Although Hispanics are graduating from high school at greater rates, it is not leading to college success as college graduation rates remain low. In Texas, the Hispanic population has grown to the point that one out of three of all Texans are Hispanic. A phenomenological approach to research was used to investigate the perceptions of Hispanic college students on how well their public high school prepared them for college. Through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions, eight Hispanic college students provided insight concerning their high school experience and how it translated into college readiness. Four questions guided the study: 1) in what ways do Hispanic college students believe their public high school prepared or failed to prepare them academically for post-secondary education; 2) in what ways do Hispanic college students believe their public high school prepared or failed to prepare them culturally for post-secondary education; 3) in what ways do Hispanic college students believe their public high school prepared or failed to prepare them socio-emotionally for post-secondary education; and 4) how do Hispanic students perceive their cultural identity in regards to their high school experience. Findings revealed four themes relating to how Hispanic students perceive their high school experience prepared them for college which include, academic readiness, cultural readiness, socio-emotional readiness, and cultural identity. The research demonstrated the complex process of transitioning from high school to college for Hispanics.

English Abstract This Master Degree thesis takes up the topic of fashion and deals with the debate concerning fashion as a mean of expressing womens individual self. The main aim of this thesis is to analyse the meanings which women in todays society attach to fashion and their individual lived experience with this phenomenon. This text is based on theoretical assumptions of Gilles Lipovetsky as his conceptual understanding of fashion emphasises free agency of human beings and therefore stays against the opinions of traditional sociology of fashion. For a long time, the area of fashion had been neglected, however, in this text the subject is discussed as a socially relevant and historically developing phenomenon and as an unique institution, which is characteristic for a modern society. Theoretical outcome of this thesis is the suggestion that fashion might be understood as one of the means used by women to express their individual self. Woman is seen as an individual human being, who lives through her own unique experience, on the other hand, her behaviour, her own experience is limited by external factors and conditions.

Child and youth care (CYC) practitioners (CYCPs) who have lived in residential placement as children or youth represent an understudied and thus largely unknown cohort. This lack of knowledge has resulted in assumptions, generalizations, and unfounded claims impacting discourses, and potentially practices, within CYC. Based on the development of an original research method—audio drama inquiry—this sonic dissertation presents the first documented examination of the perspectives, experiences, and insights of 17 Canadian CYCPs “from care” (CYCPfC). Informed by research-based theatre, CYC theory, and care ethics, two audio drama series were created asking “what does residential placement experience do to CYCPs, and how do CYCPfC do CYC?” The resulting performances reveal frictions and desires related to working for, within, and at times against the same systems that one grew up in. CYCPfC articulate benefits resulting from their “lived experience,” such as identification, empathy, inimitable systemic knowledge, and motivations to initiate change within such systems. However, the audio dramas also reveal perils related to their personal histories, the institutions in which they work(ed), and the “the field” more broadly. Through greater understanding of CYCPfC, who provide insights, cautions, and learnings from their unique perspectives, this study advances our knowledge regarding what is done when doing CYC. Moreover, Tuning into CYC broadens existing frames of qualitative inquiry through explicating and demonstrating the theoretical and practical elements of audio drama inquiry. / Graduate

This study explores students' and their families' experiences during the pandemic response to COVID-19 by the higher education community. Using the hermeneutic phenomenological approach, we employed two open-ended surveys and semi-structured interviews of 16 parent-college student dyads (N = 34). The study draws on students' and parents' retrospective accounts beginning Spring 2020 through the Fall 2020 semesters. Families experienced a disruptive event initialized by the ebb and flow of information. Students' experiences varied based on their expectations and academic classification. The most consistent family challenges were the displacement of students and parents from their physical education and work locations while having to maintain student and occupation responsibilities. The educational experience was inconsistent and dependent on each professors' capacity to engage the students in the online environment. Students expressed feelings of loss of their student and educational experiences, but most students felt the spring courses prepared them to continue their education. Assignments due at random times and poor communication about expectations inhibit students from having dedicated time to interact and make memories. Most families adapted to the new normal by supporting the family members' identities as students and employees and ensuring everyone had the resource needed to succeed. Families experienced monotony and temporal disorientation. Families made meaningful memories through conversation, outdoor recreation, and other activities outside the daily routine. Family members provided feedback to one another to help the family maintain a stable system.

Background: Forensic psychiatry is characterised by compulsory care and long hospital stays, where nurses care for patients with severe mental illness, who often have committed crimes. The main objective is to rehabilitate the patient to once again become a part of society by improving mental health and decreasing the risk of criminal relapse. This is mainly achieved through encounters with the patients. Encountering patients in forensic psychiatry means coming face to face with suffering and the duality of caring, doing what is best for the patient and protecting society. Aim: The purpose of the study was to obtain a deeper understanding of encounters with patients with mental illness in forensic inpatient care as experienced by nurses. Method: This licentiate thesis consists of two studies (I, II), both conducted with a qualitative design. A total of 13 nurses working at a forensic psychiatric hospital in Sweden were recruited through a purposive sample to participate in the studies through narrative interviews. Study I was analysed with phenomenological hermeneutics in line with Lindseth and Norbergh (2004) in order to illuminate the lived experience of nurses’ encounters. Study II was a secondary supplementary analysis, which applied hermeneutics in line with Fleming, Gaidys, and Robb (2003) to gain a deeper understanding of nurses’ compassion in forensic psychiatry. The two studies were merged to provide a comprehensive understanding in this licentiate thesis. Findings: Study I illuminated the meaning of nurses’ lived experiences of encounters with patients with mental illnesses in forensic inpatient care, that is the nurses’ desire to do good despite being confronted with their own emotions as fear, humiliation, and disappointment. Encounters were also occasionally perceived as positive, awakening emotions of compassion, competence, pride, trust, satisfaction, and gratification regarding the patient’s recovery. However, a source of conflict was the struggle between doing what was best for the patient and protecting society. The study comprised of four themes: being frustrated, protecting oneself, being open-minded, and striving for control. Study II aimed to gain a deeper understanding of nurses’ compassion in providing forensic psychiatric inpatient care with three themes: recognising suffering and need for support, responding to patient suffering, and reacting to one’s own vulnerability. Abstracting to a main theme of being compassionate in forensic psychiatry which is described as an emotional journey, an ongoing inner negotiation between own vulnerability and expressions of suffering. This inner negotiation of making sense of patients’ plea and how they were perceived was crucial for determining the development of compassion rather than turning to control and rules as a means to protect oneself. Discussion: A interpretation of the studies (I, II) revealed two topics, being sensitive and responsive and keeping distance, which were reflected upon against the theoretical framework of Kari Martinsen. The studies showed that nurses faced a variety of encounters that forced them to face their own vulnerability and that trust could reduce power imbalances as well as help deal with societal, man-made constructs. The nurses’ encounters with incomprehensible expressions of suffering also show that nurses need to find a way to make room for “expressions of life”– taking a step back and turning their gaze inwards – in order to regulate their own emotions. This may better equip nurses to encounter patients with compassion and kindness rather than turning to norms and rules to protect themselves and guard their own vulnerability. Rather than distancing themselves from the patients, nurses can instead take a step back to come closer to their patients.

The U.S. Southwest Border is associated with highly politicized topics, yet the lived experience of Border Patrol agents is not one of them. Border Patrol agents face risks to their personal safety and security as they attempt to safeguard the national security of the United States while implementing the policies of their organization, which are sometimes at odds with the beliefs and expectations of agents in the field. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore perceptions and lived experiences related to the threats and dangers that Border Patrol agents face as they protect the U.S. Southwest Border. The theoretical framework for this study involved McGregor's organizational behavior theory, Janis's groupthink theory, and the bureaucratic dissonance phenomenon. Data collected through semistructured interviews of 11 former Border Patrol agents with direct experience working along the U.S. Southwest Border were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. On-duty risks, emotional toll, lack of community support, and separation from family are among the stressors for members of this profession. The key findings regarding threats and dangers included: perceived manpower shortage, fear of assaults, the very nature of the job, political and presidential administration conflicts, and lack of mobility (location and career advancements). The recommendations call for greater policy-and decision-maker understanding of the stresses and conflicts facing Border Patrol agents, which could effect positive social change by encouraging policies and regulations to improve job safety and security, and to inform training programs. The promulgation of the findings may contribute to improvements of the morale and safety of Border Patrol agents and enhance security of the United States.

Bakgrund: Tre miljoner människor dör årligen som en konsekvens av deras alkoholkonsumtion. Alkoholberoende är en av de främsta globala orsakerna till förtida död. Alkoholkonsumtion kan härledas till ungefär 200 olika skador och sjukdomar och innebär sociala konsekvenser. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva vuxna personers erfarenheter av att leva med ett alkoholberoende. Metod: En kvalitativ litteraturstudie utfördes för att besvara studiens syfte. Databaserna CINAHL och PsycInfo användes för att hitta de åtta kvalitativa artiklarna som inkluderades i litteraturstudien. Materialet granskades enligt Fribergs femstegsmodell. Resultat: Resultatet ledde fram till det övergripande temat Olika former av lidande med fem underliggande huvudkategorier: Bakomliggande orsaker till alkoholberoende, Fast i alkoholkonsumtionens makt, Konsekvenser av alkoholkonsumtionen, Vändpunkter i alkoholberoendet och Utmaningar med att leva ett nyktert liv. Konklusion: Alkoholberoende personer upplever ett socialt, fysiskt och psykiskt lidande. Utmaningar i livet kvarstår även om personen blivit nykter. Alkoholberoende personer står inför en omfattande stigmatisering av samhället och hälso- och sjukvården. Sjuksköterskan behöver visa medmänsklighet i omvårdnaden och erhålla förbättrad kunskap och insikt i alkoholberoende personers erfarenheter för att kunna understödja deras hälsa och välmående. / Background: Every year, three million people die as a consequence of alcohol consumption and it ́s one of the main causes of global premature death. Consumption of alcohol is known to cause 200 different kinds of injuries and diseases and contributes to negative social consequences. Aim: The purpose of this literature study was to describe adults lived experiences of alcohol dependency. Methods: To answer the purpose a qualitative literature study was conducted. The study constituted of eight qualitative articles found in databases CINAHL and PsycInfo. The research data was analyzed using Fribergs five-step model. Results: The analyze revealed one theme, Various forms of suffering and that it consisted of five main categories: Underlying causes, The grip of alcohol, Consequences, Turning points and Challenges of living sober. Conclusion: Adults with an alcohol dependency experience suffering of social, physical and psychic nature. They experience challenges even if they are living in sobriety and a widespread stigma from society and the health care system. Nurses need to display compassion and improve their knowledge and understanding of lived experiences to better support health and well-being.

Background: Identity construction is the predominant developmental task in adolescence and young adulthood. Disabling hearing loss (HL) exacerbates the psychosocial challenges faced by adolescents and young adults (AYA) in their identity construction. The primary goal of this research study was to describe how AYA with disabling HL feel about and perceive their identity. Further, to understand the aspects underlying identity construction, with a focus on self-perception, navigating disability, social roles and relations, and community assimilation. Methodology: A qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach was adopted. Participants were a purposive sample of 5 Deaf and Hard-of-hearing AYA, aged 15 to 19 years. All participants were enrolled in schools for the deaf in the Western Cape and partook in semi-structured phenomenological conversations, where they narrated detailed accounts of their lived experiences with identity construction. Results: Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to formulate themes. The superordinate themes of creating a self-concept, belonging, stress and being deaf emerged from participants' narratives. Identity construction occurs concurrently at several levels. At the personal level, deaf AYA create self-conceived ideals of who they are (Creating a self-concept), at relational level identity is nurtured through person-to-person and person-to-group interactions (Belonging). At societal level deaf AYA ascertain their position as individuals within the larger society (Being deaf). Protective factors, enabling factors and barriers that threaten positive identity construction, audiological health, and the psychosocial wellbeing of deaf AYA were identified. Overall, findings from this study indicate that the experience of identity construction for AYA with HL is layered and laden with challenges. Identity formation, albeit portrayed as a process of differentiation, is a balancing act. Identity is self-defined and equally exists in a collective identity with others. Identity construction also subjected participants to stress arising from the emotional burdens of HL, stigmatisation, and resultant psychological effects. Amid unique challenges, deaf AYA consciously developed coping mechanisms, some constructive and others detrimental to their audiological health, all while negotiating their position in the larger society. Conclusion: Study findings appeal to individuals in the caring professions such as audiologists, teachers, educational psychologists, and social workers to understand the nuances of identity construction for the successful transitional care of deaf adolescents moving into adulthood. Counselling needs to be responsive to the needs of deaf AYA, identity domains should be upheld in the provision of person-centered care and possible trajectories for identity crisis should be evaluated when considering school placement. Benefits of group counselling and peer support groups should be explored. There is a need for interventions that curb negative audiological health behaviours through assertiveness training and self-advocacy. The micro implementation of employment equity policies and legislation is critical to ensure the realisation of AYA's prospective identities in the South African workforce. Findings call for the reorientation of audiological rehabilitation and strengthening of interdisciplinary collaboration to meet the psychosocial needs of AYA with disabling HL.

Hostile architecture is a medium through which social exclusion is enacted in the public and common areas of our cities. By limiting who is allowed to occupy space, and how they may do so, it functions to define the contours of inclusion in urban space-- all of which is predicated on one’s engagement with the zones of consumerism that have overtaken the cities’ commons. As a result, those without the means to partake are pushed aside, despite the inner-cities’ historical relationships with the poor, unhoused, and marginalized. The purpose of this study is to explore how lived experiences and knowledge of discriminatory architecture can inform a sociological analysis of hostile architecture. By exploring hostile architecture in Calgary, this thesis addresses a specific question: How do people with lived experience of homelessness understand hostile architecture? Through Community-Based Participatory Research and Photovoice, this question is addressed through collaboration with community members with lived experience of homelessness. Collectively, we conclude that those with lived experiences of homelessness understand hostile architecture in a multitude of ways. Amongst these understandings is the notion that hostile architecture not only excludes and displaces the unhoused and marginalized, but that it is also part and parcel of the wider range of hostilities against those experiencing homeless. One key theoretical concept grounds the research. Henri Lefebvre’s ‘Right to the City’ is used as a starting point in discussing what an equitable city might look like. I maintain that the lived experiences and knowledge held by those with experiences of homelessness can sensitize the public, and inform regional and national policymakers about this exclusionary mechanism. / Graduate

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