Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social perception – Measurement'
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Cheng, Diana Wai Mui. "Propagation of perception and reality construction in organisations by measurement." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.340523.
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Yang, Shengyu. "Multidimensional self-construals : testing the model and refining measurement." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2018. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/75716/.
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Markus and Kitayama (1991) developed self-construal theory, and proposed that independent and interdependent self-construals would account for cultural variations in cognition, emotion and motivation. Based on this theory and Vignoles and colleagues' (2016) reconsideration of self-construal measurement, this thesis investigates if a multi-dimensional model of self-construal helps explain cultural differences better than previous studies using the conventional two-dimensional model, as well as reporting the development of a scale that unpacks eight different ways of being independent and interdependent in multiple cultures. The thesis includes three studies. Focusing on the cultures of China and the UK, Study 1 explores if a seven-dimensional self-construal model (Vignoles et al., 2016) helps provide previously missing evidence for the predicted mediation effects of selfconstrual on cultural differences in cognition, emotion and motivation. The results show that Chinese and British participants are significantly different in six dimensions of self-construal, and explicit self-construal significantly mediated cultural differences in certain aspects of cognition, emotion and motivation. In the same two cultures, Study 2 examines individualism and collectivism priming techniques, using the seven-dimensional self-construal model to detect what two commonly used selfconstrual primes actually manipulate. The results indicate that Similarities vs. Differences with Family and Friends task (SDFF) and Sumerian Warrior Story (SWS) cue different aspects of self-construal. Effects of SWS show a similar profile across the two cultures, whereas SDFF has a much stronger effect on Chinese participants than British participants. Study 3 reports the development of a new self-construal scale. By introducing a new factor and extending the participants to 13 countries, the final version is a 48-item eight-dimensional self-construal scale. The importance of the multidimensional model and the new measure are discussed.
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DAWSON, SCOTT ALEXANDER. "STORE PRESTIGE: ISSUES OF VALIDITY AND MEASUREMENT (ARTICULATION, CONSENSUS, CULTURE)." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/187976.
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The research concerns one of the more central components of store image, that of prestige or status. Relevant literatures include store image, occupational prestige, social class, and life style. The investigation focuses on two primary areas of inquiry. The first concerns establishing the construct validity of store prestige using a structural equations methodology. The second area examines the characteristics which cause individuals to differ in prestige grading and uses a similar methodology. Two scales are used to measure prestige, price, and quality of fifteen stores where clothing can be purchased. The results indicate that for this product class and the stores considered, individuals equate the three image dimensions at near unity. In this study the construct validity of store prestige is not supported. Future research using a broader range of retail institutions and different measurement techniques will lead to more definitive conclusions. Without firm conceptual standing of the measurement of store prestige, the second part of the dissertation is re-conceptualized. Store prestige dissensus and articulation are defined more generally as store image dissensus and articulation. The sample as a whole exhibits a substantial degree of agreement when ranking the stores according to any of the three image dimensions. Yet, for stores which may be considered more high culture, there is significantly less agreement in rankings. Although not statistically significant, there is a substantive trend toward increasing consensus in rankings among groups higher in education, occupational prestige, income, browsing, purchasing, and clothing involvement. Finally, with the exceptions of occupational prestige and income, all of these same characteristics are statistically significant predictors of store image articulation. The dissertation concludes with a model proposing cause and effect linkages of retail cognitive complexity. While the research was not originally pursued from a cognitive psychology framework, the results concerning store image articulation suggest several hypotheses involving the more general concept of cognitive complexity.
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Cheng, Hon-kwong Christopher. "The self-conceptions of Hong Kong adolescents : conceptual, measurement, and process perspectives /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1997. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B18598213.
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Fefer, Sarah A. "The Positive Illusory Bias and ADHD Symptoms: A New Measurement Approach." Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4888.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of academic and social competence among adolescents with a continuum of inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Past literature suggests that children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) display self-perceptions that are overly positive compared to external indicators of competence, a phenomenon that is referred to as the positive illusory bias (PIB; Owens, Goldfine, Evangelista, Hoza, & Kaiser, 2007). The PIB is well supported among children with ADHD, and recent research suggests that the PIB persists into adolescence. To date, research on the PIB has relied on difference scores (i.e., an indicator of competence is subtracted from student self-ratings); however, difference scores suffer from numerous methodological limitations (Edwards, 2002). The current study investigated the relationship between self and teacher ratings of academic and social competence and inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and overall ADHD symptoms among a diverse sample of 395 students and their teachers. Polynomial regression and response surface methods were used to account for self and teacher ratings separately and decrease reliance on differences scores. These methods have been recommended to answer complex questions related to agreement and disagreement between ratings. The results of this study suggest that some adolescents with ADHD symptoms demonstrate the PIB, while others perceive their impairments and rate themselves as having low competence aligned with teacher ratings. Accurate ratings of low competence were more common within the academic domain than the social domain for students with overall ADHD symptoms as well as specific inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Results within the social domain indicate that all ADHD symptoms increased more sharply as the discrepancy between self and teacher ratings increased. Student overestimation of competence in both the academic and social domains was shown to be more predictive of high inattentive symptoms compared to hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. These findings suggest this new analysis approach allowed for a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between student and teacher competence ratings and ADHD symptoms. Gaining a better understanding of the PIB through this improved methodology has the potential to influence assessment and intervention practices among school psychologists, and to contribute to future research in this area. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to (1) examine the PIB in relation to a range of general and specific ADHD symptoms, (2) use polynomial regression/response surface methods to address limitations of difference scores, and (3) explore the PIB among a school-based sample of adolescents.
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Cheng, Hon-kwong Christopher, and 鄭漢光. "The self-conceptions of Hong Kong adolescents: conceptual, measurement, and process perspectives." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1997. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B43893855.
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Yeung, Kwong. "Perception of teacher emotional support and parental education level : the impacts on students’ math performance." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/8607.
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There is a paucity of research juxtaposing parental education level and teacher emotional support in a single study which examines their relative impacts on students’ academic achievements. Therefore, the first objective of this dissertation is to study the influence of parental education level, in comparison to the influence of teacher emotional support, on students’ math performance, by using more representative data and a rigorous statistical method. The second objective is to identify and examine how some important psychological traits (both affective and cognitive) mediate the effects of social factors on students’ math performance. The third objective is to examine whether those relationships are moderated by gender. Hong Kong’s survey data is extracted from the Program of International Students Assessment (2003) as organized by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on the math performances of 4,478 students at the age of fifteen. Measurement invariance was first tested, and then followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Two structural models were tested by Structural Equation Modeling using Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) 8.5 which is computer software for SEM. Results indicated that first, parental education level affects children’s math scores by providing home education resources and enhancing children’s math self-efficacy, and second the Self Determination Theory is applicable in supporting the hypothesis that teachers affects their students’ math scores by providing a cooperative learning environment, which in turn, enhances students’ affective and cognitive factors. Three important mediators, namely cooperative learning environment, math self-efficacy, and home education resources are concluded as significant mediating factors upon the effects of parents and teachers on students’ math performance. The perceived support from parents and teachers are not significantly different across gender in Hong Kong. This is consistent with recent studies that differences favoring males in mathematics achievement are disappearing. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed in the final part of the dissertation.
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LaRocca, Michela A. "Perception of Leadership Qualities in Higher Education: Impact of Professor Gender, Professor Leader Style, Situation, and Participant Gender." Scholar Commons, 2003. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1415.
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This experimental study used eight written vignettes to analyze the effects of professor gender, professor leadership style (democratic/autocratic), and type of situation (task/personal) and participant gender on evaluations of professorsʹ competence, likeability and masculinity characteristics. Undergraduates from the College of Arts and Science (N=932; Males=464, Females=467), and the College of Education (N=722; Males=140, Females=582) were used. Results indicated that research participants rated democratic professors significantly more competent, likeable, and more feminine than autocratic professors. Contrary to expectations derived from gender spill-over and gender congruency theories, male participants did not rate female professors more negatively than their male counterparts when they acted autocratically in a personal situation (i.e., gender incongruent manner.) Exploratory results revealed trends that are discussed along with theoretical and practical implications.
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Sonnentag, Tammy L. "The moral rebel: measurement, correlates, and perceptions." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/6650.
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Master of ScienceDepartment of Psychology
Mark A. Barnett
The term “moral rebel” describes an individual who refuses to comply, remain silent, or conform to others when doing so would compromise his or her values. Although researchers have identified individuals whose moral judgments reflect an adherence to “individual principles and conscience,” little attention has been given to the assessment, correlates, and perceptions of individuals who follow their own moral convictions despite considerable social pressure not to do so. The present study examined (1) the extent to which adolescents, peers, and teachers agree in their ratings of adolescents’ tendencies to be a moral rebel, (2) some characteristics potentially associated with differences in adolescents’ tendencies to be a moral rebel, and (3) the extent to which adolescents’ attitudes toward a moral rebel (vs. a non-moral rebel) are influenced by their own level of “moral rebelness” (as assessed by self, peers, and teachers). Results revealed significant positive correlations among all of the self-report, peer, and teacher ratings of moral rebelness for the entire sample (and for male and female participants considered separately). Contrary to predictions, self-report, peer and teacher ratings of adolescents’ moral rebelness were not robustly associated with any individual difference variable. Generally, adolescents reported relatively favorable attitudes toward a moral rebel (compared to a non-moral rebel), especially when they themselves had heightened ratings on this characteristic. The implications and limitations of the present findings, as well as directions for future research on the topic of moral rebelness in adolescents, are addressed.
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Nadel, Sarah Alese. "Developing a Social Support Measurement Instrument: A Methodological Approach to Measuring Undergraduate Perceptions of Social Support." The Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1402180624.
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Williamson, Tankiya L. "Exploring Perceptions of Accountability Practices Used in Social Services." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4823.
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As required by the Government Performance Results Act of 1993, the use of performance measurements in social service organizations to measure outcome data has increased expectations of efficient outcomes in service delivery. This study addressed the problem of inefficient service delivery in nonprofit human service organizations from the perspective of direct service staff responsible for service provision. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how direct service staff in nonprofit organizations perceive their individual contributions to the overall goal of providing efficient quality service. Principal agent theory framed the inquiry regarding how direct service staff working in nonprofit human service organizations perceive the nature and value of using performance measurements as required by law. Data were collected from 5 direct service workers through semi-structured interviews and analyzed for content themes using Ethnograph software. The results of this study indicated direct service workers perceive organizational efficiency related to how well they do their jobs and not overall at the organizational level. In addition, participants identified job training and more open communication with management to understand how organizational level goals would be valued to do their jobs effectively. This study contributes to social change by informing those who develop nonprofit human services policy and practice of the potential for further staff training curriculum and improvements to the organizational accountability culture.
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Öberseder, Magdalena, Bodo B. Schlegelmilch, Patrick E. Murphy, and Verena Gruber. "Consumers' Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility: Scale Development and Validation." Springer, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1787-y.
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Researchers and companies are paying increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and the reaction to them by consumers. Despite such corporate efforts and an expanding literature exploring consumers' response to CSR, it remains unclear how consumers perceive CSR and which "Gestalt" consumers have in mind when considering CSR. Academics and managers lack a tool for measuring consumers' perceptions of CSR (CPCSR). This research explores CPCSR and develops a measurement model. Based on qualitative data from interviews with managers and consumers, the authors develop a conceptualization of CPCSR. Subsequently, model testing and validating occurs on three large quantitative data sets. The conceptualization and the measurement scale can assist companies to assess CPCSR relative to their performance. They also enable managers in identifying shortcomings in CSR engagement and/or communication. Finally, the paper discusses implications for marketing practice and future research.
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Mitescu, Reagan Emilie. "Examining the relationships among undergraduate teacher candidates' experiences, perceptions, and beliefs about teaching for social justice." Thesis, Boston College, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/1992.
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Thesis advisor: Larry H. LudlowTeacher preparation programs face an urgent call to prepare high-quality and "highly qualified" teachers who teach all students in an increasingly culturally, racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse student population, and who work toward closing the achievement gap that separates students along these demographic lines. In response, and as part of the current accountability context, there has been greater focus on outcomes in teacher education. Along different lines, also in response to these challenges, there has been an increase in social justice-oriented teacher preparation programs. This dissertation operates within both of these contexts. Specifically, this dissertation examines one of the many outcomes of teacher education for social justice: teacher candidates' changing beliefs about teaching for social justice and the factors that may or may not be related to their change. Using primarily Rasch rating scale and multiple regression analyses, this dissertation examines longitudinal survey data from two cohorts of undergraduate teacher candidates (N=134) who completed the same social justice-oriented teacher education program. By investigating two cohorts of teacher candidates at the time of entry into the teacher education program and again when they graduated four years later, this study investigated individuals in the aggregate, variability within and across cohorts, and change across time. In addition, this research sought to untangle and identify whether reported experiences and perceptions before and during formal teacher education are related to beliefs about and commitment to teaching for social justice. Findings suggest that from the time of entry to graduation, candidates' beliefs about teaching for social justice were significantly more aligned with the concepts and principles endorsed by the teacher preparation program. Additionally, at particular points in time and across time, there were identifiable perceptions and experiences related to their beliefs about teaching for social justice. In particular, the location of the student teaching experience and candidates' perceptions of their teacher education faculty were significant predictors of their beliefs about teaching for social justice
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
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Altamirano, Jesus Manuel. "A Survey of Alcohol Law Instructors' and Students' Perceptions on Social Learning and Training Methods." Thesis, Grand Canyon University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3568137.
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Alcoholic beverages in the State of Arizona are regulated by the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (ADLLC). Education programs in the alcohol industry must align with the needs of students working in the industry and with the criteria set forth by the ADLLC. Prior research has concentrated on irresponsible alcohol consumption costing millions of dollars of expenditures in police, fire, and hospital services. This study examined the perceptions of alcohol law instructors and adult students related to alcohol law instruction in Arizona and if it effectively meets the program standards set forth by the ADLLC and to what extent standards of best practices and adult learning theory are incorporated into the curriculum for effective student learning outcomes. Results were considered in respect to Bandura's (2003) social learning theory, Szirony and Boden's (2009) WHAT model, and Kolb's experiential learning (1984). Online surveys were used to collect data from the population of two groups; 12 Arizona approved alcohol law instructors and 142 adult students ages 19 years or older, of various genders and ethnicities. Analyses of variance were used to assess the five research questions. Students and instructors generally agreed that lecture, PowerPoint, video, and student/instructor interaction was effective in transferring knowledge to adult students. The findings of this study may result in developing curriculum that assists the workforce in the alcohol industry to be self-directed, comprehend specifically why and what actions to take by instituting a curriculum containing adult learning theory for enhanced transference of knowledge, and retention of information to reduce civil liability and alcohol law violations at liquor licensed establishments.
Keywords: Alcohol law training, adult learning theory, competencies
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Jennings, Susan Leigh, and Deborah Kay Perry. "Parents' perceptions of the California High School Exit Exam and some social implications." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2570.
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The purpose of this study was to explore the awareness and feelings of parents and their perceptions about the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and the impact on their children. Also, it looked at the social implications from an ecological perspective.
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Daniel, Linda Lea. "Cluster analysis of a pre-referral screening battery : with measures of phonological proficiency, self-concept, social perception, and moral reasoning." Virtual Press, 1995. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1019477.
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The purpose of this study was to develop a screening battery that could be used as a pre-referral method of identifying students in need of formal assessment for special education services. Further, the battery was designed to provide guidance regarding what classification should be specifically explored in assessment. The screening battery under study included measures of phonological proficiency, self-concept, social perception, and moral reasoning. These variables were measured by the G-F-W Sound-Symbol Tests (Spelling of Sounds Subtest) (Goldman, Fristoe, & Woodcock, 1974), the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985), My Classmates and Me (a sociometric instrument), and the Moral Reasoning Scale for Children (Daniel, 1992). Research has demonstrated that the constructs measured by these instruments are related in differential degrees to classification status of students.Battery scores of 104 subjects (mean age=10.3 years) were cluster analyzed using Ward's method. Once distinct profiles were identified, they were compared to behavioral and educational histories of subjects to determine if the patterns were related to pre-determined classifications. Step-wise discriminant function analyses were conducted using measures of cognitive ability, reading achievement, emotional adjustment and attention as discriminatingvariables in an effort to externally validate the cluster solution.Cluster analysis of the four battery components yielded four clusters with distinctive profiles. Pair-wise comparisons of the four clusters indicated each was significantly different from the others based on performance on the screening battery (p<.001). These groups were identified as: Low Achievement, Pervasive Dysfunction, Normal, and Low Cognitive Ability. Although these cluster groups were not found to be strictly parallel to previously identified classifications, they were differentiated to varying degrees on several dimensions identified through discriminant analyses.The "Normal Group" was adequately differentiated from the other three groups on external validation indices. This suggested that the screening battery, which was used to establish groups, could predict the need for special education services of the subjects in the non-normal groups.Department of Educational Psychology
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Herrera, Sabillon Beatriz Soledad [Verfasser], and Andrea [Akademischer Betreuer] Knierim. "Measurement of sustainability at farm-level : stakeholders perceptions and indicators of the social dimension / Beatriz Soledad Herrera Sabillon ; Betreuer: Andrea Knierim." Hohenheim : Kommunikations-, Informations- und Medienzentrum der Universität Hohenheim, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1219574147/34.
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Boone, George E. "Emotion, community development, and the physical environment: An experimental investigation of measurements." UKnowledge, 2013. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/cld_etds/10.
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A wide range of research fields have studied how emotions and behavior are affected by the physical environment. This gestalt theorist approach of experimental research as well seeks to measure emotion (using the valence-arousal scale) and micro-scale community development interactions when weighted physical environment factors are adjusted. Community development (CD) interactions at the micro-scale have received but slight attention from scholars in the CD research field and this study aims partially to investigate developing objective measures from social observations. CD interactions from recordings along with self-reported emotion through surveys in four quasi-experimental groups (where the environments were constructed based on peer-reviewed literature to cause emotional reactions) and one control group made up the data collected for this experiment. While the results of this experiment displayed apparent convincing quantitative differences in both CD interactions and emotion when the physical environment was manipulated, the results of a one-way ANOVA indicated no statistical significance to either dependent variable. The conclusions suggest limiting the physical factors of the environment to produce more precise changes as a result of the manipulated quasi environments.
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Salih, Suweeyah S. "African American Vernacular English and the Achievement Gap: How Teacher Perception Impacts Instruction and Student Motivation." University of Findlay / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=findlay1564758333725021.
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Briney, Carol E. "My Journey with Prisoners: Perceptions, Observations and Opinions." Kent State University Liberal Studies Essays / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1373151648.
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Bobeczko, Daniel S. Jr. "A Phenomenological Study of Kindergarten Teacher Perceptions of Standardized Testing and its Influence on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1449343351.
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Bornhofen, Cristina Psychology Faculty of Science UNSW. "Treating emotion perception deficits following traumatic brain injury." 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/40875.
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While the cognitive disturbances that frequently follow severe TBI are relatively well understood, the ways in which these affect the psychosocial functioning of people with TBI are yet to be determined and have thus received little attention in treatment research. Growing evidence indicates that that a significant proportion of individuals with TBI demonstrate deficits in the perception of affective information from the face, voice, bodily movement and posture. As accurate evaluation of emotion in others is critical for the successful negotiation of social interactions, effective treatments are necessary. Until recently, however, there have been no rehabilitation efforts in this area with TBI groups. The present research aims to redress this absence. The literature on emotion perception deficits in TBI is examined, and a theoretical rationale for intervention is presented. Several lines of research are reviewed which suggest that rehabilitation targeting such deficits is tenable. These include research on emotion perception remediation with other cognitively impaired populations, findings from cognitive neuroscience suggesting the potential for neuronal restoration after brain damage, and the successful applications of remediation techniques, in particular errorless learning and self-instruction, for treating other cognitive deficits in a range of neurological disorders and TBI. Discussion of this research is followed by a description of two randomised controlled trials aimed at improving emotion perception in individuals with TBI. The findings are discussed with reference to useful theoretical models of rehabilitation, learning and emotion perception. Suggestions for future directions of research are outlined together with relevant design issues.
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Adams, Rebecca N. "Measures of Cancer-related Loneliness and Negative Social Expectations: Development and Preliminary Validation." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/10332.
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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Loneliness is a known risk factor for poor mental and physical health outcomes in the general population, and preliminary research suggests that loneliness is linked to poorer health in cancer patients as well. Various aspects of the cancer experience (e.g., heightened existential concerns) lend themselves to making patients feel alone and misunderstood. Furthermore, loneliness theory suggests that negative social expectations, which may specifically relate to the cancer experience, precipitate and sustain loneliness. Thus, loneliness interventions in cancer should be tailored to address illness-related social conditions and negative social expectations. Prior to the development of loneliness interventions for cancer populations, cancer-specific tools are needed to assess: (1) loneliness attributed to cancer (i.e., cancer-related loneliness), and (2) negative social expectations related to cancer. In the current project I developed measures of cancer-related loneliness and cancer-related negative social expectations for use in future theory-based loneliness research. A mixed-methods study design was employed. First, I developed items for the measure of cancer-related loneliness (i.e., the Cancer Loneliness Scale) based on theory, prior research, and expert feedback. Second, I conducted a clinic-based qualitative study (n=15) to: (1) obtain cancer patient feedback on the Cancer Loneliness Scale items, and (2) inform development of the item pool for the measure of negative social expectations (i.e., the Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale). Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and then transferred to Atlas.ti for analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze data regarding patient feedback and theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyze data regarding negative social expectations. Overall, patients said they liked the Cancer Loneliness Scale and no changes were made to the items based on patient feedback. Based on results, I also created five content domains of negative social expectations that were represented in the item pool for the Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale. Third, I conducted a telephone and mail-based quantitative study (n=186) to assess psychometric properties of the two new measures. Dimensionality was determined using confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed by examining internal consistency coefficients and construct validity was assessed by examining theoretical relationships between the Cancer Loneliness Scale, the Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale, and existing reliable and valid measures of health and social well-being. The final products of the project included a 7-item unidimensional Cancer Loneliness Scale and 5-item unidimensional Cancer-related Negative Social Expectations Scale. Excellent evidence for reliability and validity was found for both measures. The resulting measures have both clinical and research utility.
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Gold, Sharon. "Measuring social competence, task competence and self-protection in an organisational context." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/44576.
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Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)In Chapter 1, I describe social competence, task competence and self-protection in an organisational context. In Chapter 2, I review key self theories and relate them to the self-competence construct. In Chapter 3, I review the research on self-competence to show that there is a need for a construct of social competence and self-protection. I discuss the limitations of three self-competence theories: Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy theory, Williams and Lillibridge’s (1992) self-competence theory and Tafarodi & Swann’s (1995) self-competence/self-liking theory. In Chapter 4, I present my selfcompetence model. I raise the research questions and specify my hypotheses. In Chapter 5, I describe the construction of Social and Task Competence Scale. I present evidence of the reliability and factor structure of the Social and Task Competence Scale. I concluded that scale revisions were needed. In Chapter 6, I present evidence of the reliability, factor structure and predictive validity of the revised Social and Task Competence Scale and Self-Protection Scale. I describe the results of an experiment that investigated the interaction of task setting, social competence, task competence and selfprotection. I concluded that the measures predicted performance. In Chapter 7, I investigate the factor structure and reliability of the revised Social and Task Competence Scale and revised Self-Protection Scale. I provide evidence of the convergent and discriminant validity of these measures with reliable measures of self-competence, selfesteem, self-monitoring, personality and social desirability. In Chapter 8, I investigate the factor structure and reliability of the Social and Task Competence Scale and Self-Protection Scale after final revisions and show that these measures are acceptable for use in scientific research. I present evidence of their convergent validity with a valid andreliable measure of emotional intelligence, and describe experimental results that supported the hypothesised relationships between perceived task difficulty, social competence, task competence and self-protection and task performance. In Chapter 9, I discuss the implications of my research for self-competence theory, self-regulation and self-esteem and the prediction of social and task performance in organisations.
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Van, Rensburg Angelique Christina. "A social-ecological investigation of African youths' resilience processes / A.C. van Rensburg." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/14065.
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Resilience is defined as doing well despite significant hardships. Based on four principles informing a social-ecological definition of resilience (that is, decentrality, complexity, a typicality, and cultural relativity), Ungar (2011, 2012) hypothesised an explanation of social-ecological resilience. Seen from this perspective, resilience involves active youthsocial-ecological transactions towards meaningful, resilience-promoting supports. Youths’ usage of these supports might differ due to, among others, specific lived experiences, contextual influences, and youths’ subjective perceptions. While Ungar’s explanation is both popular and plausible, it has not been quantitatively tested, also not in South Africa. Moreover, there is little quantitatively informed evidence about youths’ differential resource-use, particularly when youth share a context and culture, and how such knowledge might support social ecologies to facilitate resilience processes. The overall purpose of this study was, therefore, to investigate black South African youths’ resilience processes from a social-ecological perspective, using a sample of black South African youth. This purpose was operationalised as sub-aims (explained below) that addressed the aforementioned gaps in theory. Data to support this study were accessed via the Pathways to Resilience Research Project (see www.resilienceresearch.org), of which this study is part. The Pathways to Resilience Research Project investigates the social-ecological contributions to youths’ resilience across cultures. This study consists of three manuscripts. Using a systematic literature review, Manuscript 1 evaluated how well quantitative studies of South African youth resilience avoided the pitfalls made public in the international critiques of resilience studies. For the most part, quantitative studies of South African youth resilience did not mirror international developments of understanding resilience as a complex socio-ecologically facilitated process. The results identified aspects of quantitative studies of South African youth resilience that necessitated attention. In addition, the manuscript called for quantitative studies that would statistically explain the complex dynamic resilience-supporting transactions between South African youths and their contexts. Manuscript 2 answered the aforementioned call by grounding its research design in a theoretical framework that respected the sociocultural life-worlds of South African youth (that is, Ungar’s Social-Ecological Explanation of Resilience). Ungar’s Social-Ecological Explanation of Resilience was modelled using latent variable modelling in Mplus 7.2, with data gathered with the Pathways to Resilience Youth Measure by 730 black South African school-going youth. The results established that South African youths adjusted well to challenges associated with poverty and violence because of resilience processes that were co-facilitated by social ecologies. It was, furthermore, concluded that school engagement was a functional outcome of the resilience processes among black South African youth. Manuscript 2 also provided evidence that an apposite, necessary, and respectful education contributed towards schooling as a meaningful resource. Manuscript 3 provided deeper insight into aspects of black South African youths’ resilience processes. Manuscript 3 investigated youths’ self-reported perceptions of resilience-promoting resources by means of data gathered by the Pathways to Resilience Youth Measure. Consequently, two distinct groups of youth from the same social ecology made vulnerable by poverty were compared (that is, functionally resilient youth, n = 221; and formal service-using youth, n = 186). Measurement invariance, latent mean differences in Mplus 7.2, and analyses of variance in SPSS 22.0 were employed. What emerged was that positive perceptions of caregiving (that is, physical and psychological) were crucial to youths’ use of formal resilience-promoting resources and subsequent functional outcomes. The conclusions resulted in implications for both caregivers and practitioners.PhD (Educational Psychology) North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus 2015