Browsing by Author "Venter, Braam"
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- ItemIntegration and elaboration of the De Goede (2007) and Burger (2012) learning potential structural models(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Venter, Braam; Theron, C. C.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Industrial Psychology.ENGLISH SUMMARY : South Africa’s turbulent past has left Human Resource managers in South Africa with a unique challenge. Apartheid legislation unfairly discriminated against certain groups of people, which led to these groups’ skills and competencies being underdeveloped. The consequence of this is that the skills of a large number of employees in the South African labour market are underdeveloped, which has subsequently led to adverse impact in valid, fair strict-top-down selection. This has fundamentally been caused by the fact that the competence and human capital in South Africa has not been uniformly developed across groups. The current situation should be addressed by organisations, not only because it is required by legislation, but because it is central to the economic survival of South African organisations. In the final analysis it should be addressed by organisations because it is the morally correct thing to do. Unrest is growing in South Africa especially under those South African groups that have been previously disadvantaged. The masses are tired of not having the opportunity to productively take part in economic activities and experience economic freedom. A testimony to this is the meteoric rise of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party that, in its first national election as an official party, obtained 9% of the total votes. To address this unrest individuals from previously disadvantaged groups, with the necessary learning potential, need to be identified and developed. Therefore, a method is needed in South Africa that will identify individuals who display a high potential to learn and that will gain maximum benefit from affirmative development opportunities. In order to successfully address the negative effects of South Africa’s past through affirmative development the complex nomological network of latent variables underlying learning performance needs to be understood. It will be possible to rationally contribute to successful accelerated affirmative development when a comprehensive understanding of the factors that underlie learning performance, and how these factors combine to determine learning performance, exists. The primary objective of this study is to integrate the De Goede (2007) and Burger (2012) learning potential structural models and to expand and modify the integrated De Goede- Burger model. More specifically the objective of the current research was to: - Identify additional latent variables not currently included in the integrated DeGoede- Burger learning potential structural model that might directly or indirectlyinfluence classroom learning performance and learning performance duringevaluation; - Develop hypotheses on the manner in which these additional latent variablesshould be embedded in the integrated De Goede- Burger learning potentialstructural model; - Empirically test the expanded De Goede- Burger learning potential structural modelby evaluating the model’s absolute fit and the testing the statistical significance ofhypothesised paths in the model. Once additional latent variables were identified and hypotheses were developed on the manner in which these additional latent variables are embedded in the integrated De Goede- Burger learning potential structural model, the expanded model was empirically tested. The attempt to obtain measurement model fit was constrained by the fact that the number of observations (114) that were obtained were smaller than the number of freed parameters in the congeneric measurement model in which the intercepts were not modelled. The measurement model was subsequently fitted as a tau-equivalent model. The fitted measurement model did not provide a sufficiently credible description of the process that generated the observed inter-item parcel covariance matrix to have faith in the measurement model parameter estimates. The researchers consequently deemed it pointless to proceed with the fit of the structural model via structural equation modelling. In-order to remedy the situation the decision was made to take a more robust approach by evaluating the path specific substantive hypotheses via multiple regression analysis. This meant dissecting the structural model into 7 separate regression models, fitting each of these via multiple linear regression analysis and testing the path-specific substantive hypotheses by testing the significance of the partial regression slope coefficient estimates. The regression analysis results indicated that most of the independent variables explained unique variance, which was found to be statistically significant (p < .05), in the specific dependent variables that the independent variables are proposed to influence. However, no support was obtained for the path-specific substantive research hypotheses that learning performance, exerts a unique positive influence on academic self-efficacy. Also, no support was found for the path-specific substantive research hypotheses that the information processing capacity*time cognitively engaged interaction effect exerts a unique positive influence on automisation. Limitations to the research methodology are noted. Practical recommendations are made. Recommendations for future research are made.