Yes

Bullying is a serious problem for many adolescents, and one that can have detrimental effects on normal developmental processes, as chronic and severe bullying can obstruct the fulfilment of essential psychological needs. However, there are currently few targeted interventions available for chronic and severe bullying cases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Red Balloon Learner Centres (RBLC) which are a full time personal and academic recovery programme for bullied adolescents. A mixed-methodology was utilised, and quantitative outcome measures included: depression, anxiety and trauma symptoms, self-esteem and academic engagement and self-concept. The study was non equivalent groups design (NEGD) and incorporated a comparison group of bullied adolescents from Hertfordshire local authority (LA). The aim was to compare the recovery process between groups over time by taking an initial baseline measure, and conducting follow-up assessments every three months. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in outcome variables over time, but there were no significant differences between groups at six month follow-up on any outcome variable. Both groups reported similar recovery themes that related to need fulfilment in the areas of safety and security, control, belonging and self-esteem. Recovery is not just the absence of internalising symptomology, but constructive fulfilment of needs. Social needs were felt to be most affected by chronic and severe bullying and most difficult to fulfil constructively. It is recommended that interventions for chronically and severely bullied adolescents should enable constructive need fulfilment, which may involve changes to the ethos and culture of schools, collaborative therapeutic intervention and targeted skill building.

No description available.

No description available.

Tidigare undersökningar av motivationen att utöva friluftsliv har identifierat motiv som social samvaro, fysisk aktivitet, naturupplevelser och avkoppling, dock har området mest berörts i samband med planering och förvaltning av naturområden. Den här studien har undersökt motiv bakom människans friluftslivsutövande i syfte att förstå dessa drivkrafter i relation till mänskliga behov. Studien bestod av 31 deltagare från olika delar av Sverige, i åldrarna 22-75 med varierande sysselsättning, friluftslivs-utbildning, civilstatus och nationalitet, varav 16 kvinnor. Data samlades in genom att deltagarna fick skriva berättelser om sin motivation. Det insamlade materialet meningskoncentrerades och analysen resulterade i att tre abstrakta motiv kunde urskiljas: (1) att komma bort från något, samt (2) att få inre och (3) yttre stimulans. Utövandet har visat sig tillfredsställa flertalet behov och främjar på så vis välmående. Vidare bidrar studien till kunskap om vad den friluftsaktiva individen upplever att hon behöver. Resultaten stämmer väl överens med tidigare forskning.

This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of Nigerian citizens on corruption and conflict. A review of the literature found a gap in the understanding of the lived experiences of participants on corruption and conflict in Nigeria, and this study was designed to fill that gap. Using a purposeful sampling method, the investigator targeted 20 Nigerian citizens who have experienced corruption and conflict. The phenomenological method provided the basis for a reflective structural analysis that exposes the meanings and essences of the lived experiences of the participants on corruption and conflict in Nigeria. Participant interviews showed that many Nigerians encounter bribery on a daily basis because of the following reasons: they were encouraged by a perceived culture of greed, a culture of impunity, a culture of impropriety and a culture of no accountability. All of the participants indicated the need to survive the harsh realities of living in Nigeria. The study revealed a broad variety of corruption and conflict situations in Nigeria. This dissertation adds value and richness to existing body of knowledge, which suggested to policy makers, advocates and civil society of the need to develop policies and strategies to stem corruption as part of a wider strategy for resolving the negative conflicts that currently characterize the socio-political and economic landscape of Nigeria. Overall, as part of the major contributions and objectives, this dissertation illuminated the psychological impacts of corruption and conflict in Nigeria. In other words, this research bridged the gap between the social structural understandings and impacts of corruption and the personal component.

Tanzania’s natural resources are national resources for the benefit of all Tanzanian citizens (The Arusha Declaration, 1967). The liberalization of the Mining Industry in the mid-1990s sparked hope in the country that the socio-economic status of all citizens across the nation would improve as a result of the mineral resource revenues obtained by the Government of Tanzania. Contemporary literature on mining in Tanzania has mostly riveted on issues surrounding a triangular relationship between the mining girdle and its population, foreign mining companies, and the Government of Tanzania. Hardly any attention has been given to the non-mining rural districts where the poor majority reside. This qualitative study using a phenomenological approach explored the shared experiences of citizens living in non-mining rural districts and their ascribed meanings of inequitable distributive realities in mineral resource revenues in Tanzania. The study employed the theories of relative deprivation and human needs for the theoretical framework. Study findings revealed seven core essences: socio-economic insecurity, inequity and injustice, communication and trust, investment and technology, moral leadership and human capital, growth and a culture of dependency. Understanding these essences should help determine policies and practices that promote equitable distribution of not only mineral resource wealth but also in other types of natural resource wealth found in the country; allowing for a true/win-win tri-partnership relationship involving all stake-holders: Tanzanian citizens, foreign investors, and the Government of Tanzania.

Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och förstå hur lärare i företagsekonomi uppfattar elevers motivation och elevers motstånd till arbete med bokföringsprogram i undervisningen. Denna studie bygger på en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. De empiriska materialen har samlats in i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer av fem lärare i företagsekonomi, som använder bokföringsprogram i sin undervisning. Denna studie föreslår en sammanslagning av Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) och Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) i motivationen för att beskriva och förstå elevernas positiva eller negativa beteendemässiga intention till arbete med bokföringsprogram. Studien visar att lärare uppfattar att koppling till verkligheten, positiv återkoppling, tillgänglighet till bokföringsprogrammet och bokföringsprogrammets automatiska funktioner spelar en motiverande roll för eleverna i arbete med bokföringsprogrammet. Å andra sidan visar studien att lärare uppfattar att faktorer som svårigheter att komma igång med programmet, bristen på lärarnas digitala kompetens och elevernas svaga teoretiska kunskaper om bokföring utgör motståndsfaktorer för elever i arbetet. Utifrån studiens resultat kan slutsatser dras om att uppfylla elevers behov av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet främjar upplevd nytta och upplevda användarvänlighet för bokföringsprogrammet, vilket leder till främjandet av inre motivation för arbete med det. Å andra sidan, minskning av elevers upplevda kompetens leder till att minska sin upplevda nytta och upplevda användarvänlighet för bokföringsprogrammet, vilket försvagar deras inre motivation för arbete med det.

Det finns många studier som handlar om digitalisering i den svenska skolan, särskilt i ämnet företagsekonomi. De flesta av dessa studier undersöker lärarnas perspektiv men elevernas erfarenheter ignoreras ofta. Några av dessa forskare har föreslagit att även undersöka elevernas perspektiv. Syftet med denna studie är att lyfta fram och förstå hur elever beskriver motivation och svårigheter i arbetet med bokföringsprogram i företagsekonomi. Denna studie grundar sig i en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. De empiriska materialen har samlats in i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio elever. Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) används för att analysera resultaten. Studien visar att koppling till framtiden, en önskan att använda modern teknik samt enkelhet är faktorer som motiverar eleverna att använda bokföringsprogram. De svårigheter de möter handlar om begränsat med tid till uppgifterna och för lite återkoppling från lärarna, vilket kan leda till att man inte riktigt förstår programmet samt behov av teoretiska kunskaper. Studiens resultat visar att läraren har en central roll när det gäller att uppfylla de grundläggande psykologiska behoven av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet hos eleverna. Dessa behov förstärker elevernas önskan att lära och ger dem både självförtroende och nöje att använda bokföringsprogrammet, vilket i sin tur främjar inre motivation och fler färdigheter. Avsaknaden av ett av dessa tre behov riskerar att leda till att eleverna, när de möter svårigheter, kommer att bli avskräckta och mindre motiverade.

Today’s elementary school students face myriad traumatic issues including poverty, violence, physical and emotional abuse, homelessness, and parental substance abuse. These adverse childhood experiences are responsible for an increased risk of academic failure and behavioral problems in childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs, provided through school and community partnerships, attempt to address these needs in both school-based and out-of-school-time (OST) learning settings. The purpose of this action research study was to examine one northern California-based nonprofit organization’s OST SEL program for third through fifth grade students and determine actions and interventions for greater program effectiveness. Students, parent/guardians, site administrators, school-staff, and community members engaged in focus groups, completed surveys, participated in validation groups, and acted as research associates throughout the iterative plan, act, observe, reflect action research cycle conducted during the winter of 2020. Qualitative data from focus group meetings included identified themes from authenticated and coded transcripts while quantitative data included descriptive statistical analysis of pre-program and end-of-program surveys. As the lead researcher for the study, I worked with action research participants to make program modifications and identify new actions for program improvement. Based on themes and data trends, as well as the application of self-determination theory’s basic psychological needs theory, findings demonstrate that student self-management skills improved during the 4-week action research cycle, as did their sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. At the same time, findings suggest additional growth opportunities in the areas of responsible decision-making and program improvement through development and implementation of integrated and universal SEL supports in classrooms, schools, families, and the larger community. Linking the literature to these findings, recommendations for future action research cycles include age and developmental considerations regarding instruction and application of responsible decision-making skills, and integration of all five SEL competencies for greater harmonization of emotion and thought. To that end, the nonprofit organization’s educational design team and I have begun redesigning the curriculum. Program modifications address child development of perceptual and higher-level memory and cognitive skills, and intentional integration of instruction and practice in all five SEL competencies throughout each program module. Teaching, combined with real-time application of planning and decision-making skills, will include opportunities for active role-playing, adult guidance, and experiences in which students learn and grow from mistakes. In addition to student program modifications to build responsible decision-making skills, literature supports the call for universal SEL in the form of partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations for resource coordination resulting in more positive youth outcomes. Again working with the educational design team, the nonprofit organization and I have taken initial steps to establish a city wellness task force, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to partner in wellness for children and families in the community. We also continue to iterate as we develop a community of practice for educators, focused on building SEL knowledge and practice. By focusing on continuous improvement through an ongoing action research process, this study not only serves as an opportunity to celebrate successes, but highlight growth opportunities to advance the work of the northern California-based nonprofit organization and its programs. Utilizing study findings in combination with supporting literature, we are taking immediate action towards more positive outcomes for those we serve. This study also provides tools and guidance for other community partners in their design and implementation of effective SEL programs for the social and emotional well-being of elementary school students and families, and the communities in which they live.