This study examines perceptions of 12 full-time non-tenure track faculty members about their professional and academic selves in a research-intensive university. A phenomenological approach is used to gain insight into the complexities of the experience of being a full-time faculty member, off the tenure-track, whose primary responsibility is teaching within a research-intensive institution. The notion of tenurestream as the only desired path to being an academic is challenged by these faculty members’ understanding of their identities. This researcher considers how professional identities may be understood and suggests that the meanings and values these faculty members attach to their professional roles may be embedded in their perceptions of how their role fits within the department. Throughout this qualitative inquiry, the perspectives of these faculty members are positioned as a primary source of data about the experience of being a full-time non-tenure track faculty member. By using a phenomenological approach and taking a constructivist perspective this researcher finds that extant theories that view this population through a deficit model are inaccurate. Additionally, essentialist and homogenizing descriptions of this population are also found to be insufficient. A qualitative analysis suggests the viability of an alternative description of this population, one which reflects the nuanced view of professional identity these participants expressed. Based on structural categories adapted from Martin’s (2002) three perspective view of organizational culture, their perceptions are categorized according to the congruence expressed between their social identity and their professional role. Perceptions shared about their departmental culture are similarly categorized which provides insight about the influence of policies, practices, and collegial interactions on professional lives.

Abstract The goals: The goal of the present thesis is to describe the principles of safe identification of patients by a nurse and the application of the medicines with higher risk rate. Another goal is to define procedures for prevention of a confusion of an intervention, a location or a patient at the operation theatre and to characterize the hand hygiene procedures in healthcare. The next goal was to describe a programme of prevention and reduction of falls and decubiti in hospitalized patients. The last goal focuses on the oral and telephonic prescription of medicines, on the reporting of patient examination results, and on the procedure of patient handover. Eight research questions were set in relation to these goals. Methodology: A qualitative research method based on in-depth interviews was chosen to reach the goals of the thesis. The intentional choice method was chosen for the selection of the communication partners. The research was performed in three selected hospitals of the South Bohemia Region. 20 communication partners participated in the anonymous questioning. The in-depth interviews were performed with a head nurse, with a quality manager, with perioperative nurses, with nurses from a neurology department and an after-care department. Scientific contributions of the thesis: The research deals with the current safety problems of hospitalized patients. The scientific results of the research are intended for both, specialist and the general public. The research study could serve to hospital managements as a stimulus for the improvement of the safety in the healthcare provision system. The achieved findings and conclusions: Hospitalization always brings some risk to a patient. From the point of view of the minimizing of adverse events and damage to a patient healthcare staff need to identify a patient safely, to apply risky medicines in safe manners, to prevent adverse events in operations, to adhere to the hand hygiene and the barrier nursing techniques. The healthcare staff also have to proceed correctly in the oral or telephonic prescription of medicines, in reporting of patient examination results, and in the patient handover procedures. It is in also the interest of the healthcare staff to minimize the risk of falls and to prevent the occurrence of decubiti in hospitalized patients.

M.A. / Geography as a discipline has undergone many different metamorphoses, and has experienced a turbulent and interesting past in its search for identity. Claims are made that geographers put great emphasis on humans and their interaction with their environment. It is therefore widely accepted that Geography is greatly dominated in its teachings by an emphasis on Environmental Management. It is therefore also accepted that South African geographers will participate actively in this practice, and that it will be reflected, distinctively, in their scientific publications. This thesis seeks to examine the validity of the above assumptions. Thus the problem of whether or not the publications by South African geographers are environmentally orientated was surveyed and reviewed for the period between 1996 and 2001. In order to do this it was necessary to undertake an extensive review of all databases, which contained publications, as well as to obtain web-site information on the lecturers at the individual selected universities. Questionnaires were also sent out to the different departments and some personal interviews were conducted. The researcher had to refine the search to an in-depth analyses of only eight of the twenty one Geography departments at South African universities, based on the availability of information. The review reveals the current diverse nature of Environmental Geography in South Africa. In some instances papers have been written that remain within the boun-daries of its sub-discipline, such as the Geomorpological papers. They did however prove to incorporate an application to the field of Environmental Management which could not be ignored, and hence they had to be of environmental relevance. On further inspection it was found that there is an increasing awareness amongst all South African geographers for greater integration to solve problems holistically. More environmentally orientated papers were published towards the end of the study period under review. The survey conducted of the various environmentally orientated papers also revealed the broad and diverse sub-discipline that Geography can cover from an environmental perspective. It can be said that there is a growing trend amongst South African geographers to publish papers that are environmentally orientated. Whether the number (and emphasis that is placed on environmental issues) of publications is large enough, still remains to be seen. It was established that geographers are still focussing more on their specialised areas of interest, in their research. They are still not doing enough to promote an understanding of the environment. The researcher had to conclude that it is disheartening and disappointing to realise what amount of growth is still needed in the emphasis of the area of Environmental Management. Some serious work still lays ahead for geographers and the content of their publications in this respect.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Significant long term planning and the reaching of goals cannot be reached efficiently if they are constantly hampered by nonproductive problems. Therefore, effective problem solving and effective prevention are of cardinal importance in the multi-type workload of the head of department. The principal is the keyfigure in the school. In this respect, the principal should be supported by a management team, utilizing all facets of management in the school, including problem solving. Problem solving js a comprehensive task and one person alone does not have all the time or skills to run the school single-handedly. The head of department is the senior manager of his department and has a prime resposibility towards the effective functioning of his department. This implies that the head of department not only needs to be an educational leader, but he must also have the necessary managerial skills to be successful. During problem solving a certain thought-pattern of modusoperandi should be acquired. The way a head of department solves problems is an indication of his value as educational leader, and it follows that his skills at problem solving and effective behaviour will determine his success as an educational leader. This study will focus mainly on four basic management tasks: planning, organization, guidance and control.

M.Ed. (Educational Leadership) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Situational leadership can be very effective in schools if applied correctly. It is therefore essential for the head of department to know exactly what situational leadership is all about. Situational leadership is defined by the Hersey and Blanchard as follows: Situational leadership is based on an interplay among: the amount of guidance and direction (task behaviour) a leader gives, the amount of socio-emotional support (relationship behaviour) a leader provides, and the readiness level displayed by the followers in performing a specific task, function or objective. There is unfortunately no one best way to influence teachers. It is of the utmost importance that the head of department must have the ability to diagnose and interpret the situation correctly in order to adapt his style accordingly. The leadership style of the head of department will therefore match the maturity level of the teachers. The ultimate goal will be the effective changing of leadership style from telling to selling to participating and eventually to delegating. The teachers will then be able to function independent and autonomous. The influence of various management models and-theories will also be dealt with in this research. The model of Hersey and Blanchard most probably originated from the model of Tannenbaum and Schmidt. Situational leadership is accepted worldwide as effective and functional if applied correctly. The correct application will thus result in effective teaching and positive results in that specific department. It is therefore an indisputable fact that situational leadership has a positive influence on teaching and educating if applied efficiently.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This thesis has three main purposes: 1. to determine the progress made in achievement by each individual in the departmentalized and non-departmentalized groups; 2. to contrast the progress made in achievement by the groups under discussion; 3. to ascertain, by comparison of the two groups, whether any relative gain in achievement is made as a result of children working in the two different school organizations.

A study was conducted to gather information from department chairs serving in the 26 two-year colleges that are members of the North Texas Community College Consortium using the International Community College Chair Survey (ICCCS). The ICCCS is designed to gather insights into four aspects of the chairs' professional lives: personal characteristics, responsibilities challenges, and strategies. The study compared the demographic data and the respondents' perceptions of the challenges their units will face in the next 5 years to the original survey conducted in 1992. The regional sample included 616 first-line administrators, and a 30.5% response rate was achieved. The demographic distribution of the regional respondents shows significant shifts in gender, age, education, experience and release time but constancy in race and stability of the population. Similarities between the two samples exist regarding the challenges of maintaining program quality, providing technology, and managing financial issues. The regional sample expresses greater concern about the challenges of distance education, external accountability, and student matters.