The purposes of this thesis are two-fold-: 1) in light of the information which is now available, to record accurately the events of the long newspaper career of Samuel L. Clemens; and, 2) to attempt to assess the influence of his journalistic experiences on him as a man, as an observer of humanity, as a reporter fulfilling his assignments, as a developing artist, and as a future author of books.

This study attempts to quantify the dissociative experiences reported by children and adolescents, and to determine whether the variance in degree of dissociation in children has useful diagnostic and treatment implications.

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes about near-death experiences (NDEs) that would demonstrate acceptable psychometric properties. In consultation with a focus group of six NDE experts, I developed the 50-item Knowledge and Attitudes toward Near-Death Experiences Scale (KANDES), including the 24-item KANDES–Attitude subscale (KANDES-A) and the 26-item KANDES–Knowledge subscale (KANDES-K). Including a pilot administration in which feedback indicated no need for revision, a total of 256 professional and student counselors completed the KANDES. Separate reliability and validity analyses were conducted for each subscale. For the KANDES–A, Cronbach’s alpha was .909, and Pearson’s r for test-retest was .748, both indicating acceptable reliability. An exploratory factor analysis indicated four factors to retain and yielded a factor solution that explained 54.87% of the variance, an acceptable amount of variance to substantiate construct validity. For the KANDES–K, Cronbach’s alpha was .816, indicating acceptable reliability. For each of the scale’s three domains, Cronbach’s alpha was .816 for Domain 1: NDE Content, .817 for Domain 2: NDE Aftereffects, and .631 for Domain 3: Experiencer Characteristics, indicating acceptable reliability. Pearson’s r for test-retest on the total KANDES–K was .812, further demonstrating acceptable reliability.

This study provides a representation of the lived transitional experiences of a group of student-cricketers on a passage toward professional cricket. Set in the local context of a university cricket academy, the investigation focused on players’ adoption of a cricketing role that they used in combination with their structured cricketing environment to explore what it might be like to be professional cricketers. The aim of the research, therefore, was to portray a culturally embedded process of identity-exploration through which a group of young men arrived at a conception of themselves as ‘cricketers’. The data on which the study is based have been drawn from research conducted over twenty seven months from November 2010 to March 2013 where I, as a researcher, became immersed in the research context as an active member of the participant group. The methodological approach of ethnography was used to obtain an insider’s account of the student-cricket experience as seen from the point of view of the actors involved. Application of traditional ethnographic techniques such as participant observation, note taking and unstructured, field-based ‘interviews’ provided the means through which situated, day-to-day experiences were captured and explored. What is presented, therefore, reflects some of the contextual responses to real-life situations experienced by the group and its individuals, mediated through a developing analytical interest in players’ identity engagements with their cricketing environment from the theoretical standpoint of ‘emerging adulthood’ (Arnett, 2000, 2004). Adding to the ethnographic accounts offered within this thesis, the study contributes a conceptual framework that plots players’ transitional pathways through the academy to share the key points of interaction that impinged on individual participants ‘finding their level’ in the game. Through contact and exposure to a cricketing way of life, players’ involvement with the academy saw their cricketing experiences intensify and their attachments to the game transform. This resulted in individuals either accepting or rejecting cricket based on what they came to know about themselves and the game, with the findings of the research helping to further understanding on how a group of ‘emerging adults’ engaged with the ‘project’ of their self-identities to reach a point of self-understanding on which to base prospective identity-decisions.

Möten mellan sjuksköterska och barn återfinns inom de flesta verksamheter, eftersom barn är en stor patientgrupp inom hälso- och sjukvården. Sjuksköterskans kunskap och erfarenhet har avgörande betydelse för hur dessa möten avlöper. Det är av stor vikt att barns möten med sjuksköterskan blir en positiv erfarenhet, eftersom en negativ händelse kan få livslånga konsekvenser genom att barnet undviker hälso- och sjukvården under resten av sitt liv. Följden av ett negativt möte kan också bli att barnets kommande möten kräver mer resurser, såsom fler och längre möten och mer personal, resurser som annars kan vara till nytta för fler barn. Sjuksköterskan bör individanpassa mötet utifrån barnets individuella utvecklingsnivå och involvera barnet och familjen, som kan bestå av flera medlemmar. Detta kan göras genom att sjuksköterskan avsätter tillräckligt med tid, befinner sig på barnets nivå och anpassar kommunikationen, kanske med lek. Ett gynnsamt läge uppstår då för att familjen skall känna sig och vara delaktiga i vården, och en trygg och tillitsfull relation skapas för alla inblandade. Undersökningar och behandlingar underlättas när sjuksköterskan och familjen samarbetar. Hur mötet avlöper beror till stor del på sjuksköterskans kunskaper och erfarenheter. Kunskap är grunden för sjuksköterskans yrke och en sjuksköterska blir aldrig fullärd utan behöver söka ny kunskap hela tiden. Ett primärt sätt för sjuksköterskan att göra det, är med reflektion. Reflektion kan ske enskilt, med kollegor och andra yrkesgrupper. Vid reflektion ökar sjuksköterskans kunskap genom att hen tar del av någon annans erfarenhet och reviderar den och gör den till egen ny kunskap. Författarna anser att de resultat som framkommit kan användas som verktyg vid möten mellan sjuksköterskor, barn och deras föräldrar. / Background: Research have shown children to be a large patient group within the health care sector. Nurses, should therefore, have knowledge about how to individually adapt meetings so it will be a positive experience for the child, the parents, and for themselves. Historically, this has not been the case and created immense care suffering for several families. Aim: The aim of this study was to illuminate nurses' experiences of meeting children and their parents within the health care sector. Method: A method to contribute to evidence-based nursing with ground in analysis of qualitative research was performed. An analysis of nine scientific articles was carried out. The analysis resulted in three main themes and eight subthemes. Results: The main themes were: "To see the child as an individual", "to built trust", and "knowledge and experience are crucial". Knowledge were fundamental for creating a positive meeting. Conclusion: By individually adapting communication to the child and the parents, good conditions allowed for a trusting relationship to emerge. Time was needed to create a safe and trusting relationship. However, it did not always exist. With knowledge and experience the nurse could see the child as an individual and adapt the meeting to the child. It was the responsibility of the nurse to gain the necessary knowledge, and to reflect with colleagues was seen as an important source to attain new knowledge.

Background: Every year the number of young and middle-aged persons who receive stroke are increasing. Stroke is often considered as a disease of old people. A stroke often leads to changes in life. The consequences can be cognitive impairments and movement disabilities. These consequences can have a high impact of the person's life. Aim: The aim was to describe experiences of daily life after a stroke from the perspective of adults younger than 65 years old. Method: To analyze data, Friberg's (2012) method aimed to contribute to evidence-based care based on analyzing qualitative research, was used. Ten scientific articles were chosen and analyzed. Results: The result showed that adults younger than 65 who suffered from a stroke experiences a lot of difficulties in life afterwards. The analyze process generated four categories and nine subcategories. The four categories are "an altered work situation", "lack in rehabilitation", "to loose myself", "difficulties in social meetings". Conclusion: The study showed that rehabilitation is very important for adults younger than 65 who suffered from a stroke. Their experiences showed a lack in rehabilitation when it comes to their age category. To go back to work, live family life and participate in other social events is important. It's different to suffer from a stroke at younger age when it comes to their needs. Health staff should be aware of these needs.

Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Families remain a major social support system that plays a key role in the provision of primary healthcare (PHC) for children, and this role is especially important as PHC would normally take place before a child is taken to hospital for further treatment. The literature shows that although families have a direct influence on their children’s PHC, the former’s role is limited as a result of socio-economic factors such as poverty, unemployment and distance to healthcare centres. In South Africa, PHC is offered by the state but is of a lower standard than the more specialised, ‘hi-tech’ health services available in the private sector. Although the public health sector is over-stretched and under-resourced, the government has established PHC facilities in many locations throughout South Africa. This status quo requires families to play a role by knowing the locations of such facilities in order to maintain their children’s health. The provision of primary health in South Africa is a two-tiered system that requires the involvement of both families and healthcare providers. The results of the study indicated that there were various interpretations of PHC by both parents and health professionals, owing to different levels of knowledge about the concept. The lack of knowledge of the various forms of home remedies greatly affected the application of PHC in terms of a need to appreciate PHC practices in the family setting; and health professionals need to disseminate knowledge to parents on a routine basis as part of their work at hospitals. The findings furthermore suggested that parents and healthcare workers faced various challenges in the provision of PHC. The implications of the study pointed to the need for a more extensive study that engaged a high number of participants of both parents and healthcare professionals to place the results into perspective. Other implications required a concerted effort from government, parents, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to arrive at a prudent and logical improvement of PHC in South Africa.

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / Osteoarthritis (OA) is the major cause of pain and disability in the elderly, as well as people younger than the age of 45. Research reported the importance of conservative management of OA in the early stages, as it has proved to be effective in slowing down the progression of the disease, as well as reducing the secondary effects of decreased functional ability and disability. Early referral could assist with effective pain management, decrease in disease progression and increase in functional ability and quality of life. Therefore, the overall aim of the study was to establish a profile of patients with OA, as well as to explore the perceptions and experiences of health professionals regarding the conservative management of OA at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. The study employed a sequential exploratory mixed method approach, using a retrospective and exploratory study design for the quantitative and qualitative phases respectively. Data was collected from one hundred and thirty-five medical records of patients with OA, meeting the inclusion criteria of the study, and admitted at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2016. The patient sample was predominantly female (n=80; 93%), with a mean age of 51.85 years old (SD=13.73). Thirteen (13) health professionals, eight (8) physiotherapists and five (5) orthopedic surgeons participated in the interviews. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 was used to analyse quantitative data. Inferential and descriptive statistics were used to describe the results in terms of frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. Alpha level was set at 5%. Audio-taped qualitative data was transcribed verbatim, and analysed using categories and themes. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the University of the Western Cape Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (BMREC).

Thesis advisor: Lauri Johnson / Even before working in school as a teacher or administrator, many factors were influential in the preparation process. Given that the vast majority of teachers in the workforce come from traditional university education programs, the role that schools of education play in graduating people of color to enter the teaching force is important to examine. This qualitative case study sought to answer the following research question: What are the perceptions of educators of color with respect to their pre-service education preparation? This study falls within a broader study on the overall perceptions of educators of color with respect to the racial disproportionality and its impact on the educator pipeline and schools. Both from literature and the counter narratives of these educators of color, these topics emerged as salient: the racial diversity of universities and schools of education, the impact of barrier exams, the curriculum of schools of education, and the sense of belonging of people of color in universities and their schools of education. Semi-structured interviews with 12 educators of color in the Cityside Public Schools were examined through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). Findings supported what was found in the literature regarding demographics in schools of education not favoring people of color, exams required to get into school of education being barriers, and people of color feeling disconnected from their universities in a number of ways. Further, participant interviews revealed the additional barrier posed by exams needed to gain teaching certification, the substantial value of connections at various points throughout the pre-service experience, and how important practicum and internship experiences are to aspiring educators. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Rosanna Demarco / For 21 years (1983-2004), the civil war in Sudan concentrated in the South resulting in massive population displacements and human suffering. Following the comprehensive peace agreement in 2005, the government of South Sudan is rebuilding the country's infrastructure. However, the post war South Sudan has some of the worst health indicators, lack of basic services, poor health infrastructure and severe shortage of skilled labor. The maternal mortality ratio for example is 2,054/100,000 live births, currently the highest in the world. Abortion complication leads among causes of admission at the gynecology units. This research contributes nursing knowledge on reproductive health among populations affected by war. The purpose was to explore the experiences of women with abortion complications in the post war South Sudan. Using qualitative descriptive methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 women following treatment for abortion complications at the gynecology unit of a county hospital. Data was collected from March 2nd to April 26th, 2008. Spontaneous abortion was the most common among study participants. Post abortion care was nonexistent at the community level health facilities, but present at the hospital. The women interviewed were reluctant to reflect in-depth about their experiences with abortion complications. They described the process, signs, symptoms and the events that led to the pregnancy loss, and were more concerned about regaining their reproductive function, a societal expectation of a married woman in South Sudan. A female child in South Sudan is assigned a "special" role in the family and community - that of getting married, attracting a high bride wealth paid as dowry to her parents and delivering children for the husband. Arranged and/or forced early marriage is common. A woman's world view about reproductive health and experiences with abortion complications is therefore influenced by this cultural context. Implications of these findings include the need to develop the nurse midwifery profession in South Sudan. Nurse midwives can lead in providing gender and culturally sensitive reproductive health services including post abortion care. Plans for care must include opportunities to listen to women's perspectives. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.