The purpose of the dissertation was to explore the impact of regulating dynamics on the process of organizational change in non-profit sport organizations. Regulating dynamics are the factors which enable or constrain organizational change. Four regulating dynamics were targeted based on previous literature: capacity for change, organizational culture, organizational politics, and digital technology. To address the purpose, four research objectives were developed: (1) To explore how capacity for change enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations; (2) To explore how organizational culture enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations; (3) To explore how organizational politics enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations, and (4) To explore how digital technology enables or constrains organizational change in non-profit sport organizations. Through a constructivist epistemology, a collective case study methodology of five Canadian national sport organizations was employed. Data collection included semi-structured interviews conducted with 49 staff and Board members and 151 documents. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Overall, the findings demonstrate how regulating dynamics impact organizational change as they enable and/or constrain change in non-profit sport organizations concurrently and sequentially. All four regulating dynamics examined appeared to enable organizational change while only three – capacity for change, organizational culture, and organizational politics – constrained change. Thus, digital technology appeared to only enable change. The dissertation also demonstrates the impact of regulating dynamics not only at the organization level, but also how systemic and individual level dynamics influence organizational change. The dissertation addresses recent calls by several scholars to examine the “how” of change or, in other words, the change process. In addition, the dissertation extends existing understandings of regulating dynamics beyond the context of organizational design change. In doing so, the author highlights how regulating dynamics impact different types of changes such as governance, structure, processes, culture, and people change. Practically, through regulating dynamics, this dissertation can help explain why change initiatives fail, whether it is because of a lack of capacity for change, poor organizational culture, complex political dynamics, or failing to capitalize on the benefits of digital technology.

Employee turnover is a major issue that health care organizations experience. One factor that contributes significantly to turnover is burnout. A significant amount of research on burnout has been conducted in health care settings, however it has primarily focused on health care professionals. Several job characteristics that associated with burnout may be particularly impactful for non-professionals. An area of health care that provides unique challenges and stressors is that of traumatic brain injury rehabilitation. Brain injury professionals report experience burnout and report experiencing higher levels of burnout the more time they spend with patients. There is a lack of research on the unique experiences of support staff in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation centers. This study explored the phenomena of burnout, turnover, and job satisfaction from the perspective of support staff in a post-hospital brain injury rehabilitation center. I conducted group interviews and administered surveys to explore the unique experiences of support staff. I used grounded theory method to analyze data. The analysis resulted in a balance model of support staff’s work experience. This model is a framework of risk and protective factors that appeared to influence whether these frontline rehabilitation staff experienced negative outcomes from this often challenging/stressful work environment. The model includes four axial categories: Doing the Work; Protective Factors; Risk Factors; and Imbalance of Factors. Within the four axial categories are twenty open-coding level categories. Implications for brain injury rehabilitation organizations and areas for future research are discussed.

Objectives: Little is known about the treatment standards and expectations of Invisalign treatment outcomes between orthodontists and general practitioners (GP). The objective of this qualitative research project was to explore how orthodontists and GPs perceive Invisalign treatment outcomes, and to determine which criteria they use to judge successful treatment.   Methods: Open-ended interviews were conducted with three orthodontists and two GPs. These interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded and analyzed by the conventional phenomenological qualitative research protocol. Each clinician selected four Invisalign cases that they treated and perceived as successful outcomes. To augment qualitative methods, quantitative data were generated to determine pre-treatment Discrepancy Index (DI) and post-treatment Objective Grading System (OGS) scores as calculated by OrthoCAD software.   Results: Independent sample T-tests showed no significant difference in total DI score (p=0.287) and total OGS score (p=0.840) between the orthodontist (n=12) and GP (n=7) cases. Orthodontists perceive incisor torque and smile esthetics as important criteria for successful Invisalign outcomes. In contrast, GPs do not. Orthodontists and GPs unanimously perceive that Class I occlusion is an important criterion for successful treatment. GPs perceive extraction cases as a challenge to obtain successful outcome with Invisalign whereas, orthodontists do not. Conclusions: Differences exist between orthodontist and GP perceptions of what constitutes successful Invisalign treatment. Currently employed standards of excellence can be found in a wide spectrum of finishes; however, they are incapable of defining the excellence of finish. Selective standards differentiate the GPs from orthodontists, but agreement exists for ambition to finish in Class I occlusion. Esthetics and torque are valued higher by the orthodontists than are by the GPs. The utility of current standards- of-care need to be questioned and redefined. / Oral Biology

Grounded theory research was conducted with twenty-four male and female emergency shelter operators (alternatively known as caseworkers) from three different shelters in a large Canadian city: The Open Arms, Good Samaritan and Rescue Mission. Drawing on the experiences of those working in non-profit ‘homeless’ shelters, and based on the sociological concept of ‘dirty work,’ this study describes why caseworkers take on this kind of work, how they make sense of it, and what they themselves get out of it. This research reveals a complex picture of frontline emergency casework that others see as objectionable, dangerous and tainted is described by informants with a sense of job satisfaction, dignity, collective esteem and pride. Moreover, it illuminates the ways in which individuals and occupational groups reframe and subjectively construct meanings about what it means to be involved in ‘dirty work’ such that it is regarded positively and as ‘good work’. Because caseworkers deal in difficult emotions, they must learn to perform a balancing act between professional decorum and expressed concern. The ways that caseworkers are supposed to perceive their roles are governed by a set of unwritten norms and rules that normalize and renarrate disruptive and abnormal situations of a caseworker being humiliated, berated, verbally and physically attacked and by which they accept this as normal and therefore morally acceptable. It was typical for frontline caseworkers, working in non-profit shelters, to emphasize the relational and affectual rewards of the job as a compensation for its low pay and dirty ‘particulars,’ which meets the expectations, self-conceptions and values they hold themselves to be as caring and compassionate workers. They accomplish this by redirecting attention to the more dignifying aspects of their jobs and by identifying strongly with both their occupations and the collective identity of their occupational culture. This research further underscores both the importance of understanding the interpretive processes of meaning-making and the social construction of ‘dirt’. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Yes / Considerable effort has been made in recent years to gain a better understanding of the effectiveness of different interventions for supporting breastfeeding. However, research has tended to focus primarily on measuring outcomes and has paid comparatively little attention to the relational, organisational and wider contextual processes that may impact delivery of an intervention. Supporting a woman with breastfeeding is an interpersonal encounter that may play out differently in different contexts, despite the apparently consistent aims and structure of an intervention. We consider the limitations of randomised controlled trials for building understanding of the ways in which different components of an intervention may impact breastfeeding women and how the messages conveyed through interactions with breastfeeding supporters might be received. We argue that qualitative methods are ideally suited to understanding psychosocial processes within breastfeeding interventions and have been under-used. After briefly reviewing qualitative research to date into experiences of receiving and delivering breastfeeding support, we discuss the potential of theoretically-informed qualitative methodologies to provide fuller understanding of intervention processes by focusing on three examples: phenomenology, ethnography and discourse analysis. The paper concludes by noting some of the epistemological differences between qualitative methodologies and the broadly positivist approach of trials, and we suggest there is a need for further dialogue as to how researchers might bridge these differences in order to develop a fuller and more holistic understanding of how best to support breastfeeding women.

Bakgrund: Barn med ADHD kan ha svårigheter med att hålla fokus, impulskontroll och svårigheter att reglera känslor, vilket påverkar olika aspekter av deras liv. För att stödja dessa barn behöver sjuksköterskor ha en djup förståelse för deras behov och samarbeta nära med både barnet och deras föräldrar för att erbjuda individanpassad stöd och vård. Att förstå föräldrarnas upplevelser är också avgörande för att kunna erbjuda effektivt stöd till både barnet och familjen som helhet.  Syfte: att beskriva hur föräldrar till barn med ADHD upplever möten i vården.  Metod: En litteraturöversikt har genomförts med datainsamling från CINAHL och PubMed. Sökorden samt inklusions- och exklusionskriterierna är baserade på PEO-T modellen (People, Exposure, Outcome,Type of research ). De inkluderade artiklarna har sedan analyserats med hjälp av Braun och Clarke (2022) tematisk analysmetod. Resultat: Fyra huvudteman har identifierats;bristfällig information, behov av stöd och resurser i vården, kommunikationens betydelse i vården och mångfald i behandlingsalternativ. Brist på information och kommunikation ledde till föräldrarnas frustration och oro med negativa konsekvenser för barnens välbefinnande.  Slutsats: Tydlig kommunikation underlättar för föräldrarna att förstå barnens hälsotillstånd och behandlingsalternativ, bygger förtroende för vårdteamet och främjar kontinuerliga relationer mellan föräldrar och vårdpersonal.

In low-income, rural, and indigenous communities, metal mining is associated with numerous negative social, political, economic, human, and environmental health impacts. A number of studies from around the world have looked at specific aspects of human and environmental health related to various contaminants from mining and the landscape alterations associated with the processes, along with the growing community resistance and opposition to mining operations. The individual impacts of each of these components are understood, but a deeper understanding of the syndemic effects of a mine operating in a community, particularly in an indigenous community, was needed, especially as the industry is expected to grow around the world. Using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, we utilized a combination of participatory mapping, interviews, and community mapping workshops to examine the underlying patterns and perceptions of environmental risk and healthy and unhealthy spaces in the Ch'orti' communities of Olopa, Guatemala that have been impacted by the Cantera Los Manantiales antimony mine. Results suggest that, since mining operations began, residents have experienced an increase in violence and community divisions surrounding the mine, a higher incidence of a variety of diseases, and an extensive loss of crops and domesticated animals. Furthermore, participants were concerned about both water and air contamination, all of which they attributed to the mine. The results of the study will be useful for local activist leaders and allied NGOs to effectively assess and improve health in indigenous communities impacted by the Cantera Los Manantiales mine in Olopa. The approach, particularly the use of participatory mapping methods, could be implemented in future studies attempting to understand syndemics and other environmental health risks and outcomes. / Master of Science / In low-income, rural, and indigenous populations, metal mining is associated with numerous negative social, political, economic, human, and environmental health impacts. A number of studies from around the world have looked at the specific ways that human and environmental health are impacted by mining processes, along with how and why communities protest mining operations. Each effect is well understood, but a deeper understanding of how those effects of a mine operating in a community interact was needed, especially as the mining industry is predicted to grow. Involving the community throughout the study, we used interviews and maps made by members of the Ch'orti' communities of Olopa, Guatemala that are impacted by the Cantera Los Manantiales antimony mine to understand patterns and perceptions of environmental risk and healthy and unhealthy places. Results suggest that, since mining operations began, residents have experienced an increase in violence and community divisions surrounding the mine, an increase in disease and illness, and an extensive loss of crops and domesticated animals. Furthermore, participants were concerned about both water and air contamination, all of which they attributed to the mine. The results of the study will be useful for local activist leaders and allied organizations to understand and improve health in the communities impacted by the Cantera Los Manantiales mine in Olopa, and the mapping methods that were employed will be useful for future studies that are mapping interacting health threats and outcomes.

Yes / Critics of IPA suggest that it is unscientific, lacking a complex subjectivity and displaying a promiscuous epistemology. This article aims to explore these criticisms, offering a response that is inspired by the language of fertility and ideas adapted from evolutionary science. As the swan is often seen as a symbol of fidelity, this article draws an analogy between the promiscuous behaviour of Australian Black Swans and IPA research. Within this frame, flirtations with other methodologies are described as being advantageous in that they encourage gene flow and a productive cross fertilisation of ideas. An intermingling of genes can open up new avenues of research, enhance reflexive awareness and allow the voice of others to be heard. Finally as IPA is happy to engage in flirtations and dalliances with diverse theoretical frames to enhance its longevity, this article suggests that a good match could be made between IPA and dialogical methods.

Game-based learning--using games to achieve learning objectives--represents a promising and increasingly popular means of progressing engineering education's decades-long goal of bringing more evidence-based, active learning pedagogy into the classroom. However, if game-based learning is to proliferate as a pedagogy, research on game-based teaching is critical to provide practical recommendations for implementation, making the pedagogy more accessible to instructors. However, reviews of game-based literature reveal that little work exists in the game-based teaching space, and what work exists models high-level teaching practices and archetypal roles, which often fail to pinpoint specific practices game-based instructors can use to be successful. Moreover, reviews of game-based learning literature more generally suggest that research on how to improve student motivation in game-based learning settings--an important variable for learning and a longstanding argument for the value of games in education--are lacking in both quantity and theoretical soundness. To redress these gaps, I conducted a primarily qualitative, multiple-case study of seven non-digital game-based learning activities in engineering with the goal of furthering game-based teaching research and providing practical recommendations to instructors when using games in their classrooms. Using the MUSIC Model of Motivation as a motivation framework and the Observation Protocol for Adaptive Learning as a framework for categorizing teaching practices, I interviewed instructors about how they expected their teaching practices to affect student motivation, and I interviewed these instructors' students about how they actually perceived their instructors' actions as affecting their motivation. By comparing instructor and student responses, I derived recommendations for game-based learning practice that are likely to have a high impact on student motivation, and condensed these recommendations into a four-phase framework of game-based teaching to bolster student motivation. I supplemented my interview data with observation data to construct detailed summaries of each case I studied. The recommendations I offer in my framework can serve as useful resources for instructors seeking to foray into game-based teaching practices or improve their existing game activities, especially in engineering. Moreover, my study provides a model for investigating game-based teaching practices and motivation in game-based learning using established theoretical frameworks in natural classroom settings. / Ph. D. / Game-based learning—the use of games to achieve learning objectives—is a promising and increasingly popular way to introduce active learning into engineering classrooms, which is something engineering education as a field has been trying to achieve for decades. However, if game-based learning is to reach a wider audience of engineering instructors, research on the teaching practices instructors use in game-based learning classrooms is important, so that researchers can provide practical recommendations to instructors and make game-based learning less intimidating. However, little work has been done to study these teaching practices, and the work that exists tends to look at high-level trends across teaching practices, rather than offering specific pieces of advice. Moreover, research on how to improve student motivation in game-based learning settings is lacking, which is a problem because student motivation is important for learning and is one of the biggest theoretical benefits of using games in education. To fill in some of these gaps, I conducted instructor and student interviews around seven non-digital game-based learning activities in engineering, with the goal of furthering game-based teaching research and providing practical recommendations to instructors considering or currently using games in their classrooms. Using an established framework of student motivation and an existing means of grouping teaching practices, I interviewed instructors about how they expected their teaching practices to affect student motivation, and I interviewed these instructors’ students about how they actually perceived their instructors’ actions as affecting their motivation. By comparing instructor and student responses, I came up with several recommendations for gamebased learning practice that are likely to have a high impact on student motivation, and I produced a framework to serve as a visual aid to help instructors implement teaching practices that can bolster student motivation at any phase of a game-based learning activity. I also supplemented my interview data with observation data to provide readers with detailed summaries of each case I studied. The recommendations I offer in my framework can serve as useful resources for instructors looking to implement game-based learning activities or improve their existing game-based learning activities, especially in engineering. Moreover, my study serves as a model for future researchers who want to qualitatively study game-based teaching practices or motivation in game-based learning using established frameworks.

The region of Appalachia in the United States is a diverse region that is full of beauty, mountains, art, and culture. Due to a history of abuse from large corporations, the impact of the decline in coal mining and generational poverty, the region is currently on a road toward recovery. Substance misuse rates are disproportionality high, and there are limited resources available to address the issue. Literature suggests that church leaders may be a potential resource. The goal of the study was to provide a better understanding of the substance misuse epidemic through the eyes of church leaders. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis guided this qualitative study. Church leaders (n = 10) were interviewed and four significant themes emerged: narratives used to describe their experiences with substance misuse, the stigma associated with substance misuse, the community impact that substance misuse has on Appalachia, and the lack of understanding and need for training on substance misuse for church leaders and healthcare practitioners. The results of the study are discussed and connected to discussions of the implications for clinical practice, recommendations for further research, and limitations of the study. / Doctor of Philosophy / Appalachia is a mountain range located in the eastern portion of the United States. It is a diverse region that is full of beauty, mountains, art, and culture. Due to a history of abuse from large corporations, the impact of the decline in coal mining and generational poverty, the region is currently on a road toward recovery. Substance misuse rates are disproportionality high, and there are limited healthcare resources available to address the issue. The goal of the presented study was to provide a better understanding of the substance misuse epidemic through the experiences of church leaders, which are abundant in the region. Church leaders, a sample of 10, were interviewed and four significant topics emerged from their stories shared: narratives used to describe their experiences with substance misuse, the stigma associated with substance misuse, the community impact that substance misuse has on Appalachia, and the lack of understanding and need for training on substance misuse for church leaders and healthcare practitioners. The results of this study suggest that church leaders may be used as a resource to help lower the impact of substance misuse. The experiences of the church leaders gained from this study can help provide training to church leaders and healthcare providers on ways to work together and lower substance misuse in Appalachia.