Background/Purpose: Reducing the incidence and negative consequences of concussion among youth athletes is a public health priority. Fifty states have adopted legislation addressing the problem of sports-related concussions among youth-athletes. In 2010, Massachusetts adopted legislation based on Washington State’s Lystedt Law, enacting state-wide requirements for high school athletic programs. This study explored how the legislation has been implemented within Massachusetts schools and school-districts and identified factors influential to local implementation. Methods: A qualitative multiple-case study approach was utilized. US Census data concerning the household median income and population size of the school-district’s representative town(s) were used to purposively recruit cases. Semi-structured interviews with a breadth of school-district actors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and archival records associated with participating schools were used for analysis. Interview data were analyzed using a conventional content analysis approach. Written documents were subjected to an archival analysis. Results: 19 participants from 5 schools were interviewed. Interviewed school personnel included 5 athletic directors, 5 coaches, 4 athletic trainers, 4 school nurses, and 1 health and wellness coordinator. Eight case-level themes related to how the regulation was implemented were identified, and 6 influential factors related to the regulation’s implementation emerged. All participating cases decided to utilize neurocognitive baseline testing programs to assist in diagnosing concussions. Cases also decided to place the decision making authority of removal-from-play and return-to-play situations in the hands of athletic trainers. Primary care physicians were expected to provide medical clearance for concussed student athletes. Funding and man-power emerged as a threat to schools’ ability to implement the regulation with high fidelity. Conclusions: At the local level, provisions of the Massachusetts regulation were implemented with high fidelity. However, differences and similarities regarding local-level implementation decisions existed across cases. Conducting the study qualitatively allowed the study to obtain rich detail and identify implementation decisions made within cases. However, the knowledge generated may not be generalizable to other school districts or other states. The study’s findings speak to the variability often found when implementation is relegated to the local-level.

Many of the technological and social systems our society has come to depend on can be classified as complex adaptive systems (CAS). These systems are made of many individual parts that self-organize to respond and adapt to changing outside and inside influences affecting the system and its actors. These CAS can be placed on a spectrum ranging from loosely- to tightly-coupled, depending on the degree of interrelatedness and interdependence between system components. This research has explored how the process of collaboration occurs in both a loosely- and tightly-coupled setting using one exemplar of each system. The loosely-coupled exemplar related to disaster risk reduction in two Canadian communities while the tightly-coupled one involved the implementation of a surgical information management system in a Canadian hospital. A list of core elements of collaboration that should be considered essential to the success of all collaborative endeavours was developed as a result: Engagement, Communication, Leadership, Role Clarity, Awareness, Time, and Technical Skills and Knowledge. Based on observing how the core elements of collaboration interacted with one another within each of these example systems, two models were created to represent their relationships. A list of considerations that collaborative tool designers should consider was also developed and the implications of these considerations were discussed. As businesses and other organizations increasingly incorporate team-based work models, they will come to depend more heavily on technology-based solutions to support collaboration. By incorporating collaborative technologies that properly support the activity of these teams—based on the specific type of complex adaptive system in which their organization exists—organizations can avoid wasting time and resources developing tools that hinder collaboration.

Die doel van hierdie studie is om riglyne daar te stel vir die vroeë identifisering van talent wat die totale funksionering en konteks van die leerder in ag neem. ‘n Literatuurstudie is onderneem om die navorsing en teorieë wat met die onderwerp verband hou, te ondersoek. Die denkverskuiwing van intelligensie as een konstruk na ‘n multikonstrukbenadering wat uit onderliggende intellektuele vermoëns voortvloei, is verken. Definisies van begaafdheid en talent wat oor ‘n tydperk onstaan het, is omskryf en die rasionaal vir die gebruik van talent in plaas van begaafdheid is gegee. Die bio-ekologiese teorie van Bronfenbrenner, die positiewe sielkunde en die bate-gebaseerde benadering dien as teoretiese begronding van die studie. Talentontwikkeling en -identifisering is aan die orde gestel deur die liggaamlike, kognitiewe, sosiale, persoonlikheids-, emosionele en morele ontwikkeling van die adolessent te bespreek. Verder is die stand van talentidentifisering in Suid-Afrikaanse skole ondersoek en is aangedui in watter mate dit deur amptelike beleid gerig en ondersteun word. Beginsels wat tydens talentidentifisering in ag geneem moet word asook enkele identifiseringsmodelle wat ‘n bydrae tot die kennis van begaafdheid en talentidentifisering lewer, is bespreek. Verder is ‘n verskeidenheid talente wat uit algemene intellektuele intelligensie ontwikkel, aangedui. Die literatuurstudie het getoon dat daar nie in die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse skoolbeleid direkte riglyne is vir die identifisering van adolessente leerders se talent nie. Die deurlopende klem op akademiese prestasie en die feit dat leerders teen ‘n graadgemiddeld geassesseer word, lei waarskynlik daartoe dat ander metodes van assessering nie altyd in Suid-Afrikaanse klaskamers tot hul reg kom nie. Ten einde ‘n verskeidenheid talent te identifiseer en terselfdertyd ‘n leerder se konteks in ag te neem, is afsonderlike talentskale vir leerders, ouers en onderwysers ontwikkel en toegepas. Riglyne vir die identifisering van adolessente leerders se talent is dus op ‘n nie-formele manier ontwikkel. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui daarop dat die talentidentifiseringsproses bewuswording van verskillende talente waaroor leerders beskik, kan bewerkstellig. Dit help leerders om hul selfkennis uit te brei en om ‘n denkverskuiwing van die erkenning van slegs akademiese talent na ‘n verskeidenheid van talentdomeine wat die uniekheid van elke leerder ontgin, te maak. / The purpose of this study was to formulate guidelines for the early identification of talent, taking into consideration the overall functioning and context of the learner. A literature review was done to investigate the research and theories on the topic. The mind shift from intelligence as one construct to a multiconstruct approach arising from underlying intellectual abilities was explored. The definitions of giftedness and talent, which have existing for some time, were presented and the rationale for using talent instead of giftedness was provided. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological theory, positive psychology and the asset-based approach served as theoretical grounding for the study. Talent identification and development were established by discussing the physical, cognitive, social, personality, emotional and moral development of the adolescent. The state of talent identification in South African schools was also investigated, and an indication was given of the extent to which it is guided and supported by official policy. Principles to be considered in identifying talent and a few identification models that contribute to knowledge of giftedness and talent identification were discussed. A variety of talents developing from general intellectual intelligence were also highlighted. The literature review reveals that in the current South African school policy, there are no direct guidelines for identifying the talent of adolescent learners. The constant emphasis on academic performance and the fact that learners are assessed against a grade average probably lead to other methods of assessment not always coming into their own in South African classrooms. To identify a variety of talents and at the same time take into consideration a learner’s context, separate talent scales for learners, parents and educators were developed and applied. Guidelines for identifying the talent of adolescent learners have therefore been developed in a non-formal way. The findings of this study indicate that the talent identification process can lead to awareness of different talents of learners. This helps learners to expand their self-knowledge and to bring about a mind shift from the recognition of only academic talent to a variety of talent domains which reveal the uniqueness of each learner. / Injongo yalolu cwaningo ukwakha imihlahlandlela yokuhlonzwa kwekhono masinya, kubhekwa indlela umfundi ngamunye asebenza ngayo kanye nesimo angaphansi kwaso. Kwabhekwa imibhalo ukuze kuphenywe ngocwaningo nemibono yezinzululwazi ngaphansi kwalesi sihloko. Kwaphenywa ngokusuka endleleni yokubheka inhlakanipho njengendlela okuyiyona yodwa yokwakha kuyiwe ezindleleni ezihlukene kaningi zokwakha ezisukela emakhonweni obuhlakani acashe ngaphansi kwazo. Izincazelo zesiphiwo nekhono, esezibe khona isikhathi eside, zethulwa kwase kunikezwa izincazelo zokuthi kungani kusetshenziswa ikhono kunesiphiwo. Umbono kaBronfenbrenner wobudlelwano phakathi kwezinto eziphilayo kanye nendawo eziphila kuyo, izifundo zezengqondo zemiphumela emihle kanye nendlela yokubheka encike ekubeni nenani kwento konke kusebenza njengengqikithi yombono wenzululwazi yalolu cwaningo. Ukuhlonza kanye nokuthuthukiswa kwekhono kwasungulwa ngokubamba izingxoxo mayelana nokuthuthuka kwabantwana asebengena ezingeni lentsha ngokomzimba, ngokwengqondo, ngokwenhlalo, ngokwendlela yokuziphatha, ngokomoya nangokwesimilo. Isimo sokuhlonza ikhono ezikoleni zaseNingizimu Afrika naso sibhekiwe, kwanikezwa nesilinganiso sokuthi lingakanani izinga lokuholwa nokusingathwa yinqubomgomo esemthethweni. Imigomo okufanele ibhekwe ngesikhathi sokuhlonza ikhono kanye vii nezinye izibonelo ezingasiza olwazini lokuhlonza iziphiwo namakhono nayo yadingidwa. Izinhlobonhlobo zamakhono avela ebuhlakanini obujwayelekile obuhambisana nemicabango nazo zaqhakambiswa. Ucwaningo lwemibhalo luveze ukuthi kwinqubomgomo yamanje yaseNingizimu Afrika, ayikho imihlahlandlela eqondile yokuhlonza amakhono kubafundi asebengena ezingeni lentsha. Ukuqhubeka nokugcizelela ukwenza kahle kwezemfundo kanye nokuthi abafundi bahlolwa ngokwezilinganiso ezivamile zamabanga cishe kuholela kwezinye izindlela zokuhlola ezingafiki kwezifana nezabo emakilasini aseNingizimu Afrika. Ukuhlonza izinhlobonhlobo zamakhono kube futhi kubhekwa isimo somfundi, kwasungulwa futhi kwasetshenziswa izilinganiso ezihlukile zokukala amakhono abafundi, abazali nawothisha. Ngakho-ke, imihlahlandlela yokuhlonza ikhono labafundi asebengena ezingeni lentsha yakhiwe ngendlela engalandeli kakhulu umthetho kanye nokuhleleka. Imiphumela yalolu cwaningo iveza ukuthi inqubo yokuhlonza amakhono ingaholela ekubonakaleni kwamakhono ahlukahlukene abafundi. Lokhu kusiza abafundi ukuba bakwazi ukwandisa ulwazi labo futhi benze kube khona ukucabanga ngokwahlukile ekwamukeleni kuphela ikhono lezemfundo kodwa kwamukelwe namakhono ahlukahlukene aveza ukwahluka komfundi ngamunye. / Department of Educational Psychology / D. Phil. (Educational Psychology)