Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the treatment of choice for many malignancies and other childhood disorders. Acknowledging that the entire family is affected when a child undergoes a BMT, increasing research attention has been given to understanding this experience from the perspectives of recipients, parents and the family as a whole. Yet, minimal attention has been directed at understanding the experience of healthy siblings as they transition through the BMT experience. Before intervention studies can be undertaken that will help healthy siblings transition through the BMT experience, knowledge about the impact of the experience on siblings is needed. Accordingly, a qualitative study guided by the philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology was conducted to elicit detailed descriptions of the lived experience of siblings. Participants were children, adolescents and young adults with a sibling who had undergone a BMT during childhood. Participants were recruited from a pediatric BMT clinic in Western Canada. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews that explored siblings’ memories about what it is like to be a sibling of a child who has had a BMT were conducted with each participant. Demographic data and field notes were recorded. All interviews and field notes were transcribed. The transcripts were reviewed repeatedly for significant statements in an attempt to find meaning and understanding through themes. The data analysis revealed the essence of siblings’ lived experience of transitioning through the BMT trajectory as an interruption in family life. Four themes communicated the essence of siblings’ lived experience: (1) life goes on, (2) feeling more or less a part of a family, (3) faith in God that things will be okay, and (4) feelings around families. Differences between donor and non-donor siblings are highlighted. Siblings’ recommendations for health care professionals are also provided. Results from this study will help health professionals better anticipate the diverse and shifting needs and demands of siblings of pediatric BMT patients. Recommendations for future research and innovations in nursing interventions are provided.

The primary goal of the study was to determine the tourism and leisure needs of high school learners in Potchefstroom. This goal was achieved by firstly conducting a literature study to analyse leisure and tourist behaviour as stated in books, articles and other sources. Secondly, the results of the empirical research were discussed followed by the conclusions and recommendations made with regard to further research. From the literature study, analysing leisure behaviour, the concepts leisure and recreation were clarified, the concept leisure behaviour was explained, reasons why people engage in leisure were identified, factors that influence leisure behaviour were discussed, theories concerning leisure behaviour were discussed, determinants as well as benefits of leisure were identified. In the second part of the literature study, analysing tourist behaviour, the concept tourist behaviour was clarified, models regarding tourist behaviour was explained, tourist motivation to travel was explained, reasons why people travel was discussed, the travel decision-making process was explained and benefits as well as negative tourism impacts were identified. The questionnaire for the survey was designed to determine the tourism, leisure and recreation needs of the high school learners in Potchefstroom. The questionnaire included questions regarding the high school learner's demographic profile and psychographic profile, the leisure and tourist needs and behaviour of the high school learners and questions to determine the relationship between different aspects. The survey included six high schools in Potchefstroom and 1036 questionnaires was used for further statistical analysis. The questionnaires was distributed after a meeting with the school's headmaster was arranged. The school was responsible for the distribution and collection of the questionnaires. After analysing the data it was clear that the high school learners are regularly bored in Potchefstroom and there is a need for more tourism, leisure and recreational activities in Potchefstroom. The high school learners are willing to support more activities financially. It was also evident that high school learners are more interested in leisure than in sport and do not have much leisure-time available. Their travelling patterns indicate that the majority of the learners go on holiday with their parents and they prefer the Western Cape as holiday destinations. A correlation analysis was done to determine the relationship between gender and various aspects as well as the relationship between race and the same factors. The following factors were identified, namely: there is a strong relationship between gender and sport. As for the correlations between schools of different race and the same factors, the only correlation that was not strong, was the relationship between race and sport. The strong relationships existed between race and leisure preferences; race and travelling patterns and race and holiday company preferences. The results of the empirical research can firstly provide valuable information for researchers on the subjects of adolescence, leisure, tourism and recreation. Secondly the information can help the public and private sectors in the tourism, leisure and recreation industries to provide more activities, facilities and entertainment in Potchefstroom that will appeal to the high school market. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

This social work research study explores whether members of the legal profession are aware of the unique characteristics of a child witness that one must take cognisance of when interviewing them. This is explored by means of a questionnaire to determine if and what training needs exist with members of the legal sector with regards to the child witness. The following themes were identified from the questionnaire where members of the legal profession require further training on: child development, children's language development, children's normal sexual development, process of disclosure in sexual abuse, interviewing skills, rapport building skills, minimum age for testifying, factors determining credibility of the child witness, children's statements and report of events, truth vs. lie testing and interview protocols. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Sustainable development and sustainable living, a key pursuit of our times, must be premised on human well-being in order to be truly sustainable. Although many have speculated on the possible interaction between sustainable lifestyle practices and the well-being, or satisfaction, of practitioners, there has been limited empirical study of this connection. The purpose of this study was to explore how people experience satisfaction and frustration in conjunction with the practice of a sustainable lifestyle. Semi-structured interviews were completed with six sustainable lifestyle practitioners associated with Transition Victoria, a community resilience initiative in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Interview transcripts were synthesized into explanatory narratives highlighting experienced outcomes of a sustainable lifestyle practice. A further thematic analysis was completed to identify themes to which participants attributed meaning and potential satisfaction. The results of this analysis were interpreted to draw conclusions about the sorts of satisfying and frustrating experiences that were related to sustainable lifestyle practices for these participants. Results of the study revealed twenty-six salient themes of important, potentially satisfying phenomena anticipated and experienced by participants. These included needs for food, shelter, transportation, money, health, well-being, relationships, connection, communication, support, recognition, legitimacy, effectiveness, autonomy, action, enjoyment, knowledge, interest, nature, meaning, and identity, and also needs to pursue certain values. Various actions, relationships, and contexts constituting sustainable lifestyles had implications for both satisfying and frustrating essential needs for security, belonging, esteem, competence, knowledge, creativity, leisure, and autonomy. In addition, the pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle was related to the need for and satisfaction of meaning. The results of this study suggest that, for this small group of participants, sustainable lifestyles hold multiple opportunities for satisfaction and frustration of various needs. Groups wanting to support sustainable lifestyle practitioners might consider ways to maximize opportunities for satisfaction and meaning, and minimize sources of frustration. It is recommended to conduct further research with a larger sample of participants, to extend these findings to more general conclusions about human experiences with sustainable living. / Graduate

No description available.

This thesis examines the relationship between property and freedom in both the continuous sense of the word and the status sense of the word. Status freedom concerns the distinction between a free person and an unfree person. Continuous freedom concerns the continuum of liberties that make a person more or less free, whether they affect her status as a free person or not. Part One defines a status freedom as effective control self-ownership - the effective power to have and to refuse active cooperation with other willing people. It argues why this concept of freedom is important, situates it among the recent theories of freedom, and examines the conditions necessary to secure it. It concludes that a free person requires at least some unconditional access to property and that basic income is one way to secure that access. Part Two considers what kind of property-rights regime provides the greatest freedom in the continuous sense. It argues that Lockean and right-libertarian property theories fail to establish that full liberal ownership rights are consistent with the greatest freedom for all. It concludes that a payment from property owners to the propertyless in the form of an unconditional basic income from is necessary to establish property rights consistently with maximal equal freedom. Part Three examines whether social duties can take precedence over the commitment to effective control self-ownership and basic income proposed in the first two sections.

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One of the Swedish preschools many tasks is to identify the needs of a child and to shape an activity suited to their needs. This identification means a lot of times that a child is weighed and valued despite that the curriculum clearly states that no assessment is to be done in the Swedish preschool. To develop a preschool able to face all children regardless of their individual needs it’s necessary to change focus from child assessment to instead look at the work and environment in the whole preschool. A development of the activity might be seen as a work in progress whose primary goal is to improve the quality of work in preschool. This study is a case study with the purpose of going into the depth and finding the unique of preschool assessment. This study is based on interviews with preschool teachers with the purpose of creating knowledge about the background to individual children’s prerequisites being valued, how to counter this, and instead evolve the work in preschool to be able to face all children no matter their needs. The result indicates there being a norm in preschool for what a child should be able to do and know, towards that, many children are assessed and valued. When a child’s behavior and/or development is perceived to fall outside this norm the child is described as a child in special needs. Respondents point out that by working with attitudes, ability to supervision by special educator, and small groups of children, would together contribute to individual assessment turned towards activities assessment. The resultsin this study puts focus on the head of preschool as a key person by creating possibilities for teachers to progress their work.

This thesis sets out to explore some important gaps in the sociological and feminist understanding of the provision of maternity care and of women's health needs. The research was concerned with an exploration of the implementation of proposals for the provision of user-centred maternity care which emerged from the critiques of current medicalised provision. It evaluates the effects of an attempt to provide user-centred maternity care within the Primary Health Care sector (PHC) from both the women's and workers' perspectives and experience. The central questions addressed within the research have been: Firstly, to assess the degree to which such models of service delivery provide a user centred approach. Secondly, to identify the form of the relationship between the women users and providers from the practices and to develop an understanding of the mechanisms of interaction between them. Thirdly, to explore the extent to which the provision of such care is appropriate to match women users' self identified needs. Finally, to assess the potential of female health workers to adopt a form of provider and user relationship where the balance of power is altered in the users' favour. The main body of the research consisted of a qualitative study conducted in two general practices. These were chosen as specific examples of innovative practices attempting to provide a genuinely user-centred maternity service. The fieldwork consisted of three methodological components: Firstly, unstructured interviews were conducted with women users and workers. A sample of 30 women who were pregnant for the first time were interviewed on three occasions during their pregnancy and in the immediate post-natal period. In addition, 10 second time mothers were also interviewed post-natally. In terms of the workers', in depth interviews were conducted with midwives, GPs and practice nurses within the PHC setting. Secondly, observations were undertaken on the interactions between the women and workers and between members of the PHC team during the course of the women's antenatal and post-natal care. Finally, a structured questionnaire was used with a sample of women from one of the practice's well woman clinic. The research findings indicate the existence of a user-centred frame of reference held by female health workers - especially the midwives - for the provision of health care to women, which was opposed to the medical model. It explores the translation into practice of this model of maternity care and identifies the way that it functioned to enable women to exercise greater control over their health care and experience of pregnancy. Within this model the traditional 'with woman' role of the midwife was found to be central. Considerable convergence was found between the models held by the main parties in the interaction - issues concerned with choice, control and the provision of information were all found to be central to the care provided and to women's and workers' models. However, constraints on the effective implementation of the model were found in terms of the influence of professionalism (particularly on the GPs) and the dominance of the hospital system. These resulted in limits to the women workers' ability to meet the needs of women users.

No description available.