Dissertations / Theses: 'Policy implications and action research'

1

Kim, InSul. "Art as a Catalyst for Social Capital: A Community Action Research Study for Survivors of Domestic Violence and its Implications for Cultural Policy." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293723512.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Kelly, Anne. "Can action research evaluate and enhance policy implementation?" Thesis, Swansea University, 2008. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42547.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis aims to advance understanding of how to evaluate processes of policy implementation. It has been found that policy implementation may falter due to characteristics of interactions between parties responsible for its implementation. Yet, over simplification of interpretations of policy implementation appear to have produced a limited study of the process, and little theory regarding variations m implementation practice. Indeed, some believe that policy implementation is a 'black box' characterised by a 'black hole of understanding. Interest in ways in which policy is implemented did not develop until the 1970s, when it became clear that many post war policies had not performed to plan. Until this time, policy analysis had been primarily concerned with the 'front end' of policy processes, that is, the rationality of policy decisions. Burgeoning interest in poor policy performance led to an interest in the delivery end of the policy process. This interest has giown in direct proportion to tighter fiscal situations and a need to demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in relation to government investment. Systems frameworks are most commonly used for policy evaluation, but there is debate about their ability to provide a clear picture of outcomes, as there is no methodology for linking service outputs to outcomes of policy implementation. This is particularly the case, when policy is expected to bring about behavioural change, as in recent child and family policy m the UK. This debate has resulted in a consensus view that a more eclectic approach to policy implementation analysis should be adopted. Some conclude that policy implementation should be analysed by deconstructing the process, others, that barriers to policy implementation should be identified. There is growing support for the need of learning from the implementation process, as this reveals more about policy outcomes. Consequently, a number of policy implementation theorists suggest action research as a means of evaluation. This study tests the use of action research in evaluating the implementation of recent changes in child and family policy, as there are criticisms that the policy is poorly implemented. In Wales, policy has been devolved from the Welsh Assembly, with the express intention of it being implemented by local authorities. The policy, however, consists of a 'volte face' on the part of the government from traditional minimalist libertarian family policy, to a form of interventionist policy not previously used m the UK. 'New' policy has therefore placed heavy demands upon local authorities expected to reduce child poverty through processes of community and social development. Action research has been described as a means of understanding people and engaging them in a process of planned change, thus people can be empowered to work collaboratively and become involved in processes of democratic development. In short it is a process of combining research with social action. In the case of this study the use of action research revealed that there were many barriers to policy implementation at the micro-level of management. The use of action research assisted m identifying barriers, engaging policy implementers in a process of overcoming them, and devising a model of policy implementation which increased understanding and improved implementation of the broad thrusts of policy. Potentially, this improved the policy outcomes for children and their families and stemmed a waste of resources resulting from poor policy implementation.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Suwarno, Bambang. "Indonesian language policy and the views of language teachers in Yogyakarta: Implications for action." Thesis, Curtin University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/119.

Full text

Abstract:

This study critically examined Indonesian language policy and planning (ILPP) together with the views of Javanese language teachers of the impact of ILPP on heritage languages and the implications for policy review. It was found that ILPP might not be effective to stem language shift or be congruent with the Indonesian Constitution. Models were conceived for policy revision, one from the teachers’ views while another from language policy theory and Indian language policy.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Alcaine, Jose G. "FACTORS AFFECTING INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE AT HIGH AND VERY HIGH RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES: POLICY IMPLICATIONS." VCU Scholars Compass, 2016. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4275.

Full text

Abstract:

Higher education institutions in the Unites States (U.S.) are under stress. Universities and colleges in the U.S. face competing demands marked by steeply declining state and local appropriations and increased competition for research dollars and prestige. This stress is felt most acutely at high and very high research universities who must face these funding challenges while at the same time must serve a multiplicity of missions and stakeholders. This study examines factors that influence institutional performance at high and very high research universities in the U.S. These high and very high research universities, as classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching under the 2010 Basic Classifications, represent doctorate granting institutions with the highest levels of research activity. Drawing from systems theory and neoliberalism, the study employs a non-experimental quantitative research design using secondary analysis of data collected primarily through the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The data was analyzed for the years 2008 through 2012. Given a competitive environment marked by decreasing resources, the findings suggest that universities, whether public or private, will continue to pursue strategies and policies that will favor entrepreneurial activities with clear revenue implications as well as attracting top students in an effort to increase institutional performance. The need for further research into institutional factors and performance models is identified as well as the need for comprehensive institutional data. The concept of policy alignment is introduced as a way to cope with demands at all levels of policy. To the extent that high and very high research universities continue to face a competitive environment with decreasing state and federal resources, greater understanding of institutional factors that can impact revenues will become important as competition for revenues increase. Performance models such as the one explored in this study can help universities, policy makers, and stakeholders make decisions and set policies that can bolster the institutions’ activities given environmental challenges.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

com, suheureux@gmail, and Susan Wong. "Regional Development and Telecommunications Policy in Western Australia: Accessing knowledge to inform policy through complexity and action research." Murdoch University, 2006. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20070427.120905.

Full text

Abstract:

This study explores how governments use knowledge to inform telecommunications policy-making and policy-implementation in regional development. It focuses on epistemological aspects and assumptions made within the parameters of Enlightenment thinking or the Newtonian paradigm, also known as the classical scientit1c paradigm. It argues that lmowledge formed within this paradigm, usually generated at a distance, has been individ,uated, detached, segmented and abstracted. 'Individuation' focuses on individuals and things rather than communities and processes. 'Detachment' separates the subjective mind from the objective environment to produce reliable information. 'Segmentation' produces validity of information by parsing the objective environment from its social and historical context. 'Abstraction' allows objectivity and systematisation of information. When used to inform policy, such knowledge creates a narrow 'standardising gaze' that 'disciplines' communities to conform to dominant social behaviour and beliefs. Case studies are used to demonstrate that the two major models of development, as products ofthis paradigm, employ this gaze rendering replicability difficult ifnot impossible. These models are the top-down and bottom-up approach that are epitomised by the Silicon Valley model and telecentre moveluent respectively. How this gaze inhibits/facilitates development in policy implementation is then examined in the Goldfields Esperance region in Western Australia. An holistic approach using cotnplex adaptive systems is used to understand the multidisciplinary aspects involved in development. This is combined with action research, a reflexive methodology. Action research has the ability to access local knowledge to provide data and evaluation in situ rather than on a post hoc basis. The findings demonstrate that complex systems analysis and action research provide a modus operandi that: a) recognises the interplay of various factors (such as power relations, economic cycle, social and political institutions) at different levels of the system; b) recognises time, context and path-dependence of regional development; c) provides a filter that minimises the 'standardising gaze' and d) gives an access to knowledge and insight to local issues, which can facilitate policy implementation of development that is sympathetic to regional communities.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Shaw, Barbara Ann Carleton University Dissertation Geography. "Ecodevelopment and local action: feminist participatory research in Goa, India." Ottawa, 1992.

Find full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Swift, Hannah J. "The social, psychological and behavioural consequences of ageism : implications for research and policy." Thesis, University of Kent, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.580360.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Wong, Susan. "Regional development and telecommunications policy in Western Australia: accessing knowledge to inform policy through complexity and action research." Thesis, Wong, Susan (2006) Regional development and telecommunications policy in Western Australia: accessing knowledge to inform policy through complexity and action research. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2006. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/455/.

Full text

Abstract:

This study explores how governments use knowledge to inform telecommunications policy-making and policy-implementation in regional development. It focuses on epistemological aspects and assumptions made within the parameters of Enlightenment thinking or the Newtonian paradigm, also known as the classical scientit1c paradigm. It argues that lmowledge formed within this paradigm, usually generated at a distance, has been individ,uated, detached, segmented and abstracted. 'Individuation' focuses on individuals and things rather than communities and processes. 'Detachment' separates the subjective mind from the objective environment to produce reliable information. 'Segmentation' produces validity of information by parsing the objective environment from its social and historical context. 'Abstraction' allows objectivity and systematisation of information. When used to inform policy, such knowledge creates a narrow 'standardising gaze' that 'disciplines' communities to conform to dominant social behaviour and beliefs. Case studies are used to demonstrate that the two major models of development, as products ofthis paradigm, employ this gaze rendering replicability difficult ifnot impossible. These models are the top-down and bottom-up approach that are epitomised by the Silicon Valley model and telecentre moveluent respectively. How this gaze inhibits/facilitates development in policy implementation is then examined in the Goldfields Esperance region in Western Australia. An holistic approach using cotnplex adaptive systems is used to understand the multidisciplinary aspects involved in development. This is combined with action research, a reflexive methodology. Action research has the ability to access local knowledge to provide data and evaluation in situ rather than on a post hoc basis. The findings demonstrate that complex systems analysis and action research provide a modus operandi that: a) recognises the interplay of various factors (such as power relations, economic cycle, social and political institutions) at different levels of the system; b) recognises time, context and path-dependence of regional development; c) provides a filter that minimises the 'standardising gaze' and d) gives an access to knowledge and insight to local issues, which can facilitate policy implementation of development that is sympathetic to regional communities.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Wong, Susan. "Regional development and telecommunications policy in Western Australia : accessing knowledge to inform policy through complexity and action research /." Wong, Susan (2006) Regional development and telecommunications policy in Western Australia: accessing knowledge to inform policy through complexity and action research. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2006. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/455/.

Full text

Abstract:

This study explores how governments use knowledge to inform telecommunications policy-making and policy-implementation in regional development. It focuses on epistemological aspects and assumptions made within the parameters of Enlightenment thinking or the Newtonian paradigm, also known as the classical scientit1c paradigm. It argues that lmowledge formed within this paradigm, usually generated at a distance, has been individ,uated, detached, segmented and abstracted. 'Individuation' focuses on individuals and things rather than communities and processes. 'Detachment' separates the subjective mind from the objective environment to produce reliable information. 'Segmentation' produces validity of information by parsing the objective environment from its social and historical context. 'Abstraction' allows objectivity and systematisation of information. When used to inform policy, such knowledge creates a narrow 'standardising gaze' that 'disciplines' communities to conform to dominant social behaviour and beliefs. Case studies are used to demonstrate that the two major models of development, as products ofthis paradigm, employ this gaze rendering replicability difficult ifnot impossible. These models are the top-down and bottom-up approach that are epitomised by the Silicon Valley model and telecentre moveluent respectively. How this gaze inhibits/facilitates development in policy implementation is then examined in the Goldfields Esperance region in Western Australia. An holistic approach using cotnplex adaptive systems is used to understand the multidisciplinary aspects involved in development. This is combined with action research, a reflexive methodology. Action research has the ability to access local knowledge to provide data and evaluation in situ rather than on a post hoc basis. The findings demonstrate that complex systems analysis and action research provide a modus operandi that: a) recognises the interplay of various factors (such as power relations, economic cycle, social and political institutions) at different levels of the system; b) recognises time, context and path-dependence of regional development; c) provides a filter that minimises the 'standardising gaze' and d) gives an access to knowledge and insight to local issues, which can facilitate policy implementation of development that is sympathetic to regional communities.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Nichols, Lucy, Katherine Abbate, Catherine W. O'Neal, and Mallory Lucier-Greer. "Mobilizing family research: Evaluating current research and disseminating practical implications to families, helping professionals, and policy makers." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2019. https://dc.etsu.edu/secfr-conf/2019/schedule/16.

Full text

Abstract:

In this interactive presentation attendees will learn about processes used to mobilize research into practical applications. Attendees will learn about the five processes used by the Military REACH team to accomplish this goal, which extends beyond the realms of military research (e.g., social science research). The Military REACH team will discuss how research is identified, evaluated, translated, archived, and distributed to families, helping professionals, and policy makers through various avenues. The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate a systematic approach for making research visible and available to those outside of higher education. Foundational to the process utilized is an emphasis on connecting research to intended audiences (families, helping professionals, and policy makers) in a manner that is inviting, easily understood, and meaningful for their everyday context. This emphasis is demonstrated in our processes through the importance placed on identifying and highlighting implications of the research for specific target audiences.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Geron, Liduvino S., of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, and Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development. "Action research as a framework for systemic and organic change." THESIS_FARD_XXX_Geron_L.xml, 1992. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/185.

Full text

Abstract:

This document outlines how organizational action was mobilized in examing and improving current organizational practices. The study was conducted in a technical task-based research organization in the Philippines and was triggered by a concern for the seeming unfavorable feedback the organization receives from the external environment. An analysis of the organizational situation showed among other factors, the apparent lack of a mechanism that relates the organization's research findings to policy making. Through action researching and using the Soft Systems Methodology as a framewrok, an action plan was developed which is designed to improve the situation. The document also discusses insights and lessons learnt in the conduct of action research. Particular focus was placed on key issues that affect individual participation and organizational actions; and how action research fares as a potential framework for organic and systemic change. From the examination of the action research experience, it became apparent that in order to fully harness the potentials of action researching, opportunities for individual participation must be well distributed and taken by the action research members. The factors affecting individual participation in group processes such as group needs, group culture and power issues in and out of the group, must likewise be addressed. This is to promote coordination, commitment and critical consciousness among group members which are essential in effecting organic and systemic change. As the research was conducted within the broad setting of agricultural research, where efforts are placed to enhance agricultural development, this document likewise discusses the potential of action research as an alternative framewrok for Research and Development (R and D) activities. It presents how action research can mobilize grassroots initiatives and actions which are crucial to a sustainable agricultural development.
Master of Science (Research) Systems Agriculture

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Linter, Rod. "Action research at the policy and practice interface : the experience of a teacher governor." Thesis, Kingston University, 2001. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/20683/.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis is based upon a six-year research study, in which I have examined my own practice as a teacher governor. Using action research, it relates a singular example of the workings of a governing body at the interface of policy and practice through the experiences of a teacher governor seeking to raise wider awareness of these issues. The study was undertaken as a practitioner response to the 1988 Education Act and is set against a background of LMS, formula funding, open enrolment, league tables, OfSTED inspections and an emerging educational market place. The thesis describes a practitioner seeking to live out his educational values. It is the narrative of a teacher governor coming to terms with the demands of the market as he seeks to inform and develop the practice of fellow governors and promote school improvement. It relates my actions, my observations and reflections on those actions and the personal meanings that such enquiry has generated. It specifically describes policy at its point of impact and relates, in a singular context, the problems and dilemmas faced by those charged with its implementation (i.e. school governors). The newly ascribed authority of a governing body is examined against the wider background of an educational community, which is perceived to be increasingly divisive and parochial. Whilst the study is not generalisable in the positivistic sense, it offers a contribution to the current debate on schooling, values and change at a particular time and in a particular context. Essentially it is a personalised and value based response to educational reform generated by the belief that practitioner research should inform and contribute to the educational policy debate. As a result of this enquiry, I am able to make the following claims about my practice and research activity: Claim One This thesis makes an original contribution to the professional knowledge base of governance by critically examining the actions and meanings of a teacher governor working at the interface of policy and its implementation in practice. Claim Two This thesis evaluates joint teacher-governor action as a platform for school improvement and explores how a teacher-governor can contribute to fostering such collaboration. Claim Three This thesis demonstrates how an action research methodology can be used as an independent and critical fonn of enquiry to confront the value contradictions that a practitioner faced in an era of market focused education, in a particular school at a particular time. It describes an evidence-based, generative response, which is an authentic expression of a teacher's professionalism.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

McManners, Peter. "Reframing economic policy towards sustainability informed by an action research case study into aviation." Thesis, University of Reading, 2017. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/69962/.

Full text

Abstract:

This research focused on the relationship between economic and environmental policy, identifying fault lines and investigating solutions. The research included both theoretical and empirical components, with the theoretical analysis informing the empirical research and vice versa. The theoretical component commenced with an examination at the interface between economic globalization and sustainability leading to reframing economic policy towards sustainability. This foundation was used to launch a vision for a sustainable world economy and a tentative policy framework capable of facilitating it. This proposed framework is termed ‘Proximization’ and relies on acceptance that sustainability should be overarching policy. For the empirical research, aviation was chosen as the particular sector because views are highly polarized making progress towards sustainable solutions particularly challenging. The methodology developed within the research was a novel approach combining the ethos of Action Research with case study analysis. It comprised 28 in-depth stakeholder interviews across a wide range from passengers and environmentalists to people in the aviation industry and government. The case study showed that applying the different mind-set developed in the conceptual analysis leads to identifying a solution even in this most difficult sector. The key finding of the research is that setting sustainability as the overarching policy objective facilitates the emergence of transformational solutions. This proved to be applicable in aviation and has considerable potential to be applied to other sectors. For ‘proximization’ to develop from an emerging concept to reality as an alternative framework for macroeconomic policy, would require pushing back against the policies that currently enable economic globalization, so might be contentious. More research is needed to apply the Action Research Case Study approach to other areas as well as to investigate further the merits of proximization to facilitate communities, countries and regions to find pathways to sustainability that suit their geography, culture and resources.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Mukumbi, Kudzai. "South Africa's agriculture broad based black economic empowerment (AgriBEE) policy implications from a domestic content model /." Diss., Connect to online resource - MSU authorized users, 2008.

Find full text

Abstract:

Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Agricultural Economics, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Aug. 4, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-127). Also issued in print.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Killea, Anita M. "Addressing school mental health in a texas public school district| An action research study." Thesis, Union Institute and University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3601242.

Full text

Abstract:

According to the Centers for Disease Control (2013), every year an estimated 13 to 20% of children in the United States suffer from mental health disorders. School mental health services developed to address the learning barriers experienced by these children achieve variable rates of success (Adelman & Taylor, 2011; Center for School Mental Health, 2011). Reasons for this variability include lack of integration of these initiatives into comprehensive school reform efforts (Adelman & Taylor, 2011), lack of inclusion of school mental health staff in the school improvement planning process (Nastasi, Varjas & Moore, 2004), and lack of consideration of the local school context in their selection and implementation (Ringeisen, Hendersen & Hoagwood, 2003). A group of 15 school teachers and mental health staff of a small Texas school district conducted this action research study about the status of its school mental health services. Individual interviews of the participants served as the initial basis for group meetings during which participants identified weaknesses in their mental health services, prioritized issues to be addressed, and developed an action plan to be presented to school administrators, and the Board of Education. Consistent with the findings of other research studies on school mental health (Center for School Mental Health, 2011), the three main areas of concern identified by the group included poor role clarification among school personnel responsible for mental health functions, lack of teacher training about mental health disorders and related classroom management strategies, and unclear policies and procedures. The process and outcome of the study support the use of participant action research as a method to aid in the development of locally relevant school mental health programs.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Bradley, Karen A. "Unfinished business : Missouri's Natural Streams campaign and the changing conditions of environmental action/research /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 1996. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9841206.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Winfield, Ann Gibson. "Eugenics and Education: Implications of Ideology, Memory and History." NCSU, 2004. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04072004-131230/.

Full text

Abstract:

Eugenics has been variously described "as an ideal, as a doctrine, as a science (applied human genetics), as a set of practices (ranging from birth control to euthanasia), and as a social movement" (Paul 1998 p. 95). "Race suicide" (Roosevelt 1905) and the ensuing national phobia regarding the "children of worm eaten stock" (Bobbitt 1909) prefaced an era of eugenic ideology whose influence on education has been largely ignored until recently. Using the concept of collective memory, I examine the eugenics movement, its progressive context, and its influence on the aims, policy and practice of education. Specifically, this study examines the ideology of eugenics as a specific category and set of distinctions, and the role of rhetoric and collective memory in providing the mechanism whereby eugenic ideology has shaped and fashioned interpretation and action in current educational practice. The formation of education as a distinct academic discipline, the eugenics movement, and the Progressive era coalesced during the first decades of the twentieth century to form what has turned out to be a lasting alliance. This alliance has had a profound impact on public perception of the role of schools, how students are classified and sorted, degrees and definitions of intelligence, attitudes and beliefs surrounding multiculturalism and a host of heretofore unexplored ramifications. My research is primarily historical and theoretical and uses those material and media cultural artifacts generated by the eugenics movement to explore the relationship between eugenic ideology and the institution of education.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Greenwood, Joanne. "Educational professionals' experience of English educational policy : developing and promoting inclusive practice through collaborative action research." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/educational-professionals-experience-of-english-educational-policy-developingand-promoting-inclusive-practice-through-collaborative-action-research(71b447f1-6102-4817-9b61-0b4cf764cfd1).html.

Full text

Abstract:

The focus of this thesis was to explore educational professionals' everyday experience of English educational policies; narrowing its focus to policy which promotes an inclusion agenda. The findings are presented in three sections with the first two papers prepared in accordance with the author guidelines of the journals proposed for submission. The first paper offers a review of literature which represents teacher relationship (see Braun, Maguire and Ball, 2010; Fullan, 2006; Luttenberg, Imants and van Veen, 2013; Luttenberg, van Veen and Imants, 2013; Wexler, 2002) with English educational policies. Teacher perspectives illustrate how the implementation and practice of policy heavily guides practice, both in terms of pedagogy and content, and detail the difficulties teachers have in establishing professional identity whilst trying to accommodate policy into practice. It is suggested that in order for teachers to adopt new educational policies they need to be able to take some ownership of both the policies themselves and of their own professional development; but most importantly, that they need the space to engage in dialogue around their practice to do this. The first paper provided a frame for the second by offering a description of the current climate teachers find themselves in and by discussing what might be needed to bring about the professional development necessary to embed policy into practice. The second paper then presents a description of a collaborative action research project within an English high school; a group of educational psychology, teaching, support and pastoral professionals worked collaboratively to develop person-centred practice through their engagement in an inquiry group. The inquiry group engaged in dialogue around practice; exploring their own personal and professional values as well as the values embedded within person-centred practice. This paper offers an account of the inquiry group's journey, highlighting key themes as identified by the group: ownership of, and confidence in, the learning process; developing reflective practice; and the challenge of engaging others in the learning process. The findings suggest that an action research approach can facilitate the learning and development necessary to embody collaborative person-centred practice. The third paper then offers a critical appraisal of the role that educational psychology can have in disseminating findings and promoting teacher development; in particular through the facilitation of collaborative action research within the school context.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

West, Simon. "Meaning and Action in Sustainability Science : Interpretive approaches for social-ecological systems research." Doctoral thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-135463.

Full text

Abstract:

Social-ecological systems research is interventionist by nature. As a subset of sustainability science, social-ecological systems research aims to generate knowledge and introduce concepts that will bring about transformation. Yet scientific concepts diverge in innumerable ways when they are put to work in the world. Why are concepts used in quite different ways to the intended purpose? Why do some appear to fail and others succeed? What do the answers to these questions tell us about the nature of science-society engagement, and what implications do they have for social-ecological systems research and sustainability science? This thesis addresses these questions from an interpretive perspective, focusing on the meanings that shape human actions. In particular, the thesis examines how meaning, interpretation and experience shape the enactment of four action-oriented sustainability concepts: adaptive management, biosphere reserves, biodiversity corridors and planetary boundaries/reconnecting to the biosphere. In so doing, the thesis provides in-depth empirical applications of three interpretive traditions – hermeneutic, discursive and dialogical – that together articulate a broadly interpretive approach to studying social-ecological complexity. In the hermeneutic tradition, Paper I presents a ‘rich narrative’ case study of a single practitioner tasked with enacting adaptive management in an Australian land management agency, and Paper II provides a qualitative multi-case study of learning among 177 participants in 11 UNESCO biosphere reserves. In the discursive tradition, Paper III uses Q-method to explore interpretations of ‘successful’ biodiversity corridors among 20 practitioners, scientists and community representatives in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. In the dialogical tradition, Paper IV reworks conventional understandings of knowledge-action relationships by using three concepts from contemporary practice theory – ‘actionable understanding,’ ‘ongoing business’ and the ‘eternally unfolding present’ – to explore the enactment of adaptive management in an Australian national park. Paper V explores ideas of human-environment connection in the concepts planetary boundaries and reconnecting to the biosphere, and develops an ‘embodied connection’ where human-environment relations emerge through interactivity between mind, body and environment over time. Overall, the thesis extends the frontiers of social-ecological systems research by highlighting the meanings that shape social-ecological complexity; by contributing theories and methods that treat social-ecological change as a relational and holistic process; and by providing entry points to address knowledge, politics and power. The thesis contributes to sustainability science more broadly by introducing novel understandings of knowledge-action relationships; by providing advice on how to make sustainability interventions more useful and effective; by introducing tools that can improve co-production and outcome assessment in the global research platform Future Earth; and by helping to generate robust forms of justification for transdisciplinary knowledge production. The interventionist, actionable nature of social-ecological systems research means that interpretive approaches are an essential complement to existing structural, institutional and behavioural perspectives. Interpretive research can help build a scientifically robust, normatively committed and critically reflexive sustainability science.

At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Zambrano, Nelly. "CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION IN RURAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: A PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/722.

Full text

Abstract:

This research project examines resources and services to prevent families and children from entering the child welfare system in a rural town in Southern California. There is constant struggle to get the adequate services, resources and trained staff in this rural area because it is isolated and it takes about two hours’ travel time to get to the metropolitan cities. The literature review discusses child welfare services challenges, strengths and social capital to support families and children as well as the child welfare system itself in rural areas. Constructivism is the appropriate framework for this research project, because the goal of this study will be based on an exchange of understanding and ideas; therefore, the nature of the study is subjective. The engagement stage was an important stage for the constructivist approach. The researcher analyzed transcripts from the interviews and group meetings using thematic analysis to examine participants’ concerns and their perceptions of the community’s resources. Further, the participants, guided by the researcher, worked together to develop a strategic action plan to address child abuse and neglect in this community. This project encouraged community leaders to discuss the community’s strengths and main concerns related to child abuse and neglect. Interestingly, these strengths and concerns often mirror one another. Participants’ perceptions and recommendation are about safety, connectedness, human services access and child welfare of the focused rural town.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Lloyd, Zoe Alise. "Education for sustainability through action research : an exploration through theory, policy and practice in Scottish secondary schools." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/8506.

Full text

Abstract:

Environmental deterioration and social injustice highlight the discrepancy between ‘educated' and ‘wise' and, by corollary, call into question our approach to education. In order to investigate how we might advance Education for Sustainability (EfS) in a Scottish secondary school context this research engages with: relevant theory, the educational policy context, and practice in the form of two action research pilot projects. The concepts of utopianism and design are proposed as original and potentially useful to understand, guide and evaluate EfS and are linked to an analytical framework to clarify the concept of EfS endorsed in this thesis. The analytical framework developed comprises four thinking modes: systems thinking; future thinking; an emphasis on values and priorities; and action competency, each qualified through reference to practice. The pilot projects highlighted the challenges of monitoring and evaluating; illustrated opportunities and challenges to deliver EfS theory; offered new theoretical insights into EfS implementation; and enabled reflection on the status of EfS in the wider curriculum. The challenge of undertaking action research as a postgraduate student led to critical analysis of action research in academia. The thesis highlights the potentially promising policy context to facilitate EfS, particularly in Scotland, but also the practical challenges to implement EfS. Such challenges include: concerns over the clarity of policy documents; teachers' interest and ability to facilitate pupil-led learning; and resources to support the quality of EfS being delivered. Recommendations for future research include additional classroom-based projects; policy implementation analysis; and investigation of teachers' values, attitudes and capacity. It was concluded that utopianism, design, and the four thinking modes can potentially contribute to qualifying EfS in current policy and facilitate pupils to critique the status quo, and develop and share alternative visions of a sustainable future.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Kasaie, Sharifi Parasto Alsadat. "Agent-Based Simulation Modeling and Analysis of Infectious Disease Epidemics and Implications for Policy." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396531551.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Burbach, Jessica H. "Pushing Back on School Pushout| Youth at an Alternative School Advocate for Educational Change through Youth Participatory Action Research." Thesis, Portland State University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10784201.

Full text

Abstract:

In the United States, a staggering four thousand students drop out every school day. Moreover, in 2016, the graduation rate in Oregon was only 74.8%, one of the lowest in the nation. Research shows that a disproportionate number of youth leaving school are from historically marginalized communities. Many of these youth resiliently return to education at alternative schools. This research sought to explore the educational experiences of youth in alternative schools in their own voices and perspectives. From a theoretical framework based in sociocultural theory, cultural capital, and critical theory, this study underscored the importance of youth voice in changing the education system by incorporating qualitative methods and YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research). Working alongside seven youth co-researchers who attended an alternative school in Oregon, we interviewed eight other students at the same school about their educational experiences and perceptions of the education system. The youth co-researchers and I co-constructed four themes collectively: “I felt invisible to the teachers”; “Teaching is a sacred act”; “Regular high school is like drowning, it’s cruel”; and “Dropping out was [actually] a success.” We also compiled counternarratives in the words of the eight student participants, which highlighted how the school system pushed them out despite their desire to learn. Finally, we spoke truth to power, in solidarity with the youth in this study, by presenting our recommendations for educational change to teachers, including how they can co-create spaces with students that foster care and empathy, value youth voice, and are culturally sustaining and identity affirming.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Minott-Bent, Rupertia. "Action research in science education and the implications on teacher professional development, a case study of computer teachers' concerns." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape8/PQDD_0003/MQ45391.pdf.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Fern, Elizabeth. "The implications of how social workers conceptualise childhood, for developing child-directed practice : an action research study in Iceland." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2008. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2225/.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis explores the ways in which social workers conceptualise childhood, and the significance of those conceptualisations in the development of child-directed practice. The research described in the thesis was primarily carried out in Iceland working directly with Icelandic social work practitioners. The methodology adopted used an action research approach in which young people, who had interacted with social services, were engaged as research consultants. The thesis evaluates such an approach paying particular attention to the approach as a method for generating new knowledge, and its usefulness for the development of social work practice. The concept of child-directed practice brings together theoretical debates within the sociology of childhood with practical insights from the action based research findings to develop an approach to social work practice that is directed by children in their interests and by principles of social justice and equality. A constructionist grounded theory perspective was taken in the data gathering and analysis. The action research approach involved three key elements. First, the conceptualisations of childhood of the social work practitioners, and how this affected their practice, were ascertained through qualitative semi-structured interviews and group discussions. Secondly, the young people, acting as a group, were engaged to ascertain their views on how they would like to see social workers treat them. Their knowledge and perspectives were central to the data gathering and intervention with practitioners. Thus, in the third and final element, social work practitioners attempted to develop their practice so that it became more child-directed. Changes in their conceptualisations of children caused shifts in power and control, making their working relationships with children more reciprocal and equal. Evaluation of the action based research approach showed that it can act as a catalyst to changes in social work practice that are beneficial to children.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Bounyasone, Keophouthong, and Ngouay Keosada. "Cultivating educational research in Lao PDR : For a better future?" Doctoral thesis, Umeå universitet, Pedagogiska institutionen, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-42905.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis looks at the introduction of educational action research as part of the national education reforms in Lao PDR. National policies on education emphasise concepts such as ‘education for all’ and ‘student-centred education’ taken from the globalised education reform agenda. Action research became a tool to implement the new pedagogy of student-centred education that was labelled ‘the five-pointed star’. The thesis contributes to the field of global policy studies. It combines global and contextual aspects in order to analyse how action research travelled from policy to practice. This process was part of a Lao national education reform that developed after the introduction of the new economic mechanism, when the previous socialist planned-economy system was replaced by a globalised market-oriented system. Data were collected from national policy documents, international donor documents, instructional material, and interviews with Lao educators involved with action research in different ways. Furthermore, we carried out action research as part of our own teaching duties in Lao PDR, which were subsequently documented and analysed. In this study of educational reform in Lao PDR we have found that an educational approach like action research that is introduced as part of a taken-for-granted global agenda of change, is reduced to a technical rationality and practices that resemble previous experiences. Our findings are explained from the theoretical perspectives of hidden policy ensembles and policy backlashes. Hidden policy ensembles reduce action research to a technical rationality due to their alien cultural and social connections that are not brought into the open at the reform arena. Policy backlashes become a way for practitioners to create meaning based on previous contextual practices, conceptions, and discourses as a consequence of the technical rationality created by the hidden policy ensembles and the use of the cascade model. The thesis concludes with an outline of a possible future educational development in the form of a critical and educative action research network in Lao PDR that is inspired by cross-cultural dialogue, a critical pedagogy of place, and our own action research experiences.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

McKibbin, Charmaine Zoe, and n/a. "Parent Participation, Action Research and Government Through Community: Lessons from a 1990s Queensland Case Study." Griffith University. School of Arts, Media and Culture, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20050210.154526.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis examines the historical relationship between government and self-government, and the contemporary role that Action Research (AR) occupies as a liberal technology of government. It draws upon the Teaching for Effective Learning in Senior Schooling (TELSS) project as the example. This project, which was based on a 'collaborative' AR methodology, was just one of the many national post-compulsory schooling reform initiatives that emerged during the late 1980s and 1990s. At that time, AR and Participatory Action Research (PAR) were preferred methodologies by education faculty personnel, and some teachers, as practical alternatives to 'positivist' social science approaches. This is still the case, both locally and internationally. The initial focus of the thesis is to trace the role of the school and the family in the government of populations, and show how AR is currently positioned as a mechanism for establishing and installing new forms of self-management within these historical institutional arrangements. This includes enticements and inducements to participate in one's own self-management. The AR perspective seeks to make a practical intervention in the re-organization and management of schools, as well as other workplaces and organizations, as a means to promote and develop ongoing professional learning within these organizations. The thesis highlights some confusing issues surrounding contemporary attempts by schools to open themselves to the community, however. AR has achieved considerable success to the extent that expert AR consultants have been commonly employed by Education Departments in many countries to foster new ways of attaining educational goals. Drawing upon other examples, as well as this case study, the contrast between the high expectations of project participants, and their limited outcomes, suggests the need to query AR's representations of participation. This includes some contemporary conceptions of how 'the school community' operates. Is there another way that we can understand this particular territory, and parent involvement in schools more generally, other than in political terms such as the need to 'democratize the community'? The AR commentary focuses on the 'egalitarian' ideal of emancipation and empowerment via participation. AR's preference for participation through human self-determination over that of statist instrumental rationality is questioned, however, by drawing upon empirical evidence generated by the case study, as well as other theoretically informed material. The thesis moves to an account of the role of different forms of government which enable self-management, particularly the role of the school community within the field of education and its administration. By situating the TELSS case study and its limits in what Michel Foucault (1991) terms the history of 'governmentality', AR is described as part of government and an aid to social reform programmes. Inside this discussion, some of AR's self promotions and understandings will re re-defined. These include an anti-bureaucratic rhetoric, concerns about hierarchical power relations, and aspirations of self-autonomy, emancipation and social justice. How is it that educational bureaucracies are so amenable to taking on board goals for educational reform expressed in the form of frequently anti-bureaucratic radical critique? The thesis undertakes the task of investigating this peculiarity, as well as some of the negative outcomes of such liberal governmental undertakings.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Kortum, Evelyn. "Psychosocial risks and work-related stress in developing countries : a call for research and action in policy development." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2011. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12294/.

Full text

Abstract:

This research explores the understanding of psychosocial risks and work-related stress by international multi-disciplinary experts in developing countries. It further explores their views on the perceived health impact of these issues. It identifies preliminary priorities for action while considering similarities and differences in conceptualizing these issues in industrialized and developing countries. Finally, it explores in what ways these issues can enter the policy agenda in developing countries. This research applies a triangular methodological approach where each stage provides the basis for the development of the next. It starts out with 29 semi-structured interviews to explore the views of experts and also to inform two rounds of an online Delphi survey, which then informed four focus group discussions. The total sample amounted to 120 participants (each sampled once). Key findings for developing countries indicate that a) psychosocial hazards need addressing due to an impact on workers' health; b) occupational health and safety priorities have changed during the last decade pointing to the need for monitoring of psychosocial hazards and the need to address work-related stress, violence, harassment and unhealthy behaviours together with other workplace hazards; c) socio-economic conditions and processes of globalization need attention in the study of psychosocial hazards and an extended research paradigm is required; and d) there is an ever present need for capacity building, stakeholder mobilization, infrastructure development and international exchange and collaboration to address all workplace hazards. Developing countries are not spared from the health and economic impact of psychosocial risks and work-related stress, and there will be a need to address these issues through policy development. To pave the way, this dissertation outlines a need for concerted action at different levels.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Behrmann, Tatiana. "Evaluating the Effects of Mother Tongue on Math and Science Instruction of Secondary School Students| An Action Research Study." Thesis, Capella University, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13806849.

Full text

Abstract:

Although Kreyol is the language spoken and understood by the majority of Haitians, French is the language used as the medium for instruction. The use of a foreign language as a means for students to acquire literacy is a practice that has led to an ineffective educational system in Haiti. The aim of the quasi-experimental research study is to study the effects of using Kreyol versus French as the instructional method in math and science classes. Participants were selected from a target population of 246 girls enrolled at Institution X, a private school in the Ouest Department. Students from this institution are part of the 29% of people who attend secondary schools in Haiti. The 139 students that were part of the sample were randomly divided into two groups per class (standard and Kreyol condition) and were given a pre-test followed by a lesson then a post-test. Students in the standard group were taught in French and those in experimental group in Kreyol. Data gathered from the intervention were analyzed and results indicated that pre-test scores of French condition and Kreyol condition groups were normally distributed. When ANCOVA was used as one of the data analysis tools, because it French conditions for pre-test values and allows for observation of post-test scores, results yielded confirmed a significant difference between the French condition and Kreyol condition groups. The results from this quasi-experimental study provided data that aligned with the literature review and demonstrated that there was in fact a significant difference in performance when Kreyol was used as a medium for instruction instead of French. The results further provide statistical data confirming the important role that Kreyol should play in the improvement of the Haitian education system.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Abubakar, F. H. "An investigation into the drivers, barriers and policy implications of circular economy using a mixed-mode research approach." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2018. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/20947/.

Full text

Abstract:

The 21st century presents a new set of challenges to mankind, notably intensive global competition, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and rapid growth in population relying on a resource base that is finite in nature. Addressing these challenges has, therefore, become a matter of global concern and urgency, prompting government industries and the financial markets to rethink their approaches with the view to move towards a low-carbon economy. The move towards a circular economy which presents a shift from the current produce-use-dispose approach is touted as a practical solution to the planet's emerging resource crunch given its potential to address both environmental and socio-economic issues. However, despite the promising nature of the circular economy paradigm, a lack of understanding of the concept is rendering its acceptance and implementation a difficult proposition. This is further compounded by lack of genuine interest from key stakeholders regarding the concept, given that a shift to a circular economy would require considerable changes in all parts of the value chain. At present, relevant stakeholders are scrambling for an efficient, consistent and reliable approach towards understanding the concept for onward implementation. In pursuit of a system of operation that satisfies the dual role of GHG mitigation and wealth generation, the current research presents a rigorous analysis of the concept of the circular economy with the view to shedding light on its drivers, barriers and policy implications. This was carried out using two approaches. The first approach entails an exhaustive examination of the supply chain of representative metals that have primary and secondary routes of production through using environmental lifecycle assessment framework. For the four case studies considered, the competitive edge of the circular economy paradigm over the linear approach was demonstrated, at least from a purely environmental perspective. Building upon the LCA study, the current work examines the barriers and drivers towards circular economy practices implementation. Set against a background of stakeholder engagement, key stakeholders from the metals supply chains were identified (including scrap dealers, public authorities, consumers, manufacturers, recyclers, civil society) and interviewed with the view to provide qualitative empirical evidence of the feasibility of such transition. Thematic content analysis of the interviews with key actors and stakeholders yielded seven themes and several sub-themes which can shape the understanding and facilitate the transitioning from a linear economy to circular economy, whilst laying a solid foundation for its acceptance and future implementation. Overall, the analysis presented in this work highlight the competitive edge of the circular economy, however, a key concern is that the economic viability of such transition may be questionable given that mechanisms to endorse them are deemed weak at the moment. For a move to circular economy to become a reality, concerted effort from all stakeholders including policy makers, energy professionals and the society at large is required.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Farahani, Farideh Khalaj Abadi. "Norms, attitude and sexual conduct among female college students in Tehran : implications for reproductive health policy and research." Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 2008. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/682381/.

Full text

Abstract:

Despite social, cultural and religious prohibitions on premarital sexual relationships in Iran, some evidence suggests that premarital heterosexual relationships and sex among young people may be increasing, but no study has been conducted which gives a comprehensive picture of perceived societal norms, attitudes, sexuality and the nature and process of heterosexual relationships among unmarried young females in Iran. This study aimed to investigate and compare the views and conduct of young female college students with perceived societal norms. The objectives included; exploring sexual norms and attitudes, assessing the social and individual factors responsible for variation in norms, attitude, and behaviour of female college students and finally exploring the process and circumstances of sexual behaviour. Complementary qualitative and survey methods were used. The qualitative research includes 4 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 30 In-Depth Interviews (IDIs). FGDs explored societal norms on pre-marital sexuality, while IDIs explored more personal attitudes and behaviours in greater depth. The survey was conducted in 2005-6 on a sample of 1743 female undergraduate students in four multidisciplinary universities in Tehran. A self-administered questionnaire was applied. This study revealed an ambiguity with regard to social acceptability of premarital heterosexual relationships, while sexual contact before marriage was perceived as socially proscribed. Personal attitudes were considerably more tolerant of such premarital relationships and sex than societal norms. These findings suggest that traditional norms on heterosexual relationships are eroding among young people. Within this complex attitudinal context, nearly half of unmarried women reported premarital friendships with men and more than one-fifth reported any type of sex (23%). Low self-efficacy, peers' liberal norms on virginity, older age, parents' liberal attitude and poor family relationships were predictors of ever having sexual contact. Qualitative findings showed that gender double-standards dictate restrictions for women, but permit sexual licence for men and owing to men's preference for a virgin bride, most relationships which involve sex are unlikely to result in marriage. Therefore although young people have adopted some liberal values in their premarital relationships their marriage still follows traditional and cultural values. These results have implications for programmes designed to improve young people's reproductive health in Iran.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

King, David Andrew. "Exploring the localization of transportation planning essays on research and policy implications from shifting goals in transportation planning /." Diss., Restricted to subscribing institutions, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1876284401&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=1564&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Dashora, Pushpanjali. "Empowering Homeless Youth: An Evaluation of a Participatory Action Research Based Program." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1267458035.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Paraskevas, Costas Barry. "The voices of year 6 children : their views on physical education and the implications for policy practice and research." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2011. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10019967/.

Full text

Abstract:

Taking a constructivist-interpretivist stance, this mixed methods case study gives a voice to 236 children from East London between 2007 and 2010 through the use of questionnaires and interviews. The aim was to explore what the children thought about Physical Education, with a view to illuminating and informing current policy, practice and research in relation to the aims which under-pin the national curriculum. The children's voices, conspicuously absent from discussions about their physical education, over the last twenty years, give a view of the curriculum from the recipient's perspective. Through the vibrancy of their voices, the current status quo in primary PE is examined, and ways forward are offered as recurring themes throughout the thesis. In addition to valuing children's voices this thesis shows that through democratising the discussion, the children were more than just 'empty vessels', and were able to offer informed views. The children largely enjoyed Physical Education, valued their health and had ideas on curriculum content, timetabling, fund raising, and asked for a greater range of physical activities to be made available them.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Sutherland, Danielle. "New Teacher Induction: A multi-case study of the role support plays in the professional learning of teacher residents." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2019. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/602351.

Full text

Abstract:

Urban Education
Ph.D.
A substantial body of literature has examined teacher induction programs. Previous research has highlighted program characteristics, associated activities, and the impact on issues such as retention and student achievement. However, little research has examined the potential for induction activities to go beyond meeting the most basic short-term needs of novices and instead create the meaningful learning opportunities that lead to sustained growth. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, this multi-case study describes the induction experiences of five second-year middle-grades STEM teachers prepared in an urban teacher residency program. Participants completed a two-year induction program, during which they received induction support from their school, district, and residency program. This research describes the induction supports (e.g., mentoring, professional development, formal induction course, and action research group) available to the participants and the utility ascribed to each of these supports by the teachers. Using Cochran-Smith and Lytle’s theories of teacher learning (1999; 2001) as the theoretical framework, the research examines how induction supports facilitate pathways to teacher learning. Additionally, this framework serves to identity how different induction supports position teachers along the continuum from users to generators of knowledge. The individual cases underscore that participants had access to induction supports that created opportunities for them to be users, co-creators, and generators of knowledge. The participants did report some appreciation for these latter approaches and a positive impact on their practice and growth; however, the participants ultimately favored supports that were more prescriptive. While these supports did not necessarily contribute to their growth, they met their needs at the time and, ultimately, that is what mattered most.
Temple University--Theses

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Galani, C. M. "Health Technology Assessment of Medical Interventions in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease - Directions of Further Research and Policy Implications." [S.l.] : Rotterdam : [The Author] ; Erasmus University [Host], 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/14734.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Orton, Madelene Richardson. "School-to-Work Reform in Action: Reflections from the Field." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/145095.

Full text

Abstract:

The School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 provided seed monies to educational institutions, if they were willing to form collaborative partnerships with members of the business and employer communities. The goal was to build learning opportunities for students that would facilitate their seamless transition from the public school system into adult work-settings and/or places of post-secondary education, training, and skills acquisition. An historical case study of school reform was conducted, using qualitative research methods that included extensive field observations, participant interviews, document analysis, narrative inquiry strategies, phenomenological reflection and data reduction. The lived experiences of 23 students and 14 community partners were juxtaposed against the recollected memories of the teacher-researcher, and analyzed in the context of complex change theory (Ambrose, 1987). The point was to distill the essential themes that could shed light on the research question. Those factors that were deemed to be influential in the development, delivery, or efficacy of the learning opportunities that were created as curriculum interventions, in support of this one piece of federal legislation, are discussed analytically, so as to make recommendations for similar practical programs with a career-education or work-based learning focus.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Gómez, Sofia, and Sofia Gómez. "Arizona's Immigration Enforcement Policies: Implications for Accessibility of Care in Immigrant Families." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/624470.

Full text

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Arizona has enacted some of the harshest state-level immigration policies restricting public benefits and services to immigrant families. The passage and enactment in 2010 of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (SB1070), "Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act", criminalized the act of hiring or harboring undocumented immigrants (Magaña 2013a). Particularly affected are children of mixed-status families where one or more children are U.S. citizens and entitled to public services. There is limited knowledge on the effects of immigration enforcement policies on immigrant access to health services in Tucson, Arizona (Hardy et al. 2012, Toomey et al. 2014). Of particular interest to scholars and policymakers is how the family unit navigates accessibility to care when one or several members have varied immigration statuses. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this dissertation is to explore healthcare accessibility and the healthcare experiences of Latino mixed-status families in Arizona's political context. The overall goal of this research is to identify promoters and barriers to healthcare accessibility in Arizona's immigrant communities particularly mixed-status households. METHODS: To conduct this formative research a mixed methods approach was utilized consisting of three study aims: 1) semi-structured interviews (quantitative and qualitative) with members of immigrant families (n = 43) 2) the use of photovoice, a qualitative participatory research method, to understand healthcare experiences of immigrant youth under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (referred to as DACAmented youth) (n = 7) and 3) dissemination of photovoice results through an exhibition and dialogue with the community and policymakers. RESULTS: The results by specific study aims demonstrate: 1) factors limiting access to healthcare relate to complexity of application requirements (57%); discrimination and fear (26%), and long wait times for application approvals and appointments (13%). Other reasons reported (26%) relate to cost of care, confusion over eligibility of care and misunderstanding regarding coverage. Promoters to care relate to affordability of care (43%); positive customer service (37%); colocation of services (20%) and assistance with applications (17%). Other findings relate to proximity of location, language availability, ease of appointments and employer based assistance with insurance, 2) DACAmented youth shared concerns related to the high costs of medical care, the complicated requirements to access care, limited healthcare options, discrimination and fear while also emphasizing their community's strength and resilience. Most importantly, DACAmented youth sought to be understood, asking that their humanity be acknowledged, and 3) public exhibits, presentations and meetings with policymakers provided additional lessons for both participants and researchers by illuminating the challenges that health practitioners face in delivery of care to mixed-status families (and particularly to undocumented individuals) in a politically restrictive environment and how this impacts perceptions of "deservingness" of care. CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate that local response particularly safety net programs are vital and offer a platform to respond to the unique challenges that mixed-status families' face especially when family members are deported and/or detained. This study offers lessons and insights on how anti-immigrant and restrictive political environments impact health and how to engage immigrant populations in achieving health equity. Results not only have important implications and relevancy in Arizona but also over growing national fears of family separation and deportations under the Trump administration. Healthcare providers can benefit from the proposed recommendations in building bridges to care to address health equity in immigrant communities. RECOMMENDATIONS: In efforts to continue to address and expand access to care to mixed-status families recommendations include the expansion of safety net programs and training of healthcare professionals and frontline staff to address the unique needs of mixed-status families in the provision of care. Additionally there is a need for increased outreach to immigrant families to provide health literacy programming and know your health rights workshops to facilitate usage and assist in the navigation of healthcare programs to gain a better understanding of health systems. The inclusion of youth voices in participatory health research and health policy development is also at the core of this research. This recommendation would require health policymakers to work differently and to seek ways to engage and collaborate with youth on health matters. Ultimately continued advocacy for immigration reform and inclusivity in healthcare is at the heart of achieving health equity.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Williams, Irith. "Travelling an unfamiliar road: Implications for the entry of design practitioners into healthcare." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2016. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/94661/8/Irith_Williams_Thesis.pdf.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis reflects on the User Experience design practice employed for the HealthMap project to create online interactive self-management plans for people with HIV. It traces the development of collaborative design understanding within the multidisciplinary team and identifies key elements in the development of a healthcare IT design practice that lay the foundation for an emerging Community of Practice for Healthcare Experience Designers.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Celio, Mattia S. "Allocating water from agriculture to growing cities : the Hyderabad case (South-India) and its implications for urban water transfers research and policy." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2009. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/8122.

Full text

Abstract:

Demographic trends depict a vibrant increase of the world population, particularly in Africa and Asia, and the share of people living in urban agglomerations is steeply growing when compared to rural areas. Increasing urban population and urban water demand often implies competition with other uses and users, notably the agricultural sector that accounts for the largest share of water diversions over the world. This thesis undertakes a critical analysis of the case of Hyderabad in the South-Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, one of India's fastest growing cities, to shed light on the process of administrative water allocation to cities from irrigated agriculture, an underdeveloped area of research. It does this by examining -1) the implications of Indian water institutional set-up on intersectoral water allocation; -2) Hyderabad water supply decision-making process, with focus on the role that politics have played; and -3) the impact of the urban water transfer on agriculture in general and on poor farmers more specifically, also reckoning on the contribution of groundwater in irrigated agriculture. The methodology adopted is based on the collection of primary and secondary data and encompasses-1 ) the analysis of water institutions in India and Andhra Pradesh; -2) an historical reconstruction of the main policy milestones of Hyderabad water supply and the study of intersectoral competition through a conflict analysis framework; -3) the calculation of surface water balances and groundwater withdrawals at one of Hyderabad water sources; and -4) the statistical analysis of primary data for determining the impact of shortages in canal water supply on poor farmers and their adaptive responses. A main research finding is that institutions vesting overarching powers over surface water on governments can expose urban water supply to harsh political opposition and chronic delays, in particular where farmers represent a large share of the electorate and transfers occur across regional boundaries. Then, this thesis demonstrates that intersectoral water transfers don't necessarily only bear negative effects on agriculture, notably if intersectoral water sharing rules are in place, and that groundwater may play a major role in compensating agriculture for urban water allocation. The research findings also show that poor farmers are those more likely to be negatively affected by water reallocations, not only because of reductions in canal water supply, but also because of social inequities in access to agricultural inputs in general and groundwater in particular.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

Sharif, Fatima. "Public Health Officials' Perspectives on the Determinants of Health: Implications of Health Frames on Policy Implementation in State Health Departments." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73500.

Full text

Abstract:

Recent public health scholarship finds that health outcomes are explained by the social and individual determinants of health rather than the individual-level determinants alone. The individualistic perspective has dominated the 20th century institutionalization of public health in the United States where the public health system has tended to focus largely, if not exclusively, on individual factors. This persistent orientation lies in contrast to another set of perspectives that have also persisted, focused on social causes, which are currently dominant in contemporary public health academic literature and in major, international health organizations. Whether the orientation within the United States is due to a prevailing paradigm among public health officials or is the result of new ideas about health causation being dampened under organizational weight is unknown. Despite public health being central to decreasing morbidity and mortality in the 20th century, significant gaps remain in researchers' understanding of what influences practice in the American public health system. My dissertation research investigates the broad outlines of the determinants of health as understood by state public health administrators. I study how the understanding of the determinants of health affects the practice of public health through analyzing how the ideas of state public health administrators interact with the organizational dynamics of the public health organizations they lead. This mixed-methods dissertation uses survey research and in-depth interviews and quantitative and qualitative analysis. I find that state public health officials' professionalization, length of tenure, level of education, and gender affect the perspective of health causation to which they adhere. I also find that the state public health officials with a social health frame more commonly report they are situated in organizations that are learning environments. Both organizational and ideational factors influence public health practice. The interview data expand this finding to paint a complex picture of organizational and ideational factors influencing one another as well as resulting practices. This research reveals that state public health officials often have strong health frames that are only able to shape the edges of their practice due to the political and organizational dynamics interacting with state public health departments.
Ph. D.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Bernazzani, Daniel. "The Effect of Disinfectants, Cleaning, and Drying Practices on Oriental Rugs Flooded with Contaminated River Water: Public Health and Policy Implications." Antioch University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=antioch1339427719.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Beatty, Kate, Michael Meit, Megan Heffernan, Paula Masters, Deborah Slawson, Ginny Kidwell, James Fey, and Alyssa Lovelace. "Combatting Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action for Funders in Central Appalachia." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6832.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Beatty, Kate, Michael Meit, Megan Heffernan, Paula Masters, Deborah Slawson, Ginny Kidwell, James Fey, and Alyssa Lovelace. "Combatting Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action for Policymakers in Central Appalachia." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6833.

Full text

Abstract:

On behalf of the Appalachia Funders Network (AFN), with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, East Tennessee State University and NORC at the University of Chicago conducted a study to analyze the current burden of obesity and chronic disease in central Appalachia and identify promising practices and strategies that are having a positive impact on the reduction of obesity in the region. Central Appalachia consists of parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Regional recommendations to reduce childhood obesity and improve the overall population’s health were developed based on a review of current literature, a survey, and focus groups with both community groups and funders.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Beatty, Kate, Michael Meit, Megan Heffernan, Paula Masters, Deborah Slawson, Ginny Kidwell, James Fey, and Alyssa Lovelace. "Combatting Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action for Community Groups in Central Appalachia." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6834.

Full text

Abstract:

On behalf of the Appalachia Funders Network (AFN), with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, East Tennessee State University and NORC at the University of Chicago conducted a study to analyze the current burden of obesity and chronic disease in central Appalachia and identify promising practices and strategies that are having a positive impact on the reduction of obesity in the region. Central Appalachia consists of parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Regional recommendations to reduce childhood obesity and improve the overall population’s health were developed based on a review of current literature, a survey, and focus groups with both community groups and funders.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Jacobs, Jane B. "The perceptions of self-help groups and health professionals on genetic screening: Implications for public health policy." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2001. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/36760/1/36760_Digitised%20Thesis.pdf.

Full text

Abstract:

On the 26th June 2000, the US President, Bill Clinton and the United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Tony Blair, announced in a joint satellite broadcast that the first working draft map of the human genome had been completed ahead of the 2003 schedule of the Human Genome Project (HGP). Less than a year later on the 12th February 2001, the full sequence of the human genome was made public on the Internet by the Human Genome Project team. The primary goal of the HGP is to acquire the fundamental information needed to further our basic scientific understanding of human genetics and the role various genes play in health and disease. The potential use of genetic diagnostic technology for population screening could potentially improve the predictability of common and rare diseases that affect the community, and could signal the beginning of a new era in public health. However public health practitioners and policy makers must be cognisant of the complex social, ethical and legal implications of genetic medicine and consider the role of genetics in public health beyond the tradition of surveillance and medical intervention. Public health policy is yet to clearly articulate the benefits and disadvantages of gene technology in population health. In this context, the aim of the study was to gain a critical insight into perceptions of self-help group members and to describe the attitudes and beliefs of genetic health service providers about genetic screening and testing and make recommendation for public health policy. The findings of this study are from eighty-three (83) people from thirteen genetic self-help groups in South-east Queensland who were interviewed or participated in focus groups, and a survey of eighty-six (86) genetic health service providers. The study methodology was based on the principles of constructivism whereby the findings of the inquiry are presented as multiple, holistic and sometimes competing realities. A hermeneutic dialectic process was used to explore the perceptions and understanding from genetic self-help groups about genetic testing and screening in combination with a survey of health professionals from clinical genetic services from around Australia. Genetic self-help group members are in a unique position to share their perceptions about genetic screening and testing. Much of their experiences and understandings closely relate to the disease or disorder that impact on their lives. They share the experience of genetic disease, but each experience is different. Being a parent, partner, sibling, carer or sufferer shapes these perceptions. Drawing from the sociological literature, two themes were revealed. These were 'Risk' and 'Civil Society'. The theme of 'Risk' revealed a number of sub-themes that included: • Having a Choice • Burden of Decision Making for Women • Preparing Parents The theme of 'Civil Society' revealed a number of sub-themes that included: • The New Eugenics • Valuing Diversity • Seeking Perfection The narratives demonstrated a high degree of awareness and understanding of the complexity of issues that surround gene technology and how there is no singular means of interpreting them. Risk and Civil Society were useful sociological lens through which to consider the implications of genetic screening and testing. Findings from the national survey of genetic health professionals revealed a greater number of women working in the area of genetic counselling and administration. Consumers were poorly represented in the development of policy and services however health professionals indicated strongly that there was a need for close collaboration and coordination of services between self-help groups and clinical services. The majority of respondents indicated that their organisation had either formal or informal networks with self-help groups. The stated attitude of the patient toward self-help, the severity of the disease and the patients' geographical accessibility of the group influenced the main reasons for referral to self-help groups. On issues of privacy, 40 percent of the respondents felt that current legislation did not provide adequate protection of personal genetic information and that genetic information should only be provided to interested third parties with the consent of the individual. The need for community education at various levels was considered essential, particularly to address the issues of discrimination and stigmatisation. Health professionals also had differing levels of acceptance of mild and severe mental and physical disability. Individuals with severe mental and physical disabilities were considered to contribute less to the richness and diversity in society. A number of recommendations have been made as a result of this study and these relate to consumer participation in public health policy and clinical service development and shaping the future direction of genetic technology in public and population health.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Merkes, Monika, and monika@melbpc org au. "A longer working life for Australian women of the baby boom generation? � Women�s voices and the social policy implications of an ageing female workforce." La Trobe University. School of Public Health, 2003. http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au./thesis/public/adt-LTU20051103.104704.

Full text

Abstract:

With an increasing proportion of older people in the Australian population and increasing health and longevity, paid work after the age of 65 years may become an option or a necessity in the future. The focus of this research is on Australian women of the baby boom generation, their working futures, and the work-retirement decision. This is explored both from the viewpoint of women and from a social policy perspective. The research draws on Considine�s model of public policy, futures studies, and Beck�s concept of risk society. The research comprises three studies. Using focus group research, Study 1 explored the views of Australian women of the baby boom generation on work after the age of 65 years. Study 2 aimed to explore current thinking on the research topic in Australia and overseas. Computer-mediated communication involving an Internet website and four scenarios for the year 2020 were used for this study. Study 3 consists of the analysis of quantitative data from the Healthy Retirement Project, focusing on attitudes towards retirement, retirement plans, and the preferred and expected age of retirement. The importance of choice and a work � life balance emerged throughout the research. Women in high-status occupations were found to be more likely to be open to the option of continuing paid work beyond age 65 than women in low-status jobs. However, the women were equally likely to embrace future volunteering. The research findings suggest that policies for an ageing female workforce should be based on the values of inclusiveness, fairness, self-determination, and social justice, and address issues of workplace flexibility, equality in the workplace, recognition for unpaid community and caring work, opportunities for life-long learning, complexity and inequities of the superannuation system, and planning for retirement. Further, providing a guaranteed minimum income for all Australians should be explored as a viable alternative to the current social security system.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Bowler, Nicholas. "Prisoners' mental state : a psychosocial perspective : a multi-method study focusing upon prisoner vulnerability, socialization and identity, highlighting implications for policy, research and practice." Thesis, Swansea University, 2010. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43076.

Full text

Abstract:

Many prisoners share socially excluded backgrounds and experience poor mental health in prison. The sometimes fatal experience of prison increases the risk of self-harm and continuing exclusion and mental health problems for many. Furthermore, constructive prison outcomes are unlikely without good mental health. Despite this background, few prison research studies have attempted to capture the dynamic effect upon the individual of both pre-prison and prison experience. This thesis, therefore, aims to identify correlates of prisoners' mental state within both an epidemiological and qualitative-psychosocial perspective. The literature, health and social background data (n = 409), and GHQ-12 mental state data within a case-control study (n = 861), show that prisoners experience a nexus of interconnected problems. Consistent with the literature, being on remand and being in prison for the first time were associated with poor mental state. Remorse and variables related to personality type, specific offence and regime characteristics also had significant associations with poor mental state. Conversely, a beneficial association was found from having had a previous sentence, and also from two counter-intuitive and previously unreported 'typical' social exclusion-related prisoner characteristics, viz. being unemployed prior to prison and having a 'history of drug use'. Professionals (n = 60), however, use alternative constructs for interpreting the mental state of prisoners, and as a consequence, 'atypical' and remorseful prisoners may possess hidden morbidity and need. From these findings and a narrative of the 'lived' prison experience, entry-into, or exclusion-from a socialised prison identity is proposed as a critical mediating factor for prisoners' mental state. This 'adaptation' hypothesis suggests that for many prisoners, prison may paradoxically create, maintain and reinforce an 'invulnerable' shared identity. This identity is based upon offending and common preprison social experience, and adaptive prison socialisation and solidarity is predicated upon it. These identity socialisation factors appear to be protective of mental state. However the institutionally specific qualities of this shared 'prisonized' identity will work against preparation for life outside prison, given that successful integration within society requires different identity attributes. The prison identity dynamic may be further reinforced upon release by public opinion (n = 306), which is intolerant of prisoners, presents an obstacle to their reintegration into society, and potentially strengthens offending identities and behaviours. Whilst prisons are now mandated to address prisoners' needs, their institutional constraints may ultimately make them both pathogenic for those excluded from the shared prison identity, and unfit for the purpose of rehabilitation for those included within it.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Hinds, Drew Samuel Wayne. "Evaluating Alternative High Schools| Program Evaluation in Action." Thesis, Portland State University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3587104.

Full text

Abstract:

Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of successful alternative schooling. Moreover valid program evaluation methods to identify successful alternative school practices are hit and miss. As a result, public policy and systems of accountability have either disregarded information relating to alternative high schools or unjustifiably included them in comparisons with traditional high schools.

This dissertation studied the issue of how best to evaluate alternative high schools and what tools support leaders in planning a thorough and accurate program evaluation. The Alternative High School Program Evaluation Toolkit was developed to support school leaders and evaluation teams made up of internal and external stakeholders as they facilitate the program evaluation process. The features of the Toolkit address the need for alternative school evaluation to be practical, useful, fair and accurate. The Evaluation Toolkit includes training materials, protocols, an evaluation planning worksheet and an evaluation planning matrix that supports the team in conducting the evaluation.

The research represented in this dissertation is theoretically and practically grounded in Bridges and Hallinger's (1995) Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Borg and Gall's (1989) Research and Development (R&D) Cycle. The product of the R&D Cycle was the Alternative High School Program Evaluation Toolkit and a process for use by evaluation teams assigned the task of planning and carrying out program evaluations.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

jones, vanessa michelle. "Art as Method: Complicating Tales of Visual Stenography and Implications for Urban Education and Research." Cleveland State University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1369737270.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Policy implications and action research'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles