Rural community perceptions and involvement in conservation: case studies from the Fiji Islands and Southwestern Portugal

Dissertação de mest., Gestão da Água e da Costa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2010

Reinventing America on the battlefields of Spain or following the party line: conflicting perceptions of the Spanish Civil War in the present and in the past

Isolationism and neutrality are two of the recurrent themes in the study of the history of the U.S. foreign policy in the interwar years. The trauma of the Great War, which had swept away 130.000 U.S. lives and had cost $30 billion, had led public opinion to strongly oppose any involvement with European affairs. Besides, the urgent need for economic recovery during the dismal years of the Great Depression did not leave Roosevelt much room for manoeuvre to influence international events. His positions regarding the intentions of the Fascist states remained, at best, ambivalent. These facts notwithstanding, about 2800 U.S. citizens crossed the Atlantic and rushed in to help democratic Spain, which was on the verge of becoming one more hostage in the hands of the Fascism. They joined the other British, Irish and Canadian volunteers and formed the XV International Brigade. 900 Americans never returned home. This alone should challenge the commonly held assumption that the American people were indifferent to the rise of the Fascist threat in Europe. But it also begs other questions. Considering the prevailing isolationist mood, what really motivated them? With what discursive elements did these men construct their anti Fascist representations? How far did their understanding of the Spanish democracy correspond to their own American democratic ideal? In what way did their war experience across the Atlantic mould their perception of U.S. politics (both domestic and foreign)? How far did the Spanish Civil War constitute one first step towards the realization that the U.S. might actually be drawn into another international conflict of unpredictable consequences? Last but not the least, what ideological, political and cultural complicity existed between the men from the English-speaking battalions? In order to unearth some of the answers, I intend to examine their letters and see how these men recorded the historical events in which they took part. Their correspondence emerged from the desire to prove their commitment to a common cause and spoke of a common war experience, but each letter, in its uniqueness, ends up mirroring not only the social and political background of each individual fighter, but also his own particular perspective of the war, of world politics and of the Spanish people. We shall see how these letters differ and converge and how these particular accounts weave, as in an epistolary novel, a larger-than-life narrative of outrage and solidarity, despair and hope.

Mon élève a le cancer--comment intervenir? perceptions d'enseignantes du primaire ayant accueilli un élève traité pour un cancer sur les services offerts et souhaités

Cette recherche aborde un phénomène encore peu documenté soit l'expérience d'enseignantes ayant accueilli un élève traité pour un cancer. Les études démontrent que l'école est peu préparée pour répondre aux besoins de ces élèves et offrir un soutien adéquat quant aux difficultés scolaires qu'ils risquent de présenter : fatigue, problème de mémoire, difficultés de concentration et d'apprentissage, etc. Résultant d'entrevues auprès de dix enseignantes, notre analyse qualitative a permis de dégager les services offerts et souhaités pour soutenir efficacement un élève traité pour un cancer dans son cheminement scolaire. En fonction de la situation et des difficultés de l'élève, les enseignantes disent avoir soutenu l'élève sur le plan affectif et social. Plusieurs proposent des moyens pour améliorer l'organisation de la classe. Enfin, notre discussion présente des pistes d'actions pour pallier l'absence de formation, accroître la concertation entre les milieux scolaires, communautaires et hospitaliers et favoriser l'inclusion scolaire de ces élèves.

Programmes innovants en formation des enseignants du secondaire perceptions, conceptions et pratiques

Compte tenu que le contexte dans lequel les futurs professionnels exerceront leur profession évolue, de nombreux programmes universitaires de formation initiale innovent déjà depuis plusieurs années. La formation des enseignants connaît elle aussi des changements profonds. Toutefois, peu d'écrits en relatent les effets sur les professeurs et/ou les étudiants. Dès lors, notre thèse trouve son origine dans une réflexion et un questionnement sur ces changements curriculaires en enseignement supérieur, et plus précisément sur les innovations mises en place dans les programmes de formation des enseignants du secondaire. Notre thèse vise à faire état d'une part, des perceptions et des conceptions des étudiants et des professeurs quant aux programmes innovants dans lesquels ils évoluent; et d'autre part, des pratiques des professeurs dans ces mêmes programmes. De plus, l'évolution de ces dimensions dans le temps est regardée. Pour ce faire, notre recherche fait appel à deux outils: le questionnaire avec échelle de Likert et l'observation directe en classe. L'échantillon est constitué d'étudiants et de professeurs de l'Université de Sherbrooke (Québec) et du Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface.(Manitoba). Ceux-ci ont été sondés, et observés dans le cas des professeurs, une fois par année pendant deux ou trois ans. Les résultats montrent que les perceptions des étudiants et des professeurs sont positives quant au programme dans lequel ils évoluent et sont stables dans le temps. En outre, les sujets indiquent s'inscrire dans le paradigme de l'apprentissage et se sentent ainsi comme des acteurs actifs dans leur programme. Des différences apparaissent entre les résultats des étudiants des deux établissements, probablement dues, en partie, à la structure des programmes. En outre, les observations des pratiques des professeurs sont cohérentes avec les perceptions et les conceptions déclarées par ceux-ci. Ces résultats semblent indiquer que l'impact des activités innovantes du programme est positif, autant pour les étudiants.que pour les professeurs des deux établissements considérés. Notre étude a contribué à explorer le terrain quasi vierge des innovations curriculaires en formation des enseignants du secondaire et donc du réel changement de culture que vivent actuellement certains établissements d'enseignement post-secondaire quant aux pratiques des professeurs et, de facto , aux perceptions et aux conceptions des étudiants et des professeurs concernant ces pratiques et le programme dans lequel elles s'inscrivent. Notre étude a d'ailleurs mis de l'avant un certain nombre d'éléments concernant les programmes innovants et la compréhension de ceux-ci.

Engagement parental dans le cheminement scolaire des enfants : perceptions de parents immigrants d'origine portugaise

L'engagement des parents dans le cheminement scolaire des enfants est souvent bénéfique à la réussite de ceux-ci. Les études démontrent que les parents immigrants ont de la difficulté à s'engager auprès de l'école de la société d'accueil. La présente recherche de maîtrise avait pour but de mettre en lumière les perceptions des parents portugais quant à leur engagement dans le cheminement scolaire de leurs enfants. Pour le cadre de référence, nous avons décidé de nous baser sur la typologie des pratiques parentales selon Epstein (1992). On a choisi cette typologie afm de répertorier et classer les pratiques parentales de nos participants. Les résultats ont permis de voir que les parents de notre étude mettent en place plusieurs pratiques d'engagement et sont très engagés dans le parcours scolaire de leurs enfants. Ces résultats soulèvent quelques contradictions avec les quelques études qui portaient déjà sur les parents portugais et l' éducation.

Radiographers perceptions of magnetic resonance imaging: a study of the causes that lead to the exams repetition

Purpose: To know how often occur the repetitions of MRI exams and sequences in radiology departments. Methods and Materials: A self applied-questionnaire was used as instrument and assigned to 57 radiographers who performed MRI exams to determine which were the causes that lead to the repetition. The questionnaires were interpreted and statistically analyzed through descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho correlations. Results: At a 95% confidence interval, the major results suggest that the patient’s movement during de MRI exams is the main cause to repeat this exams (mean of 3.88 on a 5 points likert scale). However, there are causes related to the radiographer’s and the results showed that the introduction of wrong imaging parameters by the performer are a major cause too (N=26). Spearman rho correlations between radiographer’s time of experience and frequency of MRI exams repetitions were poor and not significant (r=0.141; p=0.297). The correlations between radiographer’s tiredness and frequency of MRI exams repetitions were negative, weak and not significant (r= -0.151; p=0.263). Conclusion: The patients’ movement may disrupt the examination or degrade the images with artifacts. The level of experience doesn’t influence the repetitions of MRI exams, it seems that seniors radiographers don’t have improvements in performance as it should be expected. It’s recommendable to do training courses regularly to improve the performance and systematically evaluate. Several features will need to be identified which would decrease the MRI exams repetitions.

Increasing the use of group interventions in a pediatric rehabilitation program: perceptions of administrators, therapists, and parents

Objectives. To explore perceptions related to increased utilization of group interventions as a part of the service reorganization within a pediatric rehabilitation program. Methods. Individual interviews with program administrators (n=13) and focus groups with therapists (n=19) and parents of children with disabilities (n=5) were conducted. Data were analyzed using a coding grid inspired by the organized action systems theory. Results. Administrators and therapists identified several issues including the need to improve the referral process for groups and the coordination across services. Groups considerably modified practice and required substantial efforts from therapists. Administrators felt groups contributed to increased service accessibility. Although therapists had some doubts about service quality in groups, especially in regard to the reduced attention to individual needs, they reported positive benefits on children’s social participation. Generally, parents were satisfied with group interventions. Conclusion. Groups appear to be a promising method of service delivery, but organizational-related issues should be considered.

The British Empire. Ideology, Perspectives, Perceptions

O núcleo de investigadores dedicado aos estudos de cultura do Centro de Estudos Anglísticos da Universidade de Lisboa empenhou boa parte da sua actividade, no ano de 2008-2009, na preparação de duas jornadas temáticas sobre o Império Britânico. Para a escolha deste objecto de investigação convergiram os interesses individuais dos investigadores, mobilizados para o estudo sistemático de conceitos como império e imperialismo, colónia e colonialismo, de ideologias como o liberalismo, ou para o estudo de representações de identidade. Com o intuito comum de examinar criticamente uma multiplicidade de discursos sobre o Império Britânico, as comunicações que agora são publicadas sustentam diferentes possibilidades de aproximação metodológica aos estudos de cultura e posicionam o diálogo entre elas como instrumento de desenvolvimento do conhecimento em torno de um mesmo objecto. O Império Britânico é, assim, interpelado na sua origem enquanto portador de uma “missão civilizadora” e são examinados discursos de supremacia europeia crescentemente desconstruídos pelas novas linhas de análise cultural, sensíveis estas à dissonância, à dúvida, ao silêncio e ao “não dito” das culturas em presença. O confronto e o conflito entre a cultura dominante e as culturas subordinadas, a construção de novas identidades, a instabilidade dos sujeitos foram, nestas jornadas, objecto de apresentações inovadoras em suportes visuais, como a pintura, a fotografia ou o filme.

Elite Rugby Union Players Perceptions of Performance Analysis

This study provides an in depth insight into the current views and opinions of elite level rugby union players regarding the use of performance analysis as a tool for improving their own playing performance and in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of upcoming opponents. A total of seventy-three elite level rugby union players from two clubs in Great Britain completed a semi-structured questionnaire. Additionally, four players completed a semi-structured interview and following inductive content analysis, four key themes emerged: (1) the use of video for player development, (2) preparing for a match, (3) using video for player reflection in addition to other psychological tools and (4) players suggestions for improvements to the clubs current performance analysis programme. The main finding of the study concludes that players viewed performance analysis as a beneficial and useful tool to support their development and preparation. As a result the study provides an insight into the use of performance analysis within professional rugby union, enabling rugby coaches and practitioners to gain an understanding and appreciation of the players views towards the clubs current provision. Additionally, the findings help build and strengthen the on-going knowledge coaches, analysts and researchers currently have regarding how players perceive performance analysis.

Patients’ Views: Peer Support Worker On Inpatient Wards

Purpose: To explore patients’ experiences of intentional mental health peer support (PS) Design/methodology/approach: Seven in depth interviews were carried out by an independent researcher with individual inpatients who volunteered via a PS worker following leaflet and poster distribution explaining the research on the two wards. Each recorded interview of thirteen questions was transcribed verbatim by the researcher and analysis identified common themes across the interviews. Findings: An overarching theme of communication with patients was identified together with six main themes: person centeredness, practical support, building connections, emotional support, modelling hope, and recovery interventions. There were no negative comments expressed by interviewees. Research limitations/implications: Small scale qualitative research allows in-depth exploration of experiences which is valuable in informing the further development of peer support. Originality/value: There are very few published reports of inpatient experiences of peer support in inpatient settings.

A fair day's wage? Perceptions of public sector pay

There is a scarcity of evidence pertaining to the general public's perception of public sector pay. Hence, in the present study, 161 women and 149 men were asked to estimate the wages 35 public sector professions should receive annually in the fictitious nation of Maldoria, based on a comparison value of an annual income of T10,000 for general practitioners. Analysis showed that only pilots were given a higher annual income than general practitioners; miners and local government workers were also provided with relatively high annual incomes. By contrast, newscasters were provided with the lowest annual income. Participants' sex did not affect these evaluations, and other demographic variables and public sector-related information of the participants were poor predictors of their evaluations. The implications of this research on public attitudes toward wage determination are discussed, and avenues for further research highlighted.

Training the public health workforce we need. Exploring perceptions for future public heath workers in Ecuador

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015