Research on international students contributes to our understanding of the internationalization of higher education. This study investigates the adjustment of first-year, full-time, postgraduate, international students at a southwestern UK university through a mixed methods research design. The main focus is on reasons for studying abroad, academic experience, and socio-cultural experience. Twenty-six students participated in the qualitative interviews. 250 students responded to a quantitative questionnaire survey. The results indicate that adjustment is a complex set of experiences and many factors may have an impact on it. The data suggest that value of overseas study, personal or family related factors, lack of opportunities at home, and financial or promotional reasons are main motivators driving students to study abroad. Postgraduate international students tend to pay more attention to academic than socio-cultural adjustment because personal agency and cultural identity operate more explicitly in socio-cultural than academic adjustment. Additionally, the data reveal that both acculturation and hybridization account for the processes that inform students’ socio-cultural adjustment. For theories explaining the findings regarding reasons for studying abroad, the push-pull model appears to be more applicable than the Theory of Planned Behavior, whereas Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory is found to be less relevant because international postgraduate students tend to have special characteristics, which differ from those of host country students, and their satisfaction perceptions regarding different needs are guided by various cultural factors. This study also suggests that the U-curve hypothesis is not supported by the research data, as methodological issues, different internal and external factors, cultural expectations, individual responses or attitudes, and technological and world development have the potential to impact on adjustment. This research adds to theoretical knowledge associated with the adjustment of international students and, in practical terms, increases our current knowledge regarding student recruitment and international student support services.

Risk management in hospitals is an approach intended to improve the quality of services by identifying active and latent factors that put patients at risk of physical and psychological harm when in hospital, and then acting to identify, monitor and control those risks, and effectively manage their impact. The object of this report is to describe important risk management competencies for medical practitioners working in South African hospitals, these practitioners’ current proficiency levels and the competencies with the biggest gaps in practice. The report is intended to present a risk management competency model for medical practitioners working in SA hospitals. This study was conducted in two phases of which Phase 1 was a qualitative research seeking to identify the competencies using literature review and in-depth interviews with medical experts. The second phase was quantitative, characterised by a survey utilising a questionnaire comprising competencies derived from Phase 1. The sample size for Phase 2 was 90 respondents drawn from three population groups and including medical practitioners, professional nurses and members of the hospital management team. The research identified risk management competencies that were later ranked according to their importance using weighted mean averages. A gap analysis was conducted to assess the difference between what practitioners should know and what practitioners actually do in the hospitals in relation to risk management. A new model of “risk management competencies for medical practitioners” has been developed consisting of the knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitude competency domains that have never been previously identified. This model can be used to update certification requirements for independent medical practitioners and professional development programmes for medical practitioners as well as update curricular offerings of the medical schools / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Research indicates that tobacco cessation rates are at least doubled when smokers receive assistance from a clinician; receiving tobacco cessation advice from multiple types of clinicians increases quit rates even further.¹ To address a decades-long deficiency in the tobacco cessation training of health professionals in general, a shared curriculum, Rx for Change: Clinician-Assisted Tobacco Cessation, was developed in 1999 as a collaboration of the schools of pharmacy in California.^2,3 Between 2003 and 2005, pharmacy faculty members (n=191) participated in national train-the-trainer workshops designed to equip faculty with the necessary knowledge and skills to implement the Rx for Change curriculum at their academic institutions.⁴ <div><br></div><div> The studies that comprise this dissertation are a logical extension of this national initiative, applying a mixed-methods approach to: (a) evaluate the long-term impact of training pharmacy faculty using the Rx for Change program, (b) delineate recommendations for developing and disseminating shared curricula for health-care programs, and (c) evaluate utilization of the Rx for Change website, which hosts faculty resources and curricular files for download. In combination, these (along with a previously-conducted qualitative study) provide a comprehensive “view” of the long-term impact of this unique shared curriculum. </div><div><br></div><div>Results from the three studies provided evidence for: (1) reach to the majority of pharmacy institutions, (2) a high level of adoption of the Rx for Change in health professional schools, (3) a positive impact on faculty trainees’ careers and their level of confidence for teaching, precepting clinical students, and assisting tobacco users, (4) implementation of the Rx for Change curriculum with a variety of teaching methodologies, and (5) continuity of use within the core curriculum of pharmacy institutions. Seven key factors were found to have contributed to the success of the Rx for Change program, and thus the following are recommended for future shared curriculum developers: (1) appeal to attendees, (2) relate content to clinical practice, (3) deliver live training (in-person), (4) develop high quality materials delivered by experts, (5) meet accreditation standards, (6) provide support for teaching, and (7) demonstrate effectiveness. Data from the website analysis provided evidence for interprofessional reach of the Rx for Change website to educators, learners, and professionals.<br></div>

The modern environment of pervasive interconnectedness via mobile devices and services makes it important to understand the nature of customer-bank interactions and relationships. Businesses that offer mobile banking are trying to provide their customers with improved customer service and experiences. The objective of this study is to examine how customer experience of mobile banking influences loyalty towards the bank. This study focuses on the millennials in South Africa. Banks need to remain competitive in the ever-changing business environment. Millennials are one of the largest customer segments with a large digital and mobile appetite; as a result, they form a natural target for banks. To increase their customer base, banks need to ensure that their customer experience strategy caters for these young customers in accordance with their expectations. However, customer experience within mobile banking is under researched. Previous studies in this research area have focused on customer experience in traditional banking context. This study tries to fill the gap by exploring the factors that influence customer experience in mobile banking and also understand how this experience influences customer loyalty to their bank. Considering this, a broad literature review was done that revealed the factors that influence mobile customer experience. Based on literature a conceptual model was developed and this model was used a framework for investigating the research problem. This study used a mixed methods strategy and collected data from 344 mobile banking users via an online survey questionnaire and further, 10 semi-structured interviews were also conducted. The research hypotheses were tested through regression analysis and this resulted in 4 out of 8 research hypotheses being supported. Thematic analysis was used for both the open-ended questions in the survey and the 10 interviews. The results showed that convenience, ease of use and customization are the most significant factors that influence customer experience in mobile banking, whereas the customer experience was in turn found to have a significant influence on customer loyalty. Through conducting this research on millennials in South Africa, this study has expanded the knowledge of mobile banking research in the country. A valuable contribution was made by this study, as this study gave better insight into the factors that significantly influence the customer's experience of millennials in mobile banking. This study recommends that, it is important that banks as well as other firms that offer mobile banking offer a mobile app that is convenient and lets customers to perform their activities in a flexible way in their own time, easily and in a customizable manner. Therefore, should banks implement this study's recommendations it will be beneficial for them as this will result in increased loyalty of their millennial mobile banking customers.

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Farm to School is a program that connects local and regional foods and other farm products to school meals, develops school gardens, and develops other types of Farm to School experiential learning programs for K-12 students. Since Farm to School began in the mid-1990\'s, Farm to School programs have been developed in all 50 states and Washington D.C. The National Farm to School Network has estimated that almost 12,500 schools are involved with Farm to School, and that during the 2011-2012 school year, 5.7 million students were reached through Farm to School programs and activities. Research to date investigating Farm to School has primarily focused on food system and school system stakeholders including school nutrition directors, food distributors, farmers, school teachers, students, and principals. Not as much research has explored Cooperative Extension\'s role in Farm to School. Farm to School programs are one method for Extension professionals to support community food system development while addressing pressing social concerns related to agricultural viability and public health. Drawing on reasoned action theory and social movement theory, the purpose of this study was to explore food system change through an analysis of Cooperative Extension\'s role in the Farm to School movement. In this two-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods research study, the behavioral intentions/behaviors of Cooperative Extension professionals were analyzed. Additionally, the goals, strategies, and knowledge production of Cooperative Extension professionals participating in the Farm to School movement were explored. Data were collected through an online survey distributed to Extension professionals in eight states. A total of 931 Extension professionals completed the questionnaire resulting in a 48 percent response rate. Data were also collected through a state-based case study that explored Ohio State University (OSU) Extension involvement and leadership in the Ohio Farm to School Program. The case study included 21 interviews with OSU Extension professionals and Farm to School program partners. Regression models were developed to explore which behavioral intentions are statistically significant in explaining Extension participation in the Farm to School movement. Results show that past participation in a Farm to School training program, knowledge about Farm to School, attitude towards Farm to School, perceived social norms towards Farm to School, and perceived behavioral control towards Farm to School are positively associated with participation in the Farm to School movement. Drawing on Stevenson, Ruhf, Lezberg, and Clancy (2007), qualitative analysis found that OSU Extension professional\'s goals for the Farm to School movement were primarily related to food system transformation and inclusion, and their strategies were primarily related to connection. Drawing on Eyerman and Jamison (1991), qualitative analysis also found that OSU Extension professionals were producing primarily organizational knowledge through participation in the Farm to School movement. Additionally, qualitative analysis found that Cooperative Extension Systems are home to several Farm to School movement intellectuals. This study concludes with a discussion of recommendations for Cooperative Extension participation in the Farm to School movement, recommendations for Farm to School program partners, and recommendations for future research in Farm to School. / Ph. D.

Up until recent technological developments in neuroscience and advancements in brain imagery techniques, educators and scientists had little insight into what was occurring in the minds of learners. These developments in the field of neuroscience have led to increased knowledge about how the brain develops and learns in childhood. Understanding how music is processed in the brains of young children may provide educators with insights about how to teach more efficiently and effectively, with the potential to either support or refute current classroom practices. Many music educators appear eager to bring strategies with a grounding in neuroscience to their classrooms. It is important then, to understand not only the limits of neuroscientific data and its applicability to classroom settings, but also the degree to which current music teaching practices either correspond or run contrary to current understandings in neuroscience. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of neuroscience recommendations by teachers in elementary general music classrooms; that is, whether current classroom practices correspond with the latest understandings of the developing brain as well as how and to what degree these recommendations for music teaching based on neuroscience are reflected in elementary general music pedagogy.

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In recent times there has been an increase in global migration of workers in many sectors. The teaching profession has not been immune to this and there is a growing number of teachers moving to other countries to work. In this mixed methods study, I have investigated how teachers from overseas experience their transition to working in Sweden. I sought to find out what overseas teacher induction looked like in Sweden and whether this was done in a systematic way.    Previous research in Sweden has tended to treat teachers from overseas as a single, homogenous group. It has focused mainly on the experiences of those teachers who partake in formal teacher education programs in Swedish universities. However, during this study, it became apparent that there is a significantly large group of teachers from overseas who do not access such programs and have no access to any form of systematic introductory period. Yet under the current system this group can work in Swedish schools and in many cases obtain the Swedish teaching license.   A mixed methods approach allowed me to investigate this problem from different perspectives. Such an approach enabled me to investigate not only to what extent teachers new to Sweden had access to systematic introductory training but also how the teachers experienced their introductory period. Drawing on research concerning overseas teachers from other countries and interviews with overseas teachers in Sweden, I have identified that there is a need for these teachers to undergo a more formal induction period as well as some key areas of training that should be included in such a program.

Over the last several decades, a growing awareness of the benefits of regular screening for common health conditions, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, has paved the way for preventative screenings to become routine in medical settings. Given that cognitive impairment is frequently reported as the number one worry of older adults, home-based cognitive monitoring may be an innovative solution that allows middle aged and older adults to take an active role in monitoring an important aspect of their health. Although several home-based cognitive monitoring programs have been validated for use in clinical and home-based settings, the Cogstate Brief Battery (CBB) may be the leading candidate based on its brevity, reliability, and lack of practice effects. Although home-based monitoring via the CBB tends to be well-received by participants, it remains unclear how participant characteristics such as personality traits may affect their performance over time. In addition, the factors related to participants’ adherence and satisfaction with regular cognitive monitoring have yet to be examined. Addressing these unknowns are important, as they can help determine what to expect in terms of participant performance, adherence, and satisfaction, if home-based cognitive monitoring was implemented on a population-wide level in the future. This study examined how personality traits influenced cognitive performance over time on the CBB and explored participant adherence and satisfaction with regular cognitive monitoring over 60 months, using quantitative and qualitative data from a sample of cognitively healthy older adults recruited from communities in central Florida (N=158). Statistical analyses of the quantitative data using mixed effects models showed that personality traits were associated with performance on the CBB; in particular, higher conscientiousness was related to more accurate performance at baseline and improvements in speed over time. In addition, higher openness was associated with less accurate performance at baseline and slower, yet more accurate performance over time. In general, participants’ performance was relatively stable over time and fluctuations in performance occurred mostly in the first year of the study. Intraindividual variability also decreased over time, with significant decreases in variability occurring in participants who were higher in conscientiousness and openness. Mixed methods analyses of the data also suggested that participants liked their overall experience with the CBB, exhibited good study adherence over time, and were able to complete their monthly assessments with a high degree of independence. The themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis of participants’ study feedback suggest that most participants liked that CBB was easy, convenient to use, and provided them with a way to challenge themselves. However, some participants disliked one task in particular and felt that the CBB eventually became repetitive. The findings from both studies are useful for future applications of cognitive monitoring programs, as they would help improve the accuracy of conclusions drawn from participants’ performance and could also lead to the development of strategies that encourage long-term participation among individuals whom low study adherence and satisfaction is likely.