forensic social worker as set by the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Fouché, A., & Fouché, D.F.
Child Abuse Research in South Africa Vol 16, Issue 2, Pages 105-115
Abstract
In South Africa, complainants of child sexual abuse are often referred to forensic social workers from whom it is expected to conduct interviews and compile reports in an attempt to corroborate or refute the allegations made by the child complainant regarding sexual abuse. In some instances the forensic social worker is called to testify in court as an expert witness. Great uncertainty exists in practice concerning the interviewing methods to be utilized, what the requirements of the court are in this regard and whether the testimony of forensic social workers can be used to corroborate the allegations of the child complainant. Until recently case law was silent on these specific matters. It is the authors’ submission that a breakthrough has been made in a recent Supreme Court of Appeal case, De Sousa v The State 2014 (769/13) ZASCA 142, during which the expert testimony of a forensic social worker was acknowledged by the Supreme Court of Appeal. An analysis of this case is presented and the requirements met by her are pointed out. These can serve as guidelines for expert testimony given by forensic social workers, which could be accepted in court. Some recommendations for research and practice are proposed.
Journal article
Job insecurity, sense of coherence and the general health of employees at a higher education institution in South Africa.
Setati, S., Stander, M.W., & Ukpere, W.I.
Corporate Ownership and Control Journal Vol 12, Issue 4, Pages 660-670
Abstract
Journal article
Experiencing a sense of calling: The influence of meaningful work on teachers’ work attitudes.
Willemse, M., & Deacon, E.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 41, Issue 1, Pages Art. #1274, 9 pages.
Abstract
Journal article
Meaning in work of secondary educators: A qualitative study.
Fourie, M., & Deacon, E.
South African Journal of Education Vol 35, Issue 3, Pages Art. # 1047, 8 pages, doi: 10.15700/saje.v35n3a1047
Abstract
In order to identify specific, shared sources of meaning and mechanisms with which individuals attempt to make meaning, the objectives of this study were to explore the way in which secondary school teachers perceive, conceptualise and attain meaning in their work. A qualitative design with a henomenological strategy was used with a convenience sample (n = 20) of teachers. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews with open-ended questions were used to gather data. Participants were asked to diarise related issues for five working days following the interview, in order to strengthen and validate the interviews’ results. The results showed that the participants conceptualise meaning as purpose and significance, and that the main sources of meaning related to work include the transfer of knowledge, and making a positive difference in the learners’ lives. Forming relationships based on trust and receiving feedback was also important. The main mechanisms identified were putting effort into preparations, while this group of participants reported that meaning leads to the experience of happiness and personal satisfaction. Although most of these findings support those in the broader literature, there are differences in the emphasis placed on some of the findings, due to the context of education in South Africa. From the results, recommendations were made to create opportunities for teachers to experience more meaning in their work.
Journal article
Enacting understanding of inclusion in complex contexts classroom practices of South African teachers
Engelbrecht, P., Nel, M. Nel, N. M. & Tlale, L. D.
South African Journal of Education Vol 35, Issue 3, Pages Art. # 1074, 10 pages
Abstract
While the practice of inclusive education has recently been widely embraced as an ideal model for education, the acceptance of inclusive education practices has not translated into reality in most mainstream classrooms. Despite the fact that education policies in South Africa stipulate that all learners should be provided with the opportunities to participate as far as possible in all classroom activities, the implementation of inclusive education is still hampered by a combination of a lack of resources and the attitudes and actions of the teachers in the classroom. The main purpose of this paper was to develop a deeper understanding of a group of South African teachers’ personal understanding about barriers to learning and how their understanding relates to their consequent actions to implement inclusive education in their classrooms. A qualitative research approach placed within a cultural-historical and bio-ecological theoretical framework was used. The findings, in this paper, indicate that the way in which teachers understand a diversity of learning needs is based on the training that they initially received as teachers, which focused on a deficit, individualised approach to barriers to learning and development, as well as contextual challenges, and that both have direct and substantial effects on teachers’ classroom practices. As a result, they engage in practices in their classrooms that are less inclusive, by creating dual learning opportunities that are not sufficiently made available for everyone, with the result that every learner is not able to participate fully as an accepted member of their peer group in all classroom activities.
Journal article
Authentic leadership, psychological capital, job satisfaction and intention to leave in state-owned enterprises.
Amunkete, S., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 25, Issue 4, Pages 271-281
Abstract
This study investigated the relations among authentic leadership, psychological capital, job satisfaction and intention to leave within state-owned enterprises in Namibia. Participants were a convenience sample of 452 employees (females?=?49 .6%, mean age?=?37 .36, SD?=?8 .57) state-owned enterprises in Namibia. They completed the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Job Satisfaction Questionnaire and Turnover Intention Scale. Structural equation modelling was utilised to investigate the relations among authentic leadership, psychological capital, job satisfaction and intention to leave. The findings indicated that authentic leadership was positively associated with psychological capital (i.e. experiences of hope, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience) and job satisfaction. Authentic leadership affected job satisfaction indirectly via psychological capital. Psychological capital had a medium to large indirect effect on employees’ intentions to leave. The findings suggest that authentic leadership and psychological capital explain job satisfaction and retention of employees in state-owned enterprises.
Journal article
Towards a culturally- and contextually-sensitive understanding of resilience: Privileging the voices of black, South African young people.
Theron, L. C.
Journal of Adolescent Research
Abstract
Extant theories of resilience, or the process of adjusting well to adversity, privilege the voices of minority-world young people. Consequently, the resilience of marginalized, majority-world youth is imperfectly understood, and majority-world social ecologies struggle to facilitate resilience in ways that respect the insights of majority-world youth and their cultural and contextual positioning. Accordingly, this article makes audible, as it were, the voices of 181 rural, Black, South African adolescents with the purpose of explicating which resilience-supporting processes characterize their positive adjustment to disadvantaged life-worlds, and how contextual and cultural realities shape such processes. Deductive and inductive analyses of a narrative and visual data set, generated in the qualitative phase of an explanatory mixed-methods study, revealed that universally occurring resilience-supporting mechanisms inform positive adjustment. Importantly, which mechanisms these youth prioritized, and the form these mechanisms take, are shaped by contextual realities of absent men and commonplace suffering, and a cultural reality of strong women, human and spiritual care, and valorization of education. Attention to these adolescents’ voices not only prompts specific, culturally and contextually relevant leverage points for resilience but also reinforces the importance of attending to young people’s preferred pathways of resilience in order to understand and champion resilience in socially just ways.
Journal article
Reflective supervision: guidelines for promoting resilience amongst designated social workers.
Truter, E., & Fouche, A.
Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk Vol 51, Issue 2, Pages 221-243
Abstract
The importance of child protection as well as the designated social workers (DSWs) assigned to them, and the jeopardy they face, is well recognised. Although there is a call to enhance DSW resilience, little is known about their resilience, and there are no guidelines to equip South African DSW supervisors to promote supervisee resilience. This article proposes resilience-enhancing guidelines for South African DSWs within reflective supervision. These suggested guidelines are based on empirical research findings pertaining to (a) a systematic meta-synthesis of DSW risk and resilience; (b) indicators of South African DSW resilience; and (c) the lived experiences of 15 resilient South African DSWs.
Journal article
Leadership empowering behaviour, psychological empowerment, organisational citizenship behaviours and turnover intenion in a manufacturing division.
Bester, J., Stander, M.W., & Van Zyl, L.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 41(1), Art. #1215, 14 pages. doi: 10.4102/sajip.v41i1.1215
Abstract
Employees’ perceptions of their leaders’ behaviour play a role in creating empowering environments where employees are willing to do more than what is expected, with retention of employees as a result. The aim of this study was to theoretically conceptualise and empirically determine the relationships between employees’ perception of their leaders’ empowering, psychological empowerment, organisational citizenship behaviours and intention to leave within a manufacturing division of an organisation. In the ever-changing work environment, organisations must capitalise on their human capital in order to maintain competitiveness. It is therefore important to identify the role of employees’ perception of leadership in contributing to the establishment of an environment where employees feel empowered, are willing to do more than what is expected and want to stay in the organisation. A non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design was used. The total population (N = 300) employed at the manufacturing division was targeted. Two hundred completed questionnaires were obtained. The Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Questionnaire and Intention to Leave Scale were administered. Employees’ perception of their leaders’ empowering behaviour (keeping employees accountable, self-directed decision-making and people development), psychological empowerment (attitude and influence) and organisational citizenship behaviours (loyalty, deviant behaviour and participation) predict intention to leave the organisation. Organisations should foster the elements of a positive empowerment, organisation, in this case leader empowering behaviours, if they want to retain their employees, organisational citizenship behaviours and turnover.
Journal article
A review of quantitative studies of South African youth resilience: Some gaps.
Van Rensburg, A.C., Theron, L.C., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Science Vol 111, Issue 7/8, Pages 1-9
Abstract
Resilience (positive adjustment to hardship) relies on a socioecologically facilitated process in which individuals navigate towards, and negotiate for, health-promoting resources, and their social ecology, in return, provides support in culturally aligned ways (Ungar, Trauma Violence & Abuse 2013;14(3):255–266). In the light of international critiques of the conceptualisation and measurement of resilience, the aim of this study was to systematically review quantitative studies of South African youth resilience in order to consider to what extent such studies failed to address documented critique (Luthar et al., Child Development 2000;71(3):543–562). We argue that, for the most part, quantitative studies of South African youth resilience did not mirror international developments of understanding resilience as a complex socioecologically facilitated process. Furthermore, the majority of reviewed studies lacked a culturally or contextually sound measurement and contained conflicting operationalisations of resilience-related constructs. Essentially, the results of this study call for quantitative studies that will statistically explain the complex dynamic resilience-supporting transactions between South African youth and their contexts and guide mental health practitioners and service providers towards more precise explanations and promotion of resilience in South African youth.
Journal article
The relationship between employment equity perceptions and psychological ownership in a South African mining house: The role of ethnicity.
Olckers, C., & Van Zyl, L.
Social Indicators Research
Abstract
Psychological ownership is a cognitive–affective construct based on individuals’ feelings of possessiveness towards and of being psychologically tied/attached to objects that are material (e.g. tools or work) and immaterial (e.g. ideas or workspace) in nature. Research suggests that psychological ownership could be in?uenced by various individual, organisational and contextual factors. The South African Employment Equity Act, which was implemented to grant equitable opportunities to previously disadvantaged employees, could be a signi?cant contextual factor affecting psychological ownership, due to perceptions associated with inequality. Ethnicity may also act as a moderator for the relationship between perceptions of employment equity and psychological ownership. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between employment equity perceptions and psychological ownership and to explore whether ethnicity plays a moderating role in the relationship. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with a purposeful sample of 202 respondents employed in a large South African mining house. Pearson product–moment correlations and structural equation modelling con?rmed that employment equity perceptions could predict the ?ve components of psychological ownership. However, the results revealed that ethnicity has no moderating effect on the relationship between perceptions of employment equity and the emergence of psychological ownership. By implication, organisations that seek to retain employees targeted through equity initiatives need to ?nd ways to enhance and develop the psychological ownership of these employees. The research contributes new insights into and knowledge of how contextual factors could in?uence employees’ psychological ownership.
Journal article
Parental involvement in the process of implementation of the national school nutrition programme in public schools.
Kwatubana, S., & Makhalemele, T.
International Journal of Educational Science Vol 9, Issue 3, Pages 315-323
Abstract
This paper reports on perceptions of educators and parents about the involvement of the latter in the process of implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme in the Sedibeng and Fezile Dabi school districts in the Gauteng and Free State provinces. The paper elaborates on the empirical data gathered by means of qualitative and explorative approaches using interviews. The results indicated that the procedure for recruitment of parents was not clear resulting in lack of transparency in the process. Furthermore, there were no clear strategies in place to empower parents thus, parents could not initiate and take ownership of the programme. Stipulations of the policy regarding their roles are limiting to the extent that they could not hold suppliers accountable for their inefficiency. Volunteering as food handlers was an eye-opener to some parents enabling them to realise the importance of their involvement in their children’s education in general.
Journal article
Artisanal fisheries in the Ndumo area of the lower Phongolo River Floodplain, South Africa.
Coetzee, H., Nell, H. W., Van Eeden, E. & De Crom, E.
Koedoe Vol 57, Issue 1, Pages 1-6
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the status of artisanal fisheries in the lower Phongolo River floodplain in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A cross-sectional quantitative survey design was used that included the development of a questionnaire and a systematic survey among the five villages bordering the Ndumo Game Reserve. Data were collected over a 5-day period by a group of 16 fieldworkers and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 21. The results revealed that fish was the third most consumed protein in the area, that people consumed fish on average twice a week, that at least six fish species (and one recently introduced crayfish species) were consumed regularly, and that most fish were obtained from local vendors, who in turn bought it from local fishermen and -women. Fishing activities also appeared to occur predominantly along the river system and targeted mainly red-breasted tilapia (Tilapia rendalli) and Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and, to a slightly lesser extent, African sharptooth catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and brown squeaker (Synodontis zambezensis). Given that Ndumo residents predominantly catch fish by means of non-commercial methods, that they do so for reasons of personal consumption and subsistence, and that they mostly target rivers and dams rather than the ecologically sensitive pans in the region, it would seem likely that fishing in the region might be sustainable for the moment. However, it is recommended that studies on the local fish populations and their reproductive rates be conducted so that the actual impact on local fish populations can be determined more accurately. This study serves to provide the necessary baseline data on fish utilisation in the region, which would enable the impact of artisanal fishing on fish reserves in the Ndumo region to be determined once population studies have been completed.
Journal article
Proactive behaviour towards strength use and deficit improvement, hope and efficacy as predictors of life satisfaction amongst first-year university students.
Stander, F.W., Diedericks, E., Mostert, K., & De Beer, L.T.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 41(1), Art.#1248, 10 pages.
Abstract
The orientation of this study is towards proactive behaviour towards strength use (PBSU) and proactive behaviour towards deficit improvement (PBDI) and their relationship with hope, efficacy and life satisfaction of first-year university students. The aims were to determine whether PBSU and PBDI predict life satisfaction, determine whether PBSU and PBDI predict hope and efficacy, and investigate a structural model where hope and efficacy mediate the relationship between PBSU and PBDI and life satisfaction. A convenience sample of 566 first-year students from a university in Gauteng was used with a cross-sectional research design. Structural equation modelling was used to establish the validity of the measurement model, fit for the structural model and to test the mediating effects. The results indicated that PBSU was a significant predictor of hope, efficacy and life satisfaction and that PBDI was a significant predictor of hope and efficacy. Hope mediated the relationship between PBSU, PBDI and life satisfaction. Efficacy mediated the relationship between PBSU and life satisfaction. Evidence suggests that PBSU was a predictor of life satisfaction. This was not the case with PBDI, which in fact negatively correlated with life satisfaction. Both PBSU and PBDI, however, predicted hope and efficacy. On a practical level this reveals that universities should, in line with positive organisational behaviour, introduce interventions that develop PBSU and PBDI amongst first-year students. It further suggests that, as is postulated by positive psychology, universities should focus more particularly on developing the ability of strength use amongst students, as opposed to deficit improvement. This research proposes a strong case for the introduction of interventions that promote first-year university students’ ability for strength use, in particular, but also for deficit improvement, in line with positive organisational behaviour. Further, it validates for strength use as a stronger value proposition in achieving life satisfaction, supporting the philosophy of positive psychology.
Journal article
Authentic leadership as a source of optimism, trust in the organisation and work engagement in the public health care sector.
Stander, F.W., De Beer, L.T., & Stander, M.W.
South African Journal of Human Resource Management Vol 13, Issue 1, Art. #675, 12 pages, Pages http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v.13i1675
Abstract
Journal article
Meaningful work and secondary school teachers’ intention to leave
Janik, M., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Education Vol 35, Issue 2, Pages Art. # 1008, 13 pages, doi: 10.15700/saje.v35n2a1008
Abstract
The study investigates the relations between secondary school teachers’ work-role fit, job enrichment, supervisor relationships, co-worker relationships, psychological meaningfulness of work and intention to leave. A cross-sectional survey was used. The participants were 502 secondary school teachers in Namibia. The following measuring instruments were used: Work-role Fit Scale, Job Enrichment Scale, Co-worker and Supervisor Relationships Scales, psychological Meaningfulness Scale and Turnover Intention Scale. Work-role fit and job enrichment both had direct positive effect on experiences of psychological meaningfulness at work, while poor work-role fit and low psychological meaningfulness both had a direct effect on teachers’ intentions to leave. An analysis of the indirect effects showed that poor work-role fit and poor job enrichment affected intention to leave due to the concomitant experience of low psychological meaningfulness. These findings have implications for the retention of teachers in secondary schools.
Journal article
Dimensionality of trust: An analysis of the relationship between propensity, trustworthiness and trust.
Heyns, M. & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 41 , Issue 1, Art. #1263, Pages 12 pages. http:// dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v41i1.1263.
Abstract
Research concerning trust relationships on the interpersonal level, particularly when studied in dyadic relationships from the follower’s point of view, is relatively scarce. Only a few researchers have attempted to link multiple dimensions of trust in the same study. This study examined the dynamic interplay between trust propensity, trustworthiness beliefs and the decision to trust, as perceived within dyadic workplace relationships. No studies as far as the authors are aware of, have ever attempted to use a combination of Mayer and Davis’s (1999) well known assessment of trustworthiness and Gillespie’s (2003) measure of behavioural trust within the same study. By including measures of main antecedents and the actual decision to trust in the same study, the multidimensionality of trust can be established more concretely. A cross-sectional survey design with a convenience sample (N=539) was used. The Behavioural Trust Inventory and the Organisational Trust Instrument were administered. Results confirmed the distinctness of propensity, trustworthiness and trust as separate main constructs. Trust was strongly associated with trustworthiness beliefs. Trustworthiness beliefs fully mediated the relation between propensity and trust. The observed relations between propensity and trustworthiness suggest that individuals with a natural predisposition to trust others will be more inclined to perceive a specific trust referent as trustworthy. Leaders should realise that their attitudes and behaviour have a decisive impact on trust formation processes - if they are being perceived as trustworthy, followers will be likely to respond by engaging in trusting behaviours towards them. Tools to assess followers’ perceptions of the trustworthiness of the leader may provide useful feedback that can guide leaders. This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding the influence of propensity to trust and trustworthiness on trust of leaders.
Journal article
A structural model of technology acceptance
Erasmus, E., Rothmann, S., & Van Eeden, C.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 41, Issue 1, Pages Art. #1222, 12 pages.
Abstract
Enterprise resource systems have not always led to significant organisational enhancement and many projects in which these systems have been implemented turn out to be over budget, not on time and unsuccessful. The aim of this study was to test the technology acceptance model within a South African SAP® Enterprise Resource Planning user environment. No study could be traced in which the technology acceptance model has been evaluated in the South African context. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The 23-item Technology Acceptance Model Questionnaire was deployed amongst SAP® Enterprise Resource Planning users (N = 241). The results confirmed significant paths from perceived usefulness of the information system to attitudes towards and behavioural intentions to use it. Furthermore, behavioural intention to use the system predicted actual use thereof. Perceived ease of use indirectly affected attitudes towards and behavioural intentions to use via perceived usefulness of the information system. Practitioners should build user confidence by ensuring the ease of use of a new system, providing relevant education, training and guidance and reiterating its usefulness and future added value to the user’s job and career. This study contributes to scientific knowledge regarding the influence of individuals’ perceptions of information system usage on their attitudes, behavioural intentions and actual use of such a system.
Journal article
Education services and resilience processes: Resilient Black South African students' experiences.
Theron, L.C., Theron, A.M.C.
Children and Youth Services Review Vol 47, Issue 3, Pages 297-306
Abstract
The resilience literature is increasingly drawing attention to formal service provision as a means for social ecologies to support children's and youths' positive adjustment to challenging life circumstances. This article interrogates the universality and simplicity of this argument. Using a secondary data analysis of the life stories of 16 resilient, Black South African students from impoverished families, we show that education services predominated students' childhood and youth experience of formal support and that there was scant experience of other formal services. We theorise that contextual and cultural speci?cs informed the dominance of education services. However, this service did not consistently facilitate resilience processes. When it did, education services were characterised by active teacher–community connectedness and student responsiveness. Moreover, education service providers (i.e., teachers and principals) engaged in supportive actions that went beyond the Black South Africans scope of typical teacher tasks. Thus, we suggest that formal service facilitation of resilience processes is complex. It requires collaborative activity that might well demand atypical service acts.
Journal article
Using video observation and photo elicitation interviews to understand obscured processes in the lives of youth resilience.
Liebenberg, L., Ungar, M., & Theron, L. C.
Childhood Vol 21, Issue 4, Pages 532-547
Abstract
Despite the increased effort to understand resilience processes in the lives of youth, the homogeneity of a largely westernized concept needs to be challenged in studies by incorporating meanings of resilience more relevant to youth around the globe. This requires a reconsideration of the methods used to study youth resilience. This article outlines the interactive dialogical process involved in visual elicitation methods that combine moving and still images, resulting in a broader reflective exploration of research questions. Consideration is given specifically to how the combination of these methods better facilitates exploration of previously unarticulated experiences of marginalized youth populations and the processes they engage in to nurture and sustain resilience.
Journal article
Organisational and individual strengths use as predictors of engagement and productivity.
Stander, F. W., Mostert, K., & De Beer, L. T.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 5, Pages 403-409
Abstract
This study sought to determine whether Perceived Organisational Support for Strengths Use (POSSU) and Proactive Behaviour towards Strengths Use (PBSU) predict engagement and productivity in a sample of South African call centre operators. Participants were 218 call centre operators within the financial services sector (females = 51%, males = 49%), representative of the South African population, and predominantly holding secondary educational qualifications. Information was gathered through a cross-sectional quantitative research design comprising self-report measures. The measures were administered on site within a call centre of one of the country’s largest financial service providers. Structural equation modelling methods were implemented to establish the model fit of the constructs in the study and to explain structural paths between the variables. Findings showed that POSSU and PBSU are significant predictors of work engagement. PBSU predicted productivity. In addition, engagement mediated the relationship between POSSU/PBSU and productivity. This supports the theoretical context of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and provides grounds for further exploration of the strengths-based approach (on both organisational and individual levels) as a developmental approach to utilise within organisations to enhance engagement and productivity.
Journal article
Principals’ views on challenges of their school governance roles at schools.
Xaba, M. I., & Nhlapo, V. A.
Africa Education Review Vol 11, Issue 3, Pages 424-444
Abstract
This article explores principals’ views regarding governance challenges they experience at schools. We conducted focus group interviews with primary and secondary school principals, purposely and conveniently selected from township schools in two Gauteng Province’s districts. We found that principals were challenged mostly by having to balance their roles as ex officio school governing body members and their roles as bona fide members of school governing bodies (SGBs). Other challenges found were confirmatory of other school governors’ views as reported in numerous studies, related to among others, the specialist nature of governance functions, poor training of school governors, difficulties associated with governor recruitment and unwillingness of parents to serve as governors. There is therefore a need for a re-clarification of the principals’ roles, in terms of both their ex officio and bona fide SGB membership with regard to governance in the context of the functioning of the schools. This should include a review of the governing body structure, the re-allocation of specialist functions, customized and needs-based training of school governors and aspects relating to the general functioning of SGBs.
Journal article
Towards successful schooling: The role of courts and schools in protecting conflicting individual educator and learner rights.
De Waal, E. & Serfontein, E.
Southern African Public Law Vol 29, Issue 1, Pages 65-89
Abstract
Journal article
The critical thinking dispositions of prospective Mathematics teachers at a South African university: New directions for teacher training.
Kloppers, M., & Grosser, M.M.
International Journal of Educational Science Vol 7, Issue 3, Pages 413-427
Abstract
The researchers report on findings obtained by means of a sequential, explanatory, mixed-method study with a convenient and purposefully selected group of second-year Mathematics students at a South African university (n = 29). Using a self-developed questionnaire, the researchers profiled how important students perceive critical thinking dispositions to be in Mathematics. Further, narratives focused on understanding the factors that may influence these perceptions. The findings revealed that dimensions of inquisitiveness, judiciousness, open-mindedness, systematicity, truth seeking, analyticity and confidence appear to require encouragement. In particular, the factors that influenced the perceptions of the students centred on classroom-related issues.
Journal article
Indicators of resilience in resilient South African designated social workers: Professional perspectives.
Truter, E., Theron, L., & Fouché, A.
The Social Work Practitioner-Researcher Vol 26, Issue 3, Pages 305-329
Abstract
South African designated social workers (DSWs), also known as child protection social workers (CPSWs) internationally, are placed at risk for suboptimal personal and professional functioning, given the demanding nature of their work. Consequently, there is worldwide agreement that social worker and particularly CPSW resilience should be explored. Empirical research about resilience processes in South African DSWs has, however, been neglected. Since resilience is culture- and context-specific, exploration of South African DSW resilience is necessitated. In order to explore their resilience, given the lack of informative literature, it is essential to recruit resilient South African DSWs. Drawing on a qualitative study, this manuscript theorises what resilience in resilient South African DSWs entails, as perceived by an advisory panel. These hypothesised indicators lay the groundwork for recruiting resilient South African DSWs to participate in continued empirical research to enhance understandings of their resilience, with cautious application to DSWs in similar contexts.
Journal article
Perceptions of up-scaling community-based sites to provide reception classes in South Africa.
Kwatubana, S.
International Journal of Educational Science Vol 7, Issue 3, Pages 499-508
Abstract
Journal article
Towards happiness-interventions: Construct clarification and intervention methodologies.
Van Zyl, L.E., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 4, Pages 327-341
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the main streams of research on happiness, the approaches/models flowing from these philosophies and the methodology of happiness interventions. An integrated review was performed outlining the authors, the purpose of the research, the nature of the sample/setting, the method utilised and the key findings. Peer-reviewed articles published between 1950 and 2013, written in English/Afrikaans, and which examined the concepts of happiness were analysed. The results showed three causes for failing interventions: (a) unidimensional models/approaches towards happiness, (b) targeting the concept of happiness instead of mediating factors; and (c) fragmented methodological interventions. The results support the need for a multidimensional model of happiness. Interventions focusing on psychological processes and utilising multi-facet methodologies should be developed and implemented to promote happiness. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing an integrative framework for positive psychological interventions directed at happiness.
Journal article
Occupational stress of registered nurses in South Africa. Journal of Psychology in Africa
Van der Colff, J. J., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 4, Pages 375-384
Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify occupational stressors for professional nurses in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A stratified random sample of professional nurses (n = 818; females = 97%) in hospitals in South Africa was used. The Nursing Stress Indicator (NSI) was administrated together with a biographical questionnaire. Three internally consistent stress factors, namely lack of organisational support, job demands and nursing-specific demands, were extracted. The most severe stressors for professional nurses included staff shortages, inadequate salaries and excessive administrative duties. Work overload, fellow workers not doing their job, health risks posed by contact with patients and demands of patients were also identified as stressors. Stress was associated with specific factors, including age, position (rank), care unit, and work experience.
Journal article
Do they adapt or react? A comparison of the stress reaction model and the adaptation model among South African unemployed.
Griep, Y., Baillien, E., Vleugels, W., Rothmann, S., & De Witte, H.
Economic and Industrial Democracy Vol 35, Issue 4, Pages 717-736
Abstract
This study investigates affective experience as a function of unemployment duration in South Africa. The study contrasts two models. The stress reaction model proposes a linear decrease of affective experience as unemployment prolongs. The adaptation model assumes a curvilinear pattern between affective experience and unemployment duration. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with contrast revealed no differences in affective experience between short-term (N = 101), long-term (N = 152) and very long-term (N = 119) unemployed. The findings do not favour either of the models, yet indicate that unemployment is a severe stressor regardless of its duration. These results underline the need for structural changes (e.g. delivering unemployment benefits, stimulating job creation) in order to overcome the negative affective experiences of the South African unemployed.
Journal article
South African teachers’ views of collaboration in inclusive education.
Nel, M., Engelbrecht, P., Nel, N.M. & Tlale, D.
International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol 18, Issue 9, Pages 903-917
Abstract
The development of sustainable collaborative partnerships between different role players within an inclusive education system seems to be a continuous challenge in South Africa. The focus of this research study was to understand how teachers view collaboration within an inclusive education system. Open-ended questionnaires were completed by 85 participating teachers and focus group interviews were employed with 24 educators. The ?ndings indicate that educators still believe that they are not adequately trained and skilled to play an equal role in a collaborative partnership and prefer to rather refer learners experiencing barriers to learning to other support structures and professionals for support.
Journal article
A structural model of student well-being.
Mokgele, K.R.F. & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Psychology Vol 44, Issue 4, Pages 514-527
Abstract
The aim of this study was to test a structural model of study demands and resources, student burnout, engagement, health, and satisfaction with life. A cross-sectional survey was used with first-year students in higher education institutions in South Africa (N = 936). The Study Demands and Resources Questionnaire, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Health Questionnaire, and Satisfaction with Life Scale were administered. The results showed that study demands and a lack of study resources (including the intrinsic nature of study tasks, relationships with lecturers, and social support of peers) were positively associated with burnout. The availability of study resources was positively associated with psychological well-being and engagement. Burnout predicted psychological unwell-being symptoms, while engagement predicted satisfaction with life. Burnout partially mediated the relationship between a lack of study resources and psychological unwell-being, while engagement partially mediated the relationship between the availability of study resources and satisfaction with life.
Journal article
Burnout and engagement of academics in higher education institutions: Effects of dispositional optimism.
Barkhuizen, N., Rothmann, S., & Van de Vijver, A. J. R.
Stress and Health Vol 30, Pages 322-332
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among dispositional optimism, job demands and resources, burnout, work engagement, ill health and organizational commitment of South African academic staff in higher education institutions. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with strati?ed random samples (N=595) taken of academics in South African higher education institutions. The results con?rmed that job demands and a lack of job resources contributed to burnout, whereas job resources contributed to work engagement. Dispositional optimism had a strong direct effect on perceptions of job resources as well as strong indirect effects (via job resources) on burnout, work engagement, ill health and organizational commitment. The results of this study extend the dual-process model of burnout and engagement by demonstrating the strong effects of dispositional optimism on the constructs in the model.
Journal article
Legal professionals' views on pre-trial therapy in cases of child sexual abuse in South Africa.
Fouché, A., & Le Roux, M.P.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 2, Pages 207-214
Abstract
The aim of this study is to report on a preliminary qualitative inquiry into the views of legal professionals in South Africa regarding pre-trial therapy for victims of child sexual abuse (CSA). Applying purposive and snowball sampling, 15 experienced state prosecutors, presiding officers of criminal courts, and defence attorneys and advocates in the Gauteng Province were interviewed. Primary themes were identified in the data, namely: therapy is crucial, but the timing thereof is a contentious aspect, due to the ripple effect that contamination of the child’s evidence could have and there are no directives regarding pre-trial therapy in South Africa. The results suggest conflict in the criminal justice system between the constitutional rights of the accused and that of the alleged victim of CSA. We recommend that ways should be explored to provide pre-trial therapy for victims of CSA that will not affect the integrity of the legal case.
Journal article
South African teachers’ views of collaboration in inclusive education.
Nel, M., Engelbrecht, P., Nel, N.M. & Tlale, D.
International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol 18, Issue 9, Pages 903-917
Abstract
The development of sustainable collaborative partnerships between different role players within an inclusive education system seems to be a continuous challenge in South Africa. The focus of this research study was to understand how teachers view collaboration within an inclusive education system. Open-ended questionnaires were completed by 85 participating teachers and focus group interviews were employed with 24 educators. The ?ndings indicate that educators still believe that they are not adequately trained and skilled to play an equal role in a collaborative partnership and prefer to rather refer learners experiencing barriers to learning to other support structures and professionals for support.
Journal article
A holistic approach to safety and security at schools in South Africa.
Xaba, M.I.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences Vol 5, Issue 20, Pages 1580-1589
Abstract
This article reviews literature on school safety and security and proposes a holistic approach to safety and security at schools in South Africa. This is based on the fact that ensuring a safe and secure school has become an important part of schooling in South Africa. This is due to the many reported incidents of violence at schools, in classrooms and in immediate school communities. Based on the view of the school environment as comprising physical and psychosocial spaces, I argue that the safety and security of the physical environment is a critical enabling factor for the safety of the whole school and also lays the basis for the safety of the psychosocial environment. Therefore ensuring school safety and security requires a holistic approach that encompasses a thorough grounding in knowledge about the school environment and the basics of school safety. Based on these arguments, I make the point that school facilities maintenance and surveillance of the school environment are critical aspects of a holistic approach to safety and security of a school. With this in mind, I present an approach that can be helpful in making schools safe and secure.
Journal article
Exploring the relationship between religious fundamentalism, life satisfaction, and meaning in life.
Nell, H.W.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 2, Pages 159-166
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between life satisfaction, meaning in life, and religious fundamentalism among 420 participants (28.8% male, 88.4% African, 8.4% White) residing in the Gauteng province of South Africa. A cross-sectional quantitative survey design was followed. Data were collected using the Meaning in Life questionnaire and the Satisfaction with Life scale, and analysed by means of latent variable modelling. Results indicated that meaning in life acted as a mediator between religious fundamentalism and life satisfaction. This suggests that in some cases, fundamentalist religious attitudes might be adaptive in that it provides its adherents with a clear framework of meaning and definite answers to life’s existential uncertainties.
Journal article
Stakeholder perceptions of the determinants of reputation in South African public schools.
Kwatubane, S.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences Vol 5, Issue 20, Pages 1439-1447
Abstract
This research focuses on perceptions of reputation in black township schools in South Africa. The call for the provision of equal education compels school managers to be proactive in their efforts to build reputation for continuity and to remain educationally effective. Data was generated from four categories of stakeholders: parents, educators, school managers and clerks by means of narratives and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed reputation as multi-dimensional and that there were main reputational signals that stakeholders focused on when making their judgments, these included academic performance, organisational climate and emotional appeal. All participants regarded character, academic and experiential reputations as the main determinants of a general school’s reputation. Only internal stakeholders regarded social responsibility as important in determining reputation.
Journal article
Integrated approach to health promotion: The South African schools’ role.
Kwatubana, S., & Kheswa, J.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences Vol 5, Issue 20, Pages 1713-1719
Abstract
This research sought to examine the schools’ role in integrated health promotion. The key focus was on the understanding of the integrated policies and the implications of practical implementation of such policies in schools. This research was explorative in nature and involved a stratified sample of 16 participants from one of the municipalities under Sedibeng District Municipality. The findings revealed that the schools’ ineffectiveness in their role is a barrier to efficient health services by health teams. There is lack of coordination and collaboration of health services due to lack of training and accountability.
Journal article
The need for professional development of educators: A key to the improving the culture of teaching and learning.
Kheswa, J.G., Sandlana, N.S., & Kwatubana, S.J.
Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences Vol 5, Issue 20, Pages 2864-2870
Abstract
Professional development of educators is important in advancing educational practices. The resultant collaboration between the district and school (i.e. principals and educators) serve as a foundation for skills acquisition, assessment and learner’s performance. Grounded in motivation theory and various models advocating professional development, this article proposes strategies on how educators can enhance their teaching methods for learners’ academic performance, since the barriers to learning are enormous(e.g. scarcity of resources, poverty, overcrowding ). The findings of this paper reveal that professional development can contribute towards assessment, identification and counselling of learners based on collaboration between the district and educators, including the principals.
Journal article
Employee engagement: The effects of work-home/home-work interaction and psychological conditions
Rothmann, S. & Baumann, C.
South African of Journal of Economic and Management Sciences Vol 17, Issue 4, Pages 515-530
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between work-home/home-work interaction, psychological conditions and employee engagement. A cross-sectional survey was used. The participants were 292 employees of a uranium mine in Namibia residing in towns distant from their workplace. The following measuring instruments were used: Survey Work-Home Interaction – Nijmegen, Psychological Conditions Scale and Work Engagement Scale. Positive work-home interaction and negative home-work interaction had direct positive and negative effects on psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability respectively. Psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, positive work-home interaction and positive home-work interaction had direct effects on employee engagement. An analysis of the indirect effects showed that positive work-home interaction affected employee engagement via experiences of psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability. Negative home-work interaction affected employee engagement negatively via low psychological meaningfulness and low psychological availability. Implementing policies to promote meaningfulness and availability at work, to build positive work-home interaction and to protect employees against negative home-work interference, will contribute to personal engagement at work.
Journal article
Improving some cognitive functions, specifically executive functions, in grade R-learners.
Esterhuizen, S.M. & Grosser, M.M.
South African Journal of Childhood Education Vol 4, Issue 1, Pages 112-130
Abstract
This study established the effects of a researcher-developed curriculum-based intervention programme. The intervention was grounded on principles of Feuerstein’s ideas about ‘mediated learning’. The aim of the intervention was specifically to address children’s executive functions, which are generally regarded as prerequisites for cognitive development. We studies a selected group of South African grade R learners (n = 20). A quasi-experimental design was employed to collect quantitative data on rotational basis from experimental groups A and B, by means of dynamic assessment with the Children’s Inferential Thinking Modifiability (CITM) test during pretest, posttest and delayed post-test occasions. The test data was intended to elicit the extent to which the intervention that had focused on enhancing executive functions had contributed to the participants’ application of cognitive and metacognitive skills and strategies. Qualitative data captured participants’ application of cognitive processes in the input, elaboration, and output phases of the designed learning process, as well as the characteristics of their inhibitory control functions. A striking finding was the improvement noted in the children’s application of the following executive functions, namely working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control.
Journal article
Meaning-making and resilience: Case studies of a multifaceted process.
Theron, L. C. & Theron, A. M. C.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 1, Pages 37-51
Abstract
Journal article
Validation of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire in an African context.
Temane, L., Khumalo, I. P., & Wissing, M. P.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 1, Pages 81-95
Abstract
Journal article
Presence of meaning and search for meaning as mediators between spirituality and psychological well-being in a South African sample.
Khumalo, I. P., Wissing, M. P. & Schutte, L.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 1, Pages 97-114
Abstract
Journal article
Meaning as perceived and experienced by an African student group.
Wissing, M.P., Khumalo, I.P., & Chigeza, S.C.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 1, Pages 145-160
Abstract
Journal article
Sources of life meaning among South African university students.
Nell, H. W.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 24, Issue 1, Pages 129-143
Abstract
This study explored the sources of meaning in life among a group of 243 South African university students, using a sequential exploratory mixed methods design. First, data from semi-structured questionnaires (n = 40) were subjected to qualitative content analysis; next, from the emerging themes, a quantitative questionnaire was developed and administered to 203 students. Mean scores were computed and compared across gender and cultural groups. Relationships, especially with family, as well as hope, education, achievement and religion were found to be most important sources of meaning, followed by service, creative self-expression, material possessions, hobbies, health and pets. The qualitative analysis revealed that most of these sources were valued more for their perceived instrumental utility than for their intrinsic qualities.
Journal article
Burnout of registered nurses in South Africa.
Van der Colff, J.J., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Nursing Management Vol 22, Issue 5, Pages 630-642
Abstract
The nursing profession is seen as a stressful and emotionally demanding profession, which makes nurses susceptible to burnout. The aims of this study were to validate the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) for registered nurses in South Africa and to analyze the differences between the levels of burnout of different biographical groups. A cross-sectional survey design with a stratified random sample (N = 818) was used. The MBI-HSS and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a three-factor structure of burnout, consisting of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment. Construct equivalence and reliability of the three factors were confirmed. The MBI-HSS showed acceptable validity and reliability for South African nurses. Burnout is associated with specific factors, including language, age, rank, job satisfaction, reciprocity, full-time employment and specialized training. Organizations employing nurses should intervene to prevent and/or manage burnout.
Journal article
AIDS in South Africa: Therapeutic interventions to strengthen resilience among orphans and vulnerable children.
Heath, M. A., Donald, D. R., Theron, L. C., & Lyon, R. C.
School Psychology International Vol 35, Issue 3, Pages 309-337
Abstract
Worldwide, approximately 10% of the 34.2 million individuals infected by human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are under the age of 18. Additionally, 17.8 million children have experienced one or both parents dying of HIV/AIDS. In comparison to other countries, South Africa has the highest per capita of recorded HIV/AIDS cases. These deaths have altered the social landscape by compromising the security and stability of communities and families. In order to address these challenges, research-based and practitioner-recommended interventions are offered to strengthen South African children’s resilience and to facilitate their emotional well-being. In particular, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) affected by HIV/AIDS must be supported in continuing their education and staying connected with immediate family, extended family, peers, and teachers. Acknowledging the shortage of mental health professionals, school psychologists are encouraged to prepare teachers and caregivers to share responsibility in implementing interventions to support OVC.
Journal article
When schooling experiences are respectful of children’s rights: A pathway to resilience.
Theron, L. C., Liebenberg, L., & Malindi, M. J.
School Psychology International Vol 35, Issue 3, Pages 253-265
Abstract
This article reports findings from the Pathways to Resilience study, South Africa. Rooted in a social ecological understanding of resilience, this mixed-methods study investigated resilience processes of black South African youths from poverty-stricken, rural contexts. School-attending youths (n = 951) completed the Pathways to Resilience Youth Measure (PRYM), which included one resilience measure and two school experience measures. Independent sample t-tests showed that youth reporting agency-supportive school environments (n = 137) had significantly higher resilience scores than youth with opposite experiences (n = 330; t(465) =_15.379, p = 0.000). Likewise, youths reporting school staff respect (n = 171) recorded significantly higher resilience scores than youth who experienced disrespect (n = 277; t(446) =_14.518, p =0.000). Subsequently, 130 resilient youths participated in focus groups and/or visual participatory activities to further explore their pathways to resilience. An inductive content analysis of these data illustrated that teacher-facilitated youth agency, aspirations for higher education and employment, and coping with neglect and cruelty, supported resilience processes. Overall, findings suggest that when schooling experiences are supportive of child rights, resilience processes are promoted. This conclusion urges school psychologists and school communities toward transactional practices that support positive youth development in child rights-centred ways.
Journal article
Policy and practitioner responses to the challenges of population ageing: Introduction. In: Harper, S. & Hamblin, K. (Eds.).
Hoffman, J.
International handbook of ageing and public policy. Vol Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Abstract
Journal article
Flourishing of information technology professionals: Effects on individual and organisational outcomes.
Diedericks, E., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Business Management Vol 45, Issue 1, Pages 27-41
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between flourishing and individual and organisational outcomes, including job satisfaction, organisational commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour, turnover intention and counter¬productive behaviour. A convenience sample (N = 205) was taken of employees in information technology organisations in South Africa. A biographical questionnaire, the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, Job Satisfaction Scale, Organisational Commitment Scale, Turnover Intention Scale, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale and a Counterproductive Behaviour Scale were administered. Flourishing affected job satisfaction, organisational commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment directly and indirectly. Job satisfaction had strong direct effects on organisational commitment (positive) and turnover intention (negative), and a moderate negative effect on counterproductive work behaviour. Flourishing affected turnover intention indirectly and negatively via organisational commitment.
Journal article
Replicating society’s discrimination of disadvantaged and marginalized groups: Inclusive education and the power of the curriculum.
Fourie, J.E., Kgalenga, R.C., & Maphosa, C.
Anthropologist Vol 17, Issue 2, Pages 523-532.
Abstract
Investments in Early Childhood Development (ECD) are one of the most effective ways in which to decrease social inequalities caused by adverse environments as such environments hamper the development of young children. These interventions could increase school attendance numbers and could increase the pass rates in primary and secondary schools. Formal education age is too late for a child to start education as the early ages form the basis of development and learning in later years. Consequently, there is a need to focus on early childhood care and development. This article presents a descriptive study of an Early Childhood Development intervention project that resulted in a wide range of learning and development opportunities for children in townships in the Vaal Triangle in South Africa. ECD practitioners and lecturers from the North-West University (NWU), Vaal Triangle Campus planned the intervention programme together. The outcomes of this intervention project were achieved. The components of the intervention programme were implemented as intended and what was delivered went according to the way in which it was planned. Reflection from ECD practitioners and lecturers indicates that this project has started to address the learning needs of practitioners and as a result, learners in these townships.
Journal article
An investigation into practical interventions for quality early childhood development: The Siyakhulisa project.
Fourie, J.E., & Kgalenga, R.
International Journal of Educational Science Vol 6, Issue 2, Pages 287-296.
Abstract
Investments in Early Childhood Development (ECD) are one of the most effective ways in which to
decrease social inequalities caused by adverse environments as such environments hamper the development of young children. These interventions could increase school attendance numbers and could increase the pass rates in primary and secondary schools. Formal education age is too late for a child to start education as the early ages form the basis of development and learning in later years. Consequently, there is a need to focus on early childhood care and development. This article presents a descriptive study of an Early Childhood Development intervention project that resulted in a wide range of learning and development opportunities for children in townships in the Vaal Triangle in South Africa. ECD practitioners and lecturers from the North-West University (NWU), Vaal Triangle Campus planned the intervention programme together. The outcomes of this intervention project were achieved. The components of the intervention programme were implemented as intended and what was del ivered
went according to the way in which it was planned. Reflection from ECD practitioners and lecturers indicates that this project has started to address the learning needs of practitioners and as a result, learners in these townships.
Journal article
Early childhood education in South African townships: The role of innovation towards creating conducive teaching and learning environments.
Fourie, E.
Anthropologist Vol 17, Issue 2, Pages 509-521.
Abstract
This paper presents a descriptive study of an Early Childhood Development (ECD) intervention project, grounded in a community-research approach that resulted in more conducive ECD teaching and learning environments in township ECD centers in the Gauteng Province (Vaal Triangle) of South Africa. During the implementation phase of the project, grade R (the year before formal schooling) ECD practitioners from townships in the Vaal Triangle participated actively. Data was gathered through administering open-ended questionnaires and by conducting semi-structured interviews. Although the outcomes of this intervention varied, reflection from the researcher and the practitioners indicated that the project has started to address shortfalls in the teaching and learning environments of grade R ECD practitioners and as a result more conducive teaching and learning environments for learners in township ECD centers. This article discusses an ECD intervention project, focusing on innovative practices that impacted positively on the quality of the teaching and learning environments in township ECD centers in the Vaal Triangle. It also reports on improvements in the innovation skills and knowledge
Journal article
The effect of cooperative learning on the thinking skills development of Foundation Phase learners.
Booysen, R. & Grosser, M.
Education as Change Vol 18, Issue 1, Pages 47-72
Abstract
We report on the findings obtained from a mixed-method study conducted in South Africa with a conveniently and purposively selected sample of 60 Grade 3 learners and their two teachers. The aim was to establish the thinking skills development of the learners and to determine the merits of a curriculum-based cooperative teaching and learning intervention programme for enhancing and/or improving the thinking skills of the learners. Quantitative data were collected by means of pre- and post-testing, as well as by means of structured observations during the fifteen-week implementation period of the intervention. Qualitative data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with the teachers and focus group interviews with the learners. The research findings have significant implications for enhancing teaching practice in the Foundation Phase to improve thinking skills by means of a cooperative teaching and learning approach.
Journal article
The relationship between services and resilience: a study of Sesotho-speaking youths.
Van Rensburg, A.C., Theron, L.C., Rothmann, S. & Kitching, A.E.
The Social Work Practitioner-Researcher Vol 25, Issue 3, Pages 286-308
Abstract
Serious concerns are being raised about the well-being of South Africa’s young people. This article uses the Pathways to Resilience Youth Measure to examine the relationship between services and resilience through a quantitative cross-sectional study of 1,209 Sesotho-speaking adolescents. The results indicate that no positive correlations exist between resilience and service use, but there are significant negative correlations between resilience and participants who had been in foster homes, questioned by the police, in jail, on probation, or had made use of substance abuse or addiction services. Strong correlations exist between service use satisfaction and resilience. We conclude that young people’s satisfaction with the services used and not the mere fact of service use might support resilience. This has implications for social workers, including the need to nurture youth agency and healthy practitioner–youth bonds, and to shape communities towards providing constructive contexts where mandatory services are less necessary.
Journal article
Contractual relations between employers and employees and individual and organisational outcomes.
Le Roux, C., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Higher Education Vol 27, Issue 4, Pages 900-919
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between experiences of contractual relations and job satisfaction, flourishing and turnover intention of employees in a higher education institution. A cross-sectional survey design was used with 300 employees in a higher education institution. The State of the Employment and Psychological Contract Scales, Violation of Psychological Contract Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Mental Health Continuum - Short Form and Intention to Quit Scale were administered. The results showed that psychological contract violation, job dissatisfaction and low flourishing (emotional, psychological and social well-being) directly impacted turnover intention. Lack of psychological contract fulfilment indirectly and negatively impacted job satisfaction and flourishing via psychological contract violation. Psychological contract violation indirectly impacted turnover intention via job dissatisfaction and low flourishing of employees in a higher education institution. The results confirmed the importance of psychological contract fulfilment and non-violation for the job satisfaction, flourishing and retention of staff in higher education institutions.
Journal article
Flourishing in work and careers.
Rothmann, S.
In M. Coetzee (Ed.), Psycho-social career meta-capacities.
Abstract
Mental health is an important career resource that will help individuals to be function optimally, be self-sufficient, adapt to change, manage their careers well. The aim of this chapter was to investigate the relationships between work- and career-related experiences (including work role fit, job characteristics, overload, supervisor relations, co-worker relations, advancement and remuneration) and the flourishing of managers in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used with managers in the agricultural sector in South Africa (N = 507). The Antecedents Scale and the Mental Health Continuum Short Form were administered. The results showed that work role fit, job characteristics, co-worker relations and remuneration affected flourishing positively. Overload, advancement and supervisor relations did not predict the flourishing of managers in this study. Interventions to promote career development should focus on promoting the flourishing of people and developing positive institutions.
Journal article
From South-West Africa to Namibia: Subjective Well-Being Twenty-One Years After Independence
Perstling, M., & Rothmann, S.
In H. Águeda Marujo & L.M. Neto (Eds.), Positive nations and communities. Vol (pp. 231-262). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
Journal article
Employee engagement in a cultural context.
Rothmann, S.
In C. Truss, R. Delbridge, E. Soane, K. Alfes, & A. Shantz (Eds.), Employee engagement in theory and practice. Issue Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
Abstract
Journal article
Ethics and intergenerational programming: A critical reflection on historic environment education in South Africa.
Roos, V., Hoffman, J. & Van der Westhuizen, V.
Acta Academica Vol 11, Issue 4, Pages 449-58
Abstract
Journal article
South African teachers' views of collaboration within an inclusive education system.
Nel, M., Engelbrecht, P., Nel, N. & Tlale, D.
International Journal of Inclusive Education
Abstract
The development of sustainable collaborative partnerships between different role players within an inclusive education system seems to be a continuous challenge in South Africa. The focus of this research study was to understand how teachers view collaboration within an inclusive education system. Open-ended questionnaires were completed by 85 participating teachers and focus group interviews were employed with 24 educators. The ?ndings indicate that educators still believe that they are not adequately trained and skilled to play an equal role in a collaborative partnership and prefer to rather refer learners experiencing barriers to learning to other support structures and professionals for support.
Journal article
Community-researcher liaisons: The Pathways to Resilience Project Advisory Panel
Theron, L.
South African Journal of Education Vol 33, Issue 4
Abstract
The Pathways to Resilience Project is an ongoing, community-based participatory research (CBPR) project. Its express focus is the exploration of how at-risk youths use formal services and/or informal, naturally occurring resources to beat the odds that have been stacked against them, with the intent of partnering with communities to promote youth resilience. As part of this exploration, project researchers partnered with representatives of participating communities, or advisory panels (AP). However, in literature documenting the worth of participatory methodologies in knowledge generation and social change, there is little mention of how partnerships with AP support communities build on existing knowledge to effect meaningful change. Therefore, the aim of this article is to report the instrumental case study of the AP to the South African Pathways to Resilience Project, between 2008 and the present, in order to foreground the research-informing, knowledge-generating, and practice-shaping value of collaboration with an AP. Simultaneously, this case showcases the complexity of AP-researcher partnerships in order to sensitise CBPR researchers to the need for reflexive, flexible cooperations if communities are to cogenerate and implement local knowledge in enabling ways.
Journal article
The experience of organisational commitment, work engagement and meaning of work of nursing staff in hospitals.
Beukes, I., & Botha, E.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 39, Issue 2, 10 pages, doi: 10.4102/sajip.v39i2.1144
Abstract
Nursing is a noble profession but not always an easy job. Work overload, few resources, limited promotion and development opportunities have a negative impact on the sustainability of the profession. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between organisational commitment, work engagement and meaning of work amongst nursing
staff at various hospitals. It is important to understand how to optimise the work experience of nursing staff in order to ensure a committed and engaged workforce. A survey design with a cluster sample (n = 199) was used. The Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Work-Life Questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The majority of the scales showed acceptable reliability. Results indicated that the majority of nursing staff view their work as either a job or a calling. This impacts the organisation in the sense that viewing work as a calling predicts 19% of the variance in organisational commitment and 30% of the variance in work engagement. Viewing work as a calling will accompany higher levels of engagement and commitment to the organisation. Nurses who feel that they make a meaningful contribution to the hospital are more inclined to stay in the organisation. Strategies can be put in place to focus on experiencing work as a calling, rather than a job. Enhancing this experience and creating awareness could lead to higher
levels of organisational commitment and work engagement.
Journal article
Facing off with Scylla and Charybdis? A comparison of scalar, partial and the novel possibility of approximate measurement invariance.
Van de Schoot, R., Tummers, L., Lugtig, P., Kluytmans, A., Hox, J. & Muthén, B.
Frontiers in Psychology Vol 4, Pages 1-15
Abstract
Measurement invariance (MI) is a pre-requisite for comparing latent variable scores across groups. The current paper introduces the concept of approximate MI building on the work of Muthén and Asparouhov and their application of Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling (BSEM) in the software Mplus. They showed that with BSEM exact zeros constraints can be replaced with approximate zeros to allow for minimal steps away from strict MI, still yielding a well-?tting model. This new opportunity enables researchers to make explicit trade-offs between the degree of MI on the one hand, and the degree of model ?t on the other. Throughout the paper we discuss the topic of approximate MI, followed by an empirical illustration where the test for MI fails, but where allowing for approximate MI results in a well-?tting model. Using simulated data, we investigate in which situations approximate MI can be applied and when it leads to unbiased results. Both our empirical illustration and the simulation study show approximate MI outperforms full or partial MI. In etecting/recovering the true latent mean difference when there are (many) small differences in the intercepts and factor loadings across groups. In the discussion we provide a step-by-step guide in which situation what type of MI is preferred. Our paper provides a ?rst step in the new research area of (partial) approximate MI and shows that it can be a good alternative when strict MI leads to a badly ?tting model and when partial MI cannot be applied.
Journal article
Black students’recollections of pathways to resilience: Lessons for school psychologists.
Theron, L. C.
School Psychology International Vol 34, Issue 5, Pages 527-539
Abstract
Drawing on narrative data from a multiple case study, I recount the life stories of two resilient Black South African university students to theorize about the processes that encouraged these students, familiar with penury and parental illiteracy, to resile. I aimed to uncover lessons for school psychologists about resilience, and their role in its promotion, from these students’ recollections. To this end, I first synthesize what the resilience literature reports as generic processes of resilience. Thereafter, I illustrate how these processes were common to the students’ stories of resilience, drawing attention to how Africentricism shaped these processes. The understanding of resilience that flows from this case study illustrates the more recent contentions that resilience theory needs to account for the influence of culture on positive adjustment and translate this into culturally sensitive interventions towards resilience. The broad implications for school psychologists include recognition that resilience processes are nuanced by the socio-cultural ecology in which youths are situated and awareness that resilience processes require multiple ecosystemic partners. For school psychologists working with students of African descent, the importance of understanding how resilience processes are informed by an Africentric world view is foregrounded, along with attentiveness to the caveats implicit in this lesson.
Journal article
Manager relations, psychological need satisfaction and intention to leave in the agricultural sector.
Rothmann, S., Diedericks, E., & Swart, J.P.
South African Journal of Industrial Psychology Vol 39, Issue 2, Pages 11 pages. doi: 10.4102/sajip.v39i2.1129
Abstract
Orientation: If South African organisations are to retain talented and skilled staff, they consider the psychological needs of employees and their predictors.
Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between manager
relations, the satisfaction of the psychological needs of employees and their intentions
Motivation for the study: The effective retention of skilled employees is necessary organisations in South Africa. However, studies on the psychological processes (and the satisfaction of psychological needs), through which manager relations could promote retention of staff, are necessary.
Research design, approach and method: The authors used a cross-sectional survey They drew convenience samples of managers in agricultural organisations (NSouth Africa. They administered the Manager Relations Scale, the Work-related Satisfaction Scale and the Turnover Intention Scale.
Main findings: The results confirmed a model in which manager relations affected satisfaction of psychological needs and intentions to leave. Autonomy satisfaction the relationship between manager relations and the intentions of employees to leave.
Practical/managerial implications: Managers should participate in training on applying determination theory to support the autonomy and the relatedness satisfaction of employees.
Contribution/value add: This study contributes to the literature by exploring the through which manager relations influence the intentions of employees to leave.
Journal article
Flourishing of information technology professionals: The role of work engagement and job satisfaction.
Diedericks, E., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 23, Issue 2, Pages 225-234
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between work role fit, the availability of personal resources, supervisor relations, work engagement, job satisfaction and employee flourishing. A convenience sample (N = 205) was taken of employees in information technology organizations. The results showed that employees who lack resources, do not fit in their work roles, and do not have good relations with their supervisors were less engaged and satisfied at work, and showed lower mental health (flourishing). Work engagement mediated the relationship between work role fit and the availability of personal resources and flourishing.
Journal article
A qualitative understanding of the coping behaviour, posttraumatic growth and psychological well-being in women who experienced childhood sexual abuse.
Walker-Williams, H., Van Eeden, C., & Van der Merwe, K.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 23, Issue 2, Pages 259-268
Abstract
This study investigated the coping behaviours and posttraumatic growth of women with sexual abuse in childhood (CSA) and long-term effects on their psychological well-being in adulthood. Participants were 10 women survivors of CSA (ages ranging from 23 – 48 years). Data on how women resiled, coped and thrived were collected using individual interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis were used for data analysis. The data were thematically analyzed. Themes to emerge from the analysis included the importance of positive coping behaviour, evolving alternative life narratives and the development and utilization of inner strengths
Journal article
The relationship between the critical thinking skills and the academic language proficiency of prospective teachers.
Grosser, M. & Nel, M.
South African Journal of Education Vol 33, Issue 2, Pages 1-17
Abstract
Journal article
Measurement Invariance of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) across three cultural groups.
Joshanloo, M., Wissing, M. P., Khumalo, I. P., & Lamers, S. M. A.
Personality and Individual Differences
Abstract
This study investigated the factorial structure and invariance of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) across cultural groups from three nations, namely, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Iran (N = 1120). The three-dimensional structure of mental well-being was supported in all the groups. The results of measurement invariance testing con?rmed the full metric and partial scalar invariance of the MHC-SF. The study also compared the latent means for the aspects of mental well-being in the three cultural groups, and found signi?cant differences. The signi?cance and implications of the results are discussed.
Journal article
The use of traits and contextual information in free personality descriptions of ethno-cultural groups in South Africa.
Valchev, V. H., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Nel, J. A, Rothmann, S., & Meiring, D.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol 104, Issue 6, Pages 1077-1091
Abstract
The present study investigates the differences between 3 ethnocultural groups in South Africa in the use of traits and contextual information for personality descriptions and the interaction of these differences with social distance from the target person and with personality domains. Semistructured interviews asking for self- and other-descriptions were conducted with 1,027 Blacks, 84 Coloureds and Indians, and 105 Whites, representing the country’s 11 official languages. In Part 1 we found similarities in the total set of categories used most often for personality description across the 3 groups—traits, behaviors, preferences, and perceptions (over 86%), which were context-free (over 66%)—as well as substantial differences between the groups in the relative use of these categories. In Part 2 we found that distance from the target person plays a role in cross-cultural differences in trait use and contextualization. In Part 3 we found significant interactions of culture with the use of traits and contextual information across agency– communion and 9 indigenous South African personality clusters similar to the Big Five. The responses of Blacks confirmed expectations for collectivistic groups (fewer traits and more contextualization) and of Whites for individualistic groups (more traits and less contextualization), and Coloureds and Indians had an intermediate pattern. The results are discussed in the framework of the trait and cultural psychology perspectives on personality.
Journal article
Does financial hardship explain differences between Belgian and South African unemployed regarding experiences of unemployment, employment commitment and job search behavior?
Vleugels, W., Rothmann, S., Griep, Y., & De Witte, H.
Psychologica Belgica Vol 53, Issue 2, Pages 75-95
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Belgian and South African unemployed differed regarding three psychological dimensions of unemployment: affect (experiences of unemployment), attitudes (employment commitment), and behaviour (job search intensity). Moreover, we expected country of residence to indirectly influence unemployed people’s experiences, employment commitment, and job search intensity via financial hardship. A cross-sectional survey design was used to test our hypotheses. Data were sampled from unemployed people in the Brussels area in Belgium (N = 305), and the Potchefstroom area in South Africa (N = 381). The results indicated that, compared to the Belgian unemployed, the South African unemployed experienced their unemployment as more negative, were more committed towards employment and more intensively searched for work. Moreover, country of residence indirectly influenced unemployed people’s experiences, employment commitment, and job search intensity via financial hardship. Some policy recommendations are suggested.
Journal article
Learners’ religious-cultural rights: A delicate balancing act.
De Waal, E., & Cambron-McCabe, N.
De Jure Vol 46, Issue 1, Pages 93-113
Abstract
Journal article
The effectiveness of legal remedies in education: A school governing body perspective.
Serfontein, E., & De Waal, E.
De Jure Vol 46, Issue 1, Pages 45-62
Abstract
Journal article
Teacher pathways to resilience: Interpretations of teacher adjustment to HIV and AIDS-related challenges.
Theron, L.C.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp. 73-96). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
Resilience (or the capacity to adjust well to significant risk) is conceptualized as a dynamic, reciprocal transaction that occurs between people and their social ecologies. An outcome of resilience relies on a person, who has been placed at risk for maladaptive outcomes, navigating towards, and/or petitioning for wellness-promoting resources and co-incidental, wellness-affirming systemic responses. The understanding of teacher resilience offered in this chapter is couched in this ecosystemic conceptualization of resilience. From this perspective, one type of wellness-affirming systemic response can be found in resilience-promoting interventions with people at risk. The Resilient Educators (REds) program is one such intervention that was evaluated as efficacious in encouraging teacher resilience to the challenges of the HIV&AIDS pandemic. However, there is a paucity of deep understanding of the nature of teacher resilience, particularly when teachers are HIV&AIDS-challenged. This is the gap which the following chapter aims to fill. Drawing on three case studies from the REds intervention project, this chapter uses visual and narrative data to explore the multidimensional and co-constructed complexity of teacher resilience to the challenges of the HIV&AIDS pandemic. Finally, the emerging understanding of resilience as a teacher - system construct invites critical examination of current discourses of teacher vulnerability
and resilience.
Journal article
From happiness to flourishing at work: A southern African perspective.
Rothmann, S.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp. 123-152). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
Organizations around the world recognize the importance of measuring subjective well-being and promoting it as part of a strategic approach to human resource management. The focus is increasingly shifting to multidimensional indicators of employee happiness in the work context. The concept flourishing incorporates two dimensions of happiness; namely, feeling good and functioning well. This study aims to identify dimensions of employee flourishing, and to investigate the antecedents and outcomes thereof in the southern African work and organizational context. The findings of various studies were reviewed, and data gathered from a sample of managers in South Africa (N = 505) was used to explore the dimensions, antecedents, and outcomes of flourishing. The results showed that flourishing individuals feel good (i.e., are satisfied with their jobs and experience positive emotions at work), function psychologically well (i.e., are energetic, dedicated, self-determined, find meaning and purpose at work, and experience harmony), and function socially well (in terms of social acceptance, social growth, social contribution, social coherence, and social integration). It was found that flourishing in work and organizational contexts, and flourishing in everyday life, shared 54% of the variance. However, flourishing in work and organizational contexts was better predicted by job contextual factors, and it also predicted organizational outcomes better than did flourishing in general.
Journal article
The stories of resilience in a group of professional nurses in South Africa.
Koen, M.P., Van Eeden, E., Wissing, M.P., & Koen, V.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp 389-414 ). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
Journal article
Further validation of the General Psychological Well-being Scale among a Setswana-speaking group.
Khumalo, I. P., Temane, Q. M., & Wissing, M. P.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp. 199-224). Dortrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
The aim of the study was to explore the reliability and validity of the General Psychological Well-being Scale (GPWS) in an African context. The study also explored the contextual manifestation of the construct general psychological well-being (GPW) in a Setswana-speaking adult sample. General psychological well-being is an empirically derived construct that encompasses an integration of multiple facets of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The GPWS is a 20-item self-report instrument through which GPW is operationalized. Its psychometric properties were explored using Classical Test Theory (CTT), Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), and Item Response Theory (IRT) approaches. A sample of 1,275 participants completed a battery of scales, including the GPWS, in a cross-sectional survey. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, descriptive statistics, factor analyses, a t-test group comparison, analysis of variance (ANOVA), regression analyses, fit indices, item difficulty estimates, and interscale correlations were computed. The findings indicate that the GPWS is a reliable measure, with a multifaceted hierarchically organized factor structure, and that it is differentially influenced by socioenvironmental factors. Recommendations regarding the further refinement of the GPWS as an optimal measure of general psychological well-being are offered.
Journal article
Measuring happiness: Results of a cross-national study.
Rothmann, S.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp. 175-198). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
The aims of this chapter are to investigate the structural equivalence, item bias, and reliability of the Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in the southern African context. Convenience samples were taken from employees in Namibia (n = 216) and managers in South Africa (n = 507). A biographical questionnaire, the OHQ, and the SWLS were administered. The results showed that structural equivalence of the three-factor model of orientations to happiness (i.e., pleasure, engagement, and meaning) was not supported. One subscale of the OHQ, engagement, was problematic in terms of validity and internal consistency in the South African and Namibian samples. Evidence was found for item bias in the OHQ. The results showed that one item of the SWLS under-fitted the data in both the southern African samples.
Journal article
Coping and cultural context: Implications for psychological health and well-being.
Willers, M., Potgieter, J. C., Khumalo, I. P., Malan, L., Mentz, P. J., & Ellis, S.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp. 251-272). Dortrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
Journal article
Psychosocial health: Disparities between urban and rural communities.
Wissing, M.P., Temane, Q.M., Khumalo, I.P., Kruger, A., & Vorster, H.H.
In M.P. Wissing (Ed.), Well-being research in South Africa: Cross-cultural advances in positive psychology - Volume 4 Pages (pp. 415-438). Dortrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Abstract
Journal article
Visual perspectives on majority world adolescent thriving
Cameron, C.A., Theron, L.C., Tapanya, S., Li, C., Ungar, M., & Liebenberg, L.
Journal of Research on Adolescence Vol 23, Issue 1, Pages 149-161
Abstract
This paper offers socio-ecological, situated perspectives on adolescent resilience derived from an application of interpretive visual methodologies to deepen understanding of adaptive youth development in diverse majority-world cultural contexts (South Africa, Thailand, China, Mexican migration to Canada). The research is not “cross-cultural”; by contrast, it situates youth engagement contextually, using local perspectives, especially perspectives of adolescents themselves, on “growing up well” under adverse circumstances, to interrogate conceptions of resilience in cultural context. Participants are viewed as members of cultural communities: observations with a small number of individuals are not generalized to national groups. Rather, knowledge gained by these methods is employed to enrich knowledge of the processes of majority-world youth thriving despite such adversities as poverty and social displacement.
Journal article
Psychological meaningfulness and work engagement among educators of Zambia.
Rothmann, S., & Hamukangandu, L.
South African Journal of Education Vol 33, Issue 2, Pages 1-16
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among a calling orientation, work role fit, psychological meaningfulness and work engagement of teachers in Zambia. A quantitative approach was followed and a cross-sectional survey was used. The sample (n = 150) included 75 basic and 75 secondary school teachers in the Choma district of Zambia. The Work Role Fit Scale, Work-Life Questionnaire, Psychological Meaningfulness Scale, and Work Engagement Scale were administered. Structural equation modelling confirmed a model in which a calling orientation impacted psychological meaningfulness and work engagement significantly. A calling orientation impacted work engagement directly, while such work orientation impacted psychological meaningfulness indirectly via work role fit. The results suggest that it is necessary to address the work orientation and work role fit of teachers in Zambia as pathways to psychological meaningfulness and work engagement.These results have implications for the recruitment, selection, training and development of teachers in Zambia.
Journal article
Similarities and differences in implicit personality concepts across ethno-cultural groups in South Africa.
Valchev, V. H., Van de Vijver, F. J. R., Nel, J. A, Rothmann, S., Meiring, D., & De Bruin, G. P.
Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology Vol 44, Issue 3, Pages 365-388
Abstract
Using a combined emic-etic approach, the present study investigates similarities and differences in the indigenous personality concepts of ethno-cultural groups in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews asking for self- and other-descriptions were conducted with 1,027 Blacks, 58 Indians, and 105 Whites, speakers of the country’s 11 official languages. A model with nine broad personality clusters subsuming the Big Five - Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Facilitating, Integrity, Intellect, Openness, Relationship Harmony, And Soft-Heartedness (Nel et al., in press) - was examined. The nine clusters were found in all groups, yet the groups differed in their use of the model’s components: Blacks referred more to social-relational descriptions, specific trait manifestations, and social norms, whereas Whites referred more to personal-growth descriptions and abstract concepts, and Indians had an intermediate pattern. The results suggest that a broad spectrum of personality concepts should be included in the development of common personality models and measurement tools for diverse cultural groups.
Journal article
How cultural histories shape South African and Finnish teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education: A comparative analysis.
Engelbrecht, P., Savolainen, H., Nel, M., & Malinen, O.
European Journal of Special Needs Education
Abstract
Complex cultural and historical forces are often neglected when the development of inclusive education in international comparative research projects are discussed. The purpose of this study was to analyse teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education by examining the ways in which cultural historical factors in South Africa and Finland may impact on teachers’ attitudes. Data collection methods included the analysis of education policy documents and other relevant documents in countries, an open-ended question on teachers’ own de?nition of inclusive education and the results of the initial study on teachers’ attitudes to and concerns about inclusive education. A sample of 310 South African and 833 Finnish primary and secondary education teachers in mainstream and special education settings took part. An analysis of the data within a cultural-historical framework indicated that each country’s historical commitment to inclusive education and its attendant legacies about diversity in education have clearly mediated teachers’ views in both countries. As a result, we have been able to develop a deeper understanding of the complex local conditions, and the similarities and differences across national contexts in which inclusive education is implemented that could bene?t both countries.
Journal article
Employee engagement in Namibia: The role of psychological conditions.
Rothmann, S., & Welsh, C.
Management Dynamics Vol 22, Issue 1, Pages 14-25
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the antecedents of employee engagement in the context of a developing country. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a sample of 309 employees in organisations in Namibia. A biographical questionnaire and questionnaires that measure employee engagement and antecedents of engagement were administered. Work-role fit and job enrichment showed the strongest relationships with employee engagement, while rewards, co-worker relations, resources, supervisor relations and organisational support showed moderate relationships with employee engagement. Work-role fit, job enrichment and the availability of resources affected employee engagement indirectly via experiences of psychological meaningfulness, while the availability of resources and co-worker relations affected employee engagement indirectly through psychological availability. The results confirm the important role of psychological meaningfulness and psychological availability as mediators between work-role fit, job enrichment, resources and co-worker relations on the one hand, and employee engagement on the other.
Journal article
Engaging in work even when it is meaningless: Positive affective disposition and meaningful work interact in relation to work-engagement.
Steger, M. F., Littman-Ovadia, H., Miller, M., Menger, L., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Career Assessment Vol 21, Issue 2, Pages 348-361
Abstract
The central aim of the present study was to assess the predictive value of affective disposition and meaningful work on employee engagement. Specifically, it was proposed that meaningful work moderates the relationship between affective disposition and engagement. Questionnaires were completed by 252 white-collar employees, working in a variety of organizations and jobs across Israel, recruited from community-based samples on a voluntary basis. As hypothesized, work engagement, affective disposition, and meaningful work were positively correlated. Additionally, a significant interaction between affective disposition and meaningful work was found. The relationship between affective disposition and work engagement was found to differ by the extent to which individuals perceived their work as meaningful. Specifically, when work was not perceived as meaningful, employees characterized by high scores on affective disposition were more strongly engaged compared to employees who were characterized by low scores on affective disposition. However, when work was perceived as meaningful, there was no difference in level of engagement found between those with high or low scores on affective disposition. The implications of these results are discussed.
Journal article
Knowledge and learning: Views of a sample of South African higher education students.
Van der Merwe, K., & Nell, W.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 23, Issue 1, Pages 61-68
Abstract
This study explored views of knowledge and learning held by a sample of 14 Black South African first year university students (age range = 18-24, 50% female). Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews, group interviews and focus group interviews. The data was subjected to thematic qualitative content analysis. A majority of the participants evidenced a pre-reflective epistemological perspective characterized by the beliefs that knowledge is certain and absolute rather than relative; that the source of knowledge is vested exclusively in authorities external to the self, that learning is quick, and that it mainly involves memorization of facts. However, a few participants espoused more advanced, pre-reflective epistemological beliefs via awareness of bias and the idiosyncratic nature of knowledge. Greater epistemological sophistication was associated with the presence of supportive educational role models such as teachers or parents, and personal characteristics such as determination and inquisitiveness.
Journal article
A model for psychosocial well-being of families in a South African context.
Koen, V., Van Eeden, C., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 23, Issue 1, Pages 155-164
Abstract
This study applied the approach of Dickoff, James, and Wiedenbach (1968) to construct a conceptual framework and a model for the psychosocial well-being of families from diverse cultures in a South African context. Findings from previous qualitative research served as the empirical data base for the conceptual framework and model while relevant literature was used as theoretical evidence in the formulation of the conceptual framework and model. The proposed model indicates the interaction and interrelatedness between the family, family strengths and family functioning. The family makes use of family strengths, as well as family functioning to interact. If the interaction is successful it can influence or generate contributing factors that can enhance the psychosocial well-being of families. The model’s structure and process illustrate the complexity of the process of family psychosocial well-being, the uniqueness of South African families and the potential for growth.
Journal article
Job insecurity, job stress, organisational commitment and coping in private health care institutions.
Van Zyl, L., Van Eeden, C., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Business Management Vol 14, Issue 1, Pages 75-86
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relations among negative emotional reactions (reduced affective organisational commitment and higher job-related stress), and behavioural reactions to job insecurity (coping behaviour). A non-experimental correlation research design was used and the participants were a convenience sample of employees working for a private hospital in Gauteng, South Africa (N = 242). The measuring instruments included the Job Insecurity Inventory, the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, the Experience of Work and Life Circumstances Questionnaire, and the COPE Questionnaire. The results showed that job insecurity was associated with job-related stress. Affective job insecurity was associated with detachment from the organisation, while cognitive job insecurity was associated with low identification with the organisation. Experiences of affective job insecurity, job-related stress, and low organisational commitment were associated with the use of avoidance coping strategies. Employees who experienced cognitive job insecurity (compared to those who experienced lower cognitive job insecurity) were less inclined to apply active coping strategies, even if their job-related stress was low.
Journal article
Exploring teacher self-efficacy for inclusive practices in three diverse countries.
Malinen, O., Savolainen, H., Engelbrecht, P., Xu, J., Nel, M., Tlale, D., & Nel, N.
Teaching and Teacher Education Vol 33, Pages 34-43
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explain teachers’ perceived ef?cacy for teaching in inclusive classrooms by using a sample of 1911 in-service teachers from China, Finland, and South Africa. Bandura’s theory of self-ef?cacy was used as a starting point to develop distinct models for each country. We found that in all countries, experience in teaching students with disabilities was the strongest predictor of self-ef?cacy, while the predictive power of other variables differed from country to country. Our ?ndings illustrate ways to improve teacher education to respond better to the challenges set by the global inclusive education movement.
Journal article
Towards an African definition of resilience: A rural South African community's view of resilient Basotho youth.
Theron, L.C., Theron, A.M.C., & Malindi, M.J.
Journal of Black Psychology Vol 39, Issue 1, Pages 63-87
Abstract
Resilience, or adaptive behavior in the face of adversity, has recently come to be understood as a phenomenon that should not be uniformly conceptualized across contexts and cultures. This emerging understanding has urged exploration of what resilience might mean in specific cultural contexts. As in other majority nation contexts, there is scant documentation of what resilience might mean in an African context. In this article, the authors report on an exploratory qualitative study, rooted in a constructivist grounded theory approach, in which 11 South African adults from an impoverished rural area were invited to provide a description of resilient Basotho youth. In contrast to Eurocentric perspectives, their descriptions, verbal, written, and hand-drawn, offer an Africentric understanding of resilience. This emerging African conceptualization of resilience advocates for deeper exploration of collectivist philosophies underpinning Black youth resilience and continued research into the process of African resilience.
Journal article
Educational psychology and resilience in developing contexts: A rejoinder to Toland and Carrigan.
Theron, L. C., & Donald, D. R.
School Psychology International Vol 34, Issue 1, Pages 51-66
Abstract
If educational psychologists wish to make a meaningful difference as practitioners, both to the children they work with and the ecologies these children come from, then, knowledge and application of resilience theory is crucial. Toland and Carrigan (2011) underscore this relationship in their 2011 article in this Journal. In our contribution below, we extend their assertion by urging greater attention to the interactive processes which underpin resilience and, more particularly, to how proximal, face-to-face transactions embedded in mesosystems and microsystems and nuanced by the distal, macrosystemic influences, mould resilience. Using examples from resilience research conducted in South Africa we argue that such a focus (i.e. on the transactional ecosystemic nature of resilience) is crucial in developing contexts. Furthermore, we contend that sensitivity to mechanisms of resilience as well as the contexts and cultures in which these continuously evolve, begs an approach to practice that foregrounds the ecosystemic, promotes child-ecology transactions, and is cautious about generalizing resilience theory to children across diverse contexts, cultures and time periods. To conceptualize resilience as anything but a reciprocal, dynamic, contextually-influenced interaction between children and their ecologies, would be to fail children in developing contexts.
Journal article
Flourishing of students in a tertiary education institution in South Africa.
Van Zyl, L.E., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 4, Pages 593-604
Abstract
The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between flourishing and academic performance (AP), life satisfaction (SWT), and positive affect (PA). A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used on a convenience sample of university students (n = 845). The Mental Health Continuum Long Form (MHC-LF), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and Satisfaction with Life Scales (SWLS) were administered. Academic performance was determined through averaging all the participants’ modules for the first semester. Individuals with moderate levels of flourishing typically performed in the ‘above average’ to ‘excelling academically’ range. Furthermore, a large number of individuals who were underperforming were also languishing. Flourishing students experienced higher levels of positive affect and life satisfaction, as well as lower levels of negative affect than their languishing and moderately flourishing counterparts. The relationship between flourishing and academic performance is complex, it would seem that flourishing/languishing plays a role in academic performance. Finally, flourishing relates to both PA and SWL, which supports the construct validity of flourishing’s conceptualisation.
Journal article
Enhancing emotional and social competence in a group of South-African school beginners: A preliminary study.
Deacon, E., & Van Rensburg, E.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 4, Pages 677-684
Abstract
This study piloted the efficacy of a short-term intervention program for socio-emotional development in pre-schoolers.in a South African setting. Participants were 48 learners, aged between 5 and 6 years (22 boys, 26 girls). A proportion of the participants (n=26) took the socio-emotional competence development intervention. Programme effects were measured using the Social Competence and Behavioural Evaluation, Preschool Edition (SCBE) and the Griffiths Developmental Scales – Extended Revised (GMDS-ER). Between group comparisons showed significant gains in internalization and social competence skills in favour of the intervention group as compared to the control group.
Journal article
The prevalence of coping behaviour, posttraumatic growth and psychological well-being in women who experienced childhood sexual abuse.
Walker-Williams, H.J., Van Eeden, C., & Van der Merwe, E.K.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 4, Pages 617-626
Abstract
This study investigated the prevalence of coping behaviour, posttraumatic growth and psychological well-being in adult South African women (n=60, mean age=32, ethnicity=70% European, 28% African and 2% Asian descent). Specifically, the study considered the prevalence of constructive coping, posttraumatic growth and psychological well-being with a history of childhood sexual abuse. All participants self-reported being sexually abused before the age of 18 years. They completed measures of coping, posttraumatic growth, and psychological well-being, in a cross-sectional survey design. Results showed moderate to high correlations among scales indicating conceptual coherence as indicators of constructive coping, posttraumatic growth and psychological wellness. About 58% of participants manifested constructive coping, 60% manifested posttraumatic growth, and 42% manifested psychological well-being. These women survivors of childhood sexual abuse had higher levels of posttraumatic growth than reported in previous studies.
Journal article
Authentic happiness of managers and individual and organisational outcomes
Swart, J., & Rothmann, S.
South African Journal of Psychology Vol 42, Issue 4, Pages 492-508
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate managers’ orientations to happiness, and the relationship thereof to individual and organisational outcomes. A cross-sectional survey design was used with managers in the agricultural sector in South Africa (N = 507). The Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale and Organisational Commitment Scale were administered. The results showed that orientations to happiness (i.e. pleasure, meaning and engagement) had strong direct effects on subjective well-being, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour. Orientations to happiness also impacted job satisfaction indirectly through subjective well-being. Subjective well-being had a strong direct and positive effect on job satisfaction. Both orientations to happiness and subjective well-being affected organisational commitment indirectly through their effects on job satisfaction.
Journal article
Cross-national differences in happiness: Cultural measurement bias or effect of culture?
Veenhoven, R.
International Journal of Wellbeing Vol 2, Issue 4, Pages 333-353
Abstract
The number of cross-national research studies on happiness is soaring, but doubts about the comparability of happiness between countries remain. One source of doubt is the possibility of cultural measurement bias. Another source of doubt is in the theory that happiness is culturally relative. These qualms were checked using the available data on differences in average happiness across nations. It appears that happiness can be compared across nations and used as an indicator of how well people thrive in a society.
Journal article
Development and validation of the Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ) and Brief Calling Scale.
Dik, B.J., Eldridge, B.M., Steger, M.F., & Duffy, R.D.
Journal of Career Assessment Vol 20, Pages 322-337
Abstract
Research on work as a calling is limited by measurement concerns. In response, the authors introduce the multidimensional Calling and Vocation Questionnaire (CVQ) and the Brief Calling scale (BCS), instruments assessing presence of, and search for, a calling. Study 1 describes CVQ development using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a cross-validated split¬sample approach with 456 undergraduates. The CVQ contained six reliable subscales that form CVQ-Presence and CVQ-Search scores, which demonstrated moderate 1-month test–retest reliability, good fit to a six-factor structure, and initial support for construct validity. Study 2 reports a multitrait–multimethod analysis with 134 undergraduates and 365 informants. Self-reported CVQ and BCS scores moderately to strongly correlated with informant reports and scores for both instruments correlated in hypothesized directions with work hope, prosocial work motivation, life meaning, and the search for meaning. CVQ and BCS scores provide psychometrically sound measures of calling, with the CVQ offering the potential for more fine-grained, multidimensional analyses.
Journal article
Resilience research with South African youth: Caveats and ethical complexities.
Theron, L.
South African Journal of Psychology Vol 42, Issue 3, Pages 333-345
Abstract
Journal article
Beyond smiling: the evaluation of a positive psychological intervention aimed at student happiness.
Van Zyl, L.E., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 3, Pages 369-384
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a positive psychological intervention (PPI) aimed at increasing happiness of students in a tertiary educational institution. A convenience sample (n = 20) was drawn from the entire population of academic third year students in the field of Industrial/Organisational psychology (n = 109). The majority of the participants were Sesotho speaking (45%), black (95%), female (90%), and 21 years of age (45%). A single group pre-, post-, and post-post-test design was used. The PPI stretched across eight months and was presented in two phases: (a)a three day self-development workshop and (b) six sessions of individual coaching. The intervention focused on facilitating development on two levels, namely a psychological (engagement, meaning, person-environment fit, autonomy, competence, relatedness and authenticity), and emotional (pleasure, affect balance and life satisfaction) level. Data were collected using the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire, Basic Psychological Needs Scale, the Authentic Self Inventory and Person-Environment Fit scale. The results indicated that the overall happiness of a student increased through developing individuals on both an emotional and psychological level. The PPI affected all the aspects conceptualised in this study, except for two components of authenticity. Therefore, a multi-dimensional approach towards PPIs aimed at happiness of students in a tertiary educational environment may contribute to happy students.
Journal article
READ ME TO RESILIENCE! Exploring the use of cultural stories to boost the positive adjustment of children orphaned by AIDS.
Wood, L., Theron, L.C., & Mayaba, N.
African Journal of AIDS Research Vol 11, Issue 3, Pages 225-239
Abstract
The study explored whether and how culturally sensitive stories can encourage resilience in young children orphaned by AIDS. The purpose of the investigation was allied to the paradigm of positive psychology, which focuses on the promotion of potential strengths to buffer children against adversity, as well as on social ecological understandings of resilience, which emphasise that social ecologies have a duty to facilitate children’s positive adjustment to adversity. A pre-post-intervention evaluation was used to gather qualitative data on orphaned children’s resilience to AIDS-related adversity by employing participatory visual methods. The intervention, called Read-me-to-Resilience (Rm2R), consisted of telling 22 culturally sensitive stories to the children. We compared the pre- and post-intervention data for each participant before thematically analysing the total findings. Our analysis indicates that the children’s resilience had been bolstered in the period between the pre-test and post-test. We conclude that culturally relevant stories could be used by South African caregivers, service providers, and educators as an accessible, inexpensive and ready-made tool to directly empower children who have been orphaned by AIDS.
Journal article
A model for psychosocial well-being of families in a South African context.
Koen, V., Van Eeden, C., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 3, Pages 343-358
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore and describe aspects that contribute to the psychosocial well-being of families from diverse cultures in a South African context by analysing data obtained through narratives, drawings and interviews with families. Participant families took part voluntarily in family interviews (N=36), written narratives (N=23) and drawings (N=14). These different methods of data collection provided rich data on family psychosocial well-being in a South African context with culturally diverse families, as well as on those aspects that influence family psychosocial well-being. The findings suggest that communication, mutual support, togetherness as a family and spirituality are the most prominent contributing factors, while financial difficulties and interpersonal conflicts or arguments are the most prominent hindering factors with regard to family psychosocial well-being in this group of participants.
Journal article
Psychological dimensions of unemployment: A gender comparison between Belgian and South African unemployed.
Griep, Y., Rothmann, S., Vleugels, W., & De Witte, H.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 3, Pages 303-314
Abstract
This study sought to compare South African and Belgian unemployed in their subjective experience of unemployment, committed towards employment and job search behaviour. We also considered gender differences regarding the psychological dimensions of unemployment between Belgium and South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used. Unemployed people were sampled from the Potchefstroom area in South Africa (N = 381) and the Brussels area in Belgium (N = 305). The Experiences of Unemployment Questionnaire was administered. While no significant gender differences were found in South Africa, significant differences were found for all three psychological dimensions of unemployment in the Belgian sample. South African intervention programmes should be developed in order to cope with long-lasting unemployment, social isolation and further financial deprivation.
Journal article
The psychological consequences of unemployment in South Africa.
De Witte, H., Rothmann, S., & Jackson, L.T.B.
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences Vol 15, Issue 3, Pages 235-252
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the affective experiences, attitudes to work, and job application behaviour of unemployed people. A survey design was used and samples (N = 381) were drawn from unemployed people in the North West Province. The Experiences of Unemployment Questionnaire was administered. Regarding affective experiences, being unemployed was described as very unpleasant and it was associated with boredom, loneliness, uncertainty about the future, concerns about financial matters, emptiness and conflict. When it came to the participants’ attitudes to work, the results showed that almost 96 per cent of them regarded work as important, particularly because it provides meaning. Regarding job application behaviour, the results showed that most of the participants would like to find a job within the month, and they expected to do so. Almost 78 per cent of the participants were asking people for a job at least once a week or more often. Most of them asked friends and acquaintances for employment information, but unemployed people also reported that they looked out for advertisements. People with poor education had the most negative experiences of unemployment and saw work as more important than did those with better education.
Journal article
Collaborative partnerships to increase resilience among AIDS orphans" some unforeseen challenges and caveats.
Wood, L., Theron, L.C., & Mayaba, N.
Africa Education Review Vol 9, Issue 1, Pages 124-141
Abstract
Journal article
Exploring the personality structure in the 11 languages of South Africa.
Nel, A., Valchev, V.H., Rothmann, S., Van de Vijver, F.J.R., Meiring, D., & De Bruin, G.P.
Journal of Personality Vol 80, Issue 4, Pages 915-948
Abstract
The present study, part of the development of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI), explores the implicit personality structure in the 11 of?cial language groups of South Africa by employing a mixed-method approach. In the ?rst, qualitative part of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 1,216 participants from the 11 of?cial language groups. The derived personality-descriptive terms were categorized and clustered based on their semantic relations in iterative steps involving group discussions and contacts with language and cultural experts. This analysis identi?ed 37 subclusters, which could be merged in 9 broad clusters: Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Facilitating, Integrity, Intellect, Openness, Relationship Harmony, and Soft-Heartedness. In the second, quantitative part, the perceived relations between the 37 subclusters were rated by 204 students from different language groups in South Africa and 95 students in the Netherlands. The outcomes generally supported the adequacy of the conceptual model, although several clusters in the domain of relational and social functioning did not replicate in detail. The outcomes of these studies revealed a personality structure with a strong emphasis on social-relational aspects of personality.
Journal article
Supporting Lesotho teachers to develop resilience in the face of the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Wood, L., Ntoate, G., & Theron, L.C.
Teaching and Teacher Education Vol 28, Pages 428-439
Abstract
HIV and AIDS threaten to erode the wellbeing of teachers who are faced with an increasing number of children rendered vulnerable by the pandemic. This article explores the usefulness of a supportive group intervention, Resilient Educators (REds), in supporting Lesotho teachers to respond to the HIV and AIDS related challenges. A time-series pre- and post-intervention design was used to evaluate the programme. The ?ndings indicate that the intervention led to an increase in the sense of agency of participating teachers both on a personal and community level. The ?ndings have international signi?cance for teachers working in similar contexts characterised by extreme adversity.
Journal article
The Satisfaction with Life Scale: Measurement invariance across immigrant groups.
Ponizovsky, Y., Dimitrova, R., Schachner, M. K., & van de Schoot, R.
European Journal of Developmental Psychology Pages 1-7
Abstract
The current study examined measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Gri?n, 1985) across three immigrant groups, namely, immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israel, Turkish-Bulgarians, and Turkish-Germans. The results demonstrate measurement invariance of the SWLS across groups. The ?ndings that Turkish-Bulgarian and FSU immigrants in Israel scored signi?cantly lower on the SWLS compared to Turkish-Germans can be explained by assimilative policies in Israel and Bulgaria. In conclusion, our results suggest the SWLS is feasible for cross-cultural comparisons of immigrants of various age groups. Future investigation of measurement invariance over time is needed to use the SWLS in a developmental perspective.
Journal article
Prevention of child sexual abuse: The need for an ecological risk-factor approach.
Fouche, A.
Child Abuse Research: A South African Journal Vol 13, Issue 2, Pages 75-86
Abstract
Journal article
Resilience in the face of Fragile X Syndrome: A single female case study.
Fourie, C.L., & Theron, L.C.
Qualitative Health Research Vol 22, Pages 1355-1368
Abstract
In this article, we communicate transformative findings from a case study on the resilience of a young woman with fragile X syndrome (FXS), a genetic condition involving mental impairment and physical, emotional, and behavioral challenges. We explored the resilience of “Lucy,� a spirited 16-year-old North American, using informal interviews with her, formal interviews with significant adults in her life, and observations (visual and anecdotal) over 20 months. In reporting the information-rich case of Lucy, well supported by her ecology to rise above full-mutation FXS, we encourage a positive perspective of living with FXS. Although we recognize the limitations of a single case study, our findings offer tentative, process-oriented insights into resilience in contexts of genetic disability, previously unreported
in conjunction with FXS. We concluded that the processes informing Lucy’s resilience were partly her responsibility and partly her social ecology’s, and comprised intrapersonal agency, unconditional positive acceptance and belonging, and support toward mastery.
Journal article
Meaning-in-life orientations and values in Youth: Cross-cultural comparison.
Gorlova N., Romanyuk, L., Vanbrabant, L., & van de Schoot R.
European Journal of Developmental Psychology Vol 9, Issue 6, Pages 744-750
Abstract
Search for purposes in life and the meaning of life is one of the developmental tasks in youth. The Meaning-in-Life Orientations test (MOL) is often used to assess purposes in life and meaningfulness of life and is often used to compare individuals and groups. It is yet unclear whether this test shows measurement invariance across di?erent countries or not, which was the main object of the current study. First, con?rmatory factor analyses were conducted separately for data sets with Russian and Ukrainian students. Second, metric and scalar invariance were tested. Finally, comparisons between Russian and Ukrainian students were made on their scores on the MOL.
Journal article
Job insecurity: Review of the literature and summary of recent studies from Belgium.
De Witte, H., De Cuyper, N., Vander Elst, T., Vanbelle, E., & Niesen, W.
Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology Vol 14, Issue 1, Pages 11-17
Abstract
This contribution offers a short overview of research on job insecurity, with an emphasis on recent findings from the research tradition on job insecurity of the Work, Organisational & Personnel Psychology (WOPP), a research group from Leuven, Belgium. Topics covered include the definition of job insecurity, prevalence and risk groups, consequences of job insecurity for health and well-being, for organisations, trade unions and political topics, new operationalisations of job insecurity and their correlates, moderators of the job insecurity -outcomes relationship, and explanations for the harmful impact of job insecurity.
Journal article
Secondary traumatic stress, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction of social workers in Namibia.
Perstling, M., & Rothmann, S.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 22, Issue 1, Pages 1-9
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among secondary traumatic stress, psychological well-being (purpose in life, environmental mastery, and self-acceptance) and life satisfaction of social workers of Namibia. A cross-sectional survey design was used with a sample population of 116 social workers. The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, three subscales of the Psychological Well-being Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The results showed that secondary traumatic stress (including arousal, avoidance and intrusion) was negatively related to purpose in life, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, and life satisfaction of social workers. Satisfaction with life was best predicted by environmental mastery and low arousal. Avoidance impacted life satisfaction indirectly and negatively via low environmental mastery.
Journal article
The role of school engagement in strengthening resilience among male street children.
Malindi, M. J., & Machenjedze, N.
South African Journal of Psychology Vol 42, Issue 1, Pages 71-81
Abstract
Journal article
Socio-demographic variables, general psychological well-being and the Mental Health Continuum in an African context
Khumalo, I.P., Temane, Q.M., & Wissing, M.P.
Social Indicators Research Vol 105, Pages 419-442
Abstract
Age, gender, marital status, education attainment, employment status, and environmental setting explain different amounts of variance in psychological well-being and mental health. Inconsistent findings are reported for the socio-demographic variables in psychological well-being depending amongst others on the definition and measurement of well-being, context and the nature of the population. The present study explored the association of socio-demographic variables in an African context using two models that conceptualise and measure well-being as a holistic integrated and complex construct, namely the General Psychological Well-being model (GPW) and the Mental Health Continuum model (MHC). The study was conducted among an African sample in the North West Province of South Africa. A sample of 459 male and female Setswana speaking adults from rural and urban areas completed measures of general psychological well-being and the mental health continuum. Descriptive statistics, correlations, cross-tabulations and regression analyses were computed. Findings indicate that socio-demographic variables play a role in determining holistic psychological well-being in a South African Setswana-speaking community. Urban living, employment, education and being married were associated with higher psychological well-being. Rural or urban environmental setting, followed by employment status, accounted for the greatest variance in psychological well-being measures. Age and gender were not significantly associated with well-being. The findings suggest that the current state of African rural living is detrimental to well-being. Through employment being an index of socio-economic status, the unemployed experience poor well-being. Future research efforts to explore the mechanisms of these relationships, and context-relevant intervention programmes are recommended.
Journal article
Religion and spirituality in contemporary dreams.
Nell, W.
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies Vol 68, Issue 1, Pages 1-9
Abstract
This article examines the spiritual value and role of dreams in the lives of South African Christians, based on the findings of a qualitative research project in which semistructured interviews were used to examine the dream-related beliefs and practices of contemporary Christians. The findings indicated that dreams are still considered to be of distinct religious
value and importance by a significant number of the Christian participants who took part in the study. Specifically, the participants reported that their dreams often serve as source of spiritual inspiration, insight and guidance, as well as feedback on decisions and ways of living. It was also indicated that dreams sometimes constituted an important natural resource
in coming to terms with bereavement. In response to this, the article closes with a call for a re-evaluation of the position and value of dreams in contemporary Christianity, and offers several practical suggestions for working with dreams in a spiritual context.
Journal article
Measuring meaningful work: The Work and Meaning Inventory (WAMI)
Steger, M.F., Dik, B.J., & Duffy, R.D.
Journal of Career Assessment Vol 20, Pages 322-337
Abstract
Many people desire work that is meaningful. However, research in this area has attracted diverse ideas about meaningful work (MW), accompanied by an equally disparate collection of ways of assessing MW. To further advance study in this area, the authors propose a multidimensional model of work as a subjectively meaningful experience consisting of experiencing positive meaning in work, sensing that work is a key avenue for making meaning, and perceiving one’s work to benefit some greater good. The development of a scale to measure these dimensions is described, an initial appraisal of the reliability and construct validity of the instrument’s scores is reported using a sample of university employees (N ¼ 370) representing diverse occupations. MW scores correlated in predicted ways with work-related and general well-being indices, and accounted for unique variance beyond common predictors of job satisfaction, days reported absent from work, and life satisfaction. The authors discuss ways in which this conceptual model provides advantages to scholars, counselors, and organizations interested in fostering MW.
Journal article
Illustrating Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses for regression models.
Kluytmans, A., van de Schoot, R., Mulder, J. & Hoijtink, H.
Frontiers in Psychology Vol 3, Issue 2
Abstract
In the present article we illustrate a Bayesian method of evaluating informative hypotheses for regression models. Our main aim is to make this method accessible to psychological researchers without a mathematical or Bayesian background. The use of informative hypotheses is illustrated using two datasets from psychological research. In addition, we analyze generated datasets with manipulated differences in effect size to investigate how Bayesian hypothesis evaluation performs when the magnitude of an effect changes. After reading this article the reader is able to evaluate his or her own informative hypotheses.
Journal article
Well-being in the Batswana cultural context: Constructs and measures
Khumalo, I.P., Temane, Q.M., & Wissing, M.P.
Journal of Psychology in Africa Vol 21, Issue 2, Pages 277-286
Abstract
The study investigated wellbeing in a Setswana-speaking sample. Participants (n=459, males =141 females =318; 22% = aged between 30 and 40 years) completed the General Psychological Well-being Scale (GPWS: Khumalo, Temane & Wissing, 2010) and the Mental Health Continuum Short-Form (MHC-SF: Keyes, 2005b). Data were analyzed applying classical test theory (CTT), structural equation modelling (SEM; measurement model) and item response theory (IRT; Rasch model). Both GPWS and MHC-SF measures yielded a multidimensional wellbeing factor structures indicative of a hedonic-eudaimonic wellbeing overlap. Further qualitative research could explore the cultural contextual meanings of wellbeing in Setswana culture.
Journal article
