This dissertation explores Liberian market women's food distribution activities and specifically focuses on their organizations and practices in postconflict times. During the last few years, Liberian market women have received considerable national and international attention. They have been hailed as heroines because of the significance they played in supplying food to Liberians during the civil war. However, little is known of their micro-world. This paradox constitutes the starting point of my dissertation, which explored market women's micro-level understandings and practices as related to peacebuilding. I used African feminist ethnography as a theoretical and methodological lens to investigate market women's organizations and practices surrounding food distribution in the capital city of Monrovia. African feminist ethnography incorporates insights from African feminist theory and feminist ethnography. It gives attention to issues of importance in West Africa like food and violent conflict. It also rejects the framing of African women as victims of war and recognizes their full agency. I conducted 40 in-depth semi-structured interviews with market women as well as observations in Fiamah, a daily food market located in central Monrovia. I examined market women's grassroots organizations called susu groups. Susu groups are informal credit unions that provide money to market women, necessary to purchase food items and maintain the market business. Findings illuminated the significance of wartime memories on postconflict susu group organizing practices. In this sense, memories of disruption and distrust engendered susu groups that were different from their prewar counterparts. Results also pointed at the invisible nature of susu groups, which had to balance their tendency towards secrecy with the pressure to become visible in a postconflict context where questions of organizational transparency dominated. I also investigated how market women made sense of their food distribution position in the peacebuilding era. Findings revealed that the women framed their role as one of community keeping. They emphasized the physical nature of food distribution which also necessitated maneuvering. Ultimately, food distribution gave them a sense of empowerment in postconflict times. These understandings reified class distinctions between market women and Liberian elites.

<p>The use of contexts in school mathematics is receiving much attention both nationally and internationally. This as well as the scarcity of research focusing on the topic stimulated me to research the contexts preferred by learners of mathematics. The large-scale project is called the Relevance of School Mathematics Education (ROSME) project. The current study essentially deals with that section of the larger project which investigates the issues and situations that learners in grades eight, nine and ten would prefer to deal with in mathematics. Broadly, this study focuses on the contexts preferred by grade 8, 9 and 10 learners as a domain in which to embed school mathematics.</p>

There is a growing evidence-base in the epidemiological literature that demonstrates significant associations between people’s living circumstances – including their place of residence – and their health-related practices and outcomes (Leslie, 2005; Karpati, Bassett, & McCord, 2006; Monden, Van Lenthe, & Mackenbach, 2006; Parkes & Kearns, 2006; Cummins, Curtis, Diez-Roux, & Macintyre, 2007; Turrell, Kavanagh, Draper, & Subramanian, 2007). However, these findings raise questions about the ways in which living places, such as households and neighbourhoods, figure in the pathways connecting people and health (Frolich, Potvin, Chabot, & Corin, 2002; Giles-Corti, 2006; Brown et al, 2006; Diez Roux, 2007). This thesis addressed these questions via a mixed methods investigation of the patterns and processes connecting people, place, and their propensity to be physically active. Specifically, the research in this thesis examines a group of lower-socioeconomic residents who had recently relocated from poorer suburbs to a new urban village with a range of health-related resources. Importantly, the study contrasts their historical relationship with physical activity with their reactions to, and everyday practices in, a new urban setting designed to encourage pedestrian mobility and autonomy. The study applies a phenomenological approach to understanding living contexts based on Berger and Luckman’s (1966) conceptual framework in The Social Construction of Reality. This framework enables a questioning of the concept of context itself, and a treatment of it beyond environmental factors to the processes via which experiences and interactions are made meaningful. This approach makes reference to people’s histories, habituations, and dispositions in an exploration between social contexts and human behaviour. This framework for thinking about context is used to generate an empirical focus on the ways in which this residential group interacts with various living contexts over time to create a particular construction of physical activity in their lives. A methodological approach suited to this thinking was found in Charmaz’s (1996; 2001; 2006) adoption of a social constructionist approach to grounded theory. This approach enabled a focus on people’s own constructions and versions of their experiences through a rigorous inductive method, which provided a systematic strategy for identifying patterns in the data. The findings of the study point to factors such as ‘childhood abuse and neglect’, ‘early homelessness’, ‘fear and mistrust’, ‘staying indoors and keeping to yourself’, ‘conflict and violence’, and ‘feeling fat and ugly’ as contributors to an ongoing core category of ‘identity management’, which mediates the relationship between participants’ living contexts and their physical activity levels. It identifies barriers at the individual, neighbourhood, and broader ecological levels that prevent this residential group from being more physically active, and which contribute to the ways in which they think about, or conceptualise, this health-related behaviour in relationship to their identity and sense of place – both geographic and societal. The challenges of living well and staying active in poorer neighbourhoods and in places where poverty is concentrated were highlighted in detail by participants. Participants’ reactions to the new urban neighbourhood, and the depth of their engagement with the resources present, are revealed in the context of their previous life-experiences with both living places and physical activity. Moreover, an understanding of context as participants’ psychological constructions of various social and living situations based on prior experience, attitudes, and beliefs was formulated with implications for how the relationship between socioeconomic contextual effects on health are studied in the future. More detailed findings are presented in three published papers with implications for health promotion, urban design, and health inequalities research. This thesis makes a substantive, conceptual, and methodological contribution to future research efforts interested in how physical activity is conceptualised and constructed within lower socioeconomic living contexts, and why this is. The data that was collected and analysed for this PhD generates knowledge about the psychosocial processes and mechanisms behind the patterns observed in epidemiological research regarding socioeconomic health inequalities. Further, it highlights the ways in which lower socioeconomic living contexts tend to shape dispositions, attitudes, and lifestyles, ultimately resulting in worse health and life chances for those who occupy them.

This thesis illustrates the development of a new methodological tool for arts marketing, called the visibility/involvement model, through a critical analysis of promotional material of Christchurch's art galleries. The methodological tool provides insights into the quality of the art galleries' marketing activities, categorising promotional material according to their level of visibility/public accessibility and required individual involvement. The promotional material was considered according to three different dimensions of meaning: (1.) The textual dimension of meaning (Fairclough, 1992); (2.) The visual dimension of meaning (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996; 2006); (3.) The local dimension of meaning (Scollon and Scollon, 2003). The innovation of the newly developed model lies in the combination of these three dimensions coming from the three different theoretical and methodological areas of thought: Critical Discourse Analysis, Systemic Functional Analysis, and Mediated Discourse Analysis. The model takes the above mentioned three dimensions together in order to categorise and assess a gallery's current marketing approach, and to then recommend a gallery's enhancement of marketing strategies to either deepen or broaden their audience. The visibility/involvement model also provides understanding of a gallery's underlying ideology and can explain why a certain gallery emphasises a particular marketing approach more than another cultural organisation and what implications that might have for future developments. This thesis challenges the view that traditional marketing strategies apply to arts marketing. Following Venkatesh and Meamber's (2006), who account for the cultural production process, drawing on McCracken (1986; 1988), this thesis attempts to engage in a holistic arts marketing approach. In order to attempt a holistic analysis, the thesis is based on analysis of galleries' visual signs, mission statements, and sent-out invitations. A central argument in the thesis is that each class of promotional material implies different properties, and hence requires an altered promotion strategy based on the target audience and the main communicative intention. The concept entails that the audience becomes narrower and more homogeneous from the category of visual signs to the class of sent-out invitations. Likewise, the communication needs to become more personal and specific. The audience layer model, an application of the visibility/involvement model introduced in the final chapter of this thesis, illustrates the relationship between the audience and promotional material.

abstract: After decades of dormancy, character is re-emerging as an important research topic among organizational leadership researchers in response to the need to better explain the source of certain exemplary and ethical leader performance (Hannah & Avolio, 2011; Leonard, 1997; Thompson & Riggio, 2010; Wright & Goodstein, 2007). However, efforts to operationalize character are criticized for their abstract and idealistic trait-based conceptualizations that fail to capture the reality of leadership and situational dynamics (Conger & Hollenbeck, 2010). The purpose of this study is to develop a more robust theoretical approach to character that is empirically grounded in the real life complexities of leadership. Combat provides the context for this study because the adversity of such an extreme context tends to make character a more salient and readily observable phenomenon than in more conventional organizational contexts (Wright & Quick, 2011; Hannah, Uhl-Bien, Avolio, & Cavarretta, 2009). I employed an ethnographic grounded theory design to gain a unique insider's perspective absent in many studies of leader character (Charmaz, 2009; Parry & Meindl, 2002). Data collection involved (1) physically embedding for six months with U.S. Army small unit infantry leaders operating in combat in Afghanistan; (2) participant observation in the full range of combat activities engaged in by these leaders; and (3) in-depth semi-structured interviews with key informants. An important contribution of this study is that the emergent concept of leader character is fully situated in the leader's social and environmental context represented by the leader's inner struggle to resist the adversity of combat and uphold the standards of leadership. In this dialectical framework, certain agentic resources important to resolving this inner struggle emerge as the locus of leader character. This agency-based concept of character is rooted in the internalization of the standards of leadership through identity-conferring normative commitments and entails particular motivational and volitional capacities. These produce a distinct mode of functioning--a strong form of personal moral agency--characterized by the leader's willingness to sacrifice in upholding standards in the face of adversity. This primacy of leader agency over adversity is the hallmark of leader character--what I call the character to lead. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Business Administration 2013

The current study developed a 40-item situational judgment test (SJT) to measure resilience in context. Undergraduate samples were used in the study and situational stems of the SJT consisted of both daily stressors and major life crises; each response alternative was designed to reflect one of five resilience-related factors. A crowd-sourcing method was utilized to create scoring keys for the SJT. The Resilience SJT demonstrated good psychometric properties, and showed evidence of construct and criterion-related validity. The SJT scores moderately correlated with scores from two resilience Likert scales, a hardiness scale as well as a negative affect scale. Compared to the two Likert-type resilience scales, the SJT demonstrated less overlap with hardiness, positive affect, and negative affect. Moreover, the SJT showed incremental validity in predicting global adjustment, but not academic achievement or college satisfaction, above and beyond the two other resilience measures. Lastly, the study examined different modes of resilient behavior and captured individuals’ mode choice tendencies for resilient responses to adverse situations. The Resilience SJT appears to be a viable alternative to capture resilience. Implications and limitations were discussed.

La dengue constitue actuellement l'arbovirose la plus répandue sur la planète avec 40% de la population mondiale exposée, soit environ 2,5 milliards de personnes. La maladie est endémique dans tous les continents excepté l'Europe même si les premiers cas de transmission autochtone ont été observés en France métropolitaine et en Croatie en 2010. L'augmentation régulière de son incidence fait actuellement de la dengue un problème de santé publique majeur dans les pays tropicaux et une menace pour d'autres pays du monde. En raison de son mode de transmission, la dengue constitue une maladie étroitement liée à l'environnement. L'urbanisation constitue un facteur important dans l'émergence ou la réémergence d'épidémies de dengue dans les pays tropicaux. Cette étude menée a pour objet d'analyser les liens existant entre le domaine de la santé (situation sanitaire et épidémiologique de la dengue) et de celui de l'environnement (évolution de l'urbanisation) en Guadeloupe continentale entre 2000 et 2008.Pour ce faire, les cas suspects et confirmés de dengue ont été recueillis. L'incidence pour ces deux types de cas a été calculée puis représentée à deux échelles administratives différentes: communes et sections. Les facteurs environnementaux comprenant les variables physiques et socio-démographiques ont été pris en compte pour la définition, l'identification et l'analyse de l'évolution des contextes d'habitation durant la période étudiée. Deux méthodes ont été utilisées: la classification «Raster» consistant en une analyse régulière basée sur des mailles de taille identique et la classification « Vecteur» s'appuyant sur les limites administratives des sections. Ces classifications ont permis de décrire la répartition des différents contextes d'habitation sur le territoire de la Guadeloupe et d'obtenir des indicateurs qui ont été analysés en relation avec les données sanitaires. Il a été mis en évidence que la situation épidémiologique de la dengue dans le département s'est significativement aggravée au cours de la période étudiée. Des épidémies majeures sont apparues en 2001, 2005/2006 et 2007. Le nord Basse-Terre, la région Pointoise ainsi que le sud-est de la Grande-Terre, de la ville du Gosier à Saint-François le long de la côte, sont les régions les plus concernées par l'augmentation d'incidence de la maladie. Concernant les contextes d'habitation, huit contextes distincts ont été identifiés: touristique, naturel, intermédiaire, agricole, résidentiel, rural, périurbain et urbain. Le contexte intermédiaire correspond à des régions de transition entre les autres contextes d'habitation. La différence entre les contextes agricoles et ruraux réside dans la prédominance de surface agricole pour le premier alors que le contexte rural est caractérisé par les espaces cultivés habités. L'évolution surfacique de ces contextes au cours du temps a été analysée en relation avec les incidences. Les résultats montrent que les contextes d'habitation sont statistiquement.associés à l'incidence de la dengue en Guadeloupe. En particulier, les contextes touristiques, résidentiels et ruraux possèdent une association positive élevée avec l'incidence de la dengue. / At present, dengue fever has become the arbovirose the most wide-spread worldwide with 40 % ofthe exposed population, 2,5 billion people. The disease is endemie in all the continents excepted Europe even though the fust cases ofautochthonoustransmissionwere observedinmetropolitanFranceandCroatiain2010.Because oftherecentincrease of its incidence, dengue fever is now a major public health problem in the tropical countries and a threat for the other countries in the worldwide. Due to its mode oftransmission, the disease is closely linked to the environment. Urbanization is an important factor ofthe emergence or the re-emergence of dengue in the tropical countries. This study aims to analyze the links between health and environment domains, which correspond to the epidemiological situation of the dengue and the evolution ofthe urbanization in Guadeloupe.Information about suspect and confirmed cases of dengue were collected. The incidence of suspect and confirmed cases has been estimated, then represented at two different administrative boundaries: communes and sections. Environmental factors including the physical and socio-demographic variables were taken into account to the definition, the identification and the analyze ofevolution of the housing patterns during the studied period. Two methods were used: Il Raster" consisting of a regular analysis based on squares units and "Vector" based on the administrative limits of sections. These classifications allowed to describe the distribution ofthe different housing patterns ofGuadeloupe and to estimate indicators for the analyzing of sanitary data. The results highlight a worsening ofepidemiological situation ofthe dengue over the time in the department. Major outbreaks occurred in 2001,2005/2006 and 2007. The north Basse-Terre, the Pointe-à-Pitre urban area as weIl as the whole coast (frOID the city of Gosier to Saint-François) ofthe southeast ofGrande-Terre were the most affected regions by the increase ofincidence of dengue. Concerning the housing classes, eight different patterns were identified: tourist, natural, intermediate, agricultural, residential, rural, suburban and urban. The intermediate class corresponds to buffer regions between the other patterns. The difference between the agricultural and rural contexts lies in the predominance ofagricultural surface for the first one while the rural context is characterized by the inhabited farmland. The evolution over time of spatial extend ofthese patterns was described in relation with incidence. Results showed that the housing patterns are statically associated with the incidence ofdengue in Guadeloupe. In particular, the touristic, residential and rural patterns have a high positive association with dengue incidence.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The use of contexts in school mathematics is receiving much attention both nationally and internationally. This as well as the scarcity of research focusing on the topic stimulated me to research the contexts preferred by learners of mathematics. The large-scale project is called the Relevance of School Mathematics Education (ROSME) project. The current study essentially deals with that section of the larger project which investigates the issues and situations that learners in grades eight, nine and ten would prefer to deal with in mathematics. Broadly, this study focuses on the contexts preferred by grade 8, 9 and 10 learners as a domain in which to embed school mathematics. / South Africa

There was a gap in the current literature examining degree attainment, in that there was no research found on personality type and the highest degree level someone attains. The goal of this study was to understand if there was a correlation to an individual's personality classification as determined by their Myers Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI) and the highest education level they achieve for the 225 people in the entire sample and 95 in the subsample (participants raised in poverty). The MBTI's theoretical foundation is based upon Dr. Carl Jung's personality typology and was later expounded upon by the tool's creators. Eight Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to address each of the null hypotheses for each question. The 8 research questions asked if there were higher levels of degree attainment for those with a particular preference within the trait dichotomies as measured by the MBTI. The research questions asked if individuals classified as introverts (I), intuitive (N), judging (J) and thinking (T) within both groups would have higher levels of degree attainment than those classified as: extroverted (E), sensing (S), perceiving (P) and feeling (F). There was a statistically significant relationship between being extraverted (E) versus introverted (I) and the highest educational level achieved in the subsample. This result was opposite of the predicted relationship for this hypothesis. That is, individuals classified as extroverts (E) had higher degree attainment levels than those classified as introverts (I). None of the analysis for the other hypotheses were statistically significant. The social change implications may include strategies to develop marketing and recruitment programs that appeal to extraverts, to increase the likelihood that they will choose to attend their institutions.

Learning is a process that involves both cognitive and emotional aspects. However, most of the research in education in South Africa tend to focus only on the cognitive side of learning and neglects the very important, emotional side. The consequences of this neglect lie most prominently with migrant learners, especially as the immigration process itself involves high emotional strain, cultural adjustment, and most obvious language barriers. These can negatively influence the learning process. Therefore, if existing teaching practices do not cater for the complexity of a multicultural and multilingual classroom or the emotional needs of migrant learners, the learning process of these learners is likely to be stunted. This thesis is concerned with the role of the emotions in the learning contexts of migrant learners in Cape Town and the strategies used by teachers to manage this. With this in mind, this study looks at the affective aspects of learning in teaching literacy to migrant learners from the Congo in the context of an English-medium school in Cape Town, South Africa. Using a qualitative case study approach, I focused on two layers of the issue. First, I explored the experience of Congolese learners and their emotional needs in an English language and literacy class. With this first layer, I compared the needs between French and English-speaking learners to explore how emotional needs played out in the classroom setting using interviews and observation. I used Krashen's affective filter theory as a lens to understand learners' feelings in the classroom environment. Second, I investigated classroom-teaching styles, in particular, how two Grade 3 teachers incorporated affective strategies in their pedagogy. I conducted this analysis through sociocultural understandings of literacy, using the principles of affective pedagogy. The findings were that English-speaking learners, receiving instructions in English, were less likely to suffer from emotional stress and anxiety in their learning than French-speaking learners learning in English. The French-speaking Congolese learners reported that they experienced emotional distress and anxiety, which affected their literacy learning. Not only were learners experiencing difficulties, but teachers too felt limited in their capacity to deal with learners' emotional needs as the cognitive approach for teaching literacy did not meet the needs nor context of migrant learners. Therefore, teachers felt they were required to go above and beyond what would be considered normal classroom activities to create a holistic learning environment that caters to a learner's emotional challenges, which was not always possible in the context of a prescriptive CAPs curriculum and resources. In this study, I argue that when children learn in a language that is different from their first language, this poses an emotional challenge, which often impacts the learning process. This emotional challenge is likely to be compounded by the circumstances that migrant learners often find themselves in. Therefore, I argue that for children to learn effectively (successfully) in a language that is different from their mother tongue, their emotional needs must be met first. This implies that for literacy learning to be most effective (successful), teachers may take into consideration the emotional aspects of each learner and develop their teaching styles according to the diverse needs of the learners. This study will benefit teachers in multilingual contexts as it takes into consideration the emotional difficulties that come with learning in a language that is not one's primary language, to understand learners' learning styles, and consequently to inform and adjust teaching strategies to fit their needs. The findings suggest a need for teacher training that takes into consideration the affective and cognitive needs of learners from diverse backgrounds, such as migrant learners, for more effective literacy and language education. .