This thesis examines the heterosexual experiences of middle-class girls growing up in England between 1950 and 1980. Drawing primarily upon oral histories and Mass Observation testimonies, it explores the ways in which sexual discourses and practices shaped the adolescences lives of the post-war generation. Putting Laura Doan’s notion of ‘queerness-as-method’ into practice, the thesis uses the example of the youth sexual practice in the mid-twentieth century to reinforce claims that heterosexuality is unstable and dynamic. Paying particular attention to the logistics of sexual practice, the thesis makes two central arguments regarding youth sexuality at this time. Firstly, it argues that young women’s sexual lives were shaped by girls’ place in the life-cycle. Girls’ status as dependents and their lack of private space materially affected when and where they could engage in sexual activity. More than this, however, girls understood their adolescence as a period in which they were supposed to transition towards sexual maturity. Young women thus organised their sexual practice around the notion that they were ‘becoming sexual’. Secondly, this research demonstrates that teenage sexuality in the post-war period had an important social component. Far from being a product of individual morality, preference or personality and conducted in secret, girlhood sexuality was fundamentally social: girls’ sexual activities both defined and gained meaning from their relationships with their sexual partners, schoolmates and friends. Focussing on the politics of space, the thesis demonstrates how sexual activity was managed around competing imperatives of display and evasion as teenagers wished to hide their sexual behaviour from their parents but benefit from the social currency increasingly associated with sexual knowledge and experience. The thesis thus demonstrates the importance of understanding sexuality as being embedded within the social tapestry of individuals’ lives. For girls growing up between 1950 and 1980, questions of sex and sexuality could not be divorced from their roles and identities as not-yet-adults, girlfriends, daughters and friends.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:41:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 pinto_dd_dr_botib.pdf: 1857152 bytes, checksum: 81785364e61f2b5b3284690934502e3c (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fabaceae apresenta ampla distribuição geográfica e compreende cerca de 727 gêneros e aproximadamente 19.320 espécies, sendo considerada a maior família depois de Asteraceae e Orchidaceae. Faboideae compõe a maior das subfamílias e possui as características mais derivadas. Dalbergieae é uma das tribos basais de Faboideae e apresenta 17 gêneros nos trópicos, concentrados na América tropical; Machaerium está incluído nesta tribo e sendo o maior número de espécies localizadas no Brasil, em diversas formações vegetais. O presente trabalho descreve a morfologia, anatomia e ontogênese dos frutos e sementes de Machaerium brasiliense, M. hirtum, M. nyctitans, M. stipitatum e M. villosum, comparando as espécies entre si e com a literatura; verifica-se, ainda, a morfologia das plântulas de M. brasiliense, M. hirtum e M. villosum, bem como é apresentada a análise anatômica comparada de cotilédones, eofilos e metafilos. O material coletado foi processado segundo técnicas usuais em microscopia de luz, utilizando-se principalmente, inclusão em metacrilato; para estudo da venação, eofilos e metafilos foram diafanizados. As cinco espécies estudadas apresentam o ovário típico das leguminosas, ocorrendo inúmeros tricomas tectores em toda a periferia, além de tricomas glandulares em M. hirtum; o ovário apresenta secção transversal ovada a elíptica, destacando-se a ocorrência de idioblastos fenólicos junto aos feixes vasculares. Após a fecundação, são reconhecidas grandes variações, ocorrendo inúmeras divisões celulares, as quais são mais numerosas no endocarpo externo. Durante a fase de alongamento e diferenciação celulares, destaca-se a formação do seed cushion, constituído por longos tricomas pluricelulares voltados para o interior exceto em M. villosum que o endocarpo interno é parenquimático, formando um tecido que preenche a cavidade seminal... / Fabaceae presents wide geographic distribution and consists of approximately 727 genera and 19,320 species; it has been considered the third largest family, following Asteraceae and Orchidaceae. Faboideae represents the major subfamily and has the most derivative characteristics of such group. Dalbergieae is a basal tribe of Faboideae and presents 17 genera in the tropics, mainly in America; Machaerium is included in that tribe and has the largest number of species located in Brazil, in several biomes. The present work describes the morphology, anatomy and ontogeny of fruits and seeds from Machaerium brasiliense, M. hirtum, M. nyctitans, M. stipitatum, and M. villosum, through comparison between these species and with those in literature; besides, the morphology of seedlings of M. brasiliense, M. hirtum and M. villosum is analyzed and the comparative anatomical analysis of cotyledons, eophylls and metaphylls is presented. The material was collected and processed according to usual techniques of light microscopy, mainly through embedding in methacrylate; for venation study, eophylls and metaphylls were clarified. All studied species have typical leguminous ovary, with several non-glandular trichomes in all periphery, besides glandular trichomes in M. hirtum; the ovary presents ovate to elliptical transverse section, and phenolic idioblasts close to the vascular bundles are also detected. After fecundation, great variations are observed, with several cell divisions, which are more frequent in the outer endocarp. During cell elongation and differentiation, the seed cushion is originated by long pluricellular trichomes directed towards the interior, filling the seed chamber. Lignification is noted in part of the mesocarp and endocarp during fruit ripening, with formation of mesocarpic sclereids and outer endocarp fibers in all species. The samaras present typical structural peculiarities... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

No description available.

Thesis(M. A.(Communication studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / Twenty-three years since the transition into the democratic government, the South African post-apartheid government continues to grapple with the challenges of recurring trends of youth protests. The post-apartheid government has been experiencing violent protest actions resulting from dissatisfactions with poor service delivery or lack of social services, unemployment, slow pace of transformation in some South African socio-economic spaces, specifically institutions of higher learning and agitation for affordable access to tertiary education. Many young people demand social change through protest action, which often results in destruction of public infrastructure for this method seems to be an effective way of communicating grievances (Mbindwane, 2016). A first trend in youth protest is related to economic issues and social service provision. This qualitative study explored how high rates of unemployment amongst the youth and poor service delivery was a concern and a motivation for protests. The study of youth protests in the Fetakgomo-Greater Tubatse Municipality in the Limpopo Province was used as a case study, with the protests being used as a tool of communicating socio-economic challenges. Unemployment amongst the youth and poor service delivery in the municipality were challenges that motivated young people to actively communicate their dissatisfactions through toyi-toying (street protest). The municipality has been reported to have the highest rate of youth unemployment, standing at 53, 5%, in spite of the 18 mines that operate in the region (Statistics South Africa, 2016). A second motivation for youth protest trend in post-apartheid South Africa is affordable access to higher education. Exorbitant tuition fees, annual increments, and agitation for affordable access to tertiary education have made headlines since September 2015 when the Minister of Higher Education, Dr Blade Nzimande, announced that university fees were going to rise by 11, 5% in the 2016 academic year. The study revealed that tertiary education has become a commodity in the country and many students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds could not afford to pay for their fees. The drastic fee increments also exceeded expectations of those earning enough to pay for their children’s education, to an extent where they felt that the cost of education was clearing their pockets. The study further showed that the funding mechanisms failed to keep up with the ever-increasing tuition fees. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and other student loans/bursaries could no longer provide full bursaries as students’ tuition rose exponentially. The final trend of youth protests studied in this paper related to transformation and decolonisation of academic spaces – the case of #RhodesMustFall campaign. The sluggish transformation in South Africa, particularly in institutions of higher learning, first triggered student demonstrations at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and eventually spread to almost the rest of South African universities. The study further discovered that the presence of the Rhodes’ statue at UCT prompted a variety of emotions and rage among students, predominantly the previously marginalised. It appeared to be a constant reminder of colonial oppression and slow pace of transformation in the academia. Amongst other things, the study found that students pressed for the removal of all symbols of colonialism, from renaming streets that are perceived to carry the apartheid legacy, decolonising the curriculum, and advocating for greater representation of Black people in senior management positions, specifically the women as they were less represented in the past.Through in-depth qualitative interviews with selected youth, university management representatives, government representatives, and media archival materials, the study examined the concerns that shaped the trends and the nature of youth protests in the post-apartheid South Africa and explored how activism and protests were not merely a social agitation, but tools for communicating youth social and economic experiences.

Recent studies of globalization provide contrasting views of the cultural and sociopolitical effects of such major corporations as Disney as they invest transnationally and circulate their offerings around the world. While some scholars emphasize the ubiquity of Disney’s products and its promotion of consumerism on a global scale, accompanied by cultural homogenization, faltering democracy, and diminishing state sovereignty, others highlight signs of contestation and resistance, questioning the various state-capitalist alliances presumed to hold in the encounter between a global company, a local state, and the people. The settlement process and the cultural import of Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong complicate these studies because of the evolving post-colonial situation that Disney encounters in Hong Kong. While Disney specializes in “imagineering” dreams, Hong Kong itself is messily imagining what “Hong Kong” is and should be, and how it should deal with others, including transnational companies and Mainlanders. In this thesis, I appropriate Doreen Massey’s ideas of space-time in order to examine Hong Kong Disneyland not as a self-enclosed park but as itself a multiplicity of spaces where dynamic social relations intersect in the wider context of post-colonial Hong Kong. I illuminate the shifting relationship between Disney, Mainlanders, and the locals as this relationship develops in its discursive, institutional, and everyday-life aspects. Through interviews and ethnographic research, I study how my respondents have established and interpreted the meanings of Hong Kong Disneyland, and how they have made use of the park to support their own constructions of place, of politics, and of identity.

No description available.

Healthcare costs continue to escalate and hospitals need to use programs that encourage cost effectiveness, reduce resources and staffing, and increase patient accountability for their own healthcare risk factors, comorbidities, and participation in their healthcare decisions. Post Thrombotic Syndrome (PTS) is a debilitating disease with few treatment options. Allowing patients to have shared decision making in a care plan for this disease process that involves an exercise program may be a significant factor in the success or failure of their own healthcare goals and outcomes. The development of a proposal for an exercise program for PTS should provide patients with input regarding their healthcare plan and participation needs, reduce healthcare risk factors, reduce comorbidities, and increase participation in their healthcare decisions. Seven stakeholders were presented with the proposal for the exercise program for PTS via PowerPoint presentation and a paper handout. Data collection was completed via a 7-question assessment tool designed to provide formative feedback on the refinement of the project and to establish whether the proposed study was a feasible option for the intended vascular population. The analysis consisted of a review and description of all stakeholder responses. Eighty-two percent of the stakeholders indicated that there is a sufficient population, a perception of potential benefit for patients, and that adequate resources are available for the proposed study. Implications for social change include the potential that, through the future implementation of this project, providers could reduce healthcare expenses by decreasing the amount of follow-up and re-hospitalization, thus leading to improved healthcare outcomes.

The present research examined whether teachers in South Africa could use feedback from a learning environment instrument to help them to increase the degree to which they emphasised constructivist-oriented teaching strategies in their classroom. The study also investigated the validity of a widely-applicable classroom environment questionnaire, as well as associations between attitudes and classroom environment. The study involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods and was carried out in two phases. In the first phase of the study, data were collected using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), to assess learners' perceptions of the constructivist learning environment, and an attitude scale to assess learners' attitudes towards their mathematics classroom. The instruments were administered to 1864 learners in 34 intermediate (Grades 4 - 6) phase and senior phase (Grades 7 - 9) classes. Data were analysed to determine whether (a) the CLES is valid and reliable for use in South Africa and (b) relationships exist between learners' perceptions of the learning environment and their attitude toward their mathematics classes. Descriptive analysis was used to generate feedback information for teachers based on graphical profiles of learners' perceptions of the actual and preferred learning environment for each class. Analyses of data collected from 1864 learners in 34 classes supported the factor structure, internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha coefficient), and discriminant validity of the CLES, as well as its ability to differentiate between classes. The results suggest that researchers and teachers can be confident about using the modified version of the CLES in mathematics classes in South Africa in the future. / Simple correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine whether associations exist between learners' attitudes towards their mathematics class and their perceptions of the learning environment. The results indicated that student attitudes were associated with more emphasis on all four CLES scales used. Two scales, Uncertainty and Student Negotiation, were found to contribute most to variance in student attitudes in mathematics classes in South Africa when the other CLES scales were mutually controlled. Descriptive analysis was used to provide information about the constructivist nature of mathematics classes in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The results indicate that students would prefer a learning environment that is more positive than the one that they perceive as being present in terms of emphasis on all four CLES scales used. The second phase involved a 12-week intervention period during which two teachers used the pretest profiles of actual and preferred classroom environment means to assist them to develop strategies aimed at improving the constructivist orientation of their classroom learning environments. The teachers implemented the strategies and maintained daily journals as a means of reflecting on their teaching practices. Throughout the 12-week period, the researcher made regular support visits that included classroom observations, reviews of daily journals, discussions with teachers and interviews with learners. / As well, the researcher had the opportunity of giving support to the teachers in the implementation of their strategies. At the end of the 12 weeks, the CLES was re-administered to learners to determine whether their perceptions of the constructivist emphasis in their classroom learning environments had changed. The posttest graphical profiles indicated that there was a sizeable improvement in teachers' emphasis on CLES dimensions in their classrooms. Apparently, teachers using action research are able to use learners' responses to the CLES to develop and implement strategies for improving their learning environment. The study suggests that journal writing, as a tool used by teachers on a daily basis, can improve their professional expertise as reflective practitioners.

This program of research investigated the nature and processes of autobiographical memory deficits in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Study 1 examined the proposition that difficulties in the retrieval of specific memories present a risk factor for posttraumatic psychopathology. A prospective study of fire-fighters found that a significant predictor of posttraumatic stress was a deficit in retrieving specific memories to positive cues before trauma. Study 2 investigated whether autobiographical retrieval deficits in PTSD can be modified by psychological treatment. Results found that as PTSD symptoms reduced following treatment, individuals with PTSD retrieved more specific memories to positive cues. Together, these results indicated that specific retrieval deficits to positive cues present a vulnerability factor for PTSD. However, this memory style appears to be receptive to modification following therapy. Study 3 investigated the association between autobiographical retrieval deficits and impaired problemsolving in PTSD. Participants with PTSD retrieved more overgeneral categoric memories and took longer to retrieve memories than non-PTSD trauma controls. This deficit was associated with impaired social problem-solving, suggesting that specific retrieval is related to successful problem solving. In an analogue design, Studies 4 and 5 investigated the proposition that resource limitations may underpin autobiographical retrieval deficits. Results generally supported the proposal that reduced cognitive resources may be a mechanism contributing to specific retrieval deficits. Studies 6 and 7 examined rumination as another possible mechanism responsible for these retrieval deficits. Study 6 found high anxious participants retrieved fewer specific memories to positive cues following rumination, compared to distraction. Study 7 found evidence that negative rumination in the high anxious group increased categoric retrieval, whereas positive rumination had no effect. Study 8 found retrieval of trauma-related self-defining memories was strongly associated with personal goals connected to the trauma. Study 9 found that discrepancies in one???s self construct were related to the retrieval of trauma memories to positive cues. This program of research extends current theories of autobiographical memory by identifying risk, maintenance, and recovery factors in the context of PTSD.

This thesis examines the experience of oral assessment in post-compulsory education from the student's perspective. A considerable literature has developed over the past three decades describing and analysing how students experience various aspects of learning, including various forms of assessment. Until recently, none of this literature has addressed how students experience oral assessment, and recent studies that have done so are limited in their scope and methodology - it would be true to say that very little is known about oral assessment from the student's perspective. The starting point for the consideration of oral assessment is the existing literature on oral assessment, nearly all of which has been written from the teacher's perspective. A survey of this literature identified six dimensions of oral assessment - primary content types; interaction; authenticity; structure; examiners; and orality. It is suggested that these dimensions can lead to a clearer understanding of the nature of oral assessment, a clearer differentiation of the various forms within this type of assessment, a better capacity to describe and analyse these forms, and a better understanding of how the various dimensions of oral assessment may interact with other elements of teaching and learning. Students' experiences of oral assessment were then explored through interviews with fifteen students in a post-compulsory certificate in theology. The interviews and the analysis of the interview transcripts were strongly informed by the phenomenographic methods and conceptual framework developed by Marton and others for describing variations in how phenomena are experienced. Six aspects of students' experience of oral assessment were identified - the indirect object of learning; the direct object of learning; interaction; audience; affective responses; and comparisons with written assignments - and variations in how these aspects could be experienced are described. Relationships between these aspects suggested three contrasting conceptions of oral assessment. The conception of oral assessment as 'presentation' represents an approach to oral assessment that focuses on reproducing the ideas of others in a one-way presentation. This conception is associated with a limited sense of audience, a failure to perceive interaction as significant, and an absence of anxiety. In this case, oral assessment is seen as either similar to written assignments, or as being a more limited form of assessment than assignments. The conception of oral assessment as 'understanding' is associated with students actively seeking to develop their understanding of the subject, making the ideas they encounter their own, being challenged to understand these ideas because of the questioning involved in the assessment process, and seeing oral assessment as having some advantages over written assessment. The conception of oral assessment as 'a position to be argued' is associated with a seeing theology in terms of developing one's own point of view, having a strong sense of audience, seeing interaction with that audience as both challenging and demanding understanding, and experiencing a heightened self-awareness. In this case, oral assessment is seen as a significantly richer and more personally engaging form of assessment than written assignments. The study of oral assessment from the student's perspective extends the dimensions of oral assessment described earlier and challenges our understanding of these dimensions. The study has significant implications for teachers using oral assessment and for students who are being assessed orally, including the challenge of helping students develop more complex conceptions of oral assessment. The study also provides the basis for further research into specific aspect of oral assessment and its application in different contexts.