WhatsApp’s growing presence in the developing world has led to a grassroots movement of messaging groups designed to serve relevant needs for small scale farmers in Kenya. These groups provide the means for as many as 256 members to ask questions, share experiences and solutions, gain access to information, and access markets for their products. This research project examines the use of these WhatsApp groups for agriculture in Kenya. The project seeks to understand the existing barriers to participation, and the use, benefits, and shortcomings of these groups for their members. Research findings indicated that farmers’ overall access to smart phones is a substantial barrier to their participation in groups for agriculture, and these barriers are expectedly more difficult for the poorest and most vulnerable (in which intersectional poverty creates additional barriers). However, while each group can vary significantly, members report that WhatsApp groups as a whole overwhelmingly benefit their livelihoods and practice. Systemic and societal change occurs when the experiences and successes of one individual are shared with a larger group – leading to rapid and shared prosperity. As each individual learns a new skill, technique, or input, the group must also learn and benefit from that knowledge. WhatsApp provides the means and the platform for this type of information exchange to occur at scale, and with individuals who would otherwise be unlikely to communicate. This research project examines the emerging use of grassroots WhatsApp groups as a potential example of this positive and inclusive approach to extension and development in agricultural communities.

Mentoring, coaching, and teacher induction programs continue to gain traction in school jurisdictions across Canada and internationally in an effort to address teacher attrition, support professional growth, and improve teaching and learning. Conceptualized as a patchwork quilt, this thesis by article reports on a qualitative case study that examined the Teacher Induction Program (TIP) implemented in 2009 in the Western Québec School Board (WQSB). Each manuscript or fabric block highlights a different component of the TIP that when stitched together reveals an emerging pattern of how professional learning and development, mentoring and coaching, and teacher evaluation is understood in the school district. Anchored within a social learning theoretical framework, this study asked two guiding questions: 1) What is the influence of the mentor–coach role on experienced teachers’ professional learning, practice, and well-being? And 2) How do the WQSB stakeholders perceive the impact of the TIP? Using a single case study design, data were collected from a variety of sources and stakeholder perspectives, including documents, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. Using the Framework Method, data were abductively analyzed with and against the study’s theoretical and conceptual frameworks. The study’s findings indicate that the mentor–coach role has powerful potential to not only support experienced teachers’ practice-based professional learning, but also to cultivate their sense of well-being and flourishing in schools. However, tensions emerged around how different stakeholders perceived the TIP’s impact in the school district. In particular, further attention is required to clarify the purpose and process of mentoring and coaching as well as the role of teacher evaluation within teacher induction. Ultimately, this study highlights the important role an effective mentoring and coaching fellowship can play in supporting veteran teacher professional learning, practice and well-being, which then has the potential to cultivate positive transformational change in a school district.

This qualitative study focuses on a peer support system created and facilitated by a high school student. The peer support group was multifaceted, including one component on Facebook™. A review of literature on bullying, cyberbullying, Communities of Practice and hyperpersonal communications was compiled, studied and analyzed. The case study was comprised of a four one-on-one interviews with the creator of the support system, in which she discussed her experiences throughout its facilitation. The study discusses all the components that made up the support system and the benefits for the creator and students involved at her high school. The study focuses on the use of Facebook™ as a medium for support, in particular, the anonymity it allowed for the members of the support system to share. I utilized this study to identify the benefits of support systems for students that are facilitated and governed through peers.

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Résumé : La thèse proposée aborde le problème du développement de la coopération au sein des équipes de travail. La recension des écrits fait ressortir qu'elles sont typiquement confrontées à des difficultés communicationnelles, des problèmes de méfiance et des jeux de pouvoir. Ces difficultés minent leur coopération. Or, les stratégies usuelles pour favoriser la coopération--la laisser émerger, l'enseigner, prescrire des méthodes, comportements et attitudes la favorisant ne permettent pas de répondre à la question suivante : comment peut-on développer la coopération au sein d'une équipe? Cette recherche propose un modèle systémique du développement de la coopération. II emprunte des notions à différents domaines : la communication, la dynamique de la confiance, les processus cognitifs, la dynamique des groupes et la théorie sociale de l'apprentissage. Considérant l'étendue des domaines investigués, la validation complète du modèle excédait les objectifs d'une recherche doctorale. Néanmoins, l'étude sur le terrain, s'apparentant à une recherche-action, a permis d'amorcer sa validation. Ainsi, l'efficacité du modèle à comprendre en quoi l'intercompréhension est une difficulté importante et comment la stratégie de négociation de sens aide à la contrer, ont pu être validées. De même, il ressort que la légitimité de participation des membres semble influencer leur confiance, encourager la découverte de leurs identités, favoriser les apprentissages en matière de coopération. Le modèle développé pourrait être utile à un praticien désirant développer la coopération dans une équipe de projet. II peut aussi être utile à la formation, de même que pour entreprendre de nouvelles recherches. // Abstract : This thesis addresses the problem of the development of cooperation within the work teams. The literature review emphasizes that they are typically confronted with communication difficulties, problems of mistrust and power games. These difficulties undermine their cooperation. However, the usual strategies to support the cooperation (to let it emerge, teach it, to prescribe methods, behaviours and attitudes support) do not allow answer the following question: how can one develop the cooperation within a team? This research proposes a systemic model of the development of the cooperation. It borrows concepts from various fields: communication, trust dynamics, cognitive processes, group dynamics and communities of practice. Considering the extent of the investigated fields, the complete validation of the model exceeded the objectives of a doctoral research. Nevertheless, the study on the ground, similar to an action-research, made it possible to start its validation. The findings confirmed the effectiveness of the model to understand in what mutual comprehension is an important difficulty and how the strategy of meaning negotiation helps to counter it. In the same way, it arises that the member's participation legitimacy seems to influence their trust, to encourage the discovery of their identities, to support their apprenticeship of cooperation. The developed model could be useful to a project manager wishing to develop the cooperation in a team. It could also be useful for the formation, just as to begin new research.

Personliga tränare befinner sig otaliga timmar på gymmet där samhällets hälsointresse och normerna kring hälsa och träning är påtagliga. Dessa normer, ideal och förväntningar som finns i denna kontext villkorar lärandet och kan därmed forma och påverka de personliga tränarna. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att belysa hur personliga tränare talar om normer i gymkontext och hur dessa normer påverkar dem. Teoretisk referensram: Den teoretiska referensramen är en kombination av ett sociokulturellt perspektiv på lärande där teorierna om praktikgemenskaper och symboliskt kapital är en del av. De två synsätt på hälsa som presenteras är ett holistiskt hälsoperspektiv samt ideologin hälsism. Metod: Studiens metod är av kvalitativ karaktär där insamling av material skett genom två semistrukturerade fokusgruppsintervjuer med totalt fem yrkesverksamma personliga tränare. Studien har utgått från ett abduktivt arbetssätt och resultatet analyserades och sammanställdes genom en konventionell kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet visade att normer kring hälsa är tudelade. De personliga tränarna talade om att gymdeltagarnas syn på hälsa är en strävan efter att uppnå extrema kroppsideal. Samtidigt talade de personliga tränarnas om att deras egen hälsosyn var mer övergripande och med tyngdpunkt på välbefinnande. Det framkom även att personliga tränare förväntas “leva som de lär” då gymdeltagarna har förväntningar på att de ska leva hälsosamt och ha en hög fysisk förmåga och kunskap kring träning och hälsa. Det framkom även att normer skapas av olika aktörer på gymmet, både personliga tränare, gymägare och gymdeltagare. Slutsats: De personliga tränarna talade om att normer kring hälsa, kroppsideal och träning på gymmet är skilda gymdeltagare och personliga tränare åt. Ytterligare en slutsats är att både personliga tränare, gymdeltagare och gymägare påverkar kulturen och därmed är alla tre aktörer skapare av normerna som villkorar det informella lärandet. / Personal trainers are spending countless of hours at the gym where the society's health interests and the norms around health and fitness are obvious. These norms, ideals and expectations that exists in this context reserve the learning conditions and can therefore shape and affect personal trainers. Aim: The study aims to illustrate how personal trainers talk about norms in gym context and how these norms affect them. Theoretical framework: Thetheoretical framework is a combination of a socio-cultural perspective on learning, where the theories of communities of practice and symbolic capital are an extension. The health theories presented is a holistic health perspective and healthism. Method: The studies method is of qualitative character where the collection of materials made by two semi-structured focusgroup interviews with five professional personal trainers. The study is based on an abductive approach and the results were analysed and compiled by a conventional qualitative contentanalysis. Results: The result showed that the norms around health is bisectional. The personal trainers talked about gym attendants approach to health as of a pursuit of extreme body ideal. At the same time the personal trainers talked about that their own view of health was comprehensive with an emphasis on wellness. It also emerged that personal trainers are expected to "live as they learn" when the gym attendants have expectations of them to live healthy and have a high physical ability and knowledge about exercise and health. It also emerged that the standards created by various participants in the gym, both personal trainers, club owners and gym attendants. Conclusion: The personal trainers talked about norms concerning health, body ideal and exercise at the gym as a difference between gym participantand personal trainers. Another conclusion is that both personal trainers, gym participants and club owners affects the culture and thus all three actors are creators of norm conditioning informal learning

This thesis aims to make a contribution to our current understanding regarding leisure-time pedagogues’ work with children’s relationships. Here focus is placed on the collective action repertoire as expressed by two different groups of leisure-time pedagogues. The research questions addressed are:   How do leisure-time pedagogues work with children’s relationships and how do they view such relationships? What communities do they identify? What qualities in children’s relationships do they regard as desirable?  The theoretical framework of this study is based on Wenger’s (1998) social theory regarding learning in communities of practice, as well as Gergen’s theory of relationships as an inevitable part of human existence. Consequently, within this thesis relationships are viewed as mainly negotiated and are therefore dynamic in character. The methodological approach is ethnographic, focusing on leisure-time pedagogues’ work with and talk about children’s relationships. The study is based on data derived from eight leisure-time pedagogues divided into two different work teams of four pedagogues, covering two different leisure-time centres and involving 60 children of 6-11 years of age.   Final analysis is based on concepts derived from both Wenger’s and Gergen’s theories, for example; action repertoire, relational qualities, communities of practice and shared interests. Results suggest that the communities of practice and the alliances that pedagogues identify are often gender-related and built on common interests. The pedagogues’ action repertoire illustrates a desire to facilitate encounters between children and promote harmonious relationships. Leisure-time pedagogues support relationships characterized by consensus, respect, confidence and adaptation to rules, whereas those marked by conflict, disharmony, breaking rules or aggressions are counteracted. Various notions emerge in pedagogues’ action repertoire based on normative thinking, where different relational competences are ascribed to children. Some children are described as relationally competent while other children, who do not adapt themselves in a desirable manner, are described as having difficulties adjusting their relational competence. The results also reveal a lack of guidelines for handling the variety of differences in children’s relationships and display the lack of a common professional language for verbalizing children’s relational work.