Dissertations / Theses: 'Midwifery not elsewhere classified'

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Ohly, Heather. "A realist investigation of the impact of 'Healthy Start' on the diets of low-income pregnant women in the UK." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2018. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/23809/.

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Healthy Start is the United Kingdom government’s food voucher programme for low-income, pregnant women and young children. Eligible women receive vouchers worth £3.10 per week, which can be exchanged for fruit and vegetables, plain cow’s milk or infant formula. There has been no robust evaluation of the impact of Healthy Start on nutritional outcomes since its introduction in 2006. Therefore, this study aimed to explore potential outcomes of the programme (including intended and unintended outcomes) and develop explanations for how and why these outcomes might occur. A realist review was conducted in two iterative and overlapping stages: 1) developing theories or hypotheses about how the Healthy Start programme works, for who, in what circumstances and why; 2) testing those theories using relevant evidence from existing studies of Healthy Start and a similar food voucher programme in the United States. The review findings comprised three ‘evidence-informed programme theories’ about how low-income pregnant women use Healthy Start vouchers and why. A qualitative study was undertaken to further refine and consolidate the programme theories derived from the realist review, and to develop new and emerging programme theories. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 low-income women from North West England, who received Healthy Start vouchers during pregnancy. An innovative combination of realist interview techniques and vignettes was used to communicate and exchange theories with low-income women. A realist logic of analysis was applied to generate clear and transparent linkages between outcomes and explanations. Five ‘evidence-based programme theories’ were developed to explain why low-income pregnant women may experience one or more of the following outcomes from the Healthy Start programme: dietary improvements, shared benefits, financial assistance, stockpiling formula, misuse of vouchers. These programme theories were integrated with existing behaviour change theories and an overarching theoretical model for Healthy Start was developed. This model illustrates the combination of context and resources needed to generate the intended outcome of dietary improvements for low-income pregnant women, and the mechanisms by which this outcome may be generated.

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Sochting, Sven. "The effects of operating conditions on the hydrodynamic lubricant film thickness at the piston-ring/cylinder liner interface of a firing diesel engine." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 2009. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/21027/.

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Conventional investigations into the performance of piston-rings in internal combustion engines are performed at relatively low speeds and consider only steady state operation conditions. Loss of power in internal combustion (IC) engines is becoming an increasing issue when they are operated at high engine speeds. This project is directed at developing technology to establish whether this phenomenon is influenced by a lubricant related effect. In a normal operating environment automotive engines typically operate under transient operating conditions. These rapid changes in operation conditions may influence the thickness of the hydrodynamic film which lubricates the interfaces between the piston-ring and liner. During this project two capacitance methods were employed in a fired compression ignition engine, an amplitude modulated (AM) system originally developed by Grice and a new "high speed" capacitance technique based on a frequency modulated principle. The first part of this thesis is concerned with the development and implementation of a new apparatus suitable for measuring the thickness and extent of the hydrodynamic oil film which lubricates the piston-rings and liner. The nature of the working principle of the high speed capacitance measurement system required the design, manufacture, assembly and commissioning of a novel dynamic calibration apparatus. The new system can also be used for static calibration (AM system) of capacitance based distance measuring systems. It uses a manufacturer calibrated closed loop controlled piezo-actuator to present a target relative to the sensor face. Some previous investigations concluded a stable oil film thickness. However, this work shows that there are cyclic variations of the oil film thickness OFT on a stroke to stroke and cycle to cycle basis. A series of measurements was conducted under various fixed speed load points. The effects of using lubricants of different viscosity on the minimum (OFT) between liner and piston ring have been little studied and this work shows that it was possible to speciate measurements of different lubricants. This thesis also describes a measurement of the oil film thickness during abrupt changes in engine operating conditions.

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Mugglestone, Hilda. "Peer assisted learning in the acquisition of musical composition skills." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2006. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2471/.

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The purpose of the study was to discover the effects of using peer assisted learning in acquiring skills in music composition. The ten criteria used for assessing the effects of peer assisted learning comprised six concerning social qualities and four relating to cognitive aspects of what might be learned from working and learning together. The research used both qualitative and quantitative methods, encompassing interviews with the teacher, questionnaires for the students and observation. The latter included a quantitative element. The research took place in the natural settings of timetabled music lessons in Year Seven at an English comprehensive secondary school. This peer assisted learning research is believed to be the only such project conducted entirely in the unadulterated classroom settings. The lessons followed the teacher’s choice of lesson material and the length of time normally allowed for lessons in that school. No changes in classroom organisation, timing, or for any other reason were requested by, or made for, the researcher. Each class was divided into groups whose size, ability and gender were determined by the teacher. From these groups, the teacher selected the three which were the focus of this research. All three of the sample groups showed some evidence of the beneficial effects of peer assisted learning socially and cognitively although this varied according to the children’s different ability levels. Peer assisted learning was found to be most successful where children were able to work together cohesively and communicate well, either verbally or musically. Most children either acquired new musical skills or enhanced those they already possessed through the use of peer assisted learning.

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(9867881), M. Newton. "Expanding the midwifery role : an action research project." Thesis, 2001. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Expanding_the_midwifery_role_an_action_research_project/13465118.

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In recent years there have been several examinations of the current and future position of childbirth services in Australia. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) 'Options for Effective Care in Childbirth' (1 996) and the 1999 'Senate Inquiry into Childbirth Practices' have encouraged midwives and other health professionals to examine health outcomes, services and strategies for enhancement of care for women in pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. An important outcome of reviews such as those mentioned is the suggestion for new models of care that require increased responsibility for midwives.

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(9885311), HM Donovan. "The experience of the double-degree nurse midwife in their transition to clinical practice." Thesis, 2016. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_experience_of_the_double-degree_nurse_midwife_in_their_transition_to_clinical_practice/13443227.

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Dual degree nurse midwives graduate with a broader scope of practice which is welcomed and valued across a wide variety of health care settings. Transition to practice experiences for these beginning health practitioners reflect the breadth of their practice capabilities and are directly dependent on their roles and responsibilities as a nurse and a midwife, the support available to them and organisational expectations for autonomous practice. While literature exists that examines the transition to practice experiences of nurses and midwives, no literature was located for this study that explored the transition to practice experiences of dual degree graduate nurse midwives. As a result, the aim of this research project was to describe the transition to practice experiences of Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Midwifery graduates working in a variety of health care settings across Australia as beginning health care practitioners. Face to face interviews were undertaken using a Husserlian Descriptive Phenomenological approach. Twenty-three graduate double degree nurse midwives employed as both nurses and midwives in a variety of health care settings across Australia described their transition to practice experiences. Four core themes emerged: A need to feel safe; A need to feel a sense of valued belonging; The path to exhaustion and work-life imbalance; and The daunting world of autonomous practice. Recommendations from this study include the need for graduates who are transitioning into more than one discipline to be acknowledged for their expanded scope of practice and be supported accordingly. This support needs to be context specific, holistic and include rostering and shift-work expectations that enable a satisfactory work-life balance.

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(9785537), Tanya Capper. "Workplace bullying: The midwifery student experience." Thesis, 2021. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Workplace_bullying_The_midwifery_student_experience/14776482.

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Aim: To explore and describe midwifery students’ experiences of being the target of workplace bullying whilst on clinical placement in Australia and the United Kingdom. Background: The incidence of workplace bullying has increased dramatically in recent years and is now a major global public health concern. Workplace bullying is generally referred to as repeated unwanted behaviour towards others that is intended to cause harm, occurring within the workplace. Students undertaking placement in the clinical environment, however, only need to experience a one-off incident of inappropriate or unfair treatment for it to have a lasting adverse effect upon them. Healthcare settings provide the ideal environment for such behaviours to flourish, particularly as they are places where power differentials are commonplace. This in turn can impact staff and student wellbeing, patient safety, staff absenteeism, turnover, and productivity. Midwives are reported to commonly experience workplace bullying, leading to work dissatisfaction and subsequent attrition from the profession. Limited research, which has been predominantly quantitative and mixed methods in nature has revealed that midwifery students too are being bullied whilst on clinical placement. Gaps in the literature exist where midwifery students offer their own personal experiences of being the targets of bullying whilst on clinical placement and how this impacts them and other relevant stakeholders. Methods: This study was a qualitative descriptive design. Midwifery students based in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia that had experienced perceived workplace bullying whilst on clinical placement were recruited via purposive sampling. Approval was obtained from the CQUniversity Australia Human Research Ethics Committee to conduct this study. Data Collection and Analysis: Data was collected using an anonymous online qualitative survey. The survey consisted of two main parts; demographic questions and open-ended questions to enable the students to explain their experiences in more detail. In total, 335 midwifery students responded to the study advertisement and confirmed that they had experienced bullying whilst on clinical placement. A total of 215 participants completed just the demographic section of the survey however, 120 participants provided participant generated textual data by fully completing or partially completing the open-ended questions. Data were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarkes (2006) six phase process. Findings: Midwifery students indicated that being the target of bullying effected them on several personal and professional levels which has the potential to have further reaching impacts upon the reputation of the profession, the quality of care provided to mothers and babies, and the quality of midwifery education. Moreover, the findings suggested that different groups of midwifery students experience bullying in different ways and the social context of the maternity unit significantly influences the way in which bullying behaviours are enacted and are accepted by others towards them. Midwifery students perceive a number of antecedents to being bullied exist and feel that both academic and clinical organisations could do more to provide support to them and tackle the issue of bullying in order to help ensure the future sustainability of the midwifery profession. Conclusions: This study suggests that midwifery students being bullied may have a number of impacts upon students and other key stakeholders. In order to ensure and sustain the future of the midwifery profession, more needs to be done by academic and clinical organisations to address bullying towards midwifery students and prevent the continuation of the bullying cycle.

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(12552852), Sharon Haste. "The perceived barriers to implementing a midwifery model of care in a tertiary hospital." Thesis, 2005. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_perceived_barriers_to_implementing_a_midwifery_model_of_care_in_a_tertiary_hospital/19776244.

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This report aims to identify the barriers to implementing a midwifery model of care in the Royal Darwin Hospital. A Government directive was the catalyst to implement the model, however this precedes along history of consumer complaint and government review (Northern Territory Government Media Release, October 2002).

The official project spans over a period of fourteen months with an immediate preceding history of nineteen months relating to other government directives. The directives affecting the project were to develop and implement a caseload midwifery model of care and to plan a birth centre (Northern Territory Government Media Release October, 2002).

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(9815639), Lydia Mainey. ""Doing the wrong thing for the right reason" Australian nurses' and midwives' experience of providing abortion care to people victimised by gender-based violence." Thesis, 2022. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/_Doing_the_wrong_thing_for_the_right_reason_Australian_nurses_and_midwives_experience_of_providing_abortion_care_to_people_victimised_by_gender-based_violence/22273498.

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When a pregnancy-capable person is assaulted, abused, or killed, it is usually at the hands of a male partner or family member. Fatal and non-fatal injuries, chronic health conditions and risky behaviours are all outcomes of gender-based violence (GBV); furthermore, GBV can often lead to unplanned pregnancies. Abortion is, therefore, a predictable outcome for this population. Nurses and midwives are intrinsically involved in the care of pregnant people victimised by GBV. They could be instrumental in providing reproductive justice outcomes such as early intervention, support, and coordination of support services. However, limited research exists to explain how this occurs within abortion care. Effective GBV responses often require a multiagency approach; therefore, services across a range of Australian sectors such as health, women’s safety, and law enforcement could benefit from understanding how nurses and midwives provide abortion care to people victimised by GBV. To address this gap, I aimed to 1) explain the process through which Australian nurses and midwives provide abortion care to people victimised by GBV and 2) explore how the elements of the broader healthcare situation affect the provision of abortion care to people victimised by GBV. I approached the research with a third-wave feminist lens, designing a two-phased multiple methods study combining constructivist grounded theory and situational analysis—such an approach located research participants’ actions in the larger social and power contexts. To assist readers in understanding the scope of the research topic, I commenced the thesis with a scoping literature review of the role and scope of nurses and midwives in the provision of abortion care. The review demonstrates that abortion care is a common procedure performed across many healthcare settings and shows that nurses and midwives provide technical and psychosocial care within their roles. However, the review also highlights that the scope of practice of nurses and midwives within abortion care is probably unnecessarily restrictive. Notably (and foreshadowing the findings of this thesis study), it exposes a lack of person-centred models of abortion care. My research reveals that the Australian abortion arena is expansive and contains multiple sites of power and contested action, which contributed to the research participants’ belief that people seeking abortions in the context of GBV were mostly uncatered for. Participants described a workforce unprepared to provide abortion care generally, or a GBV safety-net more specifically. Pro-life colleagues were seen to centre conscientious objection over patient care, and the workplace environment placed clinicians’ and patients’ safety at risk. Consequently, participants underwent a process I labelled working with or against the system contingent on the degree to which the system was person-centred. When participants encountered barriers to person-centred abortion care, they bent or broke the law, local policy, and cultural norms to facilitate timely holistic care. Though many participants felt professionally compromised, their resolve to continue working against the system continued. They were aided by larger social groups – Smugglers, Navigators, Marie Stopes Australia, and the Family Safety Framework – which came together to resist systemic oppression in an attempt to achieve reproductive/social justice. I used the theoretical conceptualisation of resistance in health and healthcare to unify the findings of the thesis project. My thesis findings support a cultural shift and reorientation of health services to support reproductive justice. First and foremost, my findings support the involvement of nurses and midwives in the creation of healthcare policy, programming, and legislation. This includes their involvement in pro-choice hiring policies, design and facilitation of GBV and abortion care training, and the implementation and evaluation of comprehensive abortion care frameworks, that cater for diversity and offer trauma-informed and flexible care. Furthermore, expanding the scope of nurses and midwives to provide medical abortion, particularly in primary care, would address the current service gap, which compels these clinicians to undermine the current system. Many of these changes could be achieved if health services adopted the World Health Organisation’s technical and policy guidelines for abortion care. However, this will require amendments to regulatory structures, funding models and relaxation of prescribing and abortion procurement restrictions. My findings also highlight a dual loyalty issue between the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia’s (NMBA) requirement for clinicians to provide person-centred care and comply with legislation, regulations, policies, and guidelines. A key recommendation is that the NMBA reconsider their position where such complicity would lead to human/reproductive rights violations. This thesis has made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge concerning abortion care of marginalised people. Looking forward, the thesis findings and recommendations could be implemented at the practice level and beyond to improve reproductive justice outcomes for people in Australia.

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(9823082), Samantha Nolan. "Social networking sites (SNS): Exploring the value to adolescent mothers using narrative." Thesis, 2019. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Social_networking_sites_SNS_Exploring_the_value_to_adolescent_mothers_using_narrative/13452269.

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Aim: To explore adolescent mothers’ use of social networking sites (SNS) as mechanisms of support, and to consider these platforms as a tool for midwives to extend multifaceted, versatile and ongoing support and education to this often-vulnerable group. Background: Motherhood during adolescence may have detrimental effects on the lives and functionality of mothers, their infants and society. While there are government and non-government organisations that provide tailored support and health care services for adolescent mothers, these are usually offered in person either within community or hospital settings. Gaps in the literature exist where adolescent mothers offer their experiences of SNS use as a relevant means to inform midwifery practice and services. Research design: This study used a narrative approach to guide the research design and processes, gathering personal stories to explore both the nuances of adolescent motherhood and the online experience. The study was comprised of two phases: the exploration of West Australian adolescent mothers’ use of SNS and any associated social capital attributed to such use and the consideration of SNS as a tool for midwives to lend adolescent mothers further parenting support. Approval was obtained from Edith Cowan University’s Human Research Ethics Committee to conduct interviews and focus groups with adolescent mothers and midwives in Western Australia. Data collection and analysis: Narrative data from interviews and focus groups with adolescent mothers and midwives were collected, transcribed and analysed to produce themes. Data collection, analysis and literature exploration occurred concurrently using the constant comparison method (Creswell, 2013). Findings: Adolescent mothers indicated SNS use provides them with valuable social capital and has the potential to enhance wellbeing during the transition to motherhood. Moreover, findings suggest both adolescent mothers and midwives consider there are a variety of ways in which midwives could enhance the support afforded to adolescent mothers using SNS. Midwives were more likely to consider the need for guideline development, but the underlying value potential expressed in terms of their ability to provide accessible and professionally mediated online support and information was consistent across the two groups. Conclusion: This study suggests SNS use may assist adolescent mothers to build social capital. Midwives would benefit from acknowledging the role played by SNS in providing support to adolescent mothers and by considering how this technology can be used to lend further support. Implications for practice: Identifying the value of SNS as a mechanism of support and social capital acquisition for adolescent mothers has implications not only for future midwifery practice and curricula, but also for managers, education providers, policymakers and researchers. Recommendations have been made across these areas of midwifery practice and maternity care provision, some of which focus on the consideration of innovative online extensions to midwifery-led care for adolescent mothers. Further, these recommendations have potential relevance for those caring for other marginalised groups such as First Peoples, migrant mothers or childbearing women in rural or remote areas of Australia. Fundamentally, these recommendations serve to bridge the gap between health care service provision and the digital age, particularly for adolescent consumers.

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(12246663), Terry Garnons-Williams. "Preparing for motherhood: A narrative inquiry into alternative pregnancy care practices." Thesis, 2022. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Preparing_for_motherhood_A_narrative_inquiry_into_alternative_pregnancy_care_practices/19365500.

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"Preparing for Motherhood - a Narrative Inquiry into alternative practices of pregnancy care" explored the non -medical, alternative practices used by women while preparing for motherhood. The contextual and personal narratives associated with such preparation formed the basis of the research. Data was obtained through unstructured interviews and analysed using narrative inquiry methods. The results of these interviews have been presented as a 'core' story, combining the narratives of three women.

Participating women shared their experiences of pregnancy and care practices retrospectively. By utilising story telling and narrative methods in research, the experiences of motherhood were given self expression - offering others the opportunity to discover new insights into womanhood, motherhood and the use of alternative practices during pregnancy.

The findings identify a range of non -medical forms of health care and those considered outside the realm of conventional obstetrical care. Furthermore, the narratives will suggest possible tensions when contemporary pregnancy care practices do not 'fit' with alternative practice philosophies and choices. While generalizations to a broader population are not possible, the information provided has the potential to determine significant issues of preparation for motherhood and contribute in the development of future projects and studies that explore these issues for women in Australia.

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(13108657), Robert McClure. "The nature of coping and emotional intelligence: An empirical study with the nursing profession." Thesis, 2005. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_nature_of_coping_and_emotional_intelligence_An_empirical_study_with_the_nursing_profession/20327460.

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This thesis used a homogeneous sample of 116 professional nurses to empirically test the theoretical proposition that transactional coping and emotional intelligence are different constructs. Using that same sample, the research also empirically tested the theory that professional nurses' emotional work response behaviours require emotional intelligent ability (McQueen 2004; Molter 2001). Other research questions were related to testing relationships between emotional work, emotional intelligence, coping and the outcome variables of job satisfaction and health and well-being.

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(9797765), Sheeana Gangadoo. "Exploring the potential to improve the gut microbiome of broiler chickens using selenium nanoparticle supplements." Thesis, 2020. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Exploring_the_potential_to_improve_the_gut_microbiome_of_broiler_chickens_using_selenium_nanoparticle_supplements/13410473.

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The poultry industry has rapidly grown in the last few years with a focus in improving growth and productivity of broiler chickens, with performance assessed on measures such as feed conversion ratio, body weight gain and good immunity. The incorporation of antibiotics and feed additives in poultry diets, have been implemented for years to ensure the maintenance of poultry health with a focus on the control and reduction of zoonotic pathogens. In the last few years, however, key issues surrounding the antimicrobial resistance of antibiotics have urged for alternative supplementations. Nanoparticles (NPs) of silver and other metals have been heavily used in the poultry industry to improve the growth and performance of birds. Whilst successful, metal NPs exhibited higher toxicity at the higher surface to volume ratio, especially with the use of silver. This study proposes the use of NPs of essential metals and natural compounds to safely deliver nutrients, resulting in positive impacts on health and productivity with little to no toxic effects. Selenium is an essential mineral, required for the proper functioning of the immunity and is an important element in the first cell line of defence in the body. The work described in this thesis explores the ability of selenium NPs to improve the health and growth of broiler chickens by modulating their gut microbiome and metabolome, without the toxic effects observed with silver. Selenium NPs were synthesised using a simple chemical reduction method and a full characterisation was performed, assessing the physicochemical properties of the NP. Selenium NPs were then compared in an animal trial against two commonly used selenium additives in the poultry industry, sodium selenite (inorganic selenium) and selenomethionine (organic selenium). The performance of the birds was assessed based on body weight gain, the gut microbial composition and metabolite production. The toxicity of NPs was further investigated by quantifying selenium concentration in various tissues, along with a detailed histopathological assessment. Results show selenium NPs completely altered the gut microbial ecology at high concentration, with a strong correlation observed between Faecalibacterium prausnitzii abundance and increasing concentration of selenium NPs. Selenium NPs additionally increased villus height/crypt ratio associated with enhanced absorption in the small intestine and an overall increase of healthy colonic metabolites. Finally, an in vitro study demonstrated the ability of selenium NPs to reduce emerging pathogenic Enterococcus cecorum species. This thesis demonstrates the prospective ability of selenium NPs as alternatives to antibiotics and bulk supplementation, resulting in an improvement of health and performance of broiler chickens in the poultry industry.

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(9782003), Cheryl Bookallil. "Second-chance education evaluating the outcomes and costs of university-based enabling programs." Thesis, 2014. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Second-chance_education_evaluating_the_outcomes_and_costs_of_university-based_enabling_programs/16436757.

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Despite universities receiving specific Commonwealth Government funding in order to offer Enabling education free to participants, these programs are not part of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and there has been no systematic evaluation of outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine Enabling programs offered by Central Queensland University and investigate their cost effectiveness as a conduit to undergraduate programs and university qualifications. Mises (1949) theory of Praxeology formed the basis for examining outcomes from eleven consecutive years of archival data in this case study. Enrolments in Enabling programs, completions, articulations from Enabling to undergraduate study and undergraduate successes have all been quantified and costed in terms of the Commonwealth funding received.

Aim one was to quantify the value-added to the university in terms of undergraduate enrolments and to the students in terms of their human capital accumulation according to Becker's (1964) theory. Aim two was to evaluate outcomes in terms of meeting the dual goals of equity and efficiency. Equity was defined by the notion of inclusion, based upon the principle of personal agency as espoused by Sen (2009), and measured by access and completion of a higher education award (Marginson 2011). Efficiency was measured by access to, and completion of, university qualifications consistent with the Australian Government's definition of an Enabling program (Higher Education Support Act 2012 p. 302). This duality of definitions allowed for comparisons between the possible number of successes as indicated by enrolments in Enabling programs and actual outcomes demonstrating a leakage in the public funding bucket (Okun 1975).

The provision of specific Commonwealth funding appears to have precipitated an escalation in enrolments but completions and articulations experienced a sustained decline meaning costs of successful outcomes increased. Statistical analysis demonstrated that increasing access by distance education did not increase equity or efficiency as measured in terms of completions and articulations. Logistic regression suggests that it is not student demographics but the program structure and/or mode of study chosen for Enabling that are the strongest predictors of completion, articulation and undergraduate success.

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(5930270), Mehdi Shishehbor. "Numerical Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Neat Cellulose Nanocrystal." Thesis, 2020.

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Nature has evolved efficient strategies to make materials with hierarchical internal structure that often exhibit exceptional mechanical properties. One such example is found in cellulose, which has achieved a high order of functionality and mechanical properties through a hierarchical structure with an exceptional control from the atomic level all the way to the macroscopic level. Cellulose is present in a wide variety of living species (trees, plants, algae, bacteria, tunicates), and provides the base reinforcement structure used by organisms for high mechanical strength, high strength-to-weight ratio, and high toughness. Additionally, being the most abundant organic substance on earth, cellulose has been used by our society as an engineering material for thousands of years, and are prolific within our society, as demonstrated by the enormity of the world-wide industries in cellulose derivatives, paper/packaging, textiles, and forest products.

More recently, a new class of cellulose base particles are being extracted from plants/trees, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which are spindle-shaped nano-sized particles (3 ̶ 20 nm in width and 50 ̶ 500 nm in length) that are distinct from the more traditional cellulose materials currently used (e.g. molecular cellulose and wood pulp). They offer a new combination of particle morphology, properties and chemical functionalities that enable CNCs for use in applications that were once thought impossible for cellulosic materials.

CNCs have shown utility in many engineering applications, for example, biomedical, nanocomposites, barrier/separation membranes and cementitious materials. To gain greater insight as to how best use CNCs in various engineering application areas, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics of CNCs is needed. The characterization of the mechanical properties of nanomaterials via experimental testing has always been challenging due to their small size, resulting in large uncertainties related to testing near sensitivity limits of a given technique, the same is true when characterizing CNCs. For CNCs, to help offset limitations in experimental testing, numerical modeling has been useful in predicting the mechanical properties of CNCs. We present a continuum-based structural model to study the mechanical behavior of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and analyze the effect of bonded and non-bonded interactions on the mechanical properties under various loading conditions. In particular, this model assumes the uncoupling between the bonded and nonbonded interactions and their behavior is obtained from atomistic simulations.

For large deformations and when there is interaction and dynamics of many particles involved, continuum models could become as expensive as MD simulations. In addition, it has been shown that traditional material models in the continuum mechanics context, cannot model all the mechanical properties of CNC, especially for large deformation. To overcome these setbacks and to be able to model real size of CNC, 50-1000 nm, and/or to increase the number of particles involved in the simulation, a so called ‘‘coarse-grained’’ (CG) model for mechanical and interfacial properties of CNC is proposed. The proposed CG model is based on both mechanical properties and crystal-crystal interactions. Parametrization of the model is carried out in comparison with all-atom (AA) molecular dynamics and experimental results of some specific mechanical and interfacial tests.

Subsequently, verification is done with other tests. Finally, we analyze the effect of interface properties on the mechanical performance of CNC-based materials including, bending of a CNC bundle, tensile load and fracture in bioinspired structure of CNCs such as staggered brick-and-mortar and Bouligand structures of interest.

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(9840005), Lorraine Thompson. "Coaching for clinical nurse leaders: A mixed methods study." Thesis, 2017. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Coaching_for_clinical_nurse_leaders_A_mixed_methods_study/13444781.

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This inquiry examined coaching as an approach for supporting and professionally developing clinical nurse leaders within their roles. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was considered appropriate for this study consisting of a quantitative phase at the outset, followed by a qualitative phase.

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(9805346), Eleanor Horton. "A Foucauldian gaze in nursing: A critique of the politics of difference in nursing." Thesis, 2014. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/A_Foucauldian_gaze_in_nursing_A_critique_of_the_politics_of_difference_in_nursing/13437812.

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"In 1982, when questioned about his intellectual ability, French philosopher Michel Foucault replied: I don’t feel it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else you were not in the beginning. If you knew when you began a book, what you would say in the end, do you think you would have the courage to write it? (Martin, Gutman & Hutton, 1988, p. 9) This thesis presents a post-structuralist gaze at the politics of difference in nursing from the perspectives of Foucault and Jacques Derrida, with the aim of presenting a new text that challenges the maintenance of the status quo of nursing. The thesis will use nursing as a discipline to examine subjectivity of the self through the conceptual lens of Foucault and Derrida and those factors that influence the politics of difference in nursing, such as ‘othering’, neoliberalism, managerialism and globalisation. Until nursing moves beyond binary thinking and considers a new politics of difference, the generation of new knowledge will endorse the philosophical thinking of the Enlightenment project and fail to progress nursing beyond this and into the post-structuralist ethos. Moreover: This post-structuralist approach to the politics of knowledge challenges the individual who is rational and coherent and has a rational and coherent story about themselves and society (Horton, 2013, p. 24)."

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(9876398), T. Rahman. "Microcredit and empowering women in Bangladesh : stunning promises without substance." Thesis, 2007. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Microcredit_and_empowering_women_in_Bangladesh_stunning_promises_without_substance/13429241.

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Microcredit, a Bangladeshi development model, has become a mantra and a magic potion for all illness of the poor including poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, and powerlessness. Many of the powerful, rich and famous - liberals like Hillary Clinton, neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz (now president of the World Bank), commercial banking institutions like the Chase Manhattan and American Express - actively promote this panacea. Several UN agencies and European development aid agencies far beyond the Bangladeshi border are also involved in implementing microcredit. Muhammad Yunus, the founder ofthe Grameen Bank, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for developing, practicing and promoting microcredit. There is no doubt that microcredit has 'indeed allowed many poor women to roll back pervasive poverty', but at the same time it can be said confidently that many of the poor within the microcredit program are left with extended threat of poverty. Critical scholarship on the microcredit model is limited, but emerging steadily. Among critical scholars are postdevelopmentalists, who examine the transformation occurring within the 'self' of the microcredit recipients, and Marxists, who examine gradual expansion of the free market economy in Third World societies within the context of global capitalism. The postdevelopmentalists argue that the surveillance strategies that are placed to monitor the working of micro credit surely transform the subjectivity ofthe microcredit recipients and this transformation is somewhat similar to the process that occurred in Western societies at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Marxists scholars generally examine the contemporary gradual expansion of private investment in the welfare sector, which was traditionally a state monopoly. They argue that the private interventionist approach enables the state to avoid its responsibility to provide welfare for the poor. This thesis investigates the claims of success of microcredit as a panacea, as well as the critical views expressed by focusing on the experiences o fmicrocredit recipients in two villages in Bangladesh. Based on a long term participatory observation method, the thesis argues that the success stories of the microcredit program are blown out of proportion. The dynamics of collective responsibility for repayment of loans by a group of women borrowers, which is seen as a tool for success of microcredit, is in fact no less repressive than the traditional debt collectors. This thesis considered both of the theoretical perspectives mentioned above, and finds that microcredit does produce a kind ofdisciplined self but the microcredit recipients also employ their own agency in resistance towards the disciplinary power. It also finds that the neoliberal policy of privatisation of welfare enables capitalism to extend its control to the poorest, most deprived of the world.

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(11773901), Clive Leslie Miller. "Patient care information and its use by nurses: 'Becoming informed'." Thesis, 2000. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Patient_care_information_and_its_use_by_nurses_Becoming_informed_/13424186.

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A major problem that nurses face at the start of each shift is the amount of information they receive in relation to the patients allocated to their care. The patient may have been in the ward for many days and the nurse has abundant previous information about them. The patient may be a newly admitted and the only information nurses have is their name and that of the consultant. Not only is information needed at the start of the shift, but there are also ongoing needs throughout the shift. Therefore there is a constant process of giving and gathering information.
A qualitative approach using interviews and participant observation was chosen as the most appropriate form of investigation. Ten nurses were interviewed, then observed both at handover and for some hours afterwards. The collected data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Because of data and time constraints only an initial conceptual framework could be developed and presented in this work.
It was found that nurses both actively seek and are passively given information, which they use for providing patient care. A continuum was found ranging from low to high for both the nurses' knowledge of the patient and the patient's condition, as well as the nurses' clinical knowledge and experience, that has an affect on these activities. This gathering of information can be likened to nurses "learning" about the patient much as one 'learns' the meaning of a picture. Initially one passively absorbs the scene but then the person looks more closely to fill in the details raised by questions they may have.
The process of gathering information needed for patient care is a complex intertwining of many factors relating both to the nurse and the situation. This has implications in the way information is communicated at each nursing change of shift if ongoing care is to be continued appropriately.

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(9828656), Md Zillur Rahman. "An evaluation of selected Bangladesh Open University open and distance education materials: Towards developing principles for open and distance education in Bangladesh." Thesis, 1997. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/An_evaluation_of_selected_Bangladesh_Open_University_open_and_distance_education_materials_Towards_developing_principles_for_open_and_distance_education_in_Bangladesh/20346627.

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The use of open learning systems for the provision of higher education continues to grow and evolve around the world. The diversity of open learning systems that now exist reflects the ability to adapt this form of education to meet the higher education needs of individuals in a range of contexts including cultural, political, and economic contexts.

This thesis examines the provision of open and distance education in Bangladesh which has a population of 120 million and where higher education has been mainly available through eleven conventional universities. Until recently these universities were only able to access 5% people of the country and were unable to cater to the growing needs for higher education of the increasing population, particularly those people not living in large cities. In order to overcome the low participation in higher education, the Bangladesh Open University (BOU) was established in 1992 to help to meet the country's increasing need for higher education and vocational training using open and distance teaching mode.

The approach to materials design and course delivery by the BOU endeavours to accommodate the cultural, economic and student learning contexts that prevail in Bangladesh. This thesis describes this approach through an evaluation of the open and distance education materials used in one unit of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) program and one unit of the Diploma in Management (DIM) at the BOU.

Three broad criteria for evaluating the selected BOU materials were: learner support structure, learning resources and learning systems. The criteria were derived from a comparative study of open and distance education that exists in developed and developing countries. Final conclusions were made after evaluating the selected materials from BOU using these criteria.

The curriculum evaluation methodology by Stufflebeam (1985) and Dogan (1989) was used for assessing open and distance education materials.

Findings indicate that the text materials of the BOU should be changed and be prepared according to the social, cultural, economic, and education contexts of Bangladesh. For instance, printed text materials should have pretest questions, concept maps, specific objectives, illustrations within the content, exercises and questions, assignments, quotations, footnotes, and references. At the same time, in addition to text materials, support services should be re -arranged in accordance with access issues and cultural perspectives.

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(5930396), Jack D. Williams. "Magnetically-Coupled Circuits Systems for Wireless Excitation of Passive Stimulators for Stimulation Therapies and Application as a Treatment for Glaucoma." Thesis, 2019.

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The practice of delivering an electrical current waveform to an excitable tissue such as a structure in the brain, nerve fiber, or muscle to relieve the symptoms of disease constitutes an electrical stimulation therapy. Electrical stimulation therapies supported by implantable devices provide effective treatment options for people suffering from treatment-resistant chronic diseases that often fail to respond to medication and other traditional therapies [1, 2]. However, implantable electrical stimulators traditionally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) use implanted batteries that require surgical replacement over years of operation and limit therapies to applications with minimal constraints on implant mass, volume, and rigidity [3, 4]. Previous works have proposed to eliminate batteries in implantable stimulators by using magnetically-coupled coils to deliver energy through radio-frequency (RF) fields, exciting alternating currents on implantable devices to be converted into stimulus pulses by rectifiers [5, 6]. Implantable stimulators without batteries may be excited by an alternative theory of operation without the use of RF fields that eliminates the need for a rectifier and permits stimulators with minimal complexity.

This work proposes an original use of magnetically-coupled circuits theory for the wireless excitation of electrical stimulation current waveforms on passive stimulators that eliminates the need for an implanted battery. The principle of the technique is to drive stimulation current waveforms on passive stimulators with electromotive forces excited by applied time-varying magnetic fields via the phenomena described by Faraday’s law of induction [7-9]. The proposed systems require a wearable driving component and a passive driven component that may either be worn or implanted. The wearable driving component must include a battery, pulse-generating circuitry, and a primary coil, whereas the driven component is a passive device requiring only a secondary coil with electrodes to contact tissue. The pulse-generating circuitry of the driving component may be implemented readily such that the design of the coils defines the challenge in the implementation of the proposed systems. The design of the coils for the proposed systems presents the potential for a nontrivial optimization problem with conflicting objectives; possible objectives for the design of the coils include maximizing the attainable peak amplitudes of the stimulation currents, obtaining various characteristics of a desired stimulation current waveform, and minimizing the variation of the stimulation currents with varying displacements between the coils. The problem posed by the design of the coils for the proposed systems is addressed by direction obtained from theoretical analyses and experiments performed in this work that supplement direction from the literature [5, 10-12]. The potential utility of the proposed theory of operation is demonstrated by enabling the first chronic electrical stimulation therapy for glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The system designed for the glaucoma stimulation therapy and the methods used to quantify its electrical performance are presented along with data from experimental therapeutic trials with human participants.

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(9789011), Betty Cosgrove. "Mount Morgan: Images and realities: dynamics and decline of a mining town." Thesis, 2001. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Mount_Morgan_Images_and_realities_dynamics_and_decline_of_a_mining_town/13420163.

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Most histories and reports of Mount Morgan concentrate on the mining experience and financial achievements of the first Company rather than the mining town. This dissertation presents a social history of Mount Morgan that addresses the establishment, rise and fall of the town during the period of the first syndicate and succeeding company, 1883-1927. The thesis contends that the transformation of the landscape was to industrial, urban space where the working-class attitudes of miners and others defined a town character, despite the aspiration of many to social status through private enterprise and public influence. Further, the scope of research encompassed local involvement in colonial and state politics, and the presence of local government authority, law courts and press that placed an urban stamp on the town. Issues discussed also relate to geographic, climatic and single company influences that caused the difference between Mount Morgan and other mining towns that did not survive. The traditional perception of mining town impermanence was contradicted at Mount Morgan, where town and suburban communities were witness to a range of collective support in religious adherence, benefit associations, fraternalism and ritual, leisure, sport, education, and social cohesion in times of mining disaster. Moreover, despite increasing familial connections, antagonistic attitudes prevailed between the defensively parochial town of Mount Morgan and the nearby regional centre of Rockhampton. The rise of unionism at Mount Morgan challenged an apathetic working-class population to workplace solidarity in reaction to the Company's long established, almost feudal control of the town as well as the mine. It is argued that, despite a decade of failing ore markets and soaring production costs at the mine, the attitudes and actions of a union dominated workforce were paramount in decline of the town and ultimate closure of the mine. Mount Morgan survived the exodus of thousands of residents. A defiant place, the town exhibited a pride bolstered by the perpetuation of myths that presented a public image shielded from the life-long realities of economic and social adversity.

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(9796979), Ann Framp. "A narrative inquiry into the experiences of one family's predisposition to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer." Thesis, 2017. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/A_narrative_inquiry_into_the_experiences_of_one_family_s_predisposition_to_hereditary_diffuse_gastric_cancer/13444751.

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Cancer is a challenging chronic disease. For families affected by hereditary cancers, understanding and adapting to the disease is complex. A Maori family in New Zealand have recently been found to have a genetically inherited form of stomach cancer – hereditary diffuse gastric cancer. They are armed with genetic knowledge about their predisposition to the disease and can take steps to avert the cancer but this knowledge does create risk and psychosocial ramifications. The aim of the study was to explore the experience of being predisposed to hereditary diffuse gastric cancer from members on one Maori family. The existing literature had an advanced scientific understanding of the cancer and led to useful treatment guidelines, but a subjective understanding of the experience of the cancer was limited. The study reported in this thesis used a narrative inquiry methodology to understand the subjective experience of being predisposed to the stomach cancer. Eight people were interviewed and the stories they shared revealed the complexities of how the illness was uniquely experienced, in context, and over time. Nuances were also uncovered about human interactions with health care providers.

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(9799976), Anthony Greening. "Education in the "forty-year present": Perceptions of computer scientists on educational futures in a context of rapid technological change." Thesis, 2001. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Education_in_the_forty-year_present_Perceptions_of_computer_scientists_on_educational_futures_in_a_context_of_rapid_technological_change/13463750.

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This thesis argues that technological pervasiveness and rapid change effects shape the current context of education. It proposes that these effects are potentially transformative and may result in radical departures from traditional approaches to education in the near future. Perceptions of that future form the focus of the research. The concept of a "forty-year present" is used to represent a small window of time surrounding the present in which it is reasonable to conduct such discussion. A futurist approach to research is presented, and an iterative, Internet-based survey technique is used to gather some narrative data about educational futures from a small body of respondents with an interest in computer science education. The research approach itself is evaluated as part of the work and some recommendations for future Internet-based techniques are raised as a result. The data is used to generate an account of 37 futures issues raised by the respondent community, and to derive a list of 19 broad priorities for the future.

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(9807182), Lynnette Jamieson. "The 'realities' of part-time nursing in regional Queensland." Thesis, 2005. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_realities_of_part-time_nursing_in_regional_Queensland/13421057.

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(9806639), Lois Harris. "Teacher conceptions of student engagement in learning: A phenomenographic investigation." Thesis, 2006. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Teacher_conceptions_of_student_engagement_in_learning_A_phenomenographic_investigation/13424075.

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Project involves "semi-structured interviews with 20 Central Queensland secondary English teachers about their classroom experiences with student engagement".. "This study utilises a phenomenographic approach to investigate teacher conceptions of student engagement in learning. The research question asks: What are the qualitatively different conceptions of student engagement in learning held by secondary English teachers in Central Queensland? The research aims to contribute to knowledge about student engagement by investigating the teacher perspectives generally ignored in the research literature. This thesis begins with a review of academic research, scholarship, and government documents where multiple and conflicting understandings of engagement are identified. Phenomenography has been chosen as the empirical research approach because it is designed to map variation in understandings. Standard phenomenographic analysis is used in conjunction with two frameworks congruent with phenomenography. The first framework is based on understandings of intentionality and the second on understandings of awareness. Together these frameworks allow for in-depth analysis of conceptions by identifying the parts and contexts of conceptions and differentiating between the participants understanding and his or her conception of how this understanding is facilitated. The empirical component of the research involves semi-structured interviews with 20 Central Queensland secondary English teachers about their classroom experiences with student engagement. These data are transcribed and analysed as per phenomenographic protocol. This study identifies six conceptions within the what aspect, teacher conceptions of student engagement. These correspond with three conceptions comprising the how aspect, teacher conceptions of how to facilitate student engagement. The findings of the empirical research and scholarly review of literature build conceptual knowledge about student engagement. This research indicates that educational stakeholders do not hold similar understandings of student engagement. If the concept of student engagement is to become educationally fruitful, the term must be more explicitly defined in educational research and government policy documents to promote shared understandings among stakeholder groups." -- abstract.

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(9846839), Sandra Worsley. "A foot in both camps: A constructivist grounded theory study exploring the experience of nurses who became homeopaths." Thesis, 2020. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/A_foot_in_both_camps_A_constructivist_grounded_theory_study_exploring_the_experience_of_nurses_who_became_homeopaths/13411316.

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This research aimed to understand the factors attracting qualified nurses to the practice of homeopathy and the influence if any, their respective identities as nurses and homeopaths had on their nursing and homeopathic practice. Using constructivist grounded theory methodology, data was collected via semi-structured interviews with fifteen registered nurses, who were also registered homeopaths, from three states of Australia. Data from the study resulted in the development of a substantive theory, the ‘Theory of Congruent Positioning’, which proposes that the nurses in this study were attracted to the practice of homeopathy through a process of experiential and transformative learning, whereby they connected with the core tenets of homeopathic philosophy. The ‘Theory of Congruent Positioning’ also provides insights into how the respective nursing and homeopathic identities of the nurses in this study influenced their respective nursing and homeopathic practice.

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(9776870), Jeanne Allen. "The "theory-practice gap": Turning theory into practice in a pre-service teacher education program." Thesis, 2009. https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/The_theory-practice_gap_Turning_theory_into_practice_in_a_pre-service_teacher_education_program/13455275.

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This thesis investigates the theory-practice gap using the exemplar of teacher education. The research is situated in a pre-service teacher education program that explicitly seeks to bridge the theory-practice gap so that it produces “learning managers” who can negotiate the contemporary knowledge society in ways different to those of their predecessors. The empirical work reported in this thesis describes and interprets the experiences of preservice and beginning teachers in turning theory into practice. In order to accomplish this outcome, the thesis draws on Mead’s theory of emergence and symbolic interactionism to provide a theoretical perspective for meaning-making in social situations. Data for the study were collected through interviews and focus groups involving a sample of first-year graduate teachers of an Australian pre-service teacher education program. The main finding of this thesis is that the theory-practice gap in pre-service teacher education under present institutional arrangements is an inevitable phenomenon arising as individuals undergo the process of emergence from pre-service to graduate and then beginning teachers. The study shows that despite the efforts of the program developers, environmental, social and cultural conditions in teacher education processes and structures and in schools inhibit the trainee and novitiate teacher from exercising agency to effect change in traditional classroom practices. Thus, the gap between theory and practice is co-produced and sustained in the model that characterises contemporary preservice teacher education in the perspectives of lecturers, teachers and administrators -- Abstract.

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(8100836), Moustapha Moussa. "INNOVATIVE MILLET FOODS TO IMPROVE NUTRITION AND EXPAND MARKETS IN WEST AFRICA." Thesis, 2019.

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Abstract Sorghum and millet crops are the staple foods for most people in the Sahelian region of West Africa. Preparation of millet and sorghum foods are labor-intensive and time-consuming. This thesis work was conducted with the goal of developing competitive and innovative processes to make better quality and higher quantity of extruded couscous, and instant, or fast cooking, millet food products to improve markets for smallholders’ famers, improve nutrition, and to meet the changing demands of local consumers in West Africa. Processing conditions, of a low-cost single screw mini-extruder were assessed and optimized. The process has the advantage of shortening production steps, and time, of making number of products with appealing appearance, good taste, and texture, and designed for the preferences of local consumers. The products can be reconstituted by adding hot or tap water. Results of the first study on a newly developed extruded couscous indicated that consumers in general preferred it, that it was fast cooking couscous, and credited it to be smoother in texture than the traditionally-prepared couscous. It had 10x the daily yield as couscous typically prepared for commercial sale by women in a processing unit. The smoother texture was attributed to the presence of starch fragments of somewhat lower molecular size, than in the control couscous, as illustrated by size-exclusion chromatography analysis of the hot-water dispersed starch. In the second study, the extruder was used to make instant porridge flour, and locally available roasting process was optimized to make a fast cooking porridge flour, and each flour was formulated using natural and locally obtained plant fortificants to nutritionally enhance cereal-legume-fortified flours. Results of consumers sensory tests and textural characterization by RVA and dynamic oscillatory rheometry of fortified porridge samples revealed that the innovated formulas had better viscosity, taste, and flavor, and were more preferred by children and their mothers than food aid vitamin-mineral premix fortified flours distributed at rural government health centers. Bioaccessibility of provitamin A carotenoid and lycopene derivatives, including lutein, α- and β-carotenes, using an in vitro digestion system coupled with a HPLC-C30SHORT column, shown that the formulated fortified flour samples had high bioaccessibility values of provitamin A carotenoids, lutein, and α- and β-carotenes. In the third study, rheological results indicated that instant tuwo (thick) and fura (thin) porridges had better viscosity and textural attributes (creamy, elastic, gelling) compared to traditional corresponding porridges. In the fourth

study, a home use testing (HUT) of instant tuwo and fura porridges in Niamey, Niger indicated that overall consumers’ acceptability was good. In a market test conducted in Niamey over 20 weeks, in collaboration with local cereal processors and distributors, showed repeat purchases with good frequency of sale of instant tuwo and fura porridges that have generated about 1/3 in total sales of 35 products related millet and cereal based foods in the period. In conclusion, the low-cost single screw extruder has the potential to catalyze and increase demand and diversification of uses of millet grains, to develop market-driven nutritious and healthy grain-based foods, to benefit smallholders’ farmers, and favor growth of small- and medium-scale entrepreneur processors in West Africa.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Midwifery not elsewhere classified'

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