Utilising integral parts of diverse socio-academic interaction finders establishing virtual online environment incorporating a collection of computer advances as interaction-support e-models was assumed most adequate in the Saudi context, where research confirmed poorer writing proficiency level than the desired standards of university students studying EFL as their major (Hujailan, 2004; Jahin, 2007; Gahin & Idrees, 2012; and Al Asmari, 2013). This environment facilitates interactional communications aiming at (basically) enhancing peer/expert revision and feedback provision processes needed for writing (or other language skills), and (generally) supporting knowledge construction. However, educationalists are not sure whether the purported benefits claimed by advocates of such interactional approach to the teaching of Writing (IATW) and associated means and techniques are true. Research also revealed negative attitudes of the Saudi college students towards learning a second language (ibid). The fact that demanded investigation on those issues inquiring whether an IATW programme – a package carefully designed as per the constructs of the approach referred to above – can be an effective tool to enhance Arab university EFL students' proficiency in English writing; and produce more positive attitudes towards learning English (writing in particular)? Following a mixed method (positivistic and interpretive-constructivist) research framework on the above-determined research question, this study was conducted. As a pre-test-post-test control group design of experimentation, data collection method used two instruments: a) pre- and post-writing proficiency tests (WPTs) to measure improvement of (27) experimental group students' writing ability, compared with that of the control group (28); and b) interviews to measure the impact of an IATW environment on a sub-set of (22) students' attitudes towards their interactional English writing approach experience. An action plan was followed to do relevant tests, two writing instruction methods, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data analysis of the WPTs revealed that the IATW made statistically significant difference in the experimental students’ overall Writing proficiency, compared with the control group scoring. The programme did not make statistically significant improvement in all Writing sub-skills than the control group. It improved the IATW students’ performance in the sub-skills: ‘Evidence & Reasoning’, ‘Organisation’, ‘Cohesion & Logical Consistency’, and ‘Mechanics’ in different degrees. However, the results revealed non-significant effect of the approach on the Writing sub-skills: ‘L2-related or L1-related Grammar’ error reduction. Conversely, the interactional mode did not function better than the traditional (non-interaction-based) approach in ‘Vocabulary’ or ‘Range of Ideas’: the traditional method showed more effectiveness. The experiment showed weak effect sizes in all cases. Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed that the participants exposed to the interactional activities have developed positive attitudinal disposition: quite considerable ‘motivational intensity’, and increased ‘desire to learn’. Further discussions with the interviewees generated more evaluative thoughts (both favourable and unfavourable). They appreciated the IATW as easy-to-reach, relevant, purposeful writing activities; and communicative mode that played a role in elimination of passive experience of learning, and learner autonomy. However, they placed priority to other schooling goods than the approach adopted, and highlighted major constraints of utilising computer and iB applications for supporting interaction: lack of expertise, internet access, and time consuming. The insight gained from the findings posed a set of implications highlighted, and recommendations for further research study areas suggested.

L’esprit, comme forme de la conversation, est au XIXe siècle une notion fondamentalement ambiguë. Hérité du XVIIe siècle et de l’âge d’or de la conversation, profondément marqué par les bouleversements de l’âge post-révolutionnaire, bousculé par le développement de la mystification, du persiflage, de la blague, et de la raillerie journalistique, le trait d’esprit prend tendanciellement un tour agonistique et instrumental dans les luttes sociales de l’époque. Balzac, journaliste, blagueur, mais aussi conservateur et amoureux des « conversation[s] entre onze heures et minuit » paraît emblématique de cette ambiguïté. Le trait d’esprit, parole brillante et concise, qui se veut singulière, peut être appréhendé comme un énoncé détachable. Notre approche stylistique sera donc en premier lieu celle d’une analyse des figures, au niveau de l’unité-énoncé et des catégories syntactico-sémantico-lexicales de la phrase. Cependant, suite aux acquis de la grammaire du texte, il apparaît que la signification même de ces catégories ne peut être comprise que par rapport à des structures extra-énoncives : nous tenterons ainsi de replacer systématiquement ces énoncés dans leur contexte discursif. Considérant que le trait d’esprit, en tant que performance sociale, doit être défini en partie par les conditions mêmes de son énonciation, nous tenterons de comprendre le fonctionnement de cet acte socio-discursif grâce aux acquis de l’analyse du discours. Notre travail privilégiera donc une approche conversationnelle (ou interactionnelle, selon les terminologies) et pragmatique, en s’attachant à étudier non seulement ce que dit le trait d’esprit, mais aussi ce qu’il communique, qu’il s’agisse des traits d’esprit des personnages ou de ceux du narrateur. L’interaction dialectique de ces deux niveaux nous permettra d’interroger la valeur romanesque du trait d’esprit, parole ambiguë, entre référence sérieuse et jeu métalinguistique, caractéristique du réalisme paradoxal de La Comédie humaine. / The notion of “esprit” (French wit), a feature of the art of conversation, was, all through the 19th century, an ambiguous one. The art of witticism – a legacy of the 17th century and of the golden age of conversation – was, however, deeply altered by the advent of other forms of wit such as mystification, persiflage, jokes and journalistic banter : “traits d’esprit” (witticisms) gradually took on an agonistic dimension and became instruments in the social struggles of the time. Balzac, a journalist, a joker but also a conservative writer and a lover of “conversations between eleven o'clock and midnight” is emblematic of this ambiguity. “Traits d’esprit” (Witticisms) – short and clever statements aimed at being remarkable – can be studied as stand-alone utterances. That is why I shall first proceed to an analysis of the stylistic devices at work at the level of utterance, and relying on syntactic, semantic and lexical categories. However, drawing from the findings of text grammar, it appears that the meaning of these categories can only be understood in relation to an extra-utterance context and structures. Therefore, I shall systemically attempt to contextualize these utterances within a larger discursive framework. “Traits d’esprit” being social performances, they have to be defined in regard to the situation of utterance. I shall therefore use the tools of discourse analysis in order to break down the mechanisms of such a socio-discursive act. The present work thus relies on a conversational (or interactional) and pragmatic approach. It attempts to tackle not only what is said but also what is conveyed in those “traits d’esprit”, whether they belong to the characters’ or the narrator’s discourse. It is through the dialectic interaction between these two levels of wit that I intend to assess the role of witticisms. Ambiguous utterances, “traits d’esprit” pertain to serious references as well as to metalinguistic games, and are thus characteristics of the paradoxical realism to be found in La Comédie humaine.

Pistorius (1996) was the first individual to introduce research on serial murder in the South African context with her psychodynamic approach to the phenomenon. Since then, others have followed, namely Labuschagne (1998, 2001) with his search for interactional and communication connections; Du Plessis (1998) from a grounded theory approach; and Hodgskiss (2001) with his assessment of South African offender characteristics and behaviours. Four more studies have been conducted, namely Hook’s post-structural deconstruction of narratives of a person who committed serial murder (2003); De Wet’s psychosocial perspective (2005); Barkhuizen’s intrapsychic object relations approach (2006); and Del Fabbro’s exploration of the phenomenon from a family systems paradigm (2006). To date, no attempt has been made to review these research endeavors. In this article, these studies are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses with regard to theory, methodology and research findings debated. The author concludes with several recommendations for future research on the phenomenon of serial murder: greater communication between various disciplines (e.g. psychology, criminology, law) investigating serial murder; expansion of Hodgskiss’ research (2001) on offence characteristics for profiling purposes; and the relationship between psychopathology and serial murder. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / MA / unrestricted

Research has indicated that offering support and services for people who experience mental health problems and their families is a complex and contested area. Despite the controversies surrounding therapeutic interventions with families, it has now been recognised that relatives and other supporters of people with mental health problems should be included in their care. Whole- family interventions and partnership working with carers and families is now central to secondary care UK mental health policies and clinical practice guidelines. However, for many families/ carers this remains an aspiration rather than a reality. The way in which we successfully developed family focused mental health practice, as well as specialist family interventions (FI) for people who have been given a diagnosis of psychosis, has therefore aroused considerable interest. The Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has adopted a Strategy to Enhance Working Partnerships with Carers and Families, developed best practice guidance and has established two complementary workforce development projects - the development of specialist family intervention services and the widespread training of mental health staff to create a ‘triangle of care’ with service users and their families. This has resulted in widespread adoption of systemically informed, ‘whole-family’ practice. In response to the widespread difficulties experienced following other staff- training initiatives we developed specialist family interventions (FI) services by means of an innovative one-year course delivered in partnership with Plymouth University. This training initiative has been widely acknowledged for its novel integration of psycho-educational and systemic approaches and the effective in-situ, multi-disciplinary service development model. An advantage of this approach is that by the end of the course a local FI Service has been established and staff experience fewer difficulties in applying their new skills than people trained in other programmes. We then ensure the continued development of clinical skills by means of a service structure that emphasises on-going supervision. Regular audits of the service and in-depth research studies clearly indicate that the service is effective and highly valued by users. Our ‘cognitive-interactional’ approach, which integrates systemic therapy with psychosocial interventions (individual- and family-CBT) within a collaborative therapeutic relationship, enables us to meet the needs of families in a flexible, tailored manner. The FI teams are able to deliver early interventions for people with first episode psychosis, as well as meeting the NICE guidelines for people with longstanding symptoms. Recognising that many families do not require formal family interventions/ therapy, we also have been designing ‘stepped-care’ family intervention services. We have developed, and extensively evaluated, short training packages to enhance working partnerships with families throughout our mental health services. We have used this three-day package to train a range of community and inpatient teams. We have also encouraged family- inclusive practice with the establishment of a trustwide steering group, practice guidelines and the establishment of ‘family liaison’ posts to facilitate family meetings on inpatient units, as part of the assessment process. Both training initiatives explicitly focus on developing systemic thinking, by integrating CBT and systemic therapy. The involvement of families/ carers in the design and delivery of both training initiatives is also crucial.