The research explores the epistemological development of pre-ministry undergraduates in confessional Christian liberal arts colleges and universities. The Perry Scheme is the basis for the evaluation. This is a replication study of a 2012 Perry Scheme analysis of pre-ministry graduates in a cross-section of higher education institutions. This research is a qualitative study with thirty traditional-aged students within six months of graduation. The students are from purposively selected confessional Christian liberal arts institutions. The interviews are conducted by telephone, transcribed, and scored by the Center for Study of Intellectual Development (CSID). Of particular interest is the ethical decision making abilities of graduating pre-ministry students. The research is intended to clarify the students’ position on the Perry Scheme that reflects the level, if any, of personal commitment to their belief system. KEYWORDS: biblical worldview, Center for the Study of Intellectual Development (CSID), cognitive development, college student development, dualism, epistemological development, ethics, higher education, imago Dei, multiplicity, Perry Scheme, pre-ministry undergraduates, reflective judgment, relativism, vocational ministry, William Perry.

by Ang Siu-lun. / Bibliography: leaves 137-140 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1986

Hung, Kwong Chin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 15-16). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts also in Chinese.

Distributed cognition has been emerging as a new research direction in cognitive science over the last two decades and is gaining momentum. In a recent study Hollan, Hutchins and Kirsch argue that the distributed cognition framework enables the study of interaction between people and artifacts. This thesis views tools as an integral part of cognition, and focuses on the complex interaction between brain, body and environment, which complements automatic internal processing in the brain and assists with individual and group problem solving. The thesis analyses some existing research about teams working in high-pressure environments and their complex interactions with their external environment, cognitive tools and each other.

This thesis serves the following purposes: (1) to understand the importance of green space values, (2) to understand the importance of the use of values in the decision-making process, and (3) to employ and evaluate a technique called the structured value referendum to elicit values (including green space values) that are important in making a land use decision. Green space is any area that is predominantly undeveloped witJiin the urban environment. Although the importance of green space has been widely recognized since the 1960s, there still exists a limited appreciation for green space functions. The lack of comprehensive values incorporation that includes green space values in land use decision-making processes is a primary cause of green space loss. In order to understand the importance of green space loss and the lack of values incorporation in decision-making, a general concept of value is established. Development of a taxonomy exposes green space's economic, social, ecological, and sustainability values, and helps to underscore their importance in decisional settings. A general discussion on values elicitation reveals that their incorporation into decision-making processes can help set priorities, promote a better understanding of the issue, and lead to the development of more effective decisions. Despite these assets, inclusion of a comprehensive set of values rarely occurs in decision-making processes involving green space, and green space values are often ignored. There are, however, value elicitation techniques that can be used to account for green space values. One technique that has yet to be examined extensively for its effectiveness in aiding land use decision-making processes is the structured value referendum (SVR). The SVR is a voting-based structure that can elicit a full range of values. A literature review and case study evaluate the SVR. In the case study, a referendum based on a land use decision mvorving 100 acres in Richmond was designed and distributed to a random sample of200 voters. The results of the case study could aid Richmond public officials in making a decision for the best use of the land. This case study also reveals that the SVR approach is an effective and feasible means for eliciting values and aiding decision makers in making comprehensive land use decisions that involve green space.

Distributed cognition has been emerging as a new research direction in cognitive science over the last two decades and is gaining momentum. In a recent study Hollan, Hutchins and Kirsch argue that the distributed cognition framework enables the study of interaction between people and artifacts. This thesis views tools as an integral part of cognition, and focuses on the complex interaction between brain, body and environment, which complements automatic internal processing in the brain and assists with individual and group problem solving. The thesis analyses some existing research about teams working in high-pressure environments and their complex interactions with their external environment, cognitive tools and each other.

This thesis serves the following purposes: (1) to understand the importance of green space values, (2) to understand the importance of the use of values in the decision-making process, and (3) to employ and evaluate a technique called the structured value referendum to elicit values (including green space values) that are important in making a land use decision. Green space is any area that is predominantly undeveloped witJiin the urban environment. Although the importance of green space has been widely recognized since the 1960s, there still exists a limited appreciation for green space functions. The lack of comprehensive values incorporation that includes green space values in land use decision-making processes is a primary cause of green space loss. In order to understand the importance of green space loss and the lack of values incorporation in decision-making, a general concept of value is established. Development of a taxonomy exposes green space's economic, social, ecological, and sustainability values, and helps to underscore their importance in decisional settings. A general discussion on values elicitation reveals that their incorporation into decision-making processes can help set priorities, promote a better understanding of the issue, and lead to the development of more effective decisions. Despite these assets, inclusion of a comprehensive set of values rarely occurs in decision-making processes involving green space, and green space values are often ignored. There are, however, value elicitation techniques that can be used to account for green space values. One technique that has yet to be examined extensively for its effectiveness in aiding land use decision-making processes is the structured value referendum (SVR). The SVR is a voting-based structure that can elicit a full range of values. A literature review and case study evaluate the SVR. In the case study, a referendum based on a land use decision mvorving 100 acres in Richmond was designed and distributed to a random sample of200 voters. The results of the case study could aid Richmond public officials in making a decision for the best use of the land. This case study also reveals that the SVR approach is an effective and feasible means for eliciting values and aiding decision makers in making comprehensive land use decisions that involve green space. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Tbe purpose of this survey was to investigate Butterworth Senior Secondary School teachers' views on the relationship between teacher involvement in decision-making and morale. Out of four Butterworth Senior Secondary Schools with a population of about eigbhy six teachers, thirty teachers were willing participants in the research study. The teachers come from a homogeneous background (Xhosa-speaking). Questionnaires were administered to tbe sample subjects (population). The results (responses) of these teacbers (respondents) were then analyzed. After the analysis of their results, it became clear that there is a relationship between teacher involvement in decision-making and morale. Thus, the findings did not support the null hypothesis which stated that Butterworth Senior Secondary Scbool teachers see no relationship between their involvement in decision-making and morale.

The present research explores the process of coming to terms with the decision to divorce. The research was conducted with 20 women of North-American culture, divorced or separated a minimum of six months with no thought of reconciliation. The methodology employed retrospective accounts. A semi-structured interview using the critical incident technique pioneered by Flanagan (1954) was used to gather data. The subjects were asked to describe specific incidents which prompted them to reassess their marriage and eventually decide to separate or divorce. They were also asked to describe incidents which made it more difficult to come to that decision. A total of 175 incidents were collected illustrating a range of experiences which either precipitated or hindered the decision to separate or divorce. Using an inductive method of analysis, the data was organized in a classification schema consisting of three superordinate categories - feelings, cognitions, behaviours - and 33 subcategories. In addition, a summary of the marital problems highlighted in the critical incidents is provided, with examples of the marital dynamics involved. Finally, a four-stage model outlining the process of coming to terms with the decision to divorce was derived from the category system. The model focuses on the intrapsychic dynamics of the subjects in the decision-making process. The labels given to these stages are disillusionment, ambivalence, cognitive restructuring, and resolution. The findings of the present research are compared and contrasted to those of social exchange theorists (Albrecht & Kunz, 1980; Levinger, 1965), stage theorists (Duck, 1982; Kaslow, 1981; Ponzetti & Cate, 1988; Vaughan, 1979), and grief theorists (Crosby, Gage & Raymond, 1983, 1986; Wiseman, 1975). The issues raised in the present research are discussed from a gender role perspective, in light of the theories of Attanucci (1988), Eichenbaum and Orbach (1983), Gilligan (1982), Goodrich, Rampage, Ellman and Halstead (1988), Herman (1977), Lerner (1977), Miller (1976; 1983; 1984; 1986) and Rubin (1983). In conclusion, the category system and model delineated in the present research offer a comprehensive set of experiences of what facilitates and hinders the decision to divorce. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Understanding how government's plan, make decisions and implement policy programmes is of vital concern to the planners who are expected to intervene in society's complex problems and formulate solutions that can be implement ed. A recent model examines political decision making processes and isolates four factors which influence decision outcomes: 1) the roles played by actors in the issue; 2) the nature of the decision making environment; 3) the characteristics of the issue; and 4) the type of planning and intervention strategies used. The model was used as a framework for examining a decision making episode in the District of Chilliwack, which centered around the issue of community growth in an area that had been circumscribed by the Agricultural Land Reserves. The model hypothesized that comprehensive, classical planning methods, which are goal-oriented and focus on long-term horizons, are likely to be rejected in decision making processes. This was confirmed in the Chilliwack case, along with the hypotheses that a proposal for change that is ideologically controversial, inflexible, and difficult to predict in its consequences, will likely be rejected. The fact that the Chilliwack plan was easy to programme and had a limited scope of costs and benefits could not overcome its drawbacks, therefore, these hypotheses were not upheld in the case study. The model's framework provided a useful means of examining and understanding why the particular outcome of the case study occurred. It clarified the inappropriatness of methods and means used by the Chilliwack decision makers and planners in attempting to achieve their goals. Consequently, the study points out that planners need new approaches, skills and knowledge in order to achieve socially acceptable and workable solutions to complex societal problems. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate