The transition towards family-centered practice in early childhood intervention has shifted the focus from looking at the child in isolation towards understanding the child in context. The primary context for the child’s development is the family setting which is inextricably linked to the family’s culture, beliefs and values. The cultural context is transmitted through activity settings which make up the everyday experiences and events that involve the child’s interactions with various people and the environment. Activity settings are a part of daily life and include activities like eating dinner, bath time, listening to stories and getting ready for school. Furthermore, activity settings represent how families can and do structure their time, based on tradition, the orientations provided by culture and the socio-economic system within which they live. Intervention goals that fit easily into these settings are more likely to be adopted and practised, as they are less likely to disrupt the daily functioning and coherence of the family. While there is a clear emphasis in the literature on developing intervention approaches that are applicable to families from diverse cultural contexts, little is known about the beliefs and practices of low-income urban families in South Africa. Children in Africa have frequently been judged against Euro-American norms and standards, where the aim has been to change instead of understand the context in which children live. This study therefore aims to identify everyday activities that provide children with varied opportunities for learning and development within the natural environment of the family context. A descriptive design using structured interviews was utilised to obtain information about the activity settings that children aged 3-5 years engaged in. Face-to-face interviews with 90 caregivers were conducted, utilising a self-constructed interview schedule consisting of a written list of closed and open-ended questions. This approach was chosen as it holds no bias against respondents who have varied literacy levels. The interview schedule was developed through a process of consultation with parents/caregivers from the Soweto community, using focus group discussions. The results provide information on the types of activities that children participate in, the frequency of participation, the partners involved, as well as the purpose of the activities. Caregiver perceptions on the importance of activities were also obtained through closed and open-ended questions. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / Unrestricted

The thesis looks at developing a new model for a mental health support program which is integrated into a natural recreational environment. Its starting point is Beginning Again, a registered charity in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, which provides a supportive workplace, called Treasures, to engage psychiatric patients in meaningful and productive work. The intent of the thesis is to develop an architecture that reflects the mission and objectives of the program in order to increase the opportunity for recovery and interaction with the local community. This is done by creating a more general prototype or “parent seed” which can be applicable to many locations and then testing the model by planting it in the Oak Ridges Corridor Park, located in the suburban community of Oak Ridges, Ontario. This thesis builds upon the long history of rehabilitative environments to create a community model of care that regards work as primarily a social and cultural activity.

Natural environments, namely green and blue spaces, have been found to have positive influences on mental health outcomes globally. As the contribution of poor mental health to the disease burden increases, the mechanisms through which natural environments may improve health are of growing importance. This study creates a novel visibility index methodology and investigates whether i) views of natural environments and ii) access to natural environments, are associated with psychological stress and physical activity in Wellington, New Zealand. It also builds upon the work conducted in New Zealand as the first study to investigate links between blue space and mental health and provides an insight into the mechanisms through which increased natural environments may improve health. Individual level data for 442 individuals from the New Zealand Health Survey was obtained and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) were used to investigate whether area-level exposure to natural environments influenced their psychological stress and levels of physical activity. Results from regression analysis indicate that increased distant visible green space (beyond 3km), visible blue space, and a combination of green and blue spaces from neighbourhood centroids reduce psychological stress. Some access measures to natural environments were found to have positive associations with psychological stress, however increased proximal access to green space was associated with decreased physical activity. The findings conclude that the visibility of natural environments appears to have stronger associations with stress reduction than access to them. The findings of this paper should influence urban development and inform decision and policy making, particularly the development and/or relocation of health related facilities.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:52:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1038016 bytes, checksum: e4a54618750c87d0bd2298c56aa44839 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-25 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This study aimed the prospection of bacteria capable of using petroleum hydrocarbons as their source of carbon and energy, and the analysis of the structure and dynamics of the microbial community that colonizes the oil after its scattering in the sea. We used data from T-RFLP multiplex, and simulate and analyze the efficiency of different petroleum bioremediation strategies by Trindade Island s shoreline. For these analyses, an experiment was settled 100 meters away from Turtles Beach, an aluminum rod, measuring 1.5 meters containing 20 acrylic slabs (4 x 3 cm) with a thin petroleum layer over them, was stuck to a fixed float and rested there for 60 days. During this time, triplicates for a posterior extraction of DNA present in the biofilms formed over the oil layer were made. Passed the 60 days, the last 5 slabs were collected with the purpose of isolation in enrichment media, thus, colonies capable of using hydrocarbons as carbon source could be obtained. The biofilm DNA was used in PCR multiplex for the detection of Bacteria, Archaea and fungi and a posterior diversity analysis. Water from the island s shoreline was used in an experiment that simulates different bioremediation strategies: natural attenuation, bioestimulation, bioaugmentation and the mutual use of the last two strategies. The simulation in this experiment was conducted using nutrients, a bacteria previously isolated from the environment Rhodococcus rhodochrous, biosurfactant and crude oil, previously heated up to 210 oC for the elimination of the more volatile compounds. Fifteen isolates capable of growing in media containing hydrocarbon were isolated. The microbial community structure was studied based on Shannon-Weaver's index (H ), Simpson's dominance (D) and Margalef's richness (R). The Bacteria domain showed to be most diversified during the oil colonization. The composition of the microbial community over the oil showed some variation in the in situ experiment during the first 30 days of sea exposition. The addition of nutrients and a biosurfactant generated significant raise in the oil degradation. The treatment that provided the best solution was the one with nutrients, biosurfactant and the inoculum. In conclusion, the biostimulation with nutrients and biosurfactants, along with bioaugmentation with an autochthonous isolated, are recommended bioremediation strategies in case of accidents with oil spills by Trindade Island's coast. / Este estudo teve como objetivos prospectar bactérias capazes de utilizar hidrocarbonetos do petróleo como fonte de carbono e energia, analisar a estrutura e dinâmica da comunidade microbiana que coloniza o petróleo após sua exposição no mar utilizando dados de T­RFLP multiplex, assim como simular e analisar a eficiência de diferentes estratégias de biorremediação de petróleo no litoral da Ilha da Trindade Brasil. Para tanto, foi montado um experimento à aproximadamente 100 m da praia das Tartatugas na Ilha da Trindade, onde uma haste de alumínio de 1,5 m de comprimento, contendo 20 cupons de acrílico (4 cm x 3cm) com uma delgada camada de petróleo em sua superfície, foi presa a uma bóia fixa e permaneceu no local por 60 dias. Ao longo desse período, foram realizadas coletas em triplicata para posterior extração do DNA dos biofilmes formados sobre a camada de petróleo nas placas. Após os 60 dias, as últimas cinco placas foram coletadas para o isolamento em meios de enriquecimento para a obtenção de colônias capazes de utilizar hidrocarbonetos como fonte de carbono. O DNA extraído dos biofilmes foi utilizado em PCR multiplex para a detecção de Bacteria, Archaea e fungos e posterior análise de índices de diversidade. Água coletada no litoral da Ilha da Trindade foi utilizada em um experimento simulando diferentes estratégias de biorremediação: atenuação natural, bioestimulação, bioaumentação e o conjunto das duas últimas. Nas simulações, foram utilizados nutrientes, uma bactéria isolada do próprio ambiente como inóculo (Rhodococcus rhodochrous), biossurfactante e petróleo previamente aquecido a 210 °C para remoção dos compostos voláteis. Foram obtidos 15 isolados capazes de crescer em meios contendo hidrocarbonetos. A estrutura da comunidade microbiana foi avaliada com base nos índices de Shannon­Weaver (H ), dominância de Simpson (D) e riqueza de Margalef (R). O domínio Bacteria mostrou ser o mais diverso durante a colonização do óleo. Foram observadas flutuações significativas na composição da comunidade microbiana aderida ao petróleo no experimento in situ durante os primeiros 30 dias de exposição do petróleo no mar. A adição de nutrientes e de biossurfactante promoveu aumento significativo da biodegradação do petróleo. O tratamento que forneceu a melhor resposta foi aquele em que foram adicionados nutrientes, inóculo e biossurfactante. Conclui­se que a bioestimulação com nutrientes e biossurfactantes, além da bioaumentação com um isolado autóctone, são estratégias de biorremediação recomendadas em caso de acidentes envolvendo derramamentos de petróleo na região litorânea da Ilha da Trindade.

La géodiversité en tant qu’interprétation géographique de la diversité spatiale de la surface terrestre, peut être définie comme la diversité morphologique des milieux dits naturels, voire comme une diversité des paysages si l’on considère ces derniers comme un ensemble d’objets matériels. Afin de combler des lacunes théoriques et l’absence d’un regard multilinguistique et pluriculturel sur la géodiversité, ce travail s’insérant dans la recherche fondamentale géographique, met en lumière et différencie les notions de géodiversité et de diversité paysagère en langue française, allemande et anglaise, tout en explorant de façon empirique une question primordiale : comment mesurer la géodiversité, interprétée comme une diversité mésologique et paysagique tenant compte des structures verticales et horizontales de la diversité spatiale ? La géodiversité dite globale ne doit pas être confondue avec une géodiversité interprétée de façon géologique: elle prend en effet en compte les éléments biotiques autant que les éléments abiotiques et intègre l’anthropisation des milieux, sans séparer le minéral et le vivant, le naturel et l’artificiel. Dans une approche systémique, on peut considérer que les structures spatiales des milieux, leur morphologie, reflètent leur fonctionnement et leur dynamique et elles permettent de différencier ces milieux pour caractériser leur géodiversité. Saisie simultanément par une approche intégrée des milieux et par des relevés pédologiques et floristiques davantage disciplinaires, les composantes et enceintes des milieux relèvent de plusieurs niveaux organisationnels de la diversité. Le volet empirique de ce travail de recherche explore, par une démarche multiscalaire, la géodiversité du Massif du Madres –Coronat situé dans la partie orientale, franco-catalane, des Pyrénées. Sur le site d’intérêt communautaire« Massif de Madres-Coronat » la diversité des milieux se trouve accentuée par une variété des roches, des formes du relief, par un étagement bioclimatique et une utilisation des sols différenciée. Les relevés de terrain permettent d’étudier la diversité mésologique (ou diversité des milieux) et de mettre en évidence les relations entre géodiversité et phytodiversité. La cartographie des unités paysagiques élémentaires, les géons, mis en évidence par photo-interprétation, illustre la mosaïque des milieux et la diversité des structures spatiales latérales qu’on peut qualifier de diversité paysagique. Les indices de diversité et l’analyse exploratoire des données multivariées appliqués aux données mésologiques et paysagiques contribuent à la caractérisation de la géodiversité du massif. Ils mettent en évidence une diversité mésologique relativement importante dans les milieux forestiers et complexes et une diversité paysagique plus importante dans les secteurs élevés du massif, modelés par les glaciations quaternaires, ainsi qu’à proximité des talwegs. Les résultats de cette analyse descriptive et exploratoire constituent le fondement d’une discussion sur les propriétés et l’utilité potentielle de la géodiversité dans le cadre de la gestion des paysages et des espaces naturels. / Taking geodiversity to be a geographical interpretation of the spatial diversity of the Earth’s surface, it can be defined as the morphologic diversity of ‘natural environments’ (‘milieux naturels’), or alternatively as the diversity of landscapes, when considered as a physical landscape. In an effort to contribute to a more coherent body of theory and a multilingual and pluricultural approach to geodiversity, this work situates itself within the field of fundamental geographical research. It highlights and differentiates between the notions of geodiversity and landscape diversity, whilst using an empirical method to deal with a central question; ‘How can geodiversity be measured ?’, if it is interpreted as ‘mesologic diversity’ and ‘diversité paysagique’ (describing the diversity of physical structures within the landscape), taking into account the lateral and vertical structures of spatial diversity. A clear distinction should be made between general geodiversity, and geological diversity. Indeed, a general definition of geodiversity takes into account biotic as well as abiotic elements. It also encompasses the human effect on these environments, without making a distinction between minerals and living things, or between artificial and natural elements. A systemic approach might suggest that spatial structures; the morphology of the environment, reflect their processes and dynamics. In employing an integrated approach to these ‘natural environments’ whilst also consulting floristic and soil samples, it has been shown that diversity is organised on many levels.The empirical section of the work uses a multiscalar approach to exploring the geodiversity of the ‘Massif du Madres – Coronat’, which is situated in the Franco-Catalonian region of the Eastern Pyrenees. At the Site of Community Importance - the ‘Massif du Madres – Coronat’, the broad diversity of ‘natural environments’ is characterised by specific varieties of rock, topography, levels of vegetation and differentiated land use. Samples and observations taken from the study site have made it possible to bring mesologic diversity to the fore, and to study the relationship between geodiversity and phtyodiversity. A cartographic study of ‘géons’ (a spatial landscape unit) using remote sensing, illustrates the land mosaics - a range of lateral structures that represent the physical diversity of the landscapes (‘diversité paysagique’). When used in conjunction with the data, diversity metrics and multivariate statistics contribute to understanding the character of the site’s geodiversity. This has demonstrated a relatively high level of mesologic diversity in types of forests and shrubland, and an increased level of ‘diversité paysagique’ in elevated areaswhich have been shaped by Quaternary glaciation, and in areas close to talwegs. The results of this analysis form the basis of a discussion concerning the properties and useful potential of geodiversity within the framework of managing the landscape and protected areas. / Geodiversität als geographische Interpretation einer räumlichen Diversität der Erdoberfläche kann unter anderem als morphologische Diversität der Umwelt (im Sinne eines „natürlichen Milieus“: „milieux naturels“) oder auch als Landschaftsdiversität der physikalisch-materiellen Landschaft begriffen werden. Um dem Mangel an einer multilinguistischen und interkulturellen Betrachtung der Geodiversität abzuhelfen, enthält die vorliegende Dissertation einerseits eine Grundlagenforschung zur Differenzierung der Begriffe Geodiversität und Landschaftsdiversität im englischen, deutschen und französischen Sprachraum, und befasst sich andererseits empirisch mit der Frage, wie Geodiversität gemessen werden kann; insbesondere wenn sie als räumliche Diversität sowohl die vertikalen („diversité mésologique“) als auch horizontalen („diversité paysagique“) Strukturen der Umwelt und der Landschaften berücksichtigt. Eine so definierte „globale“ oder „allgemeine“ Geodiversität ist nicht mit einer sich nur auf das Geos beschränkten Geodiversität der unbelebten Natur zu verwechseln: Die global interpretierte Geodiversität bezieht sich ebenso auf biotische wie auf abiotische Geokomponenten und integriert die anthropogene Überprägung der „milieux naturels“; also ohne getrennte Betrachtung der mineralischen und lebendigen oder der natürlichen und künstlich geschaffenen Komponenten der Umwelt. Bei einem systematischen Ansatz kann davon ausgegangen werden, dass die räumliche Struktur (Morphologie) die Prozesse und Dynamik der Umwelt widerspiegelt, die Unterschiede der Raumstruktur die Geodiversität der als System begriffenen Umwelt also hinreichend charakterisieren. Simultane Aufnahmen der Umweltkomponenten durch einen integrativen Ansatz der Standortaufnahmen sowie die eher disziplinär orientierten Methoden der Vegetations- und Bodenaufnahmen veranschaulichen die verschiedenen Organisationsebenen der Diversität. Im empirischen Teil der Arbeit wird die Geodiversität des in den französisch-katalanischen Ostpyrenäen gelegenen Madres-Coronat-Massivs mittels eines multiskalaren Ansatzes untersucht. Im FFH-Gebiet „Massif de Madres-Coronat“ zeigt sich die Diversität der Landschaft durch eine auffallende Varietät der Gesteine und Reliefformen sowie durch die Vegetationshöhenstufen wie auch die differenzierte Landnutzung besonders deutlich. Die Geländeaufnahmen ermöglichen es, die Beziehung zwischen Geodiverstät und floristischer sowie pedologischer Diversität zu untersuchen und die Standortdiversität zu beschreiben, die als „diversité mésologique“ (nach „Milieu“ bzw. mesos) bezeichnet wird. Die durch Luftbildinterpretation kartierten elementaren Landschaftseinheiten, den sogenannten „géons“, veranschaulichen das Landschaftsmuster und erlauben es, die Diversität der horizontalen Raumstrukturen und somit die morphologische Landschaftsdiversität oder sogenannte „diversité paysagique“ (der Landschaft, „paysage“ zugeordnet) zu quantifizieren. Diversitätsindizes und multivariable Analysemethoden ermöglichen die Beschreibung der Standortaufnahmedaten und der Kartierdaten über die Geodiversität des Untersuchungsgebietes. So kann eine hohe Standortdiversität (diversité mésologique) in Waldstandorten und komplexen Standorten des Typs Heide- und Buschvegetation sowie eine hohe morphologische Landschaftsdiversität in der glazial überformten Gipfelregion und in Tallagen beobachtet werden. Die Ergebnisse bilden die Basis für eine Diskussion zu den Eigenschaften und dem potentiellen Nutzen der Geodiversität für das Management und den Schutz von Lebensräumen und Landschaften.

Les rapports entre sociétés et rivières sont marqués par des bouleversements environnementaux qui interrogent les modalités, plus ou moins institutionnalisées et systématisées, de la production de connaissances et de la définition de pratiques légitimes. Récemment, ces interpellations se sont affirmées et cristallisées autour de l’approche et des concepts portés par l’hydromorphologie. La plus grande considération de ce cadrage théorique au sein de modes de penser et d’agir engendre de nombreux remaniements. En découle notamment, la remise en question d’une gestion des cours d’eau basée sur leur maîtrise et leur stabilisation, au profit d’une approche privilégiant l’expression de la dynamique fluviale. Cette thèse propose un examen de la dynamique qui a permis d’ériger l’hydromorphologie en une préoccupation formalisée et prépondérante. Puis, elle s’attache à montrer, comment l’hydromorphologie traduit les évolutions des rapports entre sociétés et rivières au travers de trajectoires conjointes marquées par des pratiques, des matérialités et des adaptations réciproques. Elle entend également mettre en avant comment cette nouvelle configuration théorique et pratique perturbe, tout au moins à l’heure actuelle, ce qui paraissait légitime et rationnel, et nécessite une recomposition des valeurs et des intentionnalités que les communautés riveraines manifestent à l’égard des cours d’eau. Cette thèse rend finalement compte de la manière dont l’action publique et ses instruments s’adaptent et s’inventent au regard d’une plus grande prise en compte de l’hydromorphologie afin de tendre vers ce à quoi celle-ci invite : redéfinir les modalités d’une existence conjointe entre rivières et sociétés riveraines. / The relationship between societies and rivers is marked by environmental changes that question the modalities, more or less institutionalized and systematized over time, used to generate knowledge and to define legitimate practices. Recently, these questions have emerged and crystallized around the approach and concepts supported by hydromorphology. The greater consideration of this theoretical framework within ways of thinking and acting leads to many changes. In particular it follows that river management based on the control and stabilization of rivers is challenged in favour of an approach based on the expression of the river dynamics. This thesis proposes, first, a review of the processes which helped made it into a formal and decisive issue. Then the thesis aims to show through how hydromorphology represents and reflects the changes in the relationship between people and rivers through joint trajectories marked by practices, materiality and reciprocal adaptation throughout unique timescales and spatiality. It also intends to highlight, through an analysis of the representations of hydromorphological functioning of the river, how this new theoretical and practical configuration disturbs, at least currently, what seemed legitimate and rational until this day, and requires a restructuring of values and intentionality that riparian communities display in respect of watercourses. Finally, this thesis accounts for how public policy and its instruments are faced with new expectations, both cognitively and operationally, how they adapt and reinvent themselves in the light of a greater consideration of hydromorphology towards what it calls for: redefining the terms of a joint existence between the rivers and riparian societies.

Little is known about how residents of rapidly growing cities are impacted by the loss of natural environments. Large cities are expanding at an exponential rate, reducing the presence of, and access to, natural environments for urban dwellers. Many benefits to human health regarding the presence of natural environments near where people live and work are known, but impacts of the loss of natural environments for urban dwellers are unknown. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand residents' experiences regarding the loss of natural environments and related impacts. Attention restoration theory and place attachment were the theoretical lenses used to examine this problem. Data were collected via in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of 20 San Antonio residents. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis procedures, 7 themes emerged: (a) environment (b) health (c) safety (d) finance (e) community and culture (e) factors related to deprivation of nature, and (f) recommendations for improvements. Residents expressed concerns for their health, mental health, the environment, wildlife, byproducts of urbanization, social well-being, personal safety, and finances. Other possible key factors related to the process of deprivation of nature included experiencing a loss of freedom, associated with emotional impacts similar to sadness. Residents of San Antonio, city planners, and policy makers could benefit from understanding these impacts on residents. Data from this study may contribute to possible implications for social change and new knowledge and insights in the areas of health, mental health, social responsibility, urban planning, land conservation, and environmental psychology.

Identifying family strengths is central to early childhood practices. Moving beyond identification to exploring and explicitly applying those strengths can evolve strengths-based and family capacity-building practices. Assessment and planning processes that focus on the strategies families use to help their child learn can give agency to families in this parenting role. This exploratory study examined the perspectives of seven families who participated in an early intervention assessment-to-planning approach that sought to uncover, understand, and utilize the strategies families used to help their child learn and their appraisals of those strategies. Family responses during qualitative interviews were analyzed into three themes: (1) naturalistic observations yield naturalistic understandings, (2) practices that honor family strengths and family fit, and (3) self-discovery and self-affirmation. Implications for evolving family capacity-building approaches are discussed.

Promoting values of respect, understanding, empathy and developing in the students the necessary skills to be part of a peaceful and comprehensive society is one of the responsibilities of the educational system. This mission, in the context of the Swedish preschools, is also compatible with the characteristic use of the natural and outdoor environments of the Scandinavian countries as learning and experiential settings. The aim of this research paper is to study how the outdoor spaces can affect the understanding andthe resolution of conflicts between students in the preschool stage from the perspectiveof the teachers. Therefore, the main tool for the collection of the data were the semistructured interviews carried out with different educators from different Swedish preschools. Using thematic analysis as the designated qualitative approach to analyse thedata, different themes and sub-themes were addressed throughout the answers from theinterviews and organized based on 3 different sections: experience in outdoors, conflicts in the preschool, and the outdoors in the resolution of conflicts. The results presented the teachers’ experience regarding outdoor education; their understanding of the differenttypes of conflicts in the preschool stage; the role of the different parts involved, and themethods used to understand, manage, and deal with issues between the students; lastly, how the use of outdoor settings and its benefits can promote conflict-management skillsamong the students. Thus, the outdoor settings possess a beneficial effect on the social, emotional, and personal development of the children, these being key factors for the promotion of peaceful conflict-resolution strategies from an early stage.

Die Benutzerforschung zu digitalen Bibliotheken sieht sich aktuell zwei Herausforderungen gegenüber: dem Bestreben, Studien vermehrt über das Internet durchzuführen, und dem Wunsch, Benutzerverhalten in natürlichen Umgebungen statt in Laborsituationen zu erforschen. Asynchrone Remote-(Usability-)Tests sind eine methodische Herangehensweise, die möglicherweise die Lösung beider Bedürfnisse sind. Sie erlauben Personen die Teilnahme an einer Studie zu einem Zeitpunkt und an einem Ort ihrer Wahl; der Ort der Wahl entspricht dabei i.d.R der natürlichen Nutzungsumgebung der Teilnehmer. Da die Validität einer Studie von der Qualität der Daten abhängt, ist es für die Forschung sehr wichtig, die möglichen Einflüsse von Ablenkungen in der natürlichen Umgebung auf das Nutzerverhalten in der Testsituation zu bedenken. Das Dissertationsprojekt untersuchte, inwieweit asynchrone Remote-Studien aufgrund von störenden Ablenkungsfaktoren systematischen Fehler bei der Evaluierung digitaler Bibliotheken produzieren. In einem Experiment wurde das Vorhandensein von Ablenkung während der Testdurchführung in natürlichen Umgebungen ermittelt sowie der Einfluss dieser Ablenkung auf das Nutzungsverhalten analysiert. Experimentell wurde die Zeit gemessen, die Teilnehmer in einem Labor und Teilnehmer in ihrer natürlichen Umgebung zur Fertigstellung des Tests benötigten. Die Ergebnisse des Experiments zeigen, dass die Teilnehmer während der Studie stark abgelenkt waren und dass sie in ihrer natürlichen Umgebung deutlich mehr Zeit für denselben Test benötigten. Der Ort der Testdurchführung beeinträchtigte jedoch statistisch gesehen weder die Erledigung der Aufgaben noch die abgegebenen Bewertungen der Teilnehmer noch ihren Entscheidungsprozess. Aus den Ergebnissen folgt, dass der Ort der Testdurchführung nicht relevant ist, aber dass es von großer Bedeutung für die Validität der Daten ist, im Test zu erheben, was während der Durchführung in der natürlichen Umgebung des Teilnehmers geschieht. / User studies in digital libraries face two fundamental challenges. The first is the necessity of running more user studies in an online environment. Users can access digital library collections and services worldwide and the services should be usable at any time. This need for more online studies is coupled with a second need, a demand to test under realistic conditions outside of laboratories in users’ natural environment. Asynchronous remote usability tests are a methodological approach that might answer both needs: they allow participants to take part in a study at a time and place of their choice, often in the participants’ natural environment. Any chosen place, however, might be noisy. Distractions are ubiquitous in a user’s natural environment. An awareness of the potential influences of distractions on users’ behavior during test situations is of great importance, because the validity of a study depends on the quality of the data. If an instrument allows systematic mistakes in measurements because of distractions, the validity is at risk. This dissertation examined if distraction in the users’ natural environment produces a systematic mistake in digital library studies that take place at a time and location of participants’ choice. In order to investigate the existence of distractions during online user studies in digital libraries and to analyze the influence(s) of that distraction, a psychological experiment was set up. It ex¬amined completion time scores between participants in a laboratory and participants in their natural environment. The results of the experiment showed that participants were highly distracted and that participants in their natural environment needed more time to complete the same test. The setting did not affect successful task completions, the participants’ judgments of sites or their decision-making processes. This work can conclude that it does not matter where we test, but it matters what happens during the test.