This researcher examined an alternative classroom structure for ninth-grade students substantially below grade level (SBGL) in mathematics. This researcher considered whether targeting the academic and social needs of students SBGL in mathematics in a ninth-grade class would increase their self-efficacy and engagement with the mathematics by studying four teaching effects: teacher, teacher-curriculum, peer-curriculum, and peer. The researcher used interviews, observations, and surveys to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The case study (n = 19) employed a QUAL + quan convergent parallel mixed methods case study. Meta-inferences from the analyses of qualitative and quantitative data indicate that the structure of the observed class increased in positive behaviors associated with self-efficacy, cognitive engagement, and behavioral engagement. While the data show an increase in emotional and social engagement, the quantitative data did not show a statistical significance in their increase. These changes illustrated that these ninth-grade students recognized and willingly worked to close the gaps that they acknowledge they had in their mathematics understanding. Findings indicated that the convergent results of self-efficacy, cognitive engagement and behavioral engagement related to all four teaching effects. While qualitative data showed a strong positive change associated with the divergent results of social and emotional engagement, students self-reported little social and emotional peer influence in student interviews and student surveys.

John Bongaarts' proximate determinants model of fertility has accounted for over 90 percent of variation in the total fertility rate (TFR) of primarily developing nations and historical populations. Recently, dramatically low fertility rates across the globe have raised questions regarding whether this model could be applied to exclusively below-replacement nations. This study follows Knodel, Chamratrithirong, and Debavalya's 1987 analysis of fertility decline in Thailand by conducting in-depth case studies of the proximate determinants in two low fertility countries over time: South Korea, where fertility is well below the level of replacement, and the United States, where fertility has hovered around replacement level for many years. Then, the fertility-inhibiting effect of the proximate determinants is assessed by comparing the quantitative index representing each determinant measured in the 1960s/1970s with its measurement in the 2000s. For both years, I consider the fertility level that would prevail in the determinant's presence as well as the level that would exist in its absence. Finally, I use each of the indices to calculate the TFR and assess how the strength of the model varies over time in the two countries. Ultimately, results indicate that the proximate determinants model does not offer a clean picture of the fertility level in either South Korea or the United States; when trends uncovered by the case studies are compared to the results of the quantitative analysis, a number of inconsistencies are revealed. This suggests that certain components in the model may need to be respecified for more effective application in low-fertility contexts. However, that is not to say that it offers no insight into fertility at all or that it is no longer a useful tool. On the contrary, it is shown that the proximate determinants model holds a lot of potential for analysis in low-fertility nations. The implications of these results, as well as the need for improvements in international data collection efforts, are also discussed.

The tundra ecosystem, with its frost-molded landscape and large peat reserves, is vulnerable to climate change. Thus, any increase in temperature due to global warming will cause changes in above-and belowground biota. Understanding the linkage between these biotas will help make prediction of the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning when global change phenomena occur, and consequently aid in making management strategies. The role of nematodes in nutrient cycling and decomposition, among many other attributes, make them useful organisms to study soil processes. Associations between plant and nematode communities, from six sites (Berm Face, Berm Crest, Tundra Heath, Polygon, Hummock and Forest) and from within a young, visually homogeneous tundra heath field site, were examined in the subarctic environment of Churchill, Manitoba. The study also provided nematofaunal information, which is very limited in this region. Multivariate analyses of nematode taxa abundance revealed four distinct groupings: Berm Face, Berm Crest, heaths (Tundra Heath, Polygon and Hummock) and Forest. The result showed a parallel relationship between nematode and vegetation assemblages, and thus, a seeming interdependency between above-ground and below-ground biota. Conversely, association between nematode and plant assemblages within a visually homogeneous tundra site was not as obvious. At this fine scale, the heterogeneous nature of edaphic factors and not plant assemblages is hypothesized to influence within-site nematode communities. The thesis also provided results to improve nematofaunal analysis to enhance their utility as bioindicators of soil food webs.

The tundra ecosystem, with its frost-molded landscape and large peat reserves, is vulnerable to climate change. Thus, any increase in temperature due to global warming will cause changes in above-and belowground biota. Understanding the linkage between these biotas will help make prediction of the biodiversity and ecosystem functioning when global change phenomena occur, and consequently aid in making management strategies. The role of nematodes in nutrient cycling and decomposition, among many other attributes, make them useful organisms to study soil processes. Associations between plant and nematode communities, from six sites (Berm Face, Berm Crest, Tundra Heath, Polygon, Hummock and Forest) and from within a young, visually homogeneous tundra heath field site, were examined in the subarctic environment of Churchill, Manitoba. The study also provided nematofaunal information, which is very limited in this region. Multivariate analyses of nematode taxa abundance revealed four distinct groupings: Berm Face, Berm Crest, heaths (Tundra Heath, Polygon and Hummock) and Forest. The result showed a parallel relationship between nematode and vegetation assemblages, and thus, a seeming interdependency between above-ground and below-ground biota. Conversely, association between nematode and plant assemblages within a visually homogeneous tundra site was not as obvious. At this fine scale, the heterogeneous nature of edaphic factors and not plant assemblages is hypothesized to influence within-site nematode communities. The thesis also provided results to improve nematofaunal analysis to enhance their utility as bioindicators of soil food webs.

The present thesis on bilingual education, with its foci on linguistic heterogeneity and language policy 'from below', covers the first 15 years in the officially multilingual new South Africa. The post-apartheid era has seen South Africa's pro-multilingual Constitution and the language-in-education policy for schools being sidelined in favour of an English-oriented mindset. The subversion of the policy's additive bi/multilingual intent in favour of a replacive 'English-as-target-language' approach indexes a collusion between the political class and the African-language speaking majority, and has been accompanied by systemic underachievement. While the linguistic market beyond school is not necessarily unified in its monolingual habitus, choices for the poor are constrained by a lack of alternatives. Within the implementational spaces afforded by the policy environment, groups such as Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) have attempted to demonstrate an alternative approach that valorised mother-tongue-based bilingual education. These alternative education initiatives (1995-2009) form the substance of the five published pieces in the present portfolio, capped by the summative thesis. They were written while the author was still a member of PRAESA, and collectively address topics such as language policy initiatives 'from below', the role of surveys in gauging language behaviour and creating language awareness, a multilingual training of trainers programme for southern Africa, a bilingual teacher in-service programme foregrounding different teacher identities in relation to policy realisation, and a classification system for schools by language medium that factors in mother tongues while making allowance for linguistic heterogeneity. The thesis reflects critically on the prevailing monoglossic language ideology informing these studies, and suggests the need for a heteroglossic approach oriented to language as a resource.

Fire has influenced species composition within the Central Hardwood Forest for millennia. Since the last glacial retreat, Native Americans followed by European settlers used fire as a tool to manipulate their environment. This fire use by humans helped maintain the dominance of well-adapted oak-hickory species across eastern forests. By the 1940's, land fragmentation from increased settlement and actively enforced suppression policies effectively eliminated fire from the landscape. Without the disturbance of recurrent fire that alters succession, the fertile loess-capped hills of southern Illinois have undergone several decades of compositional and structural change manifested by encroachment of mixed mesophytic competitors that are maladapted to fire. Today, land managers seek practical methods to restore declining oak-hickory forests. Southern Illinois forests in particular are lacking information on how cutting and prescribed fire techniques can be applied to encourage regeneration of oak-hickory species. In 2002, five sites were chosen across the Greater Shawnee Hills geographic region for similar ecological characteristics. A factorial combination of thinning and a fire treatment consisting of two burns was used to test the response of understory components including: seedling density, seedling height, seedling diameter, non-tree cover and available sunlight. Results showed a distinct improvement in oak-hickory seedling competitive position as compared to non oak-hickory species. Seedlings of sassafras out-competed all other groups in this study and were the only species to increase in both density and height following repeated fire. The non-tree vegetation layer increased as a result of thin from below treatments, while burning had no effect on the amount of available sunlight. Generally, woody seedlings benefited from thinning based on their physiological adaptations and fire essentially acts as a filter selecting for traits of disturbance-prone vegetation.

Context. Multiple studies demonstrate that most of the residential burglaries are committed by a few offenders. Statistics collected by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention show that the number of residential burglary varies from year to year. But this value normally increases. Besides, around half of all reported burglaries occur in big cities and only some burglaries occur in sparsely-populated areas. Thus, law enforcement agencies need to study possible linked residential burglaries for their investigations. Linking crime-reports is a difficult task and currently there is not a systematic way to do it. Objectives. This study presents an analysis of the different features of the collected residential burglaries by the law enforcement in Sweden. The objective is to study the possibility of linking crimes depending on these features. The characteristics used are residential features, modus operandi, victim features, goods stolen, difference of days and distance between crimes. Methods. To reach the objectives, quasi experiment and repeated measures are used. To obtain the distance between crimes, routes using Google maps are used. Different cluster methods are investigated in order to obtain the best cluster solution for linking residential burglaries. In addition, the study compares different algorithms in order to identify which algorithm offers the best performance in linking crimes. Results. Clustering quality is measured using different methods, Rule of Thumb, the Elbow method and Silhouette. To evaluate these measurements, ANOVA, Tukey and Fisher’s test are used. Silhouette presents the greatest quality level compared to other methods. Other clustering algorithms present similar average Silhouette width, and therefore, similar quality clustering. Results also show that distance, days and residential features are the most important features to link crimes. Conclusions. The clustering suggestion denotes that it is possible to reduce the amount of burglaries cases. This reduction is done by finding linked residential burglaries. Having done the clustering, the results have to be investigated by law enforcement.

The theme of this diploma thesis are public procurement below - threshold to delivery. The aim of the work is to evaluate the relation between openess of competition and savings of public sources. The openess of competition is measured in quantity of tenders, savings is established at the price differention, which is defined as ratio of final to original price of order. A data file containt 882 orders was good base for regress analysis, which proved the negative relation between quantity of tenders and the price differention. With every additional tender is savings of public sources higher. In the end of the thesis is assessed the analysis and according to that is there a suggestion.

The purpose of this diploma thesis is to analyze the tools of the marketing communication of Radio Impuls. The definition of marketing communication, mass and personal communication, the various types of marketing communication as well as above the line and below the line communication are outlined in the theoretical part. Further on, apart from introduction of a radio market in the Czech Republic and the placing of Radio Implus in the this market, I focused on defining the values, vision and mission of the brand Ráááádio Impuls, as well as the positioning, identity and the marketing communication tools of the radio. Finally, I conducted the research, described the results and consequent recommendations.

This research seeks to study the peacebuilding strategies used in South Sudan. It is interested in the interaction between the liberal peacebuilding framework and the “local turn” as manifested in the strategy adopted by peacebuilding organisations in Africa. The local turn and local ownership only enjoy rhetorical acceptance and prove to be challenging to operationalise. This research critically analyses the ideological policies and implementation impact of strategies used, especially relating to the inclusion as well as the exclusion of “the local”. As local ownership in peace processes is essential in ensuring sustainability, the research is interested in the position that the “local” voices and “local” peace actors occupy in post-independence peace strategies and policies employed mainly through the liberal framework in South Sudan. It is in the light of the top-down liberal peacebuilding framework that this research provides an analysis of the bottom-up strategies that can be identified in the case of South Sudan. The research will thus identify types of discourses, beliefs, practices and ideologies that have been adopted in South Sudan’s peacebuilding interventions by both the local and external actors and their implications. Using the different strategies employed by the external and internal peace actors as a unit of analysis, the research will aim to find out how the peace strategies employed in South Sudan include “the local” approach, how local and external actors interact and the implications of this relationship for peace in South Sudan. This research employs a critical theory approach to analyse the inclusion of “the local” in peacebuilding and the existing relationship between the liberal peacebuilding framework and the local turn. This will be done using a qualitative approach and a phenomenological design. Since the current strategies do not exist in a vacuum, historical process tracing will be conducted to understand and evaluate the effect and the change of strategies employed by external and internal actors in the past and possible current implications. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Political Sciences / PhD / Unrestricted