Evidence suggests that people with mental illness experience discrimination by being stigmatised both by the general public and by healthcare professionals. The experience of stigma may result in a delay in seeking professional help, loss of self-esteem and is a serious inhibitor to recovery and social inclusion. Stigma and discrimination are pervasive and despite a number of UK based campaigns, there appears to be no reduction in prevalence. This research compared public attitudes towards mental illness and the mentally ill with mental health service users' perceptions of stigma, identified perceptions of stigma by mental health service users, quantified and qualified these perceptions alongside reported accounts of being stigmatised and made recommendation for strategies to reduce the stigma experienced by people with mental illness. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken and involved the use of a 35-item attitude scale, employed with 132 members of the public and 132 self-selecting service users. Semi-structured interviews and Personal Construct Psychology Repertory Grid techniques were employed with subsets of the sample. Qualitative data was subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Quantitative data was analysed using inferential statistical tests and Principal Component Analysis. The perception of stigma amongst service users was relatively high and appeared to be pervasive. Male service users reported higher perceptions of stigma than females. The combination of being stigmatised by mental health professionals and the general public appeared to result in self stigma and social exclusion. Recommendations include addressing the causes and mechanism of stigmatisation, the inclusion of service users' perspectives in research and raising awareness, amongst mental health professionals, on how their practice may impact on service users. Further research should address why there is a higher perception of stigma amongst male service users.

The role of a psychologist within bariatric services is predominately focussed on the completion of preoperative psychological assessments (NICE, 2006; Ratcliffe et al, 2014). This role requires the psychologist to determine the suitability of the patient for surgery (Bauchowitz et al., 2005; Fabricatore et al., 2006; Sogg & Mori, 2004; UK Faculty of clinical health psychology; Psychologists in weight management network meeting, 2013), however no research to date has been able to reliably determine which variables could be associated with sub optimal weight loss (Sarwer, Wadden, & Fabricatore, 2005; Van Hout, Verschure, and van Heck, 2005; Wadden, Sarwer, Fabricatore, 2007). The first part of this study examines the empirical evidence for a range of variables considered by professionals to be clear contraindications to surgery. The variables were collated from surveys conducted in America (Bauchowitz et al., 2005; Fabricatore et al., 2006). Due to conflicting evidence and various problems with the studies it is difficult for a clinician to draw any firm conclusions from the review. Therefore, an ideographic approach is suggested, which leads onto the second part of the researcher dossier. The empirical chapter presents an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of interviews with 14 bariatric participants who were 12 months to three years post-operative to explore their experience of - 21 surgery. This time frame was chosen to capture the participants after the ‘honeymoon phase’ when the participants have hit their weight plateau (Yale & Weiler, 1991; Brolin, 1992). The themes from the study were ‘pre op’ ‘phases’ weight maintenance’ ‘impact of the operation’ and an overall psychological theme of ‘locus of control’. Support was a key area for the participants, they described the lack of support they felt from professionals and means of seeking support elsewhere. The themes also highlighted the psychological struggle the participants go through post operatively with eating, however, this is balanced with the positive changes in identity and their ability to engage with life, no longer impeded by their weight. Recommendations from the study suggest the importance of psychologists being available to bariatric patients, in accordance with NICE guidance, and that all bariatric patients start their journey to surgery in a level three service (which is a weight management service with consists of a multi-disciplinary team) before being referred to the tier four surgical team. Finally weight loss prior to surgery is recommended, with an alternative method of achieving this than that presented in the recent British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society (2014) publication.

Teacher recruitment and retention challenges facing urban school contexts provided the impetus for this study. High percentages of historically marginalized students, plagued by high poverty rates and low academic performance, as well as substandard facilities and inadequate material resources, serve as causative factors inhibiting recruitment and retention of credentialed teachers in urban schools (Education Commission of the States [ECS], 1999; Guarino et al., 2006; Horng, 2009; USDOE, 2003; 2004; Wirt et al, 2004). Schools and districts attempt to meet chronic teacher shortages in hard-to-staff urban schools by creating innovative teacher preparation schemes, such as the Urban Teaching Academy (UTA). This study focuses on teacher identity formation and prospective efficacy beliefs among a group of students enrolled in UTA. The research questions were examined using interpretive phenomenological inquiry (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) through case study methodology (Yin, 2009). Findings show that the precollegiate student teachers in this study made meaning primarily from a student perspective, thus adhering to prototypical images of teaching characterized by identity markers. Salient components of definitions of teacher identity for precollegiate student teachers are Self and Care. Less relevant components for precollegiate student teachers were Emotion and Context. These components appear most influenced by the temporal distance between the precollegiate Urban Teaching Academy and actual teaching experiences during internship/practicum and subsequent teaching in a professional capacity, suggesting a need to determine whether it is possible for precollegiate student teachers to meet the emotional and contextual demands of teaching at such an early stage. Additionally, this study proposes to extend on the teacher efficacy construct by offering a model for prospective efficacy as it pertains to individuals in teacher preparation at the precollegiate and preservice levels. This model contends that beginning with the self as influenced by personal, social, cultural, historical and political knowledge sources, precollegiate student teachers begin to develop an epistemological stance towards teaching. Over time, precollegiate student teachers build identity capital grounded in the skills, knowledge and dispositions gained through access to varied knowledge sources, which develop as precollegiate student teachers learn theoretical principals of teaching, obtain and learn from performance information, and combine the theory and practice into an epistemological framework that provides impetus for ongoing synergy between theoretical and practical experiences. The broader the base of identity capital from which the precollegiate student teacher draws, the greater the likelihood that she will develop prospective efficacy, or the belief that she will be capable of fulfilling teaching roles and responsibilities in the future. This study informs the literature on precollegiate and preservice teacher identity and extends the literature on teacher efficacy.

Submitted by Letícia Coelho Rosa (letticiacoelho@gmail.com) on 2018-01-04T03:19:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LCR_Trabalho Criativo Freelance.pdf: 1098340 bytes, checksum: c49c1887f2d9879df0b3ee7bd2c7b053 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2018-01-05T13:16:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 LCR_Trabalho Criativo Freelance.pdf: 1098340 bytes, checksum: c49c1887f2d9879df0b3ee7bd2c7b053 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-05T15:00:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LCR_Trabalho Criativo Freelance.pdf: 1098340 bytes, checksum: c49c1887f2d9879df0b3ee7bd2c7b053 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-04 / Neste estudo, se investiga a criatividade de compositores musicais em suas atuações como freelancer. O trabalho criativo freelance origina uma experiência subjetiva em que recompensas financeiras, êxtases criativos, reconhecimento social e paixão convivem com ansiedade, risco, fracasso e insegurança. Considerando esse contexto, tem-se como objetivo compreender como músico compositor faz sentido da relação entre atividade criativa e trabalho freelance. Utilizou-se a análise fenomenológica interpretativa e literatura de atividade criativa para obtenção e interpretação das essências contidas nas experiências relatadas pelos trabalhadores. As entrevistas em profundidade foram realizadas com 15 músicos de São Paulo. Como resultado, este estudo identifica temas relevantes para compreensão da interação do músico com o contexto: sobreviver de música, ser artista ou autoempreendedor. / In this study, one investigates the creativity of musical composers in their performances as a freelancer. Freelance creative work creates a subjective experience in which financial rewards, creative ecstasies, social recognition, and passion coexist with anxiety, risk, failure, and insecurity. Considering this context, we aim to understand how musician composer makes sense of the relationship between creative activity and freelance work. We used the interpretative phenomenological analysis and creative activity literature to obtain and interpret the essences contained in the experiences reported by the workers. The in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 musicians from São Paulo. As a result, this study identifies themes relevant to understanding the musician's interaction with the context: surviving music, being an artist or self-employed.

The existing curriculum for piano lessons in West Malaysia is over-reliant on the syllabi of foreign examination boards resulting in a fragmentary curriculum which denies the student access to a wider range of musical experiences. The aim of the study was to identify and suggest solutions to problems by analysing the teaching approaches of piano teachers and to determine if there are elements which are lacking in the lessons. It also aimed to provide solutions by establishing a theoretical framework for effective piano teaching with optimal lesson plans. This study made use of mixed methods research design. A cross-sectional survey was conducted and data collection was by self-structured questionnaires. In addition, interviews were conducted for the qualitative component of this study. Twenty-five piano teachers with between one to twenty years of teaching experience were randomly selected to participate in the survey. A further fifteen interviews were conducted with teachers who were selected from the participants of the survey by purposive sampling. Interpretative phenomenology analysis was used to analyse the interviews in an effort to gain a better understanding of the nature and quality of the piano teaching in West Malaysia. The study finds that having piano examinations with regularity, usually on a yearly basis, has largely dominated the curriculum with examination requirements and has resulted in several elements being missing or absent in a typical lesson. Hence the situation is clearly not ideal as lessons are too examination oriented. Furthermore, students are generally not exposed to sufficient opportunities to display their skills and musical achievements. These findings suggest that Western classical piano music can be taught more effectively in West Malaysia if teachers re-think their approach to teaching in terms of planning for an optimal lesson. This would involve having both long-term and short–term goals in which a variety of strategies and important elements are incorporated seamlessly using the “simultaneous learning” approach advocated by Harris, Crozier and Ley. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Music / unrestricted

In 2016's global business landscape, the increase in workers moving across borders to find employment accentuates the language and cultural challenges for both employees and organizations. Employees working in a multinational environment need to have an understanding of language and culture to handle the complex nature of professional work in a multinational corporation (MNC). The purpose of this study was to explore what communication competencies employees in a small MNC needed to communicate across multicultural environments in the workplace. A dialectic approach of intercultural communication was used to explore these needs in one small MNC located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using English as the corporate language. Data were collected from 9 employees of one data security firm using semistructured interviewing, the data was then coded into NVivo. Using interpretative phenomenology analysis, the themes of understanding, cultural sensitivity, pace, and fitting in emerged. Results of the study indicated a disconnect in the cultural mentality of Americanness versus Arabness in the business environment where societal factors and national identity reflected in how the employees think and act in the workplace. Lack of cultural knowledge in an MNC can impact the financial health of an organization in lost opportunities, reduced productivity, and long-term relationship damage with clients and partners. The results of this study could contribute to positive social change by providing small MNCs with the insight to enhance intercultural communication and intercultural awareness among employees in building a global workforce.

Denna studie har studerat och jämfört hur elever i språklig sårbarhet och undervisande lärare på gymnasiesärskolan och gymnasieskolan beskriver främjande faktorer för kunskapsutveckling i undervisningen. Studien använder en kvalitativ tolkande- och livsvärldsfenomenologisk ansats. För att besvara forskningsfrågorna har semistrukturerade intervjuer och observationer använts med två elever och två lärare från gymnasiesärskolan och två elever och två lärare från gymnasieskolan. Intervjuerna belyser informanternas beskrivningar av främjande faktorer för kunskapsutveckling i undervisningen. Resultaten visade att elevers och lärares erfarenheter av vad som utgör kunskapsutveckling i undervisningen både korrelerar och skiljer sig åt. Både elever och lärare värderade student-lärarrelationen som en viktig aspekt för elever att engagera sig och utvecklas mot kunskapsmålen. Lärare i gymnasiesärskolan värdesatte gruppens storlek för att kunna individanpassa undervisningen och stötta elever i språklig sårbarhet att utvecklas mot kunskapsmålen. I linje med en universell design för lärande, tenderade lärare på gymnasieskolan att organisera sin undervisning för att bli mer inkluderande. Resultatet visade också att lärarnas och elevernas berättelser på gymnasiesärskolan och gymnasieskolan visade olika perspektiv på inkludering i undervisningen. På gymnasiesärskolan blev det tydligt att en främjande faktor för kunskapsutveckling för elever i språklig sårbarhet var att eleverna differentierades, medan gymnasieskolans lärare och elever lyfte fram att undervisningen behövde differentieras för att stötta elever i språklig sårbarhet. / This study has examined and compared how students with language difficulties and their teachers in Swedish upper secondary special needs school and Swedish upper secondary school describe their learning development in the classroom. The study has used an interpretative- and lifeworld phenomenological approach.  To answer the research questions, semi structured interviews have been conducted with two students and two teachers from an upper secondary special needs school and two students and two teachers from an upper secondary school. The interviews have shed light on the informants’ experience of which factors promote learning development in the classroom.  The results show that students’ and teachers’ experiences of what constitutes learning development in the classroom both correlates and differ. Both students and teachers valued the student-teacher relationship as an important factor in students getting involved in instruction and reaching learning objectives. For the teachers in the special needs school group size played an important role in individualizing instruction. In line with universal design for learning, teachers in the upper secondary school tended to organize their instruction to be more inclusive. The results also presented two different perspectives on inclusive education to support learning development for students with language difficulties. In upper secondary needs school learning development is dependent on differentiation of the students, while learning development in upper secondary school depends on differentiation of instruction in the classroom.

Heroin use and dependency is a growing concern within South Africa, individuals face difficulty in remaining abstinent from the use of heroin due to constant relapse. The opioid antagonist known as the naltrexone pellet implant offers an alternative form of aid to relapse prevention in the recovery and abstinence from heroin dependency. This qualitative study explored the subjective experiences and perceptions of heroin dependent individuals, that made use of the naltrexone pellet implant. This study was rooted in the interpretive, qualitative paradigm where a phenomenological research design was used. Participants were selected using a purposive, snowball sampling technique and four individuals who had made use of the naltrexone pellet implant for the aid in heroin dependency for a minimum of three-months were interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to extract recurrent themes across participants. The findings suggested that the use of the naltrexone pellet implant was beneficial in the aid for relapse prevention from heroin use. Furthermore, the exploration of difficulties that were faced in remaining abstinent, the attempt to make use of the naltrexone pellet implant and the physical and psychological aspects regarding the use of this alternative method of remaining abstinent were explored in this study. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology (Research Consultation))

Text in English / The purpose of this study was to explore the work-life balance experiences of female engineers as they progress through various career life stages. Research has demon-strated that female engineers experience unique challenges as a result of gendered norms within male-dominated occupations, with changing life-roles, needs and ex-pectations across the various career life stages, impacting how they negotiate and perceive work-life balance. A qualitative research approach was followed using a her-meneutic phenomenology paradigm that employed a multiple case study approach consisting of semi-structured interviews with nine female engineers across three career life stages. The findings of the study confirmed current research into work-life balance, highlighting that work-life balance needs and expectations are different across the lifespan and are particularly affected by the changing nature of the work role within the lives of female engineers. Companies should consider changing their organisational culture to acknowledge the needs of female engineers in both family and work domains. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.Comm. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)