The current study explored the relationship between parents perceptions of their childs middle school and parents perceptions of their own school experiences. Additionally, it was important to research how these relationships differed among variables. The variables explored were (1) race, (2) parents own educational backgrounds (level of education), and (3) socio-economic status. Based on scales commonly used in the study of parent involvement, a survey (i.e., Parent Perceptions of Schooling) was developed. The survey consisted of two parts (i.e., Part I, How I Feel About My Childs School and Part II: Parents Own School Experiences Questionnaire) and a demographic section (i.e., Part III: Demographic Information). The first two parts were divided into factors or subscales (i.e., Part I: Information, Participation, and Welcome; Part II: Teachers, Parents, Self, and School), all of which were found to have high internal consistency and reliability. The survey was administered to parents of middle school children at a middle school in Pasco County, Florida. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that none of the predictor variables significantly predicted the dependant variables. However, significant correlations emerged between (1) Information and Race-Other; (2) Information and Level of Education; (3) Participation and Level of Education; (4) Teachers and Race-Hispanic; (5) Teachers and SES; (6) Self and Level of Education; (7) School and Level of Education; and (8) School and SES. Additionally seven significant correlations were found when taking into consideration interaction affects of predictor, dependant, and moderator variables. Limitations to this study and survey research in general are discussed, as well as future directions.

Bentonite clay is widely used in barrier systems due to its low hydraulic conductivity and it high swell capacity. Exposure to inorganic solutions can cause significant increases in hydraulic conductivity, due to changes in the surface chemistry and fabric. This phenomenon can be attributed to a reduction in the thickness of the double layer, due to the cation exchange capacity of the clay. The clay can be modified with polymers to render it less susceptible to chemical attack. The treatment process allows the clay to be engineered to enhance specific properties, such as permeability and sorption. In the present study, engineered soils are prepared by sorbing organic polymers to the surface of Na-bentonite. Three classes, cationic, anionic and nonionic polymers are investigated. The sorbents are water-soluble compounds based on the polymerization of acrylamides (PAM). Mixing and sample preparation techniques are developed and discussed. The interaction of the polymeric compounds and the clay mineral surface are evaluated by testing the liquid limit, swell index and specific gravity of the soils. Permeability tests are performed to determine if the polymer treatment enhances the hydraulic performance of the clay when permeated with highly concentrated salt solutions. The effect of permeant, void ratio, initial wetting condition and preparation techniques are found to have a significant affect on the hydraulic conductivity.

Background: Understanding how coherently commitment and basic human values shaping and affecting timebank, one of the popular peer-to-peer exchange system. With time banking, a person with own skill set can trade hours of work for equal hours for another member using hours for paying or being paid for services. Thesis aim: Understanding the impact of drivers/barriers and personal values and how these are connected to the commitment Methodology A quantitative study with forty-seven timebanks across three different country – USA, New Zealand and India. Survey were conducted to collect data and later SPSS has been used for analyzation Findings: Values play significant role to shape commitment to timebank and commitment and personal values has relationship with drivers and barriers of participation in timebank.

Cette thèse propose une étude des barrières à l'innovation et des stratégies des firmes de plasturgie françaises membres du pôle de compétitivité Plastipolis. Nous adoptons une méthodologie faisant dialoguer théorie et empirie à travers quatre chapitres. Nos matériaux empiriques se composent de données issues de l'exploitation de 24 entretiens de firmes innovantes de plasturgie. Nous proposons une revue récente de la littérature empirique sur les barrières à l'innovation et mettons notamment en lumière les principaux facteurs de variation de leur nature et intensité. Nous enrichissons cette revue en développant les principaux concepts de l'évolutionnisme économique des comportements innovants des firmes. L'état des lieux et l'analyse de la plasturgie française aujourd'hui permettent d'identifier les acteurs et les spécificités de cette industrie, puis l'étude des trajectoires des firmes innovantes de plasturgie de détecter et construire une typologie des stratégies d'innovation. L'interprétation de la littérature évolutionniste et celle sur les barrières nous permet de formuler une proposition d'analyse du rôle conjoint des compétences et des barrières lors de l'adoption d'une nouvelle stratégie et d'émettre dans deux hypothèses l'existence de deux facteurs qui font varier leur nature et intensité. L'évaluation des effets de ces deux facteurs de variation est testée sur notre échantillon à partir de statistiques descriptives, d’analyses en composantes principales (ACP) puis dans 3 études de cas approfondies. Nos résultats permettent de mieux appréhender la complexité de l'innovation dans l'industrie de la plasturgie française et d'identifier les leviers activables pour soutenir les firmes innovantes. Pour cela, après un retour sur le rôle d'intermédiation de l'innovation ouverte joué par les pôles de compétitivité et par Plastipolis en particulier nous formulons des recommandations. / This thesis offers a study of the barriers to innovation and the strategies of the French plastics processing firms that are members of the competitive cluster Plastipolis. We adopt a method that combines and compares theory and empiricism over four chapters. Our empirical material is made up of data from 24 interviews with innovative plastics processing firms. We offer an up-to-date review of the empirical literature on innovation barriers and bring to light the main variation factors in the nature and intensity of these barriers. The review is enriched by developing the main concepts of the economic evolutionism of firms’ innovative behaviours. The overview and analyses of plastics processing in France today make it possible to identify the sector’s actors and specificities, and by studying innovative plastics firms’ trajectories, we can detect and construct a typology of innovation strategies. Interpreting evolutionary literature and studies of barriers enables us to formulate a proposal to analyse the shared role of skills and barriers when adopting a new strategy, and to put forward in two hypotheses the existence of two factors that cause their nature and intensity to vary. The evaluation of the effects of these two variation factors is tested on our sample using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA) and 3 in-depth case studies. Our findings make it easier to grasp the complexity of innovation in the French plastics processing industry, and to identify the levers that can be implemented to support innovative firms. Before making recommendations, we examine the intermediation role of open innovation played by competitive clusters, particularly Plastipolis.

Objective: Children and adolescents with Down Syndrome have demonstrated lower levels of participation in Physical Activity than their typically developing peers. Persons diagnosed with Down Syndrome are at a higher prevalence rate for many health conditions, specifically obesity. Physical Activity has proven to be very beneficial in creating and maintaining good friendships, self-esteem and is essential to maintain a healthy life. Yet children and adolescents face many challenges to participate in these environments. Therefore, this study is focusing on the environmental barriers to participation in Physical Activity. Method: A literature search on four databases namely ERIC, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PubMed alongside with a hand search on the reference lists of the relevant articles were conducted for suitable literature to be retrieved. The inclusion criteria included were studies published in English, after the year 2000 which focus on barriers to Physical Activity among children and adolescents aged 0-18. Results: Six articles from six different countries were utilized to meet the aim of the review. The identified environmental barriers were lack of transport, negative attitudes, parental responsibilities, lack of specifically designed activities and lack of opportunities. Although some results contrasted with each other, it was identified that children and adolescents with Down Syndrome have many difficulties in the environment that obstructs them from partaking in activities. Conclusions: The hindrances to Physical Activity are different depending of various cultures the child lives. It is important to identify these barriers and find ways to eradicate them by means of supportive factors. Although children and adolescents with Down Syndrome are more prone to various health conditions that possess numerous challenges, more attention should be given in consideration for future research and interventions.

This mixed methods study examined the attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of barriers toward Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) among Florida Juvenile Justice Service Professionals (JJSP). Previous research established individual factors such as age, gender, years of professional experience and educational attainment are related to attitudes and perceptions of barriers among social service and mental health professionals, but scant research has been conducted among juvenile justice providers (Aarons 2004, 2010; Rubin & Parrish, 2007, 2012; Jette et al., 2003). Most individual factors were found to have no significant effect on attitude and knowledge scores within this population with exception of gender and major of study as predictors to barrier scores. Qualitative analysis to a question asking JJSPs to list their top three perceived barriers confirmed quantitative results and revealed Lack of Time to be the most frequently endorsed barrier among JJSPs. By adapting existing instruments to measure primary research variables with a new population, this study advances knowledge in both social work and criminal justice fields. The study's results also support the use of Rogers's Theory of Innovation Diffusion and Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior

An efficacious treatment is diminished in value if clients will not seek it out and adhere to it (Kazdin, 1978). Thus, the acceptability of a treatment to consumers is an important indicator of the quality/effectiveness of the treatment (APA, 2002). The purpose of this study was to examine acceptability of treatments for depression to adolescent females and to explore factors that might be associated with acceptability. Sixty-seven high school students (36 Hispanic and 31 non-Hispanic White) were recruited from communities in New Jersey and Florida, and interviewed by telephone. Participants were presented with a vignette describing a depressed adolescent and asked to use the Abbreviated Acceptability Rating Profile to indicate their opinion of four single treatments (cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, family therapy, and pharmacotherapy) for depression and three treatment combinations. Consistent with hypotheses, psychotherapy approaches were generally more acceptable to adolescents than combinations of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Pharmacotherapy used alone was not acceptable, on average. There was preliminary evidence to support the hypotheses that treatment acceptability is related to ethnicity, acculturation, and perceived causes of depression; however, contrary to expectations, treatment acceptability was not associated with symptom severity in this study. Implications for increasing the utilization of mental health services in this population are discussed and directions for future research are offered.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic condition commonly known as Brittle Bones. The purpose of this study was to listen to and document the experiences of those with OI to investigate if there were barriers to inclusive education for students with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Persons with OI are often small in stature, have limited strength and varying degrees of mobility. Adventurous behaviour or everyday activities may result in fractures. Often in the world of disability the focus is on the medical condition rather than the personal experiences of those with the condition. This study provided an opportunity to articulate the personal experiences of the participants. In this study two specific aspects of educational experiences were examined. The first aspect explored was the way students managed physically within the educational setting, while the second aspect examined how students coped emotionally. Five major questions were used to determine if special education policies have affected the quality of inclusiveness for students with OI in New Zealand classrooms over a period of forty years. These questions examined what barriers exist in the past and whether the same barriers still exist within today's educational setting. The questions investigated what or who may be the cause of these barriers and what possible effects these barriers might have on the student The present situation was compared with the past and finally how might these barriers be overcome was investigated. This qualitative study focused on three individuals, each representing a different generation. The participants exemplified a particular phenomenon, specifically the daily school lives in New Zealand of those with OI. The difficulties these students faced were explored through semi-structured interviews to encourage the three participants to voice their individual experiences. All three participants gave freely of their thoughts in an articulate, thoughtful and open manner, sharing both their positive and unpleasant experiences. This study revealed that some New Zealand schools have yet to implement recent inclusive education policies set out by the Ministry of Education. The three participants identified barriers to inclusive education from their own personal perspectives. The physical environment of school presented challenges. Distance between classrooms and assembly halls and accessibility to the playground, ramps and toilet facilities created difficulties for students with OI who did not walk independently. Attitudes of parents, teachers, and the wider school community impacted on the self-attitude of students with OI. Over-protection, fear and anxiety were identified as unintentional attitudes that placed limitations on participation of meaningful activities and added to student feelings of isolation and difference. Lack of knowledge of the medical and psychosocial aspects of students with OI could account for the continued barriers imposed by some teachers. Barriers do still exist in some New Zealand schools for students with osteogenesis imperfecta. Improved access could result in more participation. More participation could allow for an improved quality of social interaction and thus result in greater focus on the person and less focus on the disability. Collaboration between all school staff, parents and students with OI is essential to minimise barriers and maximise academic and social opportunities.

The interplay of forces behind globalisation, promoting trade and prosperity, and the desire for offshore trade are not fully understood. This is further complicated by the role of the political economy, global sovereignty versus national boundaries, economic status of a country and community needs. The literature found that 'one size does not fit all'. Globalisation results in the consideration of global similarities such as standards, harmonisation of laws, international codes and the growth of international organisations. In addition, there is international pressure to adopt 'performance-based' designs by members of the World Trade Organization countries in order to promote trade. This research examines the development of performance-based building codes at the international level, its benefits and issues and whether it will achieve a positive impact on trade for the Australian construction industry.

The government of Vanuatu ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1995. Following the ratification, Gender Equity in Education Policy was developed in 2005 by the Ministry of Education of Vanuatu. One of the objectives was to increase the number of women principals. However, recent statistics on women in educational leadership in Vanuatu show a decline in the number of women principals. The low percentage of women in educational leadership in the secondary schools of Vanuatu indicates that gender equity in educational leadership is still far from being achieved. This study looks at how Vanuatu culture affects women's leadership in secondary schools and identifies ways in which women's leadership might be developed. Qualitative methods were employed to study the experiences of six women leaders and five aspiring women leaders in several Vanuatu secondary schools. The findings from the study indicate three main areas inherent in Vanuatu culture that significantly impact upon the leadership practices of the participants. The findings reveal the existence of entrenched cultural barriers in the education system, in the social structures of Vanuatu and in the attitudes of individual men, women and some students towards women leaders. These barriers, it seems, are the major impediments to women's advancement in educational leadership in Vanuatu secondary schools.