The aim of the thesis is to examine how everyday social interactions and relations in a school class in years 8-9 are experienced by pupils and teachers and how they can be understood and improved. The research design is an action research approach and is carried out as a case study involving four teachers and 24 pupils. Four issues are formulated and the teachers and the researcher together suggest how certain problems might be solved, which in turn directs the action process over the period of three school terms. Analytical concepts are used to map and understand pupils’ everyday social relations in terms of peer groups, positions and norms. Eriksson’s (2001) sociological theory on bullying is used to analyze and explain the complexity of a case of bullying. Defined dominating norms that appear to guide the pupils’ social interactions are: (1) You should make room for yourself, be visible and heard, (2) you should have many friends and (3) you should look down on those who study. The everyday social relations are affected by the pupils’ positioning and by the groupings that are formed in the class. Crystalized groups that emerge in the study are: (1) those who make a lot of noise and take up a lot of room, (2) those who study, (3) pupils who are frequently absent, (4) those who feel uncomfortable and (5) those who are outside (a marginalized group). In addition to these findings, three dominating norms among the teachers emerge. These norms guide and affect how the teachers act and think when victimized pupils and their situations are discussed. Teachers’ dominating norms seem to prevail in situations where some pupils are victimized by other pupils in the class. This in turn could contribute to various kinds of moral disengagement on the part of the teachers when dealing with victimizing acts among pupils. From the perspective of the victimized pupils, such a way of acting could be understood as teachers, in their role as “security guarantors”, are unable to prevent the powerlessness of victimized pupils.

Email stress: what are its causes? how is it measured? can it be solved? The literature review revealed that, despite the term being well used and recognised, discussions surrounding the root cause of email stress had reached little consensus and the concept was not well understood. By its very nature, email stress theory had fallen victim to the academic debate between psychological vs. physiological interpretations of stress which, as a result of either choice, limited more progressive research. Likewise an array of email management strategies had been identified however, whilst some generated quick successes, they appeared to suffer longevity issues and were not maintained a few months after implementation in the workplace. The purpose of this research was to determine whether email communication causes employees psychological and physiological stress and investigate the impact of email management strategies in the workplace. A pragmatic philosophy placed the research problem as central and valued the differences between paradigms to promote a mixed-method approach to research. The decision to pair both case studies and action research methods ensured a framework for presenting results and an actionable solution was achieved. In direct response to the research aims an original email stress measuring methodology was devised that combined various data collection tools to measure and investigate email stress. This research design was applied and evaluated 'email free time' and email filing. Results of the study showed an increased stress response to occur during email use, i.e. caused employees' increased blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol and perceived stress, and a number of adverse effects such as managing staff via email, social detachment, blame and cover-your-back culture were identified. Findings revealed 'email free time' was not a desirable strategy to manage email stress and related stressors, whereas email filing was found more beneficial to workers well-being. Consolidation of the data gathered from the literature review and research findings were used to develop an initial conceptualisation of email stress in the form of two models, i.e. explanatory and action. A focus group was conducted to validate the proposed models and a further investigation at the ? was carried out to critique the use of an email training intervention. The results showed some improvements to employees' behaviour after the training, e.g. improved writing style, email checked on fewer occasions each day and fewer sufferers of email addiction. The initial models devised, alongside the latter findings, were synthesised to create a single integrative multidimensional model of email stress and management strategies. The model made an original contribution to knowledge in terms of theory, i.e. to conceptualise email stress, and practice, i.e. to offer practical solutions to the email worker.

This participatory action research project enabled service users to influence the modernisation of local mental health day services. The modernisation programme was based on principles of social inclusion, and there were limited understandings of how it could be applied locally. Interpretations of policy gave priority to the relocation of services and facilitating individual recovery. An occupational perspective informed the design, implementation and analysis, emphasising what people chose to do. Critical ethnography informed the role of the researcher. Service user involvement was understood as a democratic process, drawing on direct experience for service development. A forum, established for four years, worked on and supported three research strands, focused on social networking. Service users captured their use of a social lounge using photography in Strand A. In Strand B a checklist was used to investigate social activities. Userled social groups were explored in Strand C through individual interviews. All the findings were systematically analysed and service users were involved in this for Strands A and B. The findings of this research emphasised the importance of social networking within the day services. Strand A indicated the benefits of a safe space, before getting involved and moving on. The final report from this strand led to ongoing funding being allocated for a safe space. For Strand B many social and recreational activities were identified by service users. Stigma was recognised as an ongoing barrier to sustained inclusion. A poster was designed and displayed locally to share the findings. Themes from Strand C demonstrated that user-led groups required active collaboration with mental health services to survive and thrive. A final stage of analysis aimed to uncover the details of taking an occupational perspective. The findings indicated that varied occupational forms involved different service users in different ways, enabling more people to participate. Making the functions of the different events explicit was important for negotiating participation. Meanings were expressed in shared and individual reflection as the research unfolded. Understanding and attending to these aspects facilitated meaningful service user involvement in this research, enabling many people to influence the development of the services they received.

This study explores whether and how the deliberate use of multiple languages can support or constrain the development of learners’ mathematics proficiency in a multilingual mathematics classroom. The study is an action research in which I transform my teaching, by exploring a new teaching strategy. In the study, learners’ home languages, in addition to English (LoLT), are used in a planned and proactive manner, where a well-selected high cognitive demand task set in multiple languages is used for teaching and learning. The study is done in a grade 11 multilingual mathematics class, at a school where I teach. Findings of the study indicate that Kilpatrick et al’s (2001) five strands of mathematical proficiency prevail across all lessons, that the use of English by both learners and I dominates, and that utterances are mostly conceptual. It is also shown by the findings of the study that using the learners’ home languages in presentation of the mathematical task, and the nature of the task used, supports the learners in the comprehension of the mathematical task, and encourages them to participate more effectively during lessons.

A presente dissertação tem por finalidade analisar o tema de gerenciamento de projetos, tão relevante para a execução da estratégia empresarial. A coerência entre projetos e estratégia é de suma importância para a manutenção das vantagens competitivas de uma organização. Por meio de uma experiência prática, objeto do Mestrado Profissional, essa dissertação descreve a implantação de um Escritório de Gerenciamento de Projetos (EGP) que objetivou manter a coerência entre estratégia e os projetos em andamento em uma empresa de educação. A metodologia utilizada foi uma pesquisa exploratória descritiva de abordagem qualitativa, desenvolvida a partir de uma pesquisa-ação. A pesquisa-ação permitiu a verificação, após dois anos desta implantação, dos principais benefícios e fatores limitantes do EGP. Os principais resultados foram (i) a descrição de um passo a passo para a implantação de um Escritório de Gerenciamento de Projetos, em consonância com os preceitos teóricos e com a prática vivenciada, dando ênfase aos seus fatores de sucesso e (ii) a verificação dos principais benefícios e fatores limitantes para a organização, que podem ser elencados em níveis estratégicos, organizacionais e operacionais. A conclusão é que o EGP foi benéfico para a empresa, uma vez que alinhou a estratégia aos projetos em execução, garantiu a gestão e o acompanhamento de prioridades tanto para a Alta Administração quanto para os demais níveis da empresa, favoreceu a implantação de uma cultura projetizada e auxiliou na evolução do modelo de gestão da empresa / This dissertation aims to analyze the project management topic as relevant to the execution of business strategy. Consistency between projects and strategy is paramount to maintaining the competitive advantages of an organization. Through practical experience, Professional Master object, this thesis describes the implementation of a Project Management Office (PMO) aimed to maintain consistency between strategy and ongoing projects in an education company. The methodology used was a descriptive exploratory study of qualitative approach, and its method an action research. The action research allowed to check, after two years of this implementation, the main benefits and the limiting factors of PMO. The main results were: (i) the description of a step by step to the implementation of a Project Management Office, in line with the theoretical principles and the experienced practice with emphasis on their success factors and (ii) the verification of the main benefits and limiting factors for the organization, which can be listed in strategic, organizational and operational levels. The conclusion is that the PMO was beneficial to the company, since it has aligned strategy to projects running, secured the management and monitoring of priorities for both the senior management and to the other levels of the company, favored the establishment of a projected culture and helped in the evolution of the company\'s management model

A presente dissertação visa a demonstrar como as teorias de Perelman e de Grácio, respectivamente sobre as estratégias argumentativas e a situação argumentativa, puderam ser operacionalizadas dentro do ciclo da pesquisa-ação realizada por nós, na área educacional, em 2013. A pequisa-ação requer o planejamento, a implementação e o monitoramento de uma ação, que, no presente trabalho, restringe-se ao discurso oral do professor em interação com o do aluno, o que configura nosso objeto de análise. Observaremos como este professor, que também ocupa o papel de orador, conforme concepção de Reboul, emprega na situação argumentativa em questão as diversas estratégias argumentativas, ao longo de sua ação pedagógica, para desencadear nesse auditório/aluno a adesão às teses que lhes são apresentadas. Para essa finalidade, serão utilizados dois trechos de aulas consecutivas, a respeito dos conceitos de convencer e persuadir, em que é possível verificar de que maneira o discurso, que aqui será sinônimo de argumentação, desse orador/professor vai sendo constantemente readaptado, replanejado em função do auditório/aluno. Demonstrar como a operacionalização das teorias de Perelman e de Grácio ocorreu nessa pesquisa-ação tornou-se pertinente porque nos permite apontar como é possível criar condições técnico-científicas para que o professor revise sua prática pedagógica diária de maneira investigativa. / This dissertation aims at demonstrating how Perelmans and Grácios theories, on argumentative strategies and argumentative situation, respectively, could be operated inside the cycle of the Action Research conducted by us, in the educational field, in 2013. Action Research requires planning, implementation and monitoring of an action, which, in this writing, is limited to the teachers oral discourse in interaction with the students, thus establishing our object of study. We are going to observe how this teacher, who also plays the role of orator, according to Rebouls conception, puts diverse argumentative strategies into practice in the argumentative situation at issue, throughout his pedagogical action, in order to secure this audiences adherence to presented theses. To meet this purpose, two excerpts from two successive classes, both on the concepts of convincing and persuading, will be used, in which it is possible to observe how this orator/teachers discourse here, a synonym for argumentation is constantly readapted and replanned to fit the audience/student. Showing how Perelmans and Grácios theories were operated came to be pertinent because it allows us to tell how it is possible to create technical scientific conditions for the teacher to review his daily pedagogical practice in an investigative manner.

Essa pesquisa foi estruturada para refletir sobre a construção de uma expografia de forma participativa, particularmente as condições para o desenvolvimento de exposições sobre temas científicos voltados a públicos não acadêmicos. O lócus do estudo é o Acervo de Minerais e Rochas do Instituto de Geociências, dedicado à pesquisa e ao ensino relacionado às Geociências na Universidade de São Paulo. Este Acervo, criado em 1934 para as aulas práticas de geologia e química, foi aberto nos anos 1990 para visitação pública e é conhecido como Museu de Geociências. Embora o museu tenha passado por mudanças consideráveis em termos de vínculo institucional e perfil de visitantes ao longo do tempo, essas mudanças não se refletiram na expografia, que continua a exibir terminologia acadêmica e retórica classificatória de mineralogia. Acreditamos que isso provoque o que Ulpiano Bezerra de Meneses descreve como fetichização dos objetos, mistificando-os. Com a finalidade de aproximar a sociedade deste museu, planejamos um processo de desenvolvimento conceitual da expografia no qual os sujeitos da pesquisa, funcionários do museu, têm participação ativa, usando o plano museológico como ferramenta de reflexão. Por isso, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa é refletir sobre as potencialidades da reformatação da expografia por meio da pesquisa-ação participativa no Museu de Geociências do Instituto de Geociências da Universidade de São Paulo e os objetivos específicos são refletir sobre a contribuição do plano museológico para a reformatação da expografia, desvelar como transmitir conhecimentos de Geociências para o público não acadêmico a partir do acervo do museu e construir conhecimento a partir de uma práxis. Esperamos, com esta pesquisa, discutir sobre metodologia em museus, particularmente em processos expográficos de museus científicos e aspectos da exposições em termos de comunicação, e problematizar o método de trabalho de concepção de exposições em museus contemporâneos. / This research was structured to reflect upon the design of an expography adopting a participatory approach, particularly the conditions for designing exhibitions on scientific themes that reach non-academic audiences. The locus of this study is the Collection of Minerals and Rocks of the Institute of Geosciences, which undertakes research and runs the geology and geosciences undergraduate and graduate programs of the University of São Paulo. This Collection, built up since 1934 for the hands-on geology and chemical courses, was opened in the 1990s for public visitation and is known as Museum of Geosciences. Although the museum has significantly changed over the years in terms of organization and visitors profile, such changes have not affected the expography, which continues to display academic terminology and classificatory rhetoric of mineralogy. We believe it leads to what Ulpiano Bezerra de Meneses describes as fetish for objects, mystifying them. Aiming at drawing the society closer to this museum, we planned a conceptual expography design process in which the research subjects, that is, the museum staff, has active participation, using the museological plan to encourage reflection. Therefore, this research is mainly aimed at reflecting upon the potentialities of reformatting the expography by conducting a participatory action research in the Museum of Geosciences of the Institute of Geosciences of the University of São Paulo, whereas the specific aims are to reflect upon the contribution of the museological plan to reformat the expography, find out how to introduce Geosciences to non-academic audiences by using the Museum\'s collection, and gain knowledge from a case study. With this research we expect to discuss methodology in museums, particularly in processes of expography of scientific museums, and exhibition aspects in terms of communication, and problematize the working method for designing exhibition in contemporary museums.

O crescimento da população urbana aumenta a demanda por recursos escassos e interdependentes como alimentos, e a agricultura urbana tem se mostrado uma alternativa a essa questão, atenuando a pressão sobre os ecossistemas. Esta pesquisa teve como principal objetivo analisar o potencial e as adequações de uma pesquisa-ação na implantação de uma horta em comunidade periférica, na perspectiva da construção de saberes colaborativos, empoderamento comunitário, estabelecimento de parcerias e busca de alternativas viáveis à sustentabilidade e à promoção da saúde. E para dar concretude à implantação da horta, objetivou-se produzir um livro colaborativo. O método utilizado foi a pesquisa-ação, voltada para a mobilização da comunidade do Novo Recreio, em Guarulhos - SP, por meio da aplicação de instrumentos como painel integrado, mapa-falante, livro comunitário (adaptado do jornal comunitário), reuniões e observação participante. Pode-se considerar que a partir do método da pesquisa-ação obteve-se sucesso na construção da horta, e apresentar-se-á algumas evidências de empoderamento e sustentabilidade da horta. Além da horta em si e da formação do grupo \"Germinando o futuro\", outro resultado foi o livro \"Horta na comunidade: participação social e técnicas de cultivo\"; e com isso, espera-se contribuir ao desenvolvimento de espaços públicos, incentivar práticas comunitárias de horta ou outros movimentos. / Urban population growth increases the demand for scarce and interdependent resources as food, and urban agriculture has been an alternative to this, mitigating the pressure on ecosystems. The main objective of this research was to analyze the potential and adequacy of an action research in the implementation of a garden in a peripheral community, with a view to building collaborative knowledge, community empowerment, establishing partnerships and seeking viable alternatives to sustainability and promotion of health. And in order to concretize the implantation of the garden, it was aimed to produce a collaborative book. The method used was the action research, aimed at mobilizing the community of Novo Recreio, in Guarulhos, SP, through the application of instruments such as integrated panel, talking map, community book (adapted from the community newspaper), meetings and participant observation. It can be considered that from the method of action research success was obtained in the construction of the garden, and some evidence of empowerment and sustainability of the garden will be presented. In addition to the garden itself and the formation of the group \"Germinando o futuro\", another result was the book \" Horta na comunidade: participação social e técnicas de cultivo\"; and with this, it is expected to contribute to the development of public spaces, encourage community gardening practices or other movements.

O processo de treinamento e desenvolvimento de recursos humanos é um importante instrumento para a gerência e para a assistência, os estudos encontrados acerca do treinamento em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) estão relacionados, principalmente, à realização de técnicas assistenciais. Reconhecendo a relevância do preparo do enfermeiro para atuação em UTI e sabendo da valorização que o grupo de enfermeiros da UTI de um hospital privado do município de São Paulo atribui ao processo de treinamento admissional, esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida na Instituição, Hospital Campo de Estudo (HCE). Assim, constituíram-se como objetivos desse estudo: analisar o processo de treinamento admissional do enfermeiro na UTI, na perspectiva dos enfermeiros da UTI do HCE; reelaborar o processo de treinamento admissional de enfermeiro na UTI, na perspectiva dos enfermeiros da UTI do HCE e definir o perfil do enfermeiro instrutor do treinamento admissional do enfermeiro. A fim de alicerçar essa reelaboração nos valores e necessidades expressas por esse grupo, optou-se pelo método de investigação, da pesquisa-ação. A técnica de coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de grupo focal, constituído de 11 enfermeiros com mais de três anos nessa UTI. Foram realizadas seis reuniões, totalizando dez horas de trabalho. Ainda, na coleta de dados, foram divulgados os relatórios-síntese dessas reuniões possibilitando a participação dos demais 18 enfermeiros da UTI que responderam aos questionários dirigidos, desse modo, houve contribuição de todo o coletivo estudado. Essa estratégia possibilitou a concretização da tarefa do grupo para além da proposta inicial de reelaboração do processo de treinamento. Em consonância ao perfil desejado para o enfermeiro dessa UTI, ora estabelecido pelo grupo, foram também descritos o conceito, os objetivos, as estratégias, a duração e as metas a serem alcançadas pelo enfermeiro recém-admitido. Para tal, foram construídos o novo instrumento, o fluxograma, o memento e a descrição do perfil do enfermeiro instrutor. Além do trabalho desenvolvido, a pesquisa promoveu no grupo e na pesquisadora a reflexão sobre aspectos intervenientes ao processo educativo, bem como acerca da identidade do grupo caracterizada pelo papel assistencial, pela autonomia de ação e, conseqüente, reconhecimento junto à equipe multiprofissional, o que facilitou, de modo coerente, a reelaboração do processo de treinamento admissional do enfermeiro da UTI-HCE / The human resource training and development process is an important instrument for management and care-providers. Studies regarding Intensive Care Unit (ICU) training relate especially to the performance of care-providing techniques. This research was developed at a Study Field Hospital (SFH) considering the importance of a nurses training process for performing at an ICU and knowing how ICU nursing staff value the admission training process at a private practice hospital in the city of São Paulo. Study objectives were to: analyze the ICU-nurse admission training process from the SFH ICU nurses standpoint; redesign the ICU-nurse admission training process from the SFH ICU nurses standpoint; and determine the educator-nurse profile for the ICU-nurse admission training process. In order to support this redesigning within the values and needs expressed by the group, the investigational method of action research was adopted. The data collection technique performed was based on a focus group composed of 11 nurses who have worked at this SFH ICU for more than three years. Six meetings were held in a total of ten working hours. Furthermore, during data collection, summarized meeting reports were issued allowing 18 other ICU nurses who answered the guided questionnaires to participate and therefore the whole group under study contributed. This strategy warranted concretization of the groups task further than the initially proposed redesigning of the training process. In agreement with the desired nurse profile for the ICU, now established by the group; concept, objectives, strategies, duration, and goals to be met by a recently-hired nurse were also described. For such, a new instrument, flow-chart, guideline and educator-nurse profile description were conceived. In addition to the work developed, this research fostered both in the group and the investigator a reflection on intervening aspects of the educational process as well as of the group identity, characterized by the care-providing role, autonomy to act and consequent recognition by the multi-professional team which coherently facilitated the redesigning of the nurse admission training process at the SFH ICU

Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo a criação de um novo approach musicoterápico inspirado na logoterapia como veículo na promoção da saúde mental. Deste encontro e diálogo entre a logoterapia e as práticas musicoterápicas de base existencial-humanista e cultural, em um contexto de intervenção e pesquisa, nasceu a logomúsica, abordagem musicoterápica criada pelos pesquisadores. Foi montado um grupo de estudo com 15 usuários de um Centro Atenção Psicossocial ao longo de 10 meses de atuação e intervenção com encontros semanais de 1 hora. O trabalho de campo contou com três observadores-participantes treinados para registro no diário de campo e registro audiovisual, além de uma musicoterapeuta como co-terapeuta no piano, violão e percussão. Como procedimentos, realizamos entrevistas individuais iniciais com os sujeitos-pesquisadores, período de observação participante, implantação de ciclos musicoterápicos, a construção coletiva de um espetáculo poético-musical (baseado no protagonismo), a realização de uma mostra artística-terapêutica e uma roda comunitária final para partilhas com os participantes. Os valores dos sujeitos-pesquisadores, a partir deste processo, revelaram a importância do papel da liberdade, da responsabilidade, do protagonismo, da música e dos processos criativos na promoção da saúde mental. Os sentidos compartilhados e mencionados pelos sujeitos-pesquisadores neste trabalho de pesquisa-ação foram: a) as rodas de conversas sobre valores como experiências fortalecedoras para a saúde, a responsabilidade e a liberdade; b) o processo criativo em grupo (saber fazer) como veículos de aprendizado de novas habilidades para o enfrentamento de questões práticas no dia a dia; c) o resgate e partilha da biografia musical como oportunidade de enraizamento existencial (identidade e memória); d) a improvisação poética-musical como espaço para o exercício do saber ser e saber conviver; e) o processo criativo coletivo (construção da mostra poética-musical) como realização do sentido da vida dos participantes (projetos personalizados e o sentido da renovação da comunidade) e, f) a logomúsica, portanto, foi construída nos pilares do noético, do protagonismo, do dialógico e da criatividade musical coletiva, revelando-se uma ferramenta valiosa na promoção da saúde mental. / This research aimed to create a new music therapy approach inspired in logotherapy as a tool to promote mental health. Logomusic is a music therapy approach created by the researchers through the combination of logotherapy and music therapy, with existentialhumanistic and cultural foundation, in a context of intervention and research. A study group with 15 users from a Psychosocial Care Center was set, with interventions lasting for 10 months, through weekly 1-hour meetings. Field work had involvement of three participant-observers, trained for registering on the field diary and audiovisual recording, and a music therapist as co-therapist playing the piano, guitar and percussion. The following procedures were carried out: individual interviews with researchers, period of participant observation, implementation of music therapy cycles, joint construction of a poetic-musical play (based on protagonist roles), organization of an artistic-therapeutic show and a closing community circle for sharing with participants. The values of the research-subjects, from this process, revealed the importance of the role of freedom, responsibility, protagonist roles, music and creative processes in the promotion of mental health. The meanings shared and reported by the research-subjects in this research-action study were: a) talk circles about values as empowering experiences for health, responsibility and freedom; b) the group creative process (knowhow) as tools to learn new skills for dealing with practical issues on a daily basis; c) the access and sharing of the musical biography as an opportunity for existential rooting (identity and memory); d) the poetic-musical improvisation as a space for the exercise of knowing to be and knowing to live with; e) the joint creative process (construction of a poetic-musical play) as an accomplishment of the meaning of participants\' lives (custom-made projects and the sense of renewal of the community) and, f) logomusic, which was built on the pillars of the noetic, the protagonist role, of the dialogue and the collective musical creativity, revealing itself as a valuable tool in promoting mental health.