M.A. (Social Work) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This study analyzes the impact of the Poultry Extension and Training Subproject (PETS) on the village household in North Yemen. The subproject was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Oregon State University The primary goal of this study was to determine the impact of the subproject by using a survey conducted among 130 village women. The questionnaire used in the survey was designed to determine changes in consumption and production, management practices and the effect of extension information. There were three major discoveries uncovered in the survey: (1) management practices were not significantly influenced by PETS personnel; (2) the project was not the only source of Golden Comet pullets; and (3) the use of egg-laying pullets did help increase egg production and consumption. A secondary goal of this study was to analyze the project design and a 1984 evaluation in order to understand how the project could have been more effective in its purpose. It was found that although the project designers used the USAID "logframe" and conducted a social soundness analysis prior to project implementation, too little research was conducted about subsistence poultry care and the role of rural women in agriculture. Success of the project was based on several unfounded assumptions which prevented the subproject from having a more positive impact on traditional poultry farmers. / Graduation date: 1989

This thesis explores the impact and effects of a leadership development programme in-depth and over time. There has been a lack of attention given to understanding the impact of such interventions in the academic literature. Where studies do investigate the impact (s) of leadership development they tend to focus almost exclusively on positive outcomes or the achievement of pre-determined targets and tend to be short-term in focus. This research finds that there is also a shadow side of leadership development, defined as the unintended effects of leadership development programmes which can be counter-productive and dysfunctional. A longitudinal case study approach was adopted comprising documentary analysis, observation and interviews, the latter of which were conducted with multiple stakeholders at three different junctures in time during and beyond the length of the leadership development programme. Three conceptual dimensions of identity, organisational culture and organisational context were identified which together facilitated a multi-faceted understanding of the changing impact and effects of the leadership development programme over time. In conclusion this thesis makes both a theoretical and methodological contribution by adding a longitudinal, multi-level analysis and evaluation of leadership development, evidencing both positive and shadow impacts and effects.

Despite the fact that oil and gas companies invest heavily in training, there are considerable evidences to show that evaluation of the training is seldom undertaken, which leads to failure in determining the effectiveness of training. Kirkpatrick's four levels model (1959) sets out to be the key evaluation criteria to measure the effectiveness of training which has been used for more than 50 years to assess training effectiveness. This study focuses on the evaluation and improvement of Kirkpatrick's four levels model. It argues that Kirkpatrick's four levels model (1959) fails to account for factors such as work environment, individual factors, training characteristics, and their impact on training effectiveness. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the moderating variables of training characteristics and evaluate their subsequent impacts on Kirkpatrick's four training outcomes (reaction, learning, behaviour and results) and on intention to transfer learning. The objective of this study is to identify those training variables (pre-training interventions and activities, trainee readiness, training environment, training methods, trainer performance and behaviour, training content and objectives) and their effect on improving employee performance. In this study, training characteristics are referred to as pre-training interventions and activities, trainee readiness, training environment, training methods, trainer performance and behaviour, training content and objectives. To achieve the aim of this study, quantitative research was adopted. The study was conducted at three separate times (pre-training, immediately after completion and post-training 2-3 months). The hypotheses were tested by selecting a sample of n1 = 406, n2 = 402, n3 = 391 trainees in health and safety training working in national oil and gas companies located in Oman by using convenience sampling. Structural equation model (AMOS) software is used to validate the research model. The study has contributed to the field of training evaluation by developing Kirkpatrick's four levels model through an the examination of the impact of training characteristics on Kirkpatrick's four levels (reaction, learning, behaviour and results) and on intention to transfer learning in the national oil and gas industry in Oman before and after training was completed. The findings indicated that pre-training intervention and practices were positively and significantly related to expectations of training outcomes, and only trainee readiness was found to be positively and significantly related to the expectations of training environment and expectations of trainer performance and behaviour. The result confirmed the positive and significant correlation between reaction and learning, and between behaviour and results. Moreover, the results indicated that trainer performance and behaviour were positively and significantly related to the two training outcomes: reaction and learning; and in addition, training environment had a strong and positive impact on learning. Training content and objectives were positively and significantly related to behaviour. ii Nevertheless, pre-training interventions and activities had an insignificant effect on expectations for the training outcomes. Further, trainee readiness had an insignificant effect on expectations for the training environment and on expectations of trainer performance and behaviour. Learning had an insignificant effect on intention to transfer learning. The training environment and training methods were not found to be positively and significantly related to reaction. Training methods were not found to be positively and significantly related to learning. Further, the training characteristics, such as the training environment, training methods and trainer performance and behaviour had an insignificant impact on intention to transfer learning. The findings did not support that training characteristics had a moderating role on the relationship between training outcomes. This research has empirically investigated the moderating effects of training characteristics on the relationship between reaction, learning, intention to transfer learning, behaviour and results. This study has contributed to the literature empirically by showing that pre-training interventions and activities were the strongest factor contributing to expectations of the training environment, as well as to expectations of trainer performance and behaviour. Trainee readiness was the strongest factor contributing to expectations of the training outcomes. Furthermore, this study has contributed to the extant literature empirically by showing that trainee reaction is related significantly to trainee learning. This study has contributed to the literature by showing that trainer performance and behaviour was the strongest factor contributing to reaction. Furthermore, the training environment (followed by trainer performance and behaviour) was the strongest factor supporting learning. This study has further contributed to the extant literature empirically by showing that behavioural change is related significantly to results. This study also shows that training objectives (followed by training content) was the strongest factor affecting behaviour. From a practical perspective, the findings of this research have significant and practical implications for instructors, training designers, managers and supervisors when creating effective training programmes. In addition, this study contributes a framework for the practice of evaluating training effectiveness.

The purpose of this research was to analyze the periodical collections of public libraries in the Triangle region of North Carolina in terms of young adult titles. Research questions targeted how public librarians provide their young adult patrons with access to periodical collections, address acess to periodicals available through the Internet and develop periodical collections in response to research findings on young adult reading. Collections were evaluated in terms of collection policies, placement, reference to other collections, and content. While the research revealed that collections varied in terms of responses to several of the research concerns, the collections showed some consistency in terms of collection policy and response to research findings.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme for football coaches working in Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time in schools. PPA time was introduced for all teachers in 2005 as part of a seven stage response to the 2003 workload remodelling act and aimed to support the dual aims of addressing teacher workload and raising educational standards (DfES, 2003). To do this coaches’ were required to work against the definition of specified work. Specified work is defined as specified by Baalpe (2005: 4) as: “Planning and preparing lessons and courses for pupils. Delivering lessons to pupils – including distance learning or computer-aided techniques. Assessing the development, progress and attainment of pupils. Reporting on the development, progress and attainment of pupils.” The evaluation adopts a realist case study methodology which aims to understand the relationship between the initial context, mechanism for change and the initial outcomes of the CPD programme (Pawson and Tiley, 1997; Pawson, 2003; Pawson, 2006). The delivery of the CPD programme was underpinned by constructed and situated theories of learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Kirk and Macdonald; 1998, Wenger, 1998) that emphasised the synergy of new and old knowledge encouraging the coaches to develop both practical and ontological knowledge, skill and understanding. These intended outcomes were supported by the CPD programme being delivered through a critical pedagogical perspective (Kirk, 2000) that challenged the coaches to consider knowledge, either accepting or rejecting the knowledge being presented by the programme. The initial context findings showed that the coaches did not have the necessary knowledge, skill and understanding to work against the definition of specified work in PPA time. The initial mechanism for change highlighted that there were positive relationships between initial context and the mechanisms used in the CPD programme, which included practical coaching sessions, DVD analysis and working with other coaches. The initial outcomes further supported the mechanism of change and showed that for some of the coaches knowledge, skill and understanding had developed but also identified some mechanistic blocks that prevented the coaches from developing their knowledge, skill and understanding in relation to working in PPA time and operating against the definition of specified work; these included the coaches’ relationship with schools and the support the Community Sports Trust managers provided the coaches. The study concludes that future CPD should concentrate on how schools and Community Sports Trusts can raise the standards of Physical Education lessons covered by external coaches and how this can be developed, as opposed to focussing more narrowly on what knowledge sports coaches require to deliver specified work and how can this best be developed. The thesis proposes that the CPD should be multi-agency and multi-structure and include schools, teachers, Community Sports Trust managers and coaches and aim to develop an ontological perspective which develops and refines the practical skills that will allow coaches to work against the definition of specified work.

The protection and creation of the functional, harmonic and sustainable landscape focuses on two main Instruments influencing the appearance of the landscape at most. These instruments are the territorial plans and comprehensive land consolidation. The thesis "Evaluation of the current territorial plan in the context of rural area development" deals with the issue of the co-operation of just these two instruments. Important items of both Instruments are the draft of plan of common facilities of the land consolidation and the definition of the publicly beneficial constructions and publicly beneficial measures in the draft of the territorial plan. Just under these items, the public interests for the further development of the territory are formulated. The practical part of the theoretical knowledge gained in writing this thesis and transferred to experience related to cadastral Štítary na Moravě. In the conclusion of the thesis the evaluation and summarizing of the acquired knowledge is performed and the draft of changes which will correspond better to the needs of the territory.

In the context of sustainable development, evaluations have particularly high relevance as complex issues have to be dealt with generally over an extended period of time. Furthermore, there is a growing demand to evaluate against the concept of sustainable development. Especially evaluations with sustainable development are a rather new type of evaluation, as the source of its evaluation questions and the criteria applied are rooted in the concept of sustainable development. Sustainability of a specific project or process is often highly case specific as sustainable development is determined by many often unique issues. However, evaluations would be highly inefficient, if they would have to be newly designed in every case. Thus it is necessary to determine and utilize the major issues for evaluations with sustainable development. This paper is part of a series of three papers - which can be used independently - that present the major common issues for evaluations with sustainable development in a Tool Box. The results presented here are based on outcomes of a research project funded by the "Austrian Science Fund". This paper presents practical problems related to the issue of complexity in evaluations with sustainable development. Notwithstanding the multiple challenges, the strategic options available are presented in terms of strategies. Especially commissioning agents, but also other evaluation stakeholders will find an overview and an assessment of the strategies regarding resources required, state of practical experience as well as their compatibility with the concept of sustainable development. (author's abstract) / Series: Research Paper Series of the Research Focus Managing Sustainability

Thesis (M.Tech.: Homoeopathy)-Dept. of Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2007 xxii, 250 leaves / This study aimed to assess the perceptions and career choices made by Technikon Witwatersrand Homoeopathy graduates from 1998 to 2004. It is noted that Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) is now known as University of Johannesburg; however as the name change did not occur at the time of this study, this study refers to this institution as TWR throughout. The study was designed to investigate their demographic composition as well as aspects concerning career choices, the status of their practices and the reality of Homoeopathy being a viable and satisfactory career choice.