The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the Conservation Education programmes of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG) in Pretoria, South Africa, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe, Uganda and Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, in order to devise a Model for an effective zoo Conservation Education Programme. A mixed-methods strategy, namely concurrent triangulation, was used for data-collection. The quantitative method was that of surveys by means of group-administered questionnaires. The population for the quantitative study was school groups that visited the zoos. The qualitative research questions were addressed by means of individual semi-structured interviews. Interpretive analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The participants of the qualitative study were staff members at the zoos and other key figures in the zoo – and conservation sector. The impact of Conservation Education programmes of the zoos were evaluated by means of a logic model. The quantitative results indicated that the Conservation Education programmes were successful in increasing the knowledge of the learners and in increasing their intention to change behaviour. This study further indicated that, although attending zoo Conservation Education programmes has the potential to increase the attitudes and values of learners, this was not always the case. Furthermore, the results show that when learners tested high with regard to their knowledge, attitudes and values prior to attending a Conservation Education programme, their knowledge, attitudes and values will not change significantly after they attended a Conservation Education programme. Furthermore, the results of the qualitative study indicated that the evaluation of Conservation Education programmes and the training of zoo educators should receive more attention to ensure the success of these programmes. It can be concluded that the role of zoos have become even more important to conserve biodiversity through their Conservation Education programmes. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / In a world in which the use of violence continues to be viewed as an acceptable method to pursue political goals, the use of terrorism as a political method will also continue. And within that world, in the coming years, hostage rescues and other direct actions to combat terrorism are likely to be the most frequent type of missions conducted by state special operations forces, including those of Romania. This thesis explores the importance of integrating three types of decisions-informational, structural, and operational-for the successful outcome of special operations. The thesis analyzes four operations, conducted by American, Belgian, and Israeli forces, and the circumstances of their positive or negative outcomes. The historical cases show that, if any one of the three types of decisions was not integrated with the other two, the operation was doomed. The analysis also reveals that the integration of decision-making can best be realized by using interagency coordination mechanisms and a collocation of decision-makers, especially for situations in which command arrangements are highly complicated or unclear. In light of the findings in the four case studies, an analysis of the Romanian Special Operations Forces reveals that its overall structure does not favor either immediate-response or high-complexity missions. The thesis concludes with a number of recommendations for short- and long-term mitigation of current command and control problems faced by Romanian Special Operations Forces. / Captain, Romanian Army

The aim of this study was to comparatively evaluate the Conservation Education programmes of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG) in Pretoria, South Africa, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in Entebbe, Uganda and Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, in order to devise a Model for an effective zoo Conservation Education Programme. A mixed-methods strategy, namely concurrent triangulation, was used for data-collection. The quantitative method was that of surveys by means of group-administered questionnaires. The population for the quantitative study was school groups that visited the zoos. The qualitative research questions were addressed by means of individual semi-structured interviews. Interpretive analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The participants of the qualitative study were staff members at the zoos and other key figures in the zoo – and conservation sector. The impact of Conservation Education programmes of the zoos were evaluated by means of a logic model. The quantitative results indicated that the Conservation Education programmes were successful in increasing the knowledge of the learners and in increasing their intention to change behaviour. This study further indicated that, although attending zoo Conservation Education programmes has the potential to increase the attitudes and values of learners, this was not always the case. Furthermore, the results show that when learners tested high with regard to their knowledge, attitudes and values prior to attending a Conservation Education programme, their knowledge, attitudes and values will not change significantly after they attended a Conservation Education programme. Furthermore, the results of the qualitative study indicated that the evaluation of Conservation Education programmes and the training of zoo educators should receive more attention to ensure the success of these programmes. It can be concluded that the role of zoos have become even more important to conserve biodiversity through their Conservation Education programmes. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)