Achieving resilient outcomes in the water sector is an area of emerging policy and research focus in light of a combination of threats such as climate change, increasing demand, urbanisation, and population growth. Consequences of these threats require that in order to achieve these resilient outcomes, urban water management socio-technical systems require various interventions at different levels. This includes the water user level and highlights the need for greater understanding of households in implementing coping interventions to address extreme system failures of drought and flooding. A combination of methodological approaches, data collection and analytical methods have been used to develop detailed understanding of water service user perceptions and intentions towards drought and flood coping in order to engender action for resilient water management at the household and community levels. Practitioner interviews have provided insight into core issues of household and community level participatory approaches for addressing drought and flood resilience. These include cross-cutting themes relating to modes of communication and engagement, the influence of past experience, empowerment, and the influence of social networks. Results of a questionnaire survey within the framework of Protection Motivation Theory facilitated understanding of the linkages among threat, consequences, and coping intentions. The most significant indicators of behavioural intentions were the perceived effectiveness of coping response measures, consequences of drought or flooding, and costs. These variables were significant in defining sub-groups at three different decision-stages after Trans-theoretical Model. Households were at early decision stages with regards to flood coping, namely `Pre-contemplative' and `Contemplative'. Pre-contemplatives had low behavioural intentions and were driven by low efficacy and low consequences. Contemplatives had low-medium intentions, expected either that cost would be a limiting factor, measures ineffective, or consequences too low to warrant action. `Responsives', only found in relation to drought coping, had already implemented several coping measures. Despite low drought consequences, cost was not a limiting factor and measures were perceived to be effective, illustrating the potential for increased household drought coping or more sustainable water use practices. This study provides important baseline data on household perceptions and intentions to cope with droughts and floods not yet widely explored in the UK. The innovative use of cluster analysis to identify and explore decision-stages provides methodological contributions to the literature. Finally, the thesis has led to the development of an assessment and decision framework to promote action towards resilient water management at the household and community levels. This framework is the basis of a toolkit that was co-created with communities and practitioners with the outcome of communities developing action plans to address the consequences of drought and flooding.

This study was designed to identify students’ perceptions of learning activities, assessment formats, and content on their understanding of the nature of science (NOS) by comparing and examining constructs created by Canadian and Korean students. Participants were 217 Canadian and 319 Korean Grade 8 students that filled out questionnaires; additionally, 9 students volunteered for semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance and partial least squares were used to examine the quantitative data. A conceptually clustered matrix was used for the qualitative analyses. Results indicated that students from both countries perceived 1) their learning activities were teacher-directed, 2) class presentations and discussions occurred least frequently, 3) paper-and-pencil tests determined science scores, 4) science tests relied heavily on knowledge of science while knowledge about science was least likely to be assessed, and 5) generally students held relativistic views on science. The effect for country on NOS concepts was statistically significant across all of their perceptions except for the concepts of culturally embedded science and the perceptions of short-answer test formats. Specifically, Canadian students perceived that they had relatively more student-directed activities while Korean students perceived that they had more teacher-directed science lab activities. Further, Canadian students were inclined to hold more relativistic views across the NOS concepts. It was also noted that Korean students provided more political examples while Canadian students provided stem cell research or environmental issues. An examination of associations revealed that students’ learning activities, assessment formats, and content are good predictors of NOS understanding since these constructs explain variances from 19.7% for Empirical NOS to 63% for Scientific Methods. Results from students’ open-ended responses to the NOS concepts and the semi-structured interviews were consistent with the quantitative analyses. Most interviewees agreed that what, and how, they learned science-- and how their learning was assessed--affected their views of science since school science education was the important factor in developing their scientific knowledge. These results imply that diverse learning activities and assessments could prove to be a better approach to enhancing students’ understanding of NOS than teacher-directed learning activities and test formats requiring a single correct answer.

This study was designed to identify students’ perceptions of learning activities, assessment formats, and content on their understanding of the nature of science (NOS) by comparing and examining constructs created by Canadian and Korean students. Participants were 217 Canadian and 319 Korean Grade 8 students that filled out questionnaires; additionally, 9 students volunteered for semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics, multivariate analysis of variance and partial least squares were used to examine the quantitative data. A conceptually clustered matrix was used for the qualitative analyses. Results indicated that students from both countries perceived 1) their learning activities were teacher-directed, 2) class presentations and discussions occurred least frequently, 3) paper-and-pencil tests determined science scores, 4) science tests relied heavily on knowledge of science while knowledge about science was least likely to be assessed, and 5) generally students held relativistic views on science. The effect for country on NOS concepts was statistically significant across all of their perceptions except for the concepts of culturally embedded science and the perceptions of short-answer test formats. Specifically, Canadian students perceived that they had relatively more student-directed activities while Korean students perceived that they had more teacher-directed science lab activities. Further, Canadian students were inclined to hold more relativistic views across the NOS concepts. It was also noted that Korean students provided more political examples while Canadian students provided stem cell research or environmental issues. An examination of associations revealed that students’ learning activities, assessment formats, and content are good predictors of NOS understanding since these constructs explain variances from 19.7% for Empirical NOS to 63% for Scientific Methods. Results from students’ open-ended responses to the NOS concepts and the semi-structured interviews were consistent with the quantitative analyses. Most interviewees agreed that what, and how, they learned science-- and how their learning was assessed--affected their views of science since school science education was the important factor in developing their scientific knowledge. These results imply that diverse learning activities and assessments could prove to be a better approach to enhancing students’ understanding of NOS than teacher-directed learning activities and test formats requiring a single correct answer.

Low back pain (LBP) has a global impact on health and is a substantial contributor to long term disability. The economic burden of LBP is immense and it is advancing annually. Costs attributing to LBP in the United States is about $84.1 to $624.8 billion. Physical therapy is commonly recommended for those with LBP since it is linked to improved clinical outcomes. However, patient perceptions can influence how this treatment approach is perceived. It is unclear if these perceptions can influence outcomes for patients suffering from LBP. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the factors associated with positive or negative perceptions of physical therapy care in those with LBP. This was accomplished by developing and administering a comprehensive Qualtrics survey to participants in the Orlando area. Participants who took the survey were screened for eligibility requirements with exclusion criteria being those from vulnerable populations including pregnant women, minors, prisoners, and any person unable to provide informed consent. Screening, demographic, clinical, and perception questions were embedded within the online survey. Those who participated had to be 18 years or older, located within the Orlando area, able to provide informed consent, and speak English. Results from the data identified the five top key indicators which included clear explanation by the physical therapist on the treatment plan, how clear the physical therapist is in explaining the problem, friendliness of the physical therapist, patients perceive physical therapy is very effective in treatment of knee, and patients perceive physical therapy is very effective in treatment of lower back.

No description available.

High occurrences of student incivilities are a growing concern in the K-12 education system. This problem may be directly impacted by systems thinking and inconsistent school policy enforcement. At a local high school, this problem affected student learning outcomes and teacher-student interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this case study was to explore the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding consistency in discipline policies and practices, as well as student incivilities as they related to Senge's 5 disciplines. The conceptual framework for this study was Senge's 5 disciplines of organizational learning: systems thinking, mental models, team learning, shared vision, and personal mastery. Using a case study design and responsive interviews, data from discipline procedure documents and data on student incivilities were collected from 9 teachers in Grades 9-12, as well as 2 administrators. The data were analyzed using Hatch's interpretive method. Findings indicated discipline policies and practices were ineffective and inconsistent, due to poor systemic communication structures and lack of classroom management. A recommendation was made to implement systemic classroom management policies and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support trainings. Positive social change occurs when administrators and teachers implement the systemic policies and trainings identified in this study in order to motivate students to change their patterns of incivility and, as a result, focus on learning.

In 1976, the Louisiana Legislature passed Act 709. This act mandated accountability in education. As a result of this law, Louisiana students in grades four, eight, and eleven are given tests each year in reading, mathematics, and writing. The primary motivation for conducting this study was the wide-spread discussion about the value of the state-assessment program. There was a need to determine what the perceptions toward the Louisiana State-Assessment Program were by superintendents, principals, and teachers. Based upon a review of related literature and discussions with Louisiana educators, a questionnaire was developed with thirty-three items. These thirty-three items were grouped into six research questions that determined what the perceptions of superintendents, principals, and teachers were toward the Louisiana State-Assessment Program.

No description available.

Background: The nursing process is a widely accepted method and has been suggested as a scientific method to guide procedures and qualify nursing care. More recently, the process has been defined as a systematic and dynamic way to deliver nursing care. This process is performed through five interrelated steps, namely: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation, with subsequent modifications used as feedback mechanisms that promote the resolution of the nursing diagnoses. The Lesotho Nursing Council (LNC) adopted the nursing process over a decade ago and the LNC mandated nurse training institutions and clinical settings to utilise this methodology. However, there is a reluctance to implement the nursing process despite its importance in nursing care (LNC, 2009:7). Purpose: The primary purpose of this research was to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of nurses in implementing the nursing process in a district public hospital in Lesotho. On the grounds of these findings, the researcher ultimately makes recommendations for nursing education, nursing practice and nursing research. Methodology: To explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of nurses implementing the nursing process in a district public hospital in Lesotho, the researcher chose a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design. The researcher used voluntary purposive sampling to identify participants who complied with the set selection criteria. The sample comprised of professional nurses with varying years of working experience and qualifications. The data was collected by means of narratives and two focus group interviews; n=10 and n=6. The data was captured on a digital audio recorder and was transcribed verbatim. The researcher took field notes during each focus group. Both the researcher and independent co-coder analysed the narratives and transcribed data together, using narrative analysis and open coding (Creswell, 2009:185). Three main themes and nine subthemes emerged from the data collected from the narratives and focus groups. The researcher illustrated these themes through direct quotes by the participants. Each of these themes was discussed accompanied by relevant data obtained from literature, and reduced to conclusive statements, which serve as a basis for the derived recommendations to nursing education, nursing practice and nursing research. Trustworthiness was ensured in accordance with the principles of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Conclusions: The researcher reached a number of conclusions. The participants perceived several factors and experienced them as interfering with the efficient implementation of the nursing process. Operational difficulties experienced in the systematisation of nursing care in practice, are amongst others a lack of knowledge of the steps involved in the process, an excessive number of tasks assigned to the nursing team, the poor quality of professional education, insufficient reports on the physical examination related to the disease and difficulty to formulate the nursing diagnosis. The research report concluded with the researcher’s evaluation of the research and recommendations for nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research with the purpose of improving the implementation of the nursing process. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Background: The nursing process is a widely accepted method and has been suggested as a scientific method to guide procedures and qualify nursing care. More recently, the process has been defined as a systematic and dynamic way to deliver nursing care. This process is performed through five interrelated steps, namely: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation, with subsequent modifications used as feedback mechanisms that promote the resolution of the nursing diagnoses. The Lesotho Nursing Council (LNC) adopted the nursing process over a decade ago and the LNC mandated nurse training institutions and clinical settings to utilise this methodology. However, there is a reluctance to implement the nursing process despite its importance in nursing care (LNC, 2009:7). Purpose: The primary purpose of this research was to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of nurses in implementing the nursing process in a district public hospital in Lesotho. On the grounds of these findings, the researcher ultimately makes recommendations for nursing education, nursing practice and nursing research. Methodology: To explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of nurses implementing the nursing process in a district public hospital in Lesotho, the researcher chose a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design. The researcher used voluntary purposive sampling to identify participants who complied with the set selection criteria. The sample comprised of professional nurses with varying years of working experience and qualifications. The data was collected by means of narratives and two focus group interviews; n=10 and n=6. The data was captured on a digital audio recorder and was transcribed verbatim. The researcher took field notes during each focus group. Both the researcher and independent co-coder analysed the narratives and transcribed data together, using narrative analysis and open coding (Creswell, 2009:185). Three main themes and nine subthemes emerged from the data collected from the narratives and focus groups. The researcher illustrated these themes through direct quotes by the participants. Each of these themes was discussed accompanied by relevant data obtained from literature, and reduced to conclusive statements, which serve as a basis for the derived recommendations to nursing education, nursing practice and nursing research. Trustworthiness was ensured in accordance with the principles of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Conclusions: The researcher reached a number of conclusions. The participants perceived several factors and experienced them as interfering with the efficient implementation of the nursing process. Operational difficulties experienced in the systematisation of nursing care in practice, are amongst others a lack of knowledge of the steps involved in the process, an excessive number of tasks assigned to the nursing team, the poor quality of professional education, insufficient reports on the physical examination related to the disease and difficulty to formulate the nursing diagnosis. The research report concluded with the researcher’s evaluation of the research and recommendations for nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research with the purpose of improving the implementation of the nursing process. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014