On an everyday basis, employees may be subjected to low intensity negative behaviours from those they work with. Uncivil behaviours may cumulatively add up over time to have detrimental effects on employees’ wellbeing and commitment to stay with their organisation. Since most of the research has been cross-sectional, capturing a snapshot in time, knowledge regarding the day-to-day effects of experiencing workplace incivility is limited The broad aim of the present research was to develop a new data collection tool in the form of a digital diary Smartphone app, to explore these day-to-day effects, measuring face-to-face and online workplace incivility. Three studies were conducted to develop and test the app. The first pilot study sought to test the proposed measures for use in the app. In particular, the commonly used Workplace Incivility Scale (WIS) was adapted to apply to online as well as face-to-face interactions. Statistical analysis of this pilot confirmed that both the face-to-face and online versions of the WIS were reliable and valid, and determined that experiencing workplace incivility via both modes was significantly associated with emotional exhaustion, and intentions to quit. On the basis of the first pilot, the app was developed and its feasibility tested in a second pilot focusing on the usability of the new app, which resulted in minor design changes being implemented prior to the final launch. The main research study sought to validate the new app and test a series of hypotheses about the day-to-day effects of workplace incivility. Participants completed an initial web-based survey and were then instructed to complete the questions on the app for one month. Multilevel analyses revealed that employees experienced higher levels of emotional exhaustion, and intention to quit on days when they were exposed to face-to-face or online incivility. The amount of incivility that participants experience on a day-to-day basis (Level 1) predicts emotional exhaustion, and intention to quit on a daily basis, and the average amount of incivility (Level 2) that participants experience also predicts their emotional exhaustion, and intention to quit when not considering other factors. Anger and fear were found to mediate the relationship between both forms of incivility and intention to quit. For the rumination-mediated models, the relationship between both forms of workplace incivility and emotional exhaustion is significantly mediated by rumination. Theoretically, this research contributes by providing insight into workplace incivility and its effects on a daily basis. Methodologically, this research advances the field by providing a new reliable and valid repeated measures data collection tool that other researchers may share to overcome and build upon the limitations inherent in cross-sectional studies.

The aim of this dissertation was to address several gaps in the existing literature focused on the association between levels and variability in blood pressure (BP) and cognitive functioning. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), Chapter 1 synthesizes and critically analyzes the outcomes of research reporting the association between BP variability (BPV) and cognition. Fifty-five studies met eligibility criteria, including reports measuring short-term, mid-term, and long-term BPV. Despite substantial between-study heterogeneity in study characteristics, the majority of studies reported that higher systolic BPV is associated with adverse cognitive outcomes. Further, Chapter 1 identified several gaps in the existing literature. For instance, no research has investigated the association between BPV and short-term fluctuations in cognitive functioning, or the association between mid-term BPV and concurrent cognitive functioning. Building on Chapter 1, Chapter 2 used an intensive measurement design to investigate the extent to which mid-term variability in BP, recorded using home-based BP monitoring, is associated with levels and variability in cognitive functioning in a sample of community-living older adults (N=64; Mage=70.58, SD=3.5; 77% female) assessed twice daily over a two-week period. Partial correlation coefficients estimated the association between BPV and variability in several ambulatory cognitive assessments, accounting for the learning effect during the study protocol, while multi-level models (MLMs) estimated the association between BPV and concurrent cognitive functioning. In addition, MLMs examined the extent to which BP and cognitive functioning fluctuate within and between days at the intraindividual and interindividual levels. Findings suggest that more BPV may be associated with slower or more variable reaction time, while higher BP may be associated with worse performance on accuracy tasks. / Graduate / 2022-08-30

Sufficient rest breaks are needed for optimal performance in traditional workplaces, but it is unclear how working with a loosely structured work schedule impacts recovery. Students have temporal flexibility and serve as a good proxy for all groups who work unstructured work schedules. Since most students and employees use the weekend to recover, this study investigated the relationship between recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment, relaxation, and mastery) over the weekend and the state of being recovered on the following Monday. Further, the relationship between the state of being recovered on Monday and weekday performance indicators (i.e., task performance and personal initiative) was investigated. Data was collected over three consecutive weeks from a cohort of first-year university students (N = 106) using a quantitative diary study design. This study administered seven surveys (i.e., a personal data survey once, a pre-weekend survey three times, and a postweekend survey three times). After three weeks, 66 participants (N = 66) had completed all the surveys at the person level, yielding 148 matched observations at the week-level. Multilevel modelling showed that weekend relaxation positively predicted the state of being recovered on Monday. Weekend psychological detachment and weekend mastery experiences did not predict the state of being recovered on Monday, and the state of being recovered did not predict weekly personal initiative or weekly task performance. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are presented, as are limitations and suggestions for future research.

This thesis describes the background and findings of a study of effective schools and learners achievement in Botswana senior secondary schools from an education management perspective. The aim was to identify schools that promote learners’ achievement when the students’ initial intakes were considered. The study was guided by five research questions. The study adopted an ex post facto design and a quantitative value added methodology to answer the research questions. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample of 5662 from the population of 58 032 students who wrote the BGCSE examinations for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Two sets of data: prior and later achievements at individual student level were collected from BEC and Secondary Education. The statistical software, MLwiN 2.10 beta 4, which is based on hierarchical linear modelling or multilevel modelling, was used to analyse the data for the value added by schools. The findings indicated that a) schools differ in their effectiveness. Some schools were more effective than others; b) Ten characteristics of effective schools were identified from the literature review c) schools differed in their consistency across the three core curriculum areas of Setswana, English and Mathematics; d) schools differed in their stability from year to year and e) schools were differentially effective. They were effective for the mid ability students and boys more than the other groups. The study confirmed that the use of a single statistic measure even in value added analysis could be misleading because of the internal variations between departments in schools. Furthermore, the uses of raw results for measuring school effectiveness were misleading. Some schools which were at the top in raw results were not doing so well in terms of value added and vice versa. The value added measures of school performance proved to be the most appropriate measure of school’s contribution to students’ learning. The value added by schools is also a measure of schools’ productivity. The study made recommendations to improve practice, such as the use of appropriate and fairer methods to evaluate and compare schools. The areas that need further attention were suggested based on the findings of the study. / Teacher Education / D.Ed. (Education Management)

Introduction Nutrition transition concerns the broad changes in the human diet that have occurred over time and space. In low- to middle-income countries such as Indonesia, nutrient transition describes shifts from traditional diets high in cereal and fibre towards Western pattern diets high in sugars, fat, and animal-source foods. This causes a swift increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity while undernutrition remains a great public health concern. Thus a double burden of malnutrition occurs in the population. The main aim of this investigation was to explore social and contextual determinants of malnutrition in Indonesia. The specific objectives were: (i) to examine body mass index (BMI) changes at the population level, and between and within socioeconomic groups; (ii) to estimate which context (i.e., household or district) has a greater effect on the variation of BMI; (iii) to assess the prevalence of double burden households (defined as the coexistence of underweight and overweight individuals residing in the same household) and its variation among communities as well as its determining factors; and (iv) to explore and understand what contributes to a double burden of malnutrition within a household by focusing on gender relations. Methods A mixed method approach was adopted in this study. For the quantitative analyses, nationally representative repeated cross-sectional survey data from four Indonesian Family Life Surveys (IFLS; 1993, 1997, 2000, 2007) were used. The IFLS contains information about individual-level, household-level and area-level characteristics. The analyses covered single and multilevel regressions. Data for the qualitative component were collected from sixteen focus group discussions conducted in Central Java and in the capital city Jakarta among 123 rural and urban men and women. Connell’s relational theory of gender and Charmaz’s constructive grounded theory were used to analyse the qualitative data. Results Greater increases in BMI were observed at higher percentiles compared to the segment of the population at lower percentiles. While inequalities in mean BMI decreased between socioeconomic groups, within group dispersion increased over time. Households were identified as an important social context in which the variation of BMI increased over time. Ignoring the household level did not change the relative variance contribution of districts on BMI in the contextual analysis. Approximately one-fifth of all households exhibited a double burden of malnutrition. Living in households with a higher socioeconomic status resulted in higher odds of double burden of malnutrition with the exception of women-headed households and communities with high social capital. The qualitative analysis resulted in the construction of three categories: capturing the significance of gendered power relations, the emerging obesogenic environment, and generational relations for child malnutrition. Conclusion At the population level, greater increases in within-group inequalities imply that growing inequalities in BMI were not merely driven by socioeconomic factors. This suggests that other under-recognised social and contextual factors may have a greater effect on the variation in BMI. At the contextual level, recognition of increased variation among households is important for creating strategies that respond to the differential needs of individuals within the same household. At the household level, women’s empowerment and community social capital should be promoted to reduce inequalities in the double burden of malnutrition across different socioeconomic groups. Ultimately community health and nutrition programmes will need to address gender empowerment and engage men in the fight against the emerging obesogenic environment and increased malnutrition that is evident within households, especially overweight and obesity among children.

The main research question in this thesis explores why some people volunteer and give money compared to those that do not. The thesis builds on existing research that explains volunteering and giving, but is primarily concerned with showing how the social environment – or the context – in which people live can explain individual decisions to volunteer and give. This thesis answers three main research questions with this central theme in mind. First, how do the background characteristics of people explain whether they volunteer or give? Second, net of background characteristics of people, how does the social environment (context) that people live in explain volunteering and giving? Third, how do background characteristics of people and the social environment in which they live interact to explain volunteering and giving? Each of the four empirical chapters focuses on research questions that have received limited attention in the literature, while also utilizing relatively unique data, in relatively unique contexts. The main results of this study are as follows. Comparatively, the shared profile of a volunteer and charitable giver is someone who is middle aged, more educated, married, richer, healthier, and a religious service attendee. Contextual country characteristics also displayed an independent effect of these individual-level characteristics: religious diversity and belonging to a religious minority group was associated with a greater likelihood of volunteering, but are not associated with giving. Income inequality is associated with a decreased likelihood of volunteering and giving for respondents in developed countries, whereas the opposite is true for respondents in developing countries, supporting Wilkinson’s relative income hypothesis. A curvilinear relationship exists between national devoutness and volunteering, whereas a strong positive correlation exists between national devoutness and giving. Females are more likely to volunteer and give in societies that exhibit more gender equality; and the lower educated are more likely to volunteer in more educated societies, but that they are not more likely to give in these societies. There is no support for the idea that income disparities in volunteering and giving are exacerbated in more socially unequal societies. In England, there was no support for the idea that a stable residential area promotes volunteering and giving among adults, while neighbourhood deprivation and ethnic diversity were strong negative predictors of both behaviours. Among the youth demographic in England, religious diversity of schools is not associated with any form of civic engagement. Ethnic diversity is positively related to school extra curricular activities, but negatively with youth club participation. Youths attending private schools were more likely to take part in school-based extra-curriculars, but less likely to take part in out of school clubs and groups.

A morbidade por doenças cardiovasculares (DCV) é uma preocupação crescente em Saúde Pública. Um aumento na carga das DCV tem sido recentemente observado, principalmente em países de baixa e média renda, reflexo do aumento da expectativa de vida e do maior tempo de exposição aos fatores risco para as doenças crônicas. O aumento no número de anos vividos com alguma doença crônica tem se tornado uma das principais preocupações em saúde pública, destacando-se, nesse contexto, as doenças cardiovasculares, principal responsável por anos de vida perdidos ajustados por incapacidade em idosos. Dessa forma, a avaliação da carga das doenças crônicas na população, bem como o conhecimento de seus determinantes, representa um importante campo de estudo em Saúde Pública e no planejamento da atenção em saúde. Entretanto, estudos que analisaram tanto a mudança na prevalência de DCV na última década, como os determinantes individuais e contextuais das doenças cardiovasculares em idosos ainda são escassos no Brasil. Esta tese será apresentada sob a forma de três artigos científicos. O primeiro analisou o efeito dos determinantes individuais e contextuais na morbidade por DCV em idosos residentes do município de São Paulo em 2010. Foi observada uma maior presença de DCV entre os idosos que residiam em áreas com desigualdade de renda média-baixa (OR=1,35 IC95 por cento=1,15-1,59), média-alta (OR=2,71 IC95 por cento=2,18-3,36) e alta (OR=1,43 IC95 por cento=1,14-1,79), comparada ao nível mais baixo de desigualdade. Em relação às áreas com menor área verde por habitante, viver em áreas com maior cobertura vegetal esteve significantemente associado a uma menor chance de presença de DCV, mesmo após o ajuste estatístico para os fatores individuais e contextuais. O segundo artigo analisou a mudança na prevalência de DCV entre 2000 e 2010 e sua associação com os fatores socioeconômicos e fatores de risco em idosos. A prevalência de DCV em idosos foi igual a 17,9 por cento em 2000, 22,2 por cento em 2006 e 22,9 por cento em 2010. Em relação ao ano 2000, foi observado um aumento significativo da presença de DCV em 2006 (OR=3,20 IC95 por cento=1,93-5,31) e 2010 (OR=2,98 IC95 por cento=1,51-5,89). A presença de DCV também apresentou associação com maior faixa etária, histórico de tabagismo e presença de diabetes e hipertensão arterial, sendo observada uma associação inversa entre a presença de DCV e a ingestão de álcool. O terceiro artigo analisou a associação entre a força de preensão manual e a morbidade por doença cardiovascular em idosos. Foi observado que uma maior força de preensão manual esteve significativamente associada a uma menor presença de DCV em idosos (OR=0,47 IC95 por cento = 0,24 0,91), mesmo após o controle para as características individuais. / Cardiovascular disease morbidity (CVD) is a growing concern in Public Health. An increase in the burden of CVD has been recently observed, especially in low- and middle-income countries, due to increases in life expectancy and the longer exposure period to risk factors of chronic diseases. The increase of total years lived with a chronic disease is now considered as one of the main public health concerns, especially regarding cardiovascular diseases, the highest contributor to disability-adjusted life years among the elderly. Therefore, the assessment of the total burden of chronic diseases in the population and the identification of its determinants represents an important area of concern in Public Health and healthcare policies. However, studies that have analyzed both the evolution of the CVD prevalence in the last decade and the individual and contextual determinants of cardiovascular diseases among the elderly are still scarce in Brazil. This thesis is presented in the form of three papers. The first one analyzed the effect of individual and contextual determinants of morbidity of CVD in elderly residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2010. In comparison to elderly residents in areas with the lowest level of income inequality, higher odds of CVD presence was observed among those living in areas in the mediumlow (OR=1.35, 95 per cent CI 1.15 to 1.59), mediumhigh (OR=2.71, 95 per cent CI 2.18 to 3.36) and high (OR=1.43, 95 per cent CI 1.14 to 1.79) quartiles of income inequality. Regarding green spaces, those who live in areas with highest levels of vegetation coverage had a significantly lower risk of CVD, even after controlling for individual and contextual factors. The second paper analyzed the differences in the prevalence of CVD between 2000 and 2010 and its association with socioeconomic factors and risk factors among the elderly. The prevalence of CVD in the elderly was estimated to be 17.9 per cent in 2000, 22.2 per cent in 2006 and 22.9 per cent in 2010. Regarding the prevalence observed in 2000, there was a significant increase in presence of CVD in 2006 (OR = 3.20 95 per centCI = 1.93 to 5.31) and 2010 (OR = 2.98 95 per centCI = 1.51 to 5.89). The presence of CVD was also associated with older age, smoking history, presence of diabetes and hypertension, and an inverse association was observed between CVD presence and alcohol intake. The third paper analyzed the association between grip strength and cardiovascular disease morbidity in the elderly. A significantly lower presence of CVD was observed among the elderly with higher grip strength (OR = 0.47 95 per centCI = 0.24 to 0.91), even after controlling for individual characteristics.

La relation entre exposition sonore environnementale et performance scolaire a été étudiée auprès des 900 élèves scolarisés en CE2 en 2006-2007 dans les écoles publiques de la ville de Besançon (120 000 habitants). Un questionnaire, complété par les familles de 724 élèves a permis de localiser les habitations et recueillir les facteurs associés à leur réussite ou échec scolaire.L'exposition sonore de cette population a été évaluée par deux approches complémentaires : une campagne de mesure, conduite au domicile de 44 enfants pendant 8 jours consécutifs (niveaux sonores intra- et extra-domiciliaires) ; une carte stratégique de bruit, à l'échelle de la ville (niveaux sonores en façade des écoles et du domicile de chacun des élèves). Ces niveaux sonores ont été confrontés aux résultats obtenus lors des évaluations diagnostiques de l'Education nationale, organisées à l'entrée en CE2, à l'aide de modèles de régressions linéaires multi-niveaux. Un lien significatif entre niveau d'exposition sonore en façade de l'école et baisse des scores obtenus en français et mathématiques a été mis en évidence, y compris après ajustement sur les facteurs de confusion. La tendance est similaire entre niveau sonore en façade du domicile et score en français, bien qu'en limite de signification après ajustement sur les cofacteurs.Ce travail s'inscrit dans une démarche pluridisciplinaire d'évaluation du risque environnemental, avec un accent particulier porté sur l'évaluation de l'exposition. L'évaluation de l'impact des nuisances sonores sur la santé est d'autant plus importante que l'exposition sonore environnementale concerne une large part de la population, en Europe et dans le monde / The aim of this thesis was to quantify children's exposure to environmental ambient noise at home and at school and to assess the relation between noise exposure and school performance of 8-9 year-old-schoolchildren. This study was conducted among the 900 children living in a 120, 000 inhabitants city and attending one of the 35 public primary schools in key stage 2, year 4 in 2006-2007. Questionnaires were distributed to the families to locate the children's home and collect data on potential confounding factors associated with school achievement or failure. These questionnaires were completed by 724 families living in the city.A noise measurement campaign was performed at the residence of 44 randomly sampled schoolchildren (outdoor and indoor noise levels during one week) and a strategic noise map was built at the city scale to calculate the outdoor environmental ambient noise levels at home and at school. These noise levels were compared with the children's school performance at the national standardised assessment test in French and mathematics. A linear exposure-effect relation between noise exposure at school and impaired Mathematics score was found after adjustment for confounding factors. Furthermore, both the ambient noise exposure at school and at home individually considered were found to be associated with an impaired children French performance.This study mainly focused on the assessment of the noise exposure in an urban area. The magnitude of the effect we observed on school performance may seem to be modest, but, when considering the number of people potentially chronically exposed to similar environmental noise levels, this effect may be of importance.

In his keynote address to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics research pre-session, Sloane (2006b) challenged mathematics education researchers to ‘quantify qualitative insights’. This quasi-experimental study used blended methods to investigate the development of two-digit addition and subtraction strategies. Concurrent classroom teaching experiments were conducted in two intact first grade classrooms (n = 41) in a mid-Atlantic American public school. From a pragmatic emergent perspective, design research (Gravemeijer & Cobb, 2006) was used to develop local instructional theory. An amplified theoretical framework for early base-ten strategies is explicated. Multilevel modelling for repeated measures was used to evaluate the differences in strategy usage between classes across occasions and the association of particular pedagogical practices with the emergence of incrementing and decrementing by ten (N10) or decomposition (1010) strategies (Beishuizen, Felix, & Beishuizen, 1990).The two matched classes were not different in terms of gender, poverty, race, pre-assessment performance, and special education services. After the first unit of instruction with differentiated pedagogical tools, the collection class was significantly (p = .001) more likely to use 1010 than the linear class. No difference was demonstrated during the post-assessment. Students in both classes were more likely to use N10 during the last structured interview than in the first (p < .0001). Furthermore, there was no difference between the two classes in using any advanced strategy; however, students in both classes were more likely to use an advanced strategy at the conclusion of the study than they were initially (p = .033). The order of emergence of 1010 and N10 was not associated with the ability to develop both strategies, but there was an association (p < .001) between use of an advanced strategy and success on a district-mandated written assessment of two-digit addition and subtraction.Two original instructional sequences of contextually-based investigations are presented. Protocols transcribed from videotaped lessons and dynamic assessment interviews are presented to illuminate specific constructs detected and to illustrate the pedagogical techniques. An amplified framework for early place value constructs is proposed. Recommendations for future studies, curricular changes, and the need of early intervention are discussed.

In his keynote address to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics research pre-session, Sloane (2006b) challenged mathematics education researchers to ‘quantify qualitative insights’. This quasi-experimental study used blended methods to investigate the development of two-digit addition and subtraction strategies. Concurrent classroom teaching experiments were conducted in two intact first grade classrooms (n = 41) in a mid-Atlantic American public school. From a pragmatic emergent perspective, design research (Gravemeijer & Cobb, 2006) was used to develop local instructional theory. An amplified theoretical framework for early base-ten strategies is explicated. Multilevel modelling for repeated measures was used to evaluate the differences in strategy usage between classes across occasions and the association of particular pedagogical practices with the emergence of incrementing and decrementing by ten (N10) or decomposition (1010) strategies (Beishuizen, Felix, & Beishuizen, 1990).The two matched classes were not different in terms of gender, poverty, race, pre-assessment performance, and special education services. After the first unit of instruction with differentiated pedagogical tools, the collection class was significantly (p = .001) more likely to use 1010 than the linear class. No difference was demonstrated during the post-assessment. Students in both classes were more likely to use N10 during the last structured interview than in the first (p < .0001). Furthermore, there was no difference between the two classes in using any advanced strategy; however, students in both classes were more likely to use an advanced strategy at the conclusion of the study than they were initially (p = .033). The order of emergence of 1010 and N10 was not associated with the ability to develop both strategies, but there was an association (p < .001) between use of an advanced strategy and success on a district-mandated written assessment of two-digit addition and subtraction.Two original instructional sequences of contextually-based investigations are presented. Protocols transcribed from videotaped lessons and dynamic assessment interviews are presented to illuminate specific constructs detected and to illustrate the pedagogical techniques. An amplified framework for early place value constructs is proposed. Recommendations for future studies, curricular changes, and the need of early intervention are discussed.