This qualitative study explored how people in rural Nepal understand and make meaning of development, Bikas, at the local level. In Nepal, the terms "development," Bikas, and "modernization," Adhunikaran, are often used interchangeably. At the community level, the experience of change is how most people describe their perception of development. Open ended in-depth interviews and participant observations were the primary methods used. The research questions engaged the participants in reflecting about past and present experiences with development in their community, especially in how they have observed their quality of life change. Additionally, the members of the Mothers Group, Ama Toli, were also interviewed. The members were interviewed for two reasons, (1) to better understand the role of women and their experiences with development and (2) to develop a case study to understand how community based organizations can be agents of change. The findings showed that local people have recognized that development does not necessarily mean good changes for everyone. The rich narratives provided a glimpse into how different generations and gender experience development. These findings have major implications for sustainable development in rural communities. How individuals or groups of individual experience development will have an impact on how they participate, support or resist future initiatives. Additionally, what each group believes the gains and losses to be is important for those working as change agents. The study raises to the surface the experiences and views of those whose views and opinions are generally not included even though they are the supposed recipients of development. The development discourse focuses on the critical need for sustainability. This study affirms that for development to be sustainable all members of the community must have a voice and role in determining the community's course of change/development.

This thesis is an ethnographic investigation into the ‘bringing about’ of the Danish welfare citizen as observed through everyday values and practices in the Danish folkeskole. The thesis takes as its starting point the notion of dannelse, which is the ’holistic formation of social human beings who can manage their own lives, who know how to behave properly in society, and how to fit in with each other’ (Jenkins 2011:187) and hygge (cosiness), as the primary frameworks through which Danishness can be understood. While trying to unravel what these values/practices are and how they were expressed and inculcated in the everyday lived reality at the Danish folkeskole, I observed the importance of several other key concepts, including lighed (equality as expressed through sameness), and medborgerskab (co-­‐citizenship). This thesis will attempt to understand the importance of these concepts in relation to wider Danish society, and as defining features on the ‘citizenship-­‐journey’ that the Danish folkeskole in this thesis represents. I will argue that the Danish folkeskole to some degree exemplifies a ‘playpen of democracy’ (Korsgaard 2008) as it exists as a liminal sphere, both in terms of providing a space in which students can practice ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ welfare citizens, but more crucially also as a space in-­‐between the public and the private sphere, a home-­‐ away-­‐from-­‐home. This is achieved through notions of hygge to provide the safe and bounded space that is necessary to secure a conducive learning environment in which students can obtain a shared ideological understanding of the world, and hence an equal starting point. Finally, my thesis will focus on the interaction between and value connotations of concepts such as diversity, difference, individuality, inequality and heterogeneity. I am principally interested in demonstrating how these exist in a dynamic relationship with concepts such as equality, similarity, homogeneity and a sense of ‘we/us’ as Danish, and subsequently as democratic welfare citizens.

<p> Respite care is a social support service that gives parents of people with intellectual disabilities a short break from the constant stress of giving care&mdash;an outside provider temporarily fills the caregiving role. Utilized by families of various socio-cultural backgrounds, little research to date examines respite efficacy holistically in different contexts. Through ethnographic research in the homes and communities of three families over six months of service utilization, meaningful patterns have emerged regarding the planning, perceptions, use, and expected outcomes of respite care. Findings include that parental satisfaction is associated with how parents make plans, if they find the care provider trustworthy, and how completely they and their adult children are able to achieve respite plans. In sum, service efficacy depends largely upon the degree to which parents feel in control of the entire respite experience.</p>

<p>This dissertation examines the linguistic practices 9&ndash;13 year-old African American students who attended an after school program in Washington, D.C. used to negotiate schooling and achievement. It builds on existing anthropological research on how young people are socialized into their communities, classrooms, and the wider society via language. It renders this process particular to the students&rsquo; lived experiences of race, poverty, and contemporary schooling reform. By focusing on linguistic practice and the language ideologies held by the students, the dissertation explores the difficulties racially identified minority students face in school when they are asked by the wider society&rsquo;s major socializing agents and institutions to exchange cultural identity for academic success. </p><p> The dissertation is based on 8 months of ethnographic fieldwork that was conducted from October 2010&ndash;June 2011. During these months, over 108 hours of data were recorded from 30 preadolescents who served as research subjects. Informal interviews with after school staff and adults from the local community were also conducted. In the third and final phase (April&ndash;June 2011), focus groups were conducted with 12 of the students. </p><p> The dissertation provides evidence that among same- and similar-age peers, the students often repurposed the linguistic practices they learned from adults, and in ways that did not always align with the dominant expectations of the more socially powerful members of either the community or the after school program. It argues that the types of AAVE-based &ldquo;conflict&rdquo; talk students test in peer contexts perform positive socializing functions but that these discourse styles were nevertheless often interpreted, by adults as well as the students themselves, as unpreparedness or unwillingness to achieve in school. </p><p> This study revisits major theorizing of hegemony, critical consciousness, and &ldquo;the Black underclass.&rdquo; It suggests that while preadolescent-age African Americans try to construct &ldquo;achievement&rdquo; on their own terms via linguistic practice, they are not always successful because they are not empowered in the classroom, situationally or in the long term. It concludes by recommending ways in which educational practitioners and theorists can better understand how academically marginalized students engage with schooling and how they can support these students&rsquo; negotiated achievements. </p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Calgary (Canada), 2006. / (UnM)AAINR13611. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-04, Section: A, page: 1193.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 2005. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-11, Section: A, page: 3897. Adviser: Bradley A. U. Levinson. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 10, 2006).

Recent developments in the field of education have led to a proliferation of educational technologies (or “ed-tech”), yet access to educational content for students with special needs remains a challenge. This research study aims to assess the current state of accessibility in emerging ed-tech and to identify barriers in enabling educational content to be born accessible. Detailed discussions with various ed-tech platforms revealed less of a need for technical tools, but a more prevailing need for knowledge and education around accessibility – what it means and how best to incorporate accessibility into their platforms. The more experienced teams advocate incorporating accessibility into product development right from the design phase, while the younger teams expressed challenges in navigating accessibility laws and the dire need for easy-to-follow guidelines and best practices. A detailed review of educators' content creation processes reveals multiple dependencies in the ecosystem of ed-tech where partnerships and compatibilities are crucial in enabling accessibility throughout the process. Likewise, an urgent need exists for increasing awareness of accessibility among instructors authoring educational content using emerging ed-tech.

A dissertação problematiza e investiga o papel da canção no panorama brasileiro, cotejando as matrizes indígenas (Jecupé, 1998 e 2001) e afrodescendentes (Hampate-Ba, 2010), como forma de contribuir para um re-encantamento das relações e das jornadas pessoais de autoformação frente ao capitalismo massificador, ao racionalismo instrumental e os limites aristotélicocartesianos da herança escolar. Baseado numa perspectiva mitohermeneutica (Ferreira-Santos & Almeida, 2012), desenvolve reflexões lastreadas nos fenomenólogos da existência (Merleau- Ponty e Gaston Bachelard), além das contribuições básicas no estudo da forma canção em Tatit (2002 e 2004), Jorge (1998) e Wisnik (1989). Dessa forma, uma possível resposta frente ao desolamento das instituições burocráticas, e em especial, na escola; seja precisamente um processo de re-encantamento que proprie o início das jornadas das pessoas (aprendizes e professores, comunidade e gestores) pelo viés da autoformação através do acalanto. / The dissertation discusses and investigates the role of song in the Brazilian landscape, comparing indigenous arrays (Jecupé, 1998 and 2001) and African descent (Hampaté-Ba, 2010), in order to contribute to a re-enchantment of relations and personal journeys self-formation against the massificador capitalism, instrumental rationality and the Aristotelian-Cartesian limits of school heritage. Based on myth-hermeneutical perspective (Ferreira-Santos & Almeida, 2012), develops reflections backed the phenomenologists of existence (Merleau-Ponty and Gaston Bachelard), beyond the basic contributions in the form-song study Tatit (2002 and 2004), Jorge (1998 ) and Wisnik (1989). Thus, one possible response facing the desolation of bureaucratic institutions, and in particular in schools; is precisely a process of re-enchantment that proprie the start of journeys people (learners and teachers, community and managers) the bias of self-training through the lullaby.

<p> This thesis investigates how Generation iY students perceive that social media and / or texting technology has influenced their ability to track and comprehend the subtleties of face-to-face communication within an academic setting. Generation iY is defined as those born between the years 1982 to 2004. Also involved in this study are members of the faculty and staff that teach Generation iY. The theories being applied and examined in this study include, Postman's Technology Ecology, McLuhan's Media Ecology, and Ong's Orality and Literacy. These theories while addressing different aspects of technological change, all agree that the change is all encompassing with every advancement in technology. The study consisted of four focus groups. Two groups consist of Generation iY, and two groups of faculty and staff. Comparative analysis was utilized to point out the similarities and differences between the focus groups. This study has revealed that while Generation iY said that they prefer face to face communication; they are intimidated, fearful of judgment, overwhelmed, and lack the sense of responsibility that is inherent with face-to-face communication. They find social media and texting a more comfortable means of communication because it requires less effort and minimizes consequences. The quotes given by the Generation iYers in this study are in accord with what Elmore (2010), writes about them, Generation iY is isolated yet connected. Generation iY has an overdeveloped attachment to their peer group via social media. The faculty of Generation iY cites this as a major reason why Generation iY struggle with critical thinking. Weiler (2004), supports these concerns as she indicates that they gather information for the wrong reasons. They use critical thinking in order to prove their beliefs right to their peer group instead of trying to find answers to problems.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008. / Prepared for: School of Education. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 161 - 174.