The purpose of this study was to define and describe the nature of predatory mortgage lending in the state of Utah . Twelve professionals from the state who work in the mortgage lending market participated. Data consisted of interviewee comments and were analyzed qualitatively using a multi-step method of coding for concepts and themes. Through coding and analysis it was determined that the term predatory mortgage lend ing is defined as an act of abuse that is targeted towards a borrower with one or more vulnerable characteristics. It was al so found that users of this term do not always adhere to this strict definition, but rather use it as a catch-all term for any general mortgage abuse, rather than only for those that are targeted. The term is al so used when referring to instances of fraud, and nearly all other forms of unfair lending. To help increase the measurability of predatory lending, the interviews also gave descriptive detail in terms of its magnitude, underlying factors, commonly occurring practices, victim characteristics, impacts, and suggestions for reduction. Suggestions for reduction of predatory lending include increasing accountability of actors, both legally and by the industry itself bridging state and national jurisdictional gaps, and increasing fun ding for consumer education and neighborhood revitalization. Education was especially emphasized as a tool for preventing occurrences of predatory mortgage lending. not only in the form of pre-homebuyer education but especially in the form of financial education as a requirement in the public school s, beginning at a very young age.

Wendt's accomplishments as an artist of Polynesia and positions he held at different universities are presented in Chapter I. This marks the significant contributions he has made in different genres in which he has written, like novels, short stories, and poetry, that make him a major influence in the Pacific. Chapter II analyzes the theoretical framework within the fa'a-Samoa in which a matai (chief) is presented, a revered office filled by respectable individuals. To make this point clear, I present the theoretical groundwork in Appendix A of how an individual becomes a matai. Chapter III explores how Faleasa Osovae, the protagonist of Pouliuli, mirrors Mersault of The Stranger. This points out Camus's influence on Wendt. Chapter IV investigates similarities of behaviors found among Faleasa Osovae, Mersault, and Bazarov of Turgenev's Father's and Sons. It connects Wendt and Camus to nihilism. This philosophical orientation, however, is toned down when a historical figure, Tupua Tamasese, III (Appendix B), is presented in contrast to remind readers about the historical role of a matai in the fa'a-Samoa. Chapter V explores the cognition theory that looks into behaviors of protagonists. Chapter VI is a discussion of the irony of Faleasa Osovae's behavior. Though I offer some explanation for Faleasa's behavior when I draw parallels between him and Mersault of The Stranger and Bazarov of Father's and Sons, which almost gives him justification for behaving like King Lear, it would be improper in Samoan thought to consider Faleasa a cultural artifact of the fa'a-Samoa.

Background: Inclusion is a term that stands for fully including untypically developed chil- dren in regular educational setting. It should be implemented in all of the present educa- tional settings. However, the definition of inclusion and the way of implementing it differs from countries and cultures, which makes it a problem for having a united view on it. More- over, there are different factors that can occur and have an impact of understanding the term. Aim: The aim of this study is to review the existing literature on the perception of inclu- siveness and the term ˝inclusion˝ from preschool teacher’s perspective in preschool settings in Europe and the different factors that have effect on the perceiving. Method: A literature search on the databases of ERIC and PsycINFO and a hand search on the reference lists of the relevant articles was conducted. The articles that are included were recent peer reviewed studies published in English, reporting perception of inclusion and factors that affect it. Results: In the seven studies that have been included, preschool teachers have overall pos- itive attitude towards inclusion. They reported the inclusion is important to be implemented in preschool settings. However, most of them reported that the implementation of the in- clusion is needed, they do not feel secure enough and eligible to do it in a correct way. Furthermore, group of factors that affect the perception of inclusion and implementation of it occurred. The factors that occurred are lack of resources, no complete education and different understanding of what inclusion stand for and what should the implementation be alike. Conclusion: Considering the importance of inclusion as an ongoing process in preschools, education of professional staff for it is a first step in order to implement inclusion. Moreover, making the strong basis in preschool for inclusion will give the staff the confidence and eligible knowledge to provide the inclusive education for every participant of the environ-ment.

Although previous research on singlehood has often focused on middle-class career women, little is known about the life experiences of non-career path single women. This study examined the core marriage beliefs of never-married and once-married child-free, midlife women and the ways in which those beliefs have evolved over time. The sample consisted of 10 women, 5 never-married and 5 once-married between the ages of 35 and 48. For the purposes of this inquiry, non-career path was co-determined on the basis of occupation and educational background. The theoretical framework that guided this study combined a life course approach with a feminist perspective. Respondents were recruited through extensive networking and the sampling technique of snowballing. A qualitative methodology was employed utilizing the research strategy of in-depth interviewing. Data were analyzed on the basis of emergent themes and patterns. This study produced 3 salient findings. First, the process of forming core marriage beliefs is similar between never-married and once-married women. Although an experience of marrying (or an experience of not marrying) may change the way a woman views herself within the context of her marital beliefs, those core marital beliefs do not necessarily change. Second, whether never-married or once-married, single midlife women live ambivalent lives: acknowledging their singlehood status while simultaneously remaining hopeful of attaining a marital union. Finally, women made a clear distinction between getting married and marrying successfully. While most believed that getting married was a choice, having a successful marriage was a result of chance. Despite this appraisal, the ideal of marriage remained pervasive regardless of age or past experience. / Master of Science

The focus of the current study was to determine if SIP biases and perspective-taking serve as mediators between parental intimate partner violence (IPV), aggression, and interpersonal dominance in emerging adults' romantic relationships. We analyzed archival data comprised of self-report measures and TAT stories administered to 84 undergraduate students (women n = 62, M age = 21.73) between the ages 18 and 35. To test our hypotheses, we modified the social information processing model by incorporating perspective-taking, as measured through Interpersonal Decentering. Overall, we did not find significant association between witnessing parental IPV and Interpersonal Decentering maturity in college students. However, women's father-to-mother IPV was significantly negatively associated with Interpersonal Decentering maturity. For our mediation model, SIP aggressive responding biases were significantly associated with Interpersonal Decentering (average of story average scores) and with the presence of aggression in current romantic relationships; however, Interpersonal Decentering was not significantly predictive of aggression in current romantic relationships. Gender differences, study strengths and limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

No description available.

Abstract Not Provided / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka drogturismen från ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv, alltså försöka förstå fenomenet som den upplevs av aktörerna. Baserad på en fältstudie där jag genomför intervjuer så är målet att kunna förklara hur och varför drogturism uppstår. Intervjuer har genomförts med individer som har rest till Barcelona under olika tidsperioder och tagit del av drogscenen. Tidigare studier har visat att semesterresor är vanligt förekommande för att initiera ett drogbruk. En hypotes avseende orsaken till droganvändandet är att resan till semesterorten skulle vara en medveten handling som genomförs med syfte att använda droger, s k drogturism. Studiens resultat visar att droganvändningen sker främst p.g.a. tillgängligheten av drogerna, acceptansen för mildare droger samt att riskerna upplevs som mindre. Några deltagare i studien hade även ideologiska samt moraliska ståndpunkter enligt droger och droglagar som är värt att belysa vidare. I en kontext där drogkulturen är mer öppen är det svårt att inte acceptera vissa beteenden och fenomen. Ytterligare studier bör genomföras i temat för att kunna skapa mer generaliserbara resultat. / The purpose of this study was to investigate drog tourim from a phenomenological perspective, meaning trying to understand the phenomena is it was experienced by the participants. Based on a field study where I conduct interviews the aim is to be able to explain how and why drug tourism occurs. Interviews has been conducted with individuals that have traveled to Barcelona under different time periods and taken part of the drug scene. Previous studies have shown that vacation trips are common to initiate a drug use. A hypothesis regarding the reason behind the drug use is that the trip to the vacation destination would be a conscious act that is carried out with the purpose of using drugs, s.c. drug tourism. The study’s results show that the drug use is mainly because of the accessibility, the acceptance of lighter drug and that the risks are perceived as less. Some participants in the study had even ideological and moral standpoints according to drugs and drug laws that are worth highlighting further. In a context where the drug culture is more open it’s hard not to accept certain conducts and phenomena. Additional studies should be conducted in the theme in order to create more generalizable results.

Ambitionen i denna studie är att synliggöra hur en lokal kvinnojour i Malmö arbetar med ett barnperspektiv samt vilka faktorer som kan ha försvårat respektive främjat implementeringen av det. Detta då kvinnojouren under tre år haft ett barnprojekt, vilket syftat till att implementera ett barnperspektiv i jourens verksamhet. Denna kvalitativa studie är inspirerad av processutvärdering som metod och baseras på intervjuer med socialsekreterare, anställda på jouren och en representant från Rädda Barnen. För att analysera hur de arbetar med ett barnperspektiv har jag utgått från delaktighetsperspektivet och omsorgsperspektivet, båda centrala begrepp i Barnkonventionen. För att analysera vilka faktorer som kan ha främjat respektive försvårat implementeringen av ett barnperspektiv har jag bland annat utgått från organisations- och implementeringsteorier. Det framkommer i studien att kvinnojouren idag arbetar utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men i vilken utsträckning är med utgångspunkt i empirin inte möjligt att precisera. Att det finns flera faktorer som kan ha både främjat och försvårat implementeringen är tydligt. Bland annat var de anställdas vilja en främjande implementeringsfaktor, medan avsaknaden av krav på ett barnperspektiv från socialsekreterarna troligen har påverkat implementeringen negativt. / The ambition of this study is to shed light on how a women’s shelter is working with the Child Perspective. The shelter has internally operated a three years long project with the specific aim of implementing the Child Perspective in all of its activities. Thus, the study highlights the influencing factors that support and/or hinder the realization of the Child Perspective in the organization’s actions. This study uses qualitative methodology, inspired by the approach of Process Evaluation. Empirical findings are based on interviews with employees working at the women’s shelter, social workers, as well as a representative from the organization Save the Children. The Participatory Approach and the Care Perspective, two central concepts in the internationally recognized Child Convention, are decisive tools in enabling the analysis of how the interviewees apply the Child Perspective in their daily work. While analyzing the influencing factors, concepts from two theories have been applied: Organization and Implementation Theory. The study reveals that the staff at the women’s shelter does apply a Child Perspective in much of its work, but in which extent is hard to pin down. In the study several factors that might have affected the implementation, both negatively and positively, appear. One supportive factor in the implementation was that the staff at the women’s shelter, wanted to implement a Child Perspective in their daily work. A potential hindering factor was the social workers ́ lack of demand on the shelter to apply a Child Perspective.

Det äldrepedagogiska arbetet kan se olika ut, beroende på var äldrepedagogen arbetar någonstans och vad äldrepedagogen har för resurser. Genom att studera det äldrepedagogiska arbetet vill vi ta reda på hur det kan se ut i kommunerna. För att få grepp om äldrepedagogiken och det äldrepedagogiska förhållningssättet har vi intervjuat chefer som har äldrepedagoger anställda i sin verksamhet. Vi vill ta reda på vad de chefer som har anställt äldrepedagoger har för tankar om äldrepedagogik och äldrepedagoger både innan och efter att de anställt äldrepedagoger. Vi har också intervjuat personer som arbetar som äldrepedagoger och undersköterskor för att se skillnader i synsätt. För oss är det viktigt att det äldrepedagogiska förhållningssättet synliggörs. En äldrepedagog kan arbeta på många olika sätt och därför tycker vi att det är intressant att titta närmare på äldrepedagogiken. Ett äldrepedagogiskt arbete kan t ex vara att leda personal men det kan också vara att leda äldre på olika sätt. Arbetssätten kan därför vara vitt skilda från varandra. Vår uppfattning är att det finns en positiv inställning till äldrepedagogiskt arbete och att den anses vara en viktig del i arbetet med äldre. Dock upplever vi att etableringen inte har fått den genomslagskraft som skulle vara önskvärd. / The elderpedagogy work can vary, depending on where the elderpedagogue is working and what resources the elderpedagogue has at his or her disposal. By studying the elderpedagoguywork, we want to find out how the work might appear in the municipalities. In order to get a grip on the elderpedagogy and the pedagogical approach of the elderly we conducted interviews with managers who have had elderpedagogues employed within their staff. We want to find out what managers, who have hired elderpedagogues, think about elderpedagogy and elderpedagogues both before and after they hired elderpedagogues. We have also interviewed people working as elderpedagogues and nurses to see the differences in approach. For us, it is important that the elderpedagogy approach is made visible. An elderpedagogue can work in many different ways and therefore we think it is interesting to look more closely at the elderpedagogy. The elderpedagogywork can, for instance, consist in supervision of personnel but can also mean the direct guiding of elderly people in different ways. The various approaches can because of this vary greatly. Our view is that there is a positive attitude towards elderpedagogoues’ work effort and that elderpedagogy is considered to be an important part in the work with elderly people. However, we feel that the implementation in the community have not had the impact that would be the desired.