Dissertations / Theses: 'Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory'

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Pintado, Irene. "Perceptions of school climate and bullying in middle schools." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001816.

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YEHONG, LUO. "Research on the situation of deaf-mute Children of Migrant Workers in Guiyang, China." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för socialt arbete och psykologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-21331.

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This report is the outcome of a Field Study project. The aim of the study was to findout how the floating deaf-mute children of migrant workers experience psychologicalproblems in Guiyang, China. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory was used asa theoretical frame. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 4 inner migrantcouples who have deaf-mute children receiving treatment in a Center for disabled inGuiyang. 12 professionals working with treating deaf-mute children are alsointerviewed as well as 5 deaf-mute children. In total together 21 informants areinterviewed. The result of this study shows that three main aspects influence thepsychological problems of floating deaf-mute children with migrant parents most:social welfare policy, family income conditions and the center of treatmentenvironment. This study explored the problems based on Brofenbreener’s ecologicalsystems approach, which for the author had a new perspective to research on thesituation of deaf-mute children of migrant workers in Guiyang, China.

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Treurnich, Janetta M. "A secondary school teacher’s experiences as a victim of cyber bullying." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/45897.

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The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of a secondary school teacher from Gauteng who was a victim of learner cyber bullying. Cyber bullying of teachers is a relatively under researched phenomenon in South Africa and can be a painful event for many teachers. The ultimate goal of this study was to raise awareness about learner cyber bullying and the effect it had on the emotional and professional well-being of the participant. Awareness about this phenomenon might lead to better support and understanding by different role players such as departments of education, principals, unions, communities, learners, educational psychologists and other teachers. I followed a qualitative research approach, guided by an interpretivist epistemology. I employed a descriptive case study design and purposefully selected a single secondary school teacher as my unit of analysis. Data for this study was collected through a semi-structured interview with the participant in order to explore his experiences relating to learner cyber bullying. In addition to the semi-structured interview I used observation, field notes, audio recording and a research diary for data collection purposes. The collected data was analyzed through several phases to establish thematic categories. Twenty six sub-categories of learner cyber bullying were identified from the experiences of the participant which were grouped under six main categories that was discussed and interpreted in order to provide the findings portrayed by the study. The six main categories included: type of cyber bullying experienced, causes of cyber bullying, characteristics of cyber bullies, response to cyber bullying, outcomes after taking action, and results of protective factors. To ensure the trustworthiness and quality of the data, the study incorporated member checking, peer debriefing and literature control. Based on the findings of the study, I concluded that the teacher experienced learner cyber bulling primary as a negative and painful reality. The cyber bullying incident had a damaging impact on the participant’s emotional and professional well-being. In addition, the study also indicated that the participant, after addressing the cyber bullying incident, experienced some positive outcomes. Being able to share his experiences with the larger teaching community helped him to overcome some of the indignity he experienced due to the learner cyber bullying. An attempt was made to raise awareness of this phenomenon and to provide effective strategies to prevent and counter its impact on the teaching community. This study can be used as a platform for larger research projects to about the experiences of teachers as victims of cyber bullying.
Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
tm2015
Educational Psychology
MEd
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Jantjies, Janine Chernay. "A narrative of crystal methamphetamine: a case study of a young person's experience of factors that leads to crystal methamphetamine use within a high-risk area in Cape Town." University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/3017.

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Magister Artium - MA
Recent research has indicated a significant increase in the crystal methamphetamine abuse in the Western Cape. The study aimed to provide an understanding of the interaction of the social and historical contexts in relation to the life experiences and perceptions of a young person residing in the Cape Flats. Primarily the study aimed to explore the factors that influenced the participant to use crystal methamphetamine. It adopted a social constructionist epistemological perspective and employed Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework. The subsystems of the ecological systems theory include the individual who is influenced by the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem and the chronosystem. This was a qualitative research study that employed an intensive case study. Data was obtained through series intensive semi-structured interviews that were approximately 40 - 70 minutes in duration. The participant is a coloured female, aged 28 years from a high-risk community in the Cape Flats. Prior to the interview process, relevant permission was obtained from the participant, which allowed the interviews to be conducted and recorded. The data was then analysed using a narrative analysis. The themes that emerged from the research findings include: childhood trauma; sexual abuse during childhood; social milieu and norms; adolescent delinquency; the cycle of abuse; understanding crystal methamphetamine use and the consequences of crystal methamphetamine use. Findings with regard to the individual factors included psychological well-being, depression and negative affectivity, feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideations, loneliness, past abuse of legal substances, adolescence, delinquency and childhood sexual abuse. The influential factors that emerged within the microsystem were lack of family support, dysfunctional family dynamics, childhood abandonment, uninvolved parents, several custodial parents, childhood disequilibrium, parental modelling and family drug use. Further findings within the microsystem included peer influence viz. direct persuasion of drug use, peer exposure of drugs, experimentation, delinquent behaviour, gang-related involvement and peer group acceptance. The mesosystemic findings included, lack of emotional support or attachments, social support, lack of structure as well as relocating to numerous schools and homes. Findings located in the exosystem were the availability and accessibility of drugs in all the communities in which the participant lived. Findings in the macrosystem included the social environment of the individual, including the social norms of the community and the home setting as well as the norm of violence, crime and gangsterism. The information and knowledge accumulated would optimistically contribute to addressing the paucity of qualitative literature and present knowledge to improve intervention and prevention strategies.
South Africa

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Turner, Meta Jane. "Investigating Attrition Among Special Educators in Relation to Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6747.

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Special education teacher attrition has been an ongoing problem for at least 3 decades. This study specifically focused on the attrition of special education teachers in South Carolina. Attrition can have a negative impact on student learning, making it important to identify the causes of attrition among special education teachers to lower attrition in the state and lessen the negative impact on student learning outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine attrition whether career satisfaction, perceived administrative support, coping with job-related stress, and attitudes toward students are related to attrition in special education teachers in South Carolina. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory served as the theoretical framework. In accordance with the study purpose, the research questions for this study assessed the relationship between career satisfaction, perceived administrative support, coping with job-related stress, attitudes toward students, and special education teachers' intent to remain in the field of special education. Data were collected via self-report survey responses from special education teachers from South Carolina and were analyzed thorough use of multinomial logistic regressions. The findings of the multinomial logistic regressions showed that career satisfaction and coping with job-related stress were significant predictors of intent to remain in special education. Perceived administrative support and attitude toward students were not significant predictors of intent to remain in special education. Implications include finding ways to reduce job-related stress for special education teachers. This study contributed to positive social change through the discovery of the reasons why special educators are leaving the field, which could lead to possible ways to alleviate attrition.

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Chapman, Domonique M. "Extended Foster Care Program Enrollment and Retention in Ohio: A Survival Analysis." Franklin University / OhioLINK, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=frank1618500463636359.

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Clark, Deborah Ann. "An Ecological View of Urban Kindergarten Reading Instructional Practices." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7280.

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Kindergarten students who are identified as at risk in reading often enter school with deficiencies in early reading skills. Little research exists for this vulnerable population on reading instruction in large, urban, school systems. The purpose of this multiple case study, which was guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human development, was to describe urban kindergarten teachers' beliefs about the environmental factors that contribute to students' at-risk reading status, instructional practices employed to remediate reading, and teacher reports about systems in place to support student reading development. The multiple case study design included (a) structured interviews, (b) observations of kindergarten instructional practices in reading, and (c) a review of documents relevant to the delivery of instruction and home literacy assignments in 3 schools situated in 3 northeastern districts in the United States of America. The constant comparative method utilized included data coding, category development, and identification of themes. Findings indicated that (a) teachers believe parental involvement would influence the development of kindergartners' early reading skills; (b) teachers used a core and phonics curriculum within a print-rich environment to teach early reading skills, with variation in approaches seen within and across school sites; (c) there is a lack of professional development within the schools to enhance kindergarten reading instruction; and (d) the schools' instructional practices may not be part of a coherent instructional philosophy. This study contributes to positive social change by providing educators with a deeper understanding of how to remediate reading with attention to the environmental factors at-risk readers experience at home and school.

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Peres, Edna M. "The translation of ecological resilience theory into urban systems." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/56100.

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As an interdependent global society enters an era of unprecedented change, resulting from unforeseen natural and social disasters and vulnerabilities, the resilience of global cities to survive is a pressing concern. This dissertation aims to elucidate the application of resilience thinking by showing how ecological resilience concepts can translate into urban systems, using the capital of South Africa, Tshwane, as the exploration ground. Resilience simultaneously embodies the capacity of urban systems to bounce back, adapt or transform. Translating these concepts into a holistic urban resilience approach answers three questions: a) What is resilience theory? b) What are the core concepts of ecological resilience theory? and c) How might these concepts translate to cities? The dissertation is structured in three parts; to establish the basis of resilience thinking, explore ecological resilience concepts in an urban system and lastly, assimilate findings into an urban resilience approach. Qualitative along with historical-comparative research methods, guided literature studies, and interdisciplinary research designs generated the finding that ecological resilience concepts translate well into the urban system, but that urban resilience is not a panacea for the ills of the urban environment. An urban resilience approach could comprise a) evolutionary or adaptive urban resilience involving an ongoing study and observation of the city system; and b) transformative urban resilience, that actively changes systems that reflect stronger or weaker resilience, so as to purposefully regenerate or collapse? them. This requires responsible and holistic conduct. Urban resilience thinking implies an appreciation for the complexity that underlies life, and modesty about ambitions for managing it.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016.
tm2016
Architecture
PhD
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Lascoutx, Ruiz Alfredo. "A Politico-Ecological Approach of Transitional Spaces In Social Ecological Systems." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/41987.

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As spatial properties that systems theoretically have, Socio-Ecological Systems are characterized by dynamism and mobility, therefore, are subject to changes in the space they occupy in the biosphere. In land ecosystems, these changes are understood as processes of evolution over time, or the result of extreme natural events, or transformation of the natural space induced by human activities. These spatial changes produce effects on the land surface and groundwater of ecosystems colonized or penetrated by elements, individuals or populations belonging to other ecosystems. These are the so-called Transitional Spaces between ecosystems. Throughout the continuous geographical space, these spatial transitions affect human and not human ecosystems in different ways. Given their ambiguous characteristics and their indefinite temporal location between urban, rural or natural spaces, transition spaces deserve to be investigated in order to know their properties and functions within the cartography that represents complex socio-ecological systems. The research is conducted from a particular perspective of Political Ecology. For this I proceed to develop an epistemological exercise on the political ecology syntagma in order to approach its concept and object of study as a hybrid discipline between social sciences and natural sciences. Interdisciplinarity as a practice, a dialectic vision regarding anthropocentrism, environmental perception as a method for an ontology of human ecology, The ecosystem as a unit of spatial analysis. These would be some of the characteristics of my ecological-political perspective. But what does transitional space mean for political ecology and what does it add to its theory? The question led me to seek the integral concept of ecosystem and to support myself in the General Systems Theory to analyze the notions of boundary and external environment as part of the classic concept of system. At that point, the notion of transitional spaces emerges implicit when recognizing the dynamic spatiality of other existing systems. v Since the research is not linear but interdisciplinary and convergent, a brief anthology of geographic and socio-spatial political thought is presented in order to connect the issue of transitional spaces with the point of view of the social sciences. Various socio-geographical, deterministic, anthropocentric, Darwinian, Marxist, modernist theories give an overview of the issues related to space and nature. With the emergence of the spatial turn, new concerns for political sociology, geography and environmental sciences are explained by the phenomenon of urban growth at the global level. In the same way, I introduce the topic of ecological spaces, specifically the concept of Ecotone, the space of transition between diverse natural ecosystems. The use of the notion of ecotone is based precisely on the perspective of the concept of political ecology developed previously. This, in turn, will allow me to introduce the FLACAM methodology into the research, which among its components has the virtue of identifying and analyzing the spatial phenomenon of physical and social Interfaces, that is, spaces of transition within human ecosystems. Several graphics and charts show the potential properties and functions of different kind of existing interfaces and ecotones. My proposal converges in using these concepts as planning tools for transitional spaces identified as Rurban Regions and metropolitan areas. A final reflection on the need for spatial research on global urban expansion and the theoretical and pragmatic advantages of the concept of intermediate cities closes the main body of the investigation.

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Baggio, Jacopo Alessandro. "Analyzing social-ecological systems : linking resilience, network theory, and agent based modelling." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2011. https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/34240/.

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Bimm, Valerie Charlotte. "The use of structural family therapy and ecological systems theory with families experiencing violence." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0005/MQ32057.pdf.

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Gravenstein, Gretchen. "Resilience in urban civic spaces: guidelines for designing resilient social-ecological systems." Kansas State University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/17642.

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Master of Landscape Architecture
Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning
Blake Belanger
Resilience in social-ecological systems, defined by ecologist C.S. Holling (1973), is the persistence of systems after a disturbance. This theory of resilience is becoming increasingly important, especially in urban areas where human systems dominate. Therefore, creating resilient social-ecological systems is emerging as a focus for many landscape architects when designing urban landscapes. Researchers and practitioners have created frameworks and strategies for applying resilience theory, but designers are still lacking tangible methods they can use to implement design strategies to create resilient landscapes. This research presents a set of resilient design strategies, so landscape architects can have a tool to design generally resilient social-ecological systems in urban areas. In order to discover strategies which improve system resilience, I conducted a literature review and created a perceptual model of the social-ecological systems operating in the study site, Washington Square Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The perceptual model determined systems and system components I focused on in this research. These systems are soil, water, vegetation, fauna, and people. Strategies suggested by Jack Ahern (2011), Brian Walker and David Salt (2006), and Kevin Cunningham (2013) for creating resilience determined strategies which were applied to the system components in order to evaluate the park for resilience. The strategies suggested are modularity, redundancy, tight feedbacks, and ecosystem services. In addition, the system components and strategies were used to analyze case studies. I used strategies discovered in the case study analyses along with goals for the redesign of Washington Square Park, discovered by analyzing the site and previous park documents, to create the guidelines. I then used the guidelines to create a design proposal for the park. The current state of the system components in the park and the proposed state from the redesign were used to show the guidelines’ success in increasing the general resilience of Washington Square Park. These guidelines have potential to increase resilience in other urban civic spaces through a similar methodology I used for Washington Square Park. In addition, the guidelines have the potential to further research in applying resilience theory to the design of landscapes.

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Perkins, Skyler Knox. "Becoming Eco-Logical With Second-Order Systems Theory: Sustainability In Re-Organization Of Economies And Food Systems." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2018. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/869.

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Ecological Economics has emerged across disciplines, and has begun to disentangle, not only the relationship between biophysical earth systems and economic activity, but also, fundamental relationships between objectivity, power, value, ethics, perspective and purpose. In part, this thesis represents an effort to illustrate basic transdisciplinary concepts necessary for understanding the project of Ecological Economics. At present, Ecological Economics is challenged by a seemingly infinite number of available considerations, with a relatively narrow repertoire of impactful mechanisms of control. Given this, it is apparent that the application of Cybernetics to Ecological Economics might provide insights. Cybernetics can help to lend concise language to manners for implementing control and also help to navigate the paradoxes which arise for self- regulating systems. While Cybernetics played an early role in the formulation of the relationship between the economy and an environment with available energy, second- order cybernetics can help to formulate the autonomy of Ecological Economics as a self-regulating system and shed light on the epistemology and ethics of circularity. The first article of this thesis identifies occasions when Ecological Economics has confronted circularity, and explores options moving forward. Ultimately, confronting paradox and circularity provide the means for the substantiation of Ecological Economics. The food system is prominent within Ecological Economics discourse. It serves as a good example of the ‘emergence’ of coordinated activity. In Cybernetics jargon, we can think of the ‘Food System’ as a symbol for the redundancy found in linked characteristics of particular Ecological-Economic inquiry. For instance, when we consider the food system we can be sure that we are dealing with resources that are essential, both rival and non-rival, excludable and non-excludable, and also highly sensitive to boundaries in scope, and scale, and thus highly sensitive to political and social change. In this sense, the food system acts as a symbol for the coordination of activity, and produces an output which is an input to the Ecological Economic ‘boundary’ between the Economy and the Ecosystem. The second article of this thesis provides an analysis of GHG emissions within the Chittenden County Foodshed. We conclude that urban agriculture, dietary change and agro-ecological production in concert, provide emission reductions which are not achieved when these options are considered separately. Given these conditions, we see mitigation beyond 90% of current emissions.

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Fullarton, Stephanie. "Experiences and Expectations of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities and their Families as they Transition from Secondary School to Post-Secondary Education or Employment." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/26011.

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This qualitative study was designed to explore the transition experiences of youth with learning disabilities (LD) educated in the province of Ontario and their families. The primary purpose of this research was to understand what influences the decisions adolescents who have LD make about post-secondary education and employment goals and paths. The expectations and experiences of youth with LD and their families during the transition process were investigated. Adolescents and their parents were the main informants. Facilitators and barriers to the process in terms of each of the systems described in Bronfenbrenner ecological theory and Turnbull and Turnbull’s family systems theory were also examined. A case study method was used in the design of this research and data were collected following Seidman’s three-interview process. Five families consisting of the youth with LD, at least one parent, and in four cases, a sibling participated in this study. The questions focused on family interactions, roles, and the decision-making process. Data from the 18 participants were coded and arranged according to the research questions which were linked to the central ideas in the theoretical framework. The findings revealed that parents’ expectations influenced the decision-making about post high school goals and paths by the youth and their families. In contrast to previous research, it was found that parents’ expectations were generally high for their children with LD and were shaped by their own post high school experiences. The dynamics of family relationships and roles during transition planning depended on the time of diagnosis of LD (primary grades vs. senior high school), attitudes towards LD by the parents, advocacy by parents, self-advocacy abilities of the youth with LD, and the nature of relations among siblings. Additionally, none of the youth with LD had a formal transition plan and the data showed that teachers could facilitate or hinder the transition process. Also emerging from the data were three types of advocacy that were practised by parents. The study findings add to our knowledge about the transition process and in particular how decisions are made and the factors that influence them. Moreover, this study gives a voice to youth with LD and their families as they described their transition experiences to post-secondary education or employment.

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Lyon, Christopher. "Exploring power in the theory and practice of resilience." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2017. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/34a6d76d-9753-4ee2-adc1-a9aac3765046.

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This thesis explores the question of how social power is accounted for in the theory and practice of resilience. Beginning with a critical assessment of the social ecological systems (SES) perspective that underpins much of the theory and study of resilience, this thesis develops a framework, based on Gaventa’s powercube, for understanding power that also incorporates a much less hierarchical understanding of the dimensions of space and time. This revised ‘powerplane’ framework is applied to two empirical case studies of practices of resilience. Applying the powerplane to the case of government-led Scottish community emergency resilience planning finds that while the practices of resilience result in greater levels of engagement and interaction between local and regional levels of government, a gap exists between local government and the public it represents. Applying the powerplane to the grassroots case of Transition Town Peterborough, Canada, shows that intimate knowledge of local social and political institutions can allow a grassroots organisation to introduce resilience ideas into social and political community life. Together the two case studies reveal three key insights from resilience practices aimed at local contexts, rooted in: (1) institutionalising community engagement practices; (2) differences between formal and informal understandings of resilience; and (3) the scope of the risks resilience is aimed at mitigating. Critically exploring these issues in turn helps to illuminate questions about the efficacy, as well as the social and political implications of the resilience practice in question. For theory, the research shows that reconsidering hierarchical notions of scale and time in SES resilience can provoke new thinking about the role of power in resilience practices. In doing so, insights from this research offer novel challenges and complementarities to they way existing critiques of resilience approaches to account for social power issues.

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Rodrigues, Carla Cristina Morbey. "Topological and dynamical complexity in epidemiological and ecological systems." Doctoral thesis, Universidade de Évora, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10174/21241.

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In this work, we address a contribution for the rigorous analysis of the dynamical complexity arising in epidemiological and ecological models under different types of interactions. Firstly, we study the dynamics of a tumor growth model, governing tumor cells interacting with healthy tissue cells and effector cells of the immune system. By using the theory of symbolic dynamics, we characterize the topological entropy from one-dimensional iterated maps identified in the dynamics. This analysis is complemented with the computation of the Lyapunov exponents, the fractal dimension and the predictability of the chaotic dynamics. Secondly, we provide the analytical solutions of the mentioned tumor growth model. We apply a method for solving strongly nonlinear systems - the Homotopy Analysis Method (HAM) - which allows us to obtain a one-parameter family of explicit series solutions. Due to the importance of chaos generating mechanisms, we analyze a mathematical ecological model mainly focusing on the impact of species rates of evolution in the dynamics. We analytically proof the boundedness of the trajectories of the attractor. The complexity of the coupling between the dynamical variables is quantified using observability indices. The topological entropy of existing one-dimensional iterated maps is characterized using symbolic dynamics. To extend the previous analysis, we study the predictability and the likeliness of finding chaos in a given region of the parameter space. We conclude our research work with the analysis of a HIV-1 cancer epidemiological model. We construct the explicit series solution of the model. An optimal homotopy analysis approach is used to improve the computational efficiency of HAM by means of appropriate values for the convergence control parameter. We end up this dissertation presenting some final considerations; RESUMO: Este trabalho constitui um contributo para a análise rigorosa da complexidade dinâmica de modelos epidemiológicos e ecológicos submetidos a diferentes tipos de interações Primeiramente, estudamos a dinâmica de um modelo de crescimento tumoral, representando a interacção de células tumorais com tecidos saudáveis e células efectoras do sistema imunitário. Usando a teoria da dinâmica simbólica, caracterizamos a entropia topológica de aplicações unidimensionais identificadas na dinâmica. Esta análise ´e complementada com o cálculo dos expoentes de Lyapunov, dimensão fractal e o cálculo da previsibilidade dos atractores caóticos. Seguidamente, apresentamos soluções analíticas do modelo de crescimento tumoral mencionado. Aplicamos um método para resolver sistemas fortemente não lineares - o Método de Análise Homotópica (HAM) - o qual nos permite obter uma família a um parâmetro de soluções explícitas em forma de série. Devido à importância dos mecanismos geradores de caos, analisamos um modelo matemático em ecologia, centrando-nos no impacto das taxas de evolução das espécies na dinâmica. Provamos analiticamente a compacticidade das trajectórias do atractor. A complexidade do acoplamento entre as variáveis dinâmicas é quantificada utilizando índices de observabilidade. A entropia topológica de aplicações unidimensionais é caracterizada usando a dinâmica simbólica. Para estender a análise anterior, estudamos a previsibilidade e a probabilidade de encontrar comportamento caótico numa determinada região do espaço de parâmetros. Concluímos o nosso trabalho de investigação com a análise de um modelo epidemiológico tumoral HIV-1. Construímos uma solução explícita do modelo. Usamos uma análise homotópica optimal para melhorar a eficiência computacional do HAM através de valores apropriados para o parâmetro de controlo da convergência. Terminamos esta dissertação com a apresentação de algumas considerações finais.

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Lucas, Warren Covelé. "An investigation into the social factors that influence sport participation : a case of gymnastics in the Western Cape." University of the Western Cape, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5078.

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Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES)
Gymnastics is a sport code that develops basic motor skills, hand-eye coordination and provides participants with an opportunity to socialize and learn new skills. There are various social factors, such as a family’s socioeconomic status or accessibility to sports facilities that may play a role in affecting levels of participation. The aim of this study is to investigate the social factors that have an influence on gymnastics participation in the Western Cape. To this end, a qualitative approach is adopted to collect data. This study also adopts the ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1995) as the theoretical framework, and is used to analyse and interpret current social factors that directly or indirectly influence participation in gymnastics. The study’s objectives were to ascertain which social factors hinder participation, and which social factors promote participation, thus, coaches, parents and gymnasts participated in focus group discussions. Key informant interviews took place with experts in the field of gymnastics in the Western Cape. A thematic analysis was conducted on transcriptions from the focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Social factors investigated in this study occurred in the chronosystem, macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem, and had both a direct and indirect influence on the gymnast’s continued participation. These systems are defined by Bronfenbrenner (1995), as the environment of the individual, in which they grow and develop. The research findings of this thesis are used to draw conclusions and make specific recommendations for practice and further research. The information gathered in this study can assist all stakeholders within the field of gymnastics, such as parents, judges, coaches, gymnasts, and the supporting community which surround the participating gymnast.

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Nilsson, Hannah, and Emil Kavhed. "Sammanbrott i familjehemsvård : En riktad kvalitativ innehållsanalys av fem olika myndighetsdokument." Thesis, Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-43311.

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When a child for some reason can’t live with their parents it is up to the welfare system to provide a home and care for that child. In Sweden long-term foster care placements are the most common state interventions for those children. Recent studies have shown that as much as one out of four foster care placements break down in the child’s adolescent years. To experience one or a series of tough separations from important elders has shown to have negative effects on the development of the child. This does not align with the welfare systems’ responsibility to always act in favor of the child. Always acting in favor of the Child is at the core of the Convention on the rights of the Child. In the following qualitative content analysis five state documents (three from the National Board of Health and Welfare, one from The Ombudsman for Children and one governmental investigation document) have been examined. The aim of the analysis is to examine how the documents portray placement breakdowns in foster care and how much they focus on the child rights perspective in their portrayals. Previous research and two theories regarding children are used as the theoretical framework to help analyze the essay results. The two theories are Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory of child development and the theory of childhood sociology with emphasis on children as actors. This essay comes to the conclusion that the state documents are well informed of the complex nature of placement breakdowns and the dissonance between the problem of breakdowns and the child’s right perspective. The documents also contain a number of interventions that in theory could reduce the number of breakdowns. What is revealed is that the process of acknowledging the problem, finding a solution and implementing it in the social care practice takes a lot of time and is a slow process. The discussion includes that further research of what can be done on a municipal level would be of use.

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Breetzke, Gregory Dennis. "Geo-analysis of offenders in Tshwane: towards an urban ecological theory of crime in South Africa /." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2008. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-01062009-141141/.

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Renner, Ansel. "Supercritical Sustainability. A Relational Theory of Social-Ecological Systems with Lessons from a Disenfranchised European Primary Sector." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/671298.

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Des de la pèrdua de la biodiversitat fins a la degradació de terra i la contaminació de les masses d'aigua, els nostres sistemes de suport vital estan en declivi. La nau espacial Terra té problemes. Nosaltres tenim problemes. La ciència de la sostenibilitat ha sorgit com a resposta, oferint models del nostre camí a la salvació. Això no obstant, l'esperit dels esforços de modelatge en la ciència de la sostenibilitat està dominat per les nocions de predicció i optimització. Mentre que la predicció i l'optimització han demostrat ser extremadament exitoses en altres camps, portant a la creació de coets i telèfons intel·ligents entre d'altres, aquests plantejaments no aconsegueixen comprendre les intangibilidades més essencials dels sistemes socio-ecològics. Aquestes nocions han colonitzat efectivament el futur, recolzant un règim de promeses tecnocientífiques i reconfortants raons ex-post. Aquesta dissertació explora un enfocament alternatiu de la ciència de la sostenibilitat. Un enfocament basat en estudis d'anticipació i en la idea que els sistemes socio-ecològics són sistemes adaptatius complexos. A partir de les teories de l'metabolisme social i la biologia relacional, es realitza una revisió exhaustiva de la base conceptual de la modelització de la sostenibilitat. Posteriorment, s'utilitza aquesta revisió per fonamentar la caracterització dels sistemes socioeconòmics com a sistemes de reparació metabòlica, és a dir, organismes. D'aquesta manera es llança nova llum sobre les megatendències mundials de la globalització i la urbanització, a través de les quals les societats estan perdent el control sobre les seves identitats. Posteriorment, els enfocaments de modelització proporcionades pel metabolisme social i la biologia relacional es discuteixen amb els de la filosofia de la ment i la filosofia de l'llenguatge per reconceptualitzar l'arquitectura dels espais de coneixement socio-ecològics, dins dels quals trobem els models. Amb especial deteniment és analitzat el paper de la justificació, l'explicació i els relats normatius en la creació dels límits de l'espai de coneixement i en la ruptura de les impredicatividades. Havent establert una sòlida base conceptual, es presenten dos estudis de cas. El primer, una narració quantitativa sobre el ràpid desplegament de fonts alternatives d'energia elèctrica per descarbonitzar l'economia, posa en relleu diverses deficiències en els actuals esforços de governança. S'afirma, per exemple, que la forma precipitada en què es considera l'emmagatzematge d'energia en els debats contemporanis sobre la transició energètica està portant a la societat a una greu situació de desajust estructural-funcional. El segon, una narració quantitativa sobre la reinternalització de l'agricultura, posa en relleu un conjunt de preocupacions en matèria de seguretat relacionades amb els nivells extrems d'externalització de l'agricultura observats en els sistemes socioeconòmics moderns. Cap de les narracions quantitatives presentades en aquesta dissertació fa cap intent de predir el futur. S'ofereixen com històries d'aprenentatge, ajudant a la societat a aclarir la seva visió d'un futur desitjable. Encara que són crítiques, cap de les tesis d'aquesta dissertació presenten arguments per eliminar els enfocaments convencionals de la modelització. Aquesta dissertació no és més que un esforç per trencar l'hegemonia de la predictivitat i la optimizabilidad, per complementar aquestes idees amb nocions de impredictibilitat. En última instància, es proposa un paradigma de sostenibilitat supercrítica, que és una manera de sostenibilitat en el qual l'auto-referencialitat dels sistemes complexos s'entén com un cicle virtuós, no viciós. La sostenibilitat supercrítica reobre el debat sobre el futur trencat, aportant idees sobre la creació deliberada de models socio-ecològics extensibles que donin suport vies de desenvolupament responsables.
Desde la pérdida de la biodiversidad hasta la degradación del suelo y la contaminación de las masas de agua, nuestros sistemas de soporte vital están en declive. La nave espacial Tierra tiene problemas. Nosotros tenemos problemas. La ciencia de la sostenibilidad ha surgido como respuesta, ofreciendo modelos de nuestro camino a la salvación. No obstante, el espíritu de los esfuerzos de modelado en la ciencia de la sostenibilidad está dominado por las nociones de predicción y optimización. Mientras que la predicción y la optimización han demostrado ser extremadamente exitosas en otros campos, llevando a la creación de cohetes y teléfonos inteligentes entre otros, estos planteamientos no logran comprender las intangibilidades más esenciales de los sistemas socio-ecológicos. Estas nociones han colonizado efectivamente el futuro, apoyando un régimen de promesas tecnocientíficas y reconfortantes razones ex-post. Esta disertación explora un enfoque alternativo de la ciencia de la sostenibilidad. Un enfoque basado en estudios de anticipación y en la idea de que los sistemas socio-ecológicos son sistemas adaptativos complejos. A partir de las teorías del metabolismo social y la biología relacional, se realiza una revisión exhaustiva de la base conceptual de la modelización de la sostenibilidad. Posteriormente, se utiliza esta revisión para fundamentar la caracterización de los sistemas socioeconómicos como sistemas de reparación metabólica, es decir, organismos. De este modo se arroja nueva luz sobre las megatendencias mundiales de la globalización y la urbanización, a través de las cuales las sociedades están perdiendo el control sobre sus identidades. Posteriormente, los enfoques de modelización proporcionadas por el metabolismo social y la biología relacional se discuten con los de la filosofía de la mente y la filosofía del lenguaje para reconceptualizar la arquitectura de los espacios de conocimiento socio-ecológicos, dentro de los cuales encontramos los modelos. Con especial detenimiento es analizado el papel de la justificación, la explicación y los relatos normativos en la creación de los límites del espacio de conocimiento y en la ruptura de las impredicatividades. Habiendo establecido una sólida base conceptual, se presentan dos estudios de caso. El primero, una narración cuantitativa sobre el rápido despliegue de fuentes alternativas de energía eléctrica para descarbonizar la economía, pone de relieve varias deficiencias en los actuales esfuerzos de gobernanza. Se afirma, por ejemplo, que la forma precipitada en que se considera el almacenamiento de energía en los debates contemporáneos sobre la transición energética está llevando a la sociedad a una grave situación de desajuste estructural-funcional. El segundo, una narración cuantitativa sobre la reinternalización de la agricultura, pone de relieve un conjunto de preocupaciones en materia de seguridad relacionadas con los niveles extremos de externalización de la agricultura observados en los sistemas socioeconómicos modernos. Ninguna de las narraciones cuantitativas presentadas en esta disertación hace ningún intento de predecir el futuro. Se ofrecen como historias de aprendizaje, ayudando a la sociedad a clarificar su visión de un futuro deseable. Aunque son críticas, ninguna de las tesis de esta disertación presentan argumentos para eliminar los enfoques convencionales de la modelización. Esta disertación no es más que un esfuerzo por romper la hegemonía de la predictividad y la optimizabilidad, para complementar esas ideas con nociones de impredictibilidad. En última instancia, se propone un paradigma de sostenibilidad supercrítica, que es un modo de sostenibilidad en el que la auto-referencialidad de los sistemas complejos se entiende como un ciclo virtuoso, no vicioso. La sostenibilidad supercrítica reabre el debate sobre el futuro roto, aportando ideas sobre la creación deliberada de modelos socio-ecológicos extensibles que apoyen vías de desarrollo responsables.
From biodiversity loss to soil degradation to pollution of water bodies, our life support systems are in decline. Spaceship Earth is in trouble. We are trouble. Sustainability science has emerged in response, offering to model our way to safety. The spirit of modeling efforts in the sustainability science is, however, dominated by notions of prediction and optimization. While prediction and optimization have proven extremely successful in other domains, leading to the creation of rockets and smartphones and so forth, they fail to grasp the essential intangibilities of social-ecological systems. They have effectively colonized the future, supporting a regime of techno-scientific promises and comforting ex-post motives. This dissertation explores an alternative approach to sustainability science, one based on anticipation studies and the idea of social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems. A thorough revision of the conceptual basis of modeling for sustainability is made, based on insights from societal metabolism and relational biology. That revision is then used to inform the characterization of social-economic systems as metabolic-repair systems, meaning organisms. New light is thereby shed on global megatrends of globalization and urbanization, through which societies are losing control over their identities. Insights on modeling provided by societal metabolism and relational biology are then crossed with insights from philosophy of mind and philosophy of language to re-conceptualize the architecture of social-ecological knowledge spaces, within which models exist. An emphasis is made on the role of justification, explanation and normative narratives in creating knowledge space bounds and breaking impredicativities. Having established a robust conceptual basis, two case studies are presented. The first, a quantitative storytelling on the quick deployment of alternative sources of electrical energy to decarbonize the economy, highlights several shortcomings of current governance efforts. It is asserted, for example, that the hasty way energy storage is considered in contemporary energy transition discussions is leading society towards a grave situation of structural-functional mismatch. The second case study, a quantitative storytelling on agricultural re-internalization, highlights a set of security concerns associated with the extreme levels of agricultural externalization found in modern social-economic systems. Neither of the quantitative storytellings presented in this dissertation make any attempt to predict the future. Their offering is as learning-type storylines, helping society clarify its vision of a desirable future. Indeed, although critical of them, none of the insights in this dissertation are arguments for the elimination of conventional approaches to modeling. This dissertation is merely an effort to break the hegemony of predictivity and optimizability, to complement those ideas with notions of impredicativity. A paradigm of supercritical sustainability is ultimately proposed, being a mode of sustainability where the self-referentiality of complex systems is understood to be a virtuous cycle, not a vicious one. Supercritical sustainability re-opens discussion of the ruptured future, providing insights into the deliberative creation of extensible social-ecological models in support of responsible development pathways.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Programa de Doctorat en Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals

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DuPree, William Jared. "Examining marriage and family therapists in non-traditional areas of application : an ecological systems theory of creativity approach." Diss., Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/274.

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Staniczenko, Phillip P. A. "Structure, dynamics, and robustness of ecological networks." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2011. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:3e7b120c-79b0-46ef-b0da-d589578db212.

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Ecosystems are often made up of interactions between large numbers of species. They are considered complex systems because the behaviour of the system as a whole is not always obvious from the properties of the individual parts. A complex system can be represented by a network: a set of interconnected objects. In the case of ecological networks and food webs, the objects are species and the connections are interactions between species. Many complex systems are dynamic and exhibit intricate time series. Time series analysis has been developed to understand a wide range of natural phenomena. This thesis deals with the structure, dynamics, and robustness of ecological networks, the spatial dynamics of fluctuations in a social system, and the analysis of cardiac time series. Biodiversity on Earth is decreasing largely due to human-induced causes. My work looks at the effect of anthropogenic change on ecological networks. In Chapter Two, I investigate predator adaptation on food-web robustness following species extinctions. I identify a new theoretical category of species that may buffer ecosystems against environmental change. In Chapter Three, I study changes in parasitoid-host (consumer-resource) interaction frequencies between complex and simple environments. I show that the feeding preferences of parasitoid species actively change in response to habitat modification. Ecological networks are embedded in spatially-heterogeneous landscapes. In Chapter Four, I assess the role of geography on population fluctuations in an analogous social system. I demonstrate that fluctuations in the number of venture capital firms registered in cities in the United States of America are consistent with spatial and temporal contagion. Understanding how physiological signals vary through time is of interest to medical practitioners. In Chapter Five, I present a technique for quickly quantifying disorder in high frequency event series. Applying the algorithm to patient cardiac time series provides a rapid way to detect the onset of heart arrhythmia. Increasingly, answers to scientific questions lie at the intersection of traditional disciplines. This thesis applies techniques developed in physics and mathematics to problems in ecology and medicine.

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Blows, Stacey. "Factors associated with substance use among university students in South Africa: Implications for prevention." University of Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7694.

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Magister Psychologiae - MPsych
Substance use and abuse has been a persistent challenge facing many communities around the world. In more recent times there has been particular focus on the gradual, yet alarming increase in the use and/or abuse of substance use among the students who are currently enrolled in institutions of higher learning. On the strength of such findings, relevant stakeholders and policy makers have since demarcated university students as being one of the most high-risk groups within a society when it comes to substance use and abuse. While substantial research has been done on the issue of alcohol use among adolescents on both a local and global scale, very little is known about the prevalence of substance use among university students in South Africa.

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Båld, Maria, and Maryama Mahammed. "Adjustment of Somali women in relation to societal systems in the Swedish society : A qualitative case study of five Somali women’s experiences." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Socialt arbete, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-23665.

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The aims of this study are; (a) to explore how Somali women experience their adjustment in the Swedish society in connection to societal systems, and (b) to investigate these women’s perspective of how to make the adjustment process more effective in respect to their needs. The adjustment of the participants has been investigated through a social ecological theoretical framework. Thematic analysis has been utilised to present three themes; assistance, inclusion and self-sufficient which are discussed using social ecological theoretical perspective. Results showed that lack of assistance and sufficient information has led to these women feeling helpless and lost motivation to adjust. The women showed disappointment with regard to self-sufficiency which has not been what they have expected. The suggestions made by the interviewees included assistance in their native language during their first years in the new country, inclusive opening of meeting places and an increased assessment of personal resources when receiving help to find employment. Making adjustment more effective for newly arrived immigrants in new countries is fundamental to international social work.

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Clark, Jamyia. "Assessing Asthma-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With an Ecological Systems Approach." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5841.

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Despite initiatives and management efforts to minimize exacerbation and adverse outcomes, asthma remains a leading cause of childhood chronic disease in the United States. Environmental, personal, and social factors have been associated with an increase of asthma morbidity. However, little is known about how they cumulatively affect children's quality of life. This study applied a multifactorial conceptual model grounded by the ecological systems theory framework to ascertain which environmental, personal, and social factors were cumulatively associated with adverse health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with asthma ages 5-17 years. A national, cross-sectional survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Asthma Call-back Survey, of 2,968 (unweighted) participants were used to identify the association between the factors and HRQoL outcomes, symptom-free days, missed school, and activity limitations. Multiple linear regression and cumulative regression models for complex survey data were used to assess the associations. Factors associated with the HRQoL outcomes included cost barriers to asthma medications and primary care physicians, insurance status, having an insurance gap, the type of health insurance, the presence of mold in the school, the guardian's diminished mental health, and environmental tobacco smoke. Understanding which factors influence asthma HRQoL may foster positive social change by enlightening and empowering the child, caregivers, health care professionals, and other stakeholders to become active participants in the asthma management process. Therefore, quality of life is optimized by all participants taking an active role in the asthma management process through conversations and developing synergistic strategies.

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Kmon, Megan Kathleen. "Systems Thinking in the Forest Service: a Framework to Guide Practical Application for Social-Ecological Management in the Enterprise Program." PDXScholar, 2016. http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3312.

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The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Enterprise Program (EP), which provides fee-for-service consulting services to the USFS, is interested in integrating systems thinking into its service offerings. Despite there being several excellent sources on the range and diversity of systems thinking, no single framework exists that thoroughly yet concisely outlines what systems thinking is along with its deep history, theoretical tenets, and soft and hard approaches. This thesis is an attempt to create such a framework, aimed specifically at practical application in a land management agency, through literature synthesis injected with original analysis. The usefulness of the framework is then tested using three case studies within the EP and the agency as a whole. The framework highlights several important aspects of systems thinking, both generally and related specifically to social-ecological management. First, systems thinking is the transdisciplinary study of complex phenomena from a holistic, rather than reductionist, perspective. The world can be viewed as a massive set of embedded systems -- elements with relations that lead to nonlinear behavior -- making the role of the observer essential in identifying scales of interest and interactions amongst them. Second, the deep history of holistic thinking suggests that its modern scientific study could benefit from exploring the East's long-standing cultural and spiritual approaches to holism through cognitive unity and oneness with mankind and nature. Third, categorizations of systems approaches as "soft" versus "hard" are helpful but can distract us from the ultimate goal of systems thinking, which is to understand the various tools in the systems thinking toolbox so as to apply them critically and creatively to make a meaningful difference in the world. Fourth, I see the soft systems approaches as having a distinct systems thinking orientation and the hard systems approaches as overlapping substantially with operations research, the close cousin of systems thinking. Fifth, I identify a spectrum of complexity, contending that systems thinking tends to be concerned with what I call subjectively and computationally complex systems, as well as complex adaptive systems, leaving simple systems for other approaches. Finally, I contend that it is the soft systems approaches and the two theoretical pillars of hierarchy theory and cooperation theory that will aid wicked social-ecological problem solving the most. The framework is applied to three case studies. Examination of the EP reorganization using a hard systems approach revealed two critical high-level functions that were absent in the current structure, paving the way for new designs that could take those functions into account. Analysis of an initiative to increase citizen recreation on USFS lands showed that a systems approach had been improperly applied and how the application of a soft approach at the onset could have systematically framed the problem and offered unique normative insights for giving voice to relevant non-agency stakeholders as well as nature and future generations. And viewing the perennial problem of wildfire management through the lens of cooperation theory revealed how USFS leadership could take a more active role in promoting the long-term outlook, durable relationships, and reciprocal behaviors that are required for cooperative improvement to take place. As environmental narratives worsen and the need for transitioning towards sustainable ways of living heightens, systems thinking offers ever-increasing value to resource managers for its ability to deal with the many perspectives and normative content that underlie wicked problems and to help to illuminate potential consequences of system interventions given the interplay of complex structural dynamics across space and time.

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September, Shiron Jade. "A comparative study of the relationship between knowledge of child development and parenting styles in high and low socio-economic groups of parents in early childhood development centres." U, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4197.

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Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW)
Early childhood development has been recognised to be the most important contributor to long-term social and emotional development. Whatever occurs in a child‘s life in the early years may be an indicator of the child‘s developmental trajectory and life-course. Therefore positive parenting is paramount to foster quality parent-child interaction. However, previous research shows that for parents to adopt a positive parenting style, some degree of parental knowledge is required. The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between knowledge of child development and parenting styles in low and high socio-economic groups of parents in early childhood development centres. The study used a mixed methods approach with a two-phased sequential exploratory design. A systematic review was conducted in phase 1 followed by a quantitative study for phase 2. The sample consisted of N = 140 parents with children between 2-5 years old from low and high socio-economic groups. The participants completed the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory (KIDI-P) and Parenting Styles Dimension Questionnaire (PSDQ). Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data. Findings of the study show that the authoritative parenting style is the prevalent parenting style in both low and high socio-economic groups. Furthermore the results indicate that parents are fairly knowledgeable across all subscales for both the low and high socio-economic group with a significant difference in degree of knowledge with the high socio-economic group being more knowledgeable than the low socio-economic group. The findings also show that there in no correlation between knowledge of child development and authoritative parenting styles. However correlations do exist between the other variables.

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Du, Plessis Alfred Haupt. "Exploring secondary school educator experiences of school violence." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25176.

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This study intends to explore the very relevant and current issue of violence at school level. Through this case study the experiences of an educator with regard to violence in a secondary school are explored. Data for this study was collected through observation and unstructured interviews with the participant. Data collected was analysed through several phases of establishing thematic categories. This analysis was done within the parameters of a scientific literature framework. The six main categories were discussed and interpreted in terms of literature to provide the findings portrayed by the study. To ensure the dependability and quality of the data the study incorporated member checking and literature control. An attempt was made to contribute to, and expand upon, the existing body of knowledge with regard to this very important phenomenon. The results of this study show that the educator experiences violence in school as a very serious reality. This study argues that the causes of school violence should be studied from an integrative perspective and it supports the Bio-Ecological Systems theory as a multi-dimensional approach to understanding school violence.
Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2008.
Educational Psychology
unrestricted

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Dietrich, Janan Janine. "An exploration of learners integration into the mainstream: a case study approach." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/2749.

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Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)
The aims of the study were to: (1) explore the education support services required by three learners who were integrated into the mainstream, (2) determine the level of support required by these learners to function maximally in the mainstream, (3) specifically explore the socioemotional ability of these learners to adjust to the mainstream setting. Three cases were explored within an eco-systemic approach. Each case consisted of a learner with a physical disability, the learner’s mother and the educator/s who first taught the learner at the mainstream school. Interviews were conducted with all of the participants and subsequently transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was then conducted to extract themes from the transcriptions.
South Africa

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Renigar, Paul Gordon. "Metaphors from Quantum Physics: Enhancing Ecological L2 Social Networking in an Intermediate Italian Course." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/347242.

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This dissertation discusses a case study of the pedagogical uses of social media as part of a larger ecological framework for language learning and critical discourse studies that was conducted during the spring 2014 semester of intermediate Italian. It was organized to balance postmodern theories with metaphors drawn from quantum physics. Every aspect of the course, and each interaction outside of class (including multimodal online resources), avoided the cause-and-effect approach often found in task-based and computer assisted language learning. Second language learners adapted to the paradoxical engagement of language and identity as simultaneous process and product, while reducing neither to fiction. The study broadly adapted a socio-cognitive-ecological approach (Larsen-Freeman, 2012) to shift the focus from differences in technology or method to the participants' perception of human possibilities through the affordances of technology. Participants were trained to navigate dynamic levels of ambiguity and possibilities of meaning while facing the static requirement by the academic institution to pass quizzes and exams, and complete homework assignments on the basis of a 'correct' answer. Recent studies in quantum physics and consciousness provided an elegant model that allows for the coexistence of seeming opposites. Agency, which was central to the participants' experience of discovery and play with variants within the elusive 'standard', allowed for conformity to, or deviation from, the collective. Data collection and analysis adapted 'system analysis' so that interpretation was within a more contextualized understanding of the emergence of complex systems resulting from self-organization, self-selection and co-evolutionary symbiosis. Adaptive teaching was used to meet the needs of the participants by beginning with outcomes and then working backward to explore why certain approaches, tools and tasks were, or were not, effective. The insights gleaned from the study demonstrate that higher levels of critical L2 discursive analysis enhanced by human-machine interactions do not require relegation to upper level division SLA courses. The participants' self-selected samples of their work reveal a story that is complex, dynamic and very human, told through the voices of those most often ignored in the processes of language planning, assessment and curriculum development.

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Bungart, Stefan. "Organisations as social systems : a study into the necessary systemic conditions for the occurrence of 'social resonance' to ecological issues in organisations." Thesis, Coventry University, 1999. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/bed42cb2-9552-4631-bd99-9c109f4c061f/1.

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Organisational research in English-speaking countries has long been focused on two main areas. Studies on micro-level have been concerned with the socio-psychological explanation of organisational phenomena, mostly on the level of the individual and groups. Macro-level studies have been concerned with structure for the explanation of organisational phenomena. Macro-level theories have mostly bracketed the individual, and neglected the psychological component or regarded the individual as an actor playing roles. Only recently has the study of organisations been extended to attempt a meso-level analysis of organisational phenomena (Rousseau 1991, 1995). These meso-level attempts have, in the eyes of the author, run into explanatory problems. These problems are mainly due to the 'new' approach being based principally on existing macro-and micro-level theory, merely marrying the two approaches and thus inheriting the apparent difficulties of the existing theory to account for the individual. Althusser and Levi-Strauss are prominent representatives of both micro-and macro-level theory. This author agrees with the notion that organisational research benefits from a meso-level approach to organisational theory. It is in the light of this approach that the author turned to a widely unknown source of theory (in the English-speaking countries) to address the existing explanatory problems in organisational research and contribute so to the field. The underlying fundamental belief of the author is that any institution can be more successfully understood in the sociological context that defines the institution. Introducing the metaphor of 'social resonance' and linking it to the social theory of Pierre Bourdieu, especially the notion of agents and fields, the author attempts to cross-fertilise the academic fields of sociological research in mainland Europe (namely France and Germany with their strong philosophical tradition) with the academic fields of organisational research in the English-speaking countries (namely Britain and the US). This thesis will discuss the organisational research literature and social theory, introduce Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice, develop the metaphor of 'social resonance', and test the new construct in an empirical research setting. The main objective of this study is thus to explore the value of Bourdieu's theory of practice for the explanation of organisational phenomena, and to operationalise it in the metaphor of 'social resonance'. To this end, a research framework has been developed which is explained in more detail in this report.

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Orders, Shari A. "Unwrapping Giftedness: How Mothers of Elementary School-aged Children Assessed as Intellectually Gifted Make Meaning of the Gifted Construct and Participate in Educational Decision Making." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/22705.

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This qualitative study was designed to explore the experiences and perceptions of a group of mothers whose elementary school-aged children met the criteria for intellectual giftedness in an Ontario school board. Guided by Beach and Mitchell’s image theory and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, the study sought to identify (a) the meanings mothers ascribed to the concept of giftedness, (b) their experiences of the assessment, identification and placement process, and (c) the factors deemed important to educational decision making. A postpositivist orientation and rigorous qualitative research methods were employed. Data were collected in two phases: an internet-based survey comprised of demographic items and open ended questions, followed by in-depth interviews with five purposefully selected participants. Resultant data from 45 surveys and 15 interviews were coded and organized according to the survey questions and central elements of the theoretical framework. Eight research findings revealed that the experience of mothering gifted children was complex, challenging, emotional, and at times, isolating. Many mothers struggled with the concept of giftedness and how it pertained to their children. As mothers navigated the assessment, identification and placement process, the lack of accessible, timely, and consistent information from the school board posed a considerable barrier, prompting many to reach out to other parents of gifted children for information and support. Factors deemed important to decision making about educational placement included maternal perceptions related to the various options, child specific and practical considerations, and the attainability of specialized gifted programming. Educational decision making was identified as the most difficult aspect of the maternal experience. Given that the study participants were unusually well educated and well resourced, the findings were particularly revealing. The study findings add to a small but growing body of research that furthers our understanding of image theory in real life decision making. In addition, the findings give voice to the experience of mothering children identified as gifted, thus making a valuable and original contribution to the literature.

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Stark, Robyn Ann. "Treaty over the teacups : an exploration of teacher educators’ understandings and application of the provisions of the Treaty of Waitangi at the University of Canterbury, College of Education.A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degreeof Master of Education in the University of Canterbury." Thesis, University of Canterbury. School of Teacher Education, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/10254.

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Teacher educators at the University of Canterbury, College of Education, like all teacher educators in Aotearoa New Zealand, have ethical, legal, and moral obligations in relation to Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty is an agreement that was signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and representatives of independent Māori hapū (sub-tribe). The failure of the Crown to uphold the Treaty plus the colonisation of New Zealand has held wide-ranging ramifications for Māori, including a negative impact on Māori education. Policy guidelines both at a national level and locally at the University of Canterbury provide requirements and guidelines for teachers and teacher educators in relation to the Treaty. The aim of many of these guidelines is to address equity issues in education and to support Māori ākonga (students) to achieve success as Māori. This thesis draws upon data from interviews with five teacher educators from the University of Canterbury, College of Education to explore their understandings of the Treaty and how these understandings inform their practice. A qualitative research approach was applied to this study. Semi-structured interviews were used and a grounded theory approach to the data analysis was applied. Three key themes arose from the data and these provided insights into the teacher educator participants’ understandings of the Treaty, how they acquired Treaty knowledge and their curriculum decision making. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory approach was used as a framework to situate how the teacher educators’ understandings of the Treaty have developed. Critical theory and concepts associated with critical pedagogy underpin this research. Critical pedagogy highlights the importance for teacher educators in New Zealand to have an understanding of the historical and contemporary complexities of educational issues related to the Treaty.

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Asplund, Sara, and Ida Önsten. "Unga individers återgång till sysselsättning : En studie utifrån anhörigas och en professionell persons uppfattning." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Centrum för socialt arbete - CESAR, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-411647.

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Då unga individer varken arbetar, studerar eller erhåller annan likvärdig sysselsättning skapas problem på olika nivåer eftersom såväl samhälle, familj och individ påverkas. Vidare saknas anhörigas perspektiv vilket kan problematiseras utifrån att kunskap kring unga individers återgång till sysselsättning är av betydelse och deras anhöriga kan tänkas besitta kännedom om ämnet. Studien syftar sammanfattningsvis till att genom kvalitativa intervjuer med anhöriga och en professionell person fördjupa kunskapsläget samt öka förståelse för deras uppfattning, med fokus på vad som hindrar respektive bidrar till unga individers återgång till studier, arbete eller praktik. Studien berör unga individer av olika kön i åldrarna 14 till och med 26 år vilka är eller tidigare varit utanför studier, arbete eller praktik. Ekologisk systemteori utgör studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt och används i en tematisk analys av resultatet. Studien resulterar i ett flertal bidragande respektive hindrande faktorer för unga individers återgång. Individens motivation, utveckling och relationer kan bidra till men också hindra återgång. Detsamma gäller stöd och anpassningar, organisatoriska aspekter samt anhöriga. Även normer och regleringar kan verka bidragande samt hindrande för unga individers återgång till studier, arbete eller praktik. Därutöver visar resultatet att unga individers återgång hindras av psykisk ohälsa, händelser, ekonomiska aspekter samt av den tid som individen varit utanför studier, arbete eller praktik. Studien görs som en del av Vi-projektet.

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Booysen, Eugene. "Exploring the subjective experiences of educator-targeted bullying (ETB) in secondary schools." University of Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7679.

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Magister Psychologiae - MPsych
The majority of research on bullying focuses on learner-to-learner bullying, and educators are rarely identified or viewed as victims of bullying. This area of research is largely neglected, despite its serious negative outcomes such as burnout, deterioration in the educator–learner relationship and disintegrated of the educator and learning culture.

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Ankarbranth, Fredrik. "Familjehemssekreterarnas resonemang kring biologiska barn i familjehem : En utvecklingsekologisk systemteoretisk studie." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för socialt arbete (SA), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-47345.

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The study aims to understand foster care secretary’s reasoning concerning biological children in foster cares. Previous research shows that biological children are a vulnerable group. But do their voices get heard? To find out how the foster care secretary reasoning about biological children of foster cares, I have interviewed four randomly municipalities in Sweden. The study is qualitative and based on a development ecological system theoretical perspective. The result shows that biological children’s right is focused and that the secretary’s ambition is to talk with the biological children before and under the foster care period. Before the family becomes a foster care they have to undergo extensive training to learn and feel ready for the new life situation.

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Fourie, Jade Melissa. "The relationship between social support, self-esteem and exposure to community violence on adolescent's perceptions of well-being." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_3937_1331889850.

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Violence is considered to be one of the most critical and threatening global problems plaguing the world today, leaving a trail of devastating consequences to societies, economies, cultures, families and individuals (Desjarlais &
Kleinman, 1997). Adolescents who grow up in a context of violence learn distorted ways of thinking, acting, living and interacting. Aggressive tendencies and violent behaviour become internalised and adopted as acceptable ways to resolve conflict situations. Chronic, continuous exposure to violence results in physical, psychological and emotional disturbances, such as depression, anxiety, lowered self-confidence, sleep disturbances, decreased attention and concentration spans. This study addressed the form of violence known as community violence, i.e. violence that children experience within their communities (either as witnesses or as victims). This study investigated the effects of this negative environmental experience and investigated potential mediating and moderating variables that could influence the harmful effects of such experiences. The variables considered as mediating and/or moderating variables were social support and self-esteem. The theoretical framework adopted for this study was Bronfennbrenner&rsquo
s Bioecological Systems theory.

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Fourie, Jade Melissa. "The relationship between social support, self-esteem and exposure to community violence on adolescentÊ¹s perceptions of well-being." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2010. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&action=viewtitle&id=gen8Srv25Nme4_1944_1331890691.

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Violence is considered to be one of the most critical and threatening global problems plaguing the world today, leaving a trail of devastating consequences to societies, economies, cultures, families and individuals (Desjarlais &
Kleinman, 1997). Adolescents who grow up in a context of violence learn distorted ways of thinking, acting, living and interacting. Aggressive tendencies and violent behaviour become internalised and adopted as acceptable ways to resolve conflict situations. Chronic, continuous exposure to violence results in physical, psychological and emotional disturbances, such as depression, anxiety, lowered self-confidence, sleep disturbances, decreased attention and concentration spans. This study addressed the form of violence known as community violence, i.e. violence that children experience within their communities (either as witnesses or as victims). This study investigated the effects of this negative environmental experience and investigated potential mediating and moderating variables that could influence the harmful effects of such experiences. The variables considered as mediating and/or moderating variables were social support and self-esteem. The theoretical framework adopted for this study was Bronfennbrenner&rsquo
s Bioecological Systems theory.

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Mohamud, Luul, and Amanda Patterson. "“It's not about the numbers, it's about the process” Working Methods and Tools for Homeless Youth in Eugene, Oregon." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för socialt arbete och kriminologi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-36731.

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The aim of this study was to explore what working methods and tools service providers use to engage with and support homeless youth in Eugene, Oregon. The authors considered a qualitative research method with semi-structured interviews as the most appropriate way to collect data. A total of five participants took part in this study, all of which are service providers in the United States, specifically in Eugene, Oregon (OR) and work directly with homeless youth. The empirical findings were analyzed through the ecological systems theory perspective in order to properly explore the effects different systems have on working methods and tools. The data collected in this study was divided into three themes: Engaging and Supportive Tools, Barriers & Supportive Factors and desired changes by service providers. These themes properly highlight the most common and vital information collected from the participants in this study. The findings indicate trust building as an essential method and tool with any service provider attempting to engage with and support homeless youth. It was also discovered that funding was the biggest barrier that service providers faced when exploring working methods and tools used to engage with and support homeless youth.

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Nortje, Carla Anne. "An investigation into the relationship between exposure to violence, resilience and PTSD in a sample of psychology students at the University of the Western Cape." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6343.

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Magister Artium - MA (Psychology)
Post-apartheid South Africa has been marked by high levels of trauma resulting from exposure to violence. Many South Africans are therefore at risk for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Despite a large body of research identifying various protective factors which may influence an individual's response to a traumatic event, a gap in South African research on the relationship between exposure to multiple traumatic experiences, protective factors and the development of PTSD was identified. Therefore, located within the systems theory framework, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between demographic characteristics, types of exposure to trauma and resilience associated with the development of posttraumatic stress (PTS) when there are multiple exposures to trauma. A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study on 158 psychology students at the University of the Western Cape was undertaken. Using a non-random, convenience sampling method, data were collected by means of four self-report questionnaires namely; a biographical questionnaire, the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).

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Yousafzai, Ayesha Latif. "Identity Performance Among Muslim International Women: A Narrative Inquiry." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/89101.

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The purpose of this research was to study identity performance among undergraduate Muslim international women on college campuses in the U.S. Identity performance was defined as the way in which these women acted, engaged, interacted, behaved, and situated themselves in their various environments (Goffman, 1959). The conceptual framework for the study was Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1979) that identifies five environmental systems in which an individual interacts (microsystems, mesosystems, ecosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems). This study focused on identity performance in microsystems. Narrative inquiry, a qualitative methodological approach, was utilized to pursue two research questions: (1) how do undergraduate Muslim international women describe their experiences of identity performance inside college environments; and (2) how do undergraduate Muslim international women describe their experiences of identity performance outside college environments? Two in-person interviews were conducted with eight participants representing six countries (Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed with four iterations of coding (narrative coding, refining narrative coding, pattern coding, theming the data) (Saldaña, 2015). Five themes emerged: Muslim identity performance in home country, Muslim identity performance and family, Muslim international identity consciousness, religious engagement on campus, and understandings of new Muslim international identity. The stories shared revealed that identity performance was a complex process; it was ever changing and evolving as Muslim international women navigated their way from a religiously homogeneous environment in the home country to a heterogeneous environment within the U.S. Their microsystems and interactions with various environments influenced their performances of their various identities. These influences were also related to contextual conformity, psychological awareness, agency, resilience, persistence, positivity and appreciation of their experiences in the ever-changing environments. The study has implications for faculty and university administrators who are seeking to create inclusive and encouraging academic and social environments. Findings also have implications for future research on identity performance, contextual conformity, and experiences of Muslim international students.
Doctor of Philosophy
The population in the United States of America is rapidly becoming more diverse in terms of ethnicities, religions, and resident demographics. As a result of this shifting pattern towards heterogeneity, colleges and universities are also becoming more diverse (Seidman, 2005). International students and Muslim students are two such populations that have contributed to the increased diversity of the student body. Among these populations, international Muslim women reside at a unique intersection of gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, and national identities. Literature reveals that Muslim international women are often stereotyped and they experience Islamophobia in gendered ways (Cole & Ahmadi, 2003). The purpose of my research was to study identity performance of Muslim international women on two college campuses in the U.S. Identity performance was the ways in which these women acted, engaged, interacted, behaved and situated themselves in their various environments (Goffman, 1959). I used Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (1979) as the conceptual framework for this study. This theory identifies five environmental systems in which individuals interact (microsystems, mesosystems, ecosystems, macrosystems, and chronosystems). This study focused on identity performance in microsystems, which were their immediate environments. I used narrative inquiry, a qualitative methodological approach, to pursue two research questions: (1) how do undergraduate Muslim international women describe their experiences of identity performance inside college environments; and (2) how do undergraduate Muslim international women describe their experiences of identity performance outside college environments? I conducted two interviews each with eight participants to collect their stories of identity performance. The stories shared revealed that identity performance was a complex process. Contextual conformity, psychological awareness, agency, resilience, persistence, positivity and appreciation of their experiences influenced their identity performances. This study has implications for faculty and university administrators who are seeking to create inclusive, convenient and encouraging academic and social environments for all students. Findings also have implications for future research on identity performance, contextual conformity, and experiences of Muslim international students.

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Pagnotta, Murillo. "Living and learning together : integrating developmental systems theory, radical embodied cognitive science, and relational thinking in the study of social learning." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/16386.

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Behavioural scientists argue that ‘social learning' provides the link between biological phenomena and cultural phenomena because of its role in the ‘cultural transmission' of knowledge among individuals within and across generations. However, leading authors within the social sciences have proposed alternative ways of thinking about social life not founded on the Modern oppositions including nature-culture, biology-culture, body-mind, and individual-society. Similarly, the distinction between a domain of nature and a domain of nurture has also been extensively criticized within biology. Finally, advocates of ‘radical embodied cognitive science' offer an alternative to the representational-computational view of the mind which supports the conventional notion of culture and cultural information. This thesis attempts to integrate developmental systems theory, radical embodied cognitive science, and relational thinking, with the goal to bring the field of social learning closer to these critical theoretical developments. In Chapter 2, I find no justification for the claim that the genome carries information in the sense of specification of biological form. Chapter 3 presents a view of ontogeny as a historical, relational, constructive and contingent process. Chapter 4 uses the notions of environmental information, abilities, affordances, and intentions to make sense of behaviour and learning. In Chapter 5, I argue that the notion of social learning can be understood in terms of relational histories of development rather than in terms of transmission of information. I then report empirical studies investigating behavioural coordination and social learning consistent with this theoretical framework. Chapter 6 presents evidence that dyads in a joint making activity synchronize their attention constrained by their changing situation and that coordination of attention is predictive of implicit and explicit learning. Chapter 7 presents evidence that joint attention does not require gaze following and that attentional coordination is predictive of learning a manual task. Together, these theoretical and empirical studies suggest a new way of thinking about how humans and other animals live and learn socially, one that is consistent with critical theoretical and philosophical developments that are currently neglected in the literature on social learning.

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Riley, Dana L. "A Social Ecological Approach to Understanding Physical Activity. A Mixed Methods Exploration of the Individual, Family and Neighbourhood Characteristics That Influence Physical Activity Among Family Heart Health: Randomized, Controlled Trial Participants." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/22946.

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Study 1 - Individual - The purpose was to determine whether a 12-week behavioural risk reduction intervention caused self-reported MVPA to increase and to identify associated Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs. Three hundred twenty-four physically inactive (<150 minutes/week moderate-vigorous PA) participants were included. Intervention participants were significantly more likely to meet PA guidelines at 12-weeks (OR=3.54, 95% CI 2.22-5.63, p<.001), which was significantly correlated with increases in TPB constructs. // Study 2 - Family - Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 participants to elicit perceptions of factors that influence PA. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, coded and analyzed. Spouses were more likely to engage in PA with their spouse after the CHD event; however this may be limited by their partners’ capabilities. The data suggests awareness of an increased susceptibility to CHD is not stimulating participants to increase their own PA to prevent future risk, particularly among offspring, but they may take other actions. The shared family environment can promote PA, although intensity may be limited. // Study 3 - Neighbourhood - Self-reported PA from a prospective behavioural risk reduction intervention was explored in the context of objectively measured Walk Scores and neighbourhood walkability in Ottawa, Canada. Participants in the intervention arm had significantly higher odds of meeting PA guidelines at 12-weeks compared to the standard care control group. This was not influenced by Walk Scores or walkability. This individual-level intervention was effective in assisting participants to overcome potential structural barriers presented by their neighbourhood to meet PA guidelines at 12-weeks.

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Lee, Guijin. "The Influence of Social Cohesion, Sense of Belonging, and Community Safety on Depressive Symptoms and Substance Use Among Asian American Adolescents." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1593478772659169.

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Kalnicky, Emily A. "A Coupled Human and Natural Systems Approach to Understanding an Invasive Frog, Eleutherodactylus Coqui, in Hawaii." DigitalCommons@USU, 2012. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1412.

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Human activities worldwide have altered nature in ways that create new combinations of species and environmental processes. To understand so-called "novel ecosystems" it is important to consider both the natural and the societal factors that shape them, and how those factors are interconnected or "coupled." We used such an approach to explore options for managing a non-native invasive frog, the coqui, which has become established on the island of Hawaii and threatens to spread to other parts of the state. The nighttime calls of the coqui create a nuisance for property owners when populations become dense enough, as often occurs in Hawaii where the frogs have no natural enemies. Humans have tried various ways to eliminate coqui on the island of Hawaii with little success. Therefore we studied how property owners cope with their presence, both through management practices and psychological coping strategies. We also examined results of those efforts. People whose properties had more frogs were more likely to take action to reduce their numbers, but also attitudes toward the coqui were less negative when people had grown used to having to share their properties with the frogs. For those who cannot cope psychologically, we found it would be possible to manage properties to reduce densities but only when leaf litter and low shrubs were completely removed from near a home. Information campaigns about managing coqui should be different when targeting people that already host frogs and those that do not.

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Myrvold, Maria, and Laura Buhnevici. "Exploring the online medium as an alternative resource for social work with online groups : The case-study of an online peer support community for persons with Bipolar Disorder." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för socialt arbete och kriminologi, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-30804.

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The new millennia has been characterised by developments in the digital world, creating a new space for social work practice globally. The aim of this research is to explore the online medium as an alternative resource for social work with online groups through an observation and interviews in an online group for Bipolar Disorderin Sweden. The results found that lived experience proved central to all forms of participation and support was seen as a resource to be shared. The implications for social work practice were found on multiple levels with broad areas of influence, such as utilising the online medium as an alternative source of insight, thereby allowing needs assessment, both onindividual and [sub]group level. Accessibility by way of the internet was seen as a catalyser to participation as well as a comprehensive method in creating such communities both locally and internationally through the development of digital social work.

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Johansson, Martin, and Anders Wahlman. "Vad är det viktigaste i pojkars utveckling inom fotboll? : Ur ett miljöperspektiv." Thesis, Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH, Institutionen för idrotts- och hälsovetenskap, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:gih:diva-3730.

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Syfte Syftet med uppsatsen är att försöka få reda på ny kunskap om vad som kan vara den optimala miljön för en fotbollsspelare på pojksidan. Tanken med studien är också att jämföra hur kulturen i Stockholm och Halmstad ser ut gällande prestige, högsta serie, selektering, specialisering, föräldrar, värdering av att vinna i ung ålder, tränarens roll, faciliteter och vad har föreningarna för möjlighet gällande träningstimmar (bilaga 4). Dessa faktorer kan vara avgörande i varje individs utveckling. Frågeställningar Vad är en optimal miljö för en pojkfotbollsspelare att utvecklas i? Vad är skillnaderna och likheterna mellan miljön i Stockholm och Halmstad? Metod Detta är en kvalitativ studie bestående av intervjuer med en semistrukturell intervjuguide. Tre spelare från Stockholm och tre spelare från Halmstad har intervjuats och de svar som framkommit har analyserats och diskuterats med hjälp av tidigare forskning inom ämnena: faciliteter, familj, tränare, filosofi & kultur, skador, status i skola och nyckeln till framgång. Resultat Resultaten visade på att alla individer är olika, och att det som hjälper en person att slå igenom och ta sig till landslaget kanske inte fungerar för en annan. Flertalet intervjupersoner har lyft familjen som den viktigaste faktorn för att de ska ha lyckats, medan andra har lyft fram deras inre motivation som den avgörande faktorn för deras fotbollsspelande. Gällande plantider så fanns det betydligt fler i Halmstad än i Stockholm sommartid, men under vintern så var det Stockholm som hade flest tider och detta berodde på tillgängligheten till konstgräsplaner. Slutsats I studien så har svaren från intervjupersonerna analyserats och mikrosystemet var den delen som ansågs vara viktigast av stegen ur utvecklingsekologin. Då genom att du måste känna en trygghet i den närmiljö du har. Att hela tiden känna att du kan lita på någon och få feedback från dessa personer. Detta kan både fälla eller stärka en spelare. Vissa spelare passar bättre in med mer regler medan andra passar in med fria tyglar. Här gäller det för spelarna att hitta sin egna väg att gå. De andra nivåerna påverkar givetvis också människan, men i den här studien fann vi mikronivån den viktigaste nivån.

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Dufner, Karina Campos Tisovec. "Intention of preserving forest remnants among landowners in the Atlantic Forest: the role of the ecological context and experiences with nature." Universidade de São Paulo, 2018. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/41/41134/tde-20092018-103043/.

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Unravelling the psychological processes determining landowners\' support towards forest conservation is key, particularly, in developing countries, where most forest remnants are within private lands. As human-nature connections are known to shape pro-environmental behaviors, the intention of preserving forest remnants should be ultimately determined by the ecological context people live in. Here, we investigate the pathways through which the ecological context (forest cover), via experiences with nature (contact, uses and losses associated with forests), influences the psychological determinants of conservation behavior (beliefs, attitude and intention towards preserving forest remnants). We conceptualized a model based on the Reasoned Action Approach, using the ecological context and experiences with nature as background factors, and tested the model using Piecewise SEM. Data was collected through an interview-based protocol applied to 106 landowners across 13 landscapes varying in forest cover in a region in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Our results indicate that: (i) ecosystem services are more important than disservices for shaping intention of preserving forests, particularly those related to non-provisioning benefits; (ii) contact with forest has an indirect effect on intention, by positively influencing forest uses; (iii) people living in more forested ecological contexts have more experiences with nature, and ultimately stronger intention of preserving forests. Hence, our study suggests a dangerous positive feedback loop between deforestation and the extinction of human-nature connections. Local demands across the full range of ecosystem services, the balance between services and disservices, and the ecological context people live should be considered when developing conservation initiatives in rural areas
Desvendar os processos psicológicos que determinam o apoio dos proprietários de terras à conservação das florestas é fundamental, particularmente, nos países em desenvolvimento, onde a maioria dos remanescentes florestais se encontra em áreas privadas. Como as conexões humano-natureza são conhecidas por moldar comportamentos pró-ambientais, a intenção de preservar remanescentes florestais deve ser, em última instância, determinada pelo contexto ecológico no qual as pessoas vivem. Neste trabalho, investigamos os caminhos pelos quais o contexto ecológico (cobertura florestal), através das experiências com a natureza (contato, usos e perdas associados às florestas), influencia os determinantes psicológicos do comportamento de conservação (crenças, atitude e intenção de preservar remanescentes florestais). Formulamos um modelo baseado na Abordagem da Ação Racional, usando o contexto ecológico e as experiências com a natureza como fatores de base, e o testamos através da Piecewise SEM. Os dados foram coletados através de protocolo aplicado, por meio de entrevista, a 106 proprietários de terra em 13 paisagens que variam em cobertura florestal em uma região da Mata Atlântica. Nossos resultados indicam que: (i) serviços ecossistêmicos são mais importantes que desserviços para moldar a intenção de preservar florestas, particularmente outros serviços que não os de provisão; (ii) o contato com a floresta tem um efeito indireto sobre a intenção, influenciando positivamente os usos da floresta; (iii) as pessoas que vivem em contextos ecológicos mais florestados têm mais experiências com a natureza e, assim, uma intenção mais forte de preservar as florestas. Nosso estudo, portanto, sugere um perigoso ciclo de retroalimentação positiva entre o desmatamento e a extinção das conexões humano-natureza. As demandas locais considerando toda a gama de serviços ecossistêmicos, o balanço entre serviços e desserviços e o contexto ecológico no qual as pessoas vivem devem ser considerados ao se desenvolverem iniciativas de conservação em áreas rurais

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Godenius, Cristoffer, and Michael Daun. "Skyddsfaktorer ur flera perspektiv : En narrativ studie av självbiografier skrivna av individer som växt upp i riskmiljöer." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för socialt arbete (SA), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-51609.

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This is a candidate’s thesis for the programme for Social Workers at the Linneaus University in Växjö. This study has the purpose to understand what protective-factors that may be important for children who grow up in a risk environment. This has been done through reading autobiographies written by adults who have been born and raised in destructive environments. The data has been collected with the use of a narrative analysis. The result has then been viewed and analyzed with the help of attachment-theory, a salutogene perspective and with ecological systems theory. The results from this candidate’s thesis shows that we have been able to identify protective factors in three major categories; Individual attributes, relationships and factors that exists outside of the family environment. These factors have been analyzed and explained through the perspective of attachment-theory, a salutogene perspective and with ecological systems theory. Our findings suggest that there exists several important relationships between our result, the previous research and what the theories suggest is important for children as protective factors. They are: basic need of security, need of development and understanding and finally an importance in the needs for children to have a sense of coherence.

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Bell-Ellison, Bethany A. "Schools as Moderators of Neighborhood Influences on Adolescent Academic Achievement and Risk of Obesity: A Cross-Classified Multilevel Investigation." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0002420.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory'

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