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Conflict resolution strategies in special education are necessary in view of increased disability and civil rights legislation impacting schools. With increase in federal laws and regulations comes an increase in parental expectations and unclear interpretations of "what is right" and "what is legal" regarding meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to identify factors that escalate and de-escalate parent-school conflict in special education and to understand the special education mediation process from the perspectives of parents, school officials and mediators in Massachusetts. Data were collected through telephone interviews with 44 participants. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Parent participants had experienced special education mediation either during the school year 1995-1996 or 1996-1997. School officials and mediators had experienced multiple special education mediations. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data. Eight categories of factors that escalate parent-school conflict in special education were identified: (a) Discrepant Views of a Child's Needs, (b) Knowledge, (c) Service Delivery, (d) Valuation, (e) Reciprocal Power, (f) Constraints, (g) Communication, and (h) Trust. Participants in each group revealed that the mediation process was of value even though one may not achieve the desired outcome. Strengths of the mediation process were identified in the areas of its ability to provide disclosure, empower participants, provide opportunity for communication, provide suitable outcomes, strengthen relationships and provide a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. Limitations of mediation were reported in it's ability to be misused by participants seeking opportunities for fact-finding and it's lack of ability to be enforced. Results indicated that training in conflict handling strategies is needed by parents and school officials. Results of the study supported using early intervention conflict identification and resolution strategies so that conciliatory attitudes and trust might be preserved in parent-school relationships. / Ed. D.

A number of behavioral studies have suggested that, where professionals are employed in bureaucratic organizations, there can be serious conflicts between the norms of one’s profession and those of one’s employing organization. Known as organizational-professional conflict (OPC), this conflict has been associated with dysfunctional organizational outcomes, including increased turnover and decreased job satisfaction among professional employees. Previous studies of this phenomenon have been performed with respect to several professions, including public accounting and internal auditing, as well as engineering and other non-accounting professions. Until now, however, the antecedents and consequences of OPC have not been studied in the emerging profession of management accounting. Questionnaires were mailed to 599 members of the National Association of Accountants. A 47-percent response provided a usable sample of 281, of whom 201 are management accountants. Variables measured included organizational commitment, professional commitment, and conflict between accountants and their supervisors regarding the professional status of management accounting (SSCON), which are hypothesized antecedents of OPC; OPC itself; and job satisfaction and turnover intent, which are hypothesized consequents of OPC. The correlation and regression models depicting the hypotheses were supported by the data, and all were significant at alpha=0.05, with the relationships · i in the predicted direction. A path model, which depicts hypothesized relationships as causal linkages was constructed and tested. The model was supported by the data: OPC explained 16 percent of the variance in turnover intent for non·CMAs, 23 percent for CMAS; and it explained 15 percent of the variance in job satisfaction for non-CMAS, ll percent for CMAS. The hypothesized antecedents of OPC explained 38 percent of the variance in OPC for non·CMAs, 45 percent for CMAS. The variable SSCON, which has not appeared in previous studies, was a significant predictor of OPC (p = 0.004) for CMAS, but it was not significant (p = 0.059) for non-CMAS. The most important predictor of OPC turned out to be organizational commitment, which was highly significant for both groups: p < 0.0001 for non-CMAS, and p = 0.0002 for CMAS. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

Recently, the international community has turned its eyes to Africa and the tumultuous situation present there. Sudan presents a case study that exemplifies grievous consequences of international neglect and of domestic regime abuse. As a geographically large country rich in natural resources and with prime location, Sudan has drawn international attention with its civil war raging between mainly the North and South. The conflict has numerous roots ranging from political to economic to ethnic. The Darfur genocide showed the culminating consequences of the conflict. Hence, Sudan has bcome a prime candidate for international aid from outside nation-states such as the United States, from private humanitarian organizations, and from international organizations such as the United Nations. However, outside aid has created mixed results in terms of improving Sudan's situation. This study examines the effects of humanitarian aid on the ensuing conflict in Sudan alongside the factors of famine, slavery, and economic variables. While numerous attempts from aid organizations have endeavored to foster peace and improve the overall quality of life for the Sudanese, most have fallen short of their goals due to domestic issues. Peace talks during the conflict continue to falter, and even resolutions demanding peace in the Sudan region have come to a deadlock in the United Nations. Meanwhile, the Sudan people continue to suffer inhumane conditions. This research studies the effectiveness of international influences. It also scrutinizes whether or not aid in Sudan will be able to produce a long-lasting, positive impact on the region with the current regime in power.

The decisions behind choosing teammates for an interdisciplinary team are significant. Team assembly – the reasons behind individuals’ decisions about whom to work with in teams – likely play a key role in shaping crucial team processes, such as conflict and viability. This thesis advances a two dimensional taxonomy of team assembly where member decisions of who to team up with can be: (1) driven by team maintenance or task performance concerns (i.e., team versus task), and (2) based on individual characteristics or dyadic relationships (i.e., compositional versus relational). The effect of these four assembly mechanisms on resulting conflict and viability perceptions were tested in a sample of thirty-nine design teams enrolled in a master’s level human-computer interaction course (over three years). Within each of three cohorts, individuals self-assembled into project teams to develop a product that would better lives in some way. Relational team assembly was measured at week 1, compositional team assembly was measured at week 2, team conflict at week 5, 10 & 14, and team viability at week 14 using surveys. Hypotheses were tested using exponential random graph models to predict conflict tie formation based on dyadic assembly rules, and regression to test if relational team assembly mechanisms predict team viability. Results indicate that taskwork assembly mechanisms predict team conflict, but teamwork assembly mechanisms do not. Relational teamwork and taskwork assembly mechanisms do not predict team viability. Future directions of research in team conflict, team assembly, and team networks are discussed based on the current findings. This thesis contributes to science by providing an interdisciplinary model of team assembly mechanisms, and evaluates the model in explaining team conflict and viability.

This study focused on presenting an analysis of the concept of marginalisation of former fighters after the Liberian civil conflict and how the web of connections such as status, identity and networks were central to any proposed establishment of a debate. The study had two aims. The first aim was to give a voice to the ex-soldiers who became neglected after the war, allowing them to tell their own stories of marginalisation before, during and after the conflict. The second aim was to help establish a debate on the notion of marginalisation that existed before the war and impacted the soldiers after the war. Within this, the study aimed to assess how the evolution of identity of individuals from youth to neglected veterans had occurred and to further the knowledge of the empirical literature in this regard. A secondary aim was to evaluate the success of reintegration of the ex-soldiers into Liberian society post-conflict and how far marginalisation hindered this attempt. To achieve these aims, the study focused on the use of a qualitative research methodology as the central research component. As well as considering the view of the empirical literature, the researcher wished to provide an account of marginalisation from those that had experienced it first-hand. Therefore, the study dispensed with the use of quantitative surveys and instead carried out personal conversations face to face that would reveal the former fighters’ feelings and attitudes in a more rounded and richer way. This methodological approach aimed to give a voice to the ex-soldiers and whether or not they perceive themselves as part of society. Using these interviews, the thesis aimed to analyse the influence of internal and external factors that caused the former fighters to perceive themselves as being either included, excluded or marginalised within Liberian society. The interviews, combined with the results of the review of the empirical literature, enabled the researcher to draw a number of salient points regarding the concept of marginalisation. The study found that the creation of the feeling of marginalisation for former fighters was composed of a variety of psycho-social factors. These included detachment from family, marginalised primary identities, the development of war-connected networks and a resilient sense of belonging, all of which combined to create a distinct group identity of the neglected veteran that currently exists in Liberian society. This has been because the former fighters have been unable to homogenise their status and identity with the rest of the population. This has stemmed from their perception of the failure of the reintegration process to eliminate the gap between former fighters and civilians and has led to serious problems within Liberian society. The study concludes that Liberian youth developed a war-family identity (collective group identity) and gained a strong sense of belonging. The actions of DDR led to this disintegration of the war family and triggered a series of reactions psychologically and socially. Moreover, reintegration attempts have proved unsuccessful due to the lack of education and skills held by the former fighters. Attempts to be accepted into society has not led to real integration. This has increased the perception of former fighters that they are now neglected veterans. Recommendations for further study are also provided in this work.

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy