More than half of university students in South Africa leave university before they complete their studies. Factors associated with student drop out include poor schooling, lack of fluency in the language of instruction, poor financial support, and inadequate student support services. In the present study, we focus on the way meaningful commitment influences self-regulation, and we draw on the investment model of commitment to examine the hypothesis that commitment will be related to satisfaction, quality of alternatives, and investment size, and that self-differentiation will provide additional predictive power to commitment. Results indicate that satisfaction and self-differentiation only are significant predictors of level of academic commitment. Meaningful commitment is predicted by satisfaction, quality of alternatives, investment, and self-differentiation to a lesser extent. Investment size was associated significantly with self-regulatory behaviours such as setting learning goals, managing studies effectively, and spending more time on studies. The results are discussed in terms of the literature on commitment, self-differentiation, and academic achievement in higher education.

A great deal of research within science and engineering education revolves around academic success and retention of science and engineering students. It is well known that South Africa is experiencing, for various reasons, an acute shortage of engineers. Therefore, we think it is important to understand the factors that contribute to attrition rates in university students, and engineering students in particular. The theoretical framework for the present study draws on self-regulation theory, with particular reference to the role of self-efficacy and academic commitment. Participants comprised 127 engineering students in the second year of an augmented programme. They completed the Academic Commitment Scale and the Materials Science Self-efficacy Scale. Statistical analysis included correlation and regression analysis to test the hypothesis that self-efficacy and academic commitment would predict the semester mark. Our results indicated that materials science self-efficacy and meaningfulness are significant predictors of investment, and that investment predicts the final semester mark. We discuss the results in terms of debates about throughput and retention for engineering students and also implications for teaching and learning.

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To examine students' causal judgements of positive mood in relation to self-regulation, 128 participants from two different schools representing two distinct educational environments (Technical/Vocational School (TSO/BSO): N = 63; General Secondary School (ASO): N = 65) were asked to judge 45 statements containing three possible relationships (A B; A B; A <> B) for all iterations of 5 constructs associated with positive mood, namely Hope, Optimism, Resilience, Confidence, Persistence, 4 constructs associated with self-regulation, namely Motivation, Social support, Problem-solving Learning goals, and 1 construct representing Academic performance. Based on a Pareto analysis, mental models were constructed for each school. An analysis of the mental models indicates that all students believe positive mood constructs to be causally related to self-regulation constructs with Academic performance identified as the main driver and Learning goals as the primary outcome for both schools. It is concluded that an appreciation of participants' causal attributions of positive mood states in relation to self-regulation can present a clearer picture of the conditions under which participants' causal understanding of positive mood and selfregulation constructs can be activated and used as an interpretive and evaluative framework in learning encounters.

Student retention remains an ongoing concern for higher education institutions worldwide. In the present study we examine the predictive utility of identity styles, professional identity and academic commitment to academic achievement. We asked 120 second year students in the profession of engineering in an augmented degree programme to complete the Identity Styles Inventory-3, the Engineering Identity Factors Inventory, and the Academic Commitment Scale. We found that a normative identity style predicted professional engineering identity and meaningfulness, which predicted the participants' investments in their studies. Additionally, a diffuse-avoidant identity style negatively predicted professional identity, meaningfulness and satisfaction, which provides empirical evidence of the contribution of identity to academic commitment. None of the variables we studied predicted academic achievement. Our findings are relevant given current debates on access, equity and decolonisation in higher education, because it suggests that students' sense of identity largely influences whether they feel a sense of belonging at university. Although identity styles and meaningfulness are not significant direct predictors of academic achievement, they probably do have an indirect effect on academic achievement through their direct influence on investment.

This study explored first-year students' beliefs about the relevance of positive mood to selfregulation. Students were supplied with the definitions of ten constructs relating broadly to aspects of general health (Physical health), positive mood (Psychological well-being, Emotional response, Hope, Explanatory style, Self-Esteem) and self-regulation (Self-regula tion, Self-efficacy, Motivation, Intelligence) and asked to indicate whether they believed a causal relationship to exist between pairs of constructs, and in which direction the causal relationship was perceived. An interactive qualitative analysis (IQA) approach was followed to extract a composite mental model of students' beliefs about positive mood and self-regula tion. Findings indicate that students perceive positive mood constructs to be causally related to aspects of self-regulation. A mental model was extracted that depicted students' beliefs about positive mood and self-regulation as a complex system consisting of four interlinked feedback systems, namely Input states, Evaluatory mechanisms, Future perspectives and Active participation. Constructs associated with positive mood (Psychological well-being and Explanatory style) were identified as primary driver and primary outcome respectively, Keywords: affinity relationship table; interactive qualitative analysis; mental model; opti mism; positive mood; self-regulated learning Over the past decade or so mainstream psychology has been witness to a transformation which began with an increasing awareness of the role of prevention in mental health and which developed into an active study of positive qualities and strengths that help people live happy and constructive lives (Seligman, 2005). This shift has also been evident in educational psychology with increasing emphasis being placed on positive strength-building approaches to community intervention (