Appreciative Inquiry is a revolution in the way we look at our organizations, a holistic approach that begins with the health of the organization, understanding what we do well and building on our strengths, rather than focusing on our problems. Early in 2006, BC Electronic Library Network conducted an Appreciative Inquiry Interview Exercise, for two purposes: strategic planning, and communications. The results were astonishing: a collection of stories and quotes of BC ELN's best, from a great variety of perspectives and throughout BC ELN's history, that are being used to inform BC ELN communications, and will form part of the BC ELN website. The Weller Library, University of Northern British Columbia, conducted a recent strategic planning process employing the appreciative inquiry approach. This session will present a brief overview of the Appreciative Inquiry approach, and outline the processes and results of the BC ELN and University of Northern British Columbia exercises.

Thesis (M. Com.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-121). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of attending the 2018 Appreciative Advising Institute (AAI) on the overall and workplace wellbeing levels of attendees. The 2018 AAI was held July 29 to August 1, 2018 in Boca Raton, Florida at Florida Atlantic University. Seligman’s (2011) PERMA model of wellbeing was used as the theoretical framework for this study and Butler and Kern’s (2013) PERMA Profiler and Kern’s (2014) Workplace PERMA Profiler were the instruments used to study the influence of attending AAI on advisor wellbeing. Three research questions provided the basis of the study. A repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to explore the influence of attending the Appreciative Advising Institute on wellbeing. Major findings in the study suggests overall PERMA scores were significantly influenced immediately post AAI, F(1,60) = 4.67, p = .04, ηp = 0.07, with measures of positive emotion (P), t(60) = -2.65, p = .01, and accomplishment (A) t(60) = -3.45, p = .001 being significantly improved. Workplace PERMA cores demonstrated short-term improvements as well. Specifically, measures of meaning (M) were significantly higher following the AAI t(60) = -2.17, p = .03 . In terms of long-term impact for overall PERMA, measures of positive emotion (P) remained significantly higher one month following the AAI t(46) = -2.14, p = .04. Workplace PERMA scores were significantly higher one-month post AAI, F(1,45) = 8.11, p = .01, ηp = 0.15. (Mean difference = 0.40, SE = 0.14, p = .007). Specifically, measures of positive emotion (P), t(45) = -2.53, p = .015, engagement (E) t(45) = -2.55, p = .014, relationship (R), t(45) = -2.10, p = .041, and meaning (M), t(45) = -2.17, p = .036, all were significantly higher one-month post intervention. Results suggests that attending the 2018 AAI positively influences academic overall and workplace wellbeing. Overall results suggest that attending AAI may provide a potential professional development platform for academic advising offices looking to address overall and workplace wellbeing in their advisors. Going forward, findings suggest the AAI may be a potential valuable option for higher education institutions seeking to increase the overall and workplace wellbeing levels of their academic advisors. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015. / This dissertation aims to use Appreciative Inquiry to evaluate a grief programme offered in primary schools. A qualitative technique was used to gain information from three groups of stakeholders within the grief programme, namely educators, facilitators and children. Three open-ended questions were asked to ascertain the value and benefits the grief programme held in the participants’ opinions. Participants were also asked to consider improvements which the programme co-ordinators should contemplate for future development. The results of the research will be circulated to all relevant stakeholders in the form of a written report and at a consultation. The final analysis indicated that the grief programme is held in high regard by all the participants. The following nine key themes were identified: healing, insight, relationships, growth, skills, support, enjoyment, collaboration, and value of the programme and enhanced efficacy of the grief programme. All three groups of stakeholders noted the positive outcomes that resulted from participation, both during and after, in the grief programme. Recommendations were also noted so that the programme could be propelled positively into the future as there is a dire need for programmes of this nature to be implemented in schools throughout South Africa.

No description available.

This research explores how individuals make sense of their own lived experiences of health through the sharing of their stories and how the collectively shared meaning can be used to identify core values fundamental to sustaining a flourishing Canadian health care system. This study considers health care to be a complex system with inherent unpredictability where ideas for values-based sustainability must be given freedom to emerge. At the Kelowna Dialogue on Health, 29 individuals with diverse health care experiences and perspectives participated in a one-day Appreciative Inquiry (AI) conversation. During the seven-hour dialogue, the affirmative topics of compassion, collaboration, and personal responsibility emerged and a full AI 4-D cycle of discovery, dream, design, and destiny was performed. The delivery of these affirmative topics into actionable ideas that will be communicated in the public sphere through digital media will hopefully empower the participants, both health care providers and recipients, to strive for personalized compassionate health care

The Greater Victoria School District has undergone a reconfiguration to include middle schools in their public education system. This reconfiguration has students from grades six to eight learning in a new setting. Cedar Hill Middle school is an example of one of the middle schools that is now in its eighth year of existence. The school is the centre of the learning community that is made up of students, staff and parents. As part of an ongoing review and reflection, this research used an Appreciative Inquiry methodology to try to identify the strengths found within the learning community. Through a dialogic interview process, a sample of staff, parents and most importantly students were interviewed to collect the best experiences that they had experienced as a part of the learning community. The data was open coded to identify best experiences, categorize them, and then identify the themes or relationships between the experiences of the different members of the learning community. These relationships were then used to create a set of powerful propositions that can be used to potentially guide the growth of the Cedar Hill learning community. Through this process two main themes emerged. The first was the importance of connections within the system and the second was the need for diversity within the system. This supported the assumption that the learning community was indeed a complex system and reinforced the idea that Appreciative Inquiry is a tool that can be used to support and develop complex systems. / Graduate

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2009. / Psychology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Magister Curationis - MCur / Male learners in the nursing profession could face self-leadership challenges. Self-leadership is an enabling process whereby a person learns to know him/herself better and, through this improved self-awareness, is better able to steer his/her work life. It involves personal and professional growth and maturity. This leads to empowerment of the individual and to fulfillment of goals and desires. The purpose of this study was to describe guidelines for male learner nurses on self-leadership during a four-year nursing programme at a nursing college in the Western Cape. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the best experiences of self-leadership in male learner nurses during their four-year training programme at a nursing college in the Western Cape. An exploratory, descriptive, contextual and qualitative research design incorporating the philosophy of the Appreciative Inquiry paradigm was used. The research questions were framed from an AI perspective: ‘What are the best experiences of male learner nurses on their self-leadership during their four-year programme?’ ‘How can male learner nurses lead themselves during their four-year programme?’ The target population consisted of all the male student nurses from 1st to 4th year (n=151) in the R425 undergraduate diploma programme at a nursing college in the Western Cape. Data was collected by means of individual, semi-structured interviews with 12 male learner nurses until saturation occurred. The interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis consisted of thematic analysis using Tesch’s eight-step method to generate themes, categories and sub-categories. The findings consisted of five themes: Theme 1 – The peak experiences of the male student nurses relating to self-leadership occurred on multiple levels – academic, interpersonal, personally associated and practice-linked. Theme 2 – Self-leadership was a process (at times difficult) of growth, adaptation and developing attitudes that culminated in building character. Theme 3 – Future aspirations included professional and educational aspects and interpersonal leadership. Theme 4 – This revealed the qualities needed for attainment of future aspirations. Theme 5 – The value of the programme was enhanced through educational, fellow student and practice support. The conclusion of this study was that male student nurses have the ability to lead themselves; they display characteristics such as maturity, responsibility, advocacy, strong resolve, hard work, endurance, a willingness to sacrifice; they used self-talk; they made firm decisions; but they needed guidance and active support from family, friends and nurse educators as well as management. The value of their training programme was enhanced by educational support from lecturers and mentors, fellow students and practice support in the wards and simulation laboratory. Guidelines for self-leadership for male learner nurses were described from the findings of the study. Ethical considerations included obtaining informed consent from the participants, while ensuring confidentiality and anonymity. Ethical clearance to conduct this study was obtained from the Ethics Committee at the University of the Western Cape, Western Cape College of Nursing (WCCN) and Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). Trustworthiness was ensured throughout the research process through credibility, transferability, confirmability and dependability.

Globally, great strides have been made in developing essential strategies and knowledge necessary to prevent vertical transmission of HIV. Retention in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme is essential for the achievement of this aspiration. The study applied Mixed Method Sequential Explanatory Design to explore the factors that underscored the retention decisions of newly diagnosed HIV positive pregnant women. The study was set in the PMTCT programme in the Takoradi Government Hospital, Ghana, a lower middle income country. PMTCT records were retrospectively reviewed. Subsequently, the Appreciative Inquiry process using the 4Is terminology was applied to unearth the experiences and aspirations of mothers (n=12), midwives and Community health nurses (CHNs) (n=12) engaged in the programme. Ethical approval was granted by University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences Human Ethics Research Committee and Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee. Retention rate at six weeks postpartum was 67.4%. Retention stories of women enrolled in the PMTCT programme reflected a life-enhancing experience in the face of a life-threatening diagnosis. Four themes were generated: Transitioning to the ‘new’ woman, Journeying with committed companions, Glimpses of triumph and Tying up the loose ends: A daring new path. The study highlighted development of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, supportive network of family, healthcare professionals and religious leaders, and the commitment and companionship of the midwives and CHNs that culminated in the successes of the programme. ‘Healthy’ HIV-infected mothers and ‘exposed’ infants who tested negative to HIV at the end of the mother-infant pair’s journey in the PMTCT programme was evidence of the diligence of mothers, midwives and CHNs. A collaborative discussion resulted in the development of action plans to improve service delivery, enhance clients’ experiences and improve retention. The study recommends that PMTCT services should be structured to promote hope and empowerment for the clients through shared clients and healthcare professionals’ designed improvement programmes, instituting programmes that promote the emotional health of the health practitioners to sustain the programme, and promptly addressing health system challenges that contribute to disengagement.