The mediation analysis has been used to test if the effect of one variable on another variable is mediated by the third variable. The mediation analysis answers a question of how a predictor influences an outcome variable. Such information helps to gain understanding of mechanism underlying the variation of the outcome. When the mediation analysis is conducted on hierarchical data, the structure of data needs to be taken into account. Krull and MacKinnon (1999) recommended using Multilevel Modeling (MLM) with nested data and showed that the MLM approach has more power and flexibility over the standard Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) approach in multilevel data. However the MLM mediation model still has some limitations such as incapability of analyzing outcome variables measured at the upper level. Preacher, Zyphur, and Zhang (2010) proposed that the Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM) will overcome the limitation of MLM approach in multilevel mediation analysis. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of the MSEM approach on non-normal hierarchical data. This study also aimed to compare the MSEM method with the MLM method proposed by MacKinnon (2008) and Zhang, Zyphur, and Preacher (2009). The study focused on the null hypothesis testing which were presented by Type I error, statistical power, and convergence rate. Using Monte Carlo method, this study systematically investigates the effect of several factors on the performance of the MSEM and MLM methods. Designed factors considered were: the magnitude of the population indirect effect, the population distribution shape, sample size at level 1 and level 2, and the intra-class correlation (ICC) level. The results of this study showed no significant effect of the degree of non-normality on any performance criteria of either MSEM or MLM models. While the Type I error rates of the MLM model reached the expected alpha level as the group number was 300 or higher, the MSEM model showed very conservative performance in term of controlling for the Type I error with the rejection rates of null conditions were zero or closed to zero across all conditions. It was evident that the MLM model outperformed the MSEM model in term of power for most simulated conditions. Among the simulation factors examined in this dissertation, the mediation effect size emerged as the most important one since it is highly associated with each of the considered performance criteria. This study also supported the finding of previous studies (Preacher, Zhang, & Zyphur, 2011; Zhang, 2005) about the relationship between sample size, especially the number of group, and the performance of either the MLM or MSEM models. The accuracy and precision of the MLM and MSEM methods were also investigated partially in this study in term of relative bias and confidence interval (CI) width. The MSEM model outperformed the MLM model in term of relative bias while the MLM model had better CI width than the MSEM model. Sample size, effect size, and ICC value were the factors that significantly associate with the performance of these methods in term of relative bias and CI width.

Cette thèse propose d’observer l’imaginaire des dispositifs numériques dans les musées d’ethnographie confrontés à la réalisation de dispositifs numériques pour la médiation tels que les tablettes tactiles ou les navigateurs de réalité augmentée. Ce travail s’intéresse au positionnement des professionnels de musée face à la présence croissante d’outils numériques dans l’espace d’exposition, sous-tendue par un discours promotionnel technophile de la part des sphères journalistique et politique qui décrivent ces technologies comme fortement souhaitables. Une enquête ethnographique réalisée dans deux musées soumis à une injonction technologique (le Museon Arlaten d’Arles et le musée McCord de Montréal) interroge les attentes et les imaginaires qu’ont les professionnels du musée de ces dispositifs. À l’aune du concept de trivialité d’Yves Jeanneret, il s’agit de comparer les discours d’escorte portant sur le numérique avec les discours des professionnels de deux musée d’ethnographie, afin de mettre à jour les modes de circulation de ces discours et les imaginaires qui les fondent. Répondre à ce questionnement a nécessité une démarche en trois temps. Il s’est agi dans un premier temps de relever les différents discours d’escorte portant sur les dispositifs numériques au musée et les injonctions qu’ils véhiculent afin de comprendre à quelles prescriptions les professionnels étaient exposés. D’autre part, interroger les professionnels de musée afin de relever leur imaginaire des dispositifs technologiques a permis de connaitre leurs attentes et craintes vis-à-vis de ces supports. Enfin, questionner les enquêtés sur leurs pratiques concrètes lors de la conception effective de ces dispositifs a permis d’observer des processus d’ajustement, prenant la forme de logiques d’opposition, d’adaptation et d’invention. Après avoir comparé le discours des professionnels avec les discours d’escorte médiatiques et politiques, nous avons observé un décalage entre les discours d’escorte sur l’innovation technologique au musée et la façon dont les professionnels de ces institutions culturelles évoquaient ces questions. Le caractère révolutionnaire des discours décrivant les technologies n’est pas repris par les professionnels des musées mais il est fortement nuancé dans un imaginaire raisonné et pertinent des technologies, assorti d’un rapport ambigu à l’innovation qui interroge les enjeux symboliques du progrès technologique dans la médiation muséale. / This thesis observes and explores the imaginary of digital devices when the latter are introduced, in the form of tablets or augmented reality browsers, to support mediation work in ethnography museums. The thesis examines how museum professionals position themselves in relation to the growing presence of digital devices in the exhibition space, which is underpinned by a technophile promotional narrative spun by the media and politicians who present the introduction of these technologies as highly desirable. An ethnographic study in two museums faced with the imposition of such technological agendas – the Museon Arlaten in Arles and the McCord Museum in Montreal – allows for an analysis of the expectations towards and imaginary of these devices by museum professionals. The concept of triviality, as defined by Yves Jeanneret, is used to compare the accompanying discourses on digital technologies with the discourses of professionals in the two ethnography museums, in order to highlight how discourses circulate, as do the imaginaries underpinning them. There were three stages in this study. First, the various accompanying discourses on digital technologies in museums – from both inside and outside of the institutions – and the agendas they carry were identified, so as to understand what was dictated to the professionals. Besides, the museum professionals were interviewed in order to identify what their imaginaries of technological devices were, which allowed for an understanding of their expectations and fears regarding these devices. Finally, asking the interviewees about their concrete practices when effectively devising the devices made it possible to observe processes of adjustment, from opposition to adaptation to invention. The comparison between the professionals’ discourses and the accompanying discourses offered by the media and politicians revealed a discrepancy between the accompanying discourses on technological innovation in museums and the way in which the professionals from the cultural institutions talked about this issue. The narratives describing these technologies as revolutionary were not taken up by museum professionals; rather, they were significantly qualified by reasoned, adequate imaginary of technologies, alongside with an ambivalent perception of innovation, questioning the symbolic dimension of technological changes affecting mediation work in museums.

This dissertation investigated the effects of technological mediation on second language (L2) learning, focusing, as a case study, on gains in listening perception of the subtle but important feature of pitch placement in Japanese. Pitch accent can be difficult to perceive for non-native speakers whose first language (L1) does not rely on pitch or tone as a distinctive feature, such as English (Wayland & Li, 2008). Pedagogically, Face-To-Face (FTF) interactions with native or near-native speakers are typically the most effective way to learn L2 sound system features due to social presence, but these interactions are not always possible because of physical distance. Mediation can facilitate these interactions, but it is unclear which type results in more learning gains. The current study compared three mediation types that vary in the information provided to the learner: audio-only (asynchronous), video (audiovisual asynchronous), and videoconferencing (audiovisual synchronous), as well as a fourth condition of videoconferencing which facilitated mutual eye contact. The lack of mutual eye contact in standard videoconferencing (due to the webcam being above the image of an interlocutor's face) can inhibit the perceived social presence (Bondareva, Meesters, & Bouwhuis, 2006). A pretest/posttest/delayed posttest design was used, which measured error rates and reaction times for a same/different discrimination task and a picture recognition task. The participants were English L1 speakers, with no prior study of Japanese. After the pretest, they received training in the form of two short lessons in beginner Japanese vocabulary and sentence building administered by a native speaking tutor, which did not explicitly address pitch placement, but used minimal pairs for this feature as vocabulary items. The lessons were followed by a posttest, and a delayed posttest one week later. The results showed that all four conditions succeeded in improving Japanese pitch placement detection, both immediately after and up to a week after the lessons. While an ANOVA revealed no main effect of mediation type, planned comparison results suggest videoconferencing without eye contact may lead to more gains in pitch placement perception than video. A surprising suggestion by the data was that videoconferencing with eye contact may lead to worse performance than the other mediation types. An exit survey detected the self-determination of the participants, and higher self-determination correlated with worse testing performance within the videoconferencing with eye contact condition. This suggests that the addition of eye contact increased the social presence of that condition to the point that it triggered Foreign Language Speaking Anxiety (FLSA) in the participants. Overall, this study highlights that lessons and tasks administered through mediation can be used to provide native speaker input for features that are important for listening and speaking, and this can effectively help learners attend to and learn these features.

Bakgrund: Under de senaste åren har samarbetssamtalen ökat inom Sverige. Dagligen arbetar familjerättssekreterare med samarbetssamtal för att försöka föra tvistande och oeniga föräldrar mot ett samarbete i frågor gällande deras barn. Samarbetssamtalen ska ges under professionell och kompetent ledning av samtalsledare med relevant utbildning. Som samtalsledare är det därför viktigt att inneha kunskaper om konflikthantering, konfliktlösningsmodeller och medlingsteori. Detta för att på bästa sätt kunna leda ett samarbetssamtal. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att, utifrån transformativ teori, förstå hur familjerättssekreterare arbetar med medling i sitt arbete med samarbetssamtal. Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes, vilket innebär att fem familjerättssekreterare har intervjuats för detta arbete. Resultat: Resultatet redovisas med hjälp av två grundteman som kunde urskiljas ur intervjuerna. Inom det första temat, Rollen som samtalsledare, berörs olika faktorer som familjerättssekreterarna ansett vara betydelsefulla i sin roll som samtalsledare. Inom det andra temat, Användning av medlingsmetoder inom samarbetssamtal, behandlas familjerättssekreterarnas tankar kring användandet av medlingsmetoder i sina samarbetssamtal. Slutsats: I slutsatsen framkommer det att familjerättssekreterarna arbetar olika gällande användandet av medlingsmetoder inom samarbetssamtal. De flesta säger sig arbeta utifrån en blandning av olika medlingsmetoder, dock nämns inga specifika metoder. Utifrån familjerättssekreterarnas beskrivningar av sitt arbete inom samarbetssamtal visade det sig däremot att samtliga familjerättssekreterare ändå arbetar utifrån den transformativa medlingsmodellen. Diskussion: Även om familjerättssekreterarna inte säger sig arbeta utifrån någon specifik medlingsmetod, så kunde den transformativa medlingen urskiljas när de beskrev sitt arbetssätt. Kanske arbetar de omedvetet utifrån olika medlingsmetoder? Även andra perspektiv, som den lösningsfokuserade korttidsterapin, kan relateras till deras sätt att arbeta inom samarbetssamtal. / Background: In recent years cooperation discussions between parents has increased in Sweden. The family law secretaries work daily with cooperation discussions in order to bring disagreeing and disputant parents towards working together regarding issues concerning their children. Cooperation discussions should be given under both professional and competent guidance by mediators with adequate education. That is why it is important, as a mediator, to possess knowledge about models of conflict resolution, mediation theory and about how to manage conflicts. And to, in the best way possible, lead a cooperation discussion as a mediator. Aim: The aim of this study is to understand how family law secretaries work with mediation within cooperation discussion, based on transformative theory. Method: A qualitative interview study was made in which five family law secretaries were interviewed. Results: The results are based and presented on two themes that could be distinguished out of the interviews. Within the theme The role of the mediator, different factors that the family law secretaries found important in the role of being a mediator within cooperation discussions are presented. Within the theme The use of mediation methods within cooperation discussions, the family law secretaries own thoughts of how they use mediation methods within cooperation discussions are presented. Conclusion: The family law secretaries work differently when it comes to using mediation methods within cooperation discussions. They describe that their work is based on a mixture of multiple mediation methods. Through the way that the family law secretaries describe how they work within cooperation discussion, it is made clear that they all work with transformative mediation. Discussion: Even if the family law secretaries explain that they do not use any given mediation method, the transformative method was recognized in the way they describe their work. Might they be unaware of that they may be working with different mediation methods? Approaches like the solution-focused brief therapy can also be tied to the family law secretaries work with cooperation discussions.

M.A. (Social Work) / This development research aims to develop a prototype mediation model for leaders to enable them to solve conflict effectively on the shop floor. The primary motivation for the study is an attempt to find a workable solution for day to day conflict. Such a solution has to be practical, easy to implement and coincide with current processes within the Generation Group ...

This study explores how the positioning of dialogue interpreters is shaped in mediated interaction through the combined investigation of two main units of analysis, i.e. assessments and gaze. The data used consists of a small corpus of authentic, video-recorded, mediated interactions in English and Italian. These encounters take place in pedagogical settings; in particular, the specific type of institutional talk analysed is that of mediated parent-teacher meetings, which represents uncharted territory for interpreting studies. An interdisciplinary approach encompassing conversation analysis and studies on non-verbal communication is adopted to explore how interactants orient to both verbal and non-verbal activities (mainly gaze) in the production and monitoring of each other's actions, in the initiation and maintenance of social encounters, and in the co-construction of meaning and participatory framework. As for the verbal dimension, this thesis focuses on assessments, given that evaluative talk characterises the interactions under scrutiny. In particular, some tendencies (namely upgrading and downgrading renditions) in the way interpreters handle utterances embedding evaluative assessments have been identified, explored and linked to issues of identity and epistemic authority. One of the most innovative aspects of this work lies in the exploration of how positioning is realised not only verbally, but also nonverbally, by accounting for non-verbal features in the analysis of verbal interaction. Although non-verbal features have been recognised as part and parcel of human social interaction as well as important vectors of meaning and co-ordination (e.g. Goodwin 1981; Kendon 1990), their sequential positioning in relation to the production of the ongoing flow of talk and their use by interpreters to complement/replace specific verbal features is uncharted territory for interpreting studies. Since the groundbreaking work by Lang (1976, 1978), little research has integrated gaze in the analysis of the interpreter’s (and participants) verbal output (e.g. Wadensjö 2001; Bot 2005). To enable its investigation, gaze is systematically encoded alongside specific conversational cues via the ELAN software, which interfaces audio-video input in a user-friendlyhypertextual transcription. A specific gaze-encoding system has been developed for triadic interaction, building on Rossano’s (2012) one for dyadic interaction. These symbols have been mapped onto the verbal transcript of specific sequences, with a view to investigating how gaze is used as an interactional resource in conjunction with verbal behaviour when producing such sequences. Through analysis of the actions performed via talk and gaze, the thesis investigates how displays of knowledge and epistemic authority are achieved and the impact of the interpreter’s shifting positioning on the unfolding interaction. The micro-analysis of transcripts is placed within a macro-analytical framework to explore whether interpreters work as intercultural mediators when they display an engaged behaviour and act as ratified participants. Findings show that the specific moves isolated, although trying to establish a common ground with the mothers, do not seem to contribute to participants’ empowerment and participation, thus suggesting the need for a more nuanced conceptualisation of intercultural mediation.

The Market orientation (MO) phenomena have been meticulously studied in the marketing literature for more than three decades. While in the beginning MO had been investigated from a focal form perspective, it has evolved to account for the role it plays in distribution channels or supply chains. However, the perspective taken has consistently been from a focal firm perspective, either about its own or its partners market orientation. This study seeks to extend the theory on market orientation to account for the role that it plays within business relationships (i.e. inter-firm market orientation). IMO was initially conceptualized as the joint activities between the focal firm and its channel partner in joint intelligence generation, joint intelligence dissemination and joint customer responsiveness. This study develops the theory that a business relationship can be either market oriented or not and attempts to explain the effect of this inter-firm market orientation on relationship performance as well as focal firm performance. Specifically, this study asks the question, does inter-firm market orientation mediate the focal firm market orientation – performance relationship?This study was investigated using a two-stage approach. In the first stage, a measurement scale was developed and empirically tested to measure inter-firm market orientation. It was from the scale development efforts that the conceptualization of IMO was refined to include the joint intelligence cooperation and joint customer responsiveness efforts between the focal firm and its channel partners. It appears that the focal firm and their channel partner do not differentiate or separate the activities of intelligence generation and intelligence dissemination. They view it more as a cooperative effort. Additionally, the focus of the intelligence cooperation efforts appears to be more about intelligence collected through market research about end-user customers rather than by speaking with customers directly. Finally, the customer responsiveness efforts appear to be reactively focused rather than both reactively and proactively. The scale development was followed by the second stage where the revised IMO construct was included in a model in which it mediated the often-studied market orientation – performance relationship. A number of hypotheses were developed using various relationship theories such as transaction cost economics, resource-based view, and interaction approach. The model was tested with a sample of 130 informants using a variance-based structural equation modeling technique called partial least squares. The final analysis indicated that all paths were significant and that the IMO and relationship performance constructs partially mediated the MO – performance relationship. These findings suggest that it is important to understand both intra and inter-firm market orientation activities to truly understand their impact on business performance.

This study will undertake a critical analysis of the domestic architecture of Gawie Fagan so as to define its uniqueness in the South African architectural landscape, and the contribution the architect has made to the establishment of a place-specific architecture that is nationally and internationally recognized. It will attempt to increase the limited written knowledge of the work of South African architects and to add to the critical debate on South African architecture. The study will employ both descriptive and normative approaches as the built work and writings of Fagan are unpacked. This will be done through an analysis of the dichotomies, tensions and mediations that exist in his architecture. It will demonstrate that there are heterotrophic and typological tendencies present in his domestic oeuvre and that they represent a unique synthesis of the local Cape vernacular and aspects of the Modern Movement. It will attempt to provide a clear understanding of the man and his philosophies and through this process will add to the critical debate on South African architecture. Fagan's work will firstly be contextualized, after which an analysis will be undertaken to determine how external and internal influences have impacted on the design of his houses and how these have contributed to the development of a unique South African architecture. / Thesis (PhD)—University of Pretoria, 2012 / Architecture / unrestricted

Phobic and anxiety disorders are one of the most common, if not the most common and debilitating psychopathological conditions found among children and adolescents. As a result, a treatment research literature has accumulated showing the efficacy of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for reducing anxiety disorders in youth. This dissertation study compared a CBT with parent and child (i.e., PCBT) and child group CBT (i.e., GCBT). These two treatment approaches were compared due to the recognition that a child’s context has an effect on the development, course, and outcome of childhood psychopathology and functional status. The specific aims of this dissertation were to examine treatment specificity and mediation effects of parent and peer contextual variables. The sample consisted of 183 youth and their mothers. Research questions were analyzed using analysis of variance for treatment outcome, and structural equation modeling, accounting for clustering effects, for treatment specificity and mediation effects. Results indicated that both PCBT and GCBT produced positive treatment outcomes across all indices of change (i.e., clinically significant improvement, anxiety symptom reduction) and across all informants (i.e., youths and parents) with no significant differences between treatment conditions. Results also showed partial treatment specific effects of positive peer relationships in GCBT. PCBT also showed partial treatment specific effects of parental psychological control. Mediation effects were only observed in GCBT; positive peer interactions mediated treatment response. The results support the use CBT with parents and peers for treating childhood anxiety. The findings’ implications are further discussed in terms of the need to conduct further meditational treatment outcome designs in order to continue to advance theory and research in child and anxiety treatment.

Despite a considerable progress in developing and testing psychosocial treatments to reduce youth anxiety disorders, much remains to learn about the relation between anxiety symptom reduction and change in youth functional impairment. The specific aims of this dissertation thus were to examine: (1) the relation between different levels of anxiety and youth functional impairment ratings; (2) incremental validity of the Children Global Assessment Scale (CGAS); (3) the mediating role of anxiety symptom reduction on youth functional impairment ratings; (4) the directionality of change between anxiety symptom reduction and youth functional impairment; (5) the moderating effects of youth age, sex, and ethnicity on the mediated relation between youth anxiety symptom reduction and change in functional impairment; and (6) an agreement (or lack thereof) between youths and their parents in their views of change in youth functional impairment vis-à-vis anxiety symptom reduction. The results were analyzed using archival data set acquired from 183 youths and their mothers. Research questions were tested using SPSS and structural equation modeling techniques in Mplus. The results supported the efficacy of psychosocial treatments to reduce the severity of youth anxiety symptoms and its associated functional impairment. Moreover, the results revealed that at posttreatment, youths who scored either low or medium on anxiety levels scored significantly lower on impairment, than youths who scored high on anxiety levels. Incremental validity of the CGAS was also revealed across all assessment points and informants in my sample. In addition, the results indicated the mediating role of anxiety symptom reduction with respect to change in youth functional impairment at posttest, regardless of the youth’s age, sex, and ethnicity. No significant findings were observed with regard to the bidirectionality and an informant disagreement vis-à-vis the relation between anxiety symptom reduction and change in functional impairment. The study’s main contributions and potential implications on theoretical, empirical, and clinical levels are further discussed. The emphasis is on the need to enhance existing evidence-based treatments and develop innovative treatment models that will not only reduce youth’s symptoms (such anxiety) but also evoke genuine and palpable improvements in lives of youths and their families.