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Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-63).

The thesis deals with the issue of financing development projects. The aim is to formulate a financing proposal for a chosen development project and consequently evaluate and compare each option and choose the most effective solution. The thesis includes the characteristics of the given issue which forms the core for the proposal section. Furthermore, I concentrate on comparison of individual sources and their expensiveness for acquiring, which then I subsequently evaluate and compare in a comprehensive manner. The resulting solution is a proposition of financing development project UrbanPark - Východná where I consider two different scenarios. Offers are prepared based on the current up-to-date information which creates an opportunity for immediate implementation of the proposed solution.

Developing knowledge about how students acquire mathematical understanding is a focus of mathematics curricula and research, including the ability of students to move from manipulating concrete materials to abstract number properties when solving problems. This study, informed by the Numeracy Development Projects (Ministry of Education 2007a, 2008b) and the work of Pirie and Kieren (1989, 1992, 1994a, 1994b), examines the role of ‘imaging’ in supporting the development of students’ mathematical thinking and understanding. Imaging is an important phase of the teaching model advocated by the Numeracy Development Project. The context of this study is a primary school mathematics programme, which involved the teaching of two mathematics units that focused on the addition and subtraction of decimal fractions and whole numbers. There is considerable research about what is effective in mathematics education for diverse learners, and how students learn. There is, however, very limited research about the role of imaging in mathematical learning. This qualitative study adopted a case study approach and focused on a group of Year 6 students. Data collection methods included observation, interviews, field notes and document analysis. A thematic approach was used to analyse data and to develop and inform an emerging theoretical framework. During this study I developed a model, entitled A Model for the Development of Students’ Mathematical Understanding, which illustrates six mathematical resources students use as they solve problems. These resources are: materials, mental picture images, drawn picture images, transformed mental images, transformed drawn images and number properties. Students’ engagement with these six resources illustrates how they develop understanding of mathematical concepts. The students identified a preference for using drawn rather than mental images when solving problems. This study also emphasizes the complexity of the imaging process, and the fluid and multifaceted nature of learning in mathematics. This study serves to highlight the complexities of the teaching and learning process in mathematics for both teachers and students.

Article / The vision of CUT as a sustainable university is to become a teaching, research and learning environment which maximizes and mainstreams environmental, economic and social sustainability in all its operations and educational activities. In driving this process, the university established a Sustainable Development Project to facilitate, oversee and report on the roll-out of this project.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of a community-based agricultural project, the Mabunda Citrus Project in the Greater Giyani Municipality of Mopani District, Limpopo Province, on poverty alleviation and community development within the framework of rural development in the Agricultural Sector. Although there is a general view that community-based agricultural projects have an impact on community development in the literature, very little is known about the impact of community initiatives in Limpopo Province. This study project therefore sought to fill in this knowledge gap and highlight prospects and challenges of these endeavours. Using a qualitative case study design, a series of interviews schedules and focus group sessions were conducted among 21 (n=21) direct beneficiaries who each had about 10 hectares orchard, seven (n=7) civic community structure and seven (n=7) youth structure committee members and one (n=1) Deputy Chief in the Xitlakati Community in the Greater Giyani Municipality. Data collected over a period of a week were captured via field notes and analyzed using thematic and content analyses. The results of the study show three interrelated results. First, the beneficiaries included in the study met the requirements of people below the poverty line, save for one volunteer teacher. Secondly, the findings show that although the project does not meet all the needs of the beneficiaries, it does show many positive impacts on poverty alleviation. This is illustrated by increased employment of the beneficiaries and seasonal workers, donation of uniforms to poor children in both primary and secondary schools in the community, provision of oranges for consumption to workers, deputy chief and schools as well as the acquisition of a community hall in the Xitlakati community. Given these positive findings above, the researcher concluded that community-based agricultural projects in Limpopo are a necessary condition for poverty alleviation in rural areas. However, the researcher has observed that structural and practical challenges, as outlined in the study, may derail the project from reaching its full potential. It is therefore recommended that a full time specialized technician be provided, the beneficiary selection criteria to include more females and disabled persons be revised; budget and salaries be discussed in a transparent way, among other potential threats. Since this is a qualitative research, the conclusions derived are limited due to the sample size. Further quantitative research is necessary to provide quantitative measures of the impact of the project on poverty alleviation.

This dissertation is a case study dealing with a school development project that took place in an upper secondary school as a result of a merger of two schools with different cultures. The project used a method called “Frirumsmodellen” and was planned to be conducted in three steps. The first was to carry out a cultural analysis in order to map the preconditions to start a school development project. The second was to carry out concrete actions and finally study eventual effects from such activities by doing a second cultural analysis. My role was to be a supervisor in the school development work, but at the same time study how this work was conducted and its impact in the ordinary school day. The dissertation takes its departure in the fact that schools are political governed. The mission of schools is never neutral; it is always an expression of behind laying social forces, ideologies and ideals of the contemporary society. Of this reason, there is a close connection between the macro political level and the micro political level. Another point of departure is the transition from a modern to a post modern society that gives the character to the changes that take place in schools. Steering of schools has partly been treated as a technical implementation problem. Schools contain on going conflicts between different interest groups that, more or less regularly, end up in educational reforms. These reforms generate school development activities in the single school. Undoubtedly, this makes school development to a complex process. At a rather late stage of the study I decided not to fulfil my task to follow the original plan. I instead let the school development project as a model to be in focus. The over all purpose was formulated: How is it possible to understand what happened in the school development project in the Falkgymnasiet and why was it not possible to carry it out as it was said in the project plan? To interpret what took place during the project I did create an interpretation frame of implementation and complexity theory that also made it possible to critically scrutinise the “Frirumsmodellen”. Already in an early stage of the process it was obvious that the “Frirumsmodellen” did not supply any tools to use and it became disconnected from the project. The project in it selves was marginalised and made invisible. The headmaster used the situation to change things she thought were important to develop. As a result, things happened, but most of the involved people did not at first hand connect this to the project. It is, of course, difficult in detail to say what caused what. The complexity theory successively made the hidden patterns revealed, hidden unofficial potentates visible, as well as unpredictable conditions that generated reactions from the personnel in front of a development work. Together this was rather efficient obstacles for not changing this school. I also discuss school development and implementation problems on a general level, for example, the possibility to transform a top-down initiated project to be bottom-up driven and using project as a tool for school development work. It was obvious that headmasters and teachers must be prepared to handle the ideological dimensions of problems schools have to face. Consequently, development work is about making problems visible and to handle these in the intersection point between the intentions of educational policies, pedagogical researchers, school administrators, headmasters, teachers and pupils. The ideological dimension also contains an existential issue. Do I as a teacher share the intentions for the development work? If not, how must I act?

To organize and implement social development projects through interorganizational collaboration is common, but lack empirical studies from a psychological perspective. The study´s aim was to make a collaboration analysis on the implementing actors within a social development project, to understand how the collaboration was functioning. The study took place within a project for marginalized groups in Tanzania, arranged by a Swedish NGO and implemented by interorganizational collaboration. Eight participants were interviewed on six areas: Environment, Membership characteristics, Process and Structure, Communication, Purpose, and Resources. The findings highlight the complexity of interorganizational collaboration. The studied collaborative network is overall working in the same direction, but has both functional and dysfunctional areas where the dysfunctional need to be improved for the collaboration to work well. The study indicates that interorganizational collaboration brings benefits for social development projects, and the six areas studied seem to cover essential areas of interorganizational collaboration.