Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Conceptual Research Models'

The following degree project is written within the department of Information Technology at Uppsala University. The subject studied is the difference between academic user research and such user research performed by professionals at commercially driven companies. Academic’s and professional’s agendas, interests and approaches seem to differ and consequently a gap emerges. To perform a comparison between academically defined and practically defined user research a case study and a literature study were conducted. During the literature study three main academic approaches to perform user research were studied and summarized in a unified view. The case study was performed over 4 months at Spotify in the User Research team to gain insights into how user research is conducted in a commercially driven company. The degree project shows that academics and professionals can benefit from each other. For example, academics can integrate various mix methods to better understand design and concepts and base assumptions on more reliable data. Professionals can benefit from academics by adapting a similar systematic approach to perform user research and have a larger impact on the development.

Esta tese tem por objetivo mostrar a possibilidade de observação da existência da aprendizagem significativa a partir do uso de modelos matemáticos quando os alunos do curso de administração equacionam situações-problema empresariais com o auxílio do software LINDO. A pesquisa foi realizada com discentes do Centro Universitário UNIVATES, situado em Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul, quando estes frequentaram a disciplina Pesquisa Operacional. Os fundamentos teóricos estão embasados na teoria da aprendizagem significativa de Ausubel (1968, 2003), na pesquisa operacional e suas ferramentas de resolução, principalmente o software LINDO, bem como na modelagem matemática. Metodologicamente, foram aplicados instrumentos de avaliação de subsunçores relacionados à capacidade de modelagem de problemas de programação linear. Face à ausência de alguns subsunçores, foram utilizados organizadores avançados que serviram como mecanismos pedagógicos para estabelecer relações entre aquilo que os alunos já sabiam e o que deveriam saber. Posteriormente, cada aluno desenvolveu, no mínimo, dois modelos matemáticos e dois mapas conceituais, sendo os primeiros no início da pesquisa e outros ao final. Como resultado, percebeu-se que o ambiente de modelagem matemática sugerido por Barbosa (2006) favoreceu a observação de aprendizagem significativa (AUSUBEL, 2003) da programação linear quando os alunos abstraíram e resolveram situações-problema empresariais com o auxílio do software LINDO. Os modelos matemáticos finais evoluíram, na maioria dos casos, apresentando mais variáveis e restrições. Por meio dos modelos matemáticos e mapas conceituais, foi possível observar algumas evidências em relação às exigências profissionais do administrador como a capacidade de reconhecer e de definir problemas e equacionar soluções e a capacidade de pensar estrategicamente e introduzir modificações no processo produtivo. Cabe ressaltar que os modelos matemáticos ilustram o conhecimento que o aluno possui. Por isso, são diferentes, têm níveis diferentes e refletem a idiossincrasia do processo ensino-aprendizagem, como postulam Moreira (2005) e Biembengut (2003).<br>This thesis aims at demonstrating the possibility of observing the existence of the significant apprenticeship, proceeding from the use of mathematic models when business administration students solve corporative problem situations with the help of the LINDO software. The research was carried out with students at UNIVATES University Center, in the city of Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul, while attending the subject of Operational Research. The theoretical basis lies on Ausubel's (1968, 2003) significant apprenticeship theory, on the operational research and its solving tools, mainly the LINDO software, as well as on mathematic modeling. Methodologically, subsumer evaluation instruments related to the modeling capacity of linear programming problems were applied. Due to the lack of some subsumers, advanced organizers were used that served as pedagogical mechanisms in order to establish relationships between what the students already knew and what the should know. Later, each student developed, at least, two mathematic models and two conceptual maps, the first being at the research commencement, and the others at its end. As a result, it was noted that the mathematic modeling environment suggested by Barbosa (2006) favored the observation of a significant apprenticeship (AUSUBEL, 2003) of linear programming when the students abstracted and solved corporative problem situations with the help of the LINDO software. The final mathematic models evolved presenting, in most cases, more variables and restrictions. Through of mathematic models and conceptual maps, it was possible to observe some evidences relative to business administrator's professional requirement, such as the capacity of identifying and solving problems and finding solutions, and the capacity of thinking strategically and introducing modifications into the productive process. It is necessary to be emphasized that the mathematic models illustrate the student's knowledge. Therefore, they are different, have different levels and reflect the idiosyncrasy of the teaching-learning process, as postulated by Moreira (2005) and Biembengut (2003).

The validity of three key Business Excellence (BE) models used in the Asia Pacific—the Australian Business Excellence Framework (Australia), the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (New Zealand) and the Singapore Quality Award Criteria (Singapore)—was examined from a conceptual as well as a predictive standpoint. Unlike in many past studies, in this study the validity of the measurement criteria stipulated in BE models have been directly assessed. The conceptual validity of the three BE models was studied through a generic theoretical model using the partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLSBSEM) method. Apart from measurement validity, the strengths of the hypothesised causal relationships between the constructs of the BE models and their practical implementations were also examined under conceptual validity. The predictive validity of the three BE models was examined through linear predictive models involving enablers—being measures in BE models that cover what organisations actually do in order to achieve business outcomes—as predictors and business outcomes as responses. Alongside predictive validity, the reasonableness of the stipulated weights of the enablers was also examined. Other empirical and pragmatic inquiries covered in this study included: (a) a study of the effect of “industry attractiveness” on financial and market performance, and (b) a study of the relationship between BE constructs and “national cultural dimensions”. Results revealed that although the three BE models fulfilled the basic requirements of measurement validity, against more stringent criteria such as those used in psychometrics, they showed low levels of validity. The possible reasons for this were examined and the ways of overcoming the shortcoming were suggested. The generic theoretical model was found to be statistically significant across all three settings: Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. As regards predictive validity, it was observed that enablers appear to be good predictors of business outcomes (thus establishing predictive validity) although there was scope for improvement of the existing weighting scheme of the enablers. This study is important because many organisations in the region use BE models with the expectation of improving their performance in key results areas and hence there is a need to demonstrate that the BE models are based on sound concepts.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:51:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 55331.pdf.jpg: 16269 bytes, checksum: f0c69377b02617fc91d41d9723dbb935 (MD5) 55331.pdf: 283282 bytes, checksum: 78689f7ce3b57f44fb77445beb18f317 (MD5) 55331.pdf.txt: 192216 bytes, checksum: 885fd6383405d255a946b158349539c9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-11-04T00:00:00Z<br>Uma série de motivos tem elevado o tema da diversidade humana a um patamar de maior visibilidade e influência no cotidiano das organizações. Legislações decorrentes de mobilizações sociais, globalização das empresas, migrações em busca de emprego em países mais desenvolvidos, estruturas de trabalho multifuncionais e políticas de responsabilidade social corporativa são alguns dos fenômenos que justificam esse novo contexto. Este trabalho teve como proposta desenvolver uma análise comparativa entre a produção acadêmica e a prática empresarial voltada ao tema da diversidade. Para isso, foi elaborado um retrato desses dois universos, por meio de uma pesquisa sobre artigos acadêmicos a respeito de diversidade publicados em importantes periódicos acadêmicos e uma investigação sobre as abordagens adotadas por empresas privadas reconhecidas como avançadas nessa área. As análises indicam a existência de uma ambigüidade. Por um lado, tem-se uma relativa similaridade quanto ao conceito de diversidade adotado por cada uma das áreas pesquisadas. Por outro lado, a investigação indica um notório distanciamento, entre esses dois universos, quanto aos impactos resultantes da promoção de um ambiente de trabalho mais heterogêneo. Os acadêmicos concentram seus estudos na perspectiva de performance, balanceando potenciais benefícios com potenciais problemas da diversidade. As dimensões de justiça, no entanto, são delegadas a um plano secundário de importância. As empresas, por sua vez, dedicam a devida atenção a tais dimensões, ao mesmo tempo em que adotam um discurso simplista sobre performance - negligenciam os potenciais problemas decorrentes da diversidade, limitando-se a tratar de seus potenciais benefícios. Esse cenário aponta para a necessidade da construção de um modelo capaz de: a) contemplar as realidades estudadas e b) colaborar para a evolução e o amadurecimento das discussões científicas e práticas gerenciais relacionadas à diversidade. Ao final do trabalho, são apresentadas propostas preliminares de modelos conceituais que buscam agregar as referidas realidades.<br>For a variety of reasons, the issue of human diversity has achieved a high level of visibility and influence within day-to-day organizational life. Legislation resulting from social mobilization, corporate globalization, migration in search of employment in more developed countries, multifunctional work structures, and policies for corporate social responsibility are some of the phenomena that have contributed to this new reality. The present study is a comparative analysis of academic research and corporate practices which address the issue of diversity. These two universes were analyzed through a survey of academic articles published in leading management journals, and an investigation of approaches adopted by private companies recognized as advanced in this area. This analysis indicates that an ambiguity exists. On the one hand, there is a relative similarity between the concept of diversity adopted by each of the areas studied. But at the same time, the research results indicate a significant gap between these two universes in terms of the impacts of creating a more heterogeneous work environment. The academic studies focused on the issue of performance, balancing potential benefits with potential problems of diversity. Issues of justice, however, were given secondary importance. Companies, in contrast, pay considerable attention to issues of justice, while adopting a simplistic discourse in regards to performance (restricted to its potential benefits, and neglecting potential problems resulting from diversity). This situation suggests a need to develop a model capable of: (a) accounting for the realities analyzed and (b) contributing to the development and consolidation of research on diversity and to its management within corporations. This study concludes with some preliminary proposals for conceptual models aimed at accounting for the realities encountered.

The task of producing policies for the management of Earth’s natural resources is a problem of the gravest concern worldwide. Such policies must address both responsible use in the present and the sustainability of those finite resources in the future. Resources are showing the adverse results of generations of exploitation, and communities fail to see the outcomes of past policies that have produced, and continue to produce, these results. They have not learned from past policy failures, and consequently fail to produce natural resource management (NRM) policies that support sustainable development.¶ It will be argued that NRM policy makers fail to learn from the past because they do not have a good historical perspective and a clear understanding of the dynamics of the complex human-environment system that they manage. It will also be argued that historians have not shown an interest in collaborating with policy makers on these issues, even though they have much to offer. Therefore, a new approach is proposed, which brings the skills and understanding of the trained historian directly into the policy arena.¶ This approach is called Applied Environmental History (AEH). Its aims are to help establish an area of common conceptual ground between NRM practitioners, policy makers, historians and dynamicists; to provide a framework that can help NRM practitioners and policy makers to take account of the historical and dynamical issues that characterise human-environment relationships; and to help NRM practitioners and policy makers improve their capacity to learn from the past. Applied Environmental History captures the characteristics of public and applied history and environmental history. In order to include an understanding of feedback dynamics in human-environment systems, it draws on concepts from dynamical systems theory. Because learning from the past is a particular form of learning from experience, AEH also draws on theories of cognitive adaptation.¶ Principles for the application of AEH are developed and then tested in an exploratory study of irrigation development that is focused on the NRM issue of salinity. Since irrigation salinity has existed for centuries, and is a serious environmental problem in many parts of the world, it is a suitable NRM context in which to explore policy makers' failure to learn from the past. AEH principles guide this study, and are used, together with insights generated from the study, as the basis for the design of AEH Guidelines.

Tesis por compendio<br>[ES] Algunos productos se caracterizan por su falta de homogeneidad, lo que significa que productos con diferentes características pueden ser obtenidos de un mismo proceso de producción debido a factores incontrolables como la naturaleza de las materias primas o las condiciones ambientales durante la producción. Hay cuatro aspectos que caracterizan la falta de homogeneidad en el producto: los subtipos homogéneos que se obtienen de un mismo lote de producción, la cantidad de productos que componen cada subtipo, el valor de cada uno de los subtipos, y el estado de los productos. La falta de homogeneidad en el producto dificulta la gestión de los procesos de las empresas y cadenas de suministro en el momento en el que los clientes requieren homogeneidad entre las unidades de producto que adquieren. Un ejemplo de esto se produce en el sector de la cerámica, en el que los clientes requieren que todas las unidades que van a ser ensambladas juntas tengan el mismo color, espesor y calidad por razones estéticas y de seguridad. Otro ejemplo es el extraído del sector agroalimentario, en el que el mercado final requiere productos que cumplan con un tamaño mínimo, un color particular, o sabor en el caso de las frutas. Además, el sector agroalimentario tiene la complejidad añadida producida por el deterioro de los productos a lo largo del tiempo, y la necesidad de los mercados de ofrecer a los clientes productos con una mínima duración tras su venta. En esta Tesis, se define como productos heterogéneos a aquellos productos que se pueden clasificar en subtipos homogéneos con una cantidad variable, mientras que los productos perecederos son aquellos que, además de ser heterogéneos, tienen falta de homogeneidad en su estado. De acuerdo con estos conceptos, el sector cerámico comercializa productos heterogéneos mientras que el sector agroalimentario comercializa productos perecederos. Esta Tesis propone marcos conceptuales y modelos de Investigación Operativa que soporten la gestión de cadenas de suministro con productos heterogéneos y perecederos en la toma de decisiones centralizada y distribuidas relacionadas con los niveles de decisión estratégica, táctica y operativa. El objetivo es mejorar la competitividad, sostenibilidad y flexibilidad de la cadena de suministro para adaptarse a los requerimientos del mercado bajo condiciones de incertidumbre. Para esto, se han propuesto modelos de Investigación Operativa deterministas e inciertos, cuyos resultados se comparan concluyendo que los resultados obtenidos con los modelos inciertos se adaptan mejor al comportamiento real de las cadenas de suministros.Los modelos de Investigación Operativa propuestos han contribuido a tres áreas de investigación: problemas operativos en el sector cerámico, problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario y problemas de planificación en el sector agroalimentario. Las principales novedades en los problemas operativos en el sector cerámico son el modelado de las características de las baldosas cerámicas, la consideración de los requerimientos de homogeneidad entre unidades de diferentes líneas de pedido, y la posibilidad de realizar entregas parciales y entregas con retraso. Esta Tesis contribuye a los problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario al diseñar una cadena de suministro completa de productos agroalimentarios frescos considerando el aspecto perecedero de los productos e integrando decisiones tácticas, y determinando el impacto real que tiene considerar el aspecto perecedero de los productos durante el diseño de la cadena de suministro ...<br>[CA] Alguns productes es caracteritzen per la seua falta d'homogeneïtat, el que significa que productes amb diferents característiques poden ser obtinguts d'un mateix procés de producció degut a factors incontrolables com la naturalesa de les matèries primeres o les condicions ambientals durant la producció. Hi ha quatre aspectes que caracteritzen la falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte: els subtipus homogenis que s'obtenen d'un mateix lot de producció, la quantitat de productes que componen cada subtipus, el valor de cada un dels subtipus, i l'estat dels productes. La falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte dificulta la gestió dels processos de les empreses i cadenes de subministrament en el moment en què els clients requerixen homogeneïtat entre les unitats de producte que adquirixen. Un exemple d'açò es produïx en el sector de la ceràmica, en el que els clients requerixen que totes les unitats que seran acoblades juntes tinguen el mateix color, grossària i qualitat per raons estètiques i de seguretat. Un altre exemple és l'extret del sector agroalimentari, en el que el mercat final requerix productes que complisquen amb una grandària mínima, un color particular, o sabor en el cas de les fruites. A més, el sector agroalimentari té la complexitat afegida produïda pel deteriorament dels productes al llarg del temps, i la necessitat dels mercats d'oferir als clients productes amb una mínima duració després de la seua venda. En aquesta Tesi, es definix com a productes heterogenis a aquells productes que es poden classificar en subtipus homogenis amb una quantitat variable, mentres que els productes peribles són aquells que, a més de ser heterogenis, tenen falta d'homogeneïtat en el seu estat. D'acord amb aquests conceptes, el sector ceràmic comercialitza productes heterogenis mentres que el sector agroalimentari comercialitza productes peribles. Aquesta Tesi proposa marcs conceptuals i models d'Investigació Operativa que suporten la gestió de cadenes de subministrament amb productes heterogenis i peribles en la presa de decisions centralitzada i distribuïdes relacionades amb els nivells de decisió estratègica, tàctica i operativa. L'objectiu és millorar la competitivitat, sostenibilitat i flexibilitat de la cadena de subministrament per adaptar-se als requeriments del mercat sota condicions d'incertesa. Per a açò, s'han proposat models d'Investigació Operativa deterministes i incerts, els resultats es comparen concloent que els resultats obtinguts amb els models incerts s'adapten millor al comportament real de les cadenes de subministraments. Els models d'Investigació Operativa proposats han contribuït a tres àrees d'investigació: problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic, problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari i problemes de planificació en el sector agroalimentari. Les principals novetats en els problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic són el modelatge de les característiques de les rajoles ceràmiques, la consideració dels requeriments d'homogeneïtat entre unitats de diferents línies de comanda, i la possibilitat de realitzar lliuraments parcials i lliuraments amb retard. Aquesta Tesi contribueix als problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari al dissenyar una cadena de subministrament completa de productes agroalimentaris frescos considerant l'aspecte perible dels productes, integrant decisions tàctiques, i determinant l'impacte real que té considerar l'aspecte perible dels productes durant el disseny de la cadena de subministrament ...<br>[EN] Some products are characterised by their lack of homogeneity, what means that products with different characteristics can be obtained from the same production process due to uncontrollable factors such as the nature of raw materials or the environmental conditions during production. There are four aspects that characterize the lack of homogeneity in the product: the homogeneous subtypes to be obtained from a production lot, the quantity of products that belong to each subtype, the value related to each of the subtypes and the state of the products. The lack of homogeneity in the product hinders the management of the supply chain or company's processes at the time customers require the homogeneity among the acquired units of product. An example of this is produced in the ceramic tile sector, in which customers need all acquired ceramic tiles that are going to be jointly assembled to have the same colour, thickness and quality for aesthetic and safety reasons. Another example is the extracted from the agri-food sector, in which final markets require products that meet some characteristics such as a minimum size, a particular colour or flavour in the case of fruits. In addition, the agri-food sector has the added complexity produced by the deterioration of products over time, and the need of markets to offer to end consumers products with a minimum durability after sale. In this Thesis, heterogeneous products are defined as products for which different subtypes can be obtained in a variable quantity while perishable products are those that, apart from being heterogeneous, have a lack of homogeneity in their state. According to these concepts, ceramic sectors would commercialize heterogeneous products while the agri-food sector would do so with perishable products. This Thesis proposes conceptual frameworks and Operations Research models to support the management of supply chains with heterogeneous and perishable products in centralized and distributed decision-making processes related to strategic, tactical and operative decisional levels. The objective is to improve the supply chain competitiveness, sustainability and flexibility to adapt to market requirements under uncertain conditions. For this, both deterministic and uncertain Operations Research models have been proposed, whose results are compared concluding that results obtained with uncertain models better fit with the behaviour of real supply chains. The proposed Operations Research models have contributed to three research areas: operational problems in the ceramic sector, strategic problems in the agri-food sector and planning problems in the agri-food sector. Main novelties in the ceramic operational problems are the modelling of the characteristics of ceramic tile products, the consideration of homogeneity requirements between units from different order lines, and the possibility of making partial deliveries and delayed deliveries. This Thesis contributes to strategic problems in agri-food products by designing an entire fresh agri-food supply chain considering the perishability of products and integrating tactical decisions, and by determining the real impact that considering the products' perishability has on the supply chain design process ...<br>This Thesis has been developed in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP, for its acronym in Spanish “Centro de Investigación en Gestión e Ingeniería de Producción”) of the Universitat Politècnica de València with the support of the predoctoral grant Programme of Formation of University Professors (FPU, for its acronym in Spanish “Formación de Profesorado Universitario”) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref. FPU15/03595). The supervisors of this Thesis are Dr. Angel Ortiz, and Dra. María del Mar Alemany Diaz that are Professors in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP) of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The FPU grant has been endorsed by the supervisor Dr. Ángel Ortiz. This Thesis has also been supported by the project ‘RUC-APS: Enhancing and implementing Knowledge based ICT solutions within high Risk and Uncertain Conditions for Agriculture Production Systems’ (Ref. 691249) funded by the EU under its funding scheme H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015, the project ‘Methods and models for operations planning and order management in supply chains characterised by uncertainty in production due to the lack of product uniformity’ (PLANGES-FHP) (Ref. DPI2011- 23597) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The projects RUC-APS and PLANGES-FHP have been led by the one of the supervisors of this Thesis Dr. María del Mar Eva Alemany. In order to obtain the international mention for this Thesis, three months of research stages have been made in the research agency Agenzia Lucana di Sviluppo e di Innovazione in Agricoltora, located in Metaponto (Italy)<br>Esteso Álvarez, A. (2020). Operations research models for the management of supply chains of perishable and heterogeneous products in uncertain contexts. Application to the agri-food and ceramic sectors [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/141099<br>TESIS<br>Compendio

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2011<br>A deep level approach to learning leads to quality learning outcomes. Teachers should use appropriate teaching strategies to encourage learners to use deep level approaches to learning. The Conceptual Change Model (CCM) approach is one such strategy for the teaching of science concepts. Deep level approaches are a necessity when dealing with a difficult science concept like photosynthesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate Grade 10 learners’ achievements in photosynthesis using the CCM approach in order to minimize misconceptions and develop a broader and deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process in the high school context in a semi-rural South African school. The learners’ attitudes towards the CCM approach in the teaching of Life Sciences were explored. This study aimed to answer the following main question: what are the achievements of Grade 10 learners’ in photosynthesis as core knowledge? The CCM approach included worksheets based on all five steps of the CCM process: commit to an outcome, expose beliefs, confront beliefs, accommodate the concept and extend the concept. The sample consisted of 78 Grade 10 learners. The research was carried out with a quasi-experimental/control group design and lasted for six weeks. The achievement test and questionnaires were used as instruments to collect data. The analyses of results show that experimental and control group’s pre-test academic achievement scores were similar and there was no significant difference between them (p < 0.05), but when the academic achievement of the post-test results of the EG and CG were analyzed, it was clear that there is a significant difference. The results from post-tests suggest that learners from the EG, taught using the CCM approach, show significantly greater achievements in photosynthesis than learners from the CG. In addition, learners from EG show a positive attitude towards Life Sciences after CCM teaching approach, but not from the CG taught using traditional approach. These findings have implications for a science teacher and recommendations are made to improve the teaching of photosynthesis as core knowledge.

Since the establishment of the wireless sector, design has been playing a wide range of roles. Specialized literature has been extensively reporting the use of this discipline associated with NPD, focusing on hardware and software development in the mobile communications. On the other hand, evidences of its use to support forecasting are scarce and generic. Finally, formal publications addressing future forecasting from a design perspective in the context of mobile communications have never been reported, leading to a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. This research investigates the strategic roles, applications and contributions of design and designers for future forecasting in the wireless telecom sector. As a comprehensive discipline, it is used to examine and identify a number of factors that might influence/impact in the development of visionary solutions supporting the design team of traditional handset manufacturers to make better decisions in order to ‘shape’ the future in the wireless industry. Considering these ideas, the aim of this research is to create a ‘design-led future forecasting model for mobile communications’ to assist and support traditional manufacturers’ design team. This PhD study relies on a qualitative methodology comprising a number of data collection and analysis tools (e.g. literature review, case studies analysis, in-depth experts’ interviews, workshops and Grounded Theory). To create the intended framework, extensive secondary and primary data; theoretical and practical inputs were brought together, analysed and combined. The proposed model was evaluated through two rounds of experts’ interviews complemented by two workshops with potential users (e.g. design students) to check and explore its practicalities when applied to design for the future. Finally, this study bridges future forecasting and the wireless telecom through the use of design to address the literature gap. The richness of the developed model provides practical assistance to traditional manufacturer’s design team informing about a broad spectrum of aspects that should be considered when designing for the future in the mobile telecom industry, supporting strategic decision making in different stages of the future-led design process.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Constant and aggressive change is a characteristic that has shaped our present day life and occurs at all levels of society. In a new South Africa, an entrepreneurial approach has become a means of survival. Modern day South Africans have been compelled to adopt an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset in order to function optimally. For the higher education sector, this has meant the commercialisation of many aspects of their operations due to yearly cuts in subsidy allocations. Stellenbosch University is not exempt from this and is also affected by these cuts. The goal of this study is therefore to provide an internationally researched conceptual model and process for commercialising academic research at Stellenbosch University. This will require the adoption of an entrepreneurial mindset which views research differently from its traditional mode. By moving away from an academic view of research, new partnerships, opportunities and outcomes become possible, from which new revenue avenues could be opened. The question arises as to what technological innovations are likely to result in commercial success and what route should a university then take to successfully commercialise their research findings? Finding practical answers to these questions could provide a platform from which a university can make accurate and timely decisions with regards to the commercialisation of its academic research. Accurate decision-making is therefore an essential tool in the management of this process. Commercialisation is not viable without first creating an innovative mindset and platform. These cannot be created without first understanding the concept of newness. Consistent newness requires continuous innovation, from which academic entrepreneurship then stems. The successful commercialisation of this entrepreneurship can then be understood by considering the various concepts and basic components involved in commercialisation. A broad look at literature provided the basis for this platform from which a model could then be constructed. In constructing the model, the key components were first identified. Secondly, a brief look at four different commercialsiation models provided an overview of the thought pattems involved in such a process. The synthesis of these components and models culminated in a conceptual model for commercialisation within the Stellenbosch University environment. This model included the tangible and intangible side of commercialisation, incorporating organisational mindset, attitudes and culture.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Konstante en omvattende verandering is 'n kenmerk van die eietydse samelewing en raak alle sosiale vlakke. 'n Entrepreneuriese benadering het in die nuwe Suid-Afrika 'n middel tot oorlewing geword. Eietydse Suid-Afrikaners word genoodsaak om innoverend en ondernemend te wees ten einde optimaal te kan funksioneer. Dit impliseer dat tersiere instellings byvoorbeeld baie van hul bedrywighede moet kommersialiseer, weens toenemende besnoeiings in subsidiering. Die Universiteit van Stellenbosch word insgelyks deur hierdie besnoeiings geraak. Die doel van hierdie studie is die ontwerp van 'n konsepsuele model en proses vir kommersialisering van akademiese navorsing vir die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, gebaseer op internasionale navorsing. Dit vereis 'n entrepreneuriese denkwyse wat navorsing anders benader as in die verlede. Deur weg te beweeg van 'n suiwer akademiese siening van navorsing, word nuwe vennootskappe, geleenthede en uitkomste moontlik, en skep sodoende ook nuwe bronne van inkomste. Tegniese innoverings wat prakties en uitvoerbaar is kan moontlik as platform dien vir hierdie kommersialisering. Dit veronderstel toepaslike besluitneming as noodsaaklike middel in die bestuur van die proses. 'n Nadere deurskouing van konsepte onderliggend aan suksesvolle kommersialisering van entrepreneurskap, tesame met 'n bree oorsig van navorsing in hierdie verband, het die basis gevorm vir die ontwerp van 'n model. Kernkomponente is eerstens identifiseer. Bestaande modelle het tweedens 'n oorsig van denkpatrone oor die ontwerp van so 'n proses gebied. 'n Sintese van hierdie komponente en modelle het kulmineer in 'n konsepsuele model vir kommersialisering binne die Universiteit van Stellenbosch omgewing. Hierdie model sluit die praktiese deel van kommersialisering, sowel as die ontasbare deel, naamlik organisatoriese denkwyses, houdings en kultuur in.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Literature on monitoring and evaluation acknowledges the complexity in the field. Many evaluation studies require empirical evidence to be integrated with decisions on standards and values to reach robust evaluative conclusions. In this context, organizations face a number of difficulties in attempting to develop computerized software for monitoring and evaluating their programmes. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of literature on how various concepts used in programme monitoring and evaluation could be arranged into a coherent pattern of concepts upon which the development of monitoring and evaluation software could be contingent. The aim of this thesis is to present a conceptual model for a programme monitoring and evaluation information system that can guide programme agencies in the procurement, design and development of software for programme monitoring and evaluation. The conceptual model is based on an assessment of several key concepts that characterize programme monitoring and evaluation: programme goals and objectives; programme activities; programme providers; administrators; funders; community stakeholders; macro-environment and relationship between them; personal goals and objectives; existing conditions; targeted individual (s); family friends, and community; macro-environment and relationships between them; programme participation and programme outcomes. Using purposive techniques, 15 relevant monitoring and evaluation documents were selected from within 3 large-scale programmes implemented in Uganda. These documents were used to identify and describe the features and attributes associated with each of the key M&E concepts. The findings reveal that only eleven of the key concepts listed above were used by the three case study programmes. In particular, their use was geared mainly towards the collection of empirical evidence to demonstrate programme accountability requirements. The study arranged the eleven distinctions into a framework comprising of three dimensions: (1) programme design; (2) programme implementation plan; and (3) programme implementation result. The programme design dimension comprises of five key concepts used to capture the essential information on programme design. The implementation plan dimension comprises of three key concepts used to capture the essential information on the actions that have been planned by each programme. The implementation result comprises of four key concepts that capture the essential information on the outcome of both routine and terminal monitoring and evaluation activities.

<p> Environmental sustainability is an extension of the concept of sustainability that focuses on the importance of understanding the interconnectivity between natural and socio-economic systems without compromising resource capacity. In this study, it is incorporated into a framework that applies to the sustainable development of small counties in the South Texas region of the Eagle Ford Shale. </p><p> The research involved a qualitative approach through the distribution of a questionnaire to a surveyed sample of Texas residents from Gonzales and Karnes counties. The purpose of the questionnaire was to obtain the expressed perspectives of residents regarding the impacts of shale development on their quality of life. These locations of interest were selected because of the different levels of shale development they experienced. Aspects of quality of life were analyzed as indicators of the survey responses to open and closed-ended questions. Participants described and scaled variables regarding impacts, benefits, and notable changes they experienced from the development of shale resources in their counties. Content analysis was used to obtain results relevant to developing the conceptual model for environmental sustainability proposed in this study. Findings showed that the sample of participating residents highly identified with socio-economic interests compared to environmental interests, considering that when the study was conducted shale oil and gas production was in decline as a result of fallen global energy prices. </p><p> In this study the terms sustainability and sustainable development were used interchangeably, while development was addressed in a broad sense, referring to the overall improvement of quality of life.</p><p>

The aim of the study was to compile a conceptual model of a Virtual Research Environment (VRE) that indicates the relationship between Research Data Management (RDM) and VREs. The outcome of this study was that VREs are ideal platforms for the management of research data. In the first part of the study, a literature review was conducted by focusing on four themes: VREs and other concepts related to VREs; VRE components and tools; RDM; and the relationship between VREs and RDM. The first theme included a discussion of definitions of concepts, approaches to VREs, their development, aims, characteristics, similarities and differences of concepts, an overview of the e-Research approaches followed in this study, as well as an overview of concepts used in this study. The second theme consisted of an overview of developments of VREs in four countries (United Kingdom, USA, The Netherlands, and Germany), an indication of the differences and similarities of these programmes, and a discussion on the concept of research lifecycles, as well as VRE components. These components were then matched with possible tools, as well as to research lifecycle stages, which led to the development of a first conceptual VRE framework. The third theme included an overview of the definitions of the concepts ‘data’ and ‘research data’, as well as RDM and related concepts, an investigation of international developments with regards to RDM, an overview of the differences and similarities of approaches followed internationally, and a discussion of RDM developments in South Africa. This was followed by a discussion of the concept ‘research data lifecycles’, their various stages, corresponding processes and the roles various stakeholders can play in each stage. The fourth theme consisted of a discussion of the relationship between research lifecycles and research data lifecycles, a discussion on the role of RDM as a component within a VRE, the management of research data by means of a VRE, as well as the presentation of a possible conceptual model for the management of research data by means of a VRE. This literature review was conducted as a background and basis for this study. In the second part of the study, the research methodology was outlined. The chosen methodology entailed a non-empirical part consisting of a literature study, and an empirical part consisting of two case studies from a South African University. The two case studies were specifically chosen because each used different methods in conducting research. The one case study used natural science oriented data and laboratory/experimental methods, and the other, human orientated data and survey instruments. The proposed conceptual model derived from the literature study was assessed through these case studies and feedback received was used to modify and/or enhance the conceptual model. The contribution of this study lies primarily in the presentation of a conceptual VRE model with distinct component layers and generic components, which can be used as technological and collaborative frameworks for the successful management of research data.<br>Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2018.<br>National Research Foundation<br>Information Science<br>DPhil<br>Unrestricted

The overall goal of this study was to better understand how the academic system affects change in instructional practices, referred to as instructional change, in engineering education. To accomplish this goal, and acknowledging the complex nature of academia, I used a technique designed to understand complex systems called System Dynamics Modeling. With such technique, I created a conceptual System Dynamics Model (SDM) that illustrates how the factors in the academic system interact dynamically to drive or hinder faculty motivation to adopt Research-based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) in their courses. The creation of this model followed a process that combined research literature with data gathered from 17 professors at an Engineering Department in another country. The model was constructed through an iterative process of systematically reviewing the literature, gather empirical data and creating Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD). The CLD are representations of the different causal relationships between elements in a system which ultimately create what we called virtuous or vicious (reinforcing) cycles and balancing cycles. The whole idea was not to find the causes for professors' motivation to change but how the factors in the academic system reinforce or limit such motivation. With this model I offered a different answer to the calls for change in engineering education toward increasing the pedagogical quality of our learning environments. My biggest argument is that previous instructional change initiatives have yielded low to moderate success, because effective instructional change would require a perspective that accounts for the complex nature of academia. With this study I am providing a different understanding of instructional change by using a system perspective that shows the interactions of elements within a complex system that ultimately influences faculty to adopt RBIS in their courses.<br>Doctor of Philosophy<br>The overall goal of this study was to better understand how the academic system affects change in instructional practices, referred to as instructional change, in engineering education. To accomplish this goal, and acknowledging the complex nature of academia, I used a technique designed to understand complex systems called System Dynamics Modeling. With such technique, I created a conceptual System Dynamics Model (SDM) that illustrates how the factors in the academic system interact dynamically to drive or hinder faculty motivation to adopt Research-based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) in their courses. The creation of this model followed a process that combined research literature with data gathered from 17 professors at an Engineering Department in another country. The model was constructed through an iterative process of systematically reviewing the literature, gather empirical data and creating Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD). The CLD are representations of the different causal relationships between elements in a system which ultimately create what we called virtuous or vicious (reinforcing) cycles and balancing cycles. The whole idea was not to find the causes for professors’ motivation to change but how the factors in the academic system reinforce or limit such motivation. With this model I offered a different answer to the calls for change in engineering education toward increasing the pedagogical quality of our learning environments. My biggest argument is that previous instructional change initiatives have yielded low to moderate success, because effective instructional change would require a perspective that accounts for the complex nature of academia. With this study I am providing a different understanding of instructional change by using a system perspective that shows the interactions of elements within a complex system that ultimately influences faculty to adopt RBIS in their courses.

I here have been very few studies carried out on enhancing CFC (Cross-functional Collaboration) for the product design development. nevertheless there is a clear consensus among researchers that this issue is a critical one in ne product design development. Besides, almost all of the research work, which attempted to encourage CFC in NPD situations, was carried out focused on the cross-functional team which is the most effective organisation type to encourage collaboration between other functional groups, rather than the functional organisation, which is difficult organisation to facilitate collaboration between other functional groups. On the other hand, there is still no clear evidence which proves that CFC improves the performance of' design development. Nevertheless, this proof is essential premise to support the value of producing the information to improve CFC for product design development. This research attempts to fill in this gap in the deficiency of research. This longitudinal research has been conducted with complementary research methods: a qualitative research and a quantitative research in the field. As the main body of this research, 15 key -decision makers for new product design development were interviewed and 243 questionnaires from eight leading consumer electronics companies in three countries (Korea, Japan. UK) were analysed. In conclusion, firstly, this research has proved there is a plus correlation between the level of CFC and several dimensions of the design development performance of consumer electronics products. Furthermore, a new framework model is developed and proposed after compressing and combining all vital findings of this research work. This developed model presents three major findings of this research. Firstly, the factors affecting CF C for design development of consumer electronics products, secondly, the priority of importance of these factors, and finally, factors directly contributing to design development performance in several dimensions. Overall, the findings of this research help to people what are valuable factors for building CFC climate and what are prior factor in a quandary concerning, where to concentrate their efforts so as to successfully implement their (TV to improve their design development performance. In particular, the findings of this research could further help designers and design managers who lack the experience and knowledge of collaboration situations in the rigid functional organisational boundaries, which many consumer electronics companies face.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.<br>The present research seeks to show the importance of applying process management techniques and food safety norms in the operational processes of the supply chain to know the meaning and the need for an integrated hybrid model. The article reviews the sugarcane distillery sector of Peru and its main operational problems. Based on the literature reviewed and discussed with academics who have knowledge of the food supply chain, an integrated hybrid model was developed to help any distillery with lower levels of competitiveness than its competitors in other sectors, such as pisco, applying techniques of process management and food safety to increase the efficiency of liquor distilleries. The findings confirm that distilleries can increase their efficiency, thanks to the higher performance of their operations after their alignment with the integrated model.<br>Revisión por pares

<p>Transport of chemical substances through a catchment depend to a large extent on the water content of the soil through which they are transported. When the groundwater level rise and fall, redox conditions change in the soil and the transport of substances is affected. </p><p>The aim of this study is to develop a hydrological model which is able to simulate soil water content at different depths and groundwater level in a soil profile. A new type of conceptual model is developed, which uses a continous represenation of the soil and soil water from the soil surface down to the bedrock. The model is intended to be applied on small catchments at a later stage. </p><p>The results show that the simulation of groundwater levels was greatly improved compared to previous results. Simulation of soil water content at selected depths is not yet satisfactory. The runoff simulation was accurate at one of the sites but did not work as well at the other. At one of the sites it was also possible to combine good simulations of runoff and groundwater levels but at the other it was only possible to obtain acceptable simulations of either runoff or groundwater. </p><p>It is suggested that model performance could be improved by letting the porosity decrease and the soil water content increase non-linearly with depth. Calculations of evaporation from soil and runoff also need to be modified.</p>

Community colleges continue to experience high levels of student attrition and low degree/certificate completion rates. Given extant literature, there appears to be a need to reexamine how interactions between students and the institution, and students and institutional agents are taking place, with the aim of identifying institutional practices that deleteriously or positively impact degree completion and thus guide colleges to develop action plans to improve conditions for student success. This study examined how factors such as institutional commitment to students, mattering, sense of belonging, interactions with diverse peers, perceptions of the campus climate, engagement/involvement, socio-academic integrative experiences, and goal commitment collectively affected community college students’ intent to persist to degree completion. The proposed model tested the tenability of seven propositions examining how the above constructs interact to influence intent to persist. The sample consisted of 2,088 multiply diverse community college students. The conceptual model was grounded on Astin’s (1991) Input-Environment-Outcome model and was tested in the context of structural equation modeling. Multiple group invariance analyses for race/ethnicity were conducted. The conceptual model explained 28% of the variance on intent to persist for Asian students, 21% for White students, and 19% for Latino/a students. Results indicated that transition support from family/friends exerted the highest effect on intent to persist across all racial/ethnic groups, followed by engagement/involvement, perceptions of mattering, interactions with diverse peers, GPA, goal commitment, and socio-academic integrative experiences, albeit varying by group. This study was the first in the literature to empirically demonstrate a causal effect between institutional commitment to students and perceptions of mattering. Mattering, in turn, exerted a moderate to strong influence on engagement/involvement, socio-academic integrative experiences, sense of belonging, and indirectly on intent to persist. Evidence in support of an omnibus “student development and success” construct, as alluded to by Wolf-Wendel, et al. (2009) is also presented. Of import to these findings is that while this construct explained a significant proportion of the variance for engagement/involvement, belonging, mattering, and interactions with diverse peers, the individual factors exerted an independent effect on intent to persist. Implications for theory, research, and practice are also discussed.

During the last two decades, there has been great interest in integrating computers and technology in higher education. Currently web tool services for learning have attracted researchers in the field of education technology to integrate eLearning within the learning environment. In particular, the Internet has become an increasingly important and novel feature of the modern learning environment. Amongst the innovations, a certain tool has become extremely popular worldwide. It is known as web 2.0. It is a read/write web. Blogs (web logs) are one its fastest growing features. The researcher investigated the exciting prospect of developing an eLearning environment by utilizing and applying effective blogs. To date there has been little use of blogs as online tools in higher education, especially in Saudi Arabia. This study concerned the disclosure of more understanding of the use of web 2.0 applications in higher education in Saudi universities. The first purpose of this study was to develop an eLearning model for web 2.0. Its second purpose was to examine learners' perceptions and attitudes toward web 2.0 applications, i.e. blog tools by exploring the relationship between learners' attitudes toward blog tool instructions and factors identified as potentially influencing these attitudes. This research adopted an approach based on an interpretive philosophical paradigm accompanied by a qualitative methodology coupled with action research methods. Learning theories were considered as a theoretical framework. The learning theories considered was Behaviorism, Cognitive and Constructivism with Bloom's Taxonomy and Boud's Model. Data was collected qualitatively and analyzed thematically. Triangulation was conducted upon the outcomes of the questionnaires, interviews, observations and blog content analysis. This research made four main contributions. First, it identified the factors that influenced learner acceptance for the use of blog tools in higher education. Second, it investigated the relationship between learners' attitudes and their acceptance of the utilization of blog tools within their learning environment. Third, it responded to calls from the literature review to investigate blog utilization by conducting an in-depth investigation that utilized qualitative methodology with action research. Lastly, it provided further insight and a better understanding of blog usage with respect to structured/ unstructured learning environments.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cleveland State University, 2009.<br>Abstract. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 29, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 376-390). Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center and also available in print.

Abstract The main focus of this study is the identification of factors influencing the use and effectiveness of information system development methodologies (Le., systems development methodologies) in health information systems. In essence, it can be viewed as exploratory research, utilizing a conceptual research model to investigate the relationships among the hypothesised factors. More specifically, classified as behavioural science, it combines two theoretical models, namely the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory. The main aim of behavioural science in information systems is to assist practitioners (Le., social actors) in improving business processes and competitiveness, thus the effective use of information systems. A wider view of behavioural science incorporates other social actors (e.g., end users) and organisational actors (e.g., executives). In health information systems, the effective use of information systems is especially relevant Health information systems are vital in the area of health care, since only by having access to pertinent health information, can the correct decisions relating to diagnostics and curative procedures be made. The use of systems development methodologies in health information systems development is therefore crucial, since they can make the development process more effective, while improving software quality. By empirically evaluating the conceptual research model, utilizing a survey as the main research method and structural equation modelling as the main statistical technique, meaningful results were obtained. Focussing on the factors influencing the individual's behavioural intent, it was found that the compatibility of systems development methodologies to the developer's pre-existing software development style is vital. Furthermore, performance expectancy, self-efficacy, organisational culture, policies, customer influence, voluntariness and facilitating conditions, all directly influenced the use of systems development methodologies, with policies and customer influence playing a significant role, especially in relation to health information systems. No significant direct effects or indirect effects could be established for the factors effort expectancy, personal innovativeness and social influence. It appears that individuals working in the health care software development discipline are more autonomous, less influenced by others. Also, the lack of support for the factor effort expectancy may indicate that systems development methodologies have entered a mature state, with less concern on the effort required for use. Furthermore, with regard to effectiveness and the continued use of information systems methodologies, satisfaction had a significant direct effect, with confirmation having a significant indirect effect. Keywords: behavioural science; conceptual research model; direct effect; exploratory research; Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory; indirect effect; Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology; structural equation modelling; survey; systems development methodologies.<br>Thesis (Ph.D. (Computer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Es ist eine weit verbreitete Wahrnehmung, dass der Übergang zwischen der Mathematik der gymnasialen Oberstufe und der Mathematik an der Universität für Studierende problematisch sein kann. Besondere Verständnisschwierigkeiten in Bereich der lineare Algebra (lA) bereiten den Studierenden die verschiedenen Herangehensweisen auf diesen beiden Ebenen. Dies lässt sich auf die strukturell-axiomatischer Herangehensweisen an die lA an der Universität, im Gegensatz zu ihrer arithmetisch-geometrischen Darstellung in der Schule, zurückführen. Dies bedingt ebenfalls Unterschiede im prozeduralen und konzeptuellen Verständnis. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, zu untersuchen, wie Schüler konzeptuelles Verständnis, Bezug nehmend auf die Theorien von concept definition/image in Verbindung mit multiplen Modi der Beschreibung und des Denkens von Konzepten wie Bilinearität z.B. Skalarprodukt und Multilinearität z.B. Determinanten gewinnen können. Um dies zu erreichen wurde eine substanzielle Lehr-Lernumgebung unter Verwendung einer dynamischen Geometriesoftware (DGS) entwickelt. Die Lerneinheit wurde an einem Berliner Gymnasium eingesetzt und dabei ein vollständiger design-based research Zyklus durchlaufen und eine multiple-level Datenanalyse durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung zeigen nicht nur, dass eine Erweiterung der Vorstellungen der Schüler, eine Entwicklung multipler Denkmodi und ein Gewinn tieferen konzeptuellen Verständnisses in der lA erfolgreich vermittelt werden können, sondern geben auch Einblicke in ein mögliches theoretisches Modell, mit dessen Hilfe sich diese Prozesse weiter untersuchen lassen. Weiterhin werden die interaktiven Lehr-Lernmaterialien für die weitere Verwendung im Rahmen von Lehre und Forschung zur Verfügung gestellt. Es öffnen sich neue Forschungsfragen hinsichtlich lokalen Axiomatisierens in der lA der gymnasialen Oberstufe, welches auf einer Integration geometrischer, algebraischer und axiomatischer Denkmodi, unterstützt durch DGS, basieren könnte.<br>A common perception among researchers in mathematics education is that the transition between secondary- and tertiary level of mathematics may be problematic for the students. In particular, the exact and abstract nature of the theory of Linear algebra versus its arithmetic-geometric presentation in school appears to be difficult for the novice students. The application of properties for defining concepts at university in contrast to their usage for describing concepts in school points out a possible occurrence of obstacles for learning and discrepancies in procedural and conceptual understanding. The aim of this study is to examine how could upper-high school students develop a conceptual understanding based on concept definition and concept image in connection to multiple modes of description and thinking about concepts such as bi-linearity exemplified by the dot product of vectors and multi-linearity exemplified by determinants. In order to achieve this, I have created a specific teaching/ learning sequence in a dynamic geometry environment (DGE), then implemented it and evaluated it in a high school in Berlin, following a complete cycle of design-based research and conducting a multiple-level data analysis. The findings of the study show not only that widening students' concept images, developing multiple modes of thinking and gaining deeper conceptual understanding can successfully be mediated by dynamic geometries, but also give insights into an eventual theoretical model of how can they be further examined. Moreover, the study promotes authorized open-source interactive teaching/ learning materials for further sustainable practice and research. It opens new research questions about revisiting axiomatic approaches on local levels in upper high-school Linear algebra which may base on the integration of all three modes of description and thinking geometric, algebraic and abstract possibly facilitated by DGE.<br>Честа перцепција кај многумина истражувачи во областа на математичкото образование е дека транзицијата помеѓу средното и високото образование по математика може да биде проблематична за студентите. Егзакноста и апстрактноста на теоријата по Линеарна алгебра наспроти нејзината аритметичко-геометриска презентација во средното гимназиско образование се покажува како особено тешка за студентите. Примена на својствата на математичките поими за нивно дефинирање на универзитетско ниво наспроти нивното употреба за опишување на претходно дефинирани поими на училишно ниво, укажува на можна појава на тешкотии при нивното изучување и несовпаѓање на процедуралното и концептуалното разбирање на истите. Целта на оваа студија е да истражи како средношколците би можеле да развијат концептуално разбирање на поимите врз основа на концепт дефиниција и концепт слика во врска со мулти-моди на мислење, конкретно за поими како билинеарност, пр. скаларен производ на вектори, и мултилинеарност, пр. детерминанти. За да ја постигнам оваа цел, креирав наставна содржина поддржана од еден динамичен геометриски систем (ДГС) и следејќи целосен циклус на т.н. design-based research и спрoведувајќи мулти-анализа на податоци, истата ја имплементирав и евалуирав во едно средно училиште во Берлин. Резултатите од студијата укажуваат не само на фактот дека проширувањето на концепт сликите на учениците, развојот на мулти-моди на мислење и стекнувањето на длабоко концептуално разбирање на поимите можат да бидат успешно посредувани од ДГС туку овозможија и увид во еден теоретски модел за тоа коко тие можат понатаму да се истражуваат. Уште повеќе, студијата промовира авторизирани open-source интерактивни материјали за предавање и учење на содржините кои може да служат за понатамошни одржливи истражувања и развој. Студијата отвора нови истражувачки прашања за средношколската Линеарна алгебра која може да се базира на интеграција на сите три моди на мислење, геометриски, алгебарски и апстрактен, поддржан од ДГС.

Yes<br>Information management is the management of organizational processes, technologies, and people which collectively create, acquire, integrate, organize, process, store, disseminate, access, and dispose of the information. Information management is a vast, multi-disciplinary domain that syndicates various subdomains and perfectly intermingles with other domains. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the information management domain from 1970 to 2019. Drawing upon the methodology from statistical text analysis research, this study summarizes the evolution of knowledge in this domain by examining the publication trends as per authors, institutions, countries, etc. Further, this study proposes a probabilistic generative model based on structural topic modeling to understand and extract the latent themes from the research articles related to information management. Furthermore, this study graphically visualizes the variations in the topic prevalences over the period of 1970 to 2019. The results highlight that the most common themes are data management, knowledge management, environmental management, project management, service management, and mobile and web management. The findings also identify themes such as knowledge management, environmental management, project management, and social communication as academic hotspots for future research.<br>The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 22 Jul 2022.

The literature review shows that student alternative conceptions or misconceptions are important for teaching and learning. Causes of such student difficulties may include the counter-intuitive nature of some chemistry concepts or to instruction itself. However, over 30 years research into student conceptual difficulties has had little impact on teaching and learning chemistry. In this study, a critical analysis and synthesis of published research into student conceptions in acid-base chemistry was carried out in the naturalist nomothetic paradigm using a constructivist framework. Historical models which were included were an operational macroscopic model and the theoretical Arrhenius and Brønsted models. Firstly, a comprehensive search strategy with defined inclusion/exclusion criteria identified 42 suitable reports which were mostly peer-reviewed. The identified research was not limited to Anglophone countries although Africa and South America were underrepresented and research among secondary students predominated. Then a critique of the research showed it was of variable quality and often poorly reported. An outcome was a set of guidelines for research into student conceptions. The variable quality and reporting of research then also necessitated a four-level framework to reflect the stability of descriptions of student difficulties. A new method for synthesis of descriptions of student conceptual difficulties was developed which entailed mapping qualitative data on the difficulties, which had been extracted from research publications, to propositional knowledge statements derived in this study. This was an iterative process which simultaneously honed descriptions of difficulties and illuminated propositional knowledge implicated in them. The second major outcome was synthesized descriptions of 10 student difficulties with acid-base species, 26 difficulties with acid-base properties and 17 difficulties concerning terminology and symbolism particular to acid-base chemistry. Some conceptions were also found to have been mis-reported as ‘misconceptions’. The difficulties could be broadly due to student conceptions concerning acid-base models, or students not relating empirical observations to theoretical models or their poor understanding of underlying chemical principles. Some difficulties were found to have been over-researched, while further work was needed to clarify the nature some difficulties with conceptions of bases, acid-base reactions, and symbolism used in acid-base chemistry. The third major outcome from the synthesis was 218 propositional knowledge statements which were shown to be suitable for teaching high-school students, avoided hybrid historical models and were acceptable to expert chemists. These propositional statements were integrated as a set of 11 concept maps. The maps showed the hierarchy and interconnectedness of concepts as well as the propositional links which had been implicated in the difficulties. Furthermore the concept maps indicated critical concepts where teaching in each topic should focus as well as cross-linked concepts that can be used to integrate different aspects of the topic. Accordingly they contribute to PCK in the acidbase topic as they represent the fine-grained yet well integrated conceptual knowledge characteristic of a teacher with highly developed PCK.<br>Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

D.Phil.<br>South African water resource management policies as well as the country's water law have been under review over the past three to four years. The Water Law Principles, which were established as part of this review process, indicate a commitment to sustainable development of water resources and the protection of an ecological "Reserve". Such policy goals highlight the limitations of conventional water quality management strategies which rely on stressor monitoring and associated regulation of pollution. The concept of an assimilative capacity is central to the conventional water quality management approach. Weaknesses inherent in basing water management on the concept of assimilative capacity are discussed. Response monitoring is proposed as a way of addressing some of the weaknesses. In fact, the inadequate use of biological indicators and techniques in monitoring and evaluating the quality of resources has been identified as a major factor responsible for the continuing decline in the health of natural resource systems. With advances in environmental monitoring over the last decade, it has become clear that biological techniques and protocols need to become part of monitoring in order to allow effective assessment and protection of aquatic resources. One way of incorporating response measures into resource assessment is through the use of toxicological assays. As an example, a toxicological assessment of the environmental risk associated with an organic pesticide (fenthion) is presented. Acute and chronic assays were conducted with a spectrum of test organisms. These toxicological response results provided an ability to predict the ecosystem response that can be expected from certain concentrations of fenthion in the environment. Theoretically, it would be possible to design a risk assessment experiment for every new anthropogenic substance. However, in terms of cost and time, it would not be practically feasible to execute such experiments. To overcome this problem, a method has been developed to derive water quality criteria for toxic substances using existing toxicological data. This provides water resource managers with a readily available set of values to guide them in decision-making. It is demonstrated how available acute and chronic toxicity data can be synthesised into acute and chronic water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life. As these criteria are intended to extend protection to ecosystems country-wide, they are very conservative by design. Although a set of numeric water quality criteria provides an important tool to water quality managers, the limitations associated with the use of these criteria must be recognised. x Limitations relate either to the design of toxicity experiments or to the use of a chemical-specific approach alone in water resource management. In order to overcome these limitations, three broad supporting technologies are proposed, namely whole effluent toxicity (WET) testing, sitespecific adjustment of water quality criteria, and in-stream biological assessments. Whole effluent testing aims at evaluating the toxic effects of an effluent on organisms. In doing so, acute and chronic toxicity testing (and thus biological responses) becomes part of effluent regulation. An effluent control programme that incorporates toxicity-based standards and compliance criteria is proposed. One of several approaches that can be used for deriving site-specific water quality criteria is the calculation of a water-effect ratio. It is demonstrated that the water-effect ratio method could result in significant adjustments to the national water quality criteria. Although more development and local testing would be required, such site-specific criteria could be in the interest of both ecosystem protection and economic development. In-stream biological assessments introduces a type of response monitoring which provides insight into the overall integrity of aquatic ecosystems. A comprehensive biomonitoring programme is designed. To adhere to the objectives of this programme, specifications have been developed for the selection of sampling sites, the selection of biological and habitat indicators, and the management of the resulting data. This programme is referred to as the River Health Programme (RHP). The ultimate aim of any monitoring programme is to provide useful data. Such data must contribute to effective decision-making. To ensure that the RHP becomes truly operational as a management information system, a step-wise procedure is proposed for linking the collected data with management actions. It is demonstrated how following of this systematic and iterative procedure would facilitate ongoing learning and improvement of the individual steps (e.g. data collection and assessment, goal setting, selection and implementation of management actions) as well as the overall procedure. As a final step, the dynamics that influence the transition of any new technology from scientific development to operational application are explored. The RHP is used as a case study and theoretical models from the field of the management of technology are used to provide valuable insights. Four key components of the RHP design are analysed, namely the (a) guiding team, (b) concepts, tools and methods, (c) infra-structural innovations and (d) communication. These key components evolved over three broad life stages of the programme, which are called the design, growth and anchoring stages.

In this knowledge economy, organizations are leveraging their competence through the knowledge they possess. Managing knowledge will potentially retain the competence held by the organization if knowledge generated across its projects and units is captured, structured and reused. Even though many tools and techniques are proposed in the literature to support these activities, their adoption in industry has been meagre. This may be due to development of tools without basing them on substantial and careful descriptive studies. This raises the following research issues: the knowledge processes and knowledge sources available in organizations and their characteristics need to be understood better. To address these gaps, following objectives are addressed in this research: ♦ To understand the specific needs and capability of the organization for capture and reuse of product development knowledge and ♦ To evaluate various alternative supports for capture and structure of relevant, evolving product development knowledge for reuse. To address these objectives, two observational studies were conducted in the organizations. To get a broader picture about the knowledge processes occurring in the organization, a KRIT model is proposed which is an acronym for Knowledge of solutions-Requirements-Interactions-Tasks, in which interactions of the designers with people and tools play the central role in processing knowledge during design. The KRIT model is validated through the demonstration of the existence of its nodes and links. From the observations it has been found that interactions ‘designer working with computer’, ‘two designers working with a computer’ and ‘two designers interacting with each other’ are most frequently occurred, and occupied most of the time during designing. Any tools to support knowledge capture and reuse should support these interactions such that capture and reuse can be intuitive and in-built in a natural way into a designer’s work habits. It is emphasized that there is a substantial need to increase the percentage of time spent by designers on capturing knowledge during the design process. This increase in time would lead to decrease in a designers’ time spent on knowledge acquisition and dissemination provided designers are capturing reusable knowledge. To answer capture and reuse of knowledge in detail in the observational studies, a new taxonomy of knowledge is proposed. By linking the representations of argumentation, designer’s activities, and the artefact being designed, we argued that the expressiveness of this taxonomy is high compared to the others proposed in the literature. The taxonomy has three broad categories of knowledge: topics, classes, and activities. Based on the definitions of the factors used in the taxonomy and the analysis of the protocols, the factors in each group under each category are argued to be mutually exclusive. In order to study the links between the proposed categories and factors in the taxonomy of knowledge, a method for converting the questions and answers (from the protocol data) into a generic format is framed. The taxonomy is validated comprehensively, and is able to cover various stages of design. Most of the designers’ time was spent working with a CAD package, in which most of the kinds of knowledge mentioned in the proposed taxonomy of knowledge was neither captured not reused. The important observations noted by comparing the knowledge captured in the preliminary study and the main study are as follows: Compared to the preliminary study, process related information and knowledge are captured higher in the main study. In the main study behavioural related content is captured more; whereas in the preliminary study structural content is captured more. The factors organization, usage, maintenance and sales captured in the preliminary study are not at all captured in the main study. In order to assess the usefulness of the knowledge captured, the kinds of knowledge needs of designers were compared with the kinds of knowledge captured. The important observations about the knowledge needs are: Irrespective of the design stages, in almost 50% of the questions, designers interacted with others to know about old issues or proposals in both the studies. A designer’s time for designing would benefit considerably if the answers for these 50% of the old questions were captured and made available for retrieval in formal documents. In both the studies, proposals based questions played a vital role in the questions analyzed. It shows that considerable proportion of time was spent by the designers on validating, by asking questions, the answers known to them. In contrast to the preliminary study, the designers’ needs for process-related information or knowledge were much higher than that for product-related information or knowledge. Comparing the generic questions obtained from the knowledge needs and knowledge captured reveals that only 14% and 26% with product related content and only 10% and 11.3% of the process based content asked by designers during designing were captured in the preliminary and the main study. These results show that there is a mismatch between knowledge captured and knowledge needed by the designers. This may be one of the primary reasons for the poor usage of documents in the organization. The generic questions generated from the questions asked by the designers and various documents will act as a guideline to the designers for what knowledge and information should and should not to be captured. Due to restrictions in the observations, a questionnaire survey was conducted to achieve the objective to collect 10% of total number of employees’ perspectives about the issues considered in this research. The important observations from the analyses of the collected questionnaire are: Designers’ perceive all types of interactions as important and frequent for information generation and sharing. These results are contradictory to the personal observations in which only interactions ‘designer working with computer’ and ‘two designers working with a computer’ occurred frequently. This shows that designers are unable to identify the kinds of interaction which they perform in their daily activities. Due to this, the information processes occurring within these interactions are not perceptible to the designers. Designers perceive that they get the right information at the right time in only 4 or more out of 10 for most of the times. This perception illustrates there is substantial need for the development of support to satisfy the information needs of designers. Analyses of the types of questions reveal that the question asking behavior of the designers is not static; the major share of questions falling under the category ‘question from answer given’ could be interpreted as: designers often do not frame exact questions to fulfil their requirements; they grab the opportunity to take as much as knowledge as possible during an interaction. Analyses of the types of answers reveal that designers gave more inferences on their answers in order to give a better response, which in turn should help reduce the number of questions subsequently asked especially in the protocol coded as ‘new answer’. Two studies have been used to assess the effectiveness of seven tools for supporting knowledge capture and reuse. The important observations from the initial study are: Mobile E-Notes TakerTM is ranked higher because this equipment provides a blend of properties between the paper and computer. These observations stress the importance of features provided for knowledge generation, modification, capture and reuse in the system. The observations from analyzing the three top rated tools (Mobile E-Notes TakerTM, Tablet with viewing facility and Computer with RhinocerosTM CAD package) to understand influence of these tools on knowledge capture and reuse during conceptual designing are: The differences observed in the percentage of capture between the usage of the three tools demonstrate that tools have an influence on the knowledge capture activity. Even though none of the three tools capture adequate knowledge during designing, Mobile e-Notes TakerTM seems to be the best tool for capture compared to the other two tools, both in the original and redesign experiments. These results suggest that some other mechanisms should be added to these tools so that their effectiveness of capturing could be increased. One mechanism is to incorporate the proposed KRIT model and the taxonomy of knowledge during designing. This integration will be one of the good mechanisms to aid knowledge capture and reuse, because the knowledge capture will occur along with the knowledge creation process. We believe that through this integration the purpose to enhance the knowledge capture and reuse during the design process will be achieved.

In this knowledge economy, organizations are leveraging their competence through the knowledge they possess. Managing knowledge will potentially retain the competence held by the organization if knowledge generated across its projects and units is captured, structured and reused. Even though many tools and techniques are proposed in the literature to support these activities, their adoption in industry has been meagre. This may be due to development of tools without basing them on substantial and careful descriptive studies. This raises the following research issues: the knowledge processes and knowledge sources available in organizations and their characteristics need to be understood better. To address these gaps, following objectives are addressed in this research: ♦ To understand the specific needs and capability of the organization for capture and reuse of product development knowledge and ♦ To evaluate various alternative supports for capture and structure of relevant, evolving product development knowledge for reuse. To address these objectives, two observational studies were conducted in the organizations. To get a broader picture about the knowledge processes occurring in the organization, a KRIT model is proposed which is an acronym for Knowledge of solutions-Requirements-Interactions-Tasks, in which interactions of the designers with people and tools play the central role in processing knowledge during design. The KRIT model is validated through the demonstration of the existence of its nodes and links. From the observations it has been found that interactions ‘designer working with computer’, ‘two designers working with a computer’ and ‘two designers interacting with each other’ are most frequently occurred, and occupied most of the time during designing. Any tools to support knowledge capture and reuse should support these interactions such that capture and reuse can be intuitive and in-built in a natural way into a designer’s work habits. It is emphasized that there is a substantial need to increase the percentage of time spent by designers on capturing knowledge during the design process. This increase in time would lead to decrease in a designers’ time spent on knowledge acquisition and dissemination provided designers are capturing reusable knowledge. To answer capture and reuse of knowledge in detail in the observational studies, a new taxonomy of knowledge is proposed. By linking the representations of argumentation, designer’s activities, and the artefact being designed, we argued that the expressiveness of this taxonomy is high compared to the others proposed in the literature. The taxonomy has three broad categories of knowledge: topics, classes, and activities. Based on the definitions of the factors used in the taxonomy and the analysis of the protocols, the factors in each group under each category are argued to be mutually exclusive. In order to study the links between the proposed categories and factors in the taxonomy of knowledge, a method for converting the questions and answers (from the protocol data) into a generic format is framed. The taxonomy is validated comprehensively, and is able to cover various stages of design. Most of the designers’ time was spent working with a CAD package, in which most of the kinds of knowledge mentioned in the proposed taxonomy of knowledge was neither captured not reused. The important observations noted by comparing the knowledge captured in the preliminary study and the main study are as follows: Compared to the preliminary study, process related information and knowledge are captured higher in the main study. In the main study behavioural related content is captured more; whereas in the preliminary study structural content is captured more. The factors organization, usage, maintenance and sales captured in the preliminary study are not at all captured in the main study. In order to assess the usefulness of the knowledge captured, the kinds of knowledge needs of designers were compared with the kinds of knowledge captured. The important observations about the knowledge needs are: Irrespective of the design stages, in almost 50% of the questions, designers interacted with others to know about old issues or proposals in both the studies. A designer’s time for designing would benefit considerably if the answers for these 50% of the old questions were captured and made available for retrieval in formal documents. In both the studies, proposals based questions played a vital role in the questions analyzed. It shows that considerable proportion of time was spent by the designers on validating, by asking questions, the answers known to them. In contrast to the preliminary study, the designers’ needs for process-related information or knowledge were much higher than that for product-related information or knowledge. Comparing the generic questions obtained from the knowledge needs and knowledge captured reveals that only 14% and 26% with product related content and only 10% and 11.3% of the process based content asked by designers during designing were captured in the preliminary and the main study. These results show that there is a mismatch between knowledge captured and knowledge needed by the designers. This may be one of the primary reasons for the poor usage of documents in the organization. The generic questions generated from the questions asked by the designers and various documents will act as a guideline to the designers for what knowledge and information should and should not to be captured. Due to restrictions in the observations, a questionnaire survey was conducted to achieve the objective to collect 10% of total number of employees’ perspectives about the issues considered in this research. The important observations from the analyses of the collected questionnaire are: Designers’ perceive all types of interactions as important and frequent for information generation and sharing. These results are contradictory to the personal observations in which only interactions ‘designer working with computer’ and ‘two designers working with a computer’ occurred frequently. This shows that designers are unable to identify the kinds of interaction which they perform in their daily activities. Due to this, the information processes occurring within these interactions are not perceptible to the designers. Designers perceive that they get the right information at the right time in only 4 or more out of 10 for most of the times. This perception illustrates there is substantial need for the development of support to satisfy the information needs of designers. Analyses of the types of questions reveal that the question asking behavior of the designers is not static; the major share of questions falling under the category ‘question from answer given’ could be interpreted as: designers often do not frame exact questions to fulfil their requirements; they grab the opportunity to take as much as knowledge as possible during an interaction. Analyses of the types of answers reveal that designers gave more inferences on their answers in order to give a better response, which in turn should help reduce the number of questions subsequently asked especially in the protocol coded as ‘new answer’. Two studies have been used to assess the effectiveness of seven tools for supporting knowledge capture and reuse. The important observations from the initial study are: Mobile E-Notes TakerTM is ranked higher because this equipment provides a blend of properties between the paper and computer. These observations stress the importance of features provided for knowledge generation, modification, capture and reuse in the system. The observations from analyzing the three top rated tools (Mobile E-Notes TakerTM, Tablet with viewing facility and Computer with RhinocerosTM CAD package) to understand influence of these tools on knowledge capture and reuse during conceptual designing are: The differences observed in the percentage of capture between the usage of the three tools demonstrate that tools have an influence on the knowledge capture activity. Even though none of the three tools capture adequate knowledge during designing, Mobile e-Notes TakerTM seems to be the best tool for capture compared to the other two tools, both in the original and redesign experiments. These results suggest that some other mechanisms should be added to these tools so that their effectiveness of capturing could be increased. One mechanism is to incorporate the proposed KRIT model and the taxonomy of knowledge during designing. This integration will be one of the good mechanisms to aid knowledge capture and reuse, because the knowledge capture will occur along with the knowledge creation process. We believe that through this integration the purpose to enhance the knowledge capture and reuse during the design process will be achieved.

This study originally emanated from the debate on value creation through projects, which has become more prevalent in project management literature in recent times. Earned value analysis, which is widely used to measure and report the performance of project value, does not include the occurrence of value leaks in its calculations and reporting. Although there is a scarcity of literature on the issue of value leaks during project deployment, it is considered to be a big issue which can make or break a project’s value success. This lack of research is more pronounced in network expansion projects in the Ghanaian telecommunication industry, however, considering the level of investment by these network operators, and their contribution to economic growth, the occurrence of value leaks can be suspected. Therefore, the overall aim of the study was to develop a diagnostic model that aids in the easy identification of value leaks, so that they can be controlled, and remedied to minimise the forgone unrealised project value. In view of this, the study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed research design. The qualitative phase employed a multiple-case study approach to explore the concept of value leaks and the extent to which it becomes problematic in delivering overall project value. The quantitative phase, through a survey study, adopted factor analysis to test and validate the findings from the case study, and analyses were also performed to test the conceptual model fit to the retained dataset. The findings culminated in the development of the “Value Leaks-Flashlight”, with an add-on called the “Tolerable Nut” to theorise the concept of value leaks. This practical establishment of the value leak concept cemented the development of the value leaks diagnostic model through the application of the “CIIR” acronym, which fulfils the overall aim of the study. The study contributes to the contemporary literature in the field of project management, as the concept of project value leaks is still gaining prominence, and only a few empirical studies have thus far been conducted. The concept of value leaks enlightens the perspective of project management practitioners in their quest to achieve value through projects.<br>Business Management<br>D. Phil. (Management Studies)

碩士<br>朝陽科技大學<br>企業管理系碩士班<br>97<br>Wedding photographs consumption is an inevitable consumption when marriage in Chinese society. The purpose of this paper is an attempt to understand customers'' perceptions and experiences of well-being in bridal photography services. The results are: 1. The consumption well-being during information searching stage was consisted of consumer vision. Consumer vision constructed expectation of consuming experiences and led consumers to follow up the consuming activities. 2. The consuming well-being during interactivity stage was came from the wedding photographs, the achievement of consumer vision, and the internal value of unique consuming experiences. 3. The consuming well-being during outcome exhibition stage was consisted of the compliments from guests who have seen the wedding photos and other exhibition in wedding. 4. As consuming activity was being preceded, the input of individual resource, the experiencing interflowed with other people would bring consuming well-being of wedding photography. Consumer idea-creating and contractor presented outcome which was produced together. Emotion was raised from individuality after comparing by multi-direction that would appear three connotations. First, people had appearance of perceived value and satisfaction after individuality multiple-comparison. Second, the achievement of self-affirmation and other person’s affirmation were appeared at the end of outcome exhibition. Finally, it was constructed by sense of harmonization and belongingness in the transactional interactivity.

This study focuses on the development of a validated and confirmed employee engagement measuring model for use by managers and academia. Data was collected from an array of South African managers by employing a structured 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. A total of 260 usable questionnaires could be analysed, signifying a high response rate of 80%. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (Version 18, Version 22.0 and AMOS for Windows) was used as the quantitative analytical software. The following statistical techniques were employed to analyse the data, namely the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy, Bartlett‟s test of sphericity, Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficients, Exploratory factor analysis, Confirmatory factor analysis and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The development of the Measure Employee Engagement model wielded theoretical and empirical research. The format was structured into four logical stages, hence the presentation of the study in the approved article format. The study covers the following four steps (as per articles): Article one departed by performing a literature study of employee engagement constructs and its measuring criteria. It examined the application of a myriad of models in various application settings to identify the relevant constructs and measuring criteria. From these constructs and criteria, a draft questionnaire was constructed to collect the data on 11 employee engagement constructs. Validation of measuring criteria was performed to ensure that the criteria accurately measure the specific employee engagement construct. The data was also tested for acceptable reliability levels. The second article departs on the validation of the constructs and its measuring criteria, this time as a unified model and not, as performed in Article 1, the construct validation individually. The objective of this article was to simplify the complex model without deterioration of the measuring contribution thereof. This was achieved by employing factor analysis, and after four rounds of eliminating low-loading and dual-loading criteria, the questionnaire was reduced by 25 measuring criteria and seven factors were extracted explaining a favourable 69.75% of the variance. The simplified model was scrutinised to ascertain statistical validity thereof, an objective achieved with flying colours. The inter-correlations between the seven factors were satisfactory, underpinning the validity of the model. The third article focuses on confirming the employee engagement constructs statistically by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis as well as to determine the goodness of the model fit. The results confirmed that all seven constructs were significant (p<0.05) and important according to the standardised regression weights. Surprisingly, the most important respondent construct Behavioural engagement had the lowest regression weight, while the lower rated Career growth opportunities showed a much higher regression weight – signifying a higher importance and influence on employee engagement. Regarding goodness of model fit, the CFI, RMSEA and Hoelter‟s indices‟ were used. These indices showed that the model as stated above to measure employee engagement is a good fit and that it can be operationalised to be employed in managerial application settings. Article four operationalised the model validated in Articles 2 and 3. The article thus reports on the actual measurement of the different employee engagement constructs as perceived by the respondents. The results showed that the respondents regarded all seven the constructs as important, with Behavioural employment being regarded as the most important one. Career growth opportunities, surprisingly, was rated the least important construct of employee engagement. Correlational analysis indicated that no significant correlation coefficients exist between the demographic variables and the constructs of employee engagement. The study consisted of both a literature study as well as an empirical study. The university libraries of the North-West University and Management College of South Africa‟s Business School were used to source reference materials with the aid of a specialised research librarian at the North-West University to assist in the location of the most appropriate sources. Apart from the conclusions based on the results obtained in model development, generalised conclusions include the development of a successful model development methodology and guidance in the use of a number of the statistical techniques. This could greatly assist future researchers in the design of their studies, even outside the discipline of employee engagement.<br>PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The value of small firms to the economy is recognised globally (Storey, 2003). In Australia small firms encompass 97 percent of all private sector businesses. Of particular interest to this research is the tourism industry, which is currently experiencing substantial turbulence. The tourism industry, like many other service sectors, is comprised mainly of small firms. Despite difficult conditions these small tourism enterprises remain key providers of services in Australia and continue to make an important contribution to both export activity and employment. There are many sectors that make up this industry, including accommodation, transport, attractions, cafes, bars and restaurants. Because of their interconnectedness there is a high degree of interdependence for these businesses. For example, the small motel sector is an important accommodation provider for travellers and a needed service by other tourism enterprises in the transport and attractions sectors. However, government agencies feel that these organisations may not be performing as well as they could be. Government concern about standards and the professionalism of tourism and related sectors has been the impetus for a number of support programs and accreditation schemes. Emerging from this concern is a need to better understand the influence that the owner-managers of these firms have on improved business performance outcomes; but study of business performance has been difficult as the performance construct incorporates many diverse and complex dimensions. Of relevance to this study is the considerable work by researchers of performance management in large manufacturing firms, where, in recent years the focus has turned to more holistic approaches to measuring performance. However, little has been done to utilise this knowledge for small tourism enterprises, and in particular small motels, as key service providers. Given that the management activities of business managers and the impact they have on business performance have been widely studied in large business there is a need for further research in the area in small motels. Therefore, the main question, which this research has attempted to answer in relation to small motels, is: How effective are the existing strategic management business performance measurement models for improved business performance in the small motel sector? This research employs a mixed method approach in an effort to draw on the existing performance measurement models to develop and test a performance measurement system (PMS) for firms and small motels specifically. A literature review of performance measurement and small business management research is utilised to develop a conceptual PMS for small motels. This review underpins the research, comprising a series of interviews with industry experts, which are used to refine the model for small motels. The refined model is empirically tested with small motel owner-managers using a case study approach. The six research issues explored in this research aim to solve the main research problem. In summary, the case research generally confirms the conceptual model as refined by the experts’ findings with some modifications. Overall, the research highlights that there are three components that need to be addressed in the PMS for small motels. The two key dimensions are the drivers and the results. To indicate how the two inter-relate in achieving the desired business results, a third component - a cycle of performance management for improvement, which includes processes of measuring and monitoring dimensions, is also included. Essentially, the cycle of performance management and measurement starts with the drivers, which determine the results. The drivers include the stakeholders’ and ownermanager’s wants and needs, which guide the strategy formulation and implementation and the firm’s capabilities and processes. The drivers are managed by the ownermanager to determine the business results. The results are measured by the outputs and the outcomes. The motel’s outputs are a result of the motel’s activities and are assessed by a balance of both financial and non-financial measures. The outcomes are the final product of the motel’s outputs and in the small motels are measured by both stakeholder and owner-manager satisfaction. Measures provide information about both the output and outcome results and are obtained during the measurement and monitoring process. Finally, the review system is concerned with the relationship between the drivers and the results to ensure continuous improvement and the delivery of the stakeholders’ desired wants and needs. In the small motels, a continuous improvement process is undertaken via a simple and informal system of control, review and deployment whereby the employees, customers and networks play a crucial role. The findings of this research contribute both to small business management and measurement theory, as well as providing a basis to guide small business policy makers and managers. As the methodology adopted in this research utilises a mixed method approach, part of which depends on case study research, recommendations rather than generalisations are presented. In order to generalise these findings to the wider small motel or small business sector there is a need for further research using a positivist survey approach. There is also an opportunity to conduct research to test this model with other industry sectors, where the unit of study would be selected from a different population of small firms. In conclusion, the final PMS for the small motels answers the research problem and highlights that existing performance measurement systems developed for large firms can be modified for the purpose of aiding improved performance in small motels. The PMS developed in this research is an holistic and integrated model that has not yet been widely studied with regard to small firms. The PMS for small motels, built and tested in this research, contributes to the field of performance management and provides a basis for further theory building.

碩士<br>大葉大學<br>資訊管理學系碩士班<br>92<br>With effective technology transfer and successful technology commercialization，Technology receiver could raise its technology level , becoming more productive, saving research cost and preventing the risk of research failure。Non-Profit research organization which government would fully support have superior research members and innovation ability，therefore，it is the best choice for doing technology innovation research。 Most of the current study discussed the technology transfer issue and technology commercialization issue separately，so that many of the technology innovation need too much time to commercialize。It is an important issue that how research organization and technology receiver to commercialize the new technology and transfer it effectively。If research organization could take the factors that effect the commercialization into consideration at the beginning of new technology development, it will raise the opportunity of successful technology commercialization. The paper integrated both new technology commercialization and technology transfer issues，proposing a conceptual model which define the roles and how to collaboration so that technology researcher and technology receiver could follow in the whole process of new technology commercialization and transfer and for the purpose of shortening the period of new technology commercialization and raise the opportunity of successful technology commercialization and transfer。

碩士<br>國立臺灣科技大學<br>管理研究所<br>91<br>The main purpose of this study is to build a 〝Conceptual model on resources integration of military and civil logistics management system〞 . Moreover, the study provides the operating process and critical successful factors that play key roles to transform the current military logistics management system into the logistics management system with integration of resources of military and civilian. The logistics management system is expected to improve the efficiency of logistics operation and reduce the operating cost and the military budget. By collecting and analyzing of historical lectures, the study induces the optimal integrated resources module of the military logistics management system 〝Multiple Integrated Module〞 (At first, integrating distribution system, storage system and transportation system of logistics management internally and then joining with production system by external integration)and the developing process from the current module to the optimal module. We also provide the instantiated structure from the abstract multiple integrated module. The conclusion is the conceptual model on resources integration of military and civil logistics management system, which is built by the relation of three components. The three components are the optimal integrated resources module of the military logistics management system, the method of resources integration of military and civil logistics management system, and the relational module of resources integration of military and civil logistics management system. Finally, the study also provides the internal and external critical successful factors and operations of each steps applying the conceptual model on resources integration of military and civil logistics management system.

The value of small firms to the economy is recognised globally (Storey, 2003). In Australia small firms encompass 97 percent of all private sector businesses. Of particular interest to this research is the tourism industry, which is currently experiencing substantial turbulence. The tourism industry, like many other service sectors, is comprised mainly of small firms. Despite difficult conditions these small tourism enterprises remain key providers of services in Australia and continue to make an important contribution to both export activity and employment. There are many sectors that make up this industry, including accommodation, transport, attractions, cafes, bars and restaurants. Because of their interconnectedness there is a high degree of interdependence for these businesses. For example, the small motel sector is an important accommodation provider for travellers and a needed service by other tourism enterprises in the transport and attractions sectors. However, government agencies feel that these organisations may not be performing as well as they could be. Government concern about standards and the professionalism of tourism and related sectors has been the impetus for a number of support programs and accreditation schemes. Emerging from this concern is a need to better understand the influence that the owner-managers of these firms have on improved business performance outcomes; but study of business performance has been difficult as the performance construct incorporates many diverse and complex dimensions. Of relevance to this study is the considerable work by researchers of performance management in large manufacturing firms, where, in recent years the focus has turned to more holistic approaches to measuring performance. However, little has been done to utilise this knowledge for small tourism enterprises, and in particular small motels, as key service providers. Given that the management activities of business managers and the impact they have on business performance have been widely studied in large business there is a need for further research in the area in small motels. Therefore, the main question, which this research has attempted to answer in relation to small motels, is: How effective are the existing strategic management business performance measurement models for improved business performance in the small motel sector? This research employs a mixed method approach in an effort to draw on the existing performance measurement models to develop and test a performance measurement system (PMS) for firms and small motels specifically. A literature review of performance measurement and small business management research is utilised to develop a conceptual PMS for small motels. This review underpins the research, comprising a series of interviews with industry experts, which are used to refine the model for small motels. The refined model is empirically tested with small motel owner-managers using a case study approach. The six research issues explored in this research aim to solve the main research problem. In summary, the case research generally confirms the conceptual model as refined by the experts’ findings with some modifications. Overall, the research highlights that there are three components that need to be addressed in the PMS for small motels. The two key dimensions are the drivers and the results. To indicate how the two inter-relate in achieving the desired business results, a third component - a cycle of performance management for improvement, which includes processes of measuring and monitoring dimensions, is also included. Essentially, the cycle of performance management and measurement starts with the drivers, which determine the results. The drivers include the stakeholders’ and ownermanager’s wants and needs, which guide the strategy formulation and implementation and the firm’s capabilities and processes. The drivers are managed by the ownermanager to determine the business results. The results are measured by the outputs and the outcomes. The motel’s outputs are a result of the motel’s activities and are assessed by a balance of both financial and non-financial measures. The outcomes are the final product of the motel’s outputs and in the small motels are measured by both stakeholder and owner-manager satisfaction. Measures provide information about both the output and outcome results and are obtained during the measurement and monitoring process. Finally, the review system is concerned with the relationship between the drivers and the results to ensure continuous improvement and the delivery of the stakeholders’ desired wants and needs. In the small motels, a continuous improvement process is undertaken via a simple and informal system of control, review and deployment whereby the employees, customers and networks play a crucial role. The findings of this research contribute both to small business management and measurement theory, as well as providing a basis to guide small business policy makers and managers. As the methodology adopted in this research utilises a mixed method approach, part of which depends on case study research, recommendations rather than generalisations are presented. In order to generalise these findings to the wider small motel or small business sector there is a need for further research using a positivist survey approach. There is also an opportunity to conduct research to test this model with other industry sectors, where the unit of study would be selected from a different population of small firms. In conclusion, the final PMS for the small motels answers the research problem and highlights that existing performance measurement systems developed for large firms can be modified for the purpose of aiding improved performance in small motels. The PMS developed in this research is an holistic and integrated model that has not yet been widely studied with regard to small firms. The PMS for small motels, built and tested in this research, contributes to the field of performance management and provides a basis for further theory building.

An ‘environmentally-benign design’ is defined as that which causes little or no harm to the natural environment and may be achieved by reducing the environmental impact of the design solutions conceptualised, to be eventually embodied into a product. During the early stages of design, iterative design activities of generation, evaluation, modification and selection are performed to affirm alternatives to a design solution from several fragmented and highly abstract ideas. Thus, the designer takes critical decisions with respect to the various criteria, such as, cost, aesthetics, ergonomics, environment, etc., and these cannot be easily rectified at later stages. Therefore, it is imperative to support sound decisionmaking at this stage of design, as it is at the conceptual stage that most number of decisions are taken and in turn, the environmental footprint of a design is committed. Thus, to support environmentally-benign design decisions at conceptual stage, appropriate selection of concept from a number of solution-variants is critical, and requires the support of evaluation of these solution-variants with respect to its environmental impact. However, these solution-variants are characterised as being highly abstract, lacking concrete descriptions and having incomplete information with respect to life cycle, making it challenging to estimate environmental impact with accuracy. This dissertation illustrates, through empirical study, the merit in making available environmental impact values of solutions for concept selection at an early stage which in turn, improves the design decisions and the environmentalbenignity of the overall design. The contributions of this research are towards (i) design domain, through ontological description of conceptual solutions grounded in quantifiable constructs (of SAPPhIRE), while capturing the inherent abstraction of this stage; (ii) evaluation with respect to environment, by identifying uncertainty prevalent in conceptual stage with respect to LCA and estimating the EI of a solution, with associated uncertainty, and (iii) supporting real-time design decision-making by the prescribed ‘concepTe’ tool. An acronym for ‘conceptual design Tool for environmentally-benign design’, the tool aims to support designer’s in taking real-time design decisions during conceptualisation by aiding in the evaluation of the solutions being designed, by a proposed method for estimating Environmental Impact (EI) of a solution, with uncertainty association. A ‘proof of concept’ of the intended tool is further evaluated for its effectiveness, through empirical studies, and is found to show promise in supporting environmentally benign design at conceptual stage

This thesis is concerned with the process of knowledge acquisition and utilisation through marketing research in tourism. Its main objective is to determine the factors that lead to a marketing research orientation in tourism organisations. A conceptual model of antecedents and consequences of marketing research in tourism is constructed within a framework of theories of the sociology of knowledge and the diffusion of innovations. The model is tested using data gained through structured personal interviews with marketing and marketing research executives in a sample of the largest Australian tourism organisations.

This thesis is concerned with the process of knowledge acquisition and utilisation through marketing research in tourism. Its main objective is to determine the factors that lead to a marketing research orientation in tourism organisations. A conceptual model of antecedents and consequences of marketing research in tourism is constructed within a framework of theories of the sociology of knowledge and the diffusion of innovations. The model is tested using data gained through structured personal interviews with marketing and marketing research executives in a sample of the largest Australian tourism organisations.

碩士<br>國立臺灣師範大學<br>生命科學研究所<br>95<br>Based on the theories of Dual Situated Learning Model (DSLM), this research is primed on modifying the introduction methods of “human circulatory system” for junior high school students. The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference between DSLM and conventional methods through the Biology Concept Diagnostic Instrument (BCDI). In addition, the experimental group’s conceptual change was analyzed from the data collected in the process of learning events as well as in the pre-, post- and retention semi-structured interviews. This study adopted a quasi-experimental design. Six seventh-grade classes were recruited, 3 classes (a total of 89 students) served as the experimental group under the DSLM system, the remaining 3 classes (a total of 91 students) served as the control group under the conventional system. The results from the analysis of the Biology Concept Diagnostic Instrument indicated that both groups experienced a successful conceptual change and improvement after the learning events. However, the effects of the experimental group were significantly better. They also showed continuous progress afterwards. Moreover, from the analysis of the conceptual change learning events indicated that the average rate of successful conceptual change ranged from 50 to 90 percent for most of the events. Finally, from the analysis of the semi-structured interviews indicated that the experimental group students had significant improvements in the scores of correct conceptions in most questions. Besides, the scores of correct conceptions of the experimental group were best in the retention-interview, followed by post-interview, then pre-interview. Hence, this highly suggested that experimental group students could achieve a successful conceptual change after undergoing education. Furthermore, it was expected that they will improve continuously. Suggestions to future teaching methods, teacher education, textbook editing, and research plans were also presented according to this study results.

Bibliography: leaves 241-295<br>Text in English with summaries in English, Afrikaans and Setswana<br>This study, to enhance understanding of volunteer well-being and to develop a conceptual model of volunteer well-being through an in-depth exploration of volunteers’ work–life experiences, was guided by an interest in volunteering as well as curiosity about well-being as a concept. My perception of the importance of volunteering for our society was based on first-hand knowledge of a volunteering context operating in the Gauteng health sector, as well as the volunteering literature, which confirmed its importance and encouraged me to conduct research on this resource. The literature on well-being highlights its importance for employees in particular and organisations in general and thus justifies the study. The literature also supported my preference for conducting this research on volunteer well-being from a qualitative perspective. Further motivation for the research was provided by my awareness of the challenging nature of the volunteering context as well as the adverse personal circumstances of the volunteers. Accordingly, recognising the importance of well-being in volunteers, I was prompted to dedicate attention to this dynamic work context. To achieve its aim, in this research I applied a qualitative research approach and a hermeneutic (interpretive) phenomenological research methodology. In-depth interviews were used to explore the work–life experiences of eight volunteers and a phenomenological hermeneutical analytic process was used to analyse the data. The data were further contextualised and the findings supported by the relevant well-being literature. Based on the findings, a conceptual model of volunteer well-being was constructed. This model enhances our understanding of volunteer well-being, ultimately contributing to knowledge and practice in the field of volunteering.<br>Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die begrip van vrywilligerswelstand te bevorder en om ’n konseptuele model van vrywilligerswelstand te ontwikkel deur ’n omvattende ondersoek van vrywilligers se werklewe-ervarings. Die studie was gelei deur ’n belangstelling in vrywilligerswerk en ‘n nuuskierigheid oor welstand as ’n konsep. My waarneming van die belangrikheid van vrywilligerswerk vir ons samelewing is gebaseer op eerstehandse kennis van ’n vrywilligerskonteks in die Gautengse gesondheidsektor en die literatuur oor vrywilligersdienslewering, wat die belangrikheid daarvan bevestig het en my aangemoedig het om navorsing oor hierdie hulpbron te doen. Die literatuur oor welstand beklemtoon veral die belangrikheid daarvan vir werknemers en organisasies oor die algemeen, en regverdig dus die studie. Die literatuur het ook my voorkeur om hierdie navorsing oor vrywilligers se welstand vanuit ’n kwalitatiewe perspektief te benader, ondersteun. My bewustheid van die uitdagende aard van die vrywilligerskonteks asook die ongunstige persoonlike omstandighede van die vrywilligers het my verder gemotiveer om die navorsing te doen. Dienooreenkomstig, as erkenning van die belangrikheid daarvan om vrywilligers se welstand te fasiliteer, is ek geïnspireer om aandag te skenk aan hierdie dinamiese werkskonteks. Om hierdie doel te bereik het ek ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering en ’n hermeneutiese (verklarende) fenomenologiese navorsingsmetodologie in hierdie navorsingsprojek gebruik. Indiepte onderhoude is gebruik om die werklewe-ervarings van agt vrywilligers te ondersoek, en ’n fenomenologiese, hermeneutiese, analitiese proses is gebruik om die data te ontleed. Die data is verder gekontekstualiseer en die bevindings is deur die tersaaklike literatuur ondersteun. ’n Konseptuele model van vrywilligerwelstand is op grond van hierdie bevindinge opgestel. Hierdie model bevorder ons begrip van vrywilligerswelstand, en lewer sodoende ’n bydrae tot die kennis en ervaring op die terrein van vrywilligerswerk.<br>Thutopatlisiso eno ya go tlhama sekao sa kgopolo sa boithaopi go tswa mo mogopolong wa seemo se se amogelesegang sa botshelo ka go sekaseka go ya kwa botennye, maitemogelo a tiro a baithaopi, e kaetswe ke kgatlhego mo boithaoping, keletso ya go itse ka ga mogopolo wa seemo se se amogelesegang sa botshelo le dikwalo tse di ka ga boithaopi. Kitso e e tseneletseng ya bokao jwa boithaopi jo bo dirang mo lephateng la boitekanelo la Gauteng, gammogo le dikwalo tsa boithaopi, di tlhomamisitse botlhokwa jwa boithaopi mo setšhabeng sa gaetsho mme tsa nthotloetsa go dira patlisiso ka ntlha eno. Go tlaleletsa, thutopatlisiso eno e tlhomamisitswe ke dikwalo tse di ka ga seemo se se amogelesegang le botlhokwa jwa seemo se se amogelesegang sa botshelo se se totileng badiri ka bo bona le ditheo ka kakaretso. Dikwalo gape di tshegeditse tlhopho ya me ya go dira patlisiso ka ga seemo se se amogelesegang sa botshelo jwa baithaopi ka mogopolo wa go batla go batlisisa mabaka a a bakang seemo se se rileng. Thotloetso e nngwe ya patlisiso e tlisitswe ke temogo ya me ya dikgwetlho tsa boithaopi gammogo le maemo a a sa amogelesegeng a baithaopi. Fela jalo, ka go lemoga botlhokwa jwa go gokaganya seemo se se amogelesegang sa botshelo mo baithaoping, ke ne ke patelesega go tota mofuta ono wa tiro. Go fitlhelela maikaelelo ano, patlisiso eno e dirisitse mokgwa wa patlisiso o o lebelelang mabaka a a rotloetsang ntlha e e rileng (qualititative research) le mokgwa wa patlisiso o o ranolang (hermeneutic phenomological research methodology). Go dirisitswe dipotsolotso tse di tseneletseng go sekaseka maitemogelo a tiro a baithaopi mme ga dirisiwa thulaganyo ya tshekatsheko ya phenomenological hermeneutial go sekaseka tshedimosetso. Tshedimosetso e ne ya bewa ka bokao mme diphitlhelelo tsa tshegediwa ka dikwalo tse di maleba. Go ikaegilwe mo diphitlhelelong tseno, go ne ga thalwa sekao sa kgopolo sa seemo se se amogelesegang sa botshelo jwa baithaopi. Go tshitshinngwa gore go dirisiwe sekao seno go dirisa ka botlalo le go netefatsa go nnela leruri ga tiro ya baithaopi, gore kwa bokhutlong go tshwaelwe mo kitsong le mo tirong mo lephateng la boithaopi.<br>Psychology<br>D. Phil. (Psychology)

Many different kinds of process are used to develop software intensive products, but there is little agreement as to which processes give the best results under which circumstances. Practitioners and researchers believe that project outcomes would be improved if the development process was constructed according to project-specific factors. In order to achieve this goal, greater understanding of the factors that most affect outcomes is needed. To improve understanding, researchers build models of the process and carry out studies based on these models. However, current models contain many ambiguities and assumptions, and so it is not clear what the results of the studies mean. The statement of this thesis is that it is possible to create an abstraction of the software development process that will provide a mechanism for comparing software processes and software process models. The long term goal of the research is to provide planners with a means of tailoring the development process on a project by project basis, with the aim of reducing risk and improving outcomes.

Bipolar mood disorder has been traditionally researched, explored, and explained from a modernistic, psychiatric perspective. The purpose of this study is to explicate an alternative description for bipolar mood disorder, from a postmodern perspective. The widely accepted psychiatric knowledge focuses on the signs and symptoms of the disorder, pharmacological treatments, and manualised psychotherapies. This thesis shifts the focus from an intrapsychic, deficit perspective towards one which is inclusive of surrounding discourses and patterned relationships. The social constructionist research approach is followed, utilising vignette and thematic analyses for textual deconstruction and reconstruction. In addition to these data analyses, discourses were analysed using the actual text of the co-researchers. This allowed for a thorough explication of the ways in which discourses shape the construct bipolar mood disorder. From these analyses, emergent themes were then distilled and compared to the existing body of literature in the bipolar mood spectrum field of study. Process models were generated to depict the various pertinent aspects of the social construction of bipolar mood disorder. This research has value for the treating professional, allowing for a broader, more inclusive discourse perspective to add to the already established medical model view. Further, this research gives credence to the voice of the person who has been diagnosed with the illness. This research may also contribute to the epistemological debates within modernist and postmodernist paradigms. Key words: Bipolar mood disorder, medical model, pharmacology, mania, depression, psychiatry, psychotherapy, titrating power relations, expert, problem determined systems, belonging, problems of therapy and therapeutic problems, vignette analysis, people as meaning generating beings, context, reflexivity, self-reflection, multiple realities, positivism, social constructionist epistemology, qualitative research, process model.<br>Psychology<br>D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

<p>The study&rsquo<br>s main starting premises is that there is a disjuncture between the rich educational engagements of these students in their environmental space and how their learning practices are framed, informed and positioned in the institutional space. My study is underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm in terms of which I set out to describe and understand the meanings that the student respondents assign to their learning practices when they are involved in discursive practices of speaking, knowing, doing, reading and writing. Qualitative research instruments: field notes, participant and non-participant observations and formal and informal interviews were used in order to answer my research question and achieve the desired research aims of this thesis. The findings are presented in a narrative format after deriving at categories and themes using narrative analysis. Finally, my research shows how these students are positioned in and by their lived spaces (whether environmental or institutional) in specific ways, and they, based on their own resources, networks and interactions, and by exercising their agency, actively construct their own spaces of learning. I describe these active constructions by these students as their &lsquo<br>conceptual space of learning&rsquo<br>to highlight the complex ways in which they go about to establish their learning practices in their lived spaces. The study provides an analysis of the basis upon which each of these four students go about constructing their learning practices.</p>

Not only is Quantum Mechanics (QM) conceptually rich, it is also a theory that physics students have found abstract and technically formidable. Nevertheless, compared to other classical topics of physics, university students’ understanding of QM has received minimal attention in the physics education literature. The principal purpose of this study was to characterize the variation in the ways that undergraduate physics students depict the basic concepts of QM and to extrapolate the results to scaffold possible changes to instructional practices at the university that provided the context for the study. In so doing, an adaptation of a developmental phenomenographic perspective was chosen. Empirically, the study was approached through in-depth interviews with 35 physics students from two Ethiopian governmental universities after they had been exposed to the traditional QM course for one-third of a semester. Interview responses were analyzed using phenomenographic approach where a picture of students’ depictions was established for each quantum concept by expounding the given responses. For each basic quantum concept addressed, the structure of the description categories was separately constructed, and overall, it was found that naive, quasi-classical ontology and/or variants of classical ways of visualization are dominant in students’ responses. For example, it was found that students’ depictions of the photon concept could be described with three distinct categories of description, which are (a) classical intuitive description, (b) mixed model description and (c) quasi-quantum model description. Similarly, the findings revealed that it is possible to establish three qualitatively different categories of description to picture students’ depictions of matter waves, namely, (a) classical and trajectory-based description, (b) an intricate blend of classical and quantum description and (c) incipient quantum model description. Likewise, it was found that students’ depictions of uncertainty principle can be described as: (a) uncertainty as classical ignorance, (b) uncertainty as measurement disturbance and (c) uncertainty as a quasi-quantum principle. With regard to learning QM, the categories of description made clear several issues: most students did not have enough knowledge to depict the basic concepts of QM properly; they were influenced by the perspective of classical physics and their perceptions in making explanations about QM; and they also applied mixed ideas, one based on their classical model and the other from newly introduced QM. These results are also supported by the findings of previous studies in similar domains. Findings from the study were used to guide the design of multiple representations-based instructions and interactive learning tutorials on the conceptual aspects of QM that has been shown to address specific difficulties identified in the study. Theoretical and practical implications of the study, as well as potential future considerations are drawn.<br>Mathematics, Science and Technology Education<br>D. Phil. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

The radio astronomy and space geodesy scientific instrumentation of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, South Africa, generate large volumes of data. Additional large data volumes will be generated by new geodesy instruments that are currently under construction and implementation, including a lunar laser ranging (LLR) system, seismic and meteorological systems and a Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) global observing system (VGOS) radio telescope. The existing HartRAO data management and storage system is outdated, incompatible and has limited storage capacity. This necessitates the design of a new geodetic research data management system (GRDMS). The focus of this dissertation is on providing a contextual framework for the design of the new system, including criteria, characteristics, components, an infrastructure architectural model and data structuring and organisation. An exploratory research methodology and qualitative research techniques were applied. Results attained from interviews conducted and literature consulted indicates a gap in the literature regarding the design of a data management system, specifically for geodetic data generated by HartRAO instrumentation. This necessitates the development of a conceptual framework for the design of a new GRDMS. Results are in alignment with the achievement of the research questions and objectives set for this study.<br>Information Science<br>M.A. (Information Science)

<p>Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have been described in a range of educational contexts. Although various learning objectives, termed anticipated learning outcomes (ALOs) in this project, have been proposed, processes for identifying them may not be rigorous or well-documented, which can lead to inappropriate assessment and speculation about what students actually learn from CUREs. Additionally, evaluation of CUREs has primarily relied on student and instructor perception data rather than more reliable measures of learning.This dissertation investigated a novel biochemistry laboratory curriculum for a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) known as the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL). Students participating in this CURE use a combination of computational and biochemical wet-lab techniques to elucidate the function of proteins of known structure but unknown function. The goal of the project was to evaluate the efficacy of the BASIL CURE curriculum for developing students’ research abilities across implementations. Towards achieving this goal, we addressed the following four research questions (RQs): <b>RQ1</b>) How can ALOs be rigorously identified for the BASIL CURE; <b>RQ2</b>) How can the identified ALOs be used to develop a matrix that characterizes the BASIL CURE; <b>RQ3</b>) What are students’ perceptions of their knowledge, confidence and competence regarding their abilities to perform the top-rated ALOs for this CURE; <b>RQ4</b>) What are appropriate assessments for student achievement of the identified ALOs and what is the nature of student learning, and related difficulties, developed by students during the BASIL CURE? To address these RQs, this project focused on the development and use of qualitative and quantitative methods guided by constructivism and situated cognition theoretical frameworks. Data was collected using a range of instruments including, content analysis, Qualtrics surveys, open-ended questions and interviews, in order to identify ALOs and to determine student learning for the BASIL CURE. Analysis of the qualitative data was through inductive coding guided by the concept-reasoning-mode (CRM) model and the assessment triangle, while analysis of quantitative data was done by using standard statistical techniques (e.g. conducting a parried t-test and effect size). The results led to the development of a novel method for identifying ALOs, namely a process for identifying course-based undergraduate research abilities (PICURA; RQ1; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson 2018b). Application of PICURA to the BASIL CURE resulted in the identification and rating by instructors of a wide range of ALOs, termed course-based undergraduate research abilities (CURAs), which were formulated into a matrix (RQs 2; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a,). The matrix was, in turn, used to characterize the BASIL CURE and to inform the design of student assessments aimed at evaluating student development of the identified CURAs (RQs 4; Irby, Pelaez, & Anderson, 2018a). Preliminary findings from implementation of the open-ended assessments in a small case study of students, revealed a range of student competencies for selected top-rated CURAs as well as evidence for student difficulties (RQ4). In this way we were able to confirm that students are developing some of the ALOs as actual learning outcomes which we term VLOs or verified learning outcomes. In addition, a participant perception indicator (PPI) survey was used to gauge students’ perceptions of their gains in knowledge, experience, and confidence during the BASIL CURE and, therefore, to inform which CURAs should be specifically targeted for assessment in specific BASIL implementations (RQ3;). These results indicate that, across implementations of the CURE, students perceived significant gains with large effect sizes in their knowledge, experience, and confidence for items on the PPI survey (RQ3;). In our view, the results of this dissertation will make important contributions to the CURE literature, as well as to the biochemistry education and assessment literature in general. More specifically, it will significantly improve understanding of the nature of student learning from CUREs and how to identify ALOs and design assessments that reveal what students actually learn from such CUREs - an area where there has been a dearth of available knowledge in the past. The outcomes of this dissertation could also help instructors and administrators identify and align assessments with the actual features of a CURE (or courses in general), use the identified CURAs to ensure the material fits departmental or university needs, and evaluate the benefits of students participating in these innovative curricula. Future research will focus on expanding the development and validation of assessments so that practitioners can better evaluate the efficacy of their CUREs for developing the research competencies of their undergraduate students and continue to render improvements to their curricula.</p>