The protracted crises of authority that characterized the 1960s and 1970s left their imprints on a number of institutions in Canadian society. The dispute resolution arena, for one, was affected by the turmoil of this age as more informal, 'empowering' alternatives were sought to replace the disempowering procedures of courtroom adjudication. The present thesis focuses on one aspect of an ensuing 'alternative dispute resolution' movement in the Canadian province of British Columbia; namely, community mediation. In particular, it begins by looking at the rhetoric and practices through which community mediation has been deployed. Advocates tout this process as an 'empowering' method of resolving disputes because it encourages individuals to work conflict out in the 'community', thus - so their reasoning goes - limiting state intrusion into people's everyday lives. By contrast, critics of the movement argue that the deployment of informal justice actually expands state control, and contend that it does so rather insidiously under the guise of 'restricting' state activities. Close scrutiny of this debate, however, reveals significant weaknesses in both positions, mainly relating to their unnecessarily narrow definition of the 'problem'; i.e., whether informal justice expands or reduces state control. This is a highly questionable formulation, for it demands a simple response from what is a much more complex and ambiguous event. Taking its cue from more recent developments in the literature, the following analysis reconceptualizes the 'problem' by asking: what is the logic of control embodied by mediation practices in a given context? It responds to the question by developing certain Foucauldian precepts into a theory that explicates the model of power through which mediation regulates action. Its implicit objective is to understand the political rationale of mediation in order to pursue how this might be used to further social justice. Various genealogical procedures are employed to formulate such a theory by responding to four central questions. What are the wider lines of descent that have helped to produce the particular version of community mediation that now colours British Columbia's landscape? What precise model of power does the rhetoric and practice of mediation reflect? How does this informal model of power link up with the formal power of the law/state? What are the implications of this for engaging politically with community mediation, if one's aim is to achieve social justice? Responding to each of these in turn supplies the basic thesis of the following text. In brief, I argue that community mediation has developed in British Columbia in tandem with a shift from Fordist to Post-Fordist modes of regulation (politics) and production (economics) that characterized the 1970s. Influenced by legal reforms and experiments with 'alternatives' to courts, community mediation has assumed an identity which incorporates a 'pastoral' model of power. This model is articulated to the state's 'law-sovereign' model as a 'complementary,' but subordinate, alternative. The association between these results in an indirect form of governance - 'government at a distance' - that may expand the state's potential to control people, but which is also considerably less predictable. This offers both opportunities and barriers to political action in the informal justice arena. Consequently, while the current deployment of community mediation in British Columbia tends to support the professionalised justice of the existing legal system, it may yet be possible to transform its identity through an 'alternative' politics of law that strives for social justice.

The purpose of this thesis is to critically examine elements of public participation in environmental decision-making and to propose that public participation processes may be made more meaningful through the provision of comprehensive and flexible procedural mechanisms coupled with a true ability to affect the outcome of the process, rather than through simply granting more rights. Over the years, natural resources management has grown as a response to ecological concerns over the state and future of our environment. The law too, has developed to accommodate environmental concerns and define legal rights and procedures. Public participation becomes a vehicle for ensuring that affected interests are taken into account in environmental decision-making. In Chapter 1, the established and traditional means of involving the public in environmental decision-making such as litigation and public hearings are examined; however, they have been characterized as too restrictive, not only in terms of the parties who are included, but also the issues. Furthermore, agency administration of complex resource management issues has fuelled public discontent, as many groups understand it is an inherently political process and doubt its legitimacy. In exploring this phenomenon, this paper is first placed in a theoretical context, drawing upon ecological, legal, and ethical philosophies. However, it is also informed by the perspectives of local environmental groups and residents. The turn to other techniques, or Alternative Dispute Resolution, may seem a logical and appropriate evolution, suggesting ways for all affected parties to be involved. Chapter 2 reviews different forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution which provide some principles about the use of mediation and agreements to supplement the regulatory processes of resource management. It is important to consider the mediation process itself, the desire to remedy what is considered to be the failings of the traditional adversarial system, the psychological dynamics of the process, and the parameters for successful negotiations leading to implementation. Chapter 3 commences with an analysis of the legal context of public participation in British Columbia. It determines the discretionary authority of the administrative agencies, and the formal window of opportunity for public input, under the (federal) Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the (provincial) British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act. This chapter also discusses an additional and interesting vehicle for public participation, although not yet implemented in British Columbia - the Environmental Bill of Rights. Chapter 4 provides a more concrete setting for the use of public participation processes, through the use of a case study - the British Columbia Transit Sky Train Extension Project. The "NIMBY", or "Not In My Backyard" scenario involved has the potential to facilitate negotiation; however, real inroads will be made through improving existing legal avenues of participation such as consultation. In fact, this key concern has been the sore point with respect to the Sky Train Project for many residents of Vancouver. In conclusion, the utility of public participation processes expressed in environmental legislation is reliant not only upon the ability of the law to be flexible enough to serve the various natural resource interests of all stakeholders, but also to be conducted in a manner that is inclusory and substantive.

Įvairūs autoriai skirtingai apibūdina socialinės rizikos (disfunkcines, daugiaproblemines) šeimas, bet kiekvienas jų įžvelgia, kad joms būdingas negebėjimas savarankiškai spręsti savo problemų, šeimos funkcijų sutrikimas, jos narių poreikių netenkinimas. Todėl socialinės rizikos šeima tampa socialinio darbo objektu. Galima teigti, kad socialiniu darbu siekiama atstatyti socialinės rizikos šeimų funkcionavimą. Socialinės paslaugos teikiamos šeimai tam, kad būtų užtikrintas pozityvus šeimos funkcionavimas. Šiame darbe socialinis darbuotojas dažnai susiduria su problemų neigimu, priešinimusi pagalbai. Todėl socialinis darbuotojas turi pasitelkti savo kompetenciją, kad įveiktų priešinimąsi ir padėtų socialinės rizikos šeimai modeliuoti problemų sprendimo variantus. Šiame kompleksiškame procese socialinis darbuotojas turi atlikti daugybę tarpusavyje persipinančių vaidmenų. Dirbdamas su socialinės rizikos šeimomis socialinis darbuotojas etapiškai įgyvendina socialinio darbo procesą, kurio tikslas - šeimos išsaugojimas ir pagalba jai problemų sprendimo procese. Įgyvendindamas šį procesą socialinis darbuotojas atlieka keletą vaidmenų, kurių pagrindiniai yra: konsultavimas ir tarpininkavimas. Socialinis darbo raida Lietuvoje atsilieka šimtmečiu. Tik narystė ES įtakojo, paskatino Lietuvos socialinių paslaugų reformą. Socialinis darbuotojas pripažįstamas kaip socialinės kaitos ir socialinio stabilumo skatintojas, problemų sprendimo ir žmogiškųjų santykių harmonijos užtikrintojas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Various authors describe social risk (dysfunctional, problematic) families differently, but each of them witnesses that the common things between such families are: incapability to solve their problems on their own, malfunction of family functions and incapability in meeting the needs of family members. Therefore, social risk family becomes an object of social work. It can be said that social work aims at restoring functionality of social risk families. Social services for families are provided in order to ensure positive family functionality. In this thesis the social worker usually meets with denial of problems and resistance to be helped. Therefore, the social worker has to reach its competence in order to overcome resistance and to help social risk family to simulate different variants of problem solving. In this complex process the social worker has to perform many interlaced roles. The social worker implements the process of social work by stages when working with social risk families. The goal of social work process is family retention and helping in problem solving process. The social worker performs several roles when implementing such process. The mail roles of such process are consulting and mediation. The development of social work in Lithuania is century behind. Only the EU membership influenced and stimulated the reform of social services in Lithuania. The social worker is recognized as a stimulator of social changes and social stability, a person ensuring... [to full text]

Konfliktai egzistuoja tiek, kiek ir pati visuomenė, tačiau dar niekam nepavyko atrasti tobulo mechanizmo jiems spręsti. Iš daugelio alternatyvių ginčų sprendimo būdų šiame darbe autorius nagrinėja tik vieną – mediaciją – į interesus nukreiptą konflikto sprendimo procesą, kurio metu neutralus ir nešališkas asmuo skatina ir padeda konfliktuojančioms šalims pasiekti jas abi tenkinantį sprendimą. Didelės išlaidos ir sprendimų priėmimo vilkinimas asocijuojasi su teisminiu civilinių bylų nagrinėjimu. Todėl žmonėms reikia naujo būdo, įgalinančio spręsti ginčus daug efektyviau. Vis labiau pripažįstama, kad būtent mediacija padeda išsaugoti tarpusavio santykius, nustatyti tikrąsias ginčo priežastis, jaustis vertinamiems teisingai ir sąžiningai, su pagarba ir nepažeidžiant asmens orumo. Tai pavyksta dėl keleto esminių priežasčių. Pirma, taikant mediaciją nenustatinėjama kaltė ar nekaltumas. Antra, šalys yra lygios, ir pačios nusprendžia, koks sprendimas geriausias. Trečia, teismo procesas šalims yra įtemptas, tuo tarpu mediacijoje nėra trikdančių formalumų. Lietuvoje prielaidos mediacijai atsirado tik 2003-01-01 įsigaliojus naujajam Civilinio proceso kodeksui. Taikant mediaciją gali būti sprendžiami iš esmės daugiausia civiliniai ginčai kylantys iš šeimos, rangos, nuomos, darbo santykių, taip pat komerciniai ginčai, nesutarimai tarp kaimynų ir bendruomenių, vartotojų ir verslininkų, privataus kaltinimo bylos, ginčai dėl intelektinės nuosavybės ir kt. Nepaisant to, kad kol kas nėra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Conflicts exist as long as all society, but nobody could devise a perfect mechanism for resolving their disputes. Of all the existing methods of alternative dispute resolution, in this job author will speak only about the one – mediation - an informal method of dispute resolution, in which a neutral third party, the mediator, attempts to assist the parties in finding resolution to their problem through the mediation process. The high cost and long delays is associating with trial of civil matters. That’s way human needs the new way, which could help them to resolve conflicts more effectively. More and more we recognize the mediation as a process for saving relationship, finding the main reasons of dispute, also people are treated with respect in this procedure, they can save their dignity. There are some reasons for this point. First, mediation has no goal to find the guilty or innocence. The second, parties are equal and they can decide which settlement is the best in this situation. Third, litigation is always stressful, while mediation has no disconcerting formalism. Premises of mediation have come in Lithuania only with new Civil Code. By applying mediation can be resolved mostly civil matters as divorce, commercial treaties, employment. There is no direct regulation in Lithuanian domestic law, but we can find some regulations in various legal documents and international treaties. Direct procedure of mediation process is also not regulated, but the essential principles... [to full text]

The concept of plurilingual competence that enables the members of different cultures to perform in multilingual and multicultural environment is on the top of political agenda nowadays, as acquisition of two or more languages has become a necessity in the knowledge society. Therefore, the lack of works on the subject in Lithuania is a relevant reason to carry out a research on the language education through the prism of ‘mediation’ and ‘code switching’ as activities becoming widely acknowledged and practiced among language teachers. The study aims to survey the functions of mediation and code switching in teaching foreign languages. The objectives of the thesis are: • to overview the material on plurilingualism as giving reasons for the rise of wide discussions about reorganization of language education system, the changing attitude towards teaching languages, namely, a newly emerging approach of translation and later apply it to the empirical research;. • to investigate the approach of teachers and students towards the use of native language in the classroom; • to identify the patterns within switching of the first and the second languages and define the role they serve for the language acquisition. Research methods are literature analysis, quantitative and qualitative research (two types of questionnaire forms and analysis of recorded excerpts of lessons). The results indicate that the educators support the approach promoting better awareness of the native language... [to full text] / Daugiakalbės visuomenės formavimo politika, pradėta Europos Sąjungos institucijų, susilaukė didžiulio šalių narių susidomėjimo. ES iškėlė kalbinės kompetencijos lavinimą vienu pagrindinių savo tikslų. Pabrėžiama, jog kelias kalbas mokantys asmenys turi daugiau galimybių integruotis europinėje visuomenėje, taip pat minima profesionalių vertėjų paklausa ES institucijose. Šios politikos įgyvendinimo esminių centru tapo valstybių švietimo sistemos tobulinimas siekiant įdiegti naują požiūrį į kalbų mokymą. Tai paskatina šalis nares imtis veiksmų švietimo sistemos srityje. Rašomi straipsniai apie mokymo metodus akcentuojančius gimtosios kalbos svarbą užsienio kalbų pamokose, konkrečiai pabrėžiama kodų kaitos ir mediacijos (vertimo raštu, žodžiu) įtaka užsienio kalbos išmokimui. Atsižvelgiant į tai, jog Lietuvoje šios srities tyrimų stokojama, tampa įdomu bent jau dalinai pasigilinti į situaciją šalyje. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti, kokią funkciją atlieka gimtoji kalba užsienio kalbų pamokose ir kaip tai įtakoją kalbos išmokimą. Tyrimų objektas – gimtosios kalbos panaudojimas užsienio kalbos mokymo ir mokymosi procese. Tyrimo subjektais pasirinkti mokytojai bei mokiniai, kurie turėjo išreikšti požiūrį į daugiakalbės visuomenės formavimą ir gimtosios kalbos (mediacijos) naudojimą pamokose. Taip pat analizuojami dviejų užsienio kalbų pamokų įrašai, kuriose ieškoma konkrečių kodų kaitos pavyzdžių ir siekiama išsiaiškinti, kokios gimtosios kalbos situacijos kartojasi dažniausiai, kokios... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The current study tests a social-cognitive model of bystander responses to bullying in an attempt to better understand why bystanders respond as they do. Three forms of bystander responses were predicted by adult and friend responses to bullying and the bystander’s reasons for intervening. The present study involved 326 children from grades 4-8 who completed the PREVNet Assessment Survey, a novel wide-ranging measure of bullying phenomena. Sound psychometric properties were found for the four measures used in the present study. In elucidating the effects of social context, the differential impact of adult and friend responses on bystander responses was examined. Results indicate that friends are more influential than are adults in predicting bystander responses. Further, results of serial multiple mediation analysis generally support a social-cognitive model, suggesting that social context impacts intervention reasoning, which in turn, impact bystander responses. Implications for future research and policy are discussed. / SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master's Scholarship

<p>This research examines the effectiveness of these dispute resolution mechanisms in environmental disputes and what improvements should be made in order to make those mechanisms suitable for these types of disputes.</p>

Peer crowd affiliation (PCA) has been linked to alcohol use in adolescents, with patterns varying by crowd. However, a comprehensive examination of how peers influence college students’ behaviors, especially with regards to PCA, is lacking. The current study seeks to replicate and extend findings from Barber, Eccles, and Stone (2001) by examining whether high school PCA is associated with average weekly drinking and problematic drinking in a sample of college freshman, including friends’ drinking as a potential mediator and susceptibility to peer influence as a potential moderator. As existing research has found that close friends’ drinking predicts own drinking, peer influence may be the mechanism by which PCA is associated with alcohol use and problems in college. College students (N = 490) completed questionnaires assessing high school PCA, problematic drinking, and alcohol use habits among 3 close college friends, as well as a life history calendar of alcohol use. Hypotheses were tested using Preacher & Hayes bootstrapping mediation approach and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results indicated positive associations between affiliation with Popular or Jock crowds and weekly and problematic drinking in college, and negative associations for affiliation with the Brain crowd. Support for mediation by friends’ alcohol use was found.

The doctrine of the mediation of Jesus Christ in the scientific theology of T.F. Torrance rests on the fundamental scientific axiom, derived from the natural sciences, that knowledge is developed in accordance with the nature (kata physin) of the object as it is revealed in the course of scientific inquiry. As a theological realist, Torrance finds real and accurate knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. To know God through the incarnate Son, who is “of one nature with the Father” (homoousios to Patri), is to know God in strict accordance with God’s nature and hence in a theologically scientific way. Scientific theology will operate on a christological basis, for the incarnation of Jesus Christ is the “controlling centre” for the Christian doctrine of God. Torrance’s holistic theology investigates its object of inquiry within the nexus of “onto-relations,” or “being-constituting” interrelations, that disclose its identity. Because the fundamental aspects of reality are relational rather than atomistic, a scientific theological approach to the doctrine of the mediation of Jesus Christ requires that he be investigated within the nexuses of interrelations that disclose his identity as incarnate Saviour of the world. An examination of Torrance’s doctrine of mediation reveals three specific nexuses of “onto-relations” that disclose the identity of Jesus Christ. These are his interrelations with 1) historical Israel, 2) God, and 3) humanity. In the present thesis, the vast and scattered array of Torrance’s thought on the mediation of Jesus Christ is reduced to a minimal number of basic concepts, or “elemental forms,” that arise from the nexuses of interrelations that constitute the identity of the incarnate Son. These basic, constitutive concepts of Torrance’s doctrine of the mediation of Christ are the Nicene homoousion and the Chalcedonian doctrine of the hypostatic union, as well as the doctrines of incarnational redemption and the “vicarious humanity” of Jesus Christ. These elemental forms provide a basic, organising framework to examine and explain the mediation of revelation and reconciliation of Jesus Christ in the scientific theology of T.F. Torrance. / Thesis (PhD (Church and Dogma History))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Education in South Africa plays an important role in the economy and in the future of the people of our country. There is a major shortage of suitably qualified teachers, not only in South Africa but worldwide. Other problems that exist within the teaching profession are teacher strikes, large number of learners in classes, violence, depression, anxiety, to name a few. Many teachers leave the profession as they are faced with all these different problems. It is therefore necessary to recruit and retain qualified teachers. Some teachers find pleasure from all these stressors and they can be described as engaged in their work. Hence, a shift towards a positive psychology mind-set is needed for teachers to stay in the teaching profession. Social support can be regarded as a positive mechanism between co-workers to show concern for each other's fee lings and to encourage good work performance. Social support is therefore a key factor in retaining teachers. The psychological conditions (psychological meaningfulness, psychological safety and psychological availability) are included in this study to examine how teachers experience themselves at the school and how psychological conditions influence their work engagement. The more social support colleagues receive, and the more engaged they are in their work, the more likely they are to stay in the profession. The general objective of this study was to investigate teachers' intention to stay in the teaching profession. A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study. A quantitative approach was followed by selecting a convenience sample of participants (N=233) in the Gauteng East di strict. The measuring instruments that were administered include the Work Experiences Scale and the Work Engagement Scale (May, Gilson & Harter, 2004), and the Intention to Stay Scale (Mayfield & Mayfield, 2007). The statistical analysis was carried out by using the SPSS programme (SPSS, 2009). Statistically significant relationships were found between social support, psychological conditions, work engagement and intention to stay. The results confirmed that social support and work engagement were significant predictors of intention to stay. The relationship between social support and work engagement was mediated by psychological conditions. Some of the recommendations include that schools should implement formal or informal support groups to maintain productivity as well as to create an environment that is safe. These support groups will make teachers more available to each other in order to discuss different challenges and initiatives. Regarding the recommendations for future research it came about that qualitative research would show the potential to identify vital factors that have not been recognised by this study where only certain questionnaires were used to find data amongst teachers. To conclude, this study suggests that social support and work engagement are vital constructs to consider when conducting research on the intention to stay of employees, and that psychological conditions plays a role in the relationship between social support and work engagement. Therefore, these dimensions also seem to have an influence on teachers' work and their intention to stay in the teaching profession. / M.Com, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011