The purpose of the research has been to explore perceptions of supervisors regarding their referral role within the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). Traditionally supervisors are expected to identify troubled employees and refer them to the EAP. Therefore, the study will help in identifying perceptions on the part of the supervisors and improve knowledge as to how they perceive their referral role within the EAP. The researcher did an exploratory study in this qualitative applied research, since her intention was to gain understanding of the perceptions of supervisors regarding their referral role within the EAP. It is the aim of the qualitative approach to understand the meaning that individuals attach to their everyday lives. The population consisted of 30 EAP client companies of The Careways Group in Gauteng. The researcher interviewed 12 respondents from three client companies, who had 20% or fewer supervisory referrals. The 12 respondents were selected as the sample through non-probability sampling, utilizing a purposive sampling method. Five of the respondents were working for Nashua Mobile, four were working for Computer Share and three were working for New Vaal. The empirical data was gathered by means of a semi-structured interview schedule. A tape recorder was used to record the interviews and put data into transcripts. All respondents signed an informed consent form (Appendix D). An in-depth literature review was conducted about the benefits of an EAP, types of referrals, responsibilities of a supervisor, resistance to utilise the EAP and addressing supervisors’ referral problems. Findings indicate that supervisors need comprehensive training regarding the EAP, which should also be linked with other management trainings. Supervisors believe that they are the key figures in implementing the programme because they work closely with employees, but they are not confident enough to implement the programme due to lack of knowledge. Supervisors indicated that the EAP plays a minimal role as a management tool and there is a need to re-position the programme based on the needs of the organisation. There is a general view that as the needs of the organisations is changing, so should the focus of the EAP. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

This mixed methods study aimed to provide some validity evidence for the use of the ESL sociopragmatics test developed by Roever, Elder and Fraser (2014) for formative purposes. The test developers recommend further validation of the tool, originally developed for the Australian context. In this study, the test items were used to reveal areas of weakness in sociopragmatic knowledge in a group of learners of an academically oriented English Intensive Program in Canada. Analysis of the test scores revealed a lack of knowledge of norms of appropriateness and politeness in English, which was further targeted with an instructional unit informed by the items of the test. Two weeks after the instructional unit was delivered, the participants were asked to complete a follow-up questionnaire. The questionnaire results provided insight into the participants’ perceptions of usefulness of the instructional unit. The learners found explicit instruction on ESL sociopragmatics useful for their language learning experience as well as day-to-day interactions in English. Particularly, they claimed to feel more confident communicating in English after receiving explicit instruction on ESL sociopragmatics. They were able to use information from the lesson in situations such as talking to their language instructors, communicating with university personnel, and participating in service encounter interactions. Therefore, the test proved to have potential for developing instructional materials in an academic context. Based on the findings of the study, suggestions on incorporating sociopragmatic competence into the institution’s EAP curriculum were made.

Employee Assistance Programme is a programme designed to assist employees who have a variety of problems affecting their productivity. It is a fact that for the programme to be effective and functional there should be enough referrals to the programme. It is without doubt that supervisors play a pivotal role in the success of the programme. However, this research focuses on explaining and understanding the perception of supervisors within the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) about EAP referrals. DFA is one of the Governmental departments within South Africa. Their core function is implementing the South African Foreign Policy. The mission of DFA is mainly to promote South Africa‘s national interests and values, the African Renaissance and the creation of a better world for all. To alleviate problems and enhance productivity, the Department introduced EAP system, but from statistics received from the EAP centre, it was evident that the utilisation rate is very low. It is unknown whether the low utilisation rate is due to a lack of referrals by supervisors, a lack of knowledge from both the employer and employees, or if the programme was not marketed properly. The researcher utilised a qualitative research approach because she was interested in describing and understanding the perceptions rather than explaining them. She developed a semi-structured interview schedule and the respondents were interviewed and given a chance to comment and widely define issues. It was a one-on-one interview using a semi-structured interview schedule and the respondents were free to expand on the topic. The researcher interviewed and tape recorded the responses of the respondents. The respondents were informed of the rationale for using a tape recorder and were requested to give consent in writing. The research findings revealed that the EAP within the DFA was under-utilised and not effective. Supervisors were passive role players and were not confident of their role as referral agents. The supervisors clearly highlighted that they were not trained as referral agents and were also not aware of different types of referrals. They did not know about the referral procedures and the programme was not property marketed to them. Their main concern was that the programme did not receive enough support from management hence they were not confident of the services rendered by the Programme. The researcher therefore recommended that the Department should review the policy on an ongoing basis to reach all levels of employee within the Department. A training programme to be developed and implemented, focusing on all aspect of the programme, as well as a training manual to be developed and made available to all levels of employees. The researcher further recommended that the EAP, within the DFA, be marketed, visible and accessible, with ongoing utilisation surveys to monitor the utilisation rate on an ongoing basis be conducted. / Dissertation (MSD)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / MSD (EAP) / Unrestricted

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第21471号 / 人博第872号 / 新制||人||209(附属図書館) / 2018||人博||872(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 高橋 幸, 教授 桂山 康司, 准教授 DALSKY,David Jerome, 教授 田地野 彰 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DGAM

No description available.

Mental disorders are a prevalent health issue that has an extensive amount of variability in the quantity of disorders, affected populations, and treatment. There are a multitude of approaches or therapeutic methods used by the mental health community. Although each therapy is valuable in unique ways, each therapy may not be suitable to treat every disorder or client. Traditional approaches, such as talk therapy, are effective for certain individuals, whereas some clients may not respond well to any of the traditional talk therapies. When traditional therapies are not working, a referral can be made for a therapy that might suit the client better. Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an experiential psychotherapy that has done well not only in assisting typical clients, but also with clients that have had trouble in traditional modes of therapy. This is a collaboration of current works and research in EAP, along with the knowledge base of a current licensed practitioner of EAP. The purpose is to lay out the fundamentals of EAP, which offers a different modality than traditional talk therapies. By crafting a better picture of EAP, perhaps it can kindle further research in its efficacy and guide additional mental health professionals towards this type of therapy.

No description available.

Certains virus respiratoires comme rhinovirus semblent favoriser la colonisation par staphylococcus aureus. Cependant, les détails des mécanismes impliqués dans cette synergie n’ont pas été suffisamment élucidés. Le but de cette thèse a été de développer et valider un modèle in vitro mimant la colonisation du vestibule nasal par s. aureus en utilisant les kératinocytes humains hacat. Ce modèle a permis d’étudier (i) les pouvoirs d’adhésion et d’internalisation d’une collection de souche clinique de s. aureus, (ii) l’efficacité intracellulaire des molécules antimicrobiennes utilisées dans le cadre de la décolonisation nasale de s. aureus, (iii) l’effet de la clarithromycine sur l’infection par rhinovirus et (iv) l’impact de l’infection par rhinovirus ou de l’inflammation non spécifique sur la colonisation par s. aureus. ce travail a principalement permis d’identifier un nouveau mécanisme alternatif de l’internalisation de s. aureus à travers la liaison entre la protéine bactérienne eap (extracellular adherence protein) et le récepteur cellulaire icam-1 (intracellular adhesion molecule 1). Cette voie alternative est favorisée en cas d’infection par rhinovirus ou d’inflammation, ce qui pourrait expliquer les observations cliniques de l’augmentation de la charge de s. aureus ou du risque d’infection par cette bactérie lors des infections virales respiratoires ou d’inflammation post-traumatique. Les résultats de cette thèse illustrent la complexité des interactions entre les cellules épithéliales de la muqueuse, s. aureus et les pathogènes viraux et ouvrent les perspectives sur d’autres études nécessaires afin de proposer des stratégies préventives ou thérapeutiques adaptées. / Some respiratory viruses such as rhinoviruses seem to promote staphylococcus aureus colonization. However, the details of the bacterial and cellular mechanisms involved in this synergy have not been sufficiently elucidated. The aim of this thesis was to develop and validate an in vitro model mimicking s. aureus colonization of the nasal vestibule by using hacat human keratinocytes. This model allowed to study (i) the adhesion and internalization capacities of various clinical s. aureus strains, (ii) the intracellular efficiency of the antimicrobial molecules used for s. aureus nasal decolonization, (iii) the effect of clarithromycin on rhinovirus infection, and (iv) the impact of rhinovirus infection and non-specific inflammation on s. aureus colonization. This work has mainly identified a new alternative mechanism for the internalization of s. aureus through the binding between the bacterial protein eap (extracellular adherence protein) and the cell receptor icam-1 (intracellular adhesion molecule 1). This alternative pathway is favored in case of rhinovirus infection or inflammation; which could explain the clinical observations of the increase of the load of s. aureus or the risk of infection by this bacterium during respiratory viral infections or post-traumatic inflammations. The results of this thesis illustrate the complexity of the interactions between the mucosal epithelial cells, s. aureus and viral pathogens and suggest that other studies are needed to propose appropriate preventive or therapeutic strategies.

In the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), as the role of workers in the workplace changed after demilitarisation in 1996, the needs of the employees also changed. The changing work environment placed different demands on them, unlike those that they had been used to in the past. Because of the growth of personal problems at the workplace, the EAP was introduced in the DCS in the late 1990’s. The EAP in the DCS has been formally in existence since 2000 and has not been formally evaluated according to the EAPA SA standards. The EAPA SA standards are the benchmark against which all EAPs in South Africa could be measured. This research attempts to ascertain whether the EAP in the DCS has been implemented according the prescripts of the EAPA SA standards. The research approach involved both the qualitative as well as the quantitative approaches. The qualitative approach was used in documenting the processes followed in the conceptualisation, introduction and creation of the EAP in DCS. The quantitative approach was used to evaluate the EAP in DCS using the EAPA SA standards as a benchmark. In the first chapter a general orientation to the study as well as the researcher’s rationale and structure for the research is provided. The literature review in chapter two took a retrospective look at the developments in the EAP industry by focussing on the most modern interventions in the EAP field initially and moving to the origins of the EAP later. Chapter three focussed on the evaluation of the EAP in the DCS which included a systematic collection of information about that programme. In chapter four each standard as it appears in the standards document and brief comment on each standard was presented. The standards were also reviewed in relation to recent literature on the subject. The empirical analysis in the following chapter included a quantitative analysis followed by a qualitative analysis of the responses. The first phase included the development of a questionnaire based on the standards. The distribution and completion of the questionnaire were part of phase two. In the final phase the questionnaire was analysed by the Department of Statistics at the University of Pretoria, under the leadership of Professor Smith and Dr. Mike van der Linde. In the final chapter a consolidation of all the chapters as well as recommendations for further research is presented. The formulated problem was addressed through the choice of different approaches, strategy and design during the research process. The researcher was able to combine the research approaches to compare and subsequently verify the findings. Based on the findings the following conclusions can be made: firstly that the DCS does not comply fully with many of the standards as set out by EAPA SA, secondly that the DCS is understaffed when attempting to deliver EAP services and finally that there is a resounding plea for EAP services in the DCS. In addition to the proposals a revised standards document has also been integrated into the findings. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

This thesis investigates the interaction of student learning approaches and course design at a tertiary institution in the United Arab Emirates. The students involved in the study were mostly male students attending an English for academic purposes program. This study employed a mixed methods design utilizing questionnaires and interviews. The students completed the Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) to assess their learning orientation along the deep and surface approach dimensions. The questionnaire results on the deep and surface dimensions were inconclusive. However, the results of a factor analysis suggest a disposition among the students towards attainment of satisfaction from learning. The evidence from the interviews indicates that the students were highly disposed towards practical learning outcomes, especially when these were linked to career skills. Interview evidence also points to the role of social relations amongst the students and with teachers as important learning factors. Finally, the interview analysis suggests the importance of affective factors. The results of separate questionnaires administered to a small group of faculty and the students at large, along with the interview data, indicate that the English for academic purposes courses broadly supported deep learning approaches. However, contextual factors at the college led to a highly structured and outcome based approach to the course curricula. Although the courses may have been supportive of deep learning approaches for most of the students, the courses’ prescriptive and structured approach may not have been optimal for high achievers. The implications of the findings of this study for EAP courses in the Gulf context are discussed as well as their implications for learning theory.