<p>In recent years child poverty has become a concern among poverty reduction advocates and social policy actors. This is evident in advocacy efforts of the National Campaign against Child Poverty (Campaign 2000), and the policies embedded within the National Children’s Agenda and the Ontario Government’s Child Poverty Reduction Strategy. In this current era of social policy, advocacy groups have changed the shape of their poverty reduction arguments to suit the current third way social policy approach (Dobrowosky and Jenson, 2004). In Hamilton a local multi-sector poverty reduction advocacy group formed in 2006, the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction (HRPR). Initially, this group chose to advocate for poverty reduction through a child centred framework. This research project examines what contributes to this social policy phenomenon as well as the potential consequences of a child focused policy response.</p> <p>The local advocacy effort of the HRPR to reduce poverty mirrors this larger trend in social policy. In the following chapters I will examine whether and how the HRPR is illustrative of this larger trend and the strengths and weakness of this advocacy approach. As well, I will explore what the implications are for women and other marginalized groups who live in poverty when social policies or programs focus solely on child poverty reduction.</p> / Master of Social Work (MSW)

The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding the effectiveness of training in problem solving management by critical analysis. The focus of the study therefore, was to determine if training in problem solving management by critical analysis would increase levels of problem analysis and judgment productivity in a group of administrators. Previous research studies indicate positive relationships between training in problem solving and improved performance of administrators in their task efforts. Twenty-six administrative and supervisory staff members in an urban school district took part in the study. Using a randomized pretest-posttest research design, subjects were divided into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group was exposed to training sessions in problem management by critical analysis based upon writings by Elbing (1978), Drake (1976), Ennis (1962) and Rickards (1974). The control group received no training. All subjects were pretested using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Form A. Following the training sessions with the experimental group, all subjects were post-tested using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Form B. The Critical Thinking Appraisal Forms A and B thus yielded a numerical score for each of the five subtests on problem analysis and judgment productivity-inference, recognition of assumptions, deduction, interpretation, and evaluation of arguments. A null hypothesis was constructed to deal with experimental and control group comparison and possible differences with the training sessions functioning as the independent variable and the post-test scores functioning as the dependent variable. To determine if gains by any group were significant, a t-test was applied to the data. The .05 level of confidence was utilized to determine if data were significant. This analysis reported a gain in problem analysis and judgmental productivity in the experimental group and none in the control group. It was therefore concluded that the gain or differences reported in the post-test results, can be directly attributed to the training sessions in problem solving management by critical analysis.

Submitted by Maria Aparecida (cidazen@gmail.com) on 2017-08-01T14:15:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Vanessa Silva Melo.pdf: 1861166 bytes, checksum: 6a6b38051e0d1f5842382f622b080abe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-01T14:15:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vanessa Silva Melo.pdf: 1861166 bytes, checksum: 6a6b38051e0d1f5842382f622b080abe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-03 / Academic studies demonstrate the importance of disclosure of inventories or reports with environmental information and overlook the question about the information quality with respect to the robustness and credibility of the report. Thus, this work aims to evaluate the GHG emission inventory profiles from GHG Protocol Program Public Register attributed to enterprises located in Maranhão as well as quantify the significance of these documents in providing clear information about the effectiveness of environmental actions towards the Climate Change scenario. It is a study with both qualitative approach, using descriptive research and bibliographic and documental procedures, through the analysis of secondary data. The analysis of evidence was developed based on the information contained in the emission inventories provided by the GHG Protocol Programme of several Companies along with other environmental information. The results of the study indicate that the inventories evaluated did not present a critical analysis, as well as opportunities for improvement in the clarity of the actions that were or were implemented for the reduction of GHG, the disclosure of inventories and the implementation of the tool as an instrument for managing emissions. / Estudos acadêmicos correlatos demonstram a importância da divulgação de inventários ou relatórios com informações ambientais e despertam para a questão da qualidade dessas informações com relação à robustez e credibilidade do relatório. Assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo examinar os perfis dos inventários de emissões de GEE do registro público do Programa GHG Protocol elaborados pelas empresas locadas no Maranhão e avalia a significância desses documentos em prestar informações claras sobre a eficácia das ações ambientais frente ao quadro das mudanças climáticas. Para tanto, este se baseia numa abordagem qualitativa, com o emprego de pesquisa do tipo descritiva e a utilização de procedimentos bibliográfico e documental, por meio de análise de conteúdo de dados secundários. A análise das evidências foi desenvolvida com base nas informações contidas nos inventários de emissões disponibilizados pelo programa GHG Protocol das empresas notadas por A, B, C, D, E, F e G juntamente com outras informações de seus desempenhos ambientais disponíveis nos sites das empresas analisadas. O resultado do estudo indica que os inventários avaliados não apresentaram uma análise crítica, bem como, foram identificadas oportunidades de melhoria na clareza das ações que estão ou foram implantadas para a redução dos GEE, na divulgação dos inventários e na efetivação da ferramenta como instrumento de gestão das emissões.

Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2017-06-07T21:36:28Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Ana Carollina de Almeida Wershing - 2017.pdf: 2264497 bytes, checksum: a168cdc3454a84a6a4a3113940e8e08a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-06-08T11:39:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Ana Carollina de Almeida Wershing - 2017.pdf: 2264497 bytes, checksum: a168cdc3454a84a6a4a3113940e8e08a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-08T11:39:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Ana Carollina de Almeida Wershing - 2017.pdf: 2264497 bytes, checksum: a168cdc3454a84a6a4a3113940e8e08a (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-24 / The present research aims to address the subject of discipline in family education, based on the Critical Theory for the explanation of the formative processes of the person. Under the method of deductive analysis, parts from philosophical and sociological conceptions related to moral formation to subsidize the development of the concept of discipline, emphasizing disciplinary educational trends from Modernity, period characterized by scientific advancement and technological innovations. Based on the observation that in the majority of modern families, especially Brazilian families, parents spend most of their daily lives at work and their children spend much of their time in schools, educational institutions or even in technological entertainments, such as television, computer, cell phone and other technologies, this factor affects the educational action carried out by the parents. Then, it proposes to analyze opinion articles related with the topic of children's education written by specialists in Psychology, Sociology and Education, the columnists Ilan Brenman and Gisela Wajskop, on the Crescer Online magazine website, between April 2013 and July 2016. Research on the role played by cultural industry artifices in modern family education points to parents' difficulty in devoting proper attention to their children and a contiguous set of rules to be followed, and indicate that feelings such as parental guilt and insecurity can influence the forms of education and formation of the children in the contemporaneity. / A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo abordar a temática da disciplina na educação familiar, tendo como alicerce a Teoria Crítica para a explicação dos processos formativos do sujeito. Sob o método de análise dedutiva, parte de concepções filosóficas e sociológicas relacionadas à formação moral para subsidiar o desenvolvimento do conceito de disciplina, enfatizando tendências educacionais disciplinares a partir da Modernidade, período que se caracteriza pelo avanço científico e inovações tecnológicas. A partir da constatação que em grande parte das famílias modernas, em especial as brasileiras, os pais destinam a maior parte de seu cotidiano ao trabalho e os filhos passam grande parte do tempo em escolas, instituições educacionais, ou até mesmo, perante entretenimentos tecnológicos, tais como, televisão, computador, celular e similares, este fator que afeta a ação educativa efetuada pelos pais. Em seguida, propõe analisar artigos de opinião que abordam o tema da educação dos filhos escritos por especialistas em Psicologia, Sociologia e Educação, os colunistas Ilan Brenman e Gisela Wajskop, no site da Revista Crescer online, no período entre abril de 2013 e julho de 2016. A investigação sobre a função desempenhada pelos artifícios da indústria cultural na educação familiar moderna, assinala a dificuldade dos pais em dedicar a devida atenção aos filhos e um contíguo de regras a serem cumpridas e indicam que sentimentos, tais como, insegurança e culpa parentais podem influenciar as formas de educação e formação dos filhos na contemporaneidade.

Does Yahweh exist? What is the ontological status of Yahweh-as-depicted in the Old Testament texts? Is the deity merely a character of fiction or does He also exist in extra-textual reality? According to the viewpoint of the devil’s advocate whose perspective on the issue is articulated in this thesis, the answer to the question is simply, no – Yahweh does not exist. He may seem real to those who believe in him and in the world of the text but he has no extra-textual and extra-psychical counterpart. To prove such a controversial claim, the philosophy of religion has been utilised as auxiliary discipline within Old Testament studies in the form of philosophicalcritical analysis (philosophical criticism / philosophy of Old Testament religion). A devil’s advocate's case against realism in Old Testament theology has been reconstructed in the form of seven arguments against the existence of Yahweh. According to the argument from theological pluralism, one element of the depiction of Yahweh in the text that is rather suspicious is the fact that Yahweh is characterised in ways that blatantly contradict each other. Both synchronic and diachronic perspectives on the theological contradictions suggest that there is no coherent biblical view of what Yahweh is actually like, what his will is and what he supposedly did. This deconstructs realism since the same actually existing entity cannot have discrepant attributes, hold mutually exclusive moral beliefs and have a history of both doing something and not doing the same thing at the same time. From the perspective of the argument from unorthodox theology, it is apparent that Yahweh is often depicted in ways most unorthodox from the point of view of Christian philosophical theology. Some texts appear to suggest he may not be eternal, single, omnipotent, omniscient, precognisant, immutable, omnipresent or wholly uninvolved in the actualisation of evil. If there is a God and if this God has all the attributes assigned to him by popular classical Christian philosophical theology, it follows that unorthodox depictions of Yahweh must be fictitious. In the view of the argument from polymorphic projection, everything about the god Yahweh appears suspiciously all-too-human. What Yahweh believes about the world, his self-talk, what he considers morally right and wrong and the way in which his own abode is run are all uncannily similar to the worldview and superstitions of the Iron Age Levant. The divine variables never transcend this all-too-local and all-too-cultural matrix and even change along with it. This unmasks Yahweh as ananthropomorphic, sociomorphic and sychomorphic projection – a character of fiction who does not exist outside the minds of those who created him in their image. The argument from mythology and syncretism demonstrates that the discourse of Yahweh’s religion and the sacred stories and poems in which he features contain numerous parallels to the myths, legends, folklore and superstitions found in other pagan religions. There are also marked traces of syncretism between the cult and theology of Yahweh and the ideologies of the Israelites' neighbours which, in each case, predates Yahwism. This suggests that Yahweh’s ontological status may very well not be all that different from that of El, Baal, Zeus or Maduk. From the perspective of the argument from fictitious cosmography, the world in the text where Yahweh is depicted as existing, acting and in which his abode is located and of which he is the creator, does not exist. Yahweh’s world and his worldview are demonstrably fictitious. Since the Old Testament depicts Yahweh as being “up there” in the sky and since we know that he is demonstrably not there, Yahweh-as-depicted stands unmasked as a character of fiction. The argument from fictitious history asserts that the Old Testament is filled with historical fiction. For a variety of reasons, it can be demonstrated that many of the depictions of supposed historical scenarios are completely fictitious in that they never happened in the way the details of the accounts imply were the case. Since what was intended as history is actually fiction and no god literally appeared, acted and spoke as Yahweh is depicted as doing, it follows that Yahweh as thus depicted is a character of fiction. He does not exist. Finally, the argument from meta-textual history shows that, on the one hand, the all-too-recent and all-too-local origins of the worship of Yahweh on a historical and cosmic scale unmask it as a wholly human enterprise. On the other hand, the Old Testament texts themselves have all-too-human origins rather than being the result of actual divine revelation. The Old Testament appears not to be the Word of God but human words about an allegedly existing deity. The development of Yahwism and its derivatives (Judaism and Christianity) seems not to have been determined by progressive revelation but by socio-cultural paradigm shifts and a history of repressed anti-realist tendencies. From such a meta-textual historical perspective it becomes obvious that Yahweh-as-depicted in the text is indeed no more than a product of human ideological imagination. In other words, he does not really exist. Though not all seven of these devil’s advocate’s arguments may be equally devastating when viewed in isolation, in the form of a cumulative argument against realism, they constitute seemingly irrefutable proof that Yahweh-as-depicted in the text does not exist. Consequently, realism collapses not only in Old Testament theology but also in any form of theism somehow related to, rooted in and/or dependent on realism in its discourse. / Thesis (PhD (Old Testament Science))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Old Testament Studies / unrestricted

This master thesis is concerned with the risks associated with the process of selling and buying real estate. Lists of potential risks followed by a critical analysis which describes not only the risks but also will solve their minimization or complete removal. Risks will be monitored in terms owners and buyers of the properties.

Little attention has been paid in Canadian Child Welfare research to the role that training plays in engaging new workers as they enter the complex role of child protection. Focusing on learning principles such as child neglect and working with an ethno-racial Other, it was important to understand what workers took away from their engagement in training and how this was implemented in practice. A mixed methods approach using critical analysis of the OACAS Handouts was used to inform the Semi Structured Interviews conducted with frontline C.A.S. workers. Critical Race Analysis provides theoretical foundation to understand how the ethno-racial other is perceived and enacted in discourse that workers take away into practice. Findings suggest that C.A.S. workers have a conflicted view of training due to the nature and context in which they practice. Aside from the benefits of training, workers have a lot to say about how it could be structured in order to benefit practice. Workers also have complex and conflicting views on neglect, some of which are learned through training and then exacerbated through practice. Workers practice principles on engaging with an ethno-racial other was not influenced through training, but through their own learning processes as influenced by practice and earlier education. These factors relating to child welfare workers can help influence future training within C.A.S. organizations across Canada. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a functional definition of adequacy synthesized from the application of efficiency (E), equality/equity/dignity (EED), and excellence/quality (EQ) value clusters found in various state litigations pertaining to the financial systems used to distribute educational opportunity. Questions researched in this study were (a) In what manner might the tension of the paradoxical demands of community responsibility and individual rights housed within the principle of liberty be used creatively in the development of public policy? (b) How do the value clusters inherent in democracy allow for balance and affect the provision of adequate educational opportunity? (c) Using value critical analysis, how does funding litigation clarify the search for the meaning of adequate educational opportunity? (d) What themes appear throughout these cases that may be used to build consensus for the development of policy frameworks and the evaluation of present funding systems designed to provide adequate educational opportunity in a particular time and place? As an examination of policy, legal research was used to analyze litigation in cases in which the provision of educational opportunity was challenged based on the terms of art under girding standards established for the delivery of public education. This study was implemented in five stages: 1. Values clusters to be examined were selected through the review of the history of educational opportunity in this nation and current literature addressing public values and education policy. 2. Through the examination of the paradox within the principle of liberty that guarantees individual rights and requires community responsibility, consideration was given to the creative tension, both principled and structural, that laid the foundation for and continues to drive the democratic process. 3. The role that policy development plays in establishing balance was outlined, noting the argumentation process used to transform knowledge through values, to create the framework necessary to take consistent action. 4. Value critical analysis examined the definition given to values clusters of efficiency (E), equality/equity/dignity (EED), and excellence/quality (EQ) as found in court cases adjudicated in the last fifty years affecting the provision of educational opportunities. Litigation was analyzed, considering the standards established for the delivery of public education in state constitutions, the value given to the terms of art underpinning those standards, and the definitions for those terms as established by the courts. 5. Using the information gleaned, a policy framework was developed to structure adequate educational opportunity for all children. / Ph. D.

Cette recherche, propose de désolidariser la notion de leadership de son ancrage idéologique traditionnel, et de tenter de le redéfinir par l'élaboration et l'abstraction d'une théorie substantive dite du leadership territorial. Suivant une démarche en 3 étapes, ce travail ambitionne tout d'abord de déconstruire la littérature orthodoxe du leadership par son analyse critique, puis d'observer la légitimité du territoire comme espace d'étude adapté à cette fin. Dans un deuxième temps, il interroge de manière réflexive, l'émergence d'une vérité dans le discours scientifique comme parallèle archétypal au phénomène de leadership territorial. Enfin, en conséquence de quoi, il redéfinit les moyens nécessaires à l'étude et la compréhension du leadership, par la proposition de l'adaptation d'une méthode de type théorie ancrée dite glaserienne ou classique, ne s'appuyant volontairement que sur un recueil de données ouvertes issues de verbatim de débats autour de grands projets territoriaux. Ce dernier est alors proposé comme fragment fondateur d'une redéfinition du leadership. Par cette démarche, ce travail ambitionne de minimiser les différents biais identifiés dans l'analyse critique de la littérature et particulièrement solidaire de l'étude du leadership : la réflexivité, la performativité et la circularité de la recherche. Parallèlement, ce travail ambitionne d'orienter les managers et praticiens, vers de nouveaux modes d'analyse et de diagnostic du leadership qu'ouvre potentiellement cette démarche. Enfin ce travail suggère en discussion et conclusion, les perspectives qu'envisage cette désolidarisation du leadership de son ancrage gnoséologique traditionnel. / This research proposes to separate the concept of leadership from its ideological roots, and to try to redefine the development and abstraction of a substantive theory of the so-called territorial leadership. Following a three-step approach, this work aims firstly to deconstruct the orthodox leadership literature with a critical analysis of the latter, then to observe the legitimacy of the territory as an area of study suited for this purpose. Secondly, it asks reflexively, the emergence of truth in scientific discourse as archetypal parallel to the phenomenon of territorial leadership. Finally, as a result, it redefines the means necessary for the study and understanding of leadership: by the proposed adaptation of a classical glaserian's grounded theory, with an intentionally exclusive collection of open data from debate's verbatim about major regional projects. This leads to the development of a territorial leadership's substantive theory. The latter is then proposed as a foundered fragment of a leadership's redefinition. Through this approach, this work aims to minimize various biases identified in the critical analysis of literature and particularly attached to the study of leadership: reflexivity, performativity and circularity of research. Meanwhile, this work aims to guide managers and practitioners to new modes of analysis and diagnosis, potentially opened up by this leadership's approach. Finally, this work suggests as discussion and conclusion, the prospects envisaged by the separation of leadership from its traditional epistemological anchors.

Abstract The disquiet around parent-school relationships is the focus of this study. During transitioning to high school, the boundaries around this relationship changes. Few studies have addressed these changes, particularly from parents’ perspectives. It is parents’ voices which are central to this study. This dissertation uses the standpoint of parents, which is often absent or silent in educational literature and research. Within a critical and constructivist paradigm, and influenced by Institutional Ethnography, two elementary schools (divergent in race, social class, ethnicity and immigrant status) and one high school are the sites for interviews with 14 parents and 13 educators. 11 parents were re-interviewed after their children entered high school. Four questions were addresses: How has parent involvement come to be understood? How is the parent-school relationship experienced by parents and educators? How and why are decisions made around the transition and school choice process? Do parents’ perceptions align/vary from those of educators? Based on historically constructed notions and assumptions, parent involvement is usually understood as a visible and public demonstration of appropriate and caring parenting ignoring interactions outside of the public’s gaze. Illustrated through Parent Council membership, parent involvement is gendered, classed, culturally related and race, ethnic and immigrant status specific. Some parents had more social, cultural, economic and emotional capital to bring to the transition process, while others were marginalized and had to rely on/trust the education system. School and Board policies and procedures were examined and their varied affects on parents’ experiences and choices analysed. Educators assisted in disseminating assumptions around parent-school relationships and contributed to inequitable parent knowledge, partially as a result of too little training. By examining social, economic and cultural positioning of parents within local school communities, positive parent-school relationships can be nurtured, which political pundits and educationalists have failed to accomplish. During transitioning, organization and social discontinuities contributed to parent and school disconnects and constructed borderlands in the parent-child-school relationship. This study evidenced the fragility of the parent-school relationship, especially during this vulnerable time for parents and thus, reflective questions are presented in hope of initiating a crucial conversation in local school communities.