Design of effective interventions that support fisherwomen's livelihoods and fisheries sustainability requires a comprehensive understanding of their behaviour, and the social and ecological context in which fishing takes place. However the tendency to analyse the biological and social components of the system separately has limited our understanding of fisheries as complex social-ecological systems. In addition, knowledge of women's fishing behaviour lags far behind that of their male counterparts even though women are particularly vulnerable to marine resource degradation and global change. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by studying the social and ecological dynamics of a female intertidal fishery in coastal Mozambique. Field research was conducted over 18 months on Ibo Island in Cabo Delgado province. Methods used included semi-structured questionnaires, an intertidal catch survey, participatory techniques and ethnographic methods such as observation and informal interviews. The research starts with an analysis of the long-term change of women's fishing behaviour in relation to the developing social, political and economic context in the region. Fisherwomen's daily fishing effort is then analysed using general linear mixed models to demonstrate the combined influence of environmental and socioeconomic drivers in an octopus fishery. Following from this, with the application of a cluster analysis, the thesis explores octopus fishers' relationship to the fishery by challenging common assumptions of homogeneity among fisherwomen. Finally the cultural, social and regulatory norms that structure octopus fishing within the community are assessed via institutional mapping. The research shows that this social-ecological system is characterised by significant temporal and spatial variation in women's intertidal fishing activities. Fisherwomen are not a homogenous group, and there are clear differences in socioeconomic profiles and fishing effort, linked to characteristics of vulnerability. Although fisherwomen remain limited in the gear types and techniques they use, the fishery has experienced substantial changes in terms of resource availability and access, due to both local use and fishing ground restrictions related to conservation and tourism. A defining feature of this female fishery is the degree to which time constraints and local gender norms influence women's fishing behaviour. The thesis concludes with a summary of the emergent properties of this social-ecological system, and considerations for socially and gender-sensitive fisheries interventions in the region.

This study examines the Biafran secession of 1967-1970 and how the secessionist government constructed a Biafran identity in its campaign to gain international support for Biafra’s permanent separation from Nigeria. The introductory chapter outlines the role of identity in Nigeria’s twentieth-century political history and discusses the scholarly literature addressing questions of national and ethnic identity and on the Biafran secession. The thesis then provides a historical framework for discussing the evolution of Nigerian political identities and the failures of Nigerian leaders to build a Nigerian nationalism among the region’s numerous identifiable groups in the colonial and early independence eras. Subsequent chapters analyse the Biafran government’s attempts to elide the inherent instability of identity and overcome the dynamic process of identity formation in Nigeria by constructing and promoting a fixed Biafran identity based on cultural characteristics and historical experiences that allegedly distinguished and united the diverse peoples of the secessionist region.

This study examines the Biafran secession of 1967-1970 and how the secessionist government constructed a Biafran identity in its campaign to gain international support for Biafra’s permanent separation from Nigeria. The introductory chapter outlines the role of identity in Nigeria’s twentieth-century political history and discusses the scholarly literature addressing questions of national and ethnic identity and on the Biafran secession. The thesis then provides a historical framework for discussing the evolution of Nigerian political identities and the failures of Nigerian leaders to build a Nigerian nationalism among the region’s numerous identifiable groups in the colonial and early independence eras. Subsequent chapters analyse the Biafran government’s attempts to elide the inherent instability of identity and overcome the dynamic process of identity formation in Nigeria by constructing and promoting a fixed Biafran identity based on cultural characteristics and historical experiences that allegedly distinguished and united the diverse peoples of the secessionist region.

This study examines the Biafran secession of 1967-1970 and how the secessionist government constructed a Biafran identity in its campaign to gain international support for Biafra’s permanent separation from Nigeria. The introductory chapter outlines the role of identity in Nigeria’s twentieth-century political history and discusses the scholarly literature addressing questions of national and ethnic identity and on the Biafran secession. The thesis then provides a historical framework for discussing the evolution of Nigerian political identities and the failures of Nigerian leaders to build a Nigerian nationalism among the region’s numerous identifiable groups in the colonial and early independence eras. Subsequent chapters analyse the Biafran government’s attempts to elide the inherent instability of identity and overcome the dynamic process of identity formation in Nigeria by constructing and promoting a fixed Biafran identity based on cultural characteristics and historical experiences that allegedly distinguished and united the diverse peoples of the secessionist region.

Zugl.: Lugano, Univ., Diss., 2008

This study examines the Biafran secession of 1967-1970 and how the secessionist government constructed a Biafran identity in its campaign to gain international support for Biafra’s permanent separation from Nigeria. The introductory chapter outlines the role of identity in Nigeria’s twentieth-century political history and discusses the scholarly literature addressing questions of national and ethnic identity and on the Biafran secession. The thesis then provides a historical framework for discussing the evolution of Nigerian political identities and the failures of Nigerian leaders to build a Nigerian nationalism among the region’s numerous identifiable groups in the colonial and early independence eras. Subsequent chapters analyse the Biafran government’s attempts to elide the inherent instability of identity and overcome the dynamic process of identity formation in Nigeria by constructing and promoting a fixed Biafran identity based on cultural characteristics and historical experiences that allegedly distinguished and united the diverse peoples of the secessionist region.

The purpose of the study was to examine the Standards of Learning (SOL) test results of students participating in an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) and compare their achievement with students of similar ability in schools not authorized to offer the Middle Years Program (MYP). It was important to determine if the MYP students, who were learning in a different and more holistic manner, were still competitive with their counterparts on standardized achievement measures. The study was guided by four questions: (1) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores of students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of students not in an IBMYP?; (2) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores for Black students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of Black students not in an IBMYP?; (3) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores for Hispanic students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of Hispanic students not in an IBMYP?; (4) To what extent is there a difference between the SOL achievement scores for White students in an IBMYP and the SOL achievement scores of White students not in an IBMYP? The study was organized into intervention and control groups, which were statistically similar. In order to determine if the groups were statistically similar at the onset of the study, baseline data were established. One group of eighth grade students who were participating in the MYP program (intervention) and a non-participating group of eighth grade students (control) were matched by their Grade 5 VA Standards of Learning (SOL) achievement scores and ethnicity. The SOL data from the spring 2004 test administration were used for the study. Independent t tests were conducted to determine to what extent, if any, was there a difference between the SOL achievement scores of students who were participating in the MYP and the SOL achievement of students not participating in the MYP. Additionally, t tests were used to measure to what extent was there a difference between the achievement of Black, Hispanic, and White subgroups of the MYP and non-MYP students measured by their SOL scores. The effect size was calculated to determine the strength or magnitude of the differences between the two sets of data. The findings of the study indicated the average SOL mean scores of the total MYP group were higher than the mean scores of the total non-MYP group in all areas although there were no statistically significant differences (p<.05). The results also indicated that no statistically significant difference existed between the average SOL mean scores of Black students who participated in the MYP and Black students who participated in non-MYP schools across the division (p<.05). The results further indicated that no statistically significant differences existed between the average SOL mean scores of Hispanic students who participated in the MYP and Hispanic students who participated in non-MYP schools across the division (p<.05). Lastly, the results indicated that no statistically significant difference existed between the average SOL mean scores of White students who participated in the MYP and White students who participated in non-MYP schools across the division (p<.05). The content area that showed the greatest difference was English: Reading, Literature, and Research (15 scaled score points). Performance on the History/Social Science and Science SOL tests were virtually identical. For Black and Hispanic IBMYP students, the highest levels of performance were limited to the English: Reading, Literature, and Research test. / Ed. D.

Philos.-Theol. Hochsch., Diss--Vallendar, 2007.

Zugl.: Trier, Univ., Diss., 2007

L ’abandon massif du français après la troisième année d'études obligatoires dans les écoles secondaires du Nigéria constitue une déperdition humaine et financière importante. Le pays est privé des potentiels du cadre bilingue anglais-français nécessaire pour promouvoir et maintenir le processus d'entente en Afrique; les résultats obtenus ne sont guère à la mesure des espoirs placés et des investissements consentis. Le but de cette étude a été de déterminer les variables socio-psychologiques et individuelles susceptibles de distinguer l'élève qui abandonne prématurément l'étude du français de celui qui persiste volontairement. Partant du cadre socio-psychologique de l ’acquisition de la langue seconde de Gardner (1979) selon lequel le milieu socio-culturel de l'apprenant d'une langue seconde constitue une base motivationnelle menant à la compétence et déterminant la persistance dans l'étude de cette langue, notre hypothèse de recherche a été que les mêmes processus motivationnels en jeu dans l'acquisition de la langue seconde, sont également pertinents lorsqu'il s ’agit d ’une troisième langue exogène à la communauté de l'apprenant. Les variables indépendantes susceptibles d'être reliées à l'abandon du français (variable dépendante) ont été identifiées a priori grâce à notre cadre théorique comme étant la motivation, les attitudes, le milieu socioculturel, le contexte d'apprentissage, l 'anxiété et le rendement en français. Quatre questions de recherche concernant la relation de causes et effets qu'entretiennent ces variables avec l'abandon du français et huit hypothèses expérimentales relatives à la direction et au degré de ces relations ont été formulées. Le schème expérimental retenu a été le plan ex post facto avec la décision de persister comme variable critère. Ce modèle permet de constater par le truchement de comparaison de deux comportements opposés, les causes possibles de la variable dépendante de l'étude (abandon). L'échantillon participant à l'étude était constitué de 464 élèves igbo- \ x phones du secondaire 3 (9 ) et du secondaire 4 (10 ) fréquentant douze écoles dont six de filles et six de garçons dans l'état d'Imo au Nigéria. Les filles étaient au nombre de 79 en secondaire 3 et 156 en secondaire 4, alors que les garçons se comptaient au nombre de 90 en secondaire 3 et 139 en secondaire 4. Ils provenaient majoritairement de la couche socio-professionnelle moyenne et avaient l'âge moyen de seize ans. Ces sujets ont été choisis notamment en fonction de leur appartenance ethnique et de leur niveau d'études et regroupés a priori comme étant des persistants ou des décrocheurs. Les données ont été cueillies grâce à une batterie de tests d'attitudes et de motivation, inspirée de celles de Gardner et Smythe (1974) et de Clément, Smythe et Gardner (1975) et adaptée pour cette étude. On a eu aussi recours à d'autres mesures portant sur l'importance relative de l'igbo, de l'anglais, du français et les raisons individuelles pour l'abandon du français. L'analyse des données a été effectuée essentiellement à l'aide des tests 2 T, t" simples et de l'analyse de régression logistique. Les résultats obtenus permettent de confirmer notre hypothèse de recherche. Seulement six des dix-neuf composantes de nos variables socio-psychologiques et individuelles ressortent comme les plus aptes à expliquer l'abandon du français. La motivation de l'élève igbophone apprenant le français semble se définir le plus par son aspect directif: le désir d'apprendre le français. Ce désir découlant de 1 ’"attrait" du français se veut pragmatique; il est fonction de l'attitude de l'élève à l'égard du trilinguisme, du contexte d'apprentissage, de l'encouragement perçu du milieu social et de l'auto-évaluation de l'élève par rapport à son rendement en français. Malgré un taux d'abandon plus élevé chez les garçons que chez les filles, ces caractéristiques individuelles et contextuelles ne semblent pas distinguer entre les filles et les garçons. Ces observations nous amènent à suggérer certaines interventions au niveau de ces variables. / Québec Université Laval, Bibliothèque 2015