This thesis aimed to extend knowledge concerning the role of social support in youth sport. A literature review was conducted to identify the current status of knowledge in the area through a systematic review of studies applicable to social support in youth sport. The findings provided up-to-date knowledge in the study area and informed a two-part intervention-based study designed to determine the feasibility of whether an intervention has the potential to be run again in a controlled trial. The first (quantitative) part of the study aimed to determine the effect of the intervention on participants and to address theoretically important considerations relating to the specific role of perceived and received support in a youth sport context. Results demonstrated that changes in pre and post intervention values (i.e. intentions to drop out, social identity, received support, encountered, basic needs satisfaction) were non significant except for perceived support. The findings relating to a change in perceived support demonstrated that higher perceived available support was significantly associated with lower levels of intentions to drop out at the end of the study. Furthermore, social identity emerged as a significant mediating factor in explaining the association between changes in perceived support and intentions to drop out. The first part of the study also examined the stress buffering effect of received support. Findings demonstrated that stress encountered had a significant main effect on intentions to drop out. Moreover, received support was shown to exert a significant but small buffering effect on the relationship between stress encountered on intentions to drop out. The purpose of the second (qualitative) part of the study was to examine whether the intervention needed to be refined or adapted to make it more acceptable to users or more relevant to the specific context in which it was delivered. The findings revealed a range of key factors relating to perceived (e.g., access to games, games format) and received support (e.g., peer to peer support, increased confidence to participate, stress encountered, stress removed). The results of the pre and post analyses combined with the qualitative findings in the study suggest that the social support intervention has the potential to be tested in a controlled trial. The discussion focuses on the current status of the research area, limitations, suggested practical implications and future research directions. The findings highlight the importance of developing perceived support and social identity in youth sport and received support in buffering stressors typically associated with youth sport drop out.

Submitted by Geandra Rodrigues (geandrar@gmail.com) on 2017-12-21T17:26:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 cristianoniviodemorais.pdf: 1425332 bytes, checksum: 39a617f9fd2ebbe5185124318b826a30 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-12-22T12:16:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 cristianoniviodemorais.pdf: 1425332 bytes, checksum: 39a617f9fd2ebbe5185124318b826a30 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-22T12:16:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 cristianoniviodemorais.pdf: 1425332 bytes, checksum: 39a617f9fd2ebbe5185124318b826a30 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-13 / A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do Programa de Pós-graduação Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação (PPGP) do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (CAEd/UFJF). O caso de gestão estudado analisou os fatores relacionados aos problemas de fluxo escolar na Escola Estadual Presidente Tancredo Neves, município de Carmópolis de Minas, a partir da percepção de diversos atores escolares, sendo estes os alunos, professores e gestores. Este estudo teve como objetivo investigar e compreender os fatores que ocasionam as retenções e o abandono escolar, bem como analisar a influência das especificidades presentes na escola investigada nos problemas de fluxo, e propor um plano de ação para minimizá-lo. Para tal compreensão, foi realizada uma contextualização da evolução do ensino médio brasileiro e sua insistente e problemática dualidade. Para o procedimento de investigação, foi adotada a pesquisa bibliográfica e a pesquisa de campo. Como técnicas de pesquisa foram utilizadas a entrevista semiestruturada com o diretor e a ex-diretora da escola, além de grupos focais compostos por membros dos segmentos de atores escolares. A análise dos dados da pesquisa foi produzida à luz de autores relevantes no campo educacional, como Heloísa Luck (1998; 2009), Juarez Tarcísio Dayrell (1996; 2009), Ruben Klein (2006), Paulo César Rodrigues Carrano (2016), Acácia Zeneida Kuenzer (1989), Sabrina Moehlecke (2012), Nora Rut Krawczyk (2009; 2011), José Carlos Libaneo (2016), dentre outros. Destaca-se, no trabalho, a produção de um Plano de Ação Educacional que compreende a elaboração de propostas de intervenção a serem conduzidas pela gestão escolar, visando minimizar a evasão e o abandono escolar. As ações foram desenhadas a partir da necessidade de se criar um projeto de acolhimento dos alunos novatos na escola, resgatar a participação dos pais na vida escolar, repensar a prática pedagógica e avaliativa e estimular o protagonismo juvenil. / This dissertation was developed under the Program of Professional Postgraduate in Management and Evaluation of Education (PPGP) of the Public Policies Center and Education Evaluation of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (CAEd / UFJF). The studied management case analyzed the factors related to the problems of school flow in the Presidente Tancredo Neves State School, Carmópolis de Minas State, under the perception of several school actors, these being the students, teachers and managers. The purpose of this study was to investigate and understand the factors that cause retention and dropout, as well as to analyze the influence of the specificities present in the investigated school in the problems of flow, and propose a plan of action to minimize it. For this understanding, a contextualization of the evolution of Brazilian high school and its insistent and problematic duality was carried out. For the investigation procedure, the bibliographical research and the field research were adopted. As research techniques, it was used a semi-structured interview, with the director and the former director of the school, and a focus groups composed by school members. The analysis of the research data was produced in the light of relevant authors in the educational field, such as Heloísa Luck (1998; 2009), Juarez Tarcísio Dayrell (1996; 2009), Ruben Klein (2006), Paulo César Rodrigues Carrano (2016), Acácia Zeneida Kuenzer (1989), Sabrina Moehlecke (2012), Nora Rut Krawczyk (2009; 2011), José Carlos Libaneo (2016)among others. It is worth mentioning the production of an Educational Action Plan, which includes the elaboration of intervention proposals to be conducted by the school management, aiming at minimizing dropout and dropping out of school. The actions were designed, based on the needs to create a project to welcome the novice students in school, to rescue the parents’ participation in school life, to rethink pedagogical and evaluative practice and to stimulate youth protagonism.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2018-03-26T19:39:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 alinealbuquerquedacruz.pdf: 1018114 bytes, checksum: 4ab13f45eb4cb1d57b8f638877f26c27 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2018-04-09T19:16:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 alinealbuquerquedacruz.pdf: 1018114 bytes, checksum: 4ab13f45eb4cb1d57b8f638877f26c27 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-09T19:16:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 alinealbuquerquedacruz.pdf: 1018114 bytes, checksum: 4ab13f45eb4cb1d57b8f638877f26c27 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-30 / A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do Mestrado Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação (PPGP), do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (CAEd/UFJF). O caso de gestão estudado descreveu e discutiu o Programa Bolsa Família e as demais políticas de combate ao abandono escolar no Brasil e no Amazonas. Analisou os motivos do abandono escolar dos alunos beneficiários do Bolsa Família da Coordenadoria Distrital 6 e propôs ações, com a finalidade de auxiliar a redução do abandono na Coordenaria analisada. Os objetivos definidos para este estudo de pesquisa têm, por objetivo geral, contribuir com alternativas para a redução das taxas de abandono escolar da Coordenadoria Distrital 06, na prevenção ao abandono escolar das respectivas escolas que compõem o quadro. Além disso, elencamos como objetivos específicos: 1. Identificar as causas do abandono escolar dos alunos da Coordenadoria Distrital 06, verificando se os índices do abandono escolar são de alunos beneficiários do Programa Bolsa Família; 2) Analisar se o Programa Bolsa Família vem contribuindo na redução do abandono escolar; 3) Investigar a forma como as escolas implementam e monitoram a condicionalidade da presença nas escolas selecionadas pela pesquisa; 4) Sugerir possíveis soluções para a redução dos índices do abandono escolar das escolas da Coordenadoria Distrital 06. Para tanto, utilizaremos, como metodologia, a pesquisa bibliográfica, de campo, quantitativa e qualitativa, abordando os fundamentos do abandono escolar nas escolas estaduais da capital da Coordenadoria Distrital 6 do Ensino Fundamental, do 1º ao 9º ano. Além disso, serão propostas ações de prevenção à problemática, com foco nos alunos beneficiários do Programa Bolsa Família da referida unidade de ensino e como instrumento entrevista semiestruturada. / The following research was developed in the range of the Professional Master degree in Education Management and Evaluation (PPGP) of the Center of Public Policies and Evaluation of Education of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (CAED/UFJF). The management case studied described and discussed the Bolsa Família Program and other policies to combat school drop-out in Brazil and the state of Amazonas. It analyzed the reasons why students who benefit from the Bolsa Família Program drop out of school at the 6th District Coordination and proposed actions to help reduce drop-out in the Coordination analyzed. The objectives defined for this research study have, as a general objective, to contribute with alternatives for the reduction of school drop-out rates of the 6th District Coordination, in the prevention of dropping out of the respective schools in the picture. In addition, we set out specific objectives: 1. Identify the causes of school drop-out among students of the 6th District Coordination, verifying if the drop-out rates are students who are beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program; 2) Analyze whether the Bolsa Família Program has contributed to the reduction of school drop-out; 3) To analyze how schools implement and monitor the conditionality of attendance in the schools selected by the research; 4) To suggest possible solutions for the reduction of school drop-out rates of the 6th District Coordination schools. For this purpose, we will use as a methodology the bibliographical and field researches, as well as the quantitative and qualitative, addressing the principles of school drop-out in state schools in the capital of the 6th District Coordination of Elementary School, from 1st to 9th grade. In addition, actions will be proposed to prevent the problem, focusing on the beneficiary students of the Bolsa Família Program of the said unit of education and as a semistructured interview instrument.

Magister Public Health - MPH / An urgent need to rapidly increase the size and capacity of the health workforce to manage the health system in Namibia motivated the development of a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree which has been offered at a distance since 1997 at the University of Namibia. The programme is delivered from the University’s Central and Northern Campuses, enabling qualified nurses to develop management and educator capacity while continuing to work;throughput has however been low and slow. Since student support is posited as a vital ingredient of distance education success, this study sought to understand how students experienced the support services offered by the University of Namibia’s distance education unit – the Centre for External Studies. The study explored students’ experiences and perceptions of administrative, social and academic support services provided by the University. The research design was qualitative, and exploratory, using focus groups and interviews for data collection. The sample comprised of forty Bachelor of Nursing Science students enrolled on both campuses between 2005 –2011 as well as seven staff involved in student support services. Documents and interviews of envisioned support services from the Centre for External Studies served as the basis for the evaluation of services. Data was analysed using thematic content analysis. A comparison was made of the findings from the two campuses.The findings reflected positive experiences of support from family and lecturers as well as institutional offerings such as video conferences. There were, however, some institutional weaknesses in the programme delivery such as the late delivery of study materials which impacted on students’ submission of assignments, and weak communication systems which affected delivery of support workshops. The libraries on both campuses were not adequately resourced and prescribed books were not always available at the local bookshops. Lecturer presence was missed by many students who were not used to distance learning, although the intensity of this experience differed between the students on the different Campuses.Personal challenges were sometimes responsible for student discontinuation of the programme, and work-related challenges affected attendance of vacation schools. These problems were experienced more by the students on the Northern Campus.Out of this study, recommendations were made on how to improve support services for advanced nursing students studying at a distance at the University of Namibia. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from both the University of Namibia and the University of the Western Cape.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Within the field of secondary education in South Africa there is currently a major crisis over learners’ poor academic achievement. This is a challenge to all roleplayers,especially the high failure and drop-out rates in Grades 10 and 11. In this study the problem of grade progression and promotion in Outcomes- Based Education (OBE) in a mixed low, middle and working-class school is addressed. The main question arising from this problem concerns the high promotion and low retention rates at the school. The central focus in this thesis is the understanding of grade progression and promotion on the part of Grade 10 educators. Thus this study investigates the implementation of grade progression and promotion, through observation as to how the actual practices and methods of educators and their Senior Management Team influence this process. Furthermore, the consequences for Grade 10 learners of the practices associated with grade progression and promotion are examined. This includes an analysis of educators’ opinions and how their practices of grade progression and promotion have affected or disadvantaged the learning process.This research is conceptualized in the domain of social, post-structural and constructivist theory, which provides a meaningful framework to help understand and explain educators’ multiple perceptions in the classroom. The study starts by exploring whether a poor socio-economic environment has a direct influence on activities in schools. This study also examines whether a poor socio-economic environment contributes to a dysfunctional situation in the classroom and school environment, which unintentionally influences the grade progression and promotion sessions. In addition, the study investigates and determines whether there is a disjuncture between policy (theory) and implementation (practice) when conducting grade progression and promotion. A qualitative research method was used in this study and a qualitative ethnographic design, influenced by an interpretivist framework, was adopted. Qualitative ethnographic techniques, such as observations, interviews and documents, were employed to collect relevant information for this study. Data was analyzed by using thematic narrative analysis to answer the dissertation questions. Ethical conduct and procedures were strictly observed.The results show that the socio-economic environment contributed to a dysfunctional condition in the school, which had a negative impact upon, and influenced the learning experience of, both educators and learners. The evidence revealed that the actual practices of educators and the school’s Senior Management Team during progression and promotion meetings were influenced by their subjective perceptions, attitudes and opinions. From this, the conclusion was reached that the progression, promotion or retention of learners resulted in positioning and labelling in the classroom, which might eventually lead to low motivation, weak performances and dropping-out. The significance of this study lies in the practical and academic value it holds for educators and other stakeholders. The findings, implications and recommendations can be used as a guide to provide solutions to problems and barriers which occur during grade progression and promotion in schools, and may offer opportunities for further investigation or study.

The master thesis deals with failed studies at universities in the Czech Republic. The first part is focused on literary research, on explanation of theoretical terms and on statistical methods, which are subsequently applied in the analytical part. These are decision trees and logistic regression that helped to determine the influence of factors on studies without graduation. The aim of this master thesis is to find significant factors, to compile a profile of failed students and to suggest the measures which could reduce their elimination from tertiary education.

The aim of this study was to identify what were the requirements placed on the design of distance education programmes as regards discipline or dialogue and how did these factors impact on student-support in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Education in general is used to classical behavioural objective that outlines precisely for the student what has to be done and is one way of structuring the learning materials. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF), by its very nature, is very familiar with this formal structure and style of doing things. It prescribes the way teaching has to happen and how the outcomes have to be achieved and at times in a very formal way. Opposed to the above is dialogue that calls for a move away from the prescriptiveness of doing something. Doing and thinking now becomes more open through dialogue. Education stakeholders now debate the value of certain content, since content is no more fixed, the admission of students into the programme is not fixed any more and the way examinations are set is also not fixed or prescriptive. There is now a move away from the disciplinary way of thinking, that is, thinking in terms of fixed boundaries or discipline any longer – dialogue has opened up options and opportunities. This research is based on the belief that distance education problems in the Department of Defence (DoD) are as result of outdated and inadequate instructional or programme design methods or approaches, and thus lack student-support. The four sub-research questions that emanate from the main research question as posed in this research are summarized as follows: (1) What is the distance learning teaching and learning character of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)? (2) What is the role dialogue in the design of teaching and learning? (3) How are ‘outcomes’ in transactional distance or dialogue achieved? (4) What is the role of dialogue in student empowerment or student support? The design of this research was based on qualitative approach. The feasibility of the research was assured by focusing on distance learning institutions and practitioners. Literature study and document analysis was utilized as data-collection method. Face-to-face interviews with focused groups and individual interviews utilizing unstructured, open-ended questions on interview schedules were also conducted. In addition, anonymous student reports collected by programme managers at the end of a programme replaced the unavailability of student interviews were utilised. The findings of the study were that the character of structural design of distance learning programmes in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) resembles that of the disciplinary approach, and is thus prescriptive. Structure, in terms of the teaching and learning strategies and the substance of the content is largely the mode of practice in the SANDF’s distance education system. Communication finds its way into the distance learning system of the Department of Defence as authoritative power source. The main function of dialogue in the system is to vest the interest of this organization as programme directors and instructors are not fully emancipated. Students and instructors find it difficult to engage constructively academically. Learner-to-learner interaction and freedom of academic discourse is hampered as the result of authoritarian and prescriptive doctrine of a structured curriculum. It is then concluded that student support in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) distance education settings does not address requirements of dialogue. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

According to the regulations contained in the Social Services Act (SFS 2001:453), Swedish social services have a legal responsibility to provide support, care, and treatment for individuals with substance use problems.  This law mandate those who are responsible to provide treatment to motivate drug users to actively seek treatment on a voluntary basis, ensuring an end to their dependence on drugs. Studies have shown that although the treatment system largely focuses on promoting abstinence, about two-thirds of client’s relapse into substance use within one year after completing treatment. This dissertation focuses broadly on clients who repeatedly enter and use treatment for substance use disorders in the Swedish addiction treatment system. The aim of this thesis is to examine and identify the population groups who are repeated treatment users of the Swedish treatment system for substance use disorder, including both the voluntary treatment and compulsory care. This thesis was based on three national level databases. The results showed that clients with a higher degree of problems and problems in different areas of life also had an increased risk of having treatment for substance use disorder repeatedly. Clients who were older, men, reported more years of polydrug and alcohol use to intoxication, reported more compulsory care episodes for substance use, had ever been charged with crime, had ever been in inpatient mental health treatment, and had a higher ASI mental health symptom composite score, were significantly more likely to report more voluntary addiction treatment episodes. The strongest significant association with the number of treatment episodes was the number of compulsory treatment episodes for alcohol and drugs. Individuals who experienced prior compulsory care including mandatory treatment through LVU (law (1990:52)), been in prison, and had children mandated to out-of-home care, were more likely to have two or more entries in the compulsory care system for substance use disorder. In addition, this analysis showed that 59% of clients mandated to compulsory care dropped-out during their compulsory care episode, and that younger clients were significantly more likely to drop-out. Those who drop-out were significantly more likely to experience negative outcomes, i.e. additional sentence to compulsory care and higher risk of mortality.  A hierarchal logistic regression model also identified that individuals with riskier childhood conditions were more likely to have had repeated entries to compulsory care for substance use disorder. The indirect effects showed that a family history of substance use disorder and psychiatric problems are both associated with higher probability of institutional care as a child i.e. LVU, and that in turn, mandated childhood institutional care is related to repeated compulsory care intakes as an adult. Individuals who use treatment for substance use disorder repeatedly have a higher degree of problems i.e. an exposed and problematic group of individuals characterized by problem in several different areas of life. Growing up in a home environment with unfavorable conditions, mandated care before the age of 18 (LVU), compulsory care for substance use disorder as an adult, children taken into out-of-home care, and crime are the factors that are primarily associated with repeated treatment for substance use. A change in the view of treatment for clients in need of repeated use of treatment seems important, and access to adapted continuous care efforts are crucial to counteract the risk of relapse after a treatment episode of voluntary or compulsory care. Further, it seems important to motivate the client to complete the compulsory care without any deviation, since this seems to have positive effects on their substance use disorder.

L’abandon en formation ouverte et à distance (FOAD) constitue un enjeu important tant pour les apprenants que pour les organismes de formation, que ce soit pour des raisons économiques, sociales, ou encore d’image (de soi ou publique). Les besoins des apprenants en termes d’accompagnement sont tant techniques, cognitifs et métacognitifs, qu’affectifs. C’est cette dernière notion, la dimension affective, qui nous intéressera particulièrement dans cette thèse pour comprendre l’abandon. Afin de tenir compte de la dimension sociale de l’individu et des relations qu’il entretient avec les enseignants, ses pairs ou ses proches, il sera question de dimension socio-affective. Nous mobilisons, pour mieux définir cette dimension et comprendre les enjeux de la communication médiatisée et de la distance en formation (en tant qu’objet social et technique), des auteurs issus de différentes disciplines des sciences humaines : des chercheurs en sciences de l’information et de la communication, des psychologues et des chercheurs en sciences de l’éducation. Nous proposons de caractériser la dimension socio-affective, pensée comme un système, par un modèle intégratif des émotions et sentiments proposés par l’ensemble de ces chercheurs. Cette dimension sera étudiée en regard de la notion de persévérance, inverse d’abandon. Nous nous demandons alors quels sont les facteurs socio-affectifs expliquant l’abandon en formation à distance, ou inversement la persévérance ? Sont notamment questionnés l’importance des interactions dans (avec les enseignants et autres apprenants) et en dehors (avec l’entourage proche) du dispositif de formation, et les facteurs individuels des apprenants (e.g. socio-démographiques). Pour répondre à ces questions, une enquête en deux parties (en début –attentes– et en fin de formation –vécu) et des entretiens semi-directifs ont été réalisés. Les premiers résultats rendent compte d’écarts entre attentes initiales et vécu de la formation, plus ou moins importants selon les apprenants. L’abandon apparaît explicable en analysant la dimension socio-affective, notamment dans les relations avec les acteurs du dispositif. Alors que certains subissent leur isolement du fait d’un manque de relation avec les enseignants, d’autres compensent en établissant une relation avec leurs pairs. Enfin, les proches occupent une place essentielle pour les apprenants qui vivent en famille et qui attendent leur soutien. / The drop out in open and distance learning (ODL) is an important issue both for the learners and training organizations, whether for economic, social or image (self-image or brand image). The accompanying needs of learners are both technical, cognitive and meta-cognitive, and affective. The latter particularly interest us in this thesis to understand the drop out. To take account of the social dimension of the person and his relationship with teachers, peers or family, we will discuss socio-emotional dimension. To better define this dimension and understand the issues of mediated communication and the distance in training (as a social and technical object), we mobilize some authors from different disciplines of the humanities: Researchers in science of information and communication , psychologists and researchers in science education. We propose to characterize the socio-emotional dimension, thought of as a system, by an integrative model of emotions and sentiments offered by all of these researchers. This aspect will be studied in relation to the notion of persistence, which is the opposite of drop out. We wonder what are the socio-emotional factors behind the drop out in distance learning, or conversely perseverance? The importance of interactions within (with teachers and other learners) and outside the training device (with family) and individual factors of learners (eg sociodemographic) are questioned. To answer these questions, an investigation into two parts (in beginning - expectations - and in end of training - experience) and semi-directive interviews were conducted. The first results reflect the differences between initial expectations and experiences of training, more or less important according learners. The drop out appears explainable by analyzing the socio-emotional dimension, especially in relations with the actors of the device. While some students suffer isolation due to a lack of relationship with teachers, others compensate by establishing a relationship with their peers. Finally, relatives occupy an essential place for learners who live in families and are waiting their support.

Unga Vuxna utanför arbete eller studier är ett fenomen som växer både nationellt- och internationellt vilket gör att det därmed krävs mer forskning för att skapa bättre åtgärder för dessa grupper. Denna studie har visat att konsekvenser som psykisk ohälsa i form av depression och svårigheter med att etablera sig på arbetsmarknaden är förekommande konsekvenser för Unga vuxna utanför arbete eller studier. För denna studie har semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts där tematisering av ämnet har skett. Med hjälp av den metoden har studien kunnat fokusera på ett delområde, konsekvenser i och med att intervjufrågorna förblev de samma för alla tre intervjuerna har en jämförelse i analysen bland svaren kunnat ske i studien. Studiens tre teorier differential association, anomiteorin och stigma har möjliggjort en koppling till lett resultat och diskussion. Denna studie har även påvisat att ytterligare forskning är nödvändig för att få en ökad förståelse över detta fenomen samt för att möjliggöra individuella kartläggningar av barns behov för att sedan kunna tillsätta rätt åtgärd.