Masters of Art / A child friendly city (CFC) is the embodiment of the rights of the child manifested in the policies, programs, and laws of a city. A critical aspect in the creation of a CFC is the consideration of the natural environment (NE). Premised upon a child participatory perspective, this study explored the manner in which adolescents perceive and attach meaning to the NE, as there is limited research concerning this. The primary aim of the study was to investigate children’s perceptions of the NE, and within this process to elucidate the meanings that children attach to environmental issues, and how these meanings contribute toward the creation of CFC’s. This study employed the broad epistemological position of social constructionism, and the theoretical framework of the Person-environment (P-E) fit theory. Methodologically, a qualitative research design was adopted, employing focus group interviews as the method of data collection. The study was conducted in an impoverished community on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Four focus group interviews were conducted with two groups of 8 children between the ages of 13 and 14 in grade 9. Thematic Analysis was utilised to analyse and interpret the findings. The findings indicate that the participants perceive the NE through the lens of safety as natural areas in the community are characterised by crime, violence, pollution, and a haven for gangsters. The participants’ worldviews appear to be permeated with this milieu of danger which is pervasive in their community. Although the participants express the need to engage in the NE, their mobility is greatly restricted due to their own, parental, or guardians fears of threat. There is evidently incongruence between the participants’ expectations for the NE, and the reality of the unsafe nature of the NE. The participants thus fall outside the prevailing categories of the social and cultural construction of childhood, as they undergo an immense burden of adversity and suffering which breaches what childhood is supposed to signify.Along with many children in South Africa, the participants are exposed to an escalating level of crime and community violence which has a negative impact upon their sense of wellbeing,their ability to negotiate their mobility and to freely explore NE’s, and engage in childled initiatives to counteract impending safety and security concerns within their communities.It was also found that the participants consider the natural world as crucial in the creation of a CFC. Ultimately, the participants revealed that their community is not child friendly, and thereby suggest the requirement for a child and environmentally friendly city. The participants therefore proposed that environmental education (EE) be incorporated into the school curriculum to instil a greater awareness of environmental issues among their peers.

Early adolescence is a critical time for examining academic motivation, specifically motivation to read (Hervey, 2013). In order to support self-determined motivation to read, students’ needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness must be met within the classroom context (Miller & Faircloth, 2014). Since classroom instructional practices are a key component of adolescents’ daily experiences in the classroom, research which investigates the influence of these practices on students’ self-determined motivation to read is needed. In addition, the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the degree to which classroom instructional practices meet students’ needs as well as the influence of classroom instructional practices on students’ self-determined motivation to read must be considered as the perceptions of these two groups of classroom stakeholders rarely fully converge (Delaney et al., 2014; Wang & Eccles, 2014). However, the field is lacking an established measure of both groups’ perceptions of classroom instructional practices and the degree to which they support students’ needs (i.e., competence, autonomy, relatedness) and self-determined (intrinsic) motivation to read. Therefore, this study sought to address this gap in the literature by developing and validating a measure with parallel teacher and student forms called the Language Arts Reading Practices Survey (LARPS). This measure assessed student and teacher perceptions of the degree to which classroom instructional practices in the language arts classroom support students’ needs for competence, autonomy, relatedness, and students’ self-determined motivation to read. The results of this study provide preliminary support for the validity of the student form of the LARPS, with less support for the teacher form of the measure. By assessing both student and teacher perceptions, the LARPS adds to the general understanding of specific instructional practices and how stakeholder groups view these practices regarding their ability to support students’ needs and motivation.

This qualitative case study examined the recruitment and hiring practices of an urban district. Participants in this study included five district-level, human resource staff members and six campus principals. Data collected and analyzed including audio recordings of semi-structured interviews of each participant and documents at the district and campus levels used during the recruitment and hiring processes. The findings suggested that there is evidence of the district's use of the fit theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, and there is potential value in uniting and using both theories to identify and hire culturally responsive teachers. Findings also suggested that some tenets of both theories overlap, and some were more evident and more valued in the district processes than others. Since urban schools tend to experience significant staffing challenges and require teachers who are more culturally responsive, this study has the potential to help district and campus leaders examine their current hiring practices and establish stronger connections to the fit theory and culturally relevant pedagogy tenets.

近年來，行銷領域所探討之調節焦點理論與調節配適理論，是有關於消費者心理的研宄，主要是強調，當消費者本身的長期目標導向和所採取的手段方法達到配適時，可以使消費者「感覺對了」，因而產生好的態度反應。同理，當廣告所傳遞的訊息焦點和消費者本身的長期目標導向配適時，也就能使消費者對標的物產生好的態度反應。 本研究以調節焦點理論與調節配適理論為基礎，觀察台灣和日本的消費者，旨在探討文化背景的不同，是否會影響消費者的長期目標導向？對調節配適的效果又會有怎樣的影響？而消費者自我監控程度的不同，又會對調節配適效果發生怎樣的調節作用？ 而本研究結果顯示： 一、 在促進廣告訊息焦點下，當消費者長期促進導向程度越高，越能提升消費者的態度反應，然而在預防廣告訊息焦點下，消費者長期預防導向程度越高時，則無法看出較佳的態度反應。 二、 日本的男、女消費者在預防長期目標導向程度上的差距，大於台灣的男、女消費者差距。 三、 在促進廣告訊息焦點下，消費者的促進導向程度越高，越能提升好的態度反應，此效果在日本的消費者上更明顯 四、 在促進（預防）廣告訊息焦點下，消費者的長期促進（預防）導向程度越高，對產品態度和廣告態度有正向（負向）的提升效果，然而當消費者自我監控程度越高會越弱化該效果。 / Regulatory focus theory and regulatory fit theory are talking about research of consumer’s behaviour in marketing related field in recent years. Two theories emphasise that when consumer’s long-term goal orientation fits methods they take, consumer would feel “that is right” and then positive attitude reaction is made. Meanwhile, when messages from advertisement fit consumer’s long-term goal orientation, consumer would have positive attitude toward the object of advertisements. This research is based on regulatory focus theory and regulatory fit theory to observe consumers in Taiwan and Japan. It discusses does differences of culture background affect consumer’s long-term goal orientation or not. How does culture background influences outcomes of regulatory fit theory? What kind of results based on regulatory fit theory would be made according to differences of consumer’s self-monitoring? The results of the research are in the following: First, in promotion focus advertisement, when the extent of consumer’s chronic promotion goal orientation is higher, the consumer attitude toward the object of the advertisement is more positive. However, in prevention focus advertisement, though the extent of consumer’s chronic prevention goal orientation is higher, consumer did not show more positive attitude toward the object of advertisement. Second, the difference in prevention goal orientation between male and female consumer in Japan is bigger than the difference in prevention goal orientation between male and female consumer in Taiwan. Third, in promotion focus advertisement, when the extent of consumer’s chronic promotion goal orientation is higher, the consumer attitude toward the object is more positive. This situation is more obviously in Japan’s consumer than in Taiwan’s consumer. Finally, in promotion (prevention) focus advertisement, when the extent of consumer’s chronic promotion (prevention) goal orientation is higher, the consumer attitude toward the object is more positive (negative). However, this result will be more unobvious when the extent of consumer’s self-monitoring is higher.

傳統認為工作壓力(job stress)與張力(strains)的關係為正相關，但French等人以工作環境資源與個人需求之差距以及工作環境要求與個人能力之差距來定義工作壓力，認為在資源愈小於需求或能力愈小於要求的情形下，個人的張力會愈小，當資源愈接近需求以及能力愈接近要求時，個人的張力會逐漸減小，而在資源大於需求或能力大於要求的情形下，個人的張力會逐漸增加、減小、或維持不變，因此個人─環境契合與張力之間的關係會有三種型態，分別為U型、線性、以及不對稱型。本研究主要的目的即是要檢驗不同的工作壓力源所造成的工作壓力與不同的張力之間的關係型態為何，並探討從契合理論來測量工作壓力的優、缺點。此外，由於傳統上研究工作壓力，多針對特殊職業團體來加以探討，為了使研究結果能做不同職業團體間的比較，因此本研究主要針對一般在職工作者來探討其工作壓力現象。 本研究採用調查法研究，以便利取樣方式收集資料，回收的有效問卷一共799份。所使用的測量工具包括：自編的工作壓力量表，身心健康量表，以及職業倦怠量表。資料分析方法包括相關法以及迴歸分析。所使用統計分析軟體則為視窗版的SPSS。 研究結果發現，一般在職工作者的主要壓力來源主包括：「重用與認同」、「工作複雜度」、「角色明確度」、「工作負荷」與「時間負荷」。而以契合理論的概念來測量上述工作壓力，的確發現工作壓力與張力之關係會因二者向度的不同而有不同的關係型態。概括來說，「重用與認同」、「工作複雜度」與身心健康、職業倦怠的關係主要為U型，「角色明確度」與身心健康的關係為U型，而與職業倦怠的關係為不對稱型，「工作負荷」與大部分身心健康指標以及職業倦怠指標的關係為不對稱型，與少部分身心健康指標以及職業倦怠指標的關係為線性，時間負荷與身心健康以及大部分職業倦怠指標的關係為不對稱型，與少部分職業倦怠指標的關係為U型。 最後研究者根據研究所得的結果，討論其意義，並說明本研究的限制，以及對未來研究方向的建議。

本研究之目的是以個人與環境契合理論探討青少年的能力與外在要求是否契合，以及其需求與外在資源問的契合，由契合狀態顯示青少年的適應。而父母教養態度又與青少年的適應有關聯，因此，研究目的又欲呈現在青少年與外在環境的互動中，其所知覺之父母教養態度對其個人與環境之契合有何影響，如何影響，而此一影響結果是否會改變孩子對父母教養態度的知覺，父母教養態度在孩子的適應上扮演什麼角色。 　　首先根據父母管教態度問卷將受訪者區分為正向父母管教態度組以及負向父母管教態度組，再利用深度訪談收集資料。從十個個案分析結果發現，父母教養態度係經由孩子的主觀知覺影響孩子的契合狀態，亦即，當孩子面對一環境事件，他對此事件的知覺與對自己的知覺決定其個人與環境是否契合，契合狀態以及對事件、對自己的知覺影響孩子選擇之因應或防衛方式，因應或防衛的結果，可能會改變孩子的契合狀態；而父母親對於此事的態度，孩子對父母親態度的知覺，亦如同一環境事件，形成外在要求或外在資源，影響孩子在此事件上的契合。其中孩子知覺之父母教養態度、孩子對事件與對個人的知覺以及因應與防衛均會相互影響，又共同作用於孩子的契合。 　　父母教養態度經由上述歷程影響孩子的適應，而不同的父母教養態度也會對孩子的適應造成不同影響。研究結果顯示，當孩子知覺父母的教養態度是關懷、寬嚴適中、適中限制、民主、協助、建議、愛護、誘導、獎勵、一致、親子認同等積極性教養態度，會促使孩子之個人與環境契合，有利於孩子的適應；當孩子知覺父母的教養態度是嚴格、控制、忽視、矛盾、獎懲無常、期待、紛歧等消極性教養態度時，會擴大孩子的不契合，不利於孩子的適應。正向父母管教態度組之個案知覺到較多積極性父母教養態度，負向父母教養態度組知覺到較多消極性父母教養態度。 　　整體而言，本研究累積十位個案的資料，藉以呈現父母教養態度對青少年期孩子生活適應影響之面貌，其中以正向與負向父母管教態度組相對照，有助於了解那種父母教養態度有利於孩子的適應，那些父母教養態度不利於孩子的適應，同時顯現其作用歷程。

Text in English / The issue of offenders’ re-integration has become an important topic to the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa due to high number of incarcerated individuals who need to return back into the society as law abiding citizens. Around the world, scholars have researched about offenders’re- integration. However, they tend to focus on adult ex-offenders, neglecting young adult male ex-offenders’ experiences of the family re-entry process. Scholars neglected that the consequences of being incarcerated at a young age (age 19-34) puts young people at overwhelming risks of future incarceration, unemployment, poor physical and mental health. Therefore, this study focused on seven young adult male ex-offenders in Sekhukhune district, aged between 24 and 34 years who returned to their families after incarceration. Participants were selected using purposive sampling and volunteer self-selection sampling, through the assistance of Tswelopele Ex-Offenders Forums in Sekhukhune area. This study explored, described and interpreted the meaning, benefits, challenges and coping strategies of the young adult males in regard to their family re-entry processes. This goal was achieved by adopting the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) research design and conducting individual semi-structured interviews with the young adult ex-offenders. The IPA data analysis guidelines were followed to analyse data and the Person-environment (P-E) fit theory grounded this analysis as the emerging themes were further interpreted in light of the assumptions of this theory. The findings show that the process of family re-entry was an emotional rollercoaster for the young men concerning moving forward post their incarceration. They specifically experienced different moments of ambivalence, which was due to reuniting with family members on the one hand, but having to rely on family members for support, on the other hand. While being back in the family led to emotions of happiness and satisfaction, not being able to meet their family expectations and to perform the roles expected of people of their age led to various negative emotions, including sadness and anxiety. / Psychology / M.A. (Research Consultation (Psychology))