Parent involvement is one of the factors to which student achievement is consistently and strongly linked in educational research, and is perceived by teachers as a core factor affecting student achievement. Therefore more and higher-quality engagement with students' families has the potential to make a positive difference in urban schools. However, a tendency among educators to focus on perceived family deficits, without a clear understanding of students' families' strengths, may limit urban schools' ability to develop effective family engagement programming. This study involved faculty and staff members at an urban K-8 school in systematically identifying strengths of the low-income Puerto Rican families whose children made up the vast majority of the student body, as a critical point of reference for working with families toward stronger student outcomes. The study was grounded in the principles of Action Research and utilized methods associated with Appreciative Inquiry to involve school faculty and staff members in carrying out, then collectively analyzing the results from, structured interviews with parents of low-income Puerto Rican students at the school. Along with establishing a family strengths inventory for use in ongoing planning for enhancement of family engagement programming at the school, the study included an assessment of the impact of the research process on the perceptions and intended actions of both participating faculty and staff members and those who elected not to participate. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of implications and recommendations related to theory, practice, policy, and research associated with the efforts of schools serving low-income Puerto Rican (and other) communities to strengthen their engagement with students' families.

Yes / This paper addresses groupwork processes with a group of prisoners advising a research project in a maximum-security prison in England. The research project (Appreciative Inquiry into the Diversity Strategy of HMP Wakefield. RES-000-22-3441) was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and lasted 9 months. The research explored the experiences of prisoners in diverse minority groupings and the strategies of the prison to accommodate the complex needs of these groups. The Prisoner Advisory Group (PAG) was made up of representatives from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) prisoners; older prisoners (over 60s); Disabled prisoners (with physical disabilities, learning difficulties; and mental health problems); Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender prisoners; and prisoners affiliated to Faith groups. It met regularly during the research. The paper considers the forming norming and performing aspects of establishing an effective participant voice in a prison-based project. It considers the contribution of the PAG to developing a research strategy that engaged prisoners in the research. It reflects on the nature of ‘participative research’ in general and whether such research is possible within a high-security prison environment.

This thesis focuses on how distributed leadership affects school leaders’ practices. Two questions are asked: 1.              How does the architecture of practice affect school leadership in an effort to achieve distributed leadership? 2.              What happens to school leadership practice when the architecture changes?    The theoretical framework is based on practice theories which focuses on the context and askes: What happens here? In search of what surrounds the leadership practices, one looks for the arrangements which shape them. Together the arrangements make up an architecture which shapes the school leaders’ practice (Henning Loeb m.fl., 2019). The method used is action research (Reason & Bradbury, 2008), in particular the version called appreciative inquiry (Kadi-Hanifi, 2014). In their strife in doing the work better, a group of school leaders look towards a spreading of leadership activities and in building a strengthening of collective responsibility, which in short is what a distributed leadership means (Spillane, 2006). The material was analysed using practice theory and, using a five-step model (Yin, 2011), in combination with a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).  The sum of the arrangements as they appeared in the time before the start of the project, locked the leadership up, where the feeling of being one step behind with a concern about tasks slipping and decisions made ad hoc marked the day. Since then, in alignment with changing arrangements, the school leaders’ practices have changed, making the school leaders better placed in spending more time preparing processes. Steps have been taken away from the details of the work which opens up for gaining a holistic view and being ahead.  Most research on distributed leadership is based on explaining the positive consequences for students, while knowledge of how it changes school leaders' practice is much more limited. Although the knowledge that has been built in this study is placed in time, place and space and as such not easily generalized it is interesting to learn more about how school leaders' practices are affected by its context. School leaders, if they succeed in their work, have a major impact on how teachers thrive and, by extension, to what extent they are motivated to make an effort to do a good job, which in turn has a major impact on how students succeed.

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Public health officials have declared the widespread use and misuse of prescription opioid medications an epidemic in the United States. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Tom Frieden, has stated, “We know of no other medication routinely used for a nonfatal condition that kills patients so frequently” (Frieden & Houry, 2016, p. 1503). The present study was prompted by the concern that there is no empirical data on how law enforcement officers have been affected by the use of opioids. It is the first empirical examination of how the epidemic has impacted police officers' resilience and fitness for duty. The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing identified officer health, wellness, and fitness for duty as one of the six pillars to support policing in the 21st century. The Task Force also affirmed the long-standing belief that the same character strengths that impel officers to confront danger may also be barriers to their resilience. Recognizing this "double-edged" sword, this mixed-methods study analyzed medical and prescription claims over a four year period (2011 to 2014) to examine the prevalence of opioid use by officers in a large urban police department. Using the qualitative, interview-based methodology of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), it examined individual, organizational and systems-level factors explaining officers’ help-seeking for use of prescription medications, as well as help-seeking for substance abuse in general. The interviews also revealed what is needed to replace the existing cultural and organizational arrangements—which can lead to isolation, depression, pathology, and stigma—with a culture that has the necessary processes and commitment to promote physical, behavioral and mental resiliency. The quantitative analyses revealed that law enforcement officers are not immune from the opioid epidemic. Moreover, there is evidence of specific prescription drug use behaviors that indicate sub-groups of officers at heightened risk for developing an opioid use disorder. Approximately 40% of the officers in the sample filled an opioid prescription. Within this group, 27% of the officers filled a prescription for 90 days or longer and 34% filled prescriptions for benzodiazepines. The data also indicates that approximately 1 out of 7 officers in the sample received medical treatment for a mental illness each year. The qualitative data revealed that officers’ help-seeking behaviors for opioid dependence and abuse were shaped by the psychological process of surrendering and acknowledging their vulnerability. Seeking help, therefore, can run contrary to officers’ training and character traits. Additionally, the social supports of the police subculture and effective supervisory leadership contributed to officers’ recovery and resilience from opioid use disorder. Having access to trustworthy and culturally competent treatment services further enhanced officers’ recovery. The research also illuminates broader health care policies and commitments to wellness that can enhance the capacity of police agencies to hire, develop, and maintain resiliency in their officers. This dissertation extends Bronfenbrenner’s theory of resilience to the field of law enforcement. This theory adopts a social ecological perspective, capturing pathways and protective factors at micro, meso and macro levels that bolster officers’ personal growth and development. From a policy perspective, the findings support an asset-based approach to wellness, which stresses the need to access and enlist resources across the micro-, meso- and macro-level spheres. Future research in this area should extend knowledge into the unique cultural context of police work and its implications for the promotion of wellness and resiliency. / Criminal Justice

ABSTRACT This qualitative research study investigated active, older, but youthful, women and their participation in a community exercise program, FitDance. This dance-fitness fitness program began in 1991, in cooperation with the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Community Alliance, with a goal of lowering alcoholism and addiction in senior adults. FitDance has been shown to actively contribute to members’ and their families’ health and well-being by providing effective aerobic dance-exercise training, enjoyment, and community. FitDance was found to improve mental and physical health. FitDance framed older adulthood as a time of potential, wisdom, and growth, (Ranzijn, 2002) beyond decrements. FitDance study participants demonstrated high program adherence levels, with some members training for over 15 years, and two, for over 20 years. This study investigated the value of the FitDance program qualities, including PEEPS: Positive, Enjoyable, Exercise Practice Strengths, and what made participants stay active, engaged, and satisfied with this appreciative group exercise program over time (Cooperrider & Fry, 2013). This study revealed how FitDance has had a positive impact on participants, families, communities, and society. This research considered how this program’s attributes, including priming flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997), can be generalized to allow other groups, across domains, to achieve similar positive social-emotional results. This study’s threefold purposes were, first, to present eight active, vibrant, functionally fit, women, ages 71-81, who FitDance, and who are positive role models of motivation, program adherence (training twice weekly from between 5-19 years), and self- determination (Deci & Ryan, 2002). The second purpose was to look at the FitDance model, and how it uplifted mental and physical wellness. The mental health benefits were an important factor emphasized by both participants and their children; efforts to sustain and preserve cognitive and mental health were highly valued. The third purpose examined how FitDance has built a positive community through a social fitness model. The social fitness aspect, combining an enjoyable atmosphere in a professional setting, was deemed an important contributor to motivation and adherence. Participants unanimously revealed that the FitDance program was a place where people felt welcomed, positively engaged, challenged, sincerely praised, and connected to fellow participants. Adult children who were surveyed about their mother’s activity, fitness level, and experience in FitDance substantiated their mother’s general vibrancy and her program satisfaction. The stated goals of the FitDance program were to promote vibrant aging, social connections, and well-being by increasing motivation and adherence in community exercise. These goals were realized. Community group dance-exercise programming has the potential to move masses of people toward health and thriving; this is especially important in gerontological terms, impacting fiscal, and especially quality of life measures. Similar to Aristotle’s investigation of virtue, and views about living the good life (Aristotle/Sachs, 2002), PEEPS: positive enjoyable, exercise practices harnessing strengths, matter. With PEEPS, FitDance offers health and healing against the epidemic of inactivity (Blair, 2009, Sallis, 2009), the age wave (Dychtwald & Flower, 1989), and builds uplifting face-to-face, social capital in a digital world (Putnam, 2000). / Kinesiology

Abstract [sv]I en omvärld av ständiga förändringar är det ofrånkomligt att arbetsmarknaden kommer att behöva förändras i samma takt. Detta ställer stora krav på organisationer att vara flexibla och anpassa sig till rådande arbetsklimat samt till nya generationers krav på arbetsgivare. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om arbetsmetoden Appreciative inquiry skulle kunna underlätta de anpassningar och förändringsarbete som kommer att ske allt mer frekvent. I studien presenteras resultatet av 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer från en medelstor organisation i byggbranschen. Intervjuerna tematiseras och centrerades ner till två teman: platt organisation och ledarskap. Resultatet av studien visade att deltagarna upplevde organisationen som positiv med högt i tak och utbyte mellan både anställda och chefer. Utifrån tidigare forskning kunde resultatet diskuteras. Det framgick att några av respondenterna redan upplevde att metoden användes på arbetsplatsen, medan vissa poängterade fördelen av anpassning för att fortsätta vara attraktiva på arbetsmarknaden. / Abstract [en]In a world of constant change, the job market will inevitably have to change at the same pace. This places great demands on organizations to be flexible and adapt to the prevailing work climate as well as to new generations' demands on employers. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the work method Appreciative inquiry could facilitate the adaptations and change work that will take place more and more frequently. The study presents the results of 10 semi-structured interviews from a medium-sized organization in the construction industry. The interviews are themed and centered down to two themes: flat organization and leadership. The results of studies showed that the participants experienced the organization as positive with a open minded atmosphere and exchange between both employees and managers. Based on previous research, the results could be discussed. It appeared that some of the respondents already felt that the method was used in the workplace, while some pointed out the advantages of the adaptation to remain attractive in the labor market.

The epidemic of child sexual abuse transcends all superficial boundaries, and adult survivors comprise a significant portion of most church congregations. This project examines the ongoing devastation wrought by child sexual abuse and shows how the hope within basic beliefs of Christianity applies to the struggles of adult survivors. A series of individual conversations will increase pastors’ awareness of the problem and offer tools for non-targeted ministry with survivors, using principles of appreciative inquiry. The project advocates for the use of preaching to acknowledge both the evil of child sexual abuse, and the power of the gospel to bring healing and restoration.

No / Great Writers on Organizations presents succinctly each of the contributions made by 80 of the most prominent management thinkers to the understanding of organizational behaviour and managerial thinking. Among those included are early theorists such as Henri Fayol, Frederick W. Taylor and Max Weber, classical writers such as Alfred D. Chandler, Peter Drucker and Frederick Herzberg, through to modern thinkers such as Oliver Williamson, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and Charles Handy. New writers included in the Third Omnibus Edition are: Lex Donaldson, Stewart Clegg, Richard Whitley, Michel Foucault and Kathleen Eisenhardt. The volume is an indispensable resource for academics, students and managers on what the great writers have to say about the key managerial tasks of how to organize and motivate.

Syftet med studien är att dels att förstå hur systematiskt kvalitetsarbete kan se ut på klassrumsnivå och dels vad det innebär att tillämpa det utifrån elevperspektiv, och dels att jämföra hur elevernas måluppfyllelse utvecklats i jämförelse med en kontrollgrupp. Resultatet av detta har fört med sig att examensarbetet bidrar med ett föreslag på hur kvalitetsarbete kan ske på klassrumsnivå; här kallat Co Creative Learning - using IT to Visualise Progression (CIP). Det här är en aktionsforskningsstudie. Den har genomförts med enkäter, fokusgrupper och en tidsserie; i vilken 65 elevers arbeten inom tre skilda områden bedömdes. För att förstärka reliabilitet och validitet valdes en kontrollgrupp, från samma upptagningsområde, som även de haft en legitimerad lärare med motsvarande antal yrkesverksamma år och som även de uttalat arbetat med formativ bedömning och synliggjorda mål. Två skoluppgifter var identiska och därmed kunde de två gruppernas resultat jämföras. För att minimera inverkan av en bedömande lärares närvaro på utvärderingen, samlades eleverna inte till fokusgrupper förrän efter att deras betyg var satta och kommunicerade. Då reflekterade de kring arbetet med ständiga förbättringar, kvalitet, involvering, målförståelse, upplevd progression och IT-användning. Innan denna avslutande diskussion hade de insamlade datamängder analyserades separat. Resultaten visade effekt på både elevupplevelse och progression. De största skillnaderna låg i elevens upplevelse, där förändring påverkas i första hand elevernas engagemang; i vilken utsträckning eleverna var nöjda studenter med sin egen utveckling. I tidsserien, var skillnaderna inte lika markanta som i elevupplevelsen. Den studerade gruppen började på ett något lägre snittbetyg, och avslutade på ett något högre, än kontrollgruppen. Det var främst pojkar som stod för utvecklingen. Detta kan bero på att flickorna redan hade mycket höga genomsnittliga betyg (vilket innebär att det inte finns utrymme för progression). Jämfört med kontrollgruppen, kvarstår de positiva skillnaderna med pojkarna i den studerade gruppen. Slutsatserna är därför att arbetet gynnat progression, men att den största förtjänsten med arbetssättet återfinns i hur eleverna upplever undervisningen. / The purpose of the study is partly to understand how systematic quality management can be implemented at the classroom level and partly what it means to apply it from a student perspective, and to compare student progression with that of a control group. As a result of this, this study contributes with a method on how quality management can be implemented at the classroom level. This working method is named Co-Creative Learning - using IT to Visualise Progression. This is an action research study that encompassed questionnaires, focus groups and a time series. Three assignments from 65 students were assessed in the study, out of which two were compared to those from the control group. To enhance reliability and validity the selected control group were from the same catchment area, had qualified teacher with corresponding number of working years who also worked with formative assessment and visualising criteria. Two assignments were identical for both groups, and thus, the two groups' results could be compared. To minimise the effects of the presence of a teacher during evaluation, the students were not brought together to form focus groups, until after the grades were communicated. They then reflected on continuous improvement efforts, quality, inclusion, understanding objectives, perceived progression and the use of IT. Before the concluding discussion the collected data sets were analysed separately. The results showed the difference in both student experience and progression. The main differences lay in the student experience: where change primarily affected the students’ involvement; the extent to which the students were satisfied students with their own development. In the time series, the differences were not as high as in the student experience. The studied group started at a slightly lower grade, and completed at a slightly higher grade, than the control group. It was mainly the boys who accounted for the progression. One reason for could be that the girls already held high average grades (leaving little room for progression). Compared to the control group, the differences with the boys in the studied group remains. The conclusions drawn are thus that the method enhances progression, but that the main benefits are harvested from the enhanced educational experience of the students.