O dogma da neutralidade na prestação jurisdicional nasce juntamente com o Estado moderno liberal como corolário do princípio da separação dos poderes e como tentativa de minimização da influência do subjetivismo do julgador sobre as decisões tomadas. Naquela época, acreditava-se que somente julgamentos pautados estritamente nos comandos legais é que seriam justos, porque respeitariam a vontade popular expressa nas normas. Entretanto, ao lado desse imperativo, que ainda se faz presente na atualidade, parece haver uma crise do sistema democrático, que vê reduzida paulatinamente sua representatividade, com a consequente perda da legitimidade das leis, até então expressão da vontade popular. Diante desse quadro, o presente trabalho se propôs a problematizar, filosoficamente, o imperativo de neutralidade na prestação jurisdicional, indagando a respeito de sua adequação ao contexto social brasileiro contemporâneo. Para tanto, recorreu-se à obra de LUIS ALBERTO WARAT, jusfilósofo que, dentre outras contribuições, desenvolveu a concepção de senso comum teórico dos juristas, como tentativa de evidenciar a existência de uma série de representações, imagens e crenças consolidadas na ciência e na prática do Direito, que são tidas como enunciados científicos mas que não passam de mero senso comum cristalizado e carregado de ideologia. Assim, a partir da obra waratiana, situada no contexto da Filosofia da Linguagem, tentou-se responder à seguinte questão: é possível cogitar de neutralidade na prestação jurisdicional se os magistrados, em sua prática cotidiana, lidam com um saber jurídico repleto de ideologia e se o próprio ato de conhecer não parece sujeito a critérios de objetividade? A conclusão a que se chegou é que a atuação judicial não é, e nem pode ser, neutra. E, também, que a neutralidade no exercício da magistratura, frente a um cenário de profundas desigualdades sociais, não é desejável, porque implica a manutenção e reprodução do senso comum teórico dos juristas, com a consequente perpetuação do status quo e o aniquilamento do potencial transformador da magistratura. / The dogma of neutrality in adjudication comes together to the Modern liberal state as a corollary of the principle of separation of powers, in attempt to minimize the influence of the subjectivism of the magistrates on the decisions taken. At that time, it was believed that only judgments based strictly on the ruled legal commands were fair, because they respected the popular will expressed in their standards. However, alongside this imperative, which is still present nowadays, there seems to be a crisis of the democratic system, which loses gradually its representativeness, so that the laws are not more expression of the will of the people. Considering this situation, this work intended to question, philosophically, the need for neutrality in adjudication, asking about their adequacy to Brazilian contemporary social context. Therefore, appealed to the work of LUIS ALBERTO WARAT, author that, among other contributions, developed the concept of theorist common sense of jurists in an attempt to prove the existence of a series of representations, images and beliefs statements in science and practice of Law, which are regarded as scientific statements but are only common sense crystallized and loaded with ideology. Thus, from WARATs work, which is situated in the context of Philosophy of Language, we tried to answer the following question: Is it possible for judges to act with neutrality if they, in their daily practice, deal with a legal knowledge full of ideology and the act of knowing cannot reach objectivity? The conclusion reached is that the judicial action is not and cannot be neutral. And, also, that the neutrality of the magistrates is not desirable, considering the scene of deep social inequalities in Brazil contemporary, because it involves the maintenance and reproduction of common sense theory of lawyers, with the consequent perpetuation of the status quo and the annihilation of the transforming potential from the judiciary.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:53:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Esmeraldina Maria dos Santos.pdf: 5852327 bytes, checksum: 275f3c48b0852d1213acef979ddd69c5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-10-01 / This research of the qualitative type entitled The knowledge of the teachers from the second segment of the basic education of the education of adolescents, young and adults investigated the knowledge of the teachers of the second segment of the basic education of the Eaja. These teachers the subjects of the research - had been located in the RME. It based itself theoretically on the studies of some authors, among which they can be detached Chaui (1996.2001, 2003, 2006); Miranda (1997, 2004, 2005); Gramsci (2004); Rabbit (1994, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006); Arroyo (2000) and others. It had as study object to investigate the knowledge that is present in the teachers performance of Eaja who teach to 5° the 8° series of nocturnal basic education. The changes in the contemporary society provoked by the economic, social and political transformations have significantly affected the education and in this field, the formation of the teacjers for basic education and, also, for the Eaja. This process directs the formation of educators and learners for the narrow marketing, predominant vision in the globalized world, undeserving all the knowledge that does not possess immediate application, influencing of negative form the quality of education, in special, of the education directed for the Eaja that is constituted basically of manual worker or dismissed workers. This inquiry inquired: What challenges the teachers face to deal with the existing tension between education and learning? How they deal with these challenges? What knowledge is present in their practices? How had they been appropriated? The supposed continued formation has contributed to redimension the knowledge of these teachers? Searching to answer these investigations, it argued - with some authors the difference between common sense and systemizes knowledge and the paper of the university in the production of the knowledge, searching theoretical elements that could base the agreement of the ultimate issue of this research. On the basis of Machado (1997, 2001), Ribeiro (1999), Lopes (2006), Nogueira(2005) and others, had argued it question of the specificity of knowing of the teachers of the Eaja and its implications to the knowledge of the teachers in general, establishing relations with the systemize knowledge and the common sense in the formation and performance of the of Eaja of SME of Goiânia. The analysis made possible the apprehension of the passage formed of knowledge of the investigated subjects and of its implications in the practice one of Eaja. By means of its speeches it was possible to understand that the challenges of the teaching work go beyond the field of the formation, and that in the search to take care of to the specificity, the teacher works with the learners of Eaja the knowledge searched in the reality of the pupil. / Esta pesquisa do tipo qualitativa, intitulada: Os saberes dos professores do segundo segmento do ensino fundamental da educação de adolescentes, jovens e adultos investigou os saberes dos professores do segundo segmento do ensino fundamental da Eaja. Esses professores - sujeitos da pesquisa - foram localizados na RME. Ela se fundamentou teoricamente nos estudos de alguns autores, entre os quais podem ser destacados: Chauí (1996, 2001, 2003, 2006); Miranda (1997, 2004, 2005,); Gramsci (2004); Coelho (1994, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006,); Arroyo (2000) e outros. Teve como objeto de estudo investigar os saberes que permeiam as práticas dos professores de Eaja que atuam de 5ª a 8ª séries do ensino fundamental noturno. As mudanças ocorridas na sociedade contemporânea provocadas pelas transformações econômicas, políticas e sociais tem afetado significativamente a educação e nesse campo, a formação de professores para educação básica e, também, para a Eaja. Esse processo direciona a formação de educadores e educandos para a estreita visão mercadológica, predominante no mundo globalizado, desmerecendo todo conhecimento que não possua aplicação imediata, influenciando de forma negativa a qualidade do ensino, em especial, do ensino direcionado para a Eaja constituída basicamente de trabalhadores ou desempregados. Esta investigação indagou: que desafios os professores enfrentam para lidar com a tensão existente entre ensino e aprendizagem? Como eles lidam com esses desafios? Que saberes permeiam suas práticas? Como foram apropriados? A suposta formação continuada tem contribuído para redimensionar os saberes destes professores? Buscando responder essas indagações, discutiu-se com alguns autores a diferença entre senso comum e conhecimento sistematizado e o papel da universidade na produção do conhecimento, buscando elementos teóricos que pudessem fundamentar o entendimento da questão principal desta pesquisa. Com base em Machado (1997, 2001), Ribeiro (1999), Lopes (2006), Nogueira (2005) e outros, discutiram-se a questão da especificidade dos saberes dos professores da Eaja e suas implicações com os saberes docentes, estabelecendo relações com o conhecimento sistematizado e o senso comum na formação e atuação do professor da Eaja da SME de Goiânia. A análise realizada possibilitou a apreensão do percurso formativo dos saberes dos sujeitos investigados e de suas implicações na prática da Eaja. Por meio de seus discursos foi possível entender que os desafios do trabalho docente extrapolam o campo da formação, e que na busca de atender a especificidade o professor trabalha com os educandos da Eaja os conhecimentos buscados na realidade do aluno.

O dogma da neutralidade na prestação jurisdicional nasce juntamente com o Estado moderno liberal como corolário do princípio da separação dos poderes e como tentativa de minimização da influência do subjetivismo do julgador sobre as decisões tomadas. Naquela época, acreditava-se que somente julgamentos pautados estritamente nos comandos legais é que seriam justos, porque respeitariam a vontade popular expressa nas normas. Entretanto, ao lado desse imperativo, que ainda se faz presente na atualidade, parece haver uma crise do sistema democrático, que vê reduzida paulatinamente sua representatividade, com a consequente perda da legitimidade das leis, até então expressão da vontade popular. Diante desse quadro, o presente trabalho se propôs a problematizar, filosoficamente, o imperativo de neutralidade na prestação jurisdicional, indagando a respeito de sua adequação ao contexto social brasileiro contemporâneo. Para tanto, recorreu-se à obra de LUIS ALBERTO WARAT, jusfilósofo que, dentre outras contribuições, desenvolveu a concepção de senso comum teórico dos juristas, como tentativa de evidenciar a existência de uma série de representações, imagens e crenças consolidadas na ciência e na prática do Direito, que são tidas como enunciados científicos mas que não passam de mero senso comum cristalizado e carregado de ideologia. Assim, a partir da obra waratiana, situada no contexto da Filosofia da Linguagem, tentou-se responder à seguinte questão: é possível cogitar de neutralidade na prestação jurisdicional se os magistrados, em sua prática cotidiana, lidam com um saber jurídico repleto de ideologia e se o próprio ato de conhecer não parece sujeito a critérios de objetividade? A conclusão a que se chegou é que a atuação judicial não é, e nem pode ser, neutra. E, também, que a neutralidade no exercício da magistratura, frente a um cenário de profundas desigualdades sociais, não é desejável, porque implica a manutenção e reprodução do senso comum teórico dos juristas, com a consequente perpetuação do status quo e o aniquilamento do potencial transformador da magistratura. / The dogma of neutrality in adjudication comes together to the Modern liberal state as a corollary of the principle of separation of powers, in attempt to minimize the influence of the subjectivism of the magistrates on the decisions taken. At that time, it was believed that only judgments based strictly on the ruled legal commands were fair, because they respected the popular will expressed in their standards. However, alongside this imperative, which is still present nowadays, there seems to be a crisis of the democratic system, which loses gradually its representativeness, so that the laws are not more expression of the will of the people. Considering this situation, this work intended to question, philosophically, the need for neutrality in adjudication, asking about their adequacy to Brazilian contemporary social context. Therefore, appealed to the work of LUIS ALBERTO WARAT, author that, among other contributions, developed the concept of theorist common sense of jurists in an attempt to prove the existence of a series of representations, images and beliefs statements in science and practice of Law, which are regarded as scientific statements but are only common sense crystallized and loaded with ideology. Thus, from WARATs work, which is situated in the context of Philosophy of Language, we tried to answer the following question: Is it possible for judges to act with neutrality if they, in their daily practice, deal with a legal knowledge full of ideology and the act of knowing cannot reach objectivity? The conclusion reached is that the judicial action is not and cannot be neutral. And, also, that the neutrality of the magistrates is not desirable, considering the scene of deep social inequalities in Brazil contemporary, because it involves the maintenance and reproduction of common sense theory of lawyers, with the consequent perpetuation of the status quo and the annihilation of the transforming potential from the judiciary.

<p>Background: Etiquette has become vital in business relationships. In today’s competitive business climate signs indicate that social competence affect whether a business deal is settled or not. This type of competence could be of crucial importance at a first business meeting and it also plays an important role for future business relationships. Business etiquette is therefore, within the world of business, an interesting area to study.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to clarify what knowledge and understanding companies, listed on the Swedish stock exchange, possess towards business etiquette, their viewpoint on etiquette education and finally to ascertain whether or not those companies perceive business etiquette to be pivotal to success.</p><p>Methodology: In order to attain our purpose of this essay we found it most suitable to utilize both a quantitative and qualitative research method. To obtain a deeper understanding, two personal interviews, with professionals within the field of business etiquette, were carried out. A questionnaire was sent out to 100 companies and four personal interviews, with representatives from two different banks, were also conducted.</p><p>Conclusions: We have come to the conclusion that many business deals fail due to lack of appropriate etiquette. According to the respondents, business etiquette could be a suitable tool to achieve success in business. Our analysis shows that business etiquette is a collection of rules where common sense, judgment, humility and respect are important aspects that should pervade conduct toward colleagues and customers. According to our survey, the customer is imperative in business relations and the employees should therefore perform situational in accordance to the customer’s expectations. A conclusion could be drawn that if a company succeeds in offering the customer greater value, in comparison with its competitors, it will give the company a competitive advantage and result in profitability.</p> / <p>Bakgrund: Vett och etikett blir alltmer betydande i affärer. I dagens konkurrenskraftiga företagsklimat tyder allt fler tecken på att social kompetens kan påverka om ett affärsavtal sluts eller inte. Denna typ av kompetens kan vara helt avgörande vid ett första affärsmöte och även återspegla framtida affärsrelationer. Affärsetikett är alltså ett viktigt område i näringslivet, och därför intressant att studera.</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att studera svenska börsbolags kunskap om affärsetikett och deras ställningstagande till utbildning i ämnet. Slutligen vill vi ta reda på om företagen ser affärsetikett som en framgångsfaktor i affärer.</p><p>Metod: För att uppnå vårt syfte valde vi att kombinera en kvantitativ med en kvalitativ ansats. För att öka vår förförståelse utfördes först två djupintervjuer med kunniga i ämnet. En enkät skickades sedan ut till 100 stycken börsbolag och ytterligare fyra personliga intervjuer genomfördes med två svenska banker.</p><p>Slutsatser: Vi har kunnat konstatera att alltför många affärer misslyckas på grund av dålig etikettkunskap. Enligt respondenterna kommer affärsetiketten in som ett lämpligt verktyg för framgång i affärer. Undersökningen visar på att affärsetikett utgör ett regelverk där sunt förnuft, omdöme, ödmjukhet och respekt är viktiga aspekter, som ska genomsyra uppförandet gentemot kollega och kund. Vidare har det framkommit att kunden är det centrala i affärsrelationer och personalens agerande bör därför situationsanpassas efter kundens förväntningar. Slutsatsen som kan dras är att om en organisation lyckas erbjuda kunden ett större värde, jämfört med konkurrenterna, kommer detta ge företaget konkurrensfördel som i längden utmynnar i lönsamhet.</p>

Daily use of inhaled preventer medication is recommended for most people with asthma. However, research suggests many do not adhere to this regime. The current thesis comprises two research studies utilising the common-sense model of self-regulation as the theoretical basis to explore how people make decisions about inhaled preventer use in asthma. The purpose of Study One was to compare a self-report and an objective measure of adherence to preventer medication for asthma and to examine the illness representations and treatment beliefs associated with these measures. Accordingly, 1,936 U.K. General Practice patients who were using preventer medication for asthma completed a questionnaire assessing illness and medication perceptions and gave consent for information to be obtained from their medical records. Adherence to preventer medication was calculated from the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and an objective measure, the proportion of prescribed medication that the participant collected over the previous year. Results show that nearly nine out of ten participants (88.4%) reported some non-adherence to their preventer medication. The most common form of non-adherence was using preventer inhaler only when feeling breathless. The relationships between participants��� representations of their asthma and their beliefs about their preventer medication and adherence measures were tested using structural equation modelling. Seeing asthma as a condition that was not present when asymptomatic was associated with more non-adherence (��=.22 p<.001) and also with collecting a smaller proportion of prescribed preventer medication over the past year (��=-.15, p<.001). Seeing asthma as an acute condition, as a condition without serious consequences, and as a condition that could not be controlled by treatment were also representations associated with non-adherence. Those who did not see the need for preventer medication at all, or did not see the need for preventer medication when asymptomatic were more likely to be non-adherent. The relationship between illness representations and self-report adherence was mediated by the belief that medication was necessary. Having identified a number of key beliefs that were associated with use of preventer medication in asthma, Study Two explored the way in which these beliefs may be developed through the process of appraisal of the influence of medication use on symptom experience. Using quantitative methods, 77 patients from a New Zealand General Practice completed a questionnaire measuring the reasons for experimenting and stopping medication, illness representations and treatment beliefs. Thirty percent of the sample reported actively experimenting with their medication. These participants were more likely to hold the belief that medication did not help in the absence of symptoms (Mann-Whitney U=343.5, p<.05) and to report trying to avoid thinking about asthma (Mann-Whitney U=330.5, p<.05). Fifty-one of the participants were subsequently interviewed about their experiences with using medication and transcripts of these interviews were subjected to a qualitative analysis. Participants��� responses suggested that the process of appraising whether medication is necessary was influenced by the match between what the participant expects to happen when using the medication and what actually does happen. The process of deciding when medication is necessary is influenced by the threshold at which medication is deemed to be necessary and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is stopped. These findings have implications for the development of interventions to improve adherence to preventer medication for asthma. They suggest that a key component of self-management education is educating patients about the nature of asthma as a chronic condition that is present even in the absence of symptoms. Additionally, they provide evidence that many patients are involved in an active process of appraising the success of their medication. Health professionals should be aware of that this process is likely to be influenced by patients��� expectations of medication, the level of symptoms at which they believe action is required to control asthma and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is discontinued. Future research could take the form of a randomised controlled intervention to assess whether discussion of these factors with patients could improve quality of life for people with asthma. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

Background: Etiquette has become vital in business relationships. In today’s competitive business climate signs indicate that social competence affect whether a business deal is settled or not. This type of competence could be of crucial importance at a first business meeting and it also plays an important role for future business relationships. Business etiquette is therefore, within the world of business, an interesting area to study. Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to clarify what knowledge and understanding companies, listed on the Swedish stock exchange, possess towards business etiquette, their viewpoint on etiquette education and finally to ascertain whether or not those companies perceive business etiquette to be pivotal to success. Methodology: In order to attain our purpose of this essay we found it most suitable to utilize both a quantitative and qualitative research method. To obtain a deeper understanding, two personal interviews, with professionals within the field of business etiquette, were carried out. A questionnaire was sent out to 100 companies and four personal interviews, with representatives from two different banks, were also conducted. Conclusions: We have come to the conclusion that many business deals fail due to lack of appropriate etiquette. According to the respondents, business etiquette could be a suitable tool to achieve success in business. Our analysis shows that business etiquette is a collection of rules where common sense, judgment, humility and respect are important aspects that should pervade conduct toward colleagues and customers. According to our survey, the customer is imperative in business relations and the employees should therefore perform situational in accordance to the customer’s expectations. A conclusion could be drawn that if a company succeeds in offering the customer greater value, in comparison with its competitors, it will give the company a competitive advantage and result in profitability. / Bakgrund: Vett och etikett blir alltmer betydande i affärer. I dagens konkurrenskraftiga företagsklimat tyder allt fler tecken på att social kompetens kan påverka om ett affärsavtal sluts eller inte. Denna typ av kompetens kan vara helt avgörande vid ett första affärsmöte och även återspegla framtida affärsrelationer. Affärsetikett är alltså ett viktigt område i näringslivet, och därför intressant att studera. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att studera svenska börsbolags kunskap om affärsetikett och deras ställningstagande till utbildning i ämnet. Slutligen vill vi ta reda på om företagen ser affärsetikett som en framgångsfaktor i affärer. Metod: För att uppnå vårt syfte valde vi att kombinera en kvantitativ med en kvalitativ ansats. För att öka vår förförståelse utfördes först två djupintervjuer med kunniga i ämnet. En enkät skickades sedan ut till 100 stycken börsbolag och ytterligare fyra personliga intervjuer genomfördes med två svenska banker. Slutsatser: Vi har kunnat konstatera att alltför många affärer misslyckas på grund av dålig etikettkunskap. Enligt respondenterna kommer affärsetiketten in som ett lämpligt verktyg för framgång i affärer. Undersökningen visar på att affärsetikett utgör ett regelverk där sunt förnuft, omdöme, ödmjukhet och respekt är viktiga aspekter, som ska genomsyra uppförandet gentemot kollega och kund. Vidare har det framkommit att kunden är det centrala i affärsrelationer och personalens agerande bör därför situationsanpassas efter kundens förväntningar. Slutsatsen som kan dras är att om en organisation lyckas erbjuda kunden ett större värde, jämfört med konkurrenterna, kommer detta ge företaget konkurrensfördel som i längden utmynnar i lönsamhet.

En majoritet av svenska barn deltar i förskoleaktiviteter, vilket indikerar att förskolemiljön spelar en viktig roll för de erfarenheter barn får i sin vardag. Förskolans verksamhet baserar sig i hög grad på grundläggande värderingar och idéer beträffande bland annat barnuppfostran, förskolans uppdrag och synen på förskolans roll i samhället. Syftet med den här studien är att beskriva och analysera lärarnas konstruktion av mening och vardagskunskap beträffande förskolan som pedagogisk praktik. Fokus för den empiriska studien är hur delad kunskap om förskolan genereras och artikuleras av lärare som arbetar i förskolan. Den teoretiska ramen tar sin utgångspunkt i teorin om sociala representationer. Studien syftar till att svara på frågor om innehåll och teman i lärarnas samtal samt lyfta fram de kommunikativa resurser som används av deltagarna när de skapar en gemensam förståelse av vardagsarbetet i förskolan. Empirin i föreliggande studie utgörs av diskussioner i fokusgrupper. Sju grupper med sammanlagt 45 deltagare deltog i dessa fokusgruppsintervjuer. Resultatet visar att lärares samtal om förskolans yrkespraktik inkluderar underliggande sociala representationer. Ett antagande som är centralt i studien är att representationerna ligger till grund för hur arbetet organiseras och genomförs. Deltagarna i studien var arbetskamrater och deras diskussioner tog sin utgångspunkt i stimulusmaterial som jag tillhandahöll i syfte att stimulera diskussionen. En analys av data visar att lärarna utvecklar delade kunskapssystem vilket inkluderar olika, sinsemellan motsatta idéer och värderingar av förskolan som pedagogisk praktik. Begreppet relationella kategorier bidrar till att lyfta fram och synliggöra dessa motsatta idéer. De skall dock betraktas med utgångspunkt i ett ömsesidigt beroende och i relation till varandra snarare än särskiljande dikotomier. De relationella kategorierna formar kulturella antaganden utifrån vilka människor tänker och talar. Att tala utifrån en position innebär således att vi tar något för givet. Analysen resulterade i ett flertal relationella kategorier vilka tycks ha inverkan på lärares tal om sin praktik. I studien beskrivs även förankringsprocesser och kommunikativa resurser som deltagarna använder för att skapa gemensam förståelse för vardagsarbetet i förskolan. Resultatet visar att lärarna ger uttryck för två, sinsemellan olika, sociala representationer av förskolan som pedagogisk praktik: Förskolan som en plats för alla och Förskolan som en plats för några. Dessa båda representationer innefattar skilda representationer av barn och barns kompetenser, lärarens yrkesroll samt förskolans roll i samhället. Begreppet cognitive polyphasia bidrar tillatt belysa och beskriva relationen mellan stabil och föränderlig kunskap samt hur det kommer sig att lärarnas sociala representationer av förskolan framstår som ambivalenta och i viss mån t.o.m. motsägelsefulla. Studien bidrar till en fördjupad förståelse för den komplexa och dynamiska kunskap som involverar lärarens konstruktion av mening beträffande förskolan som pedagogisk praktik. Teorin om sociala representationer möjliggör analys och beskrivning av denna komplexitet. / A majority of Swedish children take part in preschool activities. This indicates that the pre-school environment plays an important role in children’s everyday experiences. However, what happens in the preschool is largely based on fundamental values and ideas in society as well as those held among teachers. The study aims to describe and analyze teachers’ constructions of meaning and common sense knowledge concerning preschool as a pedagogical practice. It focuses on how shared knowledge of preschool practice is articulated and generated by teachers. The theoretical framework is the theory of social representations. The study investigates the content in teachers’ talk as well as communicative resources used when discussing their everyday work. The empirical data has been obtained from seven focus group discussions with a total of 45 participants. The participants in the groups were colleagues and they were given material to support their discussions. The results indicate that teachers’ discussions about their daily practice include underlying social representations. Analyses of data show that the teachers develop shared knowledge systems. This indicates that teachers have contradictory ideas and values about preschool as a pedagogical practice. The analytical concept of ‘relational categories’ draws attention to these contradictory ideas as mutually interdependent, where one point of view makes sense only in terms of the other. Several relational categories were identified in the teachers’ talk. The study also gives support to the process of anchoring, showing how communicative resources are used by the participants to create a common understanding of everyday work. The results suggest two different social representations of preschool as a pedagogical practice: Preschool as a place for everyone and Preschool as a place for just a few. Hopefully, this study will increase our knowledge of teachers’ constructions of meaning in relation to preschool as a pedagogical practice. The theory of social representations enables analysis and descriptions of this complexity.

Daily use of inhaled preventer medication is recommended for most people with asthma. However, research suggests many do not adhere to this regime. The current thesis comprises two research studies utilising the common-sense model of self-regulation as the theoretical basis to explore how people make decisions about inhaled preventer use in asthma. The purpose of Study One was to compare a self-report and an objective measure of adherence to preventer medication for asthma and to examine the illness representations and treatment beliefs associated with these measures. Accordingly, 1,936 U.K. General Practice patients who were using preventer medication for asthma completed a questionnaire assessing illness and medication perceptions and gave consent for information to be obtained from their medical records. Adherence to preventer medication was calculated from the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and an objective measure, the proportion of prescribed medication that the participant collected over the previous year. Results show that nearly nine out of ten participants (88.4%) reported some non-adherence to their preventer medication. The most common form of non-adherence was using preventer inhaler only when feeling breathless. The relationships between participants’ representations of their asthma and their beliefs about their preventer medication and adherence measures were tested using structural equation modelling. Seeing asthma as a condition that was not present when asymptomatic was associated with more non-adherence (β=.22 p<.001) and also with collecting a smaller proportion of prescribed preventer medication over the past year (β=-.15, p<.001). Seeing asthma as an acute condition, as a condition without serious consequences, and as a condition that could not be controlled by treatment were also representations associated with non-adherence. Those who did not see the need for preventer medication at all, or did not see the need for preventer medication when asymptomatic were more likely to be non-adherent. The relationship between illness representations and self-report adherence was mediated by the belief that medication was necessary. Having identified a number of key beliefs that were associated with use of preventer medication in asthma, Study Two explored the way in which these beliefs may be developed through the process of appraisal of the influence of medication use on symptom experience. Using quantitative methods, 77 patients from a New Zealand General Practice completed a questionnaire measuring the reasons for experimenting and stopping medication, illness representations and treatment beliefs. Thirty percent of the sample reported actively experimenting with their medication. These participants were more likely to hold the belief that medication did not help in the absence of symptoms (Mann-Whitney U=343.5, p<.05) and to report trying to avoid thinking about asthma (Mann-Whitney U=330.5, p<.05). Fifty-one of the participants were subsequently interviewed about their experiences with using medication and transcripts of these interviews were subjected to a qualitative analysis. Participants’ responses suggested that the process of appraising whether medication is necessary was influenced by the match between what the participant expects to happen when using the medication and what actually does happen. The process of deciding when medication is necessary is influenced by the threshold at which medication is deemed to be necessary and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is stopped. These findings have implications for the development of interventions to improve adherence to preventer medication for asthma. They suggest that a key component of self-management education is educating patients about the nature of asthma as a chronic condition that is present even in the absence of symptoms. Additionally, they provide evidence that many patients are involved in an active process of appraising the success of their medication. Health professionals should be aware of that this process is likely to be influenced by patients’ expectations of medication, the level of symptoms at which they believe action is required to control asthma and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is discontinued. Future research could take the form of a randomised controlled intervention to assess whether discussion of these factors with patients could improve quality of life for people with asthma. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

Daily use of inhaled preventer medication is recommended for most people with asthma. However, research suggests many do not adhere to this regime. The current thesis comprises two research studies utilising the common-sense model of self-regulation as the theoretical basis to explore how people make decisions about inhaled preventer use in asthma. The purpose of Study One was to compare a self-report and an objective measure of adherence to preventer medication for asthma and to examine the illness representations and treatment beliefs associated with these measures. Accordingly, 1,936 U.K. General Practice patients who were using preventer medication for asthma completed a questionnaire assessing illness and medication perceptions and gave consent for information to be obtained from their medical records. Adherence to preventer medication was calculated from the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and an objective measure, the proportion of prescribed medication that the participant collected over the previous year. Results show that nearly nine out of ten participants (88.4%) reported some non-adherence to their preventer medication. The most common form of non-adherence was using preventer inhaler only when feeling breathless. The relationships between participants’ representations of their asthma and their beliefs about their preventer medication and adherence measures were tested using structural equation modelling. Seeing asthma as a condition that was not present when asymptomatic was associated with more non-adherence (β=.22 p<.001) and also with collecting a smaller proportion of prescribed preventer medication over the past year (β=-.15, p<.001). Seeing asthma as an acute condition, as a condition without serious consequences, and as a condition that could not be controlled by treatment were also representations associated with non-adherence. Those who did not see the need for preventer medication at all, or did not see the need for preventer medication when asymptomatic were more likely to be non-adherent. The relationship between illness representations and self-report adherence was mediated by the belief that medication was necessary. Having identified a number of key beliefs that were associated with use of preventer medication in asthma, Study Two explored the way in which these beliefs may be developed through the process of appraisal of the influence of medication use on symptom experience. Using quantitative methods, 77 patients from a New Zealand General Practice completed a questionnaire measuring the reasons for experimenting and stopping medication, illness representations and treatment beliefs. Thirty percent of the sample reported actively experimenting with their medication. These participants were more likely to hold the belief that medication did not help in the absence of symptoms (Mann-Whitney U=343.5, p<.05) and to report trying to avoid thinking about asthma (Mann-Whitney U=330.5, p<.05). Fifty-one of the participants were subsequently interviewed about their experiences with using medication and transcripts of these interviews were subjected to a qualitative analysis. Participants’ responses suggested that the process of appraising whether medication is necessary was influenced by the match between what the participant expects to happen when using the medication and what actually does happen. The process of deciding when medication is necessary is influenced by the threshold at which medication is deemed to be necessary and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is stopped. These findings have implications for the development of interventions to improve adherence to preventer medication for asthma. They suggest that a key component of self-management education is educating patients about the nature of asthma as a chronic condition that is present even in the absence of symptoms. Additionally, they provide evidence that many patients are involved in an active process of appraising the success of their medication. Health professionals should be aware of that this process is likely to be influenced by patients’ expectations of medication, the level of symptoms at which they believe action is required to control asthma and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is discontinued. Future research could take the form of a randomised controlled intervention to assess whether discussion of these factors with patients could improve quality of life for people with asthma. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

Daily use of inhaled preventer medication is recommended for most people with asthma. However, research suggests many do not adhere to this regime. The current thesis comprises two research studies utilising the common-sense model of self-regulation as the theoretical basis to explore how people make decisions about inhaled preventer use in asthma. The purpose of Study One was to compare a self-report and an objective measure of adherence to preventer medication for asthma and to examine the illness representations and treatment beliefs associated with these measures. Accordingly, 1,936 U.K. General Practice patients who were using preventer medication for asthma completed a questionnaire assessing illness and medication perceptions and gave consent for information to be obtained from their medical records. Adherence to preventer medication was calculated from the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and an objective measure, the proportion of prescribed medication that the participant collected over the previous year. Results show that nearly nine out of ten participants (88.4%) reported some non-adherence to their preventer medication. The most common form of non-adherence was using preventer inhaler only when feeling breathless. The relationships between participants’ representations of their asthma and their beliefs about their preventer medication and adherence measures were tested using structural equation modelling. Seeing asthma as a condition that was not present when asymptomatic was associated with more non-adherence (β=.22 p<.001) and also with collecting a smaller proportion of prescribed preventer medication over the past year (β=-.15, p<.001). Seeing asthma as an acute condition, as a condition without serious consequences, and as a condition that could not be controlled by treatment were also representations associated with non-adherence. Those who did not see the need for preventer medication at all, or did not see the need for preventer medication when asymptomatic were more likely to be non-adherent. The relationship between illness representations and self-report adherence was mediated by the belief that medication was necessary. Having identified a number of key beliefs that were associated with use of preventer medication in asthma, Study Two explored the way in which these beliefs may be developed through the process of appraisal of the influence of medication use on symptom experience. Using quantitative methods, 77 patients from a New Zealand General Practice completed a questionnaire measuring the reasons for experimenting and stopping medication, illness representations and treatment beliefs. Thirty percent of the sample reported actively experimenting with their medication. These participants were more likely to hold the belief that medication did not help in the absence of symptoms (Mann-Whitney U=343.5, p<.05) and to report trying to avoid thinking about asthma (Mann-Whitney U=330.5, p<.05). Fifty-one of the participants were subsequently interviewed about their experiences with using medication and transcripts of these interviews were subjected to a qualitative analysis. Participants’ responses suggested that the process of appraising whether medication is necessary was influenced by the match between what the participant expects to happen when using the medication and what actually does happen. The process of deciding when medication is necessary is influenced by the threshold at which medication is deemed to be necessary and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is stopped. These findings have implications for the development of interventions to improve adherence to preventer medication for asthma. They suggest that a key component of self-management education is educating patients about the nature of asthma as a chronic condition that is present even in the absence of symptoms. Additionally, they provide evidence that many patients are involved in an active process of appraising the success of their medication. Health professionals should be aware of that this process is likely to be influenced by patients’ expectations of medication, the level of symptoms at which they believe action is required to control asthma and the speed at which symptoms return if medication is discontinued. Future research could take the form of a randomised controlled intervention to assess whether discussion of these factors with patients could improve quality of life for people with asthma. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.