En vue de présenter la spécificité du processus d’intégration sociale des immigres dans le pays d’accueil, notre recherche propose l’analyse du cas des immigres roumains en France. Nous considérons l’intégration sociale un processus social et tant que tel, avec des caractéristiques et des dimensions spécifiques et, en même temps, parte dans un système complexe qui implique la présence et interdépendance de plusieurs phénomènes En conséquence, nous avons analysé l’intégration sociale par rapport à ses dimensions intrinsèques, mais aussi en relation avec des phénomènes comme la migration et la transgression des règles. Tous ces phénomènes sont analyse en utilisant des méthodes adaptées, au niveau macro méso et microsocial. L’intégration sociale des immigrés roumains en France, notre principale approche dans cadre de notre étude, est analyse en prenant en compte les dimensions suivantes : structurelle, culturelle, relationnelle, identitaire, dimension de la satisfaction et des plans d’avenir. A ce propos, une recherche de terrain a été faite en France, centrée sur des les villes de Paris, de Nice, de Bordeaux, de Montpellier et de Strasbourg. Ensuite, pour mettre en évidence la relation entre migration et intégration sociale nous avons réalisé, dans le cadre de notre projet, une étude sur l’émigration des Roumains. Cette étude a été faite en Roumanie. Enfin, en observant le forte l’intensité de la relation directe entre le processus d’intégration sociale et l’image négative associée à une catégorie d’immigrés roumains, nous avons introduit dans le cadre de notre projet de recherche une étude sur les formes de la transgression des règles existante chez les immigrés roumains. / In order to present the specificity of social integration process of the immigrants in the host country, our research propose to analyze the case of Romanian immigrants in France. We consider social integration as a process that has its own characteristics and dimensions and, in the same time, as part in a complex system where more interdependent process are involved. In consequence we construct our research project based on this perspective. We analyze firstly the social integration process according with its own dimensions and secondly in relation with the migration and the rule transgression processes. Social integration and these two others social processes that could influence the first one, are each analyzed at macro, meso and micro-social level. The intensive study on social integration, the main study of our research project, is oriented on the analyses of its dimensions: structural, cultural, relational, identity, satisfaction and future plans. This study is based on field research realized in France, more exactly in the towns of Paris, Nice, Montpellier, Strasbourg and Bordeaux. Then, in order to identify the relation between migration and social integration, another study on emigration was run in Romania. Observing the important relation between social integration process and the negative image of Romanian immigrants, we introduce in our project a new research oriented in analyses the forms of transgression of rules.

Introduction: An increasing number of children in need of special support are included in mainstream schools. The roles of teaching assistants have changed with the inclusion of these children. Social partic-ipation is an essential aspect of inclusion, possible to be achieved in schools. In the literature social participation in elementary schools is studied in terms of friendships and relationships, contacts and inter-actions, perception of pupil with special education needs and acceptance by classmates. The impact that teaching assistants have on social participation has been questioned due to low or no education or training to work with children in need of special support. The aim is to investigate the social participation dimen-sions and the impact that teaching assistants have on the social participation of children in need of special support in mainstream elementary schools.Method: A systematic literature review was performed exploring four databases.Results: Nine studies in total were found. Seven studies examined social participation dimensions of con-tact and interactions, four – perception of pupil with special education needs. Friendships and relationships and acceptance by classmates were examined in two studies. Six studies identified negative impact of teaching assistants on social participation of children in need of special support, and three showed positive and negative results. The impact is attributed to the roles of teaching assistants, and participation in class.Conclusion: All four dimensions of social participation were studied in the articles, but no studies explored all dimensions at once, therefore complete impact of teaching assistants cannot be entirely realized yet. Nevertheless, the negative trend of teaching assistants’ impact on the social participation of children in need of special support found in this systematic review implicates two possible approaches. The role of teaching assistants could be shifted and adapted to suit the abilities of teaching assistant. Education and training of teaching assistants are necessary to support social participation of children in need of special support.

Entrepreneurial opportunities are frequently noted and addressed in the literature of immigrant entrepreneurship; however, little is known about how these entrepreneurial opportunities come into existence and how immigrant entrepreneurs create such opportunities. The purpose of this thesis is to examine why and how immigrant entrepreneurs create entrepreneurial opportunities through embedding processes in the home country and the host country. Sweden was chosen as the country of residence of immigrant entrepreneurs from Lebanon, Syria, Cameroon and Mexico. Four cases were selected in this study. Each case illustrates an opportunity creation process in a different industry, between a different home country and Sweden as the host country and by immigrant entrepreneurs with different backgrounds. By using the mixed embeddedness perspective as the theoretical lens in combination with the literature on entrepreneurial opportunity and immigrant entrepreneurship, this thesis develops a model of entrepreneurial opportunity creation as an integration process. The findings suggest that entrepreneurial opportunity creation can be considered as a process of local integration by immigrant entrepreneurs into the host country and a re-integration of these entrepreneurs into the home country. At the beginning of the opportunity creation process, immigrant entrepreneurs feel socially excluded in the host country. Throughout the opportunity creation process, immigrant entrepreneurs interact with different actors in the host country and gradually move from being socially excluded to socially included, which illustrates a local integration process. In this process, immigrant entrepreneurs become localized through different activities that embed them in the local context. The process of entrepreneurial idea and business concept development and the refinement of the business concept in this thesis illustrates an ongoing and non-linear process of: being locally integrated through creating trust in the local people, acculturating and creating a sense of belonging; and being re-integrated to the home country through maintaining and establishing new links to the home country. The study contributes to the mainstream entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship in several ways. First, it contributes to studies on immigrant entrepreneurship by investigating why immigrants embark on a journey to be entrepreneurs and how immigrant entrepreneurs create entrepreneurial opportunities through embedding processes in the home and the host country. The study demonstrates how an entrepreneurial opportunity is created as a social integration process. Second, the study contributes to literature on entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship by incorporating the entrepreneurial opportunity creation process with acculturation strategies. It illustrates how the entrepreneurial opportunity creation process intertwines with the four strategies of acculturation. Third, the study contributes to the mixed embeddedness perspective by adopting the process approach and proposing mixed embedding as a new concept which centers on the interplay between the home and the host country’s influences on immigrants’ business activities; by extending mixed embeddedness from the national level of the home country or the host country to the transnational level between the home country and the host country; and by proposing an alternative way to view an entrepreneurial opportunity as a creation process instead of being discovered. Fourth, the study contributes to the immigrant entrepreneurship literature in Sweden by furthering the understanding of entrepreneurial opportunity creation by immigrant entrepreneurs in Sweden. Furthermore, the study suggests some implications for practice. The study proposes some embedding mechanisms which can be implemented in business support programs for immigrant entrepreneurs and in integration programs for immigrants in general. The design of the business support programs can aim to help immigrant entrepreneurs to: create credibility through contacts and experiences that they establish and gain in the local community; create familiarity to the local community through associating business concepts with well-known values; engage in the local life to understand customers’ mindsets, master the local language to understand local customers’ needs; and establish new/strengthen connections to the home country. The design of integration programs can aim to undertake activities that help immigrants increase the interaction between the local people and themselves. This type of interaction could be increased by organizing meetings and activities in which immigrants are introduced to different local sports clubs and hobby clubs. An approach in which the host country’s language is practiced and mastered anywhere and anytime should be adopted in the integration programs.

A large percentage of Americans own pets which may impact their health. This study examines pet ownership’s effect on well being in older adults looking at race/ethnicity. A sample of 6,565 older adults (>60) was selected from the Third National Health and Nutrition Survey. Pet owners comprised 28.3% of the sample. The theories of symbolic interaction and social integration were used to examine pet ownership’s effect on physical components of well-being. The descriptive results showed statistically significant differences in age, education, income, and marital status between pet owners and non-pet owners. Pet owners were younger, more educate, higher income and married. Similar results were found for Caucasians, African Americans and Mexican Americans. Logistic regression for the entire sample revealed pet owners were more likely to have a positive self perception of health, normal blood pressure, improved function, less chronic conditions, improved function and more falls. Multiple regression revealed pet owners had more hospital stays, but fewer physician visits and nursing home stays than non-pet owners. When examined by race/ethnicity differences were found between pet owners and non-pet owners that differed from the general sample results. This research revealed that pets overall positively impact their owners’ health but it appears to differ based on race/ethnicity. Further research is needed on pet ownership’s effect on older adults specifically in regards to race.

Au cours du mois de février 2007, Neuchâtel célèbre l’inauguration d’un stade de football flambant neuf. Pour le club de Neuchâtel Xamax, qui fait face à des difficultés économiques chroniques, cette infrastructure laisse miroiter un avenir prometteur. On vante alors sans retenue le plus grand confort de la nouvelle enceinte que l’on décrit comme un lieu convivial et propice à la rencontre, sensé attirer un public toujours plus nombreux pour de longs après‐midis festifs consacrés au spectacle du football. Analyser l’impact social réel de la modernisation de ce type d’infrastructure s’apparente toutefois à un exercice d’équilibriste. Il implique non seulement une réflexion critique sur des attributs qui peuvent être considérés comme « socialement vertueux » pour la collectivité, mais nécessite également de décrypter le fonctionnement du lieu dans toute sa complexité. Dès lors, cette recherche passe au préalable par la construction d’un outil théorique et méthodologique permettant d’organiser l’étude du « potentiel intégrateur » d’un tel type d’espace. Dans le cadre d’une analyse portant sur le stade de football, l’utilisation de cette grille de lecture nous montre alors que, à Neuchâtel, ce lieu joue un rôle social plutôt important. Fondée sur différentes sources (enquêtes par questionnaire, statistiques relatives aux affluences, analyse des discours sur un forum de discussion en ligne, etc.), la comparaison des situations qui caractérisent l’ancienne et la nouvelle infrastructure conduit néanmoins à tirer un bilan nuancé du processus de modernisation / In February 2007, Neuchâtel celebrates the inauguration of a brand new soccer stadium. For the club of Neuchâtel Xamax, which has been facing economical difficulties since a long time, this infrastructure represents a promising bright future. Everyone praises without restraint the comfort of the new arena, which is described as a friendly place, convenient to encounters, able to attract bigger crowds of people for long festive afternoons dedicated to the soccer entertainment. The analysis of the real social impact of the modernisation of this type of infrastructure is nonetheless very tricky. It implies not only a critical reflection on the attributes that can be considered as “socially virtuous” for the community, but also requires deciphering how the place works in its whole complexity. Following that, the research first requires the construction of a theoretical and methodological tool, which allows the study of the “integration potential” of this kind of space. Within the framework of the soccer stadium analysis, the use of this tool shows us that, in the case of Neuchâtel, this place plays a quite important social role. Based on various sources (questionnaire surveys, statistics relative to affluences, discourse analysis on a forum, etc.), the comparison of the situations that characterize the old and new infrastructure leads nevertheless to a nuanced assessment of the process of modernisation

This study explored how undergraduate library student workers at an urban, 4-year public institution perceived their work experiences in an academic library as contributing to their social and academic integration in college. Tinto's (1993) model on student departure formed the basis for this study where academic and social integration work together to influence institutional commitments ultimately leading to the decision to remain or leave the college. Undergraduate library student workers from various library departments were interviewed and it is from these interviews that a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of an academic library's effect on undergraduate library student workers was gained. The study revealed that the undergraduate library student workers perceived experiencing many socially integrative and academically integrative experiences which they would not have had were they not employed in an academic library. After the data are discussed, the theoretical implications, policy implications, and suggestions for further research are offered.

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively describe the factors that influence the persistence rates of White undergraduate students attending HBCUs from the students' perspectives. Applying Tinto's Model of Student Departure (1975, 1993) as a lens for persistence, the overall aim in this study was to focus on the students' social and academic integration at the institution as well as their institutional experiences at the HBCU as it relates to their decision to persist or depart the HBCU. Through the participants"lived experiences", themes emerged relative to their decision to persist at the institution. The themes were: the influences on relationships with faculty, quality of academic programs, lack of racism from faculty, staff, and peers, involvement in campus activities and organizations, and affordability. The reasons associated with White students' persistence can assist faculty members and administrators at HBCUs in developing and cultivating a culture that is conducive for a positive matriculation and progression process all the way until graduation. Persistence leads to degree completion and no matter the institutional type, all administrators want to increase the number of students graduating from their institutions.

Student Number : 0311394E - MA research report - School of Literature and Language Studies - Faculty of Humanities / The present study on ‘Multilingualism and change on the Kinyarwanda sound system post-1994’ focuses on sociolinguistic approaches oriented to the effects of language contact to Kinyarwanda sound change. Many studies on various multilingual societies have been conducted, and most of them have focused on multilingualism and language policy, education and social integration in different multilingual societies. In particular, most studies conducted on the new linguistic configuration of Rwanda have focused on language attitudes in a multilingual context, but none of them has tackled the issue of multilingualism and sound change as a result of language contact. The main hypothesis expounded in this research is that Kinyarwanda sound variants that can be heard from current speech arise owing to Kinyarwanda speakers’ language background. In the light of the literature review on multilingualism and sound change, an extensive analysis of the most prominent linguistic variables of sound variation in Kinyarwanda was done, and its evaluation shows that there have been shifts in the sound system of Kinyarwanda post-1994. It has been shown that some sounds were modified or shifted to other sounds which exist in neighbouring languages because of contact. In addition to that, it has been argued that this sound variation has been possible mainly because Kinyarwanda came into contact with other languages which have different sound systems. It is hoped that this research will add a new dimension to studies of multilingualism within Bantu languages and will contribute to yielding a solution to the Rwandan language problem because of suggestions related to how the Kinyarwanda sound system can be standardized.

Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: Master of Arts in the field of Industrial & Economic Sociology School of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg South Africa July 2016 / This research study seeks to examine the South African labour market, using the case of ex-offenders and their difficulties in entering the formal labour market and securing full-time employment after they have been released from correctional facilities. The „Scarlet letter‟ in the title refers to a euphemism used to describe the effects of the criminal record on the prospect of employment. As part of the research, I also examine the perspectives of employers about their willingness to employ ex-offenders as well as some of the reservations they may have, as representatives of the labour market. Although there is extensive research on reintegration as well as barriers to reintegration, especially in Europe and the United States, none of these have married the labour market experiences and reintegration experiences of ex-offenders, especially in the South African context. This study employed qualitative research methods and techniques to explore the meaning ex-offenders attach to their social experiences. Data was collected by means of in-depth interviews in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the lived experiences of these ex-offenders and a vivid picture from the key informants. In this regard, participants in the study consisted of thirteen Black male ex-offenders, three representatives from the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO), one representative from a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) called We Can Change Our World (WCCOW), five Human resource managers at a property management firm as part of a focus group discussion and one executive at a recruitment company. All interviewed ex-offenders shared similar experiences of their challenges and limited social and economic reintegration, especially related to finding a job in South Africa. The study reveals that discrimination in the workplace continues in contemporary South Africa, but such experiences are even worse for ex-offenders. The study concludes that a lot still needs to be done to transform the South African labour market and correctional facilities, linked policies and practice for the majority, especially ex-offenders who have “paid their debt to society”. / GR2017

O acordo entre a DERSA, a municipalidade e o Estado de São Paulo, criou quatro parques naturais no município de São Paulo, decorrente da política de compensação ambiental do licenciamento do Rodoanel Trecho Sul. Dentre esses destacamos o Parque Natural Municipal Itaim. Diante de seu contexto de implantação, a pesquisa trabalha na perspectiva de que esse novo equipamento, voltado à conservação ecológica, tem potencial para catalisar transformações socioambientais. Tais transformações podem ser alcançadas a partir da sensibilização, da interpretação ambiental e de práticas socioeducativas promovidas pelo parque. A partir do diálogo com seu entorno define-se a sua contribuição como promotor da integração social, em um possível sistema de áreas de conservação e uso público na região. Uma vez que, a par de sua importância ambiental, também analisada por essa pesquisa, o parque está inserido na periferia de São Paulo, no avanço do urbano sobre o rural. Uma região marcada pela extrema espoliação de sua população, carente de espaços de lazer, equipamentos culturais e educativos. A pesquisa parte do entendimento que o parque tem uma função social a cumprir e, para que sua implantação e gestão tenha êxito, a interação entre esse novo equipamento e a comunidade local é vista como essencial. Trabalha com análises cartográficas, dados socioeconômicos, sobreposição de cartas temáticas integrados às percepções obtidas a partir da vivência em campo, da rede e dos atores sociais mapeados, bem como do acompanhamento do processo de implantação do parque. A pesquisa resgata as propostas para o parque incitadas pelas equipes da área social do Plano de Manejo e seus estudos decorrentes, por entender que na situação atual o parque caminha para visões reducionistas ancoradas no discurso da inviabilidade orçamentária, da escassez de recursos humanos e das dificuldades institucionais verificadas. Defende-se o caráter singular e inovador do Parque Natural Municipal Itaim, onde a figura de seu gestor se destaca pela articulação e potencialização das redes de relações existentes, a partir de projetos e ações pilotos. / Four natural parks are being created in the city of Sao Paulo as result from an agrément reached by the Brazilian Road Authority (Dersa), municipal and State authorities. These parks were designed to compensate the environmental impact of the new Rodoanel Trecho Sul highway. This study analyses the impact of the \"Parque Natural Municipal Itaim\", not only from an environmental perspective, but also as a catalyst for social transformation in its neighboring communities. This park is situated in the poor suburbs of Sao Paulo, an area where rural and urban settings co-exist. The communities in the surroundings of the park are extremely poor and marginalized, lacking all sorts of service, leisure, cultural and educative activities. In this context, the park plays a fundamental role, not only from its inherent environmental benefits, but also by offering a place where the local communities can meet, enjoy and where they have access to social and educative initiatives promoted by the park. In this context, the park has also a central social role providing a jump-start in offering access to leisure and incorporating these poor communities in the city. This park should have a key social importance to them, marginalized communities that are usually neglected by local authorities, with limited access to basic public services. The study emphasizes the importance of the park in facilitating the regional environmental connectivity and as a fundamental transformation agent for the surrounding communities by analyzing demographical and socioeconomic data, cartographs and thematic charts combined with the qualitative data and interviews collected in loco. The study also made extensive use of qualitative data gathered in loco in order to understand how the park is viewed from the perspective of the individuals who live in its vicinity - how they perceive and appreciate their landscape and the educational role of the park in sensitizing and stimulating the local populations to the importance and role of the local green areas, either the ones that exist today or that will be created in the future. The singular and innovative aspects of the park are reemphasized in a moment when authorities discuss budgetary cuts, under staffing and face organizational challenges. This could potentially limit the scope of this project that is still being developed. However, there is still time and we (NEP-FAUUSP) hope there is enough commitment to deliver the full scope of the park, that would have a key role in improving the life of adjacent communities.