The purpose of this study was to determine the effects that science inquiry would have on fourth grade students' ability to communicate about scientific concepts learned, their perceptions about science and scientists, and my role as a teacher. The study took place in an elementary school setting for twenty weeks. Fourteen fourth grade students participated. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to gather data for the study. Pre and post questionnaires and Draw a Scientist Tests were used, along with observations, field notes, videotaped lessons, and reflections. The data revealed that students' ability to communicate about science concepts improved during the study. Their perceptions of science and scientists became more realistic. My role as a director of knowledge transitioned into a facilitator.

For theory and literature to evolve parallel to the subject matter which it associates, it recurrently progresses through admittance of variably incremental, yet critical, entries. This is the nature of modernism. This thesis reflects on one important point in the life of modernism, the advent at which society is first formalized and assimilated into theory: the origin of social theory, a point indisputably influential to twentieth century philosophy, but just eclipsed by one of that century's most noticeable theoretical features. The past century saw the rise and fall of a universalizing framework called structuralism. Informing the disciplines, especially the social sciences, on unearthing matters of the unconscious, structuralism occupied a place of knowledge-generation in a world entering its atomic youth. The heirs of this framework are the poststructuralists, and my paper applies poststructuralism to pre-structural social theories. The purpose of this activity is to articulate the value dormant in these dated theories by recontextualizing their abstracted elements for a world ready to use them. The developed world has acquired a postmaterial status in regard to the necessities of survival, as Inglehart explains, while the developing world burdens to address materialist concerns in close contingency to cultural and traditional concerns. This opens up the discussion to a greater postmodern debate, one involving politics, economic status, cultural difference, and more. The international stage has consolidated a considerable level of liberty, but the semantics are often neglected in light of the success of convention. The purpose of this thesis is then to make an interdisciplinary, holistic attempt to reconstruct, exposing the relevance and potential of the deconstructed.

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Developed forest camping has received little attention in the recreation research since the late 1960s and early 1970s. Changes in socio-demographics, technology, and the public's expectations for amenities over the past forty years suggested that the nature of the developed camping experience may have changed. Thus, the purpose of this study was to understand the modern developed forest camping experience and associated meanings and the influence of technology on developed forest camping. In-depth interviews were conducted in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area with thirty-eight camping groups in three campgrounds which varied in their level of development. Developed forest camping experiences were described by participants as a combination of what they were doing (i.e., activities), who they were interacting with (i.e., social interaction), where they were camping (i.e., setting), and what they were feeling while they were there (i.e., psychological states/feelings). The camping experience occurred in stages and it emerged over the course of participants' trips, with emotional highs and lows. Camping was a social experience, with participants defining much of their experience in terms of who they were with. The developed camping experience was influenced by the natural environment, particularly scenic beauty and other aesthetic setting qualities. The majority of participants in this study suggested that they were able to get a nature-based experience even in highly developed camp settings in which large motor homes, televisions, and satellite dishes were common. Participants used a range of camping gear and electronics, and this technology was important to promote comfort and conveniences and for a distraction during inclement weather. The associated meanings of developed forest camping were restoration (i.e., rest, escape, and recovery), family functioning, special places, self-identity, social interaction, experiencing nature, association of God and nature, novelty, and the opportunity for children to learn. Restoration was the most commonly expressed meaning across all three campground types. The most commonly expressed life-context meanings were restoration and sharing positive family memories and stories. These family memories and stories often developed into important camping traditions. Recommendations for recreation managers, study limitations, and opportunities for future research are identified and discussed. / Ph. D.

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This qualitative multiple case study aims to identify and describe the perceptions and experiences of kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers in a small suburban public school district. Through a demographic survey and semi-structured interviews, seven teachers shared their lesson design experiences. This study identified how teachers understand the constructivist learning theory. Three research questions guided the study, with three themes responsive to inquiries used to describe how teachers use guiding documents to design lessons for their technology-infused classrooms. The study findings were discussed, and suggestions were made to inform school district officials of possible professional development opportunities. Recommendations for future research specific to the constructivist learning theory and lesson design are discussed.

This dissertation presents a constructivist discussion of the experiences of the author in doing hypnosis. It explores the practice of hypnosis as a progression of behavioral changes by the hypnotis in facilitating the initiation, expansion and coherence of the hypnotic domain. These changes include punctuating and redefining everyday experiences and environmental events as hypnotic, and engaging participants in discussions based on the hypnotic logic. Hypnosis is defined as social and cognitive domain that is specified in language, and maintained by the embodied descriptions of participants. It is described how the hypnotic system evolves in terms of complexity, distinctness and functional integrity, and how this reflects the structurally determined fit between its members. In this system the hypnotist facilitates the development of the hypnotic description as a viable domain of existence that is experienced as real and all-inclusive. In conclusion some constructivist ideas for research, treatment and training are presented before constructivist thinking is used to contextualize the dissertation itself. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.