The study explored how the use of Emojis – beyond being used just as playful joke markers and tone-setters – shape culture and identity within a community of practice. Through the means of two qualitative Focus Group interviews involving ten members from a local soccer team, the purpose was to examine in-depth participants’ motivations for using Emojis, and their feelings about the Emojis that they receive both within and outside their community. Results showed that Emojis – irrespective of shape – are understood as signs representing an individual’s inner positive energy and good will; when such signs are used regularly within a community, this contributes to that the community culture emerge as positive and friendly. Expanding on these findings, results also illustrated that Emojis are perceived as symbols of likeness towards the group and that they contribute to the shaping of open and permissive culture in which emotions are allowed to flow freely – an effect which seem to be transferred to their offline environment too. Drawing from theories of Cultural Psychology and Cultural Semiotics, the thesis presents an innovative view of Emojis as both products as well as producers of culture; products because they are graphic representations of emotions which become meaningful cultural signs when posted online, and producers because they affect members’ perception of reality within the community of practice. The thesis also conclude that the use of Emojis is closely linked to personality and identity; as identities are continuously shaped through the symbolic association of Emojis, this affect not only how members of a community perceive the individuals using them, but also how we perceive the community in which these identities circulate and operate. This finding paved the way for interesting future studies on personal identity building through Emoji use.

Genom fallet QlikTech ger denna uppsats en aktuell inblick i hur kunskapshantering kan hanteras i en kunskapsintensiv kontext. Medarbetare har i dag möjligheter att samarbeta inom olika interaktiva digitala miljöer för att hitta och dela med sig av kunskap och erfarenheter. Denna uppsats fokuserar på att undersöka hur digitala Communitys uppkommer, växer fram och integreras för att uppnå global kunskapsdelning inom organisationer. Detta ses som en framgångsfaktor för att ta vara på kunskapsintensiva utvecklingsföretags kretivitet och innovationskraft.Genom ett tolkande tillvägagångssätt, analyseras åtta semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer med medarbetare på QlikTech för att undersöka hur olika informationssystem används för att stödja olika kunskaps- och kollaborationsprocesser. Intervjuerna kompletteras med observationer and dokumentanalyser för att nå djupare insikter.Resultaten tyder på att användare använder system med fördefinierade strukturer för att dokumentera officiell kunskap, och system med framväxande strukturer för informell dialog och samarbete. Olika system kompletterar varandra, då kunskap förs över mellan system. Gräsrotsinitierande informationssystem kompenserar för glappet mellan officiella IT-implementationer och sociala kommunikationsbehov.Teknologi och praktik utvecklas hand-i-hand. Då diskussioner, idéer, perspektiv och kontext kan upprätthålls i emergent social software platforms, t.ex. Salesforce.com, kan komplext problemlösande underlättas i datorstött samarbete. Dessa plattformar minimerar glappet mellan den formella och sociala kommunikationen inom communities of practice, vilket ger förutsättningar för organisatorisk lärande.På QlikTech växer digitala communitys fram organiskt över tid. Organisationer använder data- och text mining och relaterade teknologier för att brygga fragmenterade communitys för att uppnå kapacitet att nå isolerade kunskapskällor genom sökning. Organisationer kan lägga till sociala lager över dessa fragmenterade back-end-system, designade för att bilda övergripande gränssnitt mot användare som underlättar samarbete och driver på innovation inom arbetsplatsen. / This thesis provides contemporary insights how knowledge management can be approached by a knowledge-intensive organisation. Knowledge workers today have unprecedented means to collaborate in different spaces of knowledge sharing. By analysing the case of QlikTech, results indicate that knowledge management is an integral part of knowledge-intensive organisations.By adapting an interpretive approach, eight semi-structured qualitative interviews with employees at QlikTech are analysed to find out how different information systems support different knowledge and collaboration processes. The interviews are complemented by on-the-job observations and analysis of documents to reach deeper understanding.Results indicate that users use systems with predefined structures to document official knowledge, and systems with emergent structures for informal dialogue and collaboration. Different systems complement each other, as knowledge is transferred between systems. Grass root initiated information systems compensate for the gap between official technology implementations and the social communication needs.Technology and practice co-evolve. As discussions, ideas, perspectives and context can be sustained in emergent social software platforms, such as Salesforce.com, complex problem-solving can be enabled in computer-supported cooperative work. These platforms minimise the gap between the formal and social communication within communities of practice, which facilitates organisational learning.At QlikTech, digital communities emerge organically over time. Organisations can use data and text mining, natural language processing and information extraction technologies to bridge fragmented communities to gain the capabilities to access dispersed knowledge sources through search. Organisations can add a social layer of these fragmented back-end systems, designed for building cross-functional employee-facing communities that drive collaboration and accelerate innovation in the workplace.

A school community is often more than meets the eye. With more research highlighting the benefits of school-community partnerships, the notion of what constitutes community in an elementary school setting leaves much room to be further examined. In this study, community is considered through two lenses: a geographically-defined community and a sense of community defined by mutual sensibilities, goals, and practices (Weathers, 2011; Wenger, 1998). The purpose of this study was to understand faculty and staff perceptions of community in a challenged urban elementary school. A qualitative research methodology with a phenomenological approach was used in this case study. Participants included the faculty, staff, and the leadership team currently employed at an elementary school. Data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, participant conversations, observations, artifacts, and document analysis. These methods were used to capture the phenomenon and experiences of people working in and with the school. Three themes emerged from the data, describing who and what contribute to community in a challenged urban elementary school: (a) members of the community, (b) the prioritization of students at the school, and (c) the intractable problems that exist within the school, both on micro and macro levels. Based on these findings, the main conclusion was that teachers played the biggest role in prioritizing students, as they were the community members most immersed with students on a daily basis. Additional conclusions were: (a) the level of student need is high, (b) intractable problems challenge the development of community, and (c) principal and teacher turnover challenge the development of community. / Doctor of Philosophy / A school community is often more than meets the eye. With more research highlighting the benefits of school-community partnerships, the notion of what constitutes community in an elementary school setting leaves much room to be further examined. In this study, community is considered through two lenses: a geographically-defined community and a sense of community defined by mutual interests, goals, and practices. The purpose of this study was to understand faculty and staff perceptions of community in a challenged urban elementary school. I conducted my research at an elementary school in the Southeastern part of the United States. I focused on the faculty, staff, and the leadership team at the elementary school. I interviewed faculty and staff, had conversations, observed within the school, took photos, and examined documents that helped me better understand the school and its community. In my findings, I described who and what contribute to community: (a) members of the community, (b) the prioritization of students at the school, and (c) the intractable problems that exist within the school. The main conclusion in this study was that teachers played the biggest role in prioritizing students, as they were the community members most immersed with students on a daily basis. Additional conclusions were: (a) the level of student need is high, (b) intractable problems challenge the development of community, and (c) principal and teacher turnover challenge the development of community.

The goal of this research project was to determine the content of the discourse occurring in grade-level meetings and coaching sessions and participants' perceptions of how the conversations in these two venues impacted learning and practice for individual teachers. Learning Forward's Standard for Professional Learning (2001) recommended that teachers organize into learning communities providing continuous learning opportunities to enhance adult learning and collaboration. Little (2003a) found that research was lacking that described the dynamics of communities of practice that promote teacher learning. It was in the content of the discourse that a proxy for evidence was found that the actions of the instructional coaches and grade-level meetings impact teacher growth. A case study was utilized to examine these structures and processes for job-embedded professional development at a school located in the eastern United States. Research questions focused on the nature of the discourse among teachers and coaches in the grade-level meetings and in individual coaching conversations. Teachers reported what they felt that they learned in the grade-level meetings and the coaching discussions. Additionally, teachers stated what they did differently as a result of this method of professional learning occurring in grade-level meetings and coaching discussions. Finally, the school's improvement plans were compared with the conversations in the grade-level meetings and coaching sessions. Verbatim transcriptions of recordings of grade-level meetings and coaching sessions provided data which revealed categories of content, coaching roles, and patterns of discourse. The goals of the meetings and coaching were to ensure communication about school district policies and to set expectations for teacher performance and student learning. Assertions generated provided patterns of discourse that identified roles of the principal, coaches, and teachers. This investigation utilized a descriptive content discourse analysis and found support for the finding that the actions of this emerging community of practice were directed by federal, state, and local polices for teacher performance and student learning. Patterns of discourse revealed roles of administration, coaches, and teachers as they collaborated to negotiate meaning through the building of a shared repertoire. Interview data revealed that these dynamics enhanced teacher growth in many cases; however, lack of teacher input may have limited some potential opportunities. / Ed. D.

Social Learning in the workplace can encompass many things. In social environments, adults are constantly communicating with their colleagues and actually participating in an exchange of shared knowledge. As virtual learning continues to become more prominent in the workplace in an effort to help adults work and collaborate, learners will need to continually generate a network of communities to engage in practice. This study utilized the theoretical framework of Wenger's social theory of learning as a lens for identifying experiences contributing to social learning in the workplace and to what extent technological tools contributes to those collaborative learning opportunities. Qualitative methods were utilized for this study which generated themes central to "learning through collaboration", and "learning through system processes". There were also findings that related to the use of technological tools and specifically related to how they contribute to opportunities for learning. Extension Professionals including Extension Agents and State Specialists were recruited for participation. / Ph. D. / Social Learning in the workplace can encompass many things. In social environments, adults are constantly communicating with their colleagues and actually participating in an exchange of shared knowledge. As virtual learning continues to become more prominent in the workplace in an effort to help adults work and collaborate, learners will need to continually generate a network of communities to engage in practice. This study utilized the theoretical framework of Wenger’s social theory of learning as a lens for identifying experiences contributing to social learning in the workplace and to what extent technological tools contributes to those collaborative learning opportunities. Qualitative methods were utilized for this study which generated themes central to “learning through collaboration”, and “learning through system processes”. There were also findings that related to the use of technological tools and specifically related to how they contribute to opportunities for learning. Extension Professionals including Extension Agents and State Specialists were recruited for participation.

The exploratory study sought to elicit and document mathematics teachers‟ views on how they enacted the process of transition between contexts and mathematics. The study pursued to understand teachers‟ beliefs and knowledge of mathematics. A mixed methods sequential explanatory research design was employed where a quantitative phase was followed by the connecting phase and concluded through a qualitative phase involving three case studies. A purposive sample of 165 practicing teachers who had registered for a professional advancement developmental course at a university participated in the study by voluntarily completing a survey questionnaire. From this sample, three cases of individual teachers were pursued. The first two cases involved conducting in-depth interviews with the teacher who had rated sentences in the questionnaire differently while the last case involved the recording of an interview of one individual using field notes. The questionnaire sought teachers‟ biographical details (section A), their views on contexts and mathematics (section B) and their rating of sentences in a passage with regard to the mathematics embedded in the sentences (section C). Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the qualitative phase to elicit in-depth views of the teachers‟ regarding the research problem. All the instruments were tested for validity and reliability. Quantitative data gathered was analysed using frequencies, percentages, cross tabulations, bar charts and pie charts as well as the calculation of Pearson chi-square tests (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to collate teachers‟ views from which themes were drawn and related to make inferences. It was found that teachers‟ positive views about contexts and mathematics did not translate into them recognising mathematics in some mathematics potent contexts as captured in their ratings in section C of the questionnaire. Statistically significant associations were recorded to support this. The study also conceptualised a mathematical participation model (MP-model) as a tool to describe and analyse participation that involves the use of real world data in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The MP-model involves four components, viz. the community of practice (CoP), real world data, mathematics and a model in which members of the CoP tap into the real world data and mathematics to model their participation. The study recommends the MP-model as tool for description and enactment of full mathematical participation. / Mathematical Sciences / D.Litt.et. Phil. (Mathematics Education)

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore the professional preparation of students in online classes at a Christian theological seminary. Concerns of theological education involve the capacity or incapacity of community development and somatic or embodied learning in online education. Using a theoretical framework drawn from communities of practice (Wenger, 1998), professional clergical preparation (Foster, Dahill, Golemon, & Tolentino, 2005), and Gee’s (2000-2001) dimensions of identity development, the researcher focused the analyses on students’ written texts located in the discussion board fora of the online courses. These records were examined for indications of formation of the professional identity of the developing clergy, interpretation skills necessary for the clergy, performance development for activities entailed in the profession, and contextualization proficiencies for the situated enactment of the local church ministry essential in the practice of the professional clergy. The study concludes that students’ discussions evince dimensions of the development of professional identity and pastoral imagination as described in Foster, Dahill, Golemon, & Tolentino (2005). In addition, stories shared on the discussion fora, told both by the instructors and the classmates who had a range of experience in first careers or in pastoral ministry, built a shared repertoire of professional practice as inherent in a Community of Practice (Wenger,1998). The dissertation study confirms if and then identifies how graduate students in online ministerial preparation use discursive and interactive participation to identify with the professional Community of Practice of the clergy The structures of the discussion board fora, the roles of the instructor, and implications for instructional designs that may support the development of pastoral professional identity are also included. Findings demonstrated that less structured discussion prompts as well as more frequent postings stimulated more student-student interaction that built relationships. Courses that focused more on student-content interactions had less relationship building. A non-evaluative facilitation tone of the discussion fora generated a more collaborative environment. In classes that utilized a learn-by-doing approach, collaborative student discursive activity in the discussion fora supported and enhanced learning. Creative discursive activities such as case studies and role plays provided simulated experiences and spurred narrative development of shared repertoire.

Recognising water as a central relational location of the asymmetric Israel- Palestinian conflict, this study critically analyses the peacebuilding significance of Israeli, transboundary water and peace practitioner discourses. Anchored in a theoretically-constructed framework of hydropolitical peacebuilding, it discursively analyses the historical, officially-sanctioned, as well as academic and civil society water and peace relations of Israelis and Palestinians. It responds to the question: How are Israeli water and peace practitioners discursively practicing hydropolitical peacebuilding in the Middle East? In doing so, this study has drawn upon a methodology of interpretive practice, combining ethnography, foucauldian discourse analysis and narrative inquiry. This study discursively traces Israel's development into a hydrohegemonic state in the Jordan River Basin, from the late-19th century to 2011. Recognising conflict as a power-laden social system, it makes visible the construction, production and circulation of Israel's power in the basin. It examines key narrative elements invoked by Israel to justify its evolving asymmetric, hydrohegemonic relations. Leveraging the hydropolitical peacebuilding framework, itself constituted of equality, partnership, equity and shared ii sustainability, this study also examines the discursive practices of Israeli transboundary water and peace practitioners in relationship with Palestinians. In so doing, it makes visible their hydrohegemony, hydropolitical peacebuilding, and hydrohegemonic residues. This study's conclusions re-affirm earlier findings, notably that environmental and hydropolitical cooperation neither inherently nor necessarily constitute peacebuilding practice. This work also suggests that hydropolitical peacebuilding may discursively be recognised in water and peace practices that engage, critique, resist, desist from, and practice alternative relational formations to hydrohegemony in asymmetric conflicts.

The problem exists that there are no education initiatives focused on teaching and taking into practice the skills of effective interprofessional discourse in this online, asynchronous, professional environment. The purpose of this study was to examine whether it is possible for students in the health professions to learn to practice effective interprofesssional online discourse in an electronic health record. This was a mixed methods study that included both quantitative ad qualitative inquiry underpinned by post positivism and used a method triangulation research design model. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed from an educational intervention and simulated electronic health record exercise. The students' perceptions of their practice in an electronic health record did not necessarily match their knowledge and skills in this group of students. Emergent themes from the study pointed in the possible direction of perceived value of the exercise, prior experience in an electronic health record, and logistical barriers to the activity. Perceived time constraints was a particularly strong concern of the students. The emergent themes might be valuable considerations for other interprofessional programs looking to implement similar activities concerning the electronic health record.

This thesis explores a conceptual understanding of dialogue within a community of practice. It argues that meaningful conversations are at the core of critical, reflective, and analytical praxis, and that a critical understanding holds transformative possibilities for teaching and learning. Aspects of western and ethnic paradigms and their theoretical constructs, which may either enhance or hinder current practices, are identified, as are elements that arise from several case studies drawn from a large banking organisation operating out of South Africa. It is hoped that an evaluation of the research findings will provide a basis for an understanding of dialogue within a local context and that, further, it will provide a platform for extended dialogical exploration and research.