The purpose of this study is to gather information related to the professional status of the science teachers in the four-year accredited high schools of Texas for the school year 1952-1953. The principal concern of the study is "Who is teaching science?"

This study investigates the inter-rater reliability of appraisers who award exceptional quality points on the Texas Teacher Appraisal Instrument. Inter-rater reliability was measured when appraisers scored exceptional quality points after viewing a videotaped lesson. Comparisons were made between appraisers when grouped according to elementary or secondary certification, sex, years of administrative experience, and type of training. A total of 707 subjects from 56 school districts participated in the study. Five research hypotheses were formulated with the .05 level of significance for acceptance. All hypotheses were tested by correlation of coefficients, multiple response procedures, frequencies, and percentages. The data measuring inter-rater reliability of the appraisers in training imply that there is very little reliability in the awarding of exceptional quality points on the Texas Teacher Appraisal Instrument. The findings of this study are that certification, sex, administrative experience, and type of training made no significant differences when scoring the instrument. Therefore, it is concluded that the scoring of exceptional quality points is a subjective, professional judgment made by each appraiser when observing a teacher. Since no significant reliability was found, the scoring of exceptional quality points cannot be supported as a reliable means of determining the quality of teaching in Texas schools. Generally, elementary certified appraisers awarded fewer exceptional quality points than secondary appraisers, males awarded slightly more points than females, appraisers indicated no noticeable trend because of years of administrative experience, and less experienced appraisers had the tendency to award more points than experienced appraisers. Therefore, inter-rater reliability in awarding exceptional quality points cannot be expected on a consistent basis. Each appraiser, regardless of certification, sex, years of administrative experience or training, will use his or her own professional judgment when scoring the instrument.

La thèse met en évidence, dans le cas de la France, une forme de régulation composite des risques sanitaires et environnementaux liés aux usages des pesticides par les jardiniers amateurs, qui comporte trois principales dimensions. (1) Intimement articulée aux mécanismes de marché, cette forme de régulation impute l’essentiel de la responsabilité à l’utilisateur considéré en tant que consommateur à responsabiliser, alors que les autorités publiques considèrent les firmes de pesticides comme des opérateurs économiques dont les avantages compétitifs sont à valoriser, veillant donc à respecter la dynamique de l’offre et de la demande tout en se chargeant d’encadrer ce marché par l’homologation des produits. (2) Elle épouse les principes de la société singulariste où l’individu serait la référence centrale de la dynamique des sociétés contemporaines et le régulateur des problèmes collectifs par ses choix de consommation et ses prises de positions individuelles. (3) Elle s’opère dans un contexte où l’État a per¬du sa centralité sous la double influence de l’européanisation et de la décentralisation et où les modes de régulations politiques sont caractérisés par des formes moins dirigistes de gouvernement pouvant être définies comme des « politiques sans politique ». La régulation composite des pesticides domestiques est porteuse d’un postulat implicite qui impute la responsabilité des risques aux usagers et qui, si elle laisse ouverte la voie à une po¬ten-tielle réduction de l’usage des produits, tend à limiter leur exclusion et réduit les possibilités d’une transition vers un jardinage sans pesticides. / In 2008, the amount of pesticides used by amateur gardeners in the approximately fifteen million private gardens which exist in France and which represent a total area of a million hectares, rose to 3500 tons. Within the framework of a highly growing social awareness regarding health and environment problems and whilst the cut back on the use of pesticides in agriculture represents one of the main political objectives in the field of environmental protection, and Europe defines its chemical substances control policies (REACH), a study on the use of pesticides in gardening practices represents a good observation point to understand representations, dispositions and social practices linked to the use of pesticides in private gardens, to question the announced “greening” of life styles, to appreciate the capacity of the commercial production-distribution chain to manage such problems, and finally to evaluate the impact and direction of public policies to prevent health and environment risks.The results of the thesis are supported by sociological investigations carried out with amateur gardeners, by means of questionnaires (N=900) and interviews (N=24), with producers and distributors of phytosanitary products and with the press specialized in gardening (N=17) in France. The analysis of the pesticides code of management applied since 2003 in Quebec and which constitutes a regulation which prohibits the use and sale of a series of pesticides recognized as the most hazardous health-wise in municipal and private gardens, represents a counterpoint of the French situation.In the case of France, the thesis underlines a sort of composite regulation regarding the sanitary and environmental risks linked to the use of pesticides by amateur gardeners, involving three dimensions. (1) Intimately linked to the marketing mechanisms, this type of regulation attributes the core of the responsibility to the user, considered as the consumer to be blamed, while public authorities consider the firms which produce the pesticides as economic operators whose competitive advantages must be considered, seeking to respect the dynamics of offer and demand as well as controlling this market based on product certification. (2) It adopts the principles of the one-man society where the individual would be the main reference of the dynamics of contemporary societies and the regulator of collective problems based on his consumer choices and his individual position-taking. (3) It is located in a context where the State has lost its central position under the double influence of “Europeanization” and “decentralization” and where the types of political regulations are characterized by less interventionist forms of government, which can be defined as “politics without politics”. The composite regulation of domestic pesticides has an implicit postulate which attributes the responsibility of the risks involved to the users and which , in case of leaving an open door to the potential reduction of the use of products, tends to limit their exclusion as well as the possibilities of a transition towards pesticide free gardening.

Implementation of the Third energy package into the legal order of the Czech Republic Summary This thesis discusses the implementation issue of the Third energy package, also known as the Third liberalization package, into the Czech national law. It consists of three regulations and two directives of the European Union, which determines the energy politics both on the European level and on the level of the member states. The first part of this thesis describes the ancestors of the Third energy package and their accomplishments or failures together with reasons for creating the next generations of liberalizing legislation. The author describes the liberalization in the form of the legal, functional and accounting unbundling separately for electricity and gas industry at the European level, and then the implementation at the level of the Czech legislation. In the next chapter it is further explained, what were the European legislator's incentives for creating the Third energy package, and what new institutes it stipulates. It is herein described that the European Union came with three different unbundling versions of the transmission system operators (TSO) - Ownership unbundling (OU), Independent system operator (ISO) and the Independent transmission operator (ITO). Requirements of all of the three variations...

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Health Sciences in Emergency Medical Care, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Purpose Emergency care education and training in South Africa is experiencing an important transformation period, involving migration from short course based training to a newly proposed, formalised, three-tier qualification system, aligned with the Higher Education Sub-framework. Many existing and experienced holders of short course emergency care certificates face the challenge of gaining access to formal emergency care programmes without meeting the minimum entry requirements. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will therefore become one of the key strategies for planned migration of short course graduates into professional learning programmes. However, the research reports on RPL practice in the field of emergency care are scarce. Hence, valuable lessons about RPL in emergency care programmes are missed. The purpose of this study is to explore the efficacy of RPL practice within the National Certificate: Emergency Care (NCEC) Programme in the Western Cape, through the experience of ambulance emergency assistants, who applied for RPL on the Programme and the paramedic educators involved in the facilitation and RPL assessment on the NCEC Programme. Methodology The design of this descriptive exploratory study was qualitative, and was set in the interpretative paradigm using a case study mode of inquiry. The qualitative data was collected through semi-structured focus groups, individual interviews, and document analysis. The participants were from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Department of Emergency Medical Sciences, and the Western Cape Government College of Emergency Care (WCCEC). Collected data was interpreted by means of thematic analysis, set against the context of the study objectives and the theoretical framework. Finding The study revealed three main themes related to RPL efficacy in the NCEC Programme. These included the need for RPL training for educators involved in RPL, lack of support and guidance for RPL assessors and participants, and the need for careful selection of RPL assessment methods. The document analysis highlighted the gap between a comprehensive and sound RPL policy document and the practical implementation of these policies. Conclusion and Recommendations The emergency care field requires greater awareness and information on RPL processes, principles, assessments, and requirements. The higher education institutions, as the sole providers of the newly proposed formal emergency care programmes need to consider building capacity for RPL by means of training and dedicating academic staff to RPL, and developing comprehensive RPL policies, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the field. RPL assessment methods need to be more diverse and tailored to the individual RPL claimants. Further research on RPL will ensure a fair, social inclusive and redressing process during the planned migration of emergency care education and training. / M

[pt] O objetivo da dissertação é contribuir para o avanço do conhecimento científico sobre os impactos da certificação de produtos por organismos acreditados em setores industriais selecionados no Brasil, mediante um estudo de casos múltiplos. No contexto institucional no qual a pesquisa se insere, considera-se que um sistema concebido para acreditar serviços de avaliação de conformidade dos Organismos de Avaliação de Conformidade (OAC) deve oferecer confiança aos consumidores e às autoridades reguladoras. A metodologia adotada compreende: (i) pesquisa bibliográfica e documental sobre acreditação, avaliação da conformidade e certificação de produtos; (ii) proposição de um modelo conceitual analítico que integre esses temas, na perspectiva de avaliação dos impactos da certificação de produtos por organismos acreditados em empresas de setores selecionados; (iii) planejamento e condução de entrevistas semi-estruturadas junto a gestores de organismos de certificação de produtos (OCP) e empresas selecionadas; (iv) elaboração de estudo de casos múltiplos; e (v) formulação de recomendações para as entidades envolvidas e interessadas na pesquisa. Destacam-se como resultados um modelo conceitual para avaliação dos impactos da certificação de produtos por organismos acreditados e um conjunto consistente de impulsionadores-chave e indicadores operacionais para medição dos impactos da certificação de produtos por organismos acreditados. / [en] The objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge about the impacts of product certification by accredited organisms in selected industrial sectors, through a multiple case study in Brazil. In the institutional context in which this research is situated, it is assumed that accreditation plays a crucial role in achieving confidence and trust between suppliers and consumers, as well as regulatory authorities. The research methodology encompasses: (i) bibliographical and documental review on accreditation, conformity assessment and product certification; (ii) design of a conceptual model that integrates the referred themes, within the perspective of future application in companies from selected industrial sectors in Brazil; (iii) design, conduction, and scoring of semi-structured interviews with managers of selected accredited organisms and companies; (iv) development of a multiple case study focusing on these selected companies; and (v) formulation of suggestions for future research and application in other sectors in Brazil. The main results can be summarized as follows: a conceptual model for evaluating the impacts of product certification by accredited organisms; and a consistent set of key drivers and operational indicators for measuring the impacts of product certification by accredited organisms.

Background: South Korea is one of the countries currently enforcing more strict emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, as a result of the global push to restrict pollution. In addition, there has been recent scandals involving several well-established automotive companies manipulating emissions tests and not fulfilling regulations. This has resulted in the government increasing the pressure for companies to apply the correct certifications even further. For companies to sell vehicles on the South Korean market, the vehicles must be certified and approved by the government, known as homologation. This process partly involves self-certification, meaning that companies are responsible for applying the correct certification themselves. It is therefore of great importance to have structured and clear processes to mitigate risks of error-making, in order to avoid financial and legal repercussions. Purpose: The study aims to identify and analyze the risks in error-making. Therefore, the purpose is to understand and propose improvement actions to the current homologation processes at Scania Korea Group. Method: The thesis utilized a case study strategy with a descriptive approach to illustrate the process. An exploratory approach was used in combination to identify risks and provide improvement actions. Qualitative data in conjunction with theory around business process improvement were utilized to fulfill the purpose. Firstly, interviews and focus groups were conducted to map the process. Thereafter, a failure mode and effect criticality analysis(FMECA) was used to analyze the process. Lastly, improvement actions were decided based on best practices and benchmarking. Findings and recommendations: The homologation process contain many high severity risks such as certifying the incorrect truck specifications or not complying with regulations, due to not updating the certifications when product changes occur. Furthermore, government approvals incorporate a substantial part of the process lead-time. As such, it is concluded that quality is of utmost importance, both to decrease lead-time and minimize risks with detrimental consequences. The analysis showed evidence of lacking controls/gates in the process, which enables errors and incorrect applications to move through. Improvements regarding increased project structure, planning and communication within SKG were suggested. Further improvement points were an increased number of controls and more clear delegation of responsibility. Recommendations for future studies: We propose to further investigate the root-causes of the inherent risks in the process. Future studies should also look to gather additional data from other heavy-duty automotive companies in South Korea, since it could provide deeper and more generalizable results. Lastly, we recommend future research to utilize a quantitative research approach, providing more statistical evidence.

As relações de gênero, construídas e enraizadas na sociedade, mantêm o trabalho e expressão da mulher na invisibilidade, subordinada ao trabalho doméstico restrito à esfera privada. Este estudo tem como foco uma Organização de Controle Social (OCS) formada majoritariamente por mulheres que atuam na produção e comercialização de alimentos orgânicos na modalidade dos circuitos curtos, através de uma cooperativa administrada de forma democrática, no assentamento Milton Santos. Este assentamento foi construído como um Projeto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (PDS), conforme as normas do INCRA, e também uma Comuna da Terra, tal como concebido pelo MST. Esta concepção se funda na perspectiva de produção orgânica e de proximidade do assentamento com os grandes centros urbanos consumidores. Ao realizar a pesquisa qualitativa, com observação participante e entrevista semiestruturada com as mulheres desta OCS e com mulheres que não atuam nesse grupo, foi possível examinar em detalhes o dispositivo da OCS, como instrumento de apoio à agricultura agroecológica. Com efeito, as mulheres consideradas neste estudo protagonizam as atividades de comercialização em torno da OCS em questão, com vistas à sua autonomia financeira e à construção de espaço de falas igualitários na esfera pública. A comercialização em circuito curto possibilita maior proximidade entre produtoras e consumidores. A partir destas ações em torno da comercialização, as mulheres consideradas carregam para a esfera pública suas aspirações, para além da esfera privada. / The gender relations, built and rooted in society, keep women\'s work and expression in invisibility, subordinate to domestic work restricted to the private sphere. This study focuses on a Organização de Controle Social (OCS) made up mainly of women who work in the production and marketing of organic food in the short circuit, through a democratically managed cooperative in the Milton Santos settlement. This settlement was built as Projeto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (PDS) according to INCRA, and also an Comuna da Terra as conceived by the MST. This conception is based on the perspective of organic production and the proximity of the settlement with the large consuming urban centers. When conducting the qualitative research, with participant observation and semi-structured interview with the women of this OCS and with women who do not work in this group, it was possible to examine in detail the device of the OCS, as an instrument to support agroecological agriculture. In fact, the women considered in this study as leading role in the commercialization activities around the OCS in question, with a view to their financial autonomy and the construction of egalitarian speech space in the public sphere. Short-circuit marketing enables greater proximity between producers and consumers. From these actions around commercialization, the women considered carry their aspirations to the public sphere, beyond the private sphere.

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En viktig målsättning i den svenska skogspolitiken är att skogsbruket ska bedrivas på ett hållbart sätt och i Skogsvårdslagen är produktionsmålen och miljömålen jämställda. Skogsägare kan utöver detta åta sig att certifiera sin fastighet, antingen genom FSC eller PEFC. Certifiering är ett marknadsdrivet, frivilligt åtagande och handlar om att ta ett större ansvar för miljö och natur än vad Skogsvårdslagen kräver.  Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra förekomst av naturvärden på certifierade fastigheter och icke-certifierade fastigheter genom fältinventering av utvalda kriterier. Kriterierna valdes utifrån mätbara och synliga indikatorer på naturvärden och utifrån faktorer som speglar variationsrikedom, hänsyn, kontinuitet, flora-och faunaobjekt och återväxt. I denna studie har vi arbetat fram en funktionell inventeringsmall i syfte att kartlägga naturvärden på fastighetsnivå.  En slutsats från inventeringen var att naturens egna förutsättningar är en viktig faktor för förekomsten av naturvärden i högre grad än om fastigheten är certifierad eller inte.