This study employs qualitative methods to: (1) compare and contrast public conversations about a complex social phenomenon with my experience of that phenomenon, and (2) explore the nature of those public conversations and their impact on planetary transformation. This study is divided into two parts. Part One of this dissertation compares my personal experience with Landmark Education Corporation, a private personal development company, with how it is characterized in public conversations. The public conversations chosen for analysis include: (1) an episode of the television show, Law and Order: Criminal Intent (Balcer, et al., 2003), (2) a Time Magazine article about Landmark Education Corporation (Faltermayer, 1998 March 16), and (3) psychological research on large group awareness trainings, of which Landmark Education courses are one example. Each of these public conversations contrasts significantly with my personal experience and therefore fails to account for what I see as the potential for work like Landmark's to transform the conversations that constitute our society, and ultimately, life on our planet. To help account for the value I see in Landmark's courses, Part Two of the dissertation examines the communication of Landmark participants to ascertain whether their communication in fact poses the possibility of global transformation through open, compassionate, reciprocal communication practices learned in Landmark courses. It draws from qualitative interviews, a focus group, and a focus group observation interview. Based on the results of this research, I argue that the communication of Landmark participants has the power to transform society, and that the public conversations about Landmark Education examined here are a drag on global transformation. Most broadly, I respond to the following question: When we examine particular public discourses about unusual social phenomena, what can we learn about the relationship between these discourses and the social phenomena aimed at transforming them?

Employee turnover is high in small retail business, compelling business leaders to implement strategies that successfully reduce employee turnover. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the Herzberg 2-factor theory because the theory identifies factors that influence job satisfaction and employee turnover. The study population was retail owners and managers from small businesses in the retail industry in San Antonio, Texas who had demonstrated successful strategies to reduce employee turnover. A focus group was conducted with 4 retail managers, and semistructured interviews were conducted with 2 small retail owners, all of whom were recruited via purposeful criterion-based sampling. Yin's 5-step process for data analysis of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding resulted in themes of continuous learning in the workplace, communication, and valuing employees. These leaders provided continuous learning in the workplace, which demonstrated their value of their employees. Communication was a key concept discussed by all participants, as it built credibility with leaders and employees, increased productivity, and reduced turnover. The study has value to the practice of business because results may benefit industry growth by increasing retail leaders' knowledge levels about employee turnover. The findings may affect positive social change as leaders apply strategies useful for reducing employee turnover as lower turnover rates might reduce unemployment, stabilize communities, and improve the human and social conditions outside the workplace.

Becoming a mother is a challenging time and for some women the lifestyle adjustment can be very stressful. In combination with the changes in family structure mothers are increasingly seeking professional support and assistance in the care of their infants and children. Child and family health services in NSW offer varying levels of professional support and education, including 24-hour residential care. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the mothers' perceptions and experiences of residential admission to a Child and Family Health Unit - Karitane. This study is descriptive in nature. Sixteen English speaking mothers admitted to Karitane in 1998 took part in the study. Focus groups were the main source of data for the study. The focus groups were undirected, conversations recorded and written notes taken. Additional data were collected by a questionnaire to determine the demographic characteristics of the mothers. The mothers' indicators of depression were scored using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Each mother completed the EPDS during the admission period and at the time of the focus and respective comparison was made. Data analysis revealed that the mothers' EDPS scores had decreased significantly at the time of the focus group meeting. The key concepts that emerged in the mothers' descriptions of their experiences were the importance of the development of the professional relationship, equity and access to parenting services, particularly for the partner, and the need for services to promote and provide realistic parenting education with an early intervention focus. The implications of the findings lend support to health care professionals in lobbying government for the necessary funds, in providing increased access to quality parenting services. / Master of Nursing (Hons)

With the first commitment of the Kyoto Protocol commencing in 2008, many signatory governments have identified bio fuels as a favoured response to the problem of fulfilling their countries' pledges to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels. Despite the tendency for pressure over climate change to expedite the commercialisation process, detailed evaluation of the claimed benefits, likely efficacy or environmental impact of bio fuels in New Zealand in the form of the Bio fuels Sales Obligation policy (BSO): a mandate place on the Oil Companies to supply a percentage of bio fuel. Systems thinking propound the notion of complex interrelatedness: a pivotal concept in our current understanding of the cumulative effects of greenhouse gas emissions and their relationship to climate change. It also recognizes that the multiple ways in which different stakeholders perceive a contentious question are an integral feature of any problematical situation. By applying systems concepts to qualitative research, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is therefore particularly suitable for the analysis of multiple stakeholder discourse in this situation. The present study employs SSM to examine stakeholder opinion through the construction of conceptual models in the form of rich pictures and root definitions. The researcher invited diverse stakeholders to ‘see what they were thinking’ and reflect upon the beliefs and assumptions that informed their views with respect to New Zealand bio fuels development. With reference to official documentation arising from the policy development process and through a series of interviews and a focus group, the research examines perceptions of the consultation process on bio fuels development and its contribution to informed decision-making. The study data indicates that the scope of enquiry tended to be restricted by early presuppositions regarding the consultation process and its desired outcomes, which consequently shifted the focus of consultation the enquiry from an assessment of the desirability of bio fuels to an appraisal of the feasibility of government policy. However inadvertently, communication was distorted. The research examines the basic assumptions that shaped the discourse and enabled already established opinions to prevail. Furthermore, the thesis explores how using SSM to surface tacit assumptions and challenge proposed models of intervention can help improve the reflexivity of discourse and decision-making. By ensuring open communication remains at the centre of discourse, SSM could provide a means of establishing productive conditions for learning and co-creative dialogue. Consequently the study has important implications for how the ‘health’ of public discourse in New Zealand might be sustained when addressing other similarly complex issues.

<p><em>The DISA method is a universal program developed for teenage girls to prevent depression. The program includes cognitive behavioral techniques are suppose to change negative pattern of thinking, give practice of communication, strategies of problem solution and exercises to strengthen the social network. </em><em></em></p><p><em>The purpose of this study is to find out how a group of teenage boys were affected by the DISA program and what factors that may have impacted the outcome. Material from three different studies have been used, a quantitative study in terms of data from self-assessment form CES-D, materials from two semi-structured focus group interviews with the boys and material from a questionnaire filled out by the boys on two occasions during the DISA method.</em></p><p><em> </em><em>The result of the CES-D indicates that the boys had less depressive symptoms after the final group meeting compared to the first group meeting and also a year later. Analysis of the material from focus group interviews and questionnaire have been made from a communication theory and systems theory perspective and indicate a shift to greater cohesion in the group and demonstrates that communication between the boy-group and group leaders had importance for the outcome. In particular, this study demonstrates how important group values and norms where for the boys, especially with regard to communication of emotions</em><em>. </em><em></em></p>

<p> </p><p>Den ökade psykiska ohälsan bland tonårstjejer ses som ett problem och tanken om denna utveckling kunde förebyggas med fysisk aktivitet uppstod. Detta eftersom den fysiska aktiviteten har visat sig ha positiva effekter på den psykiska hälsan. Den minskade fysiska aktiviteten hos unga tjejer väckte intresset för hur tjejernas uppfattningar påverkar deras fysiska aktivitet. Hypotesen om att uppfattningar påverkar handlandet formades och tre teman som tros påverka tjejernas uppfattningar om fysisk aktivitet, genus, kultur och media inkluderades. <strong>Syftet </strong>med studien var att undersöka vilka uppfattningar 15-åriga tjejer har om fysisk aktivitet och hur dessa skiljer sig utifrån deras grad av fysisk aktivitet. Som <strong>metod </strong>användes fokusgruppintervjuer där deltagarna delades in i tre grupper utifrån deras fysiska aktivitet. Två till fem tjejer ingick i varje grupp. I <strong>resultatet </strong>framkom att uppfattningarna skiljde sig mellan grupperna. Tjejerna med högst fysisk aktivitet, grupp 1, uppfattade den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar med fokus på prestation. Grupp 2, medelaktiva tjejer, uppfattade också den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar men med fokus på hälsa. De minst aktiva tjejerna, grupp 3, uppfattade inte den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar och uttryckte inte heller något intresse för den fysiska aktiviteten. <strong>Slutsatsen </strong>blev att tjejernas uppfattningar skiljer sig utifrån deras fysiska aktivitet. För att öka tjejernas fysiska aktivitet bör arbetet därför inriktas på tjejernas uppfattningar om fysisk aktivitet. Genom att förändra tjejernas uppfattningar skulle således den fysiska aktiviteten kunna öka och den psykiska ohälsan troligtvis minska.</p><p><p> </p></p>

<p>This study aims at using discourse analysis to analyze SFI students attitudes to religion and religiosity in an SFI-context. The questions are: How is the discourse constructed and maintained by religion and religiosity of SFI students in an SFI context? How do SFI participants experience that their religion has affected their time at SFI?</p><p>Using a case study approach, interviews were conducted with a group of SFI students. The results show that the religious discourse in SFI is influenced by the SFI-context and affected based on the current education discourse that exists there. Furthermore, the discourse is designed and maintained by the participants private religious beliefs and the religion of the majority of the group, One canhere speak of a strong social unit forming a plausibility structure The power structure that emerges is that the majority has the power to define the significance of religion and place within the SFI context. </p><p>In the SFI-context the participants view is that religion is something private that should not be expressed in the school environment. They express that they do not want to talk about religion among a collection of people from other cultures since one would not want to risk creating conflict.</p>

<p>Purpose/Aim: This study is an analysis of the view on masculinity, male sexuality and creation of identity with the television series Queer as folk as a base. The analysis is partly based on a semiotic analysis of the representation of masculinity and male sexuality from an episode of the chosen television series Queer as folk, and partly based on a thematic analysis of focus group discussions with young men with different sexualities.</p><p>Material/Method: This study is based on focus group interviews and a semiotic and thematic analysis. The focus groups consisted of three men in three different groups and were chosen on the criteria of gender and sexuality. All groups were presented with an episode of the television series Queer as folk to see how they perceived masculinity and male sexuality. Their discussions were analyzed with a thematic analysis and the television series Queer as folk with a semiotic analysis.</p><p>Main results: The three analyzed characters in Queer as folk showed different representations of masculinity and male sexuality. The discussions from the focus groups could be linked to the semiotic analysis and showed some similar tendencies. The focus groups perceptions were diffe-rentiated in relation to each other with certain diversity between the hetero, homo and bisexual participants. Above all, the participant’s perception was divided when it came to the male sexuali-ty that was featured in the episode but also of the representations of the homosexual characters.</p>

Current statistics suggest women form the majority of online learners. Their enrollment levels may be a result of promotional materials suggesting online learning allows learners access to flexible learning opportunities that will complement their busy lives. This research questions those assertions by examining the tensions women experience while learning online. Using a poststructural feminist approach, tensions are defined as the messy spaces where complexities, contradictions and competing ideas, actions, expectations, values and emotions interact to produce opposition and opportunities. Research questions asks: How do women learning online mediate tensions in the learning environment and in their own personal context? What tensions do women face when learning online? What strategies do they use to address these tensions? Are they able to find ways to balance or overcome these tensions? A poststructural feminist theoretical framework acknowledges the diversity of womens experiences and allows space for questioning discourse around lifelong learning, online learning, womens responsibilities, and institutional authority. Data was collected using multiple methods: photo-elicitation interviews and an online focus group plus a demographic survey and autoethnography. Twelve women, who all completed at least two online courses, participated representing learners of different ages, marital and family situations, geographical locations, and level and field of study. Six women took photographs, which formed the basis of face-to-face interviews. Six other women participated in an asynchronous online focus group. Themes from the results showed the tensions they experience, namely, the blurring between the boundaries between home and school, the cost of flexibility, and three strategies they used for mediating tensions (multitasking, procrastinating and persevering). While the women acknowledged the benefits of online learning and demonstrated that they were successful students, their narratives make it clear that they faced challenges in attending to and completing their schoolwork to the standards they desired, while meeting family and work responsibilities. A theoretical analysis explores how the poststructural feminist concepts of positionality and subjectivity are useful in examining womens experiences learning online and where there are gaps in applying this theoretical framework in online learning contexts. Participants narratives and photographs and the researchers own autobiographical narrative are included. / Adult Education

Fantasy sport participation is an online activity consuming the time, energy, and devotion of many sport followers. This activity provides participants a unique way to experience sport aside from simply viewing, listening, or following a sporting contest. Fantasy sport users present marketers and advertisers with a distinct type of sport fan, segmentation strategy, and target market. These users experience sport beyond wins, losses, and championships. They view statistics as fantasy points, individual players as products, and injury reports as team-altering news. These users see sport through a different lens. The purpose of this research is to gain familiarity with the fantasy sport user by developing an understanding of the motivations behind fantasy sport participation and examining factors associated with participation in fantasy sport; specifically involving media use, message board use, sport participation, overall satisfaction, and future intentions. Data was collected through the use of mixed methods consisting of qualitative online focus groups and quantitative questionnaires. The findings of the focus groups revealed four major themes associated with the participation and experience of fantasy sport. The themes were Competition, Socializing, Surveillance, and Ownership. These findings assisted in (1) validating past and current research, (2) developing and altering scale items for the quantitative questionnaire, and (3) providing deeper understanding of the fantasy sport experience. The major results of the quantitative questionnaire indicated top fantasy sport motivating factors as Fanship, Competition, and Social Sport with the lowest factors as Fan Expression, Ownership, and Escape. The factors with the highest significant relationship with overall satisfaction in the activity were Competition, Achievement, and Surveillance. The factors with the highest significant relationship with future intentions were Competition and Camaraderie. Other findings revealed no significant difference in motivations between different levels of sport participation and message board use. Message board use did, however, produce significant differences favoring higher overall satisfaction and future intentions for those using message boards. Other results examine (1) media use and fantasy sport participation and (2) Mavenism and Schwabism and its relationship to fantasy sport motivations, overall satisfaction, and future intentions.