The purpose of this study was to determine the most significant factors that contributed to on-time undergraduate degree completion. On-time degree completion requires that a student complete all the requirements of their degree within 4.5 years or less. A grounded theory methodology was used to conduct the study. Narrative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Thirty former students who completed their undergraduate degree at Virginia Commonwealth University were recruited for this study. To be eligible for the study, participants had to have completed their undergraduate degree in 4.5 years or less and graduated between 2004 and 2011. The analysis of the narrative data determined that preparation for on-time completion begins in high school and continues throughout a student’s college career. First, high school students who develop ‘academic self-esteem’ by participating in an honors courses or an early college credit program in high school enter college with the belief, or personal vision, that they can complete their degree in 4 years. However, in cases where the student matriculates without ‘academic self-esteem’ directed and intensive institutional support is an effective proxy. Next, a student must be self-motivated or determined to complete on-time. They must have an inherent reason for wanting to reach that goal post. However, since the findings indicated that motivation can be internal, external, or both, institutional support can be used as effective tool to develop these qualities where needed. Third, if students are to complete their undergraduate degrees on-time, they must develop a personal plan for accomplishing that goal at the very beginning of their college careers. This plan should be incorporated into the student’s academic advising sessions and updated as they acquire the credits required for the completion of their degree. And finally, students should be strongly encouraged to engage in campus life by participating student clubs, organizations, and/or athletics. Participation in campus life encourages persistence and therefore supports on-time completion.

Title: Psychosocial consequences of traumatic brain injury. Their impact on the patient's family. Author: František Jira Institution: Cathedra of psychology FF UK in Prague Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Petr Kulišťák, Ph.D. Number of pages: 116 Key words: traumatic brain injury psychosocial consequences family focus group grounded theory The submitted diploma thesis deals with the psychsocial consequences (related to the life among people) of traumatic brain injury. The main theme of the diploma thesis is the impact of these effects on the patient's family. The work consists of a theoretical and an empirical part. The theoretical part is divided into four spheres - neuroanatomy and pathology, brain injury, psychosocial consequences and rehabilitation. In the empirical part the author use a qualitative research approach to deal with the impact of psychosocial consequences after the traumatic brain injury to the patient's family. The research took place in association Cerebrum and Ústřední vojenská nemocnice Praha, it was conducted by the method of focal groups. The method of grounded theory was used for the consequent analysis. The result is an understandable processing of the extensive topic of the psychosocial consequences for people after brain injury. The work provides the detailed view of typical...

The diploma thesis is focused on a phenomenon of power in therapy relationship in way of Gestalt approach. It's based on a relationship concept between psychotherapist and client which is a fundamental factor in psychoteraphy change. The power is perceived in accordance with Michela Foucalt's theory as a natural and necessary relational phenomenon. In Gestalt approach intentions we pursue ways, in which the psychoterapist is aware his power, how he gets in touch and how he deals with it. Diploma thesis has got a theoretical empirical character, the theoretical part sumarizes knowledge about power, relationship like a base of helping professions work and basic knowledge from Gestalt therapy field. Empirical part uses design of qualitative metodology. We got data about Gestalt therapists' attitudes, perception and understanding of the power phenomenon. These gained data are processed by the grounded theory method and compared with other data. Next possibilities of broadening gained informations and working with them in therapy field are mentioned in the conclusion. Our results broaden knowledge about therapy relationship characteristics and bring an inspiration for psychotherapy training attenders, practising therapists and other helping professionals.

The Master's thesis is focused on the Slovakian TV show Nákupné maniačky and its' audience. The purpose of the thesis is to reveal the motivations leading to watching this show and to explore, whether the viewers perceive the show as a fashion show which allows them to draw inspiration, or rather as a reality show that should entertain them. The theoretical part introduces the concepts as audience, uses and gratifications and reality show genre. The final analysis of the acquired data is based on these terms but it aims to invent a new hypothesis. The second part is devoted to the research that is based on a qualitative method of a grounded theory. Required data was collected by the semi-structured interviews with viewers divided into two age categories. The result of categorizing data indicates that for all viewers the main motivation for watching the show is to have fun. Participants reported enjoying the program because of its' humour, while fashion plays an irrelevant role. The findings also show that participants are aware of interventions of production and they explained manipulating competitors as a strategy of the broadcasters to entertain audience and attract more viewers. This assumption was confirmed by an informant interview with one of the creators of the show.

The United States has been experiencing a nursing shortage since the mid-1990s. The shortage is expected to deepen as the provisions of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are enacted. Horizontal violence is a negative phenomenon in the nursing workplace that contributes to difficulty in recruiting and retaining nurses in hospitals. Horizontal violence has been described as a form of mistreatment, spoken or unspoken, that is threatening, humiliating, disrespectful or accusatory towards a peer. The effects of this nurse on nurse aggression can be devastating for the nurse involved and also for the patients under the nurse's care. Nursing and social science literature have advanced oppressed‐group behaviors as a motivating factor driving this phenomenon in nursing. Workplace stress has also been implicated in these negative behaviors. This study used a grounded theory approach to examine how nurses explain, through semi‐structured and open ended interviews, the phenomenon of horizontal violence in the nursing workplace. The primary outcome of this study was a small scale theory focused specifically on horizontal violence in the nursing work environment. The theory that emerged from this analysis was that horizontal violence can be influenced by other environmental factors beyond oppression theory. The results from the data indicated that these behaviors, described as horizontal violence, may be employed as a method of manipulating the care environment in an effort to enhance patient outcomes while maintaining group or individual perception of security through a sense of environmental control.

This dissertation aims to find further understanding of how people with special interest in a certain artist utilise music and the fact that they are fans in their everyday lives. I have opted to study two fans included in each group selected for this study: Kiss, Status Quo and Lasse Stefanz, one male and one female fan belonging to each respective group. I have worked according to grounded theory as a method, and through an analysis of their musical life stories, I have attempted to identify why they became fans and how them being fans has affected them in their lives. Four categories, fandom as: a marker of identity, socialisation, a form of self therapy and a pseudo religion and the core category authenticity usage show the results of the study. The categories show that to a large extent it all comes down to the musical identity of these people, i.e. the identity of being a fan, and their experiences of being fans. They have been socialised into a specific genre, which has meant increased interest in a specific artist. Family, media and friends have all played a part in this socialisation. The informants have developed cultural competence as concerns their idols, although they have also gained the subcultural capital resources required in order to come across as credible fans. Various kinds of experiences offer meaning and nourish the fans. Security and stability in everyday lives are also contributing factors to them being fans and the music offers them something that they are unable to acquire from elsewhere. They have established different strategies in order to be able to be fans, one of these being legitimacy. A vital part of this legitimacy consists in them viewing the bands as authentic, i.e. important.

The principal and teachers of a small independent South African school noticed a significant gap in the implementation of an effective Intermediate Phase (IP) reading curriculum. The principal decided to establish a Community of Inquiry (CoI) at the school to focus on this problem, and to research the process. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the affordances and constraints of the establishment of a CoI for the professional development of teachers as an instructional leadership intervention by the principal. The sub-questions that emerged from the main research question were: what would be the affordances and constraints of the principal establishing, facilitating and researching the CoI; what would be to the benefit of the teachers (and their learners) of establishing such a community for professional development and reading instruction in the IP; and, what processes are entailed in establishing an in-school CoI? To what degree, if any, would the CoI be a generating space to answer the research questions and aims? The literature review for the study explored the means of professional development available to educators and principals, especially Professional Learning Communities and their more focused interventions – Communities of Inquiry, and that professional development needs to target four levels – the teacher, their teaching, the community and collegiality at the school, and the principal as a developmental leader, in order for there to be an improvement in students’ learning. The concerning South African context with regard to reading in the IP was outlined, as well as that in the school. The South African curriculum IP learning outcomes and assessment standards for reading were critically explored against the backdrop of international curricula. The process of learning to read was traced. Hindrances to effective reading were also explored. The qualitative research design was an applied case study. Grounded Theory methods were used to reduce the data from the transcripts of CoI sessions. The findings of the research were that there are many affordances to establishing an in-school CoI, and that these benefits far outweigh the constraints. The CoI provided a germinating locus in which participants could begin to address the problems related to reading and reading instruction in the IP. It enabled the principal to develop as an instructional leader, and the teachers to develop as professionals and reading instructors. In hindsight, this project was a vital one, but considerably ambitious, difficult to implement, and perhaps even constrained in the sense of the principal establishing, facilitating and researching this process herself. However, without the principal driving, facilitating and researching the CoI, the question emerges whether such an intervention would have been established. Sometimes external insistences from authority can provide valuable impetus for change at schools, as long as these are sensitively handled and one has the support and trust of participants. The actual acceleration in learning that the participants experienced was extensive, and, sometimes it is only the principal that can play this role – especially in newly established communities. Much more research and support for principals in becoming instructional leaders and in establishing CoIs at their schools is required in the South African context.

This Mixed Method Research Project examines the possible marketing strategies that can be used to market township schools in the Gauteng province, within an increasingly competitive educational system. These strategies are investigated within the largely unbalanced infrastructural and resource dichotomy that exists between most township schools and the former Model C schools; the results of which has seen among many other challenges, the ever increasing learner migration from the township schools to the former Model C suburban schools. This pedagogical manuscript adopts a case study approach while simultaneously integrating the influences of established research paradigms like pragmatism and enterpretivism. Within the attempt to find the best marketing options for township schools, the project also consciously attempts to identify the challenges (and possible solutions) that the said schools face as they try to market themselves. The benefits of implementing the marketing matrix within the education product are henceforth highlighted within the narrative of the project. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Cette étude vise à explorer et comprendre le domaine substantiel des prises de décisions parentales et son principal soucis de développer une théorie du comportement parental envers la santé des enfants dans le contexte de la vie quotidienne des pays asiatiques en développement, qui sont caractérisés par des systèmes de santé non structurés et incertains. Nous avons employés la théorie classique de méthode fondée et nous avons analysé les données collectionnées au Vietnam provenant de 34 interviews avec des parents, du personnel de pharmacie et de six thèmes liés à la santé d’un forum parental en ligne. Nous avons observé des modes de comportements qui, sous les conditions d’incertitudes de haut niveau et de méfiance dans de multiple relations sociales, vivre les normes sociales et l’identité de rôle, les parents dans les pays asiatiques en développement étendent leur soi posé dans l’informel raisonnement de la médication. Les services de santé et les médicaments ne sont pas seulement des produits ou des services mais un processus dans lequel les parents s’immergent pour construire leur expérience. Nous proposons une théorie originale de l’immersion parentale du soi posé dans le raisonnement de la médication. Nous avons défini la construction d’immerger le soi posé comme le dévouement de la mentalité des parents et l’occupation centrale des parents quant aux services de santé des enfants. Nous arguons que l’immersion du consommateur n’a pas nécessairement lieu dans des extraordinaires cadres hédoniques, mais que c’est aussi intégré dans l’expérience de la vie quotidienne des parents et que c’est reflété à travers divers contrats social et interactions dans des pays asiatiques en développement. Notre théorie proposée prévoit une meilleure compréhension des comportements de santé parentale d’immersion concernant la santé des enfants et les médicaments dans les pays en développement. La construction de l’immersion du soi posé étend le concept d’implication des services de santé et exige des études supplémentaires et une conceptualisation d’un point de vue plus étendu quant à l’implication du consommateur. / This study aims to explore and understand the substantive area of parental decision-making and its main concern to develop a theory of parental behavior towards children health in an everyday life context in Asian developing countries, which are characterized by unstructured and uncertain healthcare systems. We employed classic grounded theory method and analyzed data collected in Vietnam from 34 interviews with parents and pharmacy staff and six health-related themes of a parental online forum. We observed patterns of behaviors that under the conditions of high-level uncertainties and mistrust in multiple social relationships, living the social norms and role identity, parents in Asian developing countries extend their lay selves into the informal reasoning of medication. Health care services and medications are not just products or services but a process in which parents immerse themselves to build their experience. We propose a novel theory of parental immersion of the lay self into medication reasoning. We defined the construct of immersing the lay self as the devotion of parents’ mentality and the occupancy of parents’ centrality to the health care of children. We argue that consumer immersion does not necessarily happen in extraordinary hedonic settings, but it is also embedded in the everyday life experience of parents and reflected through various social contracts and interactions in Asian developing countries. Our proposed theory provides a greater understanding of parental health behaviors of immersion regarding children’s health and medications in developing countries. The construct of lay self immersion expands the concept of healthcare involvement and requires further studies and conceptualization from a broader view of consumer involvement.

Thesis advisor: Audrey Friedman / As increasing numbers of international students enroll at US universities, these institutions must consider how best to create inclusive campus environments that serve varied learning needs. While international student enrollment at schools of education remains low, some elite programs are drawing growing numbers, but there is a dearth of research regarding international students' transitions into this culturally-embedded field. These experiences warrant investigation so that faculty, administrators, and fellow students might better understand, accommodate, and empower the international students in their midst. The purpose of this dissertation is to describe how 7 female international students from China, South Korea, and India perceive their transition experiences in Master’s programs at an elite US graduate school of education. Three interviews were conducted with each woman, using questions based on Charmaz's (2006) life change protocol. Research sub-questions concerned: a) the decision to study in the US, b) the women’s personal characteristics and background experiences, c) challenges and changes, d) strategies, and e) forms of support. Grounded theory was paired with narrative methods to analyze and present findings, highlighting themes within and across participants’ transitions. Schlossberg’s transition model (Anderson et al., 2012) was used to interpret results, especially women's coping resources. Three main themes emerged: the complexity of self-determination, hard work and its limits, and marginalization and attempts to minimize it. Despite positive experiences, the women faced challenges. While most gained a sense of independence, some resented their new responsibilities and missed previous support networks. All women reported hard work as a key academic strategy, but their diligence was not always enough to transcend language and cultural barriers. Faced with segregation and/or marginalization in America, most women attempted to enrich their experience, surrounding themselves with caring people, volunteering, or seeking resources to achieve goals. The findings suggest that institutions of higher education should assess the social and academic needs of international Master's students and offer tailored support services that address language and cultural barriers inherent in their programs. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.