The present study examined the experience of self-cutting, what stops adolescent girls from engaging in self-cutting, and what message adolescent girls who are self-cutting would want to send to other girls taking part in this behavior. Using an existential-phenomenological method of interviewing, adolescent girls were asked a serious of questions in order to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the experience of self-cutting. Each interview was tape recorded, transcribed, and thematized. The participants in this study were labeled co-researchers due to the significant role that they had in the completion of this study. The co-researchers consisted of six adolescent girls aged 15 to 18 years old. They all attended high schools within a large urban school district in Florida. Through a reduction of the data obtained during the interviews, five superordinate themes were discovered for the first research question, which examined the experience of self-cutting. The themes depicted the following experience. Before engaging in self-cutting, each co-researcher had "A Lot of Feelings" stemming from "A Big Event" that they needed to "Release." They chose cutting because "Nothing [else] Ever Worked" and the act of cutting made them "Numb" and feel "No Pain." Themes developed from the second research question, which examined what stops adolescent girls from self-cutting, included "Thinking About the People Who Care" or when "Thinking About the Consequences" of cutting. If they could send a message to other girls who are cutting, the co-researchers in this study would say "Don't Do It." The co-researchers were able to articulate other coping strategies to serve the same function as cutting but sometimes refused to implement them. Results of this study support the findings of previous research.

Background: The only treatment for celiac disease consists of excluding gluten. Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat, rye, and barley, which are cereals commonly used in bread, pasta, pizza, etc. The overall aims of this thesis were to study; what happens with food choices and nutrient intakes when individuals are prescribed a gluten-free diet and what consequences this has on the everyday lives of young women and young men dealing with this disease. Methods: A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to study nutrient intake and how food choices were affected after a change to a gluten-free diet. The FFQ was sent to 12-13 years-old adolescents who took part in a large Swedish celiac screening study. The following three groups were studied: previously diagnosed with celiac disease, screening-diagnosed and non-celiac controls. The first FFQ was sent out before the screening-diagnosed adolescents had been told they had celiac disease, and the second was sent 12-18 months after they had been prescribed the gluten-free treatment. Semi-structured interviews were performed five years later in order to study how everyday life was affected by celiac disease in seven young women and seven young men. The interviews were analyzed by content analysis. Results: The previously diagnosed celiac disease group reported a nutrient intake in line with the non-celiac control group. Most of the participants reported nutrient intakes above the estimated average requirements. A diagnosis of celiac disease altered the intake of some foods, and this was shown by comparing the results from the baseline FFQ before the diagnosis and the follow-up FFQ after. The young women and young men reported similar experiences of the gluten-free food, but the perceived consequences of living with celiac disease differed between genders. Conclusion: This thesis shows that after a diagnosis of celiac disease food changes are necessary in order to be compliant with the gluten-free diet. One common effect is that food options will be reduced. However, as long the food intake is gluten-free, varied, and in sufficient quantity there is no reason to worry more about the nutritional intake of adolescents diagnosed with celiac disease than there is for their non-celiac peers. The findings in this thesis also show that society’s gender order has a great impact on how young women and young men experience their everyday lives, with celiac disease, and with the gluten-free diet.

No description available.

Denna undersökning är gjord med syfte att granska hur fyra svensklärare för grundskolans senare år bedriver sin grammatikundervisning. Detta för att se hur upptäckterna stämmer överens med tidigare rön inom den didaktiska forskning som behandlar ämnet grammatik. Studien lyfter fram definitioner av grammatikbegreppet, tillvägagångssätt och metoder i det didaktiska arbetet samt argument för- och emot grammatikundervisningens existens i svenskämnet. Vidare redogörs för metodval vilka innebär kvalitativa intervjuer utefter modellen ”föreställningskartor” där didaktikens tre huvudfrågor – vad, hur och varför – styr samtalen. Undervisningens resultatdel visar hur svensklärarna förhåller sig till begreppet grammatikundervisning och hur detta kopplas till den didaktiska verksamheten. Slutligen diskuteras det insamlade materialet och jämförs med den teoretiska bakgrunden utifrån de tre didaktiska huvudfrågorna. / The aim of this study is to examine how four Swedish teachers, in the late years of compulsory school, teach grammar. The findings of this study are compared and contrasted with previous research in the field. The study focuses definitions of the grammar terminology, procedures, teaching methodology and the argument for or against the teaching of grammar in Swedish schools. Furthermore, an account will be given of the research method chosen, namely qualitative interviews based on concept maps, focusing on the three main didactic questions: what, how and why. These interviews show the teachers’ approach to grammar instruction and its connection with didactic activities. Finally the collected material is discussed with reference to the theoretical background and the three main didactic questions.

In current media and within coping research related to environmental problems many voices are emphasizing the danger of students being left in despair after have learned about environmental issues. The present study examined the effects on students who had participated in environmental education that originally was implemented through a sustainable development project. Qualitative interviews were conducted in order to investigate which environmental problems the students emphasized. The different coping strategies students used in order to deal with worries concerning these issues were identified through a thematic analysis of transcribed interviews. The findings of the present study showed that the Ugandan students were worried about themselves and their closest being affected by locally created environmental problems. They generally expressed to handle these worries by performing and planning for actions to decrease impact of the problems or by trusting politicians, environmental organizations and education and these actors ability to solve these issues. The Ugandan children showed to possibly have come some steps towards being action competent, were partly hopeful about the future environment and some of them possibly had a belief that they could make a difference to the outcome of these problems. The results were analyzed in relation to theories about coping and hope which could be related to environmental problems. The findings were also discussed in relation to a theory about action competence and similar studies about children’s coping with global issues made in countries all over the world. The importance of an environmental education that gives hope to students was highlighted. In parallel, a more local perspective in Swedish environmental education together with an enlargement of Swedish students’ relation to nature was suggested to improve students will and ability to act in solving environmental problems.

Though there is significant academic interest in the law of religious freedom in Canada, there has been little research into the experiences of participants in religious freedom litigation. Based on a qualitative analysis of participant interviews and legal documents in three decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada, this dissertation explores the social processes at play in that litigation. At issue in the three cases were, respectively, (1) the right of Jewish condominium co-owners to install ritual huts (succoth) on their balconies; (2) the right of a Sikh student to wear a ceremonial dagger (kirpan) in a public high school; and (3) the right of a Hutterite group to be exempted from the photo requirement on driver’s licences for religious reasons. This dissertation adds to the existing academic commentary by looking beyond the judicial decisions and incorporating firsthand accounts of lawyers, litigants, and expert witnesses in these cases. The substantive analysis is divided in three sections. First, the dissertation examines themes of overlapping legal systems in participant narratives. Litigants understood themselves to be subjects of both state and religious laws, and the particular interactions between these legal systems help refine theories of legal pluralism. Second, the work analyzes religious freedom litigation as cross-cultural communication. Specifically, the dissertation employs the normative criteria of respect and self-awareness found in the literature on cross-cultural communication to approach participant narratives and judicial decisions, finding both successes and failures in this regard. Third, the dissertation engages issues of belonging to the Canadian civic community inherent in participant narratives. All litigants told the stories of their litigation as part of their larger immigration and integration narratives, and successful litigants were quick to give positive accounts in this regard. The unsuccessful litigants told more complex stories of integration, complicating the analysis of the impact of a judicial decision on their narratives of civic belonging. Nevertheless, the dissertation argues that the notion of civic belonging ought to be explicitly taken into account by Canadian judgments when dealing with issues of religious freedom.

Though there is significant academic interest in the law of religious freedom in Canada, there has been little research into the experiences of participants in religious freedom litigation. Based on a qualitative analysis of participant interviews and legal documents in three decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada, this dissertation explores the social processes at play in that litigation. At issue in the three cases were, respectively, (1) the right of Jewish condominium co-owners to install ritual huts (succoth) on their balconies; (2) the right of a Sikh student to wear a ceremonial dagger (kirpan) in a public high school; and (3) the right of a Hutterite group to be exempted from the photo requirement on driver’s licences for religious reasons. This dissertation adds to the existing academic commentary by looking beyond the judicial decisions and incorporating firsthand accounts of lawyers, litigants, and expert witnesses in these cases. The substantive analysis is divided in three sections. First, the dissertation examines themes of overlapping legal systems in participant narratives. Litigants understood themselves to be subjects of both state and religious laws, and the particular interactions between these legal systems help refine theories of legal pluralism. Second, the work analyzes religious freedom litigation as cross-cultural communication. Specifically, the dissertation employs the normative criteria of respect and self-awareness found in the literature on cross-cultural communication to approach participant narratives and judicial decisions, finding both successes and failures in this regard. Third, the dissertation engages issues of belonging to the Canadian civic community inherent in participant narratives. All litigants told the stories of their litigation as part of their larger immigration and integration narratives, and successful litigants were quick to give positive accounts in this regard. The unsuccessful litigants told more complex stories of integration, complicating the analysis of the impact of a judicial decision on their narratives of civic belonging. Nevertheless, the dissertation argues that the notion of civic belonging ought to be explicitly taken into account by Canadian judgments when dealing with issues of religious freedom.

New Zealand relies on overseas teachers to fill approximately 30% of annual vacancies (Ministry of Education, 2006). 41% of these cohort were teaching in Auckland when this study was conducted (Ministry of Education, 2001, 2003). As only 7% were new to teaching, it is likely that they bring a wealth of teaching experience to New Zealand classrooms. In 2002 New Zealand introduced a new school-leaving qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), which includes a literacy strand in all subjects (Taylor, 2001). This thesis aims to investigate the needs, perceptions and insights of overseas teachers in Auckland regarding the literacy requirements of the New Zealand secondary curriculum. In this qualitative study, interviews were carried out with ten teachers who had been teaching in Auckland between one and six years and who had all previously taught overseas. Interviews were also carried out with two literacy leaders as part of the research. Key challenges that emerged were the incorporation of the NCEA literacy requirements in discipline areas; catering for the needs of students who speak English as a second language; dealing with the challenges of teaching literacy across the curriculum and subject specific language; finding and developing relevant resources and sourcing professional development relating to literacy teaching. Findings revealed there were two categories of teachers – teachers who were very aware of the literacy needs of their students and those who were less aware. Teachers from England and South Africa were very aware of the varied literacy needs of New Zealand students and had received professional development in this area. Other teachers seemed less aware of the literacy demands of their students, the curriculum or their own professional development needs. This study also reveals that recognition and provision for the professional needs of newly arrived teachers from overseas seems to vary. There is very little research on the experiences of immigrant teachers in New Zealand; this study helps to clarify the issues which these teachers face, particularly with regard to the dual challenges of teaching students with ESL and the expectations that all teachers will include literacy in their approach to teaching, which is part of the NCEA curriculum.

Master of Philosophy (Medicine) / Health care evaluation serves the purpose of monitoring the quality of health care provided by Health Care Providers (HCP), so that health care services can be provided most effectively and efficiently. Patient satisfaction studies are widely used to assess the quality of outpatient care. A client satisfaction study was conducted at an HIV health care facility in Sydney, Australia during 2007-2008. There were three objectives: 1.) To validate a questionnaire for future determination of client satisfaction in HIV health care facilities. 2.) To identify the levels of satisfaction of clients, and investigate any dissatisfaction and unmet needs towards HIV health care. 3.) To provide recommendations for improving client satisfaction levels in HIV health care. This research used a mixed method approach and consisted of two phases. The first phase was a quantitative survey conducted with 166 clients (both HIV positive and negative) at Albion Street Centre (ASC) using a newly-devised questionnaire. Clients were asked to answer demographic questions, rate their levels of satisfaction with each aspect and each HCP category, and provide suggestions for improvement. Quantitative statistical analysis was conducted to obtain a general view of client satisfaction levels. Dissatisfaction and unmet needs of clients were then investigated in-depth in the second phase of the research through qualitative face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Twenty-two clients (both HIV positive and negative) at ASC were interviewed individually and asked about their attitudes, perceptions, and experiences towards their HCP and the HIV health care services received. Thematic analysis was used to categorise and interpret the qualitative data. More than 90% of the clients were satisfied with most of the aspects covered in the survey, with a mean overall satisfaction score of 84 out of 100. Clients were most iii satisfied with the “technical quality” and “interpersonal manner” of the HCP, and were least satisfied with “waiting time” and “availability of HCP”. The HCP category with which the clients has the highest level of satisfaction was “nurses” (86%), followed by “psychologists” (84%), then “doctors” (83%). Clients who were HIV negative, had a full time job, visited ASC less frequently, or did not possess any type of Health Care Card were more satisfied with the services overall. No common dissatisfaction or unmet needs towards HIV health care service were identified. “Technical quality of HCP” and “the relationship with HCP” were the two most important determinants of client satisfaction, which outweighed the inconvenience contributed by the poor availability of HCP and the location of ASC. The maintenance of “confidentiality/privacy” was shown to be fundamental in HIV health care facilities. The multi-disciplinary nature of ASC increased the degree of convenience and satisfaction level among clients. Suggestions for improvement in client satisfaction levels include increasing the attractiveness of the physical environment and the variety of educational reading materials in the waiting area; introducing beverages, and encouraging clients to be involved in their treatment decisions. Health care administrative staff in particular are reminded not to neglect the importance of the availability of HCP, accessibility, and physical environment when establishing a new HIV health care facility. The mixed method approach (quantitative survey and qualitative interviews) proved beneficial. It increased the validity of the findings by assessing client satisfaction levels using more than one method. This enabled clarification of ambiguities noted in the initial survey through probes used in the interviews, and also allowed investigation of the determinants of client satisfaction through understanding their experiences in HIV health care. Future client satisfaction studies would benefit from using this approach.

Athletes can be exposed to verbal and mental abuse from their coaches, which can include behaviours such as belittling, humiliation, and psychological stress. This issue is exacerbated by the contention that exists within the literature on how to define verbally and mentally abusive coaching behaviours. The goal of this research is to explore coaches’ personal definitions and views on verbal and mental abuse and ways to address it within the community of elite female volleyball in Manitoba. This qualitative research study triangulates auto-ethnography, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis of both coaching education and policy text sources in force in Manitoba to explore the complexities of verbal and mental abuse in elite sport. This study analyzes consistencies and inconsistencies between the views of elite coaches, coach education text sources and coaching policies, and provides recommendations for addressing verbal and mental abuse in the context of elite female volleyball in Manitoba. / February 2016