Esta tese se situa no campo da formação de professores, com foco nas relações entre experiência, cultura e formação. Ao apostar nas possibilidades de um pensamento em Educação elaborado a partir da experiência, o estudo teve como objetivo analisar o lugar das experiências culturais, especificamente, na constituição de um ethos docente, isto é, em um certo modo de ser professor. Examina, inicialmente, sob que condições históricas o discurso sobre formação cultural de professores ganha legitimidade hoje, bem como sua dispersão em espaços que orientam a carreira docente, quais sejam: pesquisas acadêmicas, políticas públicas e diretrizes curriculares. Como forma de construir uma memória discursiva da concepção de cultura como instância formativa, diretamente relacionada ao discurso em questão, resgata os conceitos de Paideia, Bildung e Hallbildung para, então, inscrever uma concepção particular sobre formação cultural de professores, à luz do nosso tempo. Os movimentos teórico‐metodológicos, por sua vez, compreenderam a revisão de dados históricos, em uma perspectiva de inspiração genealógica, aliada à análise foucaultiana do discurso. O material empírico da tese constituiu‐se de portfólios de experiências culturais, realizados por alunas de Pedagogia, bem como de interações oriundas da organização de um grupo focal com seis dessas alunas. Diferentes autores compõem a ancoragem teórica que sustentou as discussões da tese, dentre os quais destaco: Michel Foucault, Jorge Larrosa e Rosa Maria Bueno Fischer. As análises desenvolvidas possibilitaram identificar que as experiências culturais aparecem implicadas com a constituição de um ethos docente, na medida em que: (1) desencadeiam e potencializam uma abertura aos processos de negociação, o que pressupõe, não raras vezes, rever posicionamentos e acomodar novas verdades; (2) sugerem um certo empoderamento, não no sentido de uma tomada de poder pelas alunas, mas como ampliação de possibilidades de vida; (3) ao se configurarem como um compromisso assumido por essas alunas, naquilo que Foucault denominou cuidado de si, articulam modos de saber e de criar a si mesmo, em direção, quem sabe, à vida boa de que fala a ética. / This thesis is situated in the area of teacher education, focused on the relations among experience, culture and education. From betting in the possibilities of one knowledge directed to education, elaborated from the experience, this study had the objective of analysing cultural experiences, specifically in the constitution of an ethos docent, in other words, from the teacher way of being. Initially, it examines under which historical conditions the discourse on the cultural teacher education gain legitimacy today, as well as its dispersion in spaces that guide the teaching career, which are: academic researches, public policies and curricular directives. As a way of constructing a discursive memory of the conception of culture as a formative instance, directly related to the discourse in question, it rescues the concepts of Paideia, Bildung and Hallbildung for inscribing a particular conception about the cultural teacher education in the light of our time. The theoreticalmethodological movements, in turn, comprised the revision of historical data, from a perspective of genealogical inspiration, allied to the foucaultian analysis of discourse. The empirical material of the thesis consisted of portfolios of cultural experiences carried out by Pedagogy students, as well as interactions from the organization of a focal group with six of these students. Different authors make up the anchorage. The empirical material of the thesis is constituted of portfolios from cultural experiences, realized by pedagogy students as well as interactions deriving from the organization of one focal group constituted by six students. Different authors compose the theoretical anchorage that supported the discussions of the thesis, among which I highlight: Michel Foucault, Jorge Larrosa and Rosa Maria Bueno Fischer. The analysis that have been developed enabled the identification of cultural experiences implicated with the constitution of an ethos docent, in the means that: (1) unleash and enhance openness to negotiation processes, which often presupposes revising positions and accommodating new truths; (2) suggest a certain empowerment, not in the sense of a power takeover by the students, but as an extension of life possibilities; (3) in what they called the care of themselves, articulate ways of knowing and creating themselves, towards, perhaps, the good life of which ethics speaks.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This thesis is an exploratory study of how African international students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa experience xenophobic attitudes and behaviours, and how they make sense of it. In post-apartheid South Africa, the xenophobia phenomenon has become an intensely debated issue. While numerous researchers have attempted to investigate the forms of xenophobia and the underlying reasons of aggressive behaviour towards foreign migrants in South Africa, very few studies have been done thus far on xenophobia at South African Higher learning institutions. In this research I am interested in finding out whether international students particularly African international students at UWC, encounter xenophobia on campus and outside the academic environment. An Ethnographic study was conducted on and off the UWC campus, which involved participant observation, in-depth one on one interviews, focus group and diaries which were kept by key informants to record their daily experiences. The research participants were ten UWC African international students, who stay on and off campus, from different levels and field of study. The strategy to analyse the data was framed on basis of inductive approach. Moreover, informal discussions were used as a source of data to this study and I also made use of my own experiences as of one of African international students at UWC. The findings pinpoint that xenophobic experiences of African international students inside and outside the university include exclusion, discrimination, verbal abuse, blames and harassments, as well as stereotypes. The findings also show that xenophobic violence is experienced off campus. Although the violence experience was reported by one student out of the research participants, this issue is still pertinent enough to be considered. The central argument of the thesis is that while no violence against foreign African students has been reported from UWC, this does not mean that there would be no instances of xenophobia there. Instead, this research shows that because at higher learning institutions we find mostly people of the social middle classes, xenophobia is expressed in subtle ways through negative attitudes and behaviours towards foreign students.

Bakgrund: Preventivmedel är metoder som i huvudsyfte används för att förhindra graviditet, de kan dock påverka mycket mer än fertiliteten i form av biverkningar. Det fanns sedan tidigare studier som beskrev kvinnors erfarenheter av reversibla preventivmedel men för att ge en bredare bild av kvinnors upplevelser valde författarna att sammanfatta dessa i en litteraturstudie. Syfte: Att beskriva kvinnors erfarenheter av att använda reversibla preventivmedel. Metod: En deskriptiv litteraturstudie av 16 artiklar, 13 med kvantitativ ansats och tre med kvalitativ ansats. Huvudresultat: Kvinnor upplevde att de påverkades av sin omgivning när det gällde valet av preventivmedel, ofta handlade det om vänners tidigare erfarenheter och attityder. P-piller är den metod som flest kvinnor i omgivningen använde och metoden valdes därför många gånger av bekvämlighetsskäl. P-piller kan dock vara besvärliga eftersom de ska tas varje dag, något som många kvinnor upplevde var svårt. Detta kunde påverka metodens säkerhet och ge oro, denna oro upplevde inte kvinnor som valde mer långsiktiga metoder som spiraler, p-ring eller p-stav vilket resulterade i att kvinnorna upplevde en större trygghet. Trygghet upplevdes vara en viktig faktor för den sexuella hälsan. Hur kvinnan blev bemött av sin vårdgivare samt metodens påverkan på menstruationen hade också betydelse för kvinnans välmående. Slutsats:Kvinnors upplevelser av användningen av reversibla preventivmedel är väldigt individuell och komplicerad och därför är det viktigt att belysa kvinnors upplevelser och eventuella problem. / Background: The main purpose of contraceptives is to prevent pregnancy, but they might also affect more than just fertility due to side effects. There is previous research that describes women's experiences of reversible contraceptives, the authors aim was therefore to provide a broad view of these experiences by summarizing them into a literature review. Aim: To describe women’s experiences with using reversible contraceptives. Method: A descriptive literature review of 16 articles, 13 with a quantitative approach and three with a qualitative approach. Main result: Women often experienced an impact from their surroundings when it came to their choice of contraceptives, usually the experiences and attitudes of friends. Oral contraceptives were the most commonly used method and often chosen because of convenience. However, oral contraceptives need to be taken every day and to some women that was a problem leading to nervousness which affected the security of the method. Women that choose long-acting reversible contraceptives like intrauterine devices, vaginalring or implant, usually experienced a greater security. Security was an important factor for the sexual health of women. How the women were being treated by her caregiver and how the method impacted on her menstruation also had significance on her wellbeing. Conclusion: Women's experiences of the use of reversible contraceptives was very individual and complicated and that is why it is important to make aware of women's experiences and any problems they might have.

This thesis aims to understand the multi-layered experiences of children with English as an additional language (EAL) in changing contexts by focusing on academic and social experiences in their transition from primary to secondary school. Although EAL is often linked with knowledge and proficiency in the English language as a means to access learning, this study builds on the complexity underlying the term that incorporates background, culture, agency and power in the ways children navigate their schooling. This is achieved through in-depth longitudinal accounts of children’s experiences and engagement co-constructed with participants and triangulated through interactive qualitative methods. The main focus is the active role of children in finding and embracing opportunities for social and academic engagement as part of their educational trajectories, identifying their agency in processes of change in the contrast between formal academic contexts and informal research discussions. In order to learn more about young people’s academic and social experiences, the study is theoretically informed by two perspectives. The first perspective is Bourdieu’s field analysis and the concepts of habitus, dispositions and agency. The analysis emphasises how and where children use their agency to engage with and manage expectations and options highlighted by institutional discourses and teachers. Looking at children’s engagement explicitly, the research highlights overlooked agency of children too easily categorised as EAL or ‘vulnerable’. The second analytical perspective explores engagement and trajectories in a classroom context and draws on Bernstein’s constructs of classification and framing with the aim to explain how children engage and reflect on their experiences across differently structured classroom contexts. Drawing on theoretical constructs and research in the area of EAL and diversity more widely, I present six case studies of experiences and show that in the case of children with EAL invisible agency, misinterpreted engagement and negotiating positioning both socially and academically are more complex than the notion of learning English to access learning. I argue that in the light of gaps in teachers’ understandings of children’s experiences, practical adjustments to classroom processes and communication could provide better understanding of the wider scope of EAL and schooling experiences.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and describe the educators’ experiences of English learner underachievement. The overall aim was to discover and illuminate the essences of this phenomenal experience. The essences embody what is immanent and universal to the phenomenon, what makes the phenomenon the way it inherently is, and what cannot be removed from the phenomenon. This study sought to reveal the general essential features educators’ experiences of English learner share. Furthermore, it was an attempt to arrive at a deeper understanding of the world of everyday human experience. The school system where the study took place is located in southeast Georgia, United States. The group of elementary, middle, and high school educators who participated in the study consisted of eight professional women of diverse cultural backgrounds. All of them had extensive experience of working with English learners in the environment where English was the primary medium of instruction. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and essays. Participant confidentiality was maintained throughout the data collection and analysis. The collected data were organized and analyzed using Moustakas’s modified version of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method that utilizes the processes of the epoché, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and synthesis. Several textural and structural categories emerged from the analysis of the data. The textural thematic categories included: underachieving English learner performance in school, emotional and psychological barriers, language and cultural change, prior educational experience, family’s socioeconomic status and parental involvement, educational practices and teacher attitudes. The structures underlying the educators’ experience of English learner underachievement were represented through evaluation, observation, communication and interaction, development of professional awareness and accountability, examination of students’ backgrounds, professional collaboration, and examination of educational practices. The totality of what the educators experienced in relation to English learner underachievement reveals that no aspect or quality of this phenomenon can be singled out to prevail in this phenomenal appearance. What makes the phenomenon of English learner underachievement intricately complex is its multi-dynamic character which emerges amidst educational, cultural, and socioeconomic inequities. English learner underachievement is ingrained in the structures of school and society. The key findings from the study suggest that educators need to create effective learning situations to accommodate individual needs of underachieving English learners. Similarly, educators need extensive support from the school, district, and policy in ways that help them gain professional knowledge of approaches, strategies, and programs to provide quality education to all English learners. The study has contributed to the overall understanding of the phenomenon of English learner underachievement and drawn attention to the importance of the educator voice in educational decision making.

This thesis explores the experiences of young people who are survivors of childhood cancer, their parents, health care professionals (HCPs), and case note documentation, of the process of transition from paediatric to adult cancer services. A qualitative, collective case study approach (Stake, 1995), informed by a constructivist-interpretive position, allowed exploration of the multiple realities prioritised in this study. Whilst there is a significant body of literature relating to transition for conditions such as rheumatology and cystic fibrosis, there is little research undertaken into transition in a cancer context, specifically so from an experiences perspective. This study aimed to re-address this issue. The experiences of twelve young people were explored in this study. This resulted in the participation of twelve cases, meaning a total of 35 individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people, parents and HCPs. Young people’s case notes (22 sets) were also reviewed. Data were analysed using matrix-based approaches advocated by Miles and Huberman (1994), at both the within- and between-case level. This generated a multi-dimensional and multiple perspective understanding of the experience of the process of transition. The results of this study clearly identified a central orienting theme: The experience of readiness in the context of transition. Three main themes and six sub-themes were also identified within the data, supporting the explanatory power of the orienting theme. The main themes identified were: The experience of childhood cancer; Planning and preparation: Transition or transfer?; and A process of change. The findings demonstrate that understanding the multi-faceted components of readiness is crucial in understanding people’s experiences of readiness. Readiness should embody people’s illness experiences, the numerous and associated losses intertwined with a move from paediatric to adult care and the simultaneous developmental changes occurring in people’s lives. Only by doing so shall a meaningful understanding of the experience of the process of transition for survivors of childhood cancer, their parents and health care professionals be developed. The thesis concludes by making recommendations for future research and clinical practice.

According to the UK Government, 'disabled people remain significantly less likely to participate in cultural, leisure and sporting activities than non-disabled people' (Department for Work and Pensions & Office for Disability Issues, 2014). Despite this fact, much of the research that relates to disabled people and music is focused on the therapeutic benefits of music and there is a deficit in research that explores disability and music from the perspective of the musicians themselves. The aim of my PhD project was to fill this gap by examining the lived experiences of disabled musicians in order to ascertain what might cause the perceived under-representation of disabled people in the music world. As a musician and music student with mobility and sight impairments, I have first-hand experience of the challenges that can face disabled musicians and these experiences inspired me to explore this area of concern. Consequently, my PhD project is centred on the lived experiences of disabled musicians as they engage in performance and work towards qualifications in music. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data that was collected through 11 semi-structured interviews with disabled musicians and an autoethnographic analysis of my own experiences, both as a disabled musician and PhD researcher. My PhD project shows that disabled musicians encounter a wide range of barriers as they engage in music making or journey towards a qualification in music and that these barriers create significant physical and emotional challenges for disabled individuals. Most of the issues disabled musicians experience occur during performance or while they work towards a qualification in music; these issues are the result of negative attitudes, discrimination and imbued misconceptions. Consequently, there is a need for the lived experiences of disabled people to be better understood by both non-disabled individuals and institutions who provide facilities and services. This improved understanding would allow both service providers and individuals the means to establish and maintain better access to music and music education through the implementation of reasonable adjustments and more positive attitudes towards disabled people.

Background and Aims: Mental health difficulties during the perinatal period (pregnancy to 1 year postnatal) are commonplace and are associated with significant impacts for mothers and infants. There is an acknowledgement that more needs to be understood about perinatal mental health, particularly during pregnancy, and that service and treatment options need to be improved. Women's lived experience of difficulties during pregnancy, particularly when experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties, is a little researched area. A need for wider treatment options than medication alone has been highlighted and Peer Support Interventions (PSIs) are often considered within this area. Despite this, there is yet to be a review of their effectiveness to date that also considers women's views of such interventions. Therefore, this thesis aimed to systematically review literature focused on women's views of PSIs and their effectiveness. In addition, it also aimed to explore the lived experience of women with moderate to severe difficulties with their mental health during pregnancy, with a focus on trying to establish any psychological needs/needs they may have. Methods: A mixed methods systematic review was conducted to meet the aims on PSI interventions. This involved searching electronic databases, quality assessment of included papers and summarising results, including a meta-synthesis for qualitative findings. The empirical project, on women's lived experiences, utilised an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach to explore the lived experience of women experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties during pregnancy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 women recruited via a specialist perinatal mental health service. Results Thirteen studies were included in the review. Results highlighted the heterogeneity of types of PSIs and methodologies employed to evaluate these. Most studies focused on PSIs for the postnatal period and were often aimed at depression. There was a lack of research on PSIs targeted antenatally, or for other types of mental health difficulties. There was tentative evidence for the use of telephone based PSIs in reducing depressive symptomatology postnatally, but less evidence for the use of other types of PSI, or for interventions during pregnancy. The qualitative evidence highlighted the acceptability of PSIs to women and a meta-synthesis of qualitative research identified a number of themes representing women's views of PSIs. From the empirical project, several Superordinate themes were identified: Need for acceptance, Need for awareness, Search for explanations, What helped, Emotional intensity, Societal influences and Service provision. Within these a range of emergent themes were also found. These themes highlighted possible psychological needs and other needs during this time, as well as providing a greater understanding of women's lived experience. Conclusions: There is a need for more research to establish effectiveness of PSIs during pregnancy and of other modes of delivery and to build on existing findings on the effectiveness of telephone based PSIs. Women viewing PSIs as highly acceptable for perinatal mental health difficulties, should cause services to consider their use, or other opportunities for sharing of peer advice/information. Themes identified from the empirical project highlight the need for greater awareness and acceptance of mental health difficulties during pregnancy, as well as the impact of societal influences on women during this time, and the role clinicians and services could play in achieving greater awareness. Small changes within services could help raise awareness levels and help women feel less isolated.

Background An increasing body of research is suggesting that childhood trauma and adversity may be associated with various adverse mental health outcomes, including psychosis. Cognitive functioning is often compromised in psychosis, and research has shown that there may be a link between early trauma and cognitive impairment in people with psychosis. No systematic review of the literature of this link has been undertaken, and very few studies have examined samples of individuals at high clinical risk for psychosis, to assess whether the potential link between adversity and cognitive functioning exists, without the confounding factors of length of illness, antipsychotic medication and chronicity of symptoms. Method The systematic review of all relevant electronic databases investigates the research to date on the association between childhood adverse experiences and cognitive ability in psychosis, and the conclusions that can be drawn from the existing literature, taking into account relevant considerations regarding sample, methodology and statistical analysis. The subsequent empirical study utilizes a sample at clinical high risk of developing psychosis, and a healthy control group to investigate whether any putative association in specific domains of cognitive functioning, or global cognitive ability and childhood adversity exist in those at clinical high risk, compared to controls. Results The systematic review indicated that at present, the literature looking into childhood adversity and cognitive ability in relation to psychosis is heterogeneous, with some studies finding that this association only occurs in patients, whilst others suggest it only occurs in the control groups. Some studies found it to be specific to certain cognitive domains, whilst others suggest it was a more global impairment. Methodology, samples and analysis differed considerably across studies, and likely contribute to the heterogeneity of the literature. The empirical paper showed a significant interaction effect between group (high risk versus controls) in the high childhood adversity group, in relation to global cognitive ability. Interestingly, this was not related to psychotic symptom severity or distress. Conclusion Several limitations of the existing studies limit the conclusions that can be drawn from the existing evidence regarding the link between childhood adversity and cognitive ability, and future research in prodromal samples is essential. The empirical study showed that there is a link between childhood adversity and cognitive ability in those at clinical high risk of developing psychosis, before disorder onset, that is not present in controls. This suggests that this may form a vulnerability in those at high risk for psychosis, rather than a more general mechanism present in the typical population.

The high levels of crimes in society have led people to seek assistance outside public law enforcement agencies such as police and the army, to private law enforcement agencies such as the private security industry. Security guards are involved in providing protection to people, properties and their valuables and in South Africa, they intervene in high crime and violence situations, resulting in their working environment being dangerous and unpredictable. The study aimed to understand some of the factors contributing to the work-related challenges encountered by contract security guard officers. The study utilised a qualitative research design in exploring the narrations of 14 contract security guards, identified and selected using a non-probability purposive sampling procedures. For triangulation purposes, two key informants namely: senior supervisor and a site manager were interviewed. Semi-structured interview schedules were conducted, where in-depth one-on-one interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed into verbatim and subsequently analysed using thematic content analysis. The results revealed that economic factors such as poverty and unemployment contribute to one becoming a security guard officer. Furthermore, factors such as low wages, long working hours, lack of respect, safety, lack of water and sanitation facilities were identified as challenges encountered by security guard officer in the industry. The results also showed that the identified challenges impact on the work discipline and work motivation of security guards, their family responsibilities and to their occupational wellbeing. Recommendations emanating from the study included the involvement of occupational social workers in the private security industry, for the developing of interventional programmes in enhancing the effective use of coping strategies by security guards, and the collaboration between security companies and security guards within the contractual service negotiations process with clients.