M.A. University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities (The African Centre for Migration & Society), 2012 / This research is located in the broader body of literature and activity that have sought to comprehend the xenophobic violence of 2008 in South Africa and the persistence of this phenomenon, especially in poor locales of the main urban areas. The primary objective is to explore the perceptions that South Africans have of the rights of those people designated as outsiders and/or foreigners who live in areas that have experienced xenophobic violence targeting foreigners as well as people of South African minority ethnic groups. This study attempts to unpack the discourse of insider versus outsider rights within South African communities in relation to South Africa’s recent history - the xenophobic violence of 2008. Notably, it examines the challenge brought about by the crushing of space and time as an effect of globalization and how this has contributed to the process of multi-culturalism and multi-ethnicity that local communities are largely unprepared to cope with. This study contributes to the understanding of “otherness” as a key issue to design and implement better policies and practices that are necessary to promote the social and spatial inclusion of international migrants in Africa and the world. The empirics of this study give credence to the view that migrants’ rights operate at the rhetorical level, largely due to the lack of political will to translate them into actual benefits. The study specifically looks at two communities affected by xenophobic violence - Tembisa and Alexandra. Focusing on South Africans, the study draws on information gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews and group discussions carried out from July through October 2011. The findings are examined through thematic content analysis.

The focus of this research is foster children. The goal of the research is to evaluate the utilisation value of gestalt play techniques in the assessment of the foster child in his middle childhood. An extensive literature study was undertaken. Middle childhood, the foster child, the gestalt approach, gestalt play therapy techniques and the assessment of selfworth from the frame of reference of the Department of Social Affairs and Population Development’s “Project Go” was taken as the theoretical foundation. The researcher made use of evaluative research within the framework of applied research in order to achieve the objective. Information was obtained by means of semi-structured interviews in the form of play therapy sessions. The research question was: “ How effectively can gestalt play therapy techniques be utilised to assess the selfworth of the foster child in his middle childhood?” Qualitative research was used as the case study served as research design. The research focussed on the following four components of selfworth, namely belonging, independence, mastery and generosity. In this research existing and adapted play therapy techniques were used in order to put together a number of assessment interviews for the assessment of the selfworth of the foster child in his middle childhood. Six foster children were involved in six assessment interviews.The results confirmed that the specific play therapy techniques can be utilised effectively to assess the selfworth of the foster child in his middle childhood. / Dissertation (MA(Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Despite the critical contributions that student affairs professionals make to college students' learning and development and campus operations, mid-level professionals are at risk of leaving the field altogether. The current study investigated the role of sense of belonging in mid-level student affairs professionals' experiences and their turnover intentions through a qualitative, phenomenological analysis. Ten mid-level student affairs professionals from various institutions were interviewed about how they experience belongingness within their work, and how their evaluation of belonging influences their intention to stay at their institution or in the field of student affairs. The results demonstrate that sense of belonging is experienced by mid-level student affairs professionals, but in varied ways, and it is shaped through relationships, being trusted for professional expertise and competence, and feeling supported by others. Salient identities, especially marginalized identities, can shape the experience of belonging as can professional networks outside of institutional experiences. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that sense of belonging, whether it was experienced or lacking, influenced the intentions of many participants to stay at their institution and in the field of student affairs more broadly. Should colleges and universities be committed to addressing the attrition of mid-level student affairs professionals, they should commit to supporting and cultivating sense of belonging as it does indeed matter. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

Many institutions of higher education offer first-year seminars; academic courses designed to help new college students successfully transition to the rigors and demands of life inside and outside the classroom. There is a substantial body of research that validates first-year seminars as successful in accomplishing this goal. There are also numerous studies that have investigated what in the literature is termed a “sense of belonging.” This research demonstrates that college students who experience a sense of belonging feel welcomed, included, connected, and part of the community. These students are more likely to succeed and be retained at their institution. While there is extensive literature examining both of these areas separately, there is limited literature that connects them. This dissertation aimed to fill that gap in the literature by investigating synergies between first-year seminars and sense of belonging at a 4-year, private, liberal arts university. Results of the study showed that first-year students experienced sense of belonging through developing relationships with peers and faculty, through being informed about institutional resources and policies, and by feeling part of a supportive community. The first-year seminar program did have a positive effect on first-year students’ desire to graduate from the institution. An implication for practice includes faculty development centered on fostering a sense of belonging, facilitating opportunities for students to form relationships with their peers and faculty, ensuring that classrooms and institutional environments are inclusive and welcoming, and by informing first-year students about the resources and supports available to aid in their transition and retention. / Educational Administration

In fulfillment of my degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Central Florida specializing in sculpture and ceramics, I have produced a body of artwork in a range of media, including printmaking, bookbinding, painting, ceramics, and sculpture. This thesis is the exegesis of my creative work, informed by contemporary artworks and the study of shelter-making in nature. Utilizing The Practitioner Model of Creative Cognition as defined by R. Lyle Skains, I will establish my work as practice-based research. While "exegesis" generally refers to the critical examination of written work, I feel it is appropriate in this context as I view my work as a visual diary conveying the narrative of my lifelong search for meaning. I draw from familiar sensations, memories, spiritual practices, and nostalgic memorabilia in my creative practice, utilizing various media to produce tangible representations of home, exploring whether these liminal spaces can provide the sense of shelter and belonging I seek.

In studying the experiences of Muslim Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members by way of ethnographic interviews, I investigate both religious accommodation and feelings of belonging among individuals in this minority faith group. Interviews demonstrate that the CAF and its Chaplain Branch are generally equipped and willing to accommodate the practice of Islam by personnel. I argue, however, that as a result of accommodation, which marks Muslim CAF as “different,” as well as military culture, which conflicts with certain aspects of Islamic doctrine and practice, the experience of unity that is fundamental to the Canadian Armed Forces is limitedly available to Muslim members. This research is the first ethnographic study of a specific minority religious experience in the CAF. It builds on a small, but growing discourse about religiosity and spirituality in the Canadian military that includes the development of the Chaplain Branch as a multifaith service. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

No description available.

Covid-19 made working from home more accessible, and even after the pandemic is over, numerous organizations in Sweden have made the choice to continue work from home through so-called hybrid work models. This study is done in a co-creation with a large Swedish retail company, ICA that uses the hybrid model.  The study examines how the hybrid work model has affected office workers' sense of belonging through a survey consisting of a quantitative and a qualitative part. The effect on social, professional, and environmental sense of belonging is examined in this research. The study also investigates how and if factor such as gender, age, and length of employment have affected the sense of belonging for office worker. The results of the study show that the change to the hybrid work mode has influenced the sense of belonging for the office worker. The effects on social belonging are found to be both beneficial and detrimental, while the influence on professional sense of belonging whit the implementation of the hybrid work model is showing mostly beneficial outcomes. The impact on environmental belonging is that the office is preserved as more of a social workplace where ideas are exchanged, social contacts are held, whilst the home office is space where work can be done in peace and without distractions.

The purpose of this nonexperimental, quantitative study was to analyze relationships between three learning mindset dimensions (growth mindset; purpose and value; and sense of belonging) to retention and persistence to graduation among first-time, full-time Tennessee community college student graduates and nongraduates who attended one of 13 institutions in Fall 2019. In addition to comparing Tennessee community college graduates and nongraduates’ learning mindset dimensions, I analyzed student subgroups to explore those dimensions with regard to gender and race. Additional analyses included correlations between students’ growth mindset scores; purpose and value scores; and social belonging scores. Analyses included Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) Fall 2019 archival data of students’ completion status and student survey data related to students’ learning mindset scores from 13 Tennessee community college institutions. Archival data from Tennessee community colleges used in this study the Fall 2019 Cohort included 1,493 students over three years (2019-2022). Results revealed that students who completed and students who did not complete had similar mindset scores, purpose and value scores, and social belonging scores. Mindset scores were significantly higher for White students than non-White students. Purpose and value scores were significantly lower for males than for females, as well as significantly higher for non-White students than White students. Social belonging scores were significantly higher for female noncompleters than male noncompleters, as well as significantly higher for female noncompleters than female completers, and significantly higher for non-White students than White students. Correlations revealed that students with strong mindset scores tend to have strong purpose and value scores, as well strong sense of belonging scores.

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martinez Alemán / Completion of a college degree has been highlighted as a prerequisite for opportunity (Obama White House Archives, February 24, 2009); necessary for a strong economy (Koropeckyj, et al., 2017). Yet, the rate of completion in the United States remains lower than desired, directing focus toward efforts to promote student success and degree attainment. Within this out-comes oriented climate, academic advising is often viewed solely in terms of its utilitarian value, a means for ushering students toward the final goal of college completion. Without a clear conceptualization of the role of academic advising within higher education, it will continue to be susceptible to political, institutional, and economic forces, making it difficult for either the practice or the scholarly field of study to progress. More importantly, the absence of clear theoretical foundation leaves the profession vulnerable, diminishing the potential to effectively support students. The dissertation will contribute to the theoretical literature on academic advising. Drawing on the work of Martin Heidegger (1927/1962) a contextually inclusive theory of academic advising is introduced, laying conceptual foundation in which interpretation is central, meaning and truth are iterative, and understanding is structured by the conditions of human existence. I maintain that effective academic advising involves recognition of how things have meaning, from where, within what context, and as impacted by the (dis)connections students have with others, over time. Such an attunement offers foundation for equitable practice, inclusive of all students, validating their experiences (Rendón, 1994; Rendón & Muñoz, 2011), identifying obstacles that might impede their performance (NACADA, 2022), allowing them to feel a sense of belonging (Strayhorn, 2018), and providing a space for students to experience meaningful accomplishment. Overall, the dissertation argues that academic advising ought to be educationally driven, learning-focused, concerned with student completion, and informed by an understanding of the human being, the individual student, as a contextualized interpreter. This theory points us to reconsider advising caseloads, training, and institutional information sharing, in an effort to support the interpretive processes necessary for effective academic advising. Moreover, it offers a space to think deeply about the nature of academic advising, what it ought to entail, and how to effectively support students. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.