Master of Arts (Applied Psychology)

This study was conducted to examine the factors that influence the academic performance and the career realism of secondary four students in Singapore. A career interest inventory, Self-Directed Search, was administered to 134 students from 4 different streams. The survey instrument solicited information concerning career aspirations and career interest profiles of the students.

The results indicated that students who lacked "Investigative" (I) interest or had high "Realistic" (R) interest did not perform well academically. Almost half of the students in the sample did not have career options that were congruent with their career interests. However, most of the students did have job preferences that were congruent with their perceived accessibility to their job option, i.e. educational attainment required.

Studies that focus on career maturity and its determinants are particularly salient in the Singapore context where the optimization of our human resource and developing each child to his or her fullest potential are crucial for our nation's continued progress. This study undertakes to assess the career maturity of Secondary four students in two schools in Singapore and the effects of 5 typical descriptive correlates - gender, socio-economic status (SES), exposure to career guidance activities, parental involvement and course of study - on career maturity. This study further investigates two salient correlates - self esteem and academic achievement - and their effect on career maturity and attempts to answer the important research question - what is the best predictor of career maturity?

The study sample consists of 359 students, all the graduating Secondary four classes, purposively selected from two average "neighbourhood" secondary schools. They were invited to complete the survey over the course of one regular class period. The form comprises a general information section, the Self-Esteem Checklist, and the locally modified version of the Career Maturity Inventory - Attitude Scale.

In support of precious local studies, this study found that there is no significant gender difference in career maturity between Singapore girls and boys. This study also found a positive but weak significant association between SES and career maturity. Conversely, in contrast with precious research, this study found no significant correlation between exposure to career guidance activities and career maturity, and parental involvement and career maturity. Some possible reasons for these confounding findings are suggested.

Focussing on the correlates of self-esteem and academic achievement, this study found that students in the Express course have significantly higher career maturity scores than Normal Academic and Normal Technical course students but this pattern was not demonstrated for self-esteem scores. Significant positive association between self-esteem and career maturity, and a weaker but still significant positive association between academic achievement and career maturity was also found.

Multiple regression analysis of all the variables in this study revealed that the best predictor of career maturity is self-esteem. This is followed by course of study and parental involvement. Some implications of these findings for teachers and career guidance counsellors in Singapore are discussed, especially in the light of recent changes to career education in Singapore schools.

Various studies have found resilient individuals to be people with optimistic, zestful, and energetic approaches to life. These individuals have the capability to recover from adversities, and adapt well to changing demands of stressful experiences. As the interest to improve resilience grows, training programmes that endeavour to enhance participants’ resiliency levels are starting to gain popularity. One such programme is the Adaptiv Resiliency Training (ART) programme delivered in Singapore by the Centre for Cognitive Technologies Pte Ltd. The purposes of the current study are to address the concern about effectiveness of the ART programme in the Singapore context, and how useful this programme is at enhancing students’ life quality and academic performance.

There are four aims to the current study. The first aim is to assess whether a student who is not performing well academically could still be a happy and resilient student, while the second aim is to evaluate whether there is a correlation between locus of control and resilience level. The third aim is to evaluate whether the ART programme delivered in Singapore is effective in enhancing participants’ resiliency levels, and the fourth aim is to assess whether the US-based norms established for instruments used in the current study are applicable to the Singapore context.

Participants in the current study comprised of 139 Diploma in Accountancy students from a local Singaporean polytechnic, and 59 teachers from a local secondary school. Through self-report questionnaires, resilience levels of the students were correlated with their academic results and life quality indices, and changes in resiliency and life quality indices of the teachers were tracked as they went through the ART programme. As such, a mixed design is used for this study, with a between-subject design adopted for the students group, and a within-subject repeated-measure design adopted for the teachers group. Based on responses from the students group, a factor analysis was performed and a revised resiliency measuring scale was proposed.

Findings from the current study showed that although resiliency may not be a good gauge for academic performance, and that academically stronger students may not be more satisfied with life than academically weaker students, high-resilient students were found to be more satisfied and hopeful about life. Assessment of the locus of control showed that although Asians are high in internal locus of control, an indication of low-ego protection and a “vulnerable factor” for the development of depression, they are not plagued with depression but are, on the contrary, able to be resilient when faced with adversities. Subject to the limiting factors identified, results from evaluating the ART programme revealed increases in hopefulness and life satisfaction indices, reductions in burnout level, and enhancement in resiliency level of participants after attending the training session. Finally, analysis of the norms of instruments used in the current study showed that the US-based norms are not culturally biased, and could be adopted for local usage.

In conclusion, based on findings from the current study after due consideration of the limitations identified, it was suggested that schools keen on enhancing life quality of students could consider adopting a formal resiliency training programme.

The help-seeking behaviour of 325 adolescents in a Singapore school was examined as a function of students' personal characteristics and their perceptions of their environment, and their tendencies to use different help- seeking strategies for academic problems. Self-report questionnaires were used.

The relationships of help-seeking behaviour with the following variables were investigated: (a) demographic variables of age, grade level, academic course, academic achievement and gender; (b) academic and social self-concepts; performance attribution and academic motivation; (c) students' perceptions of teacher feedback and of competitiveness in the environment. The effect of the demographic variables on the use of help-seeking or help-avoidance strategies were also studied.Findings supported previous research on academic help seeking that in most cases, those who are in need of help are the least likely to seek it. Students who reported a higher likelihood of seeking help on encountering academic problems were more academically able, were academically motivated and had higher academic self-concepts. They also reported a higher tendency to seek help from both formal and informal sources, as well as a higher tendency to ask questions in class and to use instrumental activities in solving academic problems. On the other hand, students who had lower academic achievement scores reported a higher tendency to lower their aspirations and to give up on their subjects. No gender differences were found.

The study suggests further research to achieve a better understanding of the adolescent's disposition towards seeking help and of strategies that a teacher could employ to engage all students in the classroom.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of teacher-student relationship on aggression, academics, prosocial behaviour and self-esteem of students. It also looked into the influence of students' gender on the quality of teacher-student relationships. A review of literature indicates that positive teacher-student relationship generally promotes more better academic and positive behavioural outcomes, with girls experiencing better teacher-student relationships than boys. However, research on the influence of teacher-student relationships on specific variables like aggression, academics, prosocial behaviour and self-esteem of students was limited, especially in the East. Research on the influence of students' gender on the quality of teacher-student relationships is not conclusive either.

The sample comprised of a total of 285 participants; 103 primary 4 students and 182 primary 5 students. Of these, 136 were boys and 149 were girls. Eight form teachers were also asked to provide information on their relationship with their students. The following variables were measured: aggression, academic, prosocial behaviour, self-esteem, and teacher-student relationships.

Regression analyses, correlational analyses and independent t-test were used to investigate the hypotheses. The results showed that students who experience better teacher-student relationships have lower aggression level, better academic performance and were more prosocial than their peers who experience poorer teacher-student relationships. However, with additional correlational analyses performed separately for the two subscales under Prosocial behaviour, it was found that teacher-student relationship scores made a statistical contribution to the prediction of Helping behaviour, but failed to make statistical contribution to the prediction of the scores for Cooperation and sharing. The results also indicated that the quality of teacher-student relationships had a stronger influence on the academic than the behavioural outcome of the students. The quality of teacher-student relationships was not significantly correlated with the students' self-esteem. T-test analysis indicated that there are significant differences in the influence of students' gender on the quality of teacher-student relationships. The results suggested that girls generally experience better teacher-student relationships than boys.

The research is limited to only three primary schools located in the northern region of Singapore. Future work involving a more geographically diverse sample, more participants and different age groups would help to provide a better understanding of the interaction of the quality of teacher-student relationships with the various variables like aggression, academic performance, prosocial behaviour, self-esteems and genders of the students.

The results highlight the importance of teachers placing more emphasis on building good relationships with their students. Schools counselors, psychologists and educators should also focus on the aspects of teacher-student relationships in helping students to deal with their behavioural and academic problems.

This study is an attempt to ascertain (a) the relationships between stress and academic achievement and (b) self-attitude as a moderating factor among primary school students. Such knowledge can help to improve the understanding of student stress among teachers. It also helps parents to understand their children's stress and to be sensitive to their needs. Proactive preventive measures based on the findings will be beneficial to the students, educators and their parents.

Subjects consisted of 133 Primary 6 students from a neighbourhood primary school. These students were of various academic abilities (EM1 and EM2) and most of them lived in the neighbourhood and of a lower socio-economic background in the west zone of Singapore. These students were chosen because Primary 6 constituted a critical point in their life, being the last year of their primary school education.

The questionnaire that was administered to these students consists of three sections. Section A is the Locus of Control Scale (LCS) and it measures the extent to which a student believes in his own ability to influence social and academic performance. Section B is the School-Related Stress Scale (SRSS) that measures the level of stress perceived by students in relation to their academic achievement, peers and teachers. Section C is the Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and it measures the students' personal judgement of worthiness which is expressed in the attitudes the students hold toward themselves. The students' preliminary examination results which are categorized into grades A* or A to D were used as measures of their academic achievement.

It is found that social stressor and teacher stressor do affect the academic achievement of the students, but academic stressor did not. However, the correlations did not change when self-esteem was controlled. It appears that self-esteem has no moderating effect on stress in relation to the academic achievement of the students.

The study shows that the ups and downs of peer relationships cause stress because peer acceptance is highly regarded for these students that will affect their academic achievement. Teacher-student relationships are also important catalysts in affecting the stress level of the students in relation to their academic achievement.

Hence, it is recommended that children must be allowed to grow at a pace they are comfortable with and be able to enjoy their childhood. Children need time to think, create, draw, dream, fantasise and explore special interests. Such activities promote self-awareness by helping children to clarify who they are and what they are truly interested. In our efforts to produce Renaissance children who are competitive in all areas, we must realise that excessive and consciously exerting pressure on our children may be counterproductive.

This study explored the perceived parental behaviours of parents of Primary Five pupils, in Singapore, and their relationship to the academic achievement of their child.

The results showed that there were differences in perceived parental behaviours between fathers and mothers. In general, mothers were perceived to be more nurturant than fathers, and more aware about their child's daily activities and their daily needs. They were also more communicative with their child compared with the fathers. Results further showed that fathers who have tertiary education tend to have more warmth toward their child, regardless of the child's gender. They have a high family income and their child tends to be in EM1 or EM2. Fathers who have low educational level were also warm but the results do not have any significant bearing on the child's academic achievement. The results showed that fathers with lower educational level and lower family income tend to have a child in EM3. Mothers with lower educational qualifications also tend to have a child in EM3 and have less control over them.

The results of the study provide useful insights into how school counselors can help underachievers like EM3 pupils in their academic performance. The results are also useful for family counselors in their work with the lower income families.

This study was conducted in one Malaysian all-girls secondary school with the objective of exploring how perceived parental acceptance-rejection and academic achievement affect psychological adjustment of adolescent girls. It attempted to explore whether adolescent girls perceived more acceptance than rejection from their parents. It further examined the relationship between the variables of the age of adolescent girls, family income, birth order, ethnicity, religion and perceived parental acceptance. Also, it examined the relationship between parental acceptance-rejection and adolescent girls' psychological adjustment. Finally, it also examined the relationship between perceived parental acceptance, academic achievement and psychological adjustment of adolescent girls.

A total of 318 students participated in this study. There were approximately even numbers of students in each grade level, ranging from Secondary 1 to Secondary 5 (in Malaysia, compulsory secondary school education consists of five secondary school years). The data of the study was collected through a self-report questionnaire that consisted of three instruments: Personal Information Questionnaire, Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, Personality Assessment Questionnaire. Students' academic achievement was obtained from the school administration. The data was analyzed using correlational analysis, one-way analysis of variance and independent samples t-test.

The results suggest that generally the adolescents perceived their parents to be accepting toward them, except for a handful that experienced more rejection than acceptance. The adolescents' perception of parental acceptance-rejection did not vary with the variables of age, family income, and birth order. Perception of parental acceptance-rejection however, varied with ethnicity and religion. Perceived parental acceptance-rejection was found to affect adolescents' psychological adjustment, but academic achievement was not found to affect adolescents' psychological adjustment.

The implications of these findings are discussed, with recommendations on how parents, health professionals, and the school authorities can address the area of adolescent girls' psychological adjustment. These include the training of school authorities in increasing their awareness regarding psychological maladjustment, increasing consideration of an adolescents' background in counselling sessions, and introducing parenting programs to train parents in parenting skills.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the self-concept of the students of different abilities - the students in the Gifted Education Programme (GEP) and the students in the Express Course and see whether the self-concept of the GEP students was significantly different from the students in the Express Course. The study also compared parents' expectations of the students in the GEP with the parents' expectations of the students in the Express Course. In addition, comparisons were made between these two groups of students with regard to their self-concept to each of these variables, academic achievement and perceived expectations of parents.

The sample comprised eighty-eight secondary one boys from both the GEP and Express Courses who obtained aggregate scores in the range of 240 to 275 points in Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 1997. Forty-four students from each course were selected for the study.

Academic achievement was measured by students' results in the school's second semester assessment in 1998. The results comprised the marks for their continual assessment, project work and the second semester exmaination. Selfconcept was measured by the Self-Esteem Checklist (SEC) (Lui, 1987) comprising subscales measuring the four facets of self-concept: general self, peers-social, homeparents and academic-school self-concept. Parents' expectations as perceived by students were measured by the Parents' Expectations Questionnaire (PEX) developed by Yeoh (1990). PEX measured the dimensions of parental push, expected results, appraisal, surveillance, belief in the importance of education, and aspirations.

In analyzing the data, the mean scores and correlation coefficients were compared between the students in the GEP and the students in the Express Course. The study found that:

1. Students in the Express Course had a higher total self-concept mean score than those in the GEP. There was a significant difference between their total and academic-school self-concept mean scores.

2. Students in the Express Course and GEP did not differ significantly with regard to parents' expectations of students' achievement

3. Generally, academic achievement was positively related to both total and academic-school self-concepts for both groups but where parents' expectations were concerned, it was negatively related.

4. Students in the GEP and students in the Express Course did not differ significantly in the relationship of parents' expectations and their self-concept.

The findings have implications for parents and students in their choice of special programmes such as the Gifted Education Programme offered in some selected schools in Singapore. Once again, the importance of academic achievement to selfconcept is emphasized. Although the role of parents' expectations appear to be limited, this finding may have been influenced by the nature of the sample which is made up of all boys. Generally, the findings seem to suggest that self-concept could be enhanced by significant others such as parents and teachers and also by special programmes in schools such as the Enrichment Programme and Pastoral Care and Career Guidance.