This study analyses the development of health care in Haiti as it has emerged from a syncretic cultural background. The historical bases of the social and cultural practices surrounding health and illness are described as four separately developing but interacting strands--domestic medicine, mercantile medicine, official medicine and Creole medicine. The thesis interprets this heterogeneity of health-care beliefs and practices using the theoretical concept of a disemic culture, in which diverse cultural codes interact, to provide occasions for the situational negotiation of health care. / Case studies of domestic groups suggest that the domestic unit is the determining factor of health status, and the necessary focus for health development policy. The resources of the health care system outside the domestic unit are shown to contribute little to the health status of the population.

According to Metheny (1965), people's impressions of the acceptability of sport for women varies across several factors, including culture and gender. In this study, 206 prospective physical education teachers from Canada and Kenya were questioned about their perceptions of gender appropriateness of various sports. They completed Likert-type questionnaires related to sport/physical activities found in their respective university curricula. For those sports that appeared in both countries, responses were compared (2 x 2 ANOVA) for effects of culture and gender. Gender differences were also addressed within each culture. / Results revealed that Canadian respondents perceived fewer sports to be on the extremes of the male-female continuum than did the Kenyan respondents. Females in both cultures considered more sports to be appropriate for both male and female participation than did their male counterparts. However, Canadian and Kenyan respondents, both male and female, unanimously perceived some sports to be primarily appropriate for males and others primarily appropriate for females. / The study supports Metheny's contention of cultural variance in perceptions of the gender appropriateness of sports. Although many sports that had been considered inappropriate for females in 1964 are today considered to be androgynous, especially by Canadians, some gender stereotyping still remains to be overcome. Implications for physical education teachers are suggested.

Syfte och utgångspunkt:    Att utifrån fyra organisationer undersöka faktorer som är viktiga för arbete med expatriering och att använda Mendenhall, Dunbar och Oddous modell som inspiration för att skapa en egen modell med faktorer värdefulla för en expatrieringsprocess.   Forskningsresan:                 Utifrån referensram samt ett empiriskt resultat av intervjuer identifieras fyra kategorier, betydelse av att ta med familjen, mentorskap och stöd, anpassning till kultur och karriärplanering. Det empiriska resultatet samt referensramen är sedan grunden till analys och slutsats.   Slutsats:                              I slutsatsen presenteras betydelsefulla faktorer för utgången av studiens syfte.   Dessa faktorer används sedan i den modell författarna skapat. Modellen visar hur behovet av de fyra kategorierna är beroende av den planerade utlandsstationeringens längd.   Metod:                                Författarna av studien utgår från en kvalitativ ansats med djupintervjuer som metod. Det empiriska resultatet baseras på det material som framkommit genom djupintervjuer med  respondenterna från de fyra organisationerna. / Purpose and starting point: That based on a study with four organizations identify factors that are important to work with regarding expatriation and to use Mendenhall, Dunbar and Oddous model as inspiration to create a separate model with factors of value to an expatriation process.   Research - Journey:            Based on the framework and the empirical results of the interviews identify four categories: importance of including family, mentoring and support, adaptation to culture and career planning. The empirical results and the reference frame is the base for analysis and conclusion.   Conclusion                          The conclusion presents significant factors for the outcome of the study's purpose. These factors are then used in the model, which the authors created. The model shows how the need for the four categories depends on the planned length of expatriation.   Method:                              The authors of the study base the study on a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews as a method. The empirical result is based on the material obtained through interviews with respondents from the four organizations.

First year college student retention is important to colleges and universities nationwide (Bean, 2005). Most of the research on retention focuses on self-report data collected from students after they withdraw from the institution. The present study focuses, instead, on student stories about school, as well as at and about “home” during their first semester. The experiences of students who transition from high school to college are sometimes likened to those of individuals who enter a new culture for the first time. Thus, this dissertation is grounded in cross-cultural adaptation theory (Kim, 1988, 2001), which posits that successful adaptation occurs via a stress-adaption-growth dynamic and a gradual process of acculturation toward the new environment and simultaneous deculturation from the previous environment. Stories—in the form of in-class free writing assignments—were collected from 264 first-year college students three times during their first semester. These assignments were designed to capture students’ perceptions about their experiences and interactions at school, as well as their experiences and messages to, from, and about “home” as they evolved over the course of the semester. A thematic analysis revealed the majority of stories about events at school were negative and an overwhelming majority of the stories about events at home were positive. A longitudinal comparative analysis revealed no decrease in the percentage of negative stories about experiences and interactions at or about school. Moreover, stories focused on positive school related experiences decreased over time while stories about positive experiences at or about home gradually increased over the course of the semester. For students who did not enroll for spring semester, the results were similar but more dramatic. A large percentage of non-returners were female, about half were first generation college students, and a majority reported “home” as less than 100 miles from the university. More research ought to focus on what goes on during a student’s first year of college to better understand reasons for withdrawing. In doing so, college and university professionals will be able to work more effectively with high school officials, parents, and students to achieve success once they graduate from high school.

Counseling Psychology has emphasized the importance of using multicultural and social justice frameworks in psychotherapy to avoid reenacting in session the privilege and oppression dynamics that exist in larger society. People of Color have historically underutilized psychotherapy services and have higher attrition rates when they do attend therapy, even though they have been more likely to face more sources of psychological distress (Kearney, Draper, & Baron, 2005; Sue & Sue, 2008). Additionally, White therapists have been over-represented in professional and training settings (Fouad & Arredondo, 2007; Hays & Chang, 2003). Add to that the fact that therapists have been trained in and practice psychotherapy theories developed primarily by White men and you have a system of counseling that works for some and not all. Thus, White therapists could be at risk for harming their clients of Color, and possibly their White clients as well, because of the utilization of these Euro-centrically biased ways of conceptualizing and treating clients (Mindrup, Spray, & Lamberghini-West, 2011). In this study, I examined the impact of therapist-reported White privilege attitudes on client-reported counseling outcomes and the therapeutic relationship. Participating therapists (N = 36) were recruited from a community mental health agency in the southeast and administered measures of White privilege attitudes, multicultural knowledge and awareness, and motivation to control prejudiced reactions. Outcome and therapeutic relationship data from clients of participating therapists, seen between fall 2012 and fall 2013 semesters, were provided by the agency. Therapist self-reported White privilege attitudes were not directly predictive of therapy outcomes and the therapeutic alliance. Therapists’ willingness to confront White privilege, White privilege remorse, and apprehension about addressing White privilege moderated the effects first session outcome scores and client gender had on number of sessions attended by clients. Client race/ethnicity was not directly predictive of therapy outcome scores or therapeutic alliance scores. However, client race/ethnicity varied significantly across therapists, suggesting that therapists were differentially effective. Results of this study indicate that therapist White privilege awareness has an effect on outcomes and the therapeutic alliance, although the relationship is complicated. Study limitations, strengths, and implication for future research are discussed.

Because of an increase in food insecurity over the past decade, the U.S. and many developing countries are focusing efforts on issues relating to child hunger. School feeding programs have been in existence for roughly 220 years but modifications have been made over the years to improve the quality of food they serve. Little research has been conducted about adult perceptions of school feeding programs and the impact it has on the community in the U.S. as well as developing countries such as Ghana, West Africa. Because of the gap in literature on school feeding programs and adult perceptions about school feeding programs, the purpose of this study was to examine adult perspectives on school feeding programs in the U.S. and Ghana rural, mountainous communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in two communities with similar community characteristics. Semi-structured interviews examined adult perceptions regarding school feeding impact on kindergarten student attendance, learning, behavior and community impact. The sample size for this study was N=41. Grounded theory provided the framework for data analysis from which a paradigm model was developed. This paradigm model provides a visual representation of the relationships among causal conditions, phenomenon, context, intervening conditions, action/interaction strategies and consequences.

I en tid när globaliseringen ökar och det blir allt vanligare att organisationer använder multinationella projektteam, så det finns goda skäl att fördjupa sig i hur dessa team kan ledas på bästa sätt. Syftet med den här studien är att utforska hur projektledare tillämpar ledarskapsstrategier för att hantera och dra nytta av pluralismen i projekt med multinationella projektgrupper. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien är de tre strategier för att leda multinationella team som identifierats av Chevrier (2003): låt-gå-ledarskap, relationsorientering och gemensam yrkes- eller organisationskultur. Grunddragen i de respektive strategierna är att lämna det upp till projektmedlemmarna att på egen hand att överbrygga barriärerna; att främja utveckling av relationer och ömsesidigt acceptabla rutiner; att förlita sig på redan etablerade yrkes- eller organisationskulturer. Resultatet har även relaterats till bilden av norsk ledarstil i befintlig teori; en ledarstil som präglas av jämlikhet, kollektivism och konsensus. Det empiriska underlaget för studien har samlats in med hjälp av semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Intervjupersonerna var projektledare verksamma inom ett norskt företag med verksamhet i stora delar av världen. Resultaten visar att det främst är den relationsorienterade strategin (Chevrier 2003) som används i den undersökta kontexten. Användningen av den relationsorienterade strategin är starkt kongruent med beskrivningarna av den norska ledarstilen i den studerade litteraturen. De strategitillämpningar som observerades i studien var huvudsakligen framväxande strategier, det vill säga strategin uppstår över tid genom konsekvens i handlingar trots avsaknad av en medveten plan eller en uppsättning riktlinjer som utformas i förväg för att hantera pluralismen (Mintzberg 1987). / In times with increasing globalization and when multinational project teams are frequently used in organizations, there are good reasons to study how these teams can be managed in the best way. The purpose of this study is to explore how project managers apply leadership strategies to manage and take advantage of the pluralism in projects with multinational project teams. The theoretical starting point for the study is the three strategies for leading multinational teams that are identified by Chevrier (2003): Laissez-faire leadership, relationship orientation and relying on transnational cultures. The basic features of the respective strategies are to leave it up to the team members on their own to overcome barriers; to promote the development of relations and mutually acceptable procedures; relying on already established professional or organizational cultures. The results have also been related to the image of the Norwegian leadership style in existing theory; a leadership that is characterized by equality, collectivism and consensus. The empirical basis for the study was collected using semi-structured qualitative interviews. The interviewees were project managers working for a Norwegian company with operations in many parts of the world. The results show that it is primarily the relationship-oriented strategy (Chevrier 2003) that is used in the examined context. The use of the relationship-oriented strategy is highly congruent with the descriptions of the Norwegian leadership style in the studied literature. The strategy applications that were observed in the study were mainly emergent strategies, that is, the strategy arises over time through consistency in actions, despite the absence of a conscious plan or a set of guidelines prepared in advance to deal with the pluralism (Mintzberg 1987).

This study analyses differences between student groups at Umeå University, Sweden, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. It analyses student study situations, students’ experience of the university environment, students’ exercise and sports activities, and connections between study and leisure-time activities. The study owes much to Bourdieu’s Homo Academicus (English edition 1988), and his theories of cultural reproduction, social structures and habitus, and focuses on students from the subject areas teacher education, natural sciences, humanities and sports. Attention is also given to family backgrounds and female/male variance. The data were collected in 1994-1995, with the aid of 782 questionnaires and 64 interviews. The results show differences between students at the two universities in terms of study time, parents’ education and leisure activities and part-time jobs. Students in the studied groups, differ in many respects. The groups have distinct characteristics in terms of, for example, age and sex ratios. The students’ family backgrounds are also divergent, depending on which discipline the student belongs to. These variations between disciplines are found at both universities. Physical activities (action sports) are popular activities, at both universities. Women and men exercise in different ways, although they might have a similar social situation. The scientific methodology of Bourdieu is also discussed in the study. In sum, the results indicate that there are sub-fields within the university. Individuals with different conditions and habitus, to use Bourdieu’s terminology, inhabit these sub-fields.

This research study investigates the design features that both Iranians and Americans care about and notice, the housing characteristics they prefer, and the extent by which evaluation of housing forms may be affected by familiarity. The study also investigates the influence of the Western civilization on the Iranian culture through perceived imagery associated with architectural form.A set of twenty photographs representative of architectural styles commonly found in the city of Tehran, Iran as well as a questionnaire survey were the tools used in this cross-cultural perception study.After analyzing the responses given by the two sample groups, it was concluded that each group was in agreement in their perception of architectural styles and preferred the unfamiliar styles. However both groups did not agree in their association of familiarity and newness. Throughout the study it was evident that the Western civilization had a strong influence on the Iranian culture in their perception and preference of architectural forms. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This study was an attempt to identify the relationship between women and non-governmental organizations in Ghana. It was conducted over a period of one year in the capital city of Accra. Ethnographic and feminist methodology were the framework for the fieldwork and text. Interviews, observations and discussions with aid workers and development recipients determined the perimeters and rendered meaning. Women dominated both sides of development and aid work in Ghana; however, there was limited interaction between them. Female recipients of development were not consulted regarding development projects and were not familiar with the scope and implications of international aid. Female development personnel from both Ghana and the United States were separated from the communities and people they worked for personally and professionally. The development workers did not consider consultation with female clients a necessity or an obligation. Both groups of women struggled to incorporate the concepts and implications of development into their situated reality. / Department of Anthropology