Since its inception, the National Wildlife Refuge System has been administered for management and restoration of habitat essential to the propagation and welfare of resident and wintering wildlife species. Acquisition of additional System units has been primarily directed to the benefit of the migratory bird resource. As of July 1, 1968 about 250 of the 321 refuge units were managed for the waterfowl resource (U. S. Department of Interior, 1968a). However, this growth of the System has been accompanied by an increase in recreational use of the refuges. In 1962, Public Law 87-714, the Refuge Recreation Act, was passed to provide direction for recreational development. The Act recognized that recreation must be limited in type and scope to avoid conflict with the primary wildlife management objectives. Although the primary function of the Refuge System is to meet the needs of wildlife, the entire System is based on the philosophical precept that the wildlife on these refuges is for the enjoyment of the public. It thus follows that refuges should provide for some public use. In recent analyses of America's resource picture, the fastest rising curves and projection are those of travel and the recreational use of wildlands (Clawson, 1963). Attendance records at our wildlife Refuges have grown at a rate of 12 percent annually. Except for boating and fishing at reservoir sites, the fastest growth in outdoor recreation since World War II has been in the use of National Wildlife Refuges (Clement, 1964).

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation study was to examine the lived experience and meaning making of challenges, benefits, satisfaction, and professional sustainability for the advanced practice provider in the burn surgery specialty service. The problem addressed was the knowledge gap resulting from a lack of literature describing aspects of the advanced practice provider role in the burn specialty. An interpretive phenomenological analysis, informed by the philosophy of Dr. Martin Heidegger, was undertaken. Participants were solicited from the American Burn Association Advanced Practice Provider (APP) special interest group site. The results provided a thick description of the lived experience of the Burn APP offering, illuminating commonalities and distinctions to promote role gratification and fulfillment leading to professional success and prolonged engagement. Keywords: advanced practice provider, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, interpretive phenomenology, hermeneutics.

The characteristic of hope, and the construct of well-being, both as topics of investigation, have incited scientific interest and inquiry in the university student population. However, not much enthusiasm is evident in the international student population. Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature on the subject matter in the South African context. This qualitative study aims to investigate the role of hope in well-being by focusing on the experiences of international students living at the University of Pretoria residences. An interpretative phenomenological analysis, utilised as the study's methodology, focused on the lived worlds of the participants and endeavoured to capture rich understandings of their experiences. The study is rooted in a positive psychological framework and its propositions. Purposive sampling was used to identify and select participants, and three international students participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain their narrative accounts. Their transcripts were analysed following the guidelines specified within the interpretative phenomenological analysis. As a product of this analysis method, the study results were presented as descriptive, connected themes. The themes, as emerged, were adjustment to university; experiences of marginalisation, violence, and discrimination in residences and lectures; optimising well-being and thriving at the University of Pretoria; and subjective experiences of hope as contributing to well-being. The research found that international students resort to their various innate strengths and environmental resources of support to help them thrive at their host university during adversity in adjusting to a foreign university. Hope further contributed to this aspect and optimised their well-being while living at the university residence. This empowered them to attain their academic goals. / Mini Dissertation (MA (Counselling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Psychology / MA (Counselling Psychology) / Unrestricted

Purpose: This study aims to investigate Information Systems (IS) project risks in the South African public sector, and to develop a systemic model of the most dominant risks encountered and identify the interrelationships that exist between these risks. Design and methodology: The study is conducted through the application of Interactive Management (IM) to identify IS project risks and structure the interrelationships between them. The IM methodology comprises of four key phases: Idea Generation, Idea Clarification, Idea Structuring, and Interpretation. A workshop with a group of participants is required to carry out an IM intervention successfully. During the Idea Generation phase, participants are asked a triggering question to elicit ideas, which are then clarified and structured in the subsequent phases of IM before final interpretation. Findings: In the Idea Generation phase, six IM participants working on public sector IS projects were asked a triggering question to elicit dominant IS project risks they perceive to be important. The participants initially identified 34 IS project risks, which were reduced to 24 after they brainstormed their relevance during the Idea Clarification phase. Further deliberations led to the participants removing another risk during the Idea Structuring phase. During the Idea Structuring phase, the remaining 23 risks were structured to produce an Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) digraph with the aid of software. The ISM digraph revealed three risk factors as the primary drivers of IS project risks in the public sector, specifically, in the context of this study. These risks are ‘lack of consultation with users', ‘budget cuts' and ‘excessive red tape'. Value of study: This research contributes to the following: (1) the existing knowledge-base on public sector IS project risk management; (2) the focus on a soft systemic approach such as IM helps in uncovering context-specific issues on IS project risks that may not be available in extant literature; and (3) the collaborative learning process of the IM approach adds to research on the sustainability of complex IS projects implemented in the public sector.

The aim of the study is to investigate various aspects of representation in textbooks for teaching religion in Swedish primary school. Three different textbooks in their digital form published after the newest curriculum that was put to use in 2022 have been analyzed. The study aims to establish how the textbooks in question present the five biggest world religions and to what extent the textbooks offer the reader room for interpretation. The method used for this study is a combined qualitative and quantitative content analysis. The theory used in the study is based on Robert Jackson´s interpretive approach. The research questions for which this study departs are; ´To what extent are the five world religions made visible in the teaching materials and their sacred texts?´, ´To what extent do the teaching materials make diversity within the religions visible and in what way?´ and ´What religious content within the five world religions is conveyed in the teaching materials and in what way?´ The result of the study shows that the teaching materials are showing diversity and variation to a point but are otherwise quite generalizing towards world religions and include normative content, which can angle the readers opinions towards certain religions and not be that inclusive. The study shows that the responsibility to teach a diverse religious education land on the teacher and not the teaching materials. An effect of this could be that the religious education can vary depending on the teacher, the teacher's knowledge and interest in the subject.

Nurses working in acute care psychiatry experience high rates of violence perpetrated by patients and their perspectives on these experiences are essential to understand this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore psychiatric nurses’ experiences of patient violence in acute care inpatient psychiatric settings. In this interpretive descriptive study, a purposeful sample of 12 nurses were interviewed to understand how they define patient violence and understand their experiences of abuse within the workplace. Using thematic content analysis, a problem, needs and practice analysis was also conducted. Experiencing patient violence had many perceived negative impacts on nurses, patients and the organization. It was often considered to be part of the job and some nurses struggled with the role conflict between one’s duty to care and one’s duty to self when needing to provide care following a critical incident. Power, control and stigma also influenced nurses’ perceptions and responses to patient violence. In their practice, nurses used a wide variety of interventions to stay safe as well as prevent and manage patient violence. Nurses recommended increased education, support and debriefing, and an improved working environment. Future research should explore a consistent definition of violence, barriers to incident reporting and the creation of best practice guidelines specifically related to patient violence. Understanding the perspectives and experiences of nurses in acute inpatient psychiatry leads to greater knowledge of the phenomenon of patient violence and helps to inform the development of future nursing interventions to prevent and to respond to patient violence, as well as support nurses working within the acute care setting. / Thesis / Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

No description available.

Background: Nowadays nostalgia has become a staple within the marketers’ toolkit on grounds of the plethora of positive effects it has on consumers. It is however solely focused on memories and the individual’s yearning for the past. A new concept, forestalgia, is the direct counterpart to nostalgia, and it focuses on the individual’s yearning for an idealised future. Due to the infancy and limited knowledge of this concept, little is known about the practicality and appeal of this concept for advertisers. This research paper aims to utilise video games as a case to expand upon existing knowledge regarding forestalgia, potentially providing insights that can benefit advertisers.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine forestalgic experiences of Gen Z using gaming and Counter-Strike 2 as a case to develop in-depth knowledge of this phenomenon, address gaps in the existing literature and develop avenues for future research to be conducted in this area.  Method: Exploratory research has been conducted on this topic with the use of semi-structured interviews, and further analysed using the IPA (Interpretative phenomenological analysis) method. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with Gen Z individuals who have an extent of familiarity with gaming, specifically the Counter-Strike series. The paper was written with interpretivism as the ontology, and interpretivism as the epistemology, and was written with an abductive approach.  Conclusion: The findings explored the experience of forestalgia amongst participants, identifying key themes extracted from the interviews conducted. In addition, the findings displayed potential links between nostalgia and forestalgia, whilst also contesting the claim that individuals under 30 don’t experience personal nostalgia. The findings also highlight potential avenues for further research on forestalgia.

No description available.

This research is an exploration of the local, place-based knowledge surrounding a degraded urban river, the Lower Neponset River and Estuary in southern Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, and its environmental restoration. Through a mixed-methods approach to sociological inquiry that included 18-months of ethnographic interviews and participant observations, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, archival document research, and critical environmental history, it explores the different ways local citizens interpret the river as a place of historical importance, personal nostalgia, social and family networks, neighborhood legacies, aesthetics, economic security, danger, psychological refuge, ecology, and political power. Using an interpretive analysis of the narrative, visual, and spatial data related to those meanings, it then explores how such different local, place-based interpretations can be used to inform the theory, practice and politics of urban river restoration. The research shows that recognition of the socio-cultural diversity in local citizen interpretations of the Lower Neponset River's restoration is important for environmental managers, planners, and local decision-makers to recognize alongside ecological and economic development "best-practices" (e.g., holistic watershed management, anadromous fish re-introduction, flow and function, ecosystem services, affordable housing quotas, "Smart" growth, etc.). The research recommends that environmental managers, planners, and local politicians and decision-makers give equal consideration to the socio-cultural, political, economic, and ecological factors surrounding urban rivers, and the diversity of meanings that their "restoration" conjures, in order to make strides towards ethical environmental restoration and management practices that are socially, as well as environmentally, sustainable.