Submitted in fulfillment for the degree of Master in Technology: Quality, Durban University of Technology, 2009. / This study examines employee perceptions of the impact of training and development on product quality. The study was undertaken on a sample of 106 individuals, drawn using the convenience sampling technique from a large manufacturing organisation situated in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The data was collected using a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised of two (2) sections. The first section required the r(gender, age, grade and length of employmentespondents to provide biographical data ). The second section explored the impact of training and development on product quality (measured in terms of performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perceived quality). Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the results were presented using tabular and graphical representation. This study found that: Significant intercorrelations exist among the dimensions of product quality (performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perceived quality) as a result of training and development being conducted in the organisation. here is no significant difference in the perceptions of employees varying in biographical data (gender, age, and length of employment) regarding the influence of training and development on the dimensions of product quality respectively. Based on the findings of the study, a model was developed and presented. This model presents recommendations for enhancing product quality.

This thesis set out to explore the experiences of clients and counsellors in immediate crisis intervention shortly after a major earthquake. It explored the experiences and perceptions of change during counselling for both clients and counsellor, all of which were exposed to the disaster. This study supported the idea of counsellors needing to adapt to the context of post-disaster counselling and addressing client’s immediate needs. Having both been through the same disaster meant counsellors were often going through similar experiences and emotions as their clients during this time. This led counsellors to develop a greater sense of connection and understanding of their client, as well as showing more emotional responsivity and self-disclosure. This was experienced as different to their normal therapy engagement. The implications of these counsellor responses were seen to be helpful, but at times had the potential to be hindering for counselling. Clients valued their counsellor’s techniques and personal qualities but often failed to identify what contribution they, themselves, made to change processes. The differing nature of counselling in post-disaster areas, as gauged by this study may help inform expectations and experiences regarding provision of post-disaster acute interventions.

Introduktion. Föreliggande studie har redogjort för studenters uppfattning om stalkning i kontexten där gärningspersonen är främmande för offret. Stalkning som fenomen är så pass omfattande att det diskuteras i termen om ett eventuellt folkhälsoproblem. Då det är ett tämligen outforskat område i Sverige finns få studier gjorda kring allmänhetens uppfattning av stalkning. Studiens syfte var att undersöka huruvida studenters uppfattning om stalkning skiljde sig åt beroende på om de tilldelats ett stalkningsscenario med ett idealiskt eller ett neutralt offer. Metod. Totalt 44 studenter från Mittuniversitet deltog i studien med mixad design. Deltagargenererade skripts analyserades kvalitativ med en förhållandevis öppen metodologi. Resultat. Övervakning och förföljelse utgjorde de vanligast förekommande stalkningsbeteendena. Stalkningstypologin den inkompetente rapporterades i signifikant högre utsträckning i den idealiska gruppen, och typologin den hämndlystne förekom endast i den neutrala gruppen där den också var vanligast förekommande typologi. Ingen skillnad förelåg mellan den idealiska och den neutrala gruppen i uppfattningen om stalkningen som en brottslig handling. Diskussion. Studenters uppfattning av stalkning i studiens kontext överensstämmer i stort med den uppfattning som forskning har visat att allmänheten har kring fenomenet stalkning. Skillnader i stalkningstypologier mellan den idealiska och den neutrala gruppen härleds till hur offret framställts i de två scenariorna vilket kopplas till Christies teori om det idealiska offret. Framtida forskning bör undersöka hur psykisk problematik hos ett offer påverkar samhällets brottsofferbemötande. / <p>2014-06-03</p>

Cheating in British secondary schools has not been previously researched. The aim of this thesis was to ascertain what factors affect cheating in secondary school and why? Initially, four questions were posed: &quot;what is cheating?', &quot;when is it wrong to cheat?', 'what role do parents play' and 'what are teacher perceptions of cheating compared with those of students?'. These questions were addressed by studying the perspectives of students, parents and teachers using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, involving nearly 1000 respondents in six studies. Two models were developed. The first, a four dimensional model, explained what students thought cheating was. Cheating was perceived to be comprised of the following interrelated dimensions: non-academic and academic behaviours, a temporal component, assessment events and degrees of severity. The second, a decision model, indicated under what circumstances cheating might be right or wrong. Cheating was wrong for respondents who perceived only negative academic associations, whilst It could be right for others, when motives for cheating were perceived to be honourable. Respondents reported the extent to which they were like students in scenarios who were portrayed to have cheated in a variety of ways. Data from parents and teachers were used to test and amplify these models. Students and teachers held similar perceptions regarding cheating frequency, but not severity. Parents held perceptions of cheating that were more extreme than those of students and teachers. The findings of these studies have major implications for those involved in the wider educational environments of the home, school and society. Recommendations are made regarding cun-ent educational testing policies, the promotion of leaming and the reduction of cheating.

This thesis examines children’s (aged 11-12) ideas about climate change. Seventh grade children in 9 schools in Ontario were interviewed and submitted illustrated responses about climate change over a one year period of data collection. Qualitative grounded theory was used to allow themes from the data to emerge, and the use of computer software, NVivo7, was used to code and classify themes. The data were analyzed to answer three main research questions. First, the thesis explored if there were common similarities or differences between the children’s and adults’ responses (as gained from the literature). Second, children’s responses were grouped by geographical location. These locations included rural, urban, and suburban school. This was conducted in order to determine if any group differences exist among children in these three areas. The study found that children’s and adults perceptions are quite similar, and that in some situations, both groups tend to use substitution of other environmental knowledge (cultural models) in lieu of knowledge of climate change but that children also tended to use different cultural models to explain their ideas about climate change. The thesis concluded that no group differences existed among rural, urban, and suburban children and children in all groups tended to have much more detailed knowledge of mitigation strategies than the effects and causes of climate change. The thesis also concluded that a new educational framework, modeled after the Causes, Effects, and Mitigation Strategies of Climate Change (CEM Framework) ought to be used to redistribute this knowledge across these three areas.

The purpose of this study was to determine Texas AgriLife Extension agents' perceptions of organic agriculture (OA) and implications for training. Primary variables of interest included level of interest in OA in their respective counties, previous training received, interest in future training, perception of OA and Texas AgriLife Extension's involvement in OA. A random sample of agents was selected (n = 151) and a response rate of 81.5 percent was achieved. A majority of agents indicated interest in OA in their respective counties had increased over the past five years (n = 60), but noted demand was still low (n = 39) to moderate (n = 42). Agents from urban or suburban counties reported higher levels of interests in OA than did agents from rural counties. Agents were most interested in training on organic soil fertility, insect, weed, and disease management and least interested in training on organic certification and transitioning to OA. Agents indicated traditional information resources would be the most useful delivery methods for communicating information about organic farming, which included print publications, a website with organic information and extension workshops. Agents' perceptions of OA and their perceptions of Texas AgriLife Extension's involvement in OA were measured using attitudinal statements using a five point summated scale with reliability estimates r = 0.76 and 0.76 respectively. It was found that agents neither agreed nor disagreed with statements affirming the viability of OA (M = 2.80) and statements advocating Texas AgriLife Extension's involvement in OA (M = 3.38). A stepwise multiple regression was run on the primary variables of interest to determine which variables predicted agents' interest in training. Perceptions of Texas AgriLife Extension's involvement, perceptions of OA, and current level of interest in their county accounted for over 50 percent of the variability. This research concluded that due to agents' general ambivalent attitude toward OA, Texas AgriLife Extension administration will need to advocate more training and programming in OA if they wish to increase their role in OA. For there to be any significant change in the advancement of OA, though, it will require a paradigm shift in the land grant university system (LGUS).

Purpose: The systematic review summarised the literature on the impact of patient illness perceptions on health outcomes and coping after an acute neurological event, guided by Leventhal’s Self-Regulatory Model (SRM). The empirical study investigated individuals’ lived experiences of emotionalism, a sudden onset neurological disorder characterised by involuntary laughter and crying. A further aim was to develop a questionnaire measuring beliefs about emotionalism based on patients’ perspectives. Method: The review identified seventeen articles through database searches using predefined inclusion criteria. In the empirical paper, eighteen individuals took part in a qualitative study to explore their experiences of emotionalism. Results: Findings provided support for the SRM in acute neurological populations. Negative illness perceptions were associated with a range of poor health outcomes and unhelpful coping behaviours. The empirical paper provided rich individual accounts of the social and personal impact of emotionalism. Four themes were identified and used to develop a questionnaire measuring beliefs about emotionalism. Conclusions: Both chapters emphasise the value of eliciting patient beliefs about their neurological condition and of providing support at the early stages of recovery. The clinical implications and directions for future research were discussed as was the need for further validation of the questionnaire.

Contradictory views of nontraditional women provide a backdrop for differing perceptions of policewomen. After reading a vignette of a traffic stop by either a policewoman or a policeman who had either made a mistake or not a mistake in pulling participants over, 230 MTurk participants provided their anticipated affective, behavioral, and cognitive perceptions of the police officer that pulled them over and gave them a traffic ticket. Anticipated affective, behavioral, and cognitive perceptions for policewomen and policemen diverged for those high in hostile sexism and those high in benevolent sexism. Those high in hostile sexism perceive policewomen less warm than those who scored low in hostile sexism. Individuals high in benevolent sexism who read about interacting with a policewoman who made a mistake were more likely to produce positive behaviors compared to a policewoman who had not made a mistake. Additionally, those high in benevolent sexism who read about interacting with a policewoman were more likely to have a negative affective reaction about the situation compared to those who interact with a policeman. This study replicates the past research on ambivalent sexism, such that those high in hostile sexism revere traditional women and dislike nontraditional women while those high in benevolent sexism are overall more positive towards women but in a condescending manner. Additionally, this study extends ambivalent sexism theories into police research suggesting that citizens will react to a policewoman in line with their level of ambivalent sexism.

The purpose of this project of research was to investigate the perceptions of female coaches and their gendered identities using quantitative and qualitative data. A mixed-methods approach was taken using questionnaires and interviews. Videos depicting a coach interacting with athlete/athletes were shown to participants prior to completing the questionnaires. This method was used in order to investigate if there was a difference in how male and female coaches are perceived because of their gender and investigate if the masculinity/femininity of a female coach would influence others’ perceptions of their ability and the coach-athlete relationship. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how the influence of gender on perceptions of coaches may have influenced the experiences of female sport coaches. An unstructured interview was conducted to investigate the effect of gender across a coach’s career. This thesis has contributed to the body of knowledge concerning how female coaches are perceived and female coaches’ experiences in sport. It has advanced the literature on Social Role Theory to the context of sport. The main findings of this research are: (a) female coaches are rated higher than male coaches for relationship quality and empathy when in an emotional scenario, (b) female coaches perceived to be masculine are rated consistently higher within relationship quality and competency in a coaching scenario, (c) female coaches’ experiences are affected by their traditional social role associated with gender and by society’s gendered perceptions of sport, and (d) there are more factors which discourage rather than encourage the progression of female coaches.

Class of 2012 Abstract / Specific Aims: To review overall quality of life (QOL) in active geriatric patients and to observe different attitudes toward aging in the student comparison groups. Subjects: Current students, regardless of academic year, attending the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy with a university email account. Methods: Data was collected using an electronic questionnaire. A link to the questionnaire was sent out via email to all University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy students. Another email containing the link to the questionnaire was sent two weeks after the initial notification. The questionnaire consisted of 36 questions requesting students to express their perspective on the health status, mental status and physical abilities of the elderly. Main Results: Geriatric patients tended to have a more positive view on their overall health when compared to students' perceptions of geriatric QOL (86.7% versus 35.7%, P <0.05). Students were also more likely to have the perception that geriatric patients had limitations in regular activities due to physical health and emotional problems when compared to the actual responses of older adults (72.6% versus 40.0%, P <0.05; and 60.0% versus 16.7%, P <0.05; respectively). There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between responses from students and geriatric patients to every question. Conclusions: There appears to be a noteworthy difference between pharmacy student perceptions of geriatric QOL and actual older adult QOL responses that may warrant an educational intervention.