<p>According to IPCC estimates, sea levels will rise between .18 and .6 meters by 2100. More recent estimates indicate that actual amounts of sea level rise may be much more, and that 1 meter of sea level rise by 2100 is likely a conservative estimate. These rising sea levels will result not only in more flooding during storm events, but also increased erosion and gradual inundation of coastal property. At the same time, coastal populations in the United States continue to increase rapidly: over half of all Americans live in coastal counties, and at least 25 million more people are expected to move to the coast by 2015. The end result is that human populations, coastal infrastructure, and coastal ecosystems will become increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This study examines the political and legal constraints to and opportunities for adaptation to rising sea levels. Using legal and policy analysis and case studies from California, North Carolina and Texas, this study explores the ability of governments to use market tools, land use regulations, and property acquisition to promote adaptation to rising sea levels. Because of market dynamics and political factors including flaws in public risk perception, I conclude that governments who wish to avoid extensive coastal engineering, , can address coastal community vulnerability through a combination of regulations and incentives that spur state and local governments to engage in forward land use planning and other measures to reduce their exposure to sea level rise impacts.</p> / Dissertation

The increasing number of immigrants in North America has made Generation 1.5 students--foreign-born children who immigrated to their host country with their first- generation immigrant parents (Rumbaut & Ima, 1988)--a significant population in Canadian and American schools (Fix & Passel, 2003; Gunderson, 2007). Of these students, many enter universities while still in the process of learning English as a second language (ESL). This often presents them with unique educational needs and challenges, which sometimes results in a “deficiency-oriented” view of Generation 1.5 university students (Harklau, 2000). However, much of the immigrant education research has thus far been limited to K-12 students, and the applied linguistics literature on Generation 1.5 university students has mostly examined their experiences within college and university ESL, writing, or composition program settings in the U.S. Therefore, this study addresses the gap in the literature through a qualitative multiple case study exploring the language socialization of seven Generation 1.5 Korean-Canadian university students. Triangulated data were collected over ten months through individual and group interviews with students and three English course instructors, questionnaires, students’ personal writings, and field notes. Drawing on the perspectives of language socialization (Duff & Hornberger, 2008) and language and identity (Norton, 2000), this study examined the contextual factors involved in the students’ language socialization processes and further investigated how these factors affected the students’ investments in languages and identities, as manifested in their everyday practices. The findings suggest that 1) in an ever-changing globalized world, the characteristics, including the educational goals and needs, of today’s Generation 1.5 Korean-Canadian students were considerably different from those of their predecessors; 2) through the complex interplay between their past, present, and future “imagined” experiences, the students were socialized into various beliefs and ideologies about language learning and use, often necessitating negotiations of investments in their identities and in their first, second, and sometimes third languages; and 3) given the diverse backgrounds and linguistic goals of these students, Generation 1.5 language learners should be seen from a “bi/multilingual and bicultural abilities” perspective rather than from a “deficiency-oriented” perspective. The study concludes with implications for policy, research, and pedagogy.

ABSTRACT THE REVOLUTION BEGINS AT 3PM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF A STATEWIDE 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS PROGRAM by Corrie L. Davis The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers and staff members demonstrated caring toward their students within a statewide 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) afterschool program. The participants in the study included 17 program directors, 22 site coordinators, 16 teachers, 3 paraprofessionals, 11 parents, 11 principals, and 18 other stakeholders associated with the program. This multi-site case study utilized the naturalistic paradigm of qualitative research. The data collection process included 98 semi-structured interviews, 22 participant observations, 112 photographs, and document analyses with materials from the 20 grantees selected in the sample. The qualitative software program, Atlas.ti: The Knowledge Workbench (2003) assisted with the management and analysis of data during the coding, categorizing, and interpretation process. Findings from the study revealed 3 central themes: (a) staff members that care about the whole child educate the whole child, (b) using culture as an asset increases students’ desire to learn and (c) building character promotes positive change. By incorporating these attributes, the program’s staff demonstrated their commitment to the academic and democratic advancement of the students in their care. This study will help inform policy makers, afterschool advocates, and 21st CCLC stakeholders about the importance of incorporating caring, culturally relevant pedagogy, and character education within local and national afterschool programs.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in the classrooms of three experienced elementary school teachers. Storytelling is defined in this study as the use of a narrative, spoken or written, in prose or in verse, true or fictitious, related so as to inform, entertain, or instruct the listener or reader. This research answers questions concerning; (a) what constitutes storytelling in these teachers’ classrooms, (b) teachers’ purposes for using storytelling, and (c) factors that have encouraged these teachers to employ storytelling in their teaching practices. Framed within constructivist theory, the study provides insight into how these three respondents teach content through storytelling and bridge information from teller to listener. Data collection included classroom observations, interviews of teacher-participants, and the collection of teacher-generated artifacts such as lesson plans and teacher notes. Portraiture is used as a method for writing up the data in order to record the perspectives and experiences of the participants in this study by documenting their voices, visions, and wisdom in a detailed exploration into the feelings about and use of storytelling in their teaching practices. The instructional strategies reported through this qualitative inquiry support a socio-cognitive interactive model of literacy and demonstrate its importance in learning content in an elementary school environment. The data were analyzed continually through a search for emerging patterns and through constant comparison analysis. The researcher found that the teachers used stories and illustrations in an impromptu manner and that storytelling served both cognitive and affective purposes. Cognitively, storytelling was employed to form connections to students’ prior knowledge and new knowledge being introduced. Storytelling was used as a mnemonic device to help students transfer storied information to new situations. Affectively, storytelling served to engage students in an enlightening and entertaining manner. Students responded to the use of stories through actively participating in classroom discussions and sharing stories of their own. Storytelling assists these teachers in their critical roles as negotiators and facilitators of meaning construction in the text and social context of the classroom.

Bakgrund: Det finns begränsad kunskap om hur mammor upplever att drabbas av HELLP syndrom och samtidigt mista sitt väntade barn. Ytterligare kunskap kan bidra till ökad förståelse och leda till bättre vård. Syfte: Att beskriva mammors upplevelser av att drabbas av HELLP syndrom och samtidigt mista sitt väntade barn. Metod: En kvalitativ fallstudie med djupintervjuer som analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Studien påvisade det kaos och den overklighetskänsla mammorna upplevde då insjuknandet och händelserna skedde i snabb takt. Det fanns ingen tid för reflektion, tillståndet var livshotande och en katastrofkänsla uppstod. Temat overkligt kaos formades. De svårt sjuka mammorna klarade inte att delta vid första omvårdnaden av sitt döda barn men kunde under vårdtiden vara tillsammans med barnet vid flera tillfällen vilket gav känslor av både glädje och sorg. Mammorna upplevde restsymtom av HELLP syndrom ett halvår efter händelsen. Slutsatser: Det snabba insjuknandet och händelseförloppet resulterade i ett overkligt kaos för mammorna. Det är viktigt att vårdpersonalen är tydliga i sin kommunikation och hela tiden närvarande hos mamman. Barnmorskan har en central roll i att hjälpa mammorna att möta och vara nära sitt döda barn så mycket som möjligt.

Atsistatymas yra tai, ką žmonės daro su savo negalia, jis savaime peržengia ligą ir negalią, tai yra ypač unikali žmogaus patirtis. Žmonės patiria sukrečiančius įvykius, tarp jų ir ligas, todėl neišvengiamai susiduria su atsistatymo iššūkiu. Atsistatymas nepakeičia katastrofiškų patirčių fakto - tai reiškia, kad gyvenimas dėl ligos įtakos pasikeitė, bet liga nebėra esminis fokusas - žmogus juda toliau link savo asmeninių interesų ir veiklų. Atsistatymas sergant psichikos liga yra asmeninis procesas, kurį kiekvienas sergantysis suvokia skirtingai, ir nuo to priklauso, kokius jis turi lūkesčius savo atsistatymo atžvilgiu ir kokių paslaugų jam reikia, dėl to yra svarbu suteikti sergantiesiems „balsą“ - tyrinėti atsistatymo atvejus, įvardinant sergančiųjų asmenines atsistatymo koncepcijas, aplinkos veiksnius, turinčius įtakos asmeniniam atsistatymo procesui. Tyrimo klausimas- kokios yra sergančiųjų psichikos liga atsistatymo patirtys? Tyrimo tikslas- atskleisti sergančiųjų lėtine psichikos liga atsistatymo patirtis. Tyrimo tikslui pasiekti naudojama atvejų studijos metodika. Atvejų studija pasižymi tuo, kad fenomenas tyrinėjamas pasitelkiant visus įmanomus duomenų šaltinius. Tai reiškia, kad į atsistatymo reiškinį stengiamasi pažvelgti per daugelį lęšių, siekiant kuo geriau suprasti vykstančius procesus. Atvejo studijos metodika yra paremta socialinio konstruktyvizmo paradigma. Šio požiūrio stiprioji pusė atvejo studijoje yra bendradarbiavimas tarp tyrėjo ir dalyvio, siekiant... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Recovery is what people do with their disabilities, it itself transcends illness and disability, it is especially unique in the human experience. People experience disturbing events, including illness, so inevitably encounter recovery challenge. Recovery does not change the fact of the disastrous experiences of human life. Successful recovery means that life because of illness influence has changed, but the disease is no longer a key focus of human life- people will continue to move toward their personal interests and activities. Recovery is a personal process, so the expectations about recovery and services depends on individual understanding about recovery. It is important to provide patients "voice" – to explore recovery from the perspectives of people with chronic mental illness. Research question- what are recovery experiences of patients with chronic mental illness? The study aim was to reveal recovery experiences of patients with chronic mental illness. Case study methodology was used to achieve the aim of a study. The case study is characterized by the fact that phenomenon is investigated using all available data sources. Case study methodology is based on the social constructivist paradigm. The strength of the case study approach is a collaboration between the researcher and the participant in order to assist the participant to describe their own reality, and the researcher to understand as clearly as possible. The research sample was made under the principle of... [to full text]

In recent years, there have been several proposals for large-scale human genotyping projects in the developing world. The dissertation presented here explores the motivations, opportunities and challenges of initiating locally led, large-scale genotyping projects documenting human genomic variation in the developing world. I analyze two case studies: the Indian Genome Variation Consortium in India and the University of Cape Town, Department of Human Genetics and the African Genomics Education Initiative in South Africa. These case studies, together with similar projects in Mexico and Thailand provide compelling reasons for pursuing these projects: the potential to address local health needs and reduce health care costs; the opportunity to stimulate economic development through investments in genomic sciences, and the availability of unique population resources. In an effort to capture the value of these investments and promote an equal stake in international collaborations, Mexico and India have developed guidelines and laws to protect local human genetic material as a sovereign resource, referred to here as ‘genomic sovereignty’. Critics have suggested that it can impede international collaborations and reduce access to external funding. I provide an in depth analysis of genomic sovereignty and how it may contribute to each country’s aim of achieving health equity through investments in genomics, its relation to heritage and patrimony, and its potential limitations. The debate is critical, as the knowledge generated from large-scale human genomic research will need to be interpreted in larger international collaborative efforts before it can lead to health benefits. Qualitative case study methodology is employed and the primary data source consists of interviews conducted with key informants. The research described here provides a source of empirical description and analysis that is informing the framing of policies, principles and practices on how research infrastructure and capacity are being established for human genomic sciences in developing countries.

This qualitative case study examines the way in which six adult learners and their teacher in a university language classroom narrativise their identities while reflecting on experiences in and outside of the classroom. This study determined that the identity positions of the student participants were strongly influenced by notions of normative cultural, national and religious identity categories, as well as the students&rsquo; experiences in environments that were characterized by high-stakes grading, and &ldquo;native speaker&rdquo; norms. Drawing on poststructural identity theories (Norton, 1995, 1997; Gee, 2001) and anti-colonial and anti-racist scholarship (Kubota and Lin, 2009), this research contributes to the growing body of knowledge that addresses the effects of subjective notions of identity and structural power relations on the experiences of adult learners. Additionally, it outlines some possible actions for teachers and policy-makers to counter some of the structural inequalities that negatively impact the identity negotiation of students.

The implementation of a new IT system in an organization provides many opportunities but as well as serious challenges.  Opportunities may arise in the form of increased control and efficiency in the organization, while a common challenge may be that the organization does not perceive value in the investment because management has failed to integrate IT with the rest of the organization. It is only when the organization manages the organizational factors during and after IT implementation that the benefits may be realized. This thesis examines organizational factors involved during the implementation of IT systems and identifies critical factors that are plausibly responsible for the success of the implementation. The design of the study was a comparative case approach that simultaneously examined two IT system implementations (named Heroma and Agresso) in the same organization, one of them being perceived to be more successful than the other.  In the theoretical framework, discussion addressed the issue of how to measure a successful implementation. Based on the literature  review  and  the empirical  data,  the  author  was  able  to  identify  the  critical organizational factors that were most responsible for the level of success of each IT implementation. The   results   showed   that   the   Heroma   implementation   lacked   in managing critical organizational factors, leading to a less satisfactory outcome. For example, the exclusion of employees  from  the  implementation  process  and  the  lack  of competency  of  the  project manager  made the Heroma  implementation  more troublesome  then the Agresso implementation.

By permitting the integration of multiple forms of knowledge through joint fact-finding, it is suggested that collaborative governance approaches can produce more holistic and place-based understandings of environmental problems and help to alleviate conflict among stakeholders over the knowledge that is used to make decisions. Despite the central role of knowledge in collaborative processes, research in the collaborative environmental governance field to-date has provided limited practical insight into what they can and cannot achieve or how processes should be structured and run to produce successful outcomes related to knowledge production and use. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature through three specific research objectives: (1) to develop a theoretical framework for analyzing knowledge production and use in collaborative environmental governance; (2) to use the framework to analyze knowledge production and use in a real-world collaborative environmental governance process; and (3) to offer recommendations for designing or adapting collaborative environmental governance processes to better achieve the goals of collaboration related to knowledge production and use. A multiple case study approach was used to analyze knowledge production and use in a collaborative water allocation planning process in South Australia. The findings affirm that a number of theorized process and outcome criteria associated with successful knowledge production and use are achievable in practice. Despite limited evidence that local actors were involved directly in producing knowledge within the processes that were examined, the findings showed that participants in at least one of the cases were able to achieve a high level of understanding and acceptance of the knowledge used to base policy decisions, as well as to build social capital among scientists and local participants. This paradox draws attention to limits of current theories in the collaborative environmental governance literature for designing and implementing successful collaboration and offers important insights for evaluating collaborative processes. The study also provides a preliminary set of recommendations for structuring and executing collaborative processes to achieve successful outcomes related to knowledge production and use. While the findings of this study relate most directly to the water allocation planning system in South Australia, they are also transferable to other collaborative institutions, particularly those that are nested within a more traditional top-down system of governance.