Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Graduated'

Byggbranschen står idag inför stora utmaningar gällande rekrytering av erfarna projektledare. Företagen har upplevt svårigheter med att hitta erfarna projektledare, detta beror på att det saknas nästan två generationer av projektledare samt att många går i pension. En lösning till problemet är att anställa nyexaminerade projektledare för att fylla luckan. Problemet med nyutexaminerade är att de saknar erfarenhet när de kommer ut i arbetslivet. Det är en utmaning för konsultföretagen, eftersom inlärningstiden för att bli projektledare vanligtvis är långa perioder. Syftet med denna studie är att förtydliga inlärningstiden för de nyutexaminerade projektledare samt att ge organisationen ett underlag för att de ska kunna se vad de bör skapa för förutsättningar och metoder. Huvudfrågorna som behandlas i vår studie är ”Vad innebär det att vara projektledare?” och ”Vad krävs för att man skall gå från att vara en nyutexaminerade byggingenjör till att bli projektledare?” Undersökningen är en kvalitativ studie som genomförts på WSP Management Östergötland. Den empiriska datainsamlingen har skett via personliga intervjuer med elva respondenter fördelade på Norrköping och Linköping kontoren. Studien visar på att vara projektledare kan variera mycket beroende på hur man väljer att tolka det, men inom byggbranschen handlar det om att leverera en produkt eller ett resultat till en begränsad budget och till en bestämd tid. Som projektledare är man beställarens ”högra hand” och ska uppfylla kundens önskemål i projektet. För att detta ska gå ihop krävs ständig kommunikation så att man förstår varandra och undviker missförstånd. Med utgångspunkt från undersökningen har vi även konstaterat att det som krävs för att man ska gå från att vara nyexaminerad byggingenjör till att bli projektledare inom området management, är rätt metod, rätt organisatoriska- och individuella förutsättningar samt att man övervinner krav och hinder som ställs från beställarsidan.

<p> The goal of this study was to allow high school graduates who attended both traditional and alternative education schools to speak about their experiences in both schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of high school graduates who attended an alternative school and explore how they made meaning of their experiences. </p><p> This research was a basic, qualitative study exploring the voices of graduates. All graduates spent at least nine weeks in an alternative school to be deemed fully able to gauge their experience in an alternative school. Interviews were semi-structured and in-depth, allowing the graduates to speak freely in response to the questions. The graduates were also asked to write a letter to a student who may have been in the same situation they were in before being attending the alternative school. A set of a priori codes was developed before interviewing, which was based on information from the literature. </p><p> The findings of the interviews and letters provided rich information as to the importance of alternative education. A recurring theme observed in the results was the impact of instructional personnel on their experience at both the traditional and alternative high schools. Graduates credited the environment to their success, both in terms of the physical and emotional feeling in the building. When asked about making meaning of their experience, four themes emerged from the participants in their interviews: the way the graduates viewed themselves and others at the alternative school, their self-evaluation, their determination, and the role of their family. </p><p> This research can provide practical applications in the field of education. Principals and educational administrators can use this research to help students in alternative high schools, using the information to design programs to fit the needs of their students based on the information provided by the graduates. Teachers at both traditional and alternative schools can use this research to help them reach students who may be struggling as the graduates in this study did.</p>

Today’s labor market is teeming with software development jobs, and employeesare needed more than ever. With this statement, one would believe it is easy fora newly graduated student to start their career. However, according to severalstudies, there are specific areas where newly graduated Software Engineeringstudents struggle when beginning their first job. Currently, there is a displace-ment about what the school should focus on when teaching their students. Thiscauses various challenges to arise for newly graduated students when they areinitially starting their career. To address this issue, this study aims to iden-tify whether or not there exists a gap between the education provided by theuniversities, and what is expected from the industry. In accordance with this,the purpose is also the point out which areas might be challenging for newlygraduated students, and highlight how the school and industry can benefit fromthe results of this study.By conducting interviews with both newly graduated student with one to threeyears working experience or personnel responsible for hiring new employees atcompanies, this study will give an insight on which common areas newly grad-uates may struggle with. Although the result specifies several areas which arechallenging to newly graduated students. The greatest challenges which thenewly graduated graduated students faced were areas revolving around softskills. This was in accordance with the opinions of the recruiters. Insinuatingthat these areas are what the school should focus more on. Other differencesbetween the newly graduated interviewee’s opinions and the recruiters are alsohighlighted in the report Several subjects in school could improve its way ofteaching. Furthermore, there are possibilities for companies to better adjusttheir on-boarding of newly graduated. By addressing the challenges which newlygraduated face they can provide their new employees with a better understand-ing of how to properly work and function in the industry today.

Mental model development, deeper levels of information processing, and elaboration are critical to learning. More so, individuals' metacomprehension accuracy is integral to making improvements to their knowledge base. In other words, without an accurate perception of their knowledge on a topic, learners may not know that knowledge gaps or misperceptions exist and, thus, would be less likely to correct them. Therefore, this study offered a dual-process approach that aimed at enhancing metacomprehension. One path aimed at advancing knowledge structure development and, thus, mental model development. The other focused on promoting a deeper level of information processing through processes like elaboration. It was predicted that this iterative approach would culminate in improved metacomprehension and increased learning. Accordingly, using the Graduated Concept Model Development (GCMD) approach, the role of learner-generated concept model development in facilitating metacomprehension and knowledge acquisition was examined. Concept maps have had many roles in the learning process as mental model assessment tools and advanced organizers. However, this study examined the process of concept model building as an effective training tool. Whereas, concept maps functioning as advanced organizers are certainly beneficial, it would seem that the benefits of having a learner examine and amend the current state of their knowledge through concept model development would prove more effective for learning. In other words, learners looking at an advanced organizer of the training material may feel assured that they have a thorough understanding of it. Only when they are forced to create a representation of the material would the gaps and misperceptions in their knowledge base likely be revealed. In short, advanced organizers seem to rely on recognition, where concept model development likely requires recalling and understanding 'how' and 'why' the interrelationships between concepts exist. Therefore, the Graduated Concept Model Development (GCMD) technique offered in this study was based on the theory that knowledge acquisition improves when learners integrate new information into existing knowledge, assign elaborated meanings to concepts, correct misperceptions, close knowledge gaps, and strengthen accurate connections between concepts by posing targeted questions against their existing knowledge structures. This study placed an emphasis on meaningful learning and suggested a process by which newly introduced concepts would be manipulated for the purpose of improving metacomprehension by strengthening accurate knowledge structures and mental model development, and through deeper and elaborated information processing. Indeed, central to improving knowledge deficiencies and misunderstandings is metacomprehension, and the constructing of concepts maps was hypothesized to improve metacomprehension accuracy and, thus, learning. This study was a one-factor between-groups design with concept map type as the independent variable, manipulated at four levels: no concept map, concept map as advanced organizer, learner-built concept map with feedback, and learner-built concept map without feedback. The dependent variables included performance (percent correct) on a declarative and integrative knowledge assessment, mental model development, and metacomprehension accuracy. Participants were 68 (34 female, 34 male, ages 18-35, mean age = 21.43) undergraduate students from a major southeastern university. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions, and analysis revealed no significant differences between the groups. Upon arrival, participants were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions. Participants then progressed through the three stages of the experiment. In Stage I, participants completed forms regarding informed consent, general biographical information, and task self-efficacy. In Stage II, participants completed the self-paced tutorial based on the Distributed Dynamic Decision Making (DDD) model, a simulated military command and control environment aimed at creating events to encourage team coordination and performance (for a detailed description, see Kleinman & Serfaty, 1989). The manner by which participants worked through the tutorial was determined by their assigned concept map condition. Upon finishing each module of the tutorial, participants then completed a metacomprehension prediction question. In Stage III, participants completed the computer-based knowledge assessment test, covering both declarative and integrative knowledge, followed by the metacomprehension postdiction question. Participants then completed the card sort task, as the assessment of mental model development. Finally, participants completed a general study survey and were debriefed as to the purpose of the study. The entire experiment lasted approximately 2 to 3 hours. Results indicated that the GCMD condition showed a stronger indication of metacomprehension accuracy, via prediction measures, compared with the other three conditions (control, advanced organizer, and feedback), and, specifically, significantly higher correlations than the other three conditions in declarative knowledge. Self-efficacy measures also indicated that the higher metacomprehension accuracy correlation observed in the GCMD condition was likely the result of the intervention, and not due to differences in self-efficacy in that group of participants. Likewise, the feedback and GCMD conditions led to significantly high correlations for metacomprehension accuracy based on levels of understanding on the declarative knowledge tutorial module (Module 1). The feedback condition also showed similar responses for the integrative knowledge module (Module 2). The advanced organizer, feedback, and GCMD conditions were also found to have significantly high correlation of self-reported postdiction of performance on the knowledge assessment and the actual results of the knowledge assessment results. However, results also indicated that there were no significant findings between the four conditions in mental model assessment and knowledge assessment. Nevertheless, results support the relevance of accurate mental model development in knowledge assessment outcomes. Retrospectively, two opposing factors may have complicated efforts to detect additional differences between groups. From one side, the experimental measures may not have been rigorous enough to filter out the effect from the intervention itself. Conversely, software usability issues and the resulting limitations in experimental design may have worked negatively against the two concept mapping conditions and, inadvertently, suppressed effects of the intervention. Future research in the GCMD approach will likely review cognitive workload, concept mapping software design, and the sensitivity of the measures involved.<br>Ph.D.<br>Department of Psychology<br>Arts and Sciences<br>Psychology

Infant sleep disturbance has been effectively treated with extinction by removal of parental attention but this procedure can produce adverse side-effects and can meet with parental resistance. This study evaluated an alternative procedure using graduated extinction to treat infant sleep disturbance. Graduated extinction required parents to gradually reduce the amount of time they spent attending to their child, eventually withdrawing attention completely. Baseline measures of sleep-related behaviour, including frequency and duration of night-waking, sleep onset latency and bedtime delay, were made by parents for twelve children between 6 and 19 months. Seven children received graduated extinction, and five received direct extinction in a multiple-baseline across subjects design. Social validation measures were taken during baseline and at the end of treatment, and sleep-related behaviours were again assessed for one week at two-months follow-up. Clinically significant improvements in infant sleep behaviour were evident for four out of six subjects exposed to graduated extinction and for three out of four given extinction. Data for two subjects were unavailable for analysis. Improvements were maintained at follow-up. Parents reported high satisfaction with the procedures and improved family lifestyles. The quality of parental compliance with treatment was lower for graduated extinction than for extinction. The conclusions revealed that while graduated extinction was effective in treating infant sleep disturbance, it is no more effective than extinction, which has practical and clinical advantages in almost all cases.

Security of data is tightly coupled to its access policy. However, in practice, a data owner has control of his data’s access policies only as far as the boundaries of his own systems. We introduce graduated access control, which provides mobile, programmable, and dynamically-resolving policies for access control that extends a data owner’s policies across system boundaries. We realize this through a novel data-centric abstraction called trusted capsules and its associated system, the trusted data monitor. A trusted capsule couples data and policy into a single mobile unit. A capsule is backwards-compatible and is indistinguishable from any regular file to applications. In coordination with the trusted data monitor, a capsule provides data integrity and confidentiality on remote devices, strong authentication to a trusted capsule service, and supports nuanced and dynamic access control decisions on remote systems. We implemented our data monitor using ARM TrustZone. We show that graduated access control can express novel and useful real world policies, such as revocation, remote monitoring, and risk-adaptable disclosure. We illustrate trusted capsules for different file formats, including JPEG, FODT, MP4 and PDF. We also show compatibility with unmodified applications such as LibreOffice Writer, Evince, GpicView and VLC. In general, we found that applications operating on trusted capsules have varying performance, which depends on file size, application access patterns, and policy complexity.<br>Science, Faculty of<br>Computer Science, Department of<br>Graduate

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2007.<br>Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-112).<br>The numerous design tools developed for use with linear controllers, specifically gain and phase margins, do not apply to nonlinear control architectures such as model reference adaptive control. The first step for the development of Verification and Validation (V&V) techniques for this class of nonlinear control systems is presented in this thesis in the context of controlling uncertain flight vehicle dynamics. Using a Reduced Linear Asymptotic System (RLAS), which characterizes the asymptotic behavior of an adaptive system, methods for tuning the free adaptive system parameters such as Lyapunov matrix P to satisfy the desired performance criteria are presented. Making use of the fact that the RLAS is a linear time invariant system, optimization procedures based on output feedback and Linear Matrix Inequalities are proposed. The concept of Persistent excitation in the context of improving stability and robustness properties of closed loop adaptive systems is discussed. Graduated Persistent Excitation (GPE) is introduced as an easy to implement alternative to Persistent excitation.<br>(cont.) Tools such as MIMO margins based on the singular values of sensitivity matrix are applied on RLAS to systematically derive stability margins of an adaptive flight control system. Additionally, a proof of signal boundedness is presented in the presence of both structured and unstructured uncertainties. The tools are demonstrated on simulations of a nonlinear 6 DoF aircraft model.<br>by Himani Jain.<br>S.M.

This thesis has evaluated the effectiveness of GDL programs both in New Jersey and across the United States using several metrics. The New Jersey GDL program was analyzed because it is considered one of the most stringent programs in the country. It was found that GDL indeed reduces the per capita rate of crashes for teen drivers in New Jersey. However, no statistical difference was seen in the rate of fatalities in teen driver crashes. The per capita rate of violations for 16 and 17 year old drivers was lower after GDL, but the rate of point-carrying violations increased for 19 and 20 year old drivers who were licensed under GDL. The September, 2008 directive by the New Jersey Attorney General banning plea-agreements for teens significantly reduced the rate of violations further for 16 and 17 year old GDL drivers. The factors that led to teen crashes did not change in the United States after GDL. Teen drivers are still prone to distractions and inappropriate behavior while driving. Teen drivers also have higher rates of control loss and road departure crashes when compared to adults. Finally, it was found changes in the number teen driver crashes and fatalities are associated with similar changes in travel exposure. Teen crashes and fatalities have dropped with the implementation of GDL but teen VMT has also dropped. Graduated driverâ s licensing did not change the reasons for teen driver crashes. Also, it is likely that any reductions in the number of teen crashes or fatalities are associated with reductions in exposure and not changes in teen driver behavior.<br>Ph. D.

Sigrid Wangensteen has the recent years been engaged in doctoral studies at Karlstad University in combination with teaching at the bachelor program in nursing at Gjøvik Universtity College. This doctoral thesis is focused on newly graduated nurses, their perception of competence, critical thinking dispositions, research use and their experiences of being a nurse during their first year as a nurse. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. The very first period of time was experienced as tough but when looking back the newly graduated nurses appreciated the tough time. They described the need for a supportive environment, and gaining competence through managing challenging situations. The leadership role constituted the main difference between being a student and being a nurse. In the quantitative study the nurses perceived their competence as good, rating the Helping role competence category highest and the Ensuring quality competence category lowest. With respect to critical thinking the CCTDI total scores indicated a positive disposition. As regards the CCTDI subscale scores the nurses reported highest values for intellectual curiosity (Inquisitiveness) and lowest for intellectual honesty (Truth-seeking). The nurses reported a positive attitude towards research, but only 24% were classified as research users. Supportive environment was a significant predictor for research use. Critical thinking was a prominent predictor for attitude towards research, for research use and perception of competence. Nurse leaders in clinical practice and nurse educators in nursing education and clinical practice play an important role in nurturing student nurses and newly graduated nurses with respect to critical thinking. There is a need to assess whether teaching strategies meet the requirements of critical thinking and EBP in nursing education.

In the past thirteen years in England the fields of higher education and healthcare have undergone radical changes that have challenged and changed the previous systems that were in place for the past several decades. These overall changes have mirrored and are being mirrored globally in most developed countries although each country's foundational educational, healthcare and political structures have developed in particular ways. This thesis is set within these contemporary scenes in both education and health. The developing profession of occupational therapy in England [not the UK] is the focus of this study and the experiences and stories of thirteen mature-aged students have been portrayed through narratives. These participants volunteered their time and efforts at a critical point in their professional development. This point surrounded the time of their graduation. The participants comprised two groups from two different schools that followed different learning philosophies; namely, subject-based learning [SBL] and problem-based learning [PBL]. Their stories focussed initially on an in-depth work experience with a client / patient but their subsequent embellishments included insights into their undergraduate educational experiences. The stories resulted from a method using a multi-layered reflective approach. The qualitative data were analysed and interpreted through two distinctly different methods of narrative analysis that opened windows on a person's world and analysis of narratives that opened windows onto a particular culture - that of occupational therapy in England. The narratives were presented against a backdrop of qualitative interpretive research and hermeneutic cycles and were framed against two contemporary frameworks: the artistic / interactive practitioner and a quadrant describing specific ways of practising. These were set within a macro-framework of a global Social- Ecological model. The participants were all successful in their professional entry qualifications and, so, the findings centred on those of congruency of educational fit in the entire learning experience and of subtle educational challenges that could enhance professional education particularly for a non-traditional group such as this one. The findings were also broad and so they have given rise to several avenues for further research.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) is a stepwise driver licensing program for novice drivers. The objective of GDL programs is to improve novice drivers? driving experience and skills over time, under low risk conditions. In this study, the effectiveness of GDL program implemented in North Dakota is examined using a before-and-after-time study. The first time period is before the initiation of a three-phase GDL program in North Dakota, pre-GDL period from 2007 to 2011. The second time period is after the implementation of a three-phase GDL program in North Dakota, post-GDL period from 2012 to 2016. The goal of the research design is to examine if teen driver involvement rate and likelihood of crash outcomes, in fatal and injury crashes, has changed over time. In theory, this would be due to the implementation of the three-phase GDL program. Results indicate that after the implementation of the three-phase GDL program, teen driver crash involvement rates in fatal and injury crashes in North Dakota has been reduced. However, starting from 2015, there is an increasing trend in the reduced crash rates at the state level. County level crash rate analysis indicates that crash rates have been reduced, specifically in counties including metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas in North Dakota. In other counties, including most of the rural areas of the state, crash rates have not been changed. Change in the likelihood of crash outcomes for teen drivers involved in fatal and injury crashes found not statistically significant. However, change in the likelihood of crash outcomes for the control group (adult drivers) has found increasing and statistically significant. This indicates that in the post-GDL period the likelihood of crash outcomes for teen drivers maintained unchanged with the implementation of the GDL program.

<p><strong>Strategic Question:</strong> How Starbucks should improve coffee business in order to reach more the recently university graduated employees in Thailand?</p><p><strong>Research Question:</strong> How the positive and negative experience of the recently university graduated employees with Starbucks brand in term of total perceived quality and sensory system?</p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this research is to study the recently university graduated employees’ experience in Thailand by using total perceived quality and sensory system as the criteria to measure.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> This research is mainly based on qualitative approach using interview method as primary data. The interview questions were designed and distributed to people in three channels; Starbucks Facebook, Skype, and Pantip FriendFlock, whereas, secondary data came from company website, literature books, and university database.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Most of the recently university graduated employees who are Starbucks consumers are coffee-oriented which means that their experiences based on the physical and emotional elements. Starbucks uses the strong elements to create and improve its products and services, for example; quality of raw materials which its consumers can touch by tasting, healthy products and modern packaging can perceive by using their vision. Luxury atmosphere, good service mind, and aroma therapy in the store can, furthermore, imply to consumers’ emotion.</p>

This study examines the use of graduated escalation in Vietnam under the Administration of President Lyndon Johnson and attempts to discover the underlying causes that led to the enactment and the continuation of this policy throughout his administration.Factors studied include Johnson's perception of his place in history, his personal style of control, his dual loyalties to expanding "The Great Society" as well as stopping communism through military pressure, and his limited cultural understanding of the needs of the Vietnamese people and the intentions of their leaders.The conclusion is that, while Johnson was a canny politician in his own arena, his controlling personality probably prevented him from considering all of the options open to him in resolving the Vietnam problem and his simplistic, frontier type of diplomacy closed other doors and forced him along a path of frustration and defeat.<br>Department of Political Science

<p> This quantitative correlational non-experimental study examines some major implications of student loan debt that Hispanics face upon graduation from institutions of higher learning. It provides both descriptive and correlational statistics to help view how Hispanics differ from non-Hispanics graduate students in their plight to live the American dream of social mobility. Hispanics now represent over 50 million and are the fastest growing (43% between the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census) segment of the U.S. population. </p><p> The belief that gaining a college degree will enhance social mobility may in fact impede it, or at least, delay it for Hispanics. With the increase in borrowing to gain college access, Hispanic families may face financial constraints impeding social mobility. This study explores the surveys conducted (2008&ndash;2012) by the National Center for Education Statistics and consisting of approximately 13,500 students in postsecondary schools across the United States. The statistical analysis suggests that for Hispanic student graduates in higher education there may be a relationship between student loan debt and financial difficulties, including home affordability, getting married, and having children. The analysis explores the differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanics along these four dimensions. </p><p> Additionally, this study suggests several leadership practices as a way of influencing initiatives that may help address student loan debt for Hispanics. Recommendations for additional research include assessing measures that address the rise in borrowing by Hispanic graduates.</p>

For Christian professional youth workers, the transition from student to employee positions them at the interstices of convergent and competing discourses. This thesis argues that Christian youth workers can position themselves within these discourses by articulating an authentic faith integrated with professional practice. This positioning is produced and reproduced by performative expectations and the influence of relations of power. The notion of one, unitary professional identity is deemed futile as Christian professional youth workers mobilize a complex range of identities within a range of liminal spaces. Youth workers are suspended within an extended liminal state, which opens up different possibilities for professionalism within Christian professional youth work. This thesis contributes to knowledge particularly for the sociology of the professions and specifically with regard to training and subsequent employment of those within professional occupations. Theoretically, this thesis develops Turner’s thinking in relation to the three phases of separation, liminality and reincorporation and how they apply to the understanding of transition from training to employment. Turner’s phases appear to be incomplete for the understanding of the particular issues that individuals face in the forming of identity in late modern contexts. His thinking on separation and liminality adopt a more nuanced meaning in that the statuses are not as clearly defined as would be initially thought. Likewise, reincorporation is elusive, since Christian professional youth workers are suspended within a permanent state of liminality. This thesis redeems the notion of professionalism from a secular liberal ideal, allowing spirituality to flourish once again. A Christian professional can, and does, express an authentic sense of self within different discursive domains. The crossing of discursive boundaries allows for creativity and experimentation that enriches faith and professionalism. The two influence each other in productive ways. Professionalism as the profane becomes the sacred through the experiences of Christian professionals. Of course, professionalism becoming sacred is not the domain of the Christian only. This is pertinent for a person of any faith belonging to a professional occupation and seeking to express their faith through their work.

Background: The transition and retention of newly graduated nurses are worldwide problems. With the nursing shortage and 33-61% of newly graduated nurses leaving their job within the first year, newly graduated nurses need to be work ready. Work readiness of new nurses is a new concept developed in Australia. Significance: New nurses are a vulnerable population that is dependent upon experienced nurses for knowledge, skills, and socialization into the profession. However, new nurses often experience rudeness, humiliation and conflict influencing professional success, patient care, and retention. Purpose: To apply the Work Readiness Scale – Graduate Nurses (WRS-GN) to a population of Baccalaureate (BSN) and Master’s Entry into the Profession of Nursing (MEPN) graduates from a southwestern university and determine if there is a relationship between the variables of work readiness, individual experiences of graduates, and the two groups. Research questions included: 1) What is the relationship between work readiness (social intelligence, personal work characteristics, work competence, and organizational acumen) and individual experiences? 2) Do newly graduated BSN and MEPN degree nurses differ on the WRS-GN constructs of social intelligence, personal work characteristics, work competence, and organizational acumen? Method: Descriptive correlational study with a convenience sample of graduates from a southwestern university. Participants received a survey through their school email account and a message was placed on the Alumni Facebook page. Results: Thirty participants (9.2% response rate), 93.3% were female, and 76.7% work in Arizona. None of the participants were planning to leave the profession of nursing in the next year. A statistically significant relationship was detected between work competency and length of nurse residency (r=.44, p=0.02) and a negative relationship was detected between personal work characteristics and nurse residency (r=-.41, p=0.02). No relationship was detected between the two groups and constructs of work readiness. Implications/conclusions: Work readiness is complex. Longer nurse residency is associated with greater work competence. Academia and employers should collaborate and provide courses that enhance the work readiness of newly graduated nurses. The WRS-GN has been tested once in a population of Australian graduate nurses therefore further research is needed to validate the WRS-GN.

Background: Employer branding is a concept that describes a company's reputation as a work place. Working with the employer brand can help companies to attract talented employees and also retain them in the company. It is therefore important that companies understand what makes an employer attractive in order to appeal and retain employees. This is important especially for businesses that are located in small cities since it can be challenging for them to attract talent there. Urbanization has led to smaller areas being less populated and that graduated students are least prone to move to these areas. Thus, it is important to make smaller cities and areas more attractive to make the graduates move there. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is therefore to explore what factors graduated students consider attractive in an employer in a small city. Methodology: This thesis used a qualitative and deductive approach. In order to solve the purpose and answer the research question, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted through Zoom with a non-probability sampling that were chosen by the researchers. However, before conducting the interviews, the researchers did some theoretical research and discovered six factors that represented employer attractiveness (See Figure 1). These factors became the basis of the study and a foundation when constructing the questions for the interviews. Findings: The findings of this thesis showed that the factors that were most important; flexibility, salary, leadership, career possibilities, working culture and recruitment.

Thesis (M Sport Sc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Compression socks (CS) are used as an ergogenic aid during and after exercise by many athletes of elite and recreational status. The exact mechanism whereby CS affect performance and postexercise recovery is not yet elucidated. Some research ascribes the beneficial effects to improved lactate removal rates with CS. One hypothesis is that CS improve venous return and thereby remove the lactate from the tissue to other tissues such as the liver, and the second hypothesis is that the CS cause retention of the lactate within the muscle and therefore improve the oxidation of the lactate within the muscle (Berry & McMurray, 1987). The current study endeavoured to test the hypothesis set by Berry and McMurray (1987) by measuring the effect of CS as well as flight socks (FS) on muscle oxygenation during exercise and recovery in endurance trained runners and triathletes. Eleven male endurance trained runners and triathletes (age = 34.8 ± 3.8 years, VO2max = 52.4 ± 7.1 mL.kg-1.min-1) participated in the study. They completed an incremental exercise test to exhaustion to determine their maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) and peak treadmill velocity (PTV). Then they completed two 10 km treadmill running tests at 80 % of their PTV. During these two trials participants wore either CS or FS; the order of treatment was randomly selected. A subset of the study sample (n = 5) also completed a control test wearing only their ankle length sport socks (NS). After these trials, participants completed a 60 minute passive recovery period in the seated position while muscle oxygenation was measured. Compression under the socks was measured at several anatomically determined measurement points prior to the commencement of the exercise test, along with the determination of blood haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]). During the exercise trials, blood lactate concentration ([BLa]), skin temperature (ST),oxygen consumption (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), heart rate (HR), and muscle oxygenation variables (oxy-haemoglobin (O2Hb), deoxy-haemoglobin (HHb), tissue oxygenation index (TOI) and total haemoglobin index (nTHI)) was measured . During the 60minute passive recovery period, [BLa], ST, O2Hb, HHb, TOI, and nTHI measurements were continued. The results showed that there were differences in the pressure exerted between the two pressure condition (CS and FS) at the posterior ankle, and under the elastic of the sock as well as on the anterior calf at the level of greatest calf circumference. Differences in ST between the CS and NS and the FS and NS conditions were found between the first four 2 km intervals of the exercise protocol, but not during recovery. No differences were found in [BLa] between the three different compression conditions during either the exercise (p = 0.19) or recovery period (p = 0.63), as well as no differences in the cardiorespiratory variables during exercise between the three different compression conditions (VO2, p = 0.06; VCO2, p = 0.12; HR, p = 0.36). With regard to the muscle oxygenation variables, no differences were found between the three compression conditions during exercise, however there was a trend for lower oxygen utilization (HHb) during exercise in the NS condition (p = 0.57, medium to large practical significance). There were also no differences in these variables (O2Hb, p = 0.65; HHb, p = 0.57; TOI, p = 0.39; nTHI, p = 0.22) during recovery, although oxygen utilization (HHb) showed a faster recovery rate with increasing external pressure. From the results obtained, it seems that external compression caused a decrease in the blood flow velocity within the muscle, thereby increasing oxygen diffusion rate. During exercise this did not facilitate differences in [BLa], however, after the first 10 minutes of the recovery period, large practical differences were found between the NS and both sock conditions, suggesting that the increase in oxygen diffusion improved lactate clearance. This could support the hypothesis set by Berry and McMurray (1987).<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kompressie sokkies (CS) word gereeld deur beide rekreasie- en elite atlete gebruik as ‘n ergogeniese hulpmiddlel tydens oefening en herstel. Die presiese meganisme waardeur CS prestasie en post-oefening herstel beïnvloed is nog nie volledig verklaar nie. Sommige navorsing skryf die voordelige effekte toe aan die vinniger herstel van laktaat in die sirkulasie. Daar is tans twee hipoteses vir die meganisme waardeur CS laktaat verwydering verbeter. Die eerste hipotese is dat CS die veneuse terugvoer verbeter en daardeur die laktaat van die weefsel verwyder en na ander weefsels soos die lewer vervoer vir verwydering. Die tweede hipotese is dat CS veroorsaak dat die laktaat in die spierweefsel teruggehou word wat dan tot gevolg het dat die laktaat in die spier self deur middel van oksidasie verwyder word (Berry & McMurray, 1987). Hierdie studie poog om Berry en McMurray (1987) se hipotese te toets deur die effek wat CS sowel as vlugsokkies (FS) op spieroksigenasie het gedurende oefening en herstel in geoefende uithouvermoë hardlopers en driekamp atlete vas te stel. Elf ingeoefende langafstand hardlopers en driekampatlete (mans) (ouderdom = 34.8 ± 3.8 jaar; VO2maks = 52.4 ± 7.1 mL.kg-1.min-1) het aan hierdie studie deel geneem. Die deelnemers het ‘n inkrementele toets tot die punt van uitputting voltooi om hul maksimale aërobiese kapasiteit (VO2maks) en piek trapmeul snelheid (PTV) vas te stel. Die elf deelnemers het ook twee 10 km hardlooptoetse teen 80 % van hul PTV voltooi. Gedurende hierdie twee toetse het die deelnemers óf CS óf FS gedra; die volgorde van die intervensie was lukraak aan hulle toegeken. ‘n Subgroep van die steekproef (n = 5) het ook ‘n kontrole toets voltooi waartydens hulle hul eie enkelhoogte sport sokkies (NS) gedra het. Aan die einde van die hardloop protokol het die deelnemers ‘n 60 minuut passiewe herstel periode in die sittende posisie voltooi terwyl spieroksigenasie gemeet is. Kompressie onder die sokkies is voor die aanvang van die hardloop protokol by verskeie anatomies gedefinieerde punte gemeet. Verder was die bloed hemoglobien konsentrasie ([Hb]) ook gemeet voor die hardloop protokol. Tydens die oefeningtoets is bloedlaktaat konsentrasie ([Hb]), veltemperatuur (ST), suurstof verbruik (VO2), koolstofdioksied produksie (VCO2), harttempo (HR), sowel as spieroksigenasie veranderlikes (oksi-hemoglobien (O2Hb), deoksi-hemoglobien (HHb), weefsel oksigenasie indeks (TOI), en totale hemoglobien indeks (nTHI)) gemeet. Gedurende die 60 minuut passiewe hersteltydperk is [BLa], ST, O2Hb, HHb, TOI en nTHI metings geneem. Die resultate toon dat daar ‘n verskil is in die druk wat uitgeoefen word in die onderskeie druktoestande (CS en FS) op die been by die posterior enkel en onder die rek van die sokkie, sowel as op die anterior kuit waar die kuit die grootste omtrek het. Verdere verskille tussen die CS en NS en die FS en NS toestande is in ST gevind in the eerste vier 2 km intervalle van die oefeningtoets, alhoewel geen verskille tydens die herstelperiode gevind is nie. Tydens beide die oefening (p = 0.19) en herstel (p = 0.63) protokol is geen verskille tussen die drie kompressie toestande met betrekking tot [BLa] gevind nie. En so ook is daar geen verskille tussen die onderskeie kompressie toestande in kardiorespiratoriese veranderlikes (VO2, p = 0.06; VCO2, p = 0.12; HR, p = 0.36) tydens oefening gevind nie. Met betrekking tot spieroksigenasie veranderlikes was daar geen verskil gevind tussen die drie kompressietoestande gedurende oefening nie, alhoewel daar ‘n tendens was vir die NS toestand om tydens oefening minder suurstofverbruik (HHb) (p = 0.57, medium tot groot praktiese effek) te lewer. So ook gedurende herstel is daar geen verskil in hierdie veranderlikes (O2Hb, p = 0.65; HHb, p = 0.57; TOI, p = 0.39; nTHI, p = 0.22) gevind nie, alhoewel die suurstofverbruik (HHb) vinniger na die basislyn herstel het met ‘n toename in druk. Die resultate toon dat eksterne kompressie ‘n afname in die bloedvloei tempo in die spier veroorsaak wat dan ‘n verlengde suurstof diffusie tyd veroorsaak. Hierdie verlengde suurstof diffusie tyd het geen effek op [BLa] tydens oefening gehad nie, alhoewel daar na die eerste 10 minute van die herstelperiode ‘n groot praktiese verskil tussen die NS en sokkie toestande gevind was in [BLa]. Hierdie verskil kan daarop dui dat die toename in suurstof diffusie verbeterde laktaat verwydering tot gevolg het, wat dan die hipotese van Berry en McMurray (1987) ondersteun.

Twenty percent of Hispanic nursing students at a west coast university are being dismissed from the nursing program due to repeated failures in nursing courses. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of Hispanic nursing students' experiences of successfully completing a nursing program, earning a baccalaureate of science degree, and passing the state licensing examination for registered nurses despite having failed a nursing course and having been placed on academic probation. Guided by Tinto's theory of academic integration, a descriptive phenomenological design was used to explore Hispanic nursing graduates' success experiences. Purposive sampling was used to select a representative sample of 6 Hispanic registered nurses who achieved success after academic failure in the nursing program. Data were collected through 5 face-to-face interviews and 1 telephone interview. Giorgi's steps for data analysis were used to create a meaning structure of the success experience. Findings from analysis of the data revealed that the general structure of the phenomenon of achieving academic success is a process that occurs in 3 distinct successive stages: despair, self-reflection, and change. During the self-reflection stage, a pivotal turning point was the recapture of the dream to become a nurse. These findings lead to the preparation of a professional development workshop that may acquaint educators with the stages of the success journey for students such as these, and may equip educators with knowledge and skills to intervene to support students through the stages of the success journey. Positive social change may result from educators effectively guiding nursing students to achieve their academic goals and successfully graduate from a nursing program.

Bakground : A new kind of birthing center, providing a new concept of maternal care is about to open in a city located in the eastern part of India. Being part of a new concept in maternal care and having the opportunity to work at a new advanced multispecialty hospital as well as being a newly graduated nurse can create a lot of expectations in which we aim to explore. Aim : The aim was to explore newly graduated nurse's expectations before the opening of a natural birthing center in the eastern part of India. Method : Qualitative interviews were chosen as a data collecting method. The participants were five newly graduated nurses. A qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach and a manifest content was selected for analyzing the collected data. Findings: Four categories with sub-categories were found. They were Unknown future, In relation with patients and relatives, Opportunities to develop as a nurse and to become a good nurse. Conclusion : In this study it was seen that the nurses felt unsure in their role and about their future. To be able to care for patients and relatives as a newly graduated nurse in a professional manner (and make them feel safe), it is important to have the confidence to feel safe in the nursing role. It is also of importance that the organization allows the nurse to develop by creating attuned climates for this, all to become a good nurse.

<p> Current political, social and professional trends have resulted in an increased enrollment of registered nurses (RNs) in Baccalaureate of Nursing (RN to BSN) completion programs (AACN, 2012; McEwen, White, Pullis &amp; Krawtz, 2012). Although recent studies have demonstrated the benefits of baccalaureate preparation on patient outcomes in the areas of safety and decreased mortality (Aiken, Clark, Cheung, Sloan &amp; Silber, 2003; Aiken, Clarke, Sloane, Lake &amp; Cheney, 2008; Blegen, Goode, Park, Vaughn &amp; Spetz, 2013; Kutney-Lee, Sloan &amp; Aiken, 2013; Aiken et.al, 2014), and on leadership, critical thinking and communication skills (AACN, 2010; Giger &amp; Davidhizar, 1990; McNeish, Rodriquez, Goyal &amp; Apen, 2013; Phillips, Palmer, Zimmerman &amp; Mayfield, 2002), there is limited literature on the <i> personal transformation</i> that is experienced by the registered nurse (RN) who has completed the Baccalaureate degree in nursing. Research from the disciplines of psychology, college student development and adult education describe the importance of personal transformation and the development of self-authorship in college students to meet the complex challenges of the 21^st century. The purpose of this study was to explore personal transformation, with specific attention to the development of self-authorship, in the RN who recently graduated from a baccalaureate completion program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 RNs who graduated from an RN to BSN program within the past year. Transformation was described as meaningful change in self and practice. Meaningful change in this sample was evident in a lasting awareness, an increase in confidence and the application of new learning into practice. Themes that emerged from the category of Change in Self included having gained 1) a broader perspective, 2) confidence and 3) awareness and clarity. Narratives that described Change in Practice generated themes of 1) feeling more well-rounded as a nurse, 2) having more confidence in practice and 3) having acquired new skills. Knowledge in this area could influence the intentional design of RN to BSN curricula for transformation, as well as encourage further research on personal transformation related to professional practice and health care outcomes.</p>

The investigation examined differences in learning efficiency produced by two different methods of discrimination training among regular placement fifth-grade pupils. It was designed to explore possible between-group differences in rate of learning, length of training, mastery rate, recall of learning, and task persistence following training. The experiment consisted of training, an interference task, and a concluding posttest. Two independent groups were formed by random assignment of subjects. The experimental group began training with graduated stimulus change trials--that is, subjects were presented with a succession of three visual discrimination tasks consisting of six trials per task designed to teach correct responding before incorrect alternatives were gradually introduced. Control subjects did not receive graduated stimulus change trials. Instead, they began each task in the training phase with more complex discriminations at trial seven. Pennies were used for reinforcement of correct choices in each group; incorrect selection resulted in no reinforcer delivery. Both groups were then administered a brief exercise designed to inhibit the recall of acquired discriminations. All subjects concluded with a 54-item posttest consisting of intermingled trials from the three-task training phase. The first 21 items were considered mandatory, but the final 33 were optional (i.e., subjects were instructed to complete as many items as they wished and informed that each correct selection earned a penny). Results indicated that graduated stimulus change (GSC) learners committed significantly fewer errors learning the discriminations and mastered significantly more of the training tasks presented than did trial-and-error learners. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the length of training nor in the degree of persistence during posttest voluntary responding. GSC subjects also committed significantly fewer errors on recall than controls although the degree of absolute forgetting in each group was not significantly different. The findings suggest that regular placement, "easy-to-teach" pupils can profit from GSC programming in several important ways. Without lengthening the training process, stimulus control methodologies can render instruction more efficient than trial-and-error procedures for nonimpaired learners. The need is apparent for further experimental research on the application of errorless discrimination procedures to other areas and levels of education.<br>Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis handel oor die volgende: Hoofstuk 1 dek die agtergrond, probleemstelling en ‘n kort oorsig oor die vaardigheidsgapings wat opgemerk kan word binne die konteks van die kennis-ekonomie. Hoofstuk 2 handel oor kernkonsepte, naamlik “kritiese denkvaardighede”, die kenniskonomie en wersvaardighede. Hoofstuk 3 sit ‘n gevallestudie uiteen. Dit beskryf die metode wat gekies is, die monster asook die uitvoering van die projek. Hoofstuk 4 bied ‘n ontleding aan van die data. Die laaste hoofstuk bespreek die resultate en hulle implikasies.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The thesis covers the following chapters Chapter 1: Background and Research Objectives This chapter focuses on the background, the problem and its setting and also includes the overview of the knowledge economy and the existing gap in skills. Chapter 2: Critical thinking and Employability Skills The focus is on an introduction and definitions of key concepts, namely critical thinking skills, the knowledge economy, and employability skills. Chapter 3: The Case Study This chapter offers the chosen research method and design, as well as the reasons for selecting this design, and will describe the methods. The discussion will include the research approach, sampling and data management. Chapter 4: Presentation and Discussion of the Findings The discussion includes data interpretation, specific techniques employed and reasons for such strategies. Chapter 5: Aspects of the Skills Gap This is the final chapter and it discusses the findings, makes recommendations, and concludes the study.

Este artículo se basa en una investigación etnográfica de dos años que analiza el proceso de profesionalización y las experiencias de trabajo comunitario de estudiantes y egresados del Instituto Intercultural Ñöñho (IIÑ), una pequeña universidad indígena ubicada en la región ñöñho (otomí) del sur del estado mexicano de Querétaro. Entre los principales hallazgos se muestra que estos actores, a través del uso sociocultural de sus saberes escolares, construyen y despliegan colectivamente un conjunto de estrategias interculturales (Bertely, 1997) para intervenir comunitariamente en tres aspectos: (i) las condiciones locales de marginación socioeconómica, (ii) el desplazamiento cultural y lingüístico, y (iii) la presencia de violencias en los espacios de socialización juvenil. En un inicio, el texto pone en perspectiva histórica las distintas rutas de profesionalización indígena que han existido en el contexto mexicano. Posteriormente, se ofrece una contextualización del IIÑ y del perfil pedagógico de su programa de licenciatura en Economías Solidarias. Finalmente se describen las estrategias interculturales que producen estudiantes y egresados de esta universidad indígena, a partir de una mirada que contempla la afirmación de su etnicidad en el marco de procesos de escolarización.<br>This article is based on a two-year ethnographic research that analyzes the process of professionalization and community work experiences of students and graduates of the Instituto Intercultural Ñöñho (IIÑ), a small indigenous university located in the ñöñho (otomí) region of the southern Mexican state of Querétaro. Among the main findings it presents that these actors collectively build and display a set of intercultural strategies (Bertely, 1997) to intervene in three issues: (i) the local socio-economic marginalization conditions, (ii) the cultural and language shift, (iii) and the violence within the socialization spaces of the youths.; all these through the sociocultural application of their academic knowledge. Firstly, this study puts in historical perspective the different paths of indigenous professionalization that have existed in the Mexican context. Subsequently, it offers a contextualization of the IIÑ and of the pedagogical profile of its degree program in Solidarity Economics. Finally, it describes the intercultural strategies produced by the students and graduates from this indigenous university, departing from the assertion of their own ethnicity within their schooling process.

Aims and objectives: To describe newly graduated nurses’ experiences of the intervention practitioner training nurse.  Background: Newly graduated nurses need support to establish the profession. Several studies have shown that the first years in the profession, is the most challenging time. Method: The intervention practitioner training nurse was initiated to empower, and support newly graduates nurses in their professional role. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten newly graduate nurses having experience of the intervention. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis results in the overarching theme; “Organizational prerequisites” The theme consisted of three categories, "Activator" comprised the subcategories compiliating and attractive workplace. This involved that the practitioner training nurse were the activator creating a clear structure and the wards became more attractive workplaces. “Supportive nursing" comprised the subcategories present assistance, emotional support, and patient safety. This involved that practitioner training nurse constituted an important support function and helped to ensure patient safety. “Professional development” comprised the subcategories nurse's competence, feeling of security, and learning. This created the opportunity for professional development. Conclusion: The newly graduate nurses' experience of the intervention shows that the creation of an organisational structure enabled the practitioner training nurse to be an important support and to contribute to professional development. This was accomplished by strategic decision of the hospital management. Relevance to practice: The results of the current study can be transferred to other similar healthcare organizations and can be a support for managers who plan to initiate interventions to empower and support newly graduated nurses.

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of graduated guidance procedure on teaching imitation of manual signs to students with moderate to severe disabilities. Sessions began with student initiation and were embedded across already established reinforcement routines across the student’s day. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate these effects.

The aim of this study was to determine whether sub-bandage graduated compression of 30-40mmHg at the ankle was sustained and comfortable when wearing inelastic short stretch bandage systems over a 72 hour bandage wear time period.Thirty two healthy participants were used to determine the compression levels achieved by wearing a three layer inelastic compression bandage system on one leg as compared to a four layer inelastic compression bandage system on the other leg. An experienced bandager applied all bandage systems to all participants. Sub-bandage measurements were taken at spaced intervals at the ankle and the calf over the 3 day bandage wear time period by means of a non-invasive portable pneumatic monitor worn under the bandage systems. In addition, participants recorded their level of comfort against specific activities of daily living using a linear 10 point scale over the 3 days.On application, the three layer bandage system obtained a mean ankle sub-bandage pressure of 48.12mmHg on standing which reduced to 28.75mmHg at 72 hour wear time. A mean standing ankle sub-bandage pressure of 65.74mmHg was recorded on application for the four layer bandage system, which reduced to 35.03mmHg after 72 hour bandage wear time. The compression bandages caused discomfort for the participants throughout the day, both when resting/sleeping as well as during periods of mobility. Participants also reported difficulties in finding shoes to accommodate the compression bandage systems.On the basis of this study’s results it is recommended that a three layer bandage system should be changed at least every 48 hours and a four layer bandage system should be changed at least every 72 hours to maintain optimal sub-bandage ankle pressures of 30-40mmHg. The results also highlighted the need for an assessment tool that can be used in clinical practice to evaluate the effects that treatment interventions have on the quality of life of patients.

Background: Studies have demonstrated that new graduate nurses' (NGNs) transition experience is complex and often negative leading to dissatisfaction with nursing and increased attrition. Many existing studies of NGNs' transition experience are small, qualitative, concerned with NGNs experiences in the West. No study has been conducted to date examining NGNs' transition experience in any of the developing countries where the cultural context and nursing education and practice are different to those in the West. Aim: To explore the experience of NGNs during their transition period in one of the developing countries, the Sultanate of Oman. Method: Qualitative case study utilising an embedded-single case design was conducted to investigate the transition experience of baccalaureate NGNs graduating from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and working at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH). Data were collected from the perspective of NGNs and also from the perspective of other key informants using triangulated methods. This includes individual and focus group interviews, observation and documentary analysis. Results: Four over-arching themes are identified from NGNs' transition experience in the Sultanate of Oman. These are 'Studying Experience'; 'Role Transition'; 'Working Conditions' and 'Status of the Nursing Profession'. This study showed that nursing is not an attractive choice for Omani students to study and pursue as a future career because of its low status. During the transition period, NGNs experienced reality shock which mainly resulted from a theory-practice gap. NGNs had limited practical experience but a high level of theoretical knowledge, which they were unable to utilise in practice. They found the working environment to involve many competing priorities resulting in task-orientation and compromised patient care. This study showed that many NGNs resented their involvement in basic nursing care, which they believed should not be part of their role as degree nurses. Despite the challenges of the transition period, many NGNs remarked that nurses play the most important role at the hospital and they are proud being nurses. Conclusion: Omani NGNs' transition experience is complex and similar in many respects to NGNs experience in the West. However, there are distinctive challenges Omani NGNs faced due to the Omani culture, working environment and the status of nursing in Oman.

Graduated driver licensing has been shown to improve the safety of young drivers but relatively little is known about how well it works for drivers born in countries where the licensing system is less sophisticated. This research used Bronfenbrenner's ecological model to examine the driver licensing experience of Korean Australian young drivers using driver and parent focus groups and an online survey of drivers. Accumulating the required supervised driving was more difficult for international students than those living with parents and differences in road rules (particularly relating to seat belt use) between the countries exerted an important influence on behaviour.

With a dramatic increase in the prevalence of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including those with high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome, educators are challenged to meet the educational needs of a complex and widely diverse group of exceptional learners. The focus of this research was to gain insight into the experiences of the graduated student with autism and his/her parent(s) during the student's time in public school. This study had three research questions: 1) What were the lived experiences of students with ASD who graduated from an urban public high school in the southeast United States?; 2) What were the lived experiences of the parents of the graduated students with ASD?; and, 3) Were there common themes between the graduated students' lived experiences and the parent's lived experiences? Five graduated students and their parents were interviewed in this qualitative, phenomenological study. Explicitation of the interview data identified three themes for the graduated student group: a) challenges with learning due to having an ASD; b) difficulty making friends; and, c) involvement in their educational process. Four themes were present in the parent group: a) challenges with learning due to having an ASD; b) difficulty making friends; c) establishment of a relationship with the school; and, d) preparation for post-secondary experiences. The graduated student group agreed with the parent group on 16 of the 20 interview questions. Responses for each graduated student were compared to the responses of his/her own parent(s). Recommendations were made for future research.<br>ID: 029809603; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 364-375).<br>Ed.D.<br>Doctorate<br>Education

Syftet med studien var att undersöka nyutbildade sjuksköterskors gemensamma upplevelser av att börja arbeta efter examen. Detta undersöktes genom åtta intervjupersoner varav två män och sex kvinnor, valdes ur ett handplockat urval och intervjuades utifrån en semistrukturerad intervju. Deltagarna intervjuades om sina unika upplevelser av att vara nyutbildade sjuksköterskor. Resultaten av en tematisk analys påvisade fyra kategorier, att känna osäkerhet, att känna stress, självständighet och att få stöd. Första kategorin bestod av subkategorierna ensamhet, att begå misstag, och kunskapsbrist. Andra kategorin hade subkategorierna oförmåga, tidsbrist, brist på stöd och att hantera svåra lägen. Tredje kategorin hade subkategorierna att känna självtillit, att bli stark och att få rutiner. Sista kategorin hade subkategorierna att få bekräftelse och feedback, att få uppskattning och bli vägledd. Studien kan ge bredare perspektiv på framtida studier gällande nyutbildade sjuksköterskors upplevelse av stress. Slutsatsen av studien är att nyutbildade sjuksköterskors upplevelser är individuella och kan vara både positiva och negativa.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the current status and competencies of CEIT graduates working in IT firms from the employers&rsquo<br>point of view. In addition, the cases were evaluated to see whether the graduates have gained competency in their undergraduate education or while working for the firms. In the end the main goal was to identify how well CEIT departments are preparing students for professional practice. The participants of this study were thirteen employers of CEIT graduates working in IT firms in a technopolis. A mixed methods research approach including both quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed as the primary method in order to reach the purpose of this study. Within the scope of this mixed method study, firstly, the quantitative technique was employed in which the data were gathered through a questionnaire to examine the competencies of CEIT graduates. Then, the qualitative part of the study was employed through a follow-up semi-structured interview to confirm and complement the quantitative findings. According to the results of this study, CEIT graduates are average competent at pedagogical, technical and communcation issues. They are more competent within communication and teamwork, and least competent within technical issues according to the employers.

Newly licensed drivers on a provisional or intermediate licence have the highest crash risk when compared with any other group of drivers. In comparison, learner drivers have the lowest crash risk. Graduated driver licensing is one countermeasure that has been demonstrated to effectively reduce the crashes of novice drivers. This thesis examined the graduated driver licensing systems in two Australian states in order to better understand the behaviour of learner drivers, provisional drivers and the supervisors of learner drivers. By doing this, the thesis investigated the personal, social and environmental influences on novice driver behaviour as well as providing effective baseline data against which to measure subsequent changes to the licensing systems. In the first study, conducted prior to the changes to the graduated driver licensing system introduced in mid-2007, drivers who had recently obtained their provisional licence in Queensland and New South Wales were interviewed by telephone regarding their experiences while driving on their learner licence. Of the 687 eligible people approached to participate at driver licensing centres, 392 completed the study representing a response rate of 57.1 per cent. At the time the data was collected, New South Wales represented a more extensive graduated driver licensing system when compared with Queensland. The results suggested that requiring learners to complete a mandated number of hours of supervised practice impacts on the amount of hours that learners report completing. While most learners from New South Wales reported meeting the requirement to complete 50 hours of practice, it appears that many stopped practising soon after this goal was achieved. In contrast, learners from Queensland, who were not required to complete a specific number of hours at the time of the survey, tended to fall into three groups. The first group appeared to complete the minimum number of hours required to pass the test (less than 26 hours), the second group completed 26 to 50 hours of supervised practice while the third group completed significantly more practice than the first two groups (over 100 hours of supervised practice). Learner drivers in both states reported generally complying with the road laws and were unlikely to report that they had been caught breaking the road rules. They also indicated that they planned to obey the road laws once they obtained their provisional licence. However, they were less likely to intend to comply with recommended actions to reduce crash risk such as limiting their driving at night. This study also identified that there were relatively low levels of unaccompanied driving (approximately 15 per cent of the sample), very few driving offences committed (five per cent of the sample) and that learner drivers tended to use a mix of private and professional supervisors (although the majority of practice is undertaken with private supervisors). Consistent with the international literature, this study identified that very few learner drivers had experienced a crash (six per cent) while on their learner licence. The second study was also conducted prior to changes to the graduated driver licensing system and involved follow up interviews with the participants of the first study after they had approximately 21 months driving experience on their provisional licence. Of the 392 participants that completed the first study, 233 participants completed the second interview (representing a response rate of 59.4 per cent). As with the first study, at the time the data was collected, New South Wales had a more extensive graduated driver licensing system than Queensland. For instance, novice drivers from New South Wales were required to progress through two provisional licence phases (P1 and P2) while there was only one provisional licence phase in Queensland. Among the participants in this second study, almost all provisional drivers (97.9 per cent) owned or had access to a vehicle for regular driving. They reported that they were unlikely to break road rules, such as driving after a couple of drinks, but were also unlikely to comply with recommended actions, such as limiting their driving at night. When their provisional driving behaviour was compared to the stated intentions from the first study, the results suggested that their intentions were not a strong predictor of their subsequent behaviour. Their perception of risk associated with driving declined from when they first obtained their learner licence to when they had acquired provisional driving experience. Just over 25 per cent of participants in study two reported that they had been caught committing driving offences while on their provisional licence. Nearly one-third of participants had crashed while driving on a provisional licence, although few of these crashes resulted in injuries or hospitalisations. To complement the first two studies, the third study examined the experiences of supervisors of learner drivers, as well as their perceptions of their learner’s experiences. This study was undertaken after the introduction of the new graduated driver licensing systems in Queensland and New South Wales in mid- 2007, providing insights into the impacts of these changes from the perspective of supervisors. The third study involved an internet survey of 552 supervisors of learner drivers. Within the sample, approximately 50 per cent of participants supervised their own child. Other supervisors of the learner drivers included other parents or stepparents, professional driving instructors and siblings. For two-thirds of the sample, this was the first learner driver that they had supervised. Participants had provided an average of 54.82 hours (sd = 67.19) of supervision. Seventy-three per cent of participants indicated that their learners’ logbooks were accurate or very accurate in most cases, although parents were more likely than non-parents to report that their learners’ logbook was accurate (F (1,546) = 7.74, p = .006). There was no difference between parents and non-parents regarding whether they believed the log book system was effective (F (1,546) = .01, p = .913). The majority of the sample reported that their learner driver had had some professional driving lessons. Notwithstanding this, a significant proportion (72.5 per cent) believed that parents should be either very involved or involved in teaching their child to drive, with parents being more likely than non-parents to hold this belief. In the post mid-2007 graduated driver licensing system, Queensland learner drivers are able to record three hours of supervised practice in their log book for every hour that is completed with a professional driving instructor, up to a total of ten hours. Despite this, there was no difference identified between Queensland and New South Wales participants regarding the amount of time that they reported their learners spent with professional driving instructors (X2(1) = 2.56, p = .110). Supervisors from New South Wales were more likely to ensure that their learner driver complied with the road laws. Additionally, with the exception of drug driving laws, New South Wales supervisors believed it was more important to teach safety-related behaviours such as remaining within the speed limit, car control and hazard perception than those from Queensland. This may be indicative of more intensive road safety educational efforts in New South Wales or the longer time that graduated driver licensing has operated in that jurisdiction. However, other factors may have contributed to these findings and further research is required to explore the issue. In addition, supervisors reported that their learner driver was involved in very few crashes (3.4 per cent) and offences (2.7 per cent). This relatively low reported crash rate is similar to that identified in the first study. Most of the graduated driver licensing research to date has been applied in nature and lacked a strong theoretical foundation. These studies used Akers’ social learning theory to explore the self-reported behaviour of novice drivers and their supervisors. This theory was selected as it has previously been found to provide a relatively comprehensive framework for explaining a range of driver behaviours including novice driver behaviour. Sensation seeking was also used in the first two studies to complement the non-social rewards component of Akers’ social learning theory. This program of research identified that both Akers’ social learning theory and sensation seeking were useful in predicting the behaviour of learner and provisional drivers over and above socio-demographic factors. Within the first study, Akers’ social learning theory accounted for an additional 22 per cent of the variance in learner driver compliance with the law, over and above a range of socio-demographic factors such as age, gender and income. The two constructs within Akers’ theory which were significant predictors of learner driver compliance were the behavioural dimension of differential association relating to friends, and anticipated rewards. Sensation seeking predicted an additional six per cent of the variance in learner driver compliance with the law. When considering a learner driver’s intention to comply with the law while driving on a provisional licence, Akers’ social learning theory accounted for an additional 10 per cent of the variance above socio-demographic factors with anticipated rewards being a significant predictor. Sensation seeking predicted an additional four per cent of the variance. The results suggest that the more rewards individuals anticipate for complying with the law, the more likely they are to obey the road rules. Further research is needed to identify which specific rewards are most likely to encourage novice drivers’ compliance with the law. In the second study, Akers’ social learning theory predicted an additional 40 per cent of the variance in self-reported compliance with road rules over and above socio-demographic factors while sensation seeking accounted for an additional five per cent of the variance. A number of Aker’s social learning theory constructs significantly predicted provisional driver compliance with the law, including the behavioural dimension of differential association for friends, the normative dimension of differential association, personal attitudes and anticipated punishments. The consistent prediction of additional variance by sensation seeking over and above the variables within Akers’ social learning theory in both studies one and two suggests that sensation seeking is not fully captured within the non social rewards dimension of Akers’ social learning theory, at least for novice drivers. It appears that novice drivers are strongly influenced by the desire to engage in new and intense experiences. While socio-demographic factors and the perception of risk associated with driving had an important role in predicting the behaviour of the supervisors of learner drivers, Akers’ social learning theory provided further levels of prediction over and above these factors. The Akers’ social learning theory variables predicted an additional 14 per cent of the variance in the extent to which supervisors ensured that their learners complied with the law and an additional eight per cent of the variance in the supervisors’ provision of a range of practice experiences. The normative dimension of differential association, personal attitudes towards the use of professional driving instructors and anticipated rewards were significant predictors for supervisors ensuring that their learner complied with the road laws, while the normative dimension was important for range of practice. This suggests that supervisors who engage with other supervisors who ensure their learner complies with the road laws and provide a range of practice to their own learners are more likely to also engage in these behaviours. Within this program of research, there were several limitations including the method of recruitment of participants within the first study, the lower participation rate in the second study, an inability to calculate a response rate for study three and the use of self-report data for all three studies. Within the first study, participants were only recruited from larger driver licensing centres to ensure that there was a sufficient throughput of drivers to approach. This may have biased the results due to the possible differences in learners that obtain their licences in locations with smaller licensing centres. Only 59.4 per cent of the sample in the first study completed the second study. This may be a limitation if there was a common reason why those not participating were unable to complete the interview leading to a systematic impact on the results. The third study used a combination of a convenience and snowball sampling which meant that it was not possible to calculate a response rate. All three studies used self-report data which, in many cases, is considered a limitation. However, self-report data may be the only method that can be used to obtain some information. This program of research has a number of implications for countermeasures in both the learner licence phase and the provisional licence phase. During the learner phase, licensing authorities need to carefully consider the number of hours that they mandate learner drivers must complete before they obtain their provisional driving licence. If they mandate an insufficient number of hours, there may be inadvertent negative effects as a result of setting too low a limit. This research suggests that logbooks may be a useful tool for learners and their supervisors in recording and structuring their supervised practice. However, it would appear that the usage rates for logbooks will remain low if they remain voluntary. One strategy for achieving larger amounts of supervised practice is for learner drivers and their supervisors to make supervised practice part of their everyday activities. As well as assisting the learner driver to accumulate the required number of hours of supervised practice, it would ensure that they gain experience in the types of environments that they will probably encounter when driving unaccompanied in the future, such as to and from education or work commitments. There is also a need for policy processes to ensure that parents and professional driving instructors communicate effectively regarding the learner driver’s progress. This is required as most learners spend at least some time with a professional instructor despite receiving significant amounts of practice with a private supervisor. However, many supervisors did not discuss their learner’s progress with the driving instructor. During the provisional phase, there is a need to strengthen countermeasures to address the high crash risk of these drivers. Although many of these crashes are minor, most involve at least one other vehicle. Therefore, there are social and economic benefits to reducing these crashes. If the new, post-2007 graduated driver licensing systems do not significantly reduce crash risk, there may be a need to introduce further provisional licence restrictions such as separate night driving and peer passenger restrictions (as opposed to the hybrid version of these two restrictions operating in both Queensland and New South Wales). Provisional drivers appear to be more likely to obey some provisional licence laws, such as lower blood alcohol content limits, than others such as speed limits. Therefore, there may be a need to introduce countermeasures to encourage provisional drivers to comply with specific restrictions. When combined, these studies provided significant information regarding graduated driver licensing programs. This program of research has investigated graduated driver licensing utilising a cross-sectional and longitudinal design in order to develop our understanding of the experiences of novice drivers that progress through the system in order to help reduce crash risk once novice drivers commence driving by themselves.

Bakgrund: År 2020 uppskattar Europarådet att det kommer saknas cirka 590 000 sjuksköterskor i Europa, vilket kan påverka kvalitéten på vården. Omvårdnaden är sjuksköterskans ansvarsområde vilket innebär att följa riktlinjer och ge individanpassad omvårdnad. Sjuksköterskestudenterna såg framemot att komma ut i arbetslivet och få applicera den teoretiska kunskapen med det praktiska arbetet.   Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva upplevelser av att vara nyexaminerad sjuksköterska under det första året i yrket.   Metod: Studien är en litteraturstudie som har en deskriptiv design där elva artiklar inkluderades.   Huvudresultat: Fyra huvudrubriker identifierades och fyra underrubriker. Huvudrubrikerna var: glappet mellan skola och arbetsliv, upplevelsen av stöd och handledning, brist på tid och eget lärande. Underrubrikerna var: upplevelsen av brist på kunskap, komma ut som ny på arbetsplatsen, vikten av stöttning och kommunikation på arbetsplatsen.   Slutsats: De nyexaminerade sjuksköterskorna upplevde att de negativa upplevelserna dominerade jämfört med de positiva. Att vara medveten om upplevelsen av att vara nyexaminerad sjuksköterska är viktigt både för studenter och de blivande kollegorna.<br>Background: In the year of 2020, the European council estimated that there is a shortage of approximately 590 000 nurses in Europe, which could affect the quality of care. Nursing is the area of responsibility in which includes following guidelines and give individual care. The nursing students looked forward to getting into working life and apply the theoretical with the practical.   Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the experience of newly graduated registered nurses during the first year of work.   Methods: The study is a literature review with a descriptive design which includes eleven studies.   Main result: Four themes were identified with four subthemes. The themes were: The gap between school and working life, the experience of support and guidance, lack of time and own learning. The subthemes were: the experience of lack of knowledge, new employee in the workplace, the importance of support and communication at work.   Conclusion: The experience of newly graduated registered nurses was often experienced in a negative manner rather than positive. To be aware of newly graduated registered nurses is important for both students and prospective colleagues.

Objective: In 2010, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death among 13 – 19 year-old males and females in the United States (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2014). The overall goal of this research is to differentiate between measures associated with crashes for young teen drivers, age fourteen to fifteen years on urban and rural roads. Methods: A retrospective study of motor vehicle crashes among 14 and 15-year old drivers in the state of Iowa was conducted using crash information obtained from the Iowa Department of Transportation for the years of 2001 to 2013. Crash rates were calculated by rurality using Urban Influence Codes (UIC). The total number of crashes and crashes resulting in injury were divided by the population of young teen drivers aggregated at the UIC level. Crash and driver characteristics were analyzed for measures of association to the main outcome, injury using logistic regression. Crash and driver characteristics that were associated with injury at the p ≤ 0.20 level were eligible for model inclusion. Results: For every 1,000 young teen drivers age fourteen to fifteen years, nearly 8 were involved in a crash statewide from 2001 - 2013. Half of all crashes in the dataset occurred in an urban area (n = 4327, 51%), while 7% occurred in a suburban area, 29% in a town and 13% in a remote rural area. Results show, for all crashes and crashes resulting in injury, that as the level of rurality increases, rates of crash also increase. Remote rural crashes have the highest crash rate ratio (RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.22), relative to urban crashes. The presence of multiple teen passengers in the vehicle increased the odds of having a crash that resulted in injury 10.73 times, compared to no passengers being present (95% CI: 7.10, 16.22). Characteristics with the strongest association with injury were single vehicle collisions, crashes that occurred on rural roads, crashes were the driver lost control and crashes were multiple teen passengers were present. Conclusions: Results from this study highlight the dangerous circumstances that young teen drivers face, especially when driving on rural roads. In order to protect young teen drivers from crashes, there is a need for more restrictions on the number of passengers and the development of prevention methods to make young teen drivers safer.

A growing number of home-schooled students enter the nation's colleges and universities each year. Tinto (1988, 1993) presented a foundational model of how students transition from high school to college. In this model, students travel through three stages: separation, transition, and incorporation. Few studies have examined the transitional issues home-school students encounter as they begin their first year of college. This study, at a midsized public university in the Midwest, examined the transitional issues experienced by first-year college students who graduated from high school in a home-school setting. It specifically sought to determine if the issues experienced by the students were related to Tinto's theory of student departure. The study was qualitative in nature. Data were gathered through interviews with first-year students who matriculated in fall 2005 and persisted to spring 2006. The interviews were held in February and March 2006. Data was analyzed based on guidelines presented by Berkowitz (1997) and themes were discovered.The researcher concluded that there was little distinction between the transitional issues experienced by home-schooled students, and those experienced by traditionally educated students. Students experienced a wide range of transitional issues during their first year of college such as loneliness, meeting others with different values, living in the residence halls, and dealing with greater independence. The transitional issues the participants encountered during their first year of college were closely related to Tinto's (1993) theory of transition. The resources offered by the university, such as orientation, RAs, and campus programming, were influential in the home-schooled students' transition to college.<br>Department of Educational Studies

碩士<br>長榮大學<br>護理學系碩士班<br>102<br>The turnover rate of nursing staff is very high; however, the related qualitative research especially those regarding new graduates’ work experience and perception is quite few. The purpose of this research was to explore new graduated nurses’ life experiences. Results may provide important information to health care providers in administration and education to develop strategies to improve the turnover rate. This qualitative study used an in-depth interview method with purposive sampling. Eight newly graduated nurses were interviewed. Data were analyzed by using category-content analysis. Four major themes were identified (1) gap between expectation and reality, (2) communication embarrassment, (3) mentally and physically exhausted, and (4) metamorphosis or disillusionment, which were presented in 8 aspects. The researcher found the reason for some new graduates to work as nursing staff was mainly based on their family’s recommendation when entering into workplace; some of them were frustrated by the gap between their clinical practicing experiences and the real working world. Some were retained while they were warmly cared by their mentors, and those without sufficient support eventually left the nursing profession.

碩士<br>臺北醫學大學<br>護理學研究所<br>96<br>Turnover for incoming recently graduated nursing personnel within the first six months can be as high as 58.7%. Each hospital naturally aims to lower turnover rate, otherwise it would constantly train new employee and this new employee would most likely leave whenever the time comes. Therefore, under vicious cycle of new employee turnover, nursing quality would definitely suffer. Still, the real cause of turnover must be located to stem the tide. Thus, how to lessen the turnover would be paramount prior real solution can be found. Consequently this research is to understand the relevant turnover factors for newly employed nursing personnel who just graduated. Analysis would be focused on personal attribute for incoming graduate of new nursing personnel, and the relevancy with turnover factors. Then comparison would be made between personal attribute and turnover factor, so that suggestions would be proposed in regard to how to effectively lessen the turnover for recently graduated nursing personnel. This research adopts Cross-Section Research Design and conducts query of quantitative research. And self-designed 「Query for turnover factors of incoming recently graduated nursing employee」 is also adopted. The significant portion for research tool is further tested for retest reliability. The Cronbach''s α is found to be .97. Validity test adopts expert content validity test. Research study were those who joined National union of nurses associations, R.O.C scattered over 22 counties and cities nationwide, in addition to those served at local hospitals as their first full time jobs and quit within a year. And these nurses were practicing under registered license and had a change of registration afterward. This research started on Oct. 8, 2007 and up to Dec. 23, 2008. Under the concurred assistance of 22 unions of nurses associations in collecting questionnaires, and 153 were collected from unions located at 18 counties and cities, 3 of the 153 were rated ineffective with an effective ratio of 98.04%. The findings of this study indicated that, in the individual basic attribute category, those under the age of 25 were 93.3%. 63.9% were possessing education backgrounds of and above university level. And seniority of less than 3 months was accounted at 60.7%. As for employment, those worked under contract and project employment contract were 59.3%. Within these, 66.7% were under the category of no contract protection, and 25.3% of them were paid with monthly salaries of less than 25,000 NTD. Within the seven job severance factors, the total average value was 2.79 (SD=0.79). Within the average value of 「nursing profession characteristics」 3.35(SD=0.88), which was attributed to the most significant factor that would affect the job severance. This questionnaire adopts Likert scale to measure the scores. Score of 3 represents somewhat concurred. Within 50 categories of the questionnaire, there were 16 categories with average value of 3 and above (including 3). And within these, “nursing profession characteristics” occupied 9 categories out of the 16. Within each category of analyzing the job severance, 2 of the “individual and family” item scored with average value above 3. And 2 of the “salary and benefit” average value scored above 3. 9 of the “nursing profession characteristics” scored above 3. Only 1 of the “development and pursing the advanced degrees” scored above 3. And only 1 of the “organizational considerations” scored above 3. After comparing different attributes for the soon-to-be graduated incoming nursing personnel with those of job severance factors, the variance for these indicated that, the level variance for employment hospitals exhibited statistical significance in ”nursing profession characteristics” with F value = 4.134(p<0.05). Through Scheffe’s method, it discovered that the employment hospital level rated as medical center (new system rating as excellent) exhibited significantly higher rating than those of regional hospital level(new system rating as qualified). Since the employment organizational differences did exist, therefore three factors like ”nursing profession characteristics”, ”development and pursing of advanced degrees” and ”organizational considerations (with P<0.05) were significantly impacting the job severance outcome, in addition that the salary difference was also significantly impacting the F value=3.02(P<0.05) of the job severance factor. Since the undesired manpower inadequacy, job stress and constant overtime work in addition to the adjustment and inadequate self preparation for incoming recently graduated employee were found to be the causes that result with over sixty percent turnover rate within the three months of employment time frame, this research suggests that the solution for this problem must come from combined efforts from industry, bureaucracy and academic circles. Then, future nursing quality would not be lessened and general populace can expect to be provided with superior quality of nursing service.