Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is often considered the most important step among the stages in the training cycle and, therefore, should precede any training intervention. However, in spite of the importance of TNA, the literature contains little empirical work on the topic. This study investigates the current practice of TNA within the Abu Dhabi Police (ADP), in order to identify the different barriers to its effective implementation, and to develop a suitable framework that can not only be applied to the Abu Dhabi Police, but also has wide applicability to other public sector organisations. Four areas are examined, these being: current practices of TNA, training decisions, effectiveness of TNA, and the barriers to its implementation. The study adopts a phenomenological approach, using inductive qualitative data in the main. The research population is categorised into three groups: a) policy-makers, top management, and academics, b) trainers, and c) trainees. In total, 51 individuals from the ADP are interviewed. The results show that TNA in the ADP is generally conducted formally on a regular basis. To a certain extent, all the methods are in use by the ADP in identifying its training needs, and the overall perceptions of the respondents regarding TNA practices are high. However, the study has identified some barriers to the implementation of effective TNA practices in the ADP. It is to be noted here that lack of expertise of the trainers; nepotism, kinship and personal relations between the supervisors and the employees, disrupt the training selection process in the ADP. Based on the findings this study has suggested some recommendations. This study hopes to contribute to, and extend, the body of knowledge on TNA by developing a novel, holistic conceptual framework, which provides general guidelines for TNA practitioners in the public sector of the UAE to ensure the successful and effective implementation of TNA. Additionally, it will contribute to the body of knowledge of TNA in the Middle East generally, and TNA in the Middle Eastern public sector, being the first exploratory empirical study conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as far as the author believes.

Bakgrund: Många av de patienter som insjuknar i stroke kommer till sjukhus med ambulans. Ambulanssjuksköterskors bedömning kan ha betydelse för att dessa patienter ska få ett snabbt omhändertagande och tidig behandling, vilket kan minska risken för bestående funktionsnedsättning och lidande samt påverka framtida livskvalitet. Som stöd i bedömningen finns idag behandlingsriktlinjer. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka ambulanssjuksköterskors bedömning av patienter som drabbats av stroke avseende träffsäkerhet, samt skillnader i bedömning mellan de som bedömts ha stroke och de som ej bedömts ha stroke. Metod: Retrospektiv studie där journaler granskats med en kvantitativ ansats. Studiens urval bestod av patienter som skrivits ut från ett medelstort sjukhus i Västsverige under 2015, med ett vårdtillfälle där huvuddiagnos stroke angetts och som åkt ambulans till sjukhus med initial bedömning av en ambulanssjuksköterska, vilket resulterade i 454 journaler att granska. Resultat: För alla patienter med stroke som inkluderats i studien hade endast 52% av patienterna bedömts av ambulanssjuksköterskor ha stroke. Primär och sekundär bedömning var gjord i hög grad för alla patienter. Signifikanta skillnader fanns kring hur strokespecifika symtom var bedömda. Symtom från ansikte, arm eller ben, påverkan på tal och ögon var i högre grad bedömt i gruppen där ambulanssjuksköterskor bedömt att patienter drabbats av stroke. Huvudvärk, yrsel och illamående bedömdes i högre grad i gruppen ej stroke. Slutsatser: Mer forskning inom området behövs för att öka andelen patienter med stroke som identifieras av ambulanssjuksköterskor.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

Syftet med denna studie var att utveckla fördjupade kunskaper om bedömningshandlingar i matematikklassrummet utifrån ett elevperspektiv och två frågeställningar ställdes: Vad kännetecknar de bedömningshandlingar som kommuniceras under matematiklektioner? Hur uppfattar elever de bedömningshandlingar de tar emot och ger under matematiklektioner utifrån sitt lärande och sin utveckling? Studien genomfördes i form av en fallstudie i en skolklass årskurs fyra. Klassrumsobservationer och elevintervjuer användes för insamling av empiriskt material. Resultatet visar att de bedömningshandlingar som kommuniceras i matematikklassrummet till stor del är handlingar som i forskning beskrivs som gynnsamma för lärandet. Några observationer och uppfattningar skiljer sig i resultatet. Det är tydligt att arbetet med normer och regler för kamratbedömning och kamratsamverkan i klassrummet kan utvecklas mer. Frågor används frekvent i klassrummet och en stor del av frågorna handlar om läs- och begreppsförståelse, vilket kan göra att de matematiska processerna kommer i skymundan. En avsaknad av tydliga mål och kriterier syns under lektionerna. Några elever uttrycker att de uppfattar eller sätter egna mål för undervisningen, något som kan ge dessa elever fördel i undervisningen. Utifrån denna studie kan tre områden ses som gynnsamma att reflektera över för utveckling i matematikklassrummet: Normer och regler för kamratsamverkan, vilka frågor som ställs och hur mål och kriterier kommuniceras.

A broad review of assessment and intervention research relevant to Theory of Mind (Baron-Cohen, 1985) and Autism Spectrum Disorders from birth to age twelve was conducted. Nine assessment articles were reviewed to examine the major differences between children with autism spectrum disorders and children who are typically developing, particularly in the area of social perception. Assessment tasks aimed to discover a child's thoughts relevant to another's thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. It was discovered that children with autism spectrum disorders performed less well on Theory of Mind tasks, and tended to provide responses that were more egocentric and idiosyncratic in nature. A review of the intervention research revealed improvement in Theory of Mind domains is possible when teaching strategies explicitly target goals relevant to perspective taking. Generalization of skills to natural environments was a lacking area across all twelve articles, indicating a need for more intensive practice in natural environments. Interestingly, when social skills were taught in the absence of Theory of Mind training, no collateral effects were observed to Theory of Mind domain. / text

No description available.

No description available.

Arthur’s Pass township, located close to the Main Divide of the central Southern Alps, is highly exposed to natural hazards and has been affected by hazard events since it was founded in 1906. The village is a small alpine township, with a permanent resident population of approximately 54. Its location within the Arthur’s Pass National Park and on the main road between the east and west coasts of the South Island makes it popular with tourists, trampers, climbers and skiers, which can expand the local population to up to 500 people. Its position on the Bealey River floodplain within a highly dynamic tectonic and geomorphic environment makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides, rockfalls, debris flows, heavy rain and snow, river flooding and riverbed erosion. Previous investigations on natural hazards in the area are limited to the Otira Gorge and State Highway 73, with little focus on hazards affecting the village area. Natural hazard events are persistent and frequent in the Arthur’s Pass region and the village is susceptible to being isolated from external resources during and after a disaster, making it necessary for the village to be self-sufficient during a large-scale disaster. The hazards were identified and analysed using aerial photographs and satellite images, historical data, supported by in-field reconnaissance at various times of the year to record seasonal changes. Hazard mapping used the same methods to illustrate the spatial and volumetric hazard changes over a range of time scales; >2% annual probability of occurrence (0-50 years recurrence interval), 2%-0.2% annual probability of occurrence (50-500 years recurrence interval) and <0.2% annual probability of occurrence (500+ years recurrence interval). The hazard maps show that that most hazards are not restricted to a specific temporal or spatial scale, and that they are often interdependent. It is difficult to determine the precise effects that climate change and global warming will have on natural hazards, but they are expected to increase the unpredictability of hazard events and alter weather patterns significantly in the long-term. A visitor questionnaire undertaken in the village indicated that many visitors do not regard the hazards as severe enough to represent a legitimate threat; hence the public perceptions of natural hazards are affecting the vulnerability of the village. Additionally, many people do not feel confident that they would know what to do if a disaster did occur in the village. This level of awareness can be improved by providing more information to visitors and displaying details on emergency procedures. The village does not currently have an emergency plan that specifies particular preparedness and response procedures; it relies heavily on a plan adapted from Mt. Cook/Aoraki village. Current emergency management in the village could be improved by the production of an emergency plan specifically for the region, the use of education schemes and information sessions, and the installation of warning signs. The provision of this detailed hazard investigation and hazard maps is intended to assist emergency managers to identify, prioritise, mitigate the hazards to reduce the vulnerability of the village to natural hazards in the short- and long-terms.

The purpose of this study was to examine the leadership of secondary school principals and its relation to student success on the AIMS. The study focuses on the nature of school leadership which identifies two constructs: leadership of people and purpose. Leadership characteristics, principal characteristics and school characteristics were analyzed with respect to reading gains, writing gains, and math gains on the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) to determine their relationships with student achievement gains. A total of 70 high school principals were surveyed in Arizona. Pearson Product moment correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to examine these relationships. Certain principal personal characteristics were found to significantly relate to school achievement gains. In addition school characteristics such as Free/Reduced lunch and school size were found to be highly related to student gains.