The permanent and intensive changes taking place nowadays in societal, social, economical, organizational and even private lives shift a great responsibility on a comprehensive school that has to create equal opportunities for every learner to acquire education and abilities to adapt in a constantly changing environment. The implemented educational reforms constituted a significant progress of the educational system of the Republic of Lithuania, however, the increasing number of learners that do not acquire qualitative comprehensive education are not able to compete in society and face social exclusion. The following are thought to be the most urgent educational problems in European Union and Lithuania: qualitative education, education for all, as drop-out of every child from a formal education system is a great loss for a state in terms of demography, morality, economy, culture and etc. With consideration to all the mentioned above, the following research problem has been formulated – what are the possibilities of a basic school in decreasing the drop-out of the school children. The object of the research - the possibilities of a basic school in decreasing the drop-out of the school children. The aim of the research is to analyse the possibilities of a basic school in decreasing the drop-out of the school children. The following objectives assist in revealing the aim of the research: 1) Carry out the theoretical analysis of school children drop-out from school by... [to full text]

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Group psychotherapy with borderline patients is an activity that is fraught with ominous apprehension and it is perhaps for this reason that little research has been done in the field. The aim of the present studies was to map out the area and to test some basic hypotheses about patient and therapist behaviour during the therapy process. Two therapy groups of carefully diagnosed clinical borderline patients were studied by means of video-technique during a therapy process of 20 months. Special technical arrangements and ethical agreements were elaborated for the research. Outcome data was collected concerning the patients’ self-image, symptom-level and personality structure. A follow-up was done 2-3 years after therapy on functional level, capacity for work, medication and need of further treatment. As expected a high drop-out rate occurred. Within a year 40% of the patients had left, and within 20 months 60%. Drop-out was not found possible to predict before the period of therapy commenced but early drop-outs were generally younger and in a more acute state of distress than late drop-outs. In order to study the therapy process two major perspectives were elaborated and operationalized: 1) classification of focus and depth of therapists’ interventions and 2) relational capacity of the patient (Borderline Relatedness). In contrast to remainers, late drop-outs were found most sensitive to disturbances in the frame of therapy (group instability) and were considered prone to interact malignantly with the therapists, eventually leading to drop-out. As to outcome and follow-up, late drop-outs were characterized by the poorest outcome all over, while early drop-outs and remainers were generally more stabilized although the early drop-outs seemed more dependent on medication for their functioning. By means of a principal components analysis the large amount of outcome data was condensed to two important factors: 1) symptom and functional level and 2) direction of anger. Thus, it was found that an important feature of a positive outcome was the ability to function at work and in social life and to direct anger outwards, not just towards oneself, thus protecting and idealizing important others, as was often the case with these patients before treatment. Taken together, the results point to the need for more precise and sensitive diagnostic methods and outcome criteria both to predict and to evaluate therapeutic outcome. To minimize drop-out and negative therapeutic reaction the research speaks in favor of further studying the therapist-patient interaction during the group therapy process and to evaluate the relative importance of therapist interventions and non-specific curative factors. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1989, härtill 4 uppsatser.</p> / digitalisering@umu.se

Le décrochage scolaire affecte non seulement l’avenir économique et le statut social de l’individu, mais représente aussi un grave handicap pour sa famille, ses enfants et son pays. Dans cette étude nous comparons le décrochage scolaire en Inde et en France, deux pays très différents, mais concernés par le décrochage scolaire, à des degrés divers. Au ch. 1 nous comparons la structure, l’histoire et le fonctionnement des systèmes éducatifs de la France et de l’Inde, sur quelques facteurs significatifs comme le taux d’inscription des élèves, la compétence de lecture, le statut économique des familles. Nous faisons un bref rappel du développement psychologique de l’adolescent et de son impact sur l’apprentissage.Le ch. 2 est consacré à l’étude du décrochage. Nous examinons les variations de sa définition selon les pays, ses causes externes (pauvreté, analphabétisme parental, environnement culturel) et internes (redoublement, échec scolaire), ses conséquences (chômage, troubles sociaux) et ses remédiations (veille par enquêtes, formation d’adultes, politiques éducatives). Dans le ch. 3, nous présentons les enquêtes que nous avons menées dans le collège Leï Garrus(Var) et l’école Lakshmipur Shamidji Seva Sangha (Lakshmipur), sur des élèves de 15-16ans, en empruntant la méthodologie des enquêtes PISA. Nous faisons le bilan des similitudes (échec en mathématiques, désintérêt pour la langue) et des différences (causes externes du décrochage, suivi extra-scolaire, poursuite d’études envisagée). Enfin, nous insistons sur les limites mais aussi la nécessité de l’approche comparative, en nous prononçant pour une perspective interculturelle de la recherche en éducation. / In last few decades priority has been given to prevention of school dropout which not only affects the future economic and social status of individual but also presents a huge problem for his family, his children and his country. In this study, we compare school drop in two countries, India and France, very different, but concerned with drop-out at various degrees.In chap. 1, we compare structure, history and functioning of education system in France and India, using significant factors like students’ enrolment, reading ability, economic status of families and resort to private tuition. We conclude with a brief reminder of the psychological development of adolescents and its impact on learning.Chapter 2 is devoted to the dropping out study. We examine the variations of its definition according to countries, its causes, external (dwelling place, cultural environment, parents’ illiteracy) and internal (basic skills deficiency, grade repetition, teacher expectation), its consequences (unemployment, illiteracy, decline of GDP, social climate disturbance) and its remedies (regular educational surveys, adult education, educational strategies).In ch. 3 we present the surveys we have carried out in collège Leï Garrus (Var) and Lakshmipur Shamidji Seva Sangha High school (Lakshmipur) with 15-16 aged students, on the basis of PISA questionnaires regarding basic skills and teacher-student relationship. We underline resemblances (failing in language and mathematics) and differences (drop out external causes, extra-school tuition). Finally, we emphasize the limits but also the need of the comparative approach, defending an intercultural perspective of education research.

Submitted by Paulo Junior (paulo.jr@fgv.br) on 2010-09-02T20:55:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CONCEIÇÃO APARECIDA.pdf: 299785 bytes, checksum: 29c3957847c923d5994473f6c251406c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Paulo Junior(paulo.jr@fgv.br) on 2010-09-02T20:55:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CONCEIÇÃO APARECIDA.pdf: 299785 bytes, checksum: 29c3957847c923d5994473f6c251406c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2010-09-08T12:25:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CONCEIÇÃO APARECIDA.pdf: 299785 bytes, checksum: 29c3957847c923d5994473f6c251406c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-16 / This study main interest was to verify the main causes to dropping out from distance courses reported by Brazilian institutions offering them. The study involved literature review and field research. Through the literature review it was possible to note that Brazilian society faces an education quality issue that has been around for a long time. The change from a quantitative to a qualitative way to address this issue through public policies is notable. The study presents distance learning (DL) as a modality of education capable of helping in reduce the issue of quality education offer. The study addresses the appearance, development, and features of DL and how the internet favored the rise of digital communication, and thus increased the search for DL. DL participation in the Brazilian educational process is increasing more and more. However, just as it happens with traditional education, DL faces a number of problems. One of them – the center of this works attention – is the still high rate of students dropping out. By assessing the main causes to this fact, this work concludes that factors such as the quality of the interaction between students and teachers, as well as the acknowledgement about the quality of the courses offered, should be targeted by all public and private institutions that wish to work with this type of teaching. / Este trabalho teve como interesse principal verificar quais as principais causas para a evasão, apresentadas pelos cursos a distância, oferecidos pelas instituições brasileiras. O estudo foi realizado a partir de revisões bibliográficas e pesquisa de campo. Na revisão bibliográfica, observa-se que a sociedade brasileira se depara, desde há muito tempo, com a questão da qualidade da educação. É possível acompanhar a mudança de foco das políticas públicas na área da educação: de uma abordagem quantitativa para uma abordagem qualitativa. O estudo apresenta a EAD como uma modalidade de ensino capaz de somar forças para que seja minimizada a questão da oferta de uma educação de qualidade. São mostrados seu surgimento, desenvolvimento e peculiaridades e como o advento da Internet favoreceu o aumento da comunicação digital, aumentando a procura pela EAD. Cada vez mais, a EAD está ganhando força no processo educativo brasileiro. Porém, assim como a educação tradicional, precisa enfrentar inúmeros problemas. Um deles, foco deste trabalho, é o (ainda) alto índice de evasão. Pesquisando as principais causas para o fato, este trabalho conclui que fatores como qualidade da interação entre alunos e professores bem como o reconhecimento da qualidade dos cursos oferecidos devem ser trabalhados por todas as instituições, públicas e privadas que desejem trabalhar com essa modalidade de ensino.

O Fundo de Financiamento ao Estudantil (Fies), programa de financiamento estudantil a taxas de juros subsidiadas, foi criado em 1999, mas passou por uma forte expansão após 2010, ano em que ocorreu a reformulação das condições de financiamento, como a redução dos juros para 3,4% a.a., ampliação dos prazos de carência e de pagamento e a dispensa da exigência de fiador para estudantes de menor renda. A partir de então, mais de 1,1 milhão de estudantes formalizaram contratos com o Fies, envolvendo recursos orçamentários da ordem de R$ 14 bilhões. A partir do Censo da Educação Superior de 2009 a 2012 e dos dados do Enade de 2009 a 2010, e utilizando a metodologia de diferenças em diferenças, este estudo avalia o impacto do Fies na quantidade de matrículas e nas taxas de evasão nos cursos presenciais de instituições privadas brasileiras de ensino superior. Como resultados, foram encontrados efeitos do Fies sobre as matrículas de 6,3% a 9% e sobre a taxa de evasão de -2 a -2,6 pontos percentuais. Como forma de testar a robustez dos resultados realizaram-se testes de placebo, em que os resultados foram replicados para a rede pública, para cursos não habilitados ao Fies e para o período pré-tratamento. Não foram encontrados efeitos estatisticamente significativos para nenhum dos casos, exceto para o teste de placebo para a taxa de evasão utilizando os dados anteriores ao início do tratamento, e estes significativos a 10%. / The Financing Fund the Higher Education Student (FIES), a student financing program of subsidized interest rates was established in 1999, but passed by a strong expansion after 2010 when there was an overhaul of the financing conditions, as the reduction of interest to 3.4% per year, expansion of grace period and payment deadlines to dispenses a guarantor requirement paragraph students of lower income. From then on, over 1.1 million students formalized contracts with Fies involving budgetary resources of the order of R$ 14 billion. At from the Census of the Higher Education from 2009 to 2012 and Enade data from 2009 and 2010, this study uses differences in differences methodology with the objective of evaluating the impact of Fies on enrollment amount and evasion rates in courses of brazilian higher education private institutions. The results suggest increase on enrollment from 6.3% to 9% and the dropout rate of -2 to -2.6 percentage points. In order to test the robustness of the results were performed placebo tests where the results were replicated to the public courses, for courses not entitled to Fies and for the pre-treatment period. No statistically significant effects were found for any of the cases, except for the placebo test for the dropout rate using data prior to the start of treatment, and these significant 10%.

Introduction: The participation profile of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and the effectiveness of a video-based home exercise programme (VBHEP) were investigated using various research methods. Methods: The content analysis of the Move-On-Up exercise video against NICE guidelines and published research was performed. The video was evaluated for its suitability for use in VBHEP through focus groups involving UK population of patients with COPD and respiratory clinicians. Using the data from the content analysis and the focus groups, questionnaire items were synthesised for a national survey of both patients and clinicians. A study examined the relationship between participation in outpatient PR and patient measures of depression (Brief Assessment Depression Card), social support (Duke Social Support Index), multidimensional health locus of control (MHLC) and COPD severity (Medical Research Council dyspnea score). A randomised control trial (RCT) evaluated the effect of combining VBHEP and conventional outpatient PR on walking ability and PR benefit maintenance. The intervention arm received VBHEP concurrently with outpatient PR, while the control arm received only outpatient PR. Outcome measures included: the endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT), quality of life (QoL) (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire- SGRQ), MHLC and a modified Follick's activity diary. Measures were taken before PR, at the fourth and eighth weeks of PR and at six months post-PR. Focus groups were conducted between six and 20 months post-PR to evaluate patients' experience of and adherence to the use of VBHEP. Results: Critical review of 46 RCTs aided evaluation of the video demonstrating that the video content was consistent with both NICE recommendations and published research. The six focus groups that were part of the initial evaluation of the video involved 14 patients and 14 clinicians. The national survey generated responses from 60 patients and 62 clinicians; between 79 and 100% of respondents in each domain of the questionnaire indicated that the video is suitable for use. Fifty-one patients completed the study investigating the profile of patients participating in PR. The results indicated that depression has a moderate and negative statistically significant association with the uptake of PR (p < 0.05). Fifty-seven patients participated in the RCT [mean age 66.51 years (SD 9.96), mean FEV1% predicted 54.51% (SD 10.47)]. The results indicated that the use of VBHEP with outpatient PR has no significant additive effect in improving or maintaining the benefits of walking ability following PR (p<0.05). Seven patients participated in the follow-up focus groups where findings suggested that patients were still participating in VBHEP up to 20 months after it was first prescribed, though the frequency of its use appeared to diminish after PR ended. Conclusion: The Move-On-Up exercise video is suitable for VBHEP in patients with COPD. Patients with COPD and depression are less likely to take up a referral to PR compared to those without depression. The use of VBHEP concurrently with PR has no additive effect in improving or maintaining benefits of walking ability following PR. Adverse social circumstances and disease severity reduce the duration of participation in VBHEP.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / During Apartheid, South African education policies were largely based on a system of racial segregation, resulting in unequal educational opportunities between black and white students. Current education policies centred on Access and Equity have been ratified to address the education issues of the past. However, there still remains a concern about the poor performance and consequently, the high drop out rate, particularly amongst black South African university students. The findings of various studies have shown that the factors that contribute to poor academic performance range from inadequate pre-university schooling and financial issues to poor language proficiency, inadequate social support and insufficient social integration. The present study employed a qualitative approach to explore first-year students perceptions of the influence of social integration on academic performance. Tinto Student Integration Model provided the conceptual basis for the conduction of the study. Three focus groups were used to collect the data which were analysed according to thematic analysis procedures. The main finding of the study was that academic and social experiences were intrinsically linked in the first year of study. Moreover, the findings indicate that friends, belonging to nonacademic organisations and lecturer-student interaction (as three indicators of social integration) influenced first-year students academic performance. South African contextual factors such as socio-economic status and language were found to be a potential hindrance to good academic performance. The implications of these findings are discussed. / South Africa

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Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / It has become a world trend that the opportunity for university education should be made available to all. The twentieth century witnessed the partial demolition of the barrier that retained higher education as the privilege of the élite group. Attendance at a university is seen today as the gateway to the membership of a profession, and to all the benefits of improved economic and social status. Rapid economic and industrial development in South Africa and overseas in the second half of this century has caused a general shortage of scientific manpower. Malherbe (1977, 496) stresses that full opportunities for developing the talent of every individual are no longer an idealistic aim but an economic necessity. The Wiehahn Commission (1980, 12), appointed by the South African Government to inquire into labour legislation and labour systems in South Africa, reported that a serious shortage of skilled manpower for professional, managerial and technical positions still exists. The universities, now having a major responsibility in the preparation of such personnel, have assumed greater significance as far as the public and private sectors are concerned. Educated people are a part of the nation's best human resources, and because education is one of the chief assets of the individual, there is a compelling need for research to improve the academic performance of students at all levels, especially at university. Arising from the shortage of skilled manpower and the increasingly growing demand for tertiary -education, more students enter universities. The rapid increase in university enrolment has brought with it new interest and concern relating to those students who fail or drop out. The problems of failure and drop-out at university have been the subject of many investigations in Western countries, especially Great Britain (Miller, 1970; Butcher and Rudd, 1972) and the United States of America (Pervin et aZ, -1965; Astin, 1971). In South Africa, the Government appointed a Commission of Inquiry into White universities (Van Wyk de Vries, 1974). Included in its terms of reference were: transition from school to university, and the high failure rate among undergraduates. As Astin (1975, 1) points out, most studies take the view that decision-makers legitimately want to know more about how to increase the students' chances of graduating. This concern is based, inter aZia, on: loss of talent; waste of limited educational resources; vocational and personal setbacks resulting from the student's impeded career development; futile expenditure of money, time and effort. The incidence of failure and drop-out evokes painful responses not only from the student but also from others, including his parents and his university. To parents, the admission to university of their son or daughter often represents a fulfilled ambition and the fruition of years of struggle and hope. Therefore failure or drop-out by the student is also a shattering experience for most parents - many of whom feel that they have failed as parents