This thesis is concerned with the educational implications of becoming an AIDS orphan in Uganda. Bereavement is a sensitive topic which many find difficult to discuss with adolescents, even harder if it is HIV/AIDS - related. However the number of AIDS orphans in Uganda is high and a considerable number of them are in school. The main purpose of this study was to investigate what problems such students face and what resources are available to them in schools to help them cope with the loss of their parent/s. Questionnaires and interviews were designed to investigate the perceptions of those in direct or indirect contact with these orphans and with the orphans themselves. They were administered to 5 headteachers, 56 teachers and 400 students from 5 secondary schools. Responses to the questionnaires were analysed, using descriptive statistical techniques, and associations were tested. Interviews were carried out with 5 headteachers, 20 teachers, 25 orphans, a school counsellor, two teacher training lecturers, staff of 4 nongovernmental organisations and an educational officer. Categories and themes were developed using the data, the literature and the research questions. These were then compared across the different schools and respondents. The study found that the identification of AIDS orphans was usually complicated by the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. Though a substantial number of the orphans were facing multi-variant problems, there were no or very limited resources open to the students to help them cope with the loss of their parent/s. Such students are at risk of dropping out or failing in school and hence access to one of the most important chances in life is denied. These children are also at risk of being socially excluded. Conclusions based on the results of the study were drawn and recommendations made.

Higher education has expanded in many countries, including Ghana. This is attributed to the realisation that economies can only be developed and sustained through the development of human and knowledge capital, which is obtainable through higher education participation. Consequently, higher education institutions in Ghana have experienced some diversity and heterogeneity in their composition in terms of participants' ages, socio-economic status, culture and gender, among others. However, it is important to ask how different groups of students fare once entered. A recent ESRC/DFID research project by Morley et al (2010) found that mature students are most at risk of dropping out of higher education. Yet, the experiences of mature students are under researched in Ghana. My study employed the interpretive qualitative research approach to examine life narratives via interviews with eight mature undergraduate women from different socio-economic backgrounds in one public university in Ghana. The study is based on the idea that women who combine domestic work with academic work experience tensions, and therefore must devise strategies to manage their conflicting roles in order to navigate their way through higher education. The women in this study were sampled from the departments of Sociology and Basic Education, where they are known to be clustered. The rationale was to explore their experiences, describe the strategies they adopt to navigate through HE, and to use the findings to make suggestions for institutional development and learning. The findings indicate that the women students' different socio-economic backgrounds, marital status and family lives influence the way they experience higher education and the strategies they adopt for progressing through it. Most of the participants found academic work difficult and made reference to gaps in terms of their knowledge deficit, unfamiliar courses and teaching methods. Again, some women students felt out of place in the higher education arena and therefore had to ‘cut down much of their years' psychologically so that they could mix easily with the younger students. The implications drawn from this study are that there is need for the formulation of an institutional policy on mature women students in higher education, which would also ensure the regular provision of professional development programmes for higher education practitioners. It is expected that when higher education practitioners are regularly trained and sensitised about the heterogeneity in the composition of higher education, and particularly about mature women students' conflicting roles, it will improve their practice, enhance the qualitative experiences of mature women students and consequently, help to retain and increase their participation in higher education.

The graduation thesis "Trends in mobile phones development" is focusing principally on detailed analysis of mobile phone market on a global scale. The aim of this thesis is to elaborate comprehensive analysis of mobile phone market oriented on phones with operating systems (smartphones). The analysis is drawn primarily from the perspective of the key players in the market and comparison of these manufactures. After the descriptive part, where is introduced market as a whole, market segmentation by volume and value, this section focuses on segmentation of the global market by key players. This descriptive part is completed by market segmentation according to the amount of mobile phones sold by key players. Second analysis is segmented by operating system. Following parts of the thesis is more practical. This part of the thesis is analyzing the companies, which are selling smartphones. In this part I started by describing a brief overview about what the market is, what is focusing on and what their advantages and pitfalls are. My focus is analyzing the market via Porter's analysis and SWOT analysis of individual manufactures. Finally, I analyze the financial indicators from year 2007 to present. In conclusion I come to recommendations what manufactures should and should not to do. Chapter with warnings is described by the products on the market, which failed in recent years. At very end I come to the evaluation and recommendations, which theoretically should bring some positive progress to companies. The main contribution of this thesis is to provide comprehensive, detailed analysis of the market of mobile phones and smartphones manufactures on a global scale. One of the benefits is the collection of information, data and analysis describing the current state of the market, but also recommendations practices, to which I reached via progression of the this work. Thanks to unique appreciation of the global mobile phone market, their indicators and strategic information, it is necessary to say that this thesis can be very valuable material for some readers, who want to get overview, or seek accurate information about certain manufacture.

An antinomy is a contradiction between a principle and its opposite, where there is a compelling case for accepting both. This thesis adopts the antinomy of local-state government in Australia as its central conceptual theme, describing it with the following defensible, but contradictory principles that:¶ · Australian local governments are statutory agencies of Australia’s state governments, with no power or authority beyond that which is ascribed to them by the states (the outside-in principle); and¶ · Local governments in Australia are independent agencies whose authority and interests transcend their regulatory powers by nature of their attachment to their local area (the inside-out principle).¶ The central conceptual theme of the antinomy of local-state government shapes the overall thesis, as well as providing the focus for its introduction and conclusion. The thesis induces elements of the antinomy and structures much of its discussion around these key issues. It does not try to prove or resolve the antinomy. Instead the thesis uses the concept to explore and develop its second complex theme - the practical and applied experience of Australian local governments (LGs) as they attempt to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes. The great bulk of the substantive work presented in the thesis focuses on descriptions and analyses of LGs’ environmental work and the contexts within which they do it. The thesis contends that the local-state antinomy underpins many problems facing Australian LGs as they attempt to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes. Four research questions are addressed. They are:¶ · How can Australian LG capacity to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes be understood?¶ · Within this capacity, what are the environmental outcomes now being achieved by Australian LGs?¶ · How can Australian local government extend its capacity to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes? And¶ · What are the implications of the local-state antinomy on Australian LG capacity to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes?¶ This thesis reviews literature on Australian LG, LG environmental work, and the methods that are appropriate in investigating these questions. The overall thesis uses scientific, grounded theory and action research methods and draws on ideas from symbolic interactionism. Parts of the thesis also use environmental risk assessment, gap analysis techniques, case study and comparative analysis. The goal of generating grounded theories led to a strong focus on the development and exploration of analytical categories and the relationships between them. One such category summarises the relationship between LG and state government (SG), whereby LGs are identified as the inside sphere of government, while the SG is one of several outside spheres. Environmental efforts that impact between the spheres are described in relation to their source and impact, using this terminology, so that inside-out initiatives are driven by LGs but impact more broadly, and outside-in initiatives are driven by states but impact on local areas.¶ Two extensive studies are presented, each stemming primarily from one side of the local-state antinomy. The first is a quantitative, statewide study of local (and state) government implementation of the Queensland Environmental Protection Act. That process is considered a predominantly outside-in environmental initiative, in that LG interest and authority for that work stem directly from a SG statute. For simplicity, this is referred to as an outside-in study. That study involved the development and application of the Comparative Environmental Risk Assessment Method, that enabled the assessment of the environmental and other outcomes from the Queensland legislation.¶ The outside-in study is complimented by comparative case studies that mostly reflect inside-out environmental initiatives as they are defined and described by LGs. Again, this required the development of innovative research methods, specifically a comparative case study method. 34 case studies gathered from different types of LGs across Australia are presented, each representing an attempt by LG to deliver beneficial environmental outcomes.¶ In answer to the research questions, LG capacity to deliver environmental outcomes can be understood when the antinomy is examined through the research methods and analytical categories developed and presented here. LGs are delivering significant beneficial environmental outcomes, both as agents of SGs and through their own initiatives. Improving LG capacity to deliver environmental outcomes primarily requires a respect for LG perspectives, and for LG priorities, which inherently include a focus on their own local areas. State governments can build effective partnerships between the spheres and enhance LG environmental capacity by recognising and supporting LG’s own priorities, while assisting their engagement with broader strategic objectives.

Owing to particular historical reasons, the Sultanate of Oman emerged into the modern world only in 1970 and launched its state education system in 1972. Less than thirty years later, the Sultanate recognized that a major overhaul of state education was needed to face the challenges that globalization posed to its population and to its economy. The policies for the transition to the Basic Education (BE) system stipulated that students should receive training in information technology (IT) and English from Year One. These provisions were implemented from academic year 1998/1999, so that by the commencement of academic year 2010/2011 three cohorts of students had received a full ten years of schooling in IT. This research investigated the effects of integrating IT into the geography curriculum in Cycle Two of the BE system. Despite an extensive and painstaking search, no previous published study was found that dealt with the pedagogic use of IT in the Omani BE system. One study (Osman 2010) surveyed users of the Oman Educational IT Portal, but it was a general attitudinal survey of all users and did not progress beyond use of a questionnaire. Therefore, this study is the first to conduct fieldwork research in Oman to develop indicators to measure Omani students' performance in and reactions to eLearning. The study also includes two dedicated surveys covering Omani students' and teachers' opinions of and attitudes to eLearning. This is therefore the first study of this type that has been conducted in or for Oman. The findings support the importance of integrating eLearning into the curriculum in Oman, to enhance the delivery of a range of curriculum subjects through the pedagogical use of IT. Through a comparison of responses from teachers and students in Oman and two other countries, this study also explores issues emerging from a comparison between cultures (Gulf Arab and Western) in terms of the varying effects that cultural and other factors can exert on teachers' and learners' acceptance of educational technology in different countries. Again, it is a feature of this research that it is the first to conduct such a comparative study on such a scale involving Gulf Arab students and teachers. This study raises issues surrounding the optimization of acceptance include (1) the necessity of increasing the internet speed in Oman; (2) the current inadequacy of e-Iearning resources; (3) the proper management of eLearning integration; (4) the need for enhancement of eLearning training and skills issues for both teachers and learners: (5) the further relationships inherent in the interaction of culture and the acceptance of technology.

This research looked at barriers to successful applications of information and communication technology (ICT) in Botswana. Botswana has high investments in ICT infrastructure development in the public service. However, there is still concern about service delivery not being satisfactory. Many departmental functions are still performed manually despite the availability of computers and people capable of using them. The research question addressed is why there is lack of exploitation of ICT in the Botswana public sector. Two government departments based in the capital city were selected as case studies and investigated using questionnaires and semi structured interviews to determine the status of employee relations and ICT use. Questionnaires were used to solicit satisfaction perception of the general public about public service using a sample of capital city population. This research revealed a digital divide within Botswana. Within the public sector, computer penetration as well as internet access is very high as there is 1 computer for every 2 employees. For the general public, computer ownership is low as about 28% of the population have computers at home. Despite availability of computers in the public service, members of the public experience delay when they seek service. Motivation and payment are biggest problem regarding employee relations. ICT support is satisfactory though this might be due to low level of ICT use. Fear of change is the main limiting factor to ICT exploitation in Botswana. It was found that maintenance cost of ICT infrastructure is in the order of 8 times the national average salary. A framework is proposed to help policy makers on how best to exploit existing ICT infrastructure. Botswana has remained at the first level of ICT exploitation for over 10 years. Suggestions are made as to how the next level could be reached and future research is also discussed.

Malta hat in der Geschichte durch seine günstige Lage mitten im Mittelmeer eine bedeutende Rolle bespielt. Die Phönizier, ein Seefahrervolk, das ursprünglich von der heutigen Libanonküste stammt, haben die Insel für ihre Zwecke strategisch und wirtschaftlich genutzt. Diese Dissertation beschäftigt sich mit der phönizischen Epoche auf Malta. Im Besonderen wird der Zeitraum zwischen 1000 und 500 v. Chr. untersucht. Die Arbeit fokussiert sich auf das Keramikrepertoire und die Kleinfunde, die in den Zeitraum eingeordnet werden. Das erste Kapitel befasst sich mit der aktuellen Forschungsliteratur rund um die Phönizier. Identität, Sprache und Herkunft der Bewohner der heutigen Libanonküste stehen hierbei besonders im Vordergrund. Das darauffolgende Kapitel leitet zur aktuellen Forschungsgeschichte zu den Phöniziern auf Malta über. Fragen nach der Chronologie, des Keramikrepertoires, des Heiligtums Tas-Silġ und nach der einstigen phönizischen Siedlung werden unter anderem behandelt. Der Hauptteil der Studie befasst sich mit der systematischen Bearbeitung der Keramik und der Kleinfunde. Eine Formenanalyse von jeder Form wird sowohl bei der Keramik als auch bei den Kleinfunden durchgeführt. Insgesamt wurden 680 Objekte in der Studie untersucht. 554 Keramikobjekte und 126 Kleinfunde. Der Schlussteil befasst sich mit den Ergebnissen der Studie. Insbesondere wird die Hypothese hervorgehoben, die besagt, dass ein „Inselnetzwerk“ zwischen den Phöniziern geknüpft wurde, die schon früh Sizilien, Sardinien, Nordafrika und Malta besiedelten. Um diese These besser zu belegen, werden Vergleichsmodelle zu Handelsnetzwerken aus der Antike und aus dem Mittelalter herangezogen. / Malta played an important role in history because of its specific location right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenicians, a seafaring nation who is originated at today’s Lebanon coast, did use the island for strategic and economic purpose. That dissertation deals with the Phoenician epoch on Malta. In special analyzing focus stands the period between 1000 and 500 B.C. The study focuses the ceramic repertoire and the small finds which are classified into that period. The first chapter consider the current research literature concerning the Phoenicians. Identity, language and the origin of the inhabitants of the nowadays Lebanon coast are in special interest. The next chapter is leading to the research literature concerning the Phoenicians on Malta. Amongst others it deals with questions about chronology, the ceramic repertoire, the sanctuary of Tas-Silġ and the erstwhile phoenician settlement. The main chapter of this study considers a systematic analysis of the ceramic and the small finds. An analysis of every specific shape of the ceramic items and the small finds is made. 680 objects have been observed in total. 554 ceramic objects and 126 small finds. The last chapter deals with the results of the study. Especially emphasized is the hypothesis, that the early phoenician settlers were creating an “island-network” between Sicily, Sardinia, North Africa and Malta. For proving this thesis much better, comparison models were used which comes from the antiquity and from the middle ages.

Seit der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts wächst das Interesse in der Klassischen Archäologie an einer wissenschaftsgeschichtlichen Beschäftigung mit dem eigenen Fach. Standen zunächst die Arbeiten und Biographien einzelner herausragender Forscherpersönlichkeiten im Fokus, so trat bald die Frage nach der Genese archäologischer Techniken oder Begrifflichkeiten neben diese. In der Klassischen Archäologie, wie auch in den Nachbardisziplinen Althistorie und Altphilologie, entstanden in der Folge einige Arbeiten zu diesen Fragestellungen. Zumeist wurde die Wissenschaftsgeschichte der Archäologie im Allgemeinen oder der Klassischen Archäologie im Besonderen behandelt, einzelne Abhandlungen befassen sich auch mit den Epochenbegriffen Klassik oder Hellenismus. Nur verhältnismäßig wenige Arbeiten thematisieren wissenschaftsgeschichtlich die Begriffe „archaisch“ / „Archaik“ und in diesen wird überwiegend auf allgemeinere kulturhistorische Aspekte abgehoben. Eine gründliche Untersuchung der Entwicklung des vielschichtigen Begriffs Archaik in der Klassischen Archäologie stellt bislang ein Desiderat der Forschung dar. Die allmähliche Einengung des Begriffs „archaisch“ auf einen Stilbegriff für die frühgriechischen Kunstwerke der Zeit von ca. 700 bis 480 v. Chr. im Wissenschaftsdiskurs der Zeit sowie die Rezeption der archaischen Denkmäler durch die jeweiligen Forscher wird daher eingehend betrachtet. Die Untersuchung erfolgt vor der Folie der fortlaufenden Entdeckung und Erforschung der archaisch-griechischen Kunst von den Anfängen bis in das letzte Drittel des 19. Jahrhunderts. Dabei wird das zeitliche Verhältnis der Herausbildung des Stilbegriffs „archaisch“ im Sinne von „alt“, „ursprünglich“, frei von einer pejorativen Konnotation und schließlich des Epochenbegriffs dargelegt, wobei „Epoche“ hier nicht nur eine Zeitperiode, sondern eine zeitlich umrissene Kulturstufe bedeutet. / Since the second half of the 20th century the interest grows in the classical archaeology in a science-historical employment of own field. If the works and biographies of single important researcher’s personalities stood first in the focus, the question soon stepped after the genesis of archaeological technologies or concepts beside this. In the classical archeology, as well as in the neighbouring disciplines old history and classics, some works originated subsequently to these questions. Mostly the science history of the archeology was treated generally or the classical archeology in particular, single treatises also deal with the epoch concepts Classical period or Hellenism. Only relatively few works pick out as a central theme science-historically the concepts “archaically” / “Archaic” and in this it is removed predominantly on more general cultural-historical aspects. A thorough investigation of the development of the multilayered concept Archaic in the classical archeology shows up to now a desiderat of the research. Hence, the gradual constriction of the concept “archaically” on a style concept for the early-greek pieces of art of the time of approx. 700 to 480 B. C. in the science discourse of the time as well as the adoption of the archaic monuments by the respective researchers is looked thoroughly. The investigation occurs against the backdrop of the sequential discovery and investigation of the archaic-greek art from the beginnings till the last third of the 19th century. Besides, the temporal relation of the formation of the style concept is demonstrated “archaically” in terms of “old”, “originally”, freely by a pejorative connotation and, finally, of the epoch concept and “epoch” means here not only a time period, but a chronologically outlined cultural step.

The South African classroom music curriculum has changed in the twenty years since the transition from apartheid to democracy in 1994. The broad imperative for the main music education policy shifts is a political agenda of social transformation and reconciliation. Policy aims are to include many more learners in the music classroom by promoting the study of diverse musics that were previously marginalised and by providing a framework for music education that allows learners to progress at their own pace. This research study investigated to what extent music teachers are able and likely to fulfil the requirements of the new, post-apartheid curriculum, with particular reference to the National Curriculum Statement music policies (NCS). Specifically, it considered whether teachers have a particular allegiance to Western and/or African music. Twelve South African music teachers were interviewed for this purpose. The latest music curriculum revision in the form of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS, 2011) has modified knowledge content by streaming music into three distinct but parallel genres. In addition to Western music, the curriculum incorporates Indigenous African music and Jazz as representative of the diverse cultural interests of South Africans. An analysis of post-apartheid music policy documents draws on post-colonial thought to frame the affirmation of African music by giving it a prominent place in the curriculum. In order to appreciate the role different musics are expected to play in the curriculum, the work of prominent ethnomusicologists provides a means to conceptualise the range of emerging musics, including World Music, Global Music and Cosmopolitan Music, and their differences. For teachers to comply with the policy directive to teach different musics to diverse learners, they are required to expand their knowledge and adapt their teaching styles to achieve these aims. This study highlights a lack of resources and of structured teaching support through continuing professional development as well as a need for policy to give clearer direction in the way it instructs teachers to execute the changes demanded of them in the curriculum. An investigation of teachers’ own musical education and their views of the new curriculum reveals that they are willing to teach a variety of musics. Their perceptions of the differences between Western and African music illustrate a reflective understanding of the challenges they face in this undertaking.

The study was concerned with access to science and mathematics curricula by students with visual impairment (SVI) in South-Western Nigeria. The main study adopted an action research approach. Six initial stakeholder ‘search conferences’ were organised to understand the nature and extent of the problem. They revealed evidence of inadequate accessibility to science and mathematics education by SVI due to unavailable resources and personnel. This led to the development of teaching resources and approaches (‘STEM Kit’ and the use of ‘Talking LabQuest’) and the trialling of these approaches in two selected study schools. Data were collected through classroom observation and teacher and student interviews. Findings show that the approaches enabled access of SVI to science and mathematics at a comparable level with their sighted peers, which brought about immersion in, and engagement with learning. With the multisensory teaching resources, SVI and classroom sighted teachers learn and teach with reduced specialist teacher involvement. The intervention positively challenged local views and practice regarding curriculum access and SVI and offers examples for improved provision of relevant resources and training for staff to better support SVI independence and inclusion. This study showcases the uniqueness of action research in empowering all participants to bring about change.