My Thesis posits a novel method of utilizing emerging web semantics, through HTML5 markup; to improve experience of Health Information seekers through a framework for creating functional, tailored Health Information Resource Collections potentially hosted by their own Health Information Support Networks; and based upon long-standing principles of online Information Retrieval. Most such organizations have websites, with links to useful Resources. This research exemplifies how to design and to present the Resource Collections as pathfinders to existing online Health Information, adding context to each link, to directly address the needs of each community served. The research appeals to a Needs Analysis process rooted in Everyday Life Information Seeking research methodologies, especially Participatory Action Research. As a pilot project, the Needs Analysis focuses necessarily on the Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus community – with which the author of the Thesis is intimately familiar as a person living with Hydrocephalus, making the choice of a Participatory Action Research framework ideal – and enlisted just one National (Canada) and one Regional (British Columbia) Association for the same rationale. Results of the Needs Analysis were used to identify necessary Resources, but also to select familiar web tools and technologies for design of the Resource Collection and Resource Cards. At completion, there is a functional Collection of Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus Resources for researchers, caregivers, or patients with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus – not limited to members of any organization, but best suited by design to the two through which analysis was done. / Graduate

The fieldwork for this study was conducted in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia between 1997 and 1999. Qualitative and quantitative information provided by 170 Aboriginal participants enabled an exploration of the context and patterns of Aboriginal alcohol use; Aboriginal perceptions of the alcohol issue, existing interventions, research findings, 'culture' and its role in prevention and intervention; and participants' incorporation of these perceptions into an Aboriginal model for alcohol misuse prevention, intervention and evaluation. Findings were based on the results of individual and focus group interviews, serial model-planning focus groups, documentary data and observation.Study findings generally suggest that in addition to self-determination and support components, 'cultural context' retains an important role for many remote area Aboriginal people. The findings from a small sub-sample tentatively suggest that 'cultural' disruption, in addition to the socio-economic consequences of colonisation and dispossession, may play an important role in alcohol misuse. Consequently, it appears that in combination with self-determination and support components, the strengthening of a locally-defined 'cultural' context may have an important role in alcohol misuse prevention and intervention - an approach frequently unrepresented in existing symptom-focused models and one inviting further investigation. The model developed by study participants expands significantly on existing symptom-focused approaches through a comprehensive life-enhancement focus on aspects of identity, opportunity and hope. This approach adds depth and meaning to understandings of cultural appropriateness and of culturally relevant models for substance misuse prevention and intervention.

The unsatisfactory achievement of adult competency among emerging adults aging out of foster care is well documented. However few studies have examined how development within the child welfare system impacts the ability to achieve competence. In this study, homeless emerging adults who had not aged out of foster care were compared to peers who were homeless and aged out of foster care. The child welfare system is a unique environment with its own policies. In order to better understand the process of development within the child welfare system, the current study used life course developmental theory to understand how the child welfare system affects the development of children and their ability to achieve competencies. Specifically, the role of learned helplessness in influencing the developmental trajectory of children aging out of foster care was examined. The data were collected utilizing participatory action research methods and the use of this methodology among homeless emerging adults is explored. The current study analyzes data collected by the Texas Network of Youth Services. The study examined issues surrounding the transition to adulthood among homeless emerging adults using a participatory action research methodology. The sample included emerging adults 18 to 25 years old who were homeless (n=134). A subset of the sample aged out of foster care. The results indicated that, 1) homeless emerging adults who have not aged out of foster care may be an appropriate comparison group for those who have aged out, 2) homeless emerging adults who aged out of foster care were more likely to have a perception of learned helplessness that may impede their ability to achieve adult competency when compared to those who did not age out of foster care, and 3) despite receiving services to prepare them for adulthood, homeless emerging adults who aged out of foster care had just as much difficulty achieving adult competency as their homeless peers who did not receive these services. Finally, results showed that the use of participatory action research among homeless emerging adults may be a promising approach for future research. Participants expressed feeling empowered and having perceptions that indicated self-efficacy. This indicated that this type of methodology may be promising in altering perceptions of learned helplessness. / text

This dissertation covers the subject of how abstract concepts and complex situations can be concretized through research together with practitioners. The dissertation is based on four empirical studies. The researcher role, the practitioner participation and the methods for data collection and analysis have varied. In study I the concept ‘Närsjukvård’ was explored to understand how practitioners, managers and politicians in hospitals, primary health care and municipalities interpreted the concept. The researcher acted as consultant who collected data by interviews and questionnaires. Practitioners’ participation was limited. ‘Närsjukvård’ was interpreted as accessibility to hospital beds, accessibility to primary health care, collaboration between care providers and continuity and developed home care. Study II aimed to explore how people experienced leg ulcer care. The researcher acted as a consultant who performed the interviews and analysed the data. Although the informants experienced their encounters with the nurses as satisfying, the study illuminated low participation in the care and low practitioner involvement in issues about daily living with the leg ulcer. The findings were brought back to the informants and the practitioners. The project did not proceed towards development and change. In study III the aim was to explore the Swedish concept ‘trygghet’ by using stories from daily life. Four older women were interviewed and the Story Dialogue method was used together with assistant nurses and registered nurses who participated in data collection and analysis. Two themes emerged: Sense of Security and factors strengthening the Sense of Security. Together with the assistant nurses, areas for improvements were identified. Study IV aimed to explore the discharge planning situation in order to generate ideas for development. Members from a discharge planning network participated in the whole research process. Conditions for a successful coordinated discharge planning situation were a system including: the participation of the patient, the competence of the staff and the support from the organisation. The group arranged a workshop about communication and interdisciplinary collaboration. The findings resulted in a form with self-evaluation questions. In conclusion, this thesis illustrates that it is possible to clarify abstract concepts and complex situations together with practitioners. To do this successfully, sense making activities and to start from practitioners’ experiences and their own context are key factors. The studies illuminate that building trust, relationship and sense of participation are essential in health and social care in general and specifically in the participatory action research process.

Public health nurses (PHNs) are ideally situated to reduce health inequities and based on documents articulating their role, should be working upstream to promote equity, prevent chronic diseases, and improve population health outcomes. In reality however, numerous barriers contribute to lack of role clarity for PHNs, and this goal has not been attainable in practice. A common vision for PHN practice based on discipline specific competencies and full scope of practice has been identified as a priority by Canadian experts. The intention of this study was to develop a model to support PHN practice in an urban Canadian city. This study used a participatory action research approach, grounded in local experience and context. The action was the development of a professional practice model. Data were gathered using semi-structured interview guides during audio-recorded research working group (RWG) meetings from November 2012 to July 2013. A researcher reflexive journal and field notes were kept. The data were analyzed using qualitative methods. A significant feature was full participant involvement throughout the course of the study. A professional practice model was a key organizational tool that provided the framework to develop an autonomous PHN role and the structures necessary to support PHN practice within the health system. The professional practice model fostered full scope of practice and role clarity, with a focus on population health and equity, so that a consistent and evidence-based practice was attainable. The result was that RWG participants reported a shift in their practice, with greater awareness of theory. Participatory action research was essential in developing the framework and common language, and is a research methodology that should continue to be explored with nurses in Canada.

Historically, most research on Indigenous peoples has been framed by Western empirical positivism which fundamentally conflicts with Indigenous circular ways of knowing. Current research governing bodies, scholars, and Indigenous communities have generated new theories and guidelines for research structures that support respectful and meaningful practices with Indigenous peoples. Participatory action research (PAR) attempts to address the unequal power structures inherent in research relationships: participants set the agenda for the research and are co-researchers in the project. In this study, I placed PAR theory into action to problematize research practices and to generate new discourses for research within an Indigenous context. The Lil’wat Nation and I collaborated on a PAR project in 2006-2007 that led to the formation of the Lil’wat Girls’ and Women’s Affirmation Group. Through the process of reflection-in-action we identified several opportunities for growth as we examined PAR theory in practice. Using decolonizing research methods and a metaphor of the Lil’wat s7istken (pit house), the model of practice wove between three distinct worlds with divergent protocols and pedagogies: the worlds of the Lil’wat, academia, and the researcher’s racialized lived experiences. This model of practice aimed to disrupt the essentialized dichotomies of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships and to problematize research practices for the academic and research communities to consider for their practice. The findings exposed several lessons at sites of praxis pertaining to the intersection of PAR theory and practice: definition of the community; ethics in the community; racialized researcher space; and PAR incongruence. The model was intended not as a “how to” manual, but as an entry point for discussions to advance respectful decolonizing research practices.

This study produced a theoretically grounded model of professional development suited for supporting teachers in Hong Kong to embed Information and Communication Technologies into the Primary School Curriculum. The model was developed and tested over two years through an intervention based on participatory action research involving school staff and the researcher as a critical friend. The model was tested through the analysis of extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of teacher behaviours and curricular documents. Teachers' beliefs and practices were found to change significantly during the first year of the project and were further refined during the second year. Leadership, collegial support, physical infrastructure, teacher self-efficacy, and technical knowledge were identified as the most important factors underpinning the successful implementation of the program. The model addresses these factors and has considerable potential to impact on educational practice involving ICT in the Hong Kong context.

Adults working as teachers and doctors can find it difficult to communicate well with young people about the issues that affect their wellbeing and learning and thus miss opportunities to contribute when their clients experience adversity. Drama is often used as a pedagogical tool to assist people to develop their communication skills. Dramatic portrayals however, can reinforce rather than challenge limiting stereotypes, and there is the potential for learning through drama to contribute to a patronising world-view and lead to the assumption that a set of formulaic approaches can bridge the communication divide. There is thus a need for research that engages both theoretically and technically with the use of drama as a tool for applied learning. In this thesis, a reflective practitioner methodology is used to explore the use of drama as a method in participatory enquiry and as a tool in the professional education of teachers and doctors. Use of the practitioner perspective permits analysis of the alignment between theory and practice. The Learning Partnerships project provides the context within which to conduct this enquiry. In this project the researcher leads drama workshops that bring together classes of school students and tertiary students completing their studies in medicine or education. The adolescents work as co-investigators with the teachers and doctors, exploring how to communicate effectively in the institutional contexts of schools and clinics.

abstract: When it comes to planning for instruction, many teachers may feel an overwhelming need to rely on prescribed curricular resources and when those are not available many teachers may feel lost. While several methods for improving instructional planning exist, research has shown that prioritizing standards, creating assessments aligned to those standards, and using the data from those assessments to make instructional decisions have positively impacted teachers' instructional planning practices. Grounded in participatory action research (PAR), this mixed methods action research study sought to investigate the influence that targeted coaching could have on teachers' planning practices. The study was conducted in a K-8 Title I school and included four participants who engaged in targeted coaching and professional development designed to help them improve their planning practices. It utilized surveys, observations, artifacts, and interviews to answer the research questions. From the surveys, interviews, lesson plans, artifacts and coaching conversations, the Coaching Model for Effective Planning provided helpful and beneficial professional development that was readily adaptable and useful to the participants' classroom. In addition, the findings exhibited that coaching can influence planning whether formally by being written into lesson plans or by incorporating it into instruction. Furthermore, the findings also raised the question of teacher efficacy in coaching relationships as wells the impact of coaching. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2012

Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-13T13:49:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCM.pdf: 4248397 bytes, checksum: ae1321cc10bbff2fd1d706132b32117b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-13T20:34:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCM.pdf: 4248397 bytes, checksum: ae1321cc10bbff2fd1d706132b32117b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-13T20:34:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCM.pdf: 4248397 bytes, checksum: ae1321cc10bbff2fd1d706132b32117b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-13T20:35:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissCM.pdf: 4248397 bytes, checksum: ae1321cc10bbff2fd1d706132b32117b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-17 / Outra / Wildlife conservation has been standing out on the world stage as one of the major issues of our time. Several institutions are mobilizing to develop effective strategies and actions to prevent the extinction of endangered species. Among these institutions, we remark the performance of zoos in the development of scientific research and educational activities, participation in endangered species programs, and promotion of entertainment for the visitors, thus compiling its four main attributions. In that sense, the São Paulo Zoo, besides performing its traditional role, including several educational activities, also participates and integrates endangered species conservation programs, such as the Black Lion Tamarin Conservation Program (Leontopithecus chrysopygus), conducting research about biology and ecology of populations from Floresta Nacional de Capão Bonito (Capão Bonito National Forest, São Paulo State). In this context, we developed in the present work a participatory educational process for planning and implementation of a space that educates at São Paulo Zoo about the black lion tamarin conservation. The research was conducted in a qualitative approach based on a participatory framework and using the participatory-actionresearch as a critical environmental education framework, intended to produce knowledge (research scope) to develop and implement a space that educates (action scope) from the participation of 23 professionals and 65 visitors (participation scope). In that sense, the research presents a procedural nature and was developed in four stages: Moment I - participatory diagnosis of the knowledge about the black lion tamarin from conducting individual interviews with São Paulo Zoo professionals and visitors; Moment II - two focal groups with the staff of the Zoo’s Education and Diffusion Division (DED) and Technical Team (ET) to elaborate the educational space proposal; Moment III: dialogue between the Zoo’s DED, ET, Engineering Division and Administrative Board for the space that educates implementation; Moment IV: reflexive analysis of the elaboration and implementation processes from focal groups with DED and ET, and participatory creation of manuals for the space. From the data obtained in the Moment I, it was possible to establish categories related to the structures and educational actions that would be implemented in the space that educates, which emerged from the dialogic process established between the participants and the researcher. Based on these categories, during the Moment II an educational proposal was developed containing the structural and educational features of the new space, consisting of four thematic kiosks, 23 panels, two educational games and a puppets theatre play about the species. In the Moment III, we observed a stronger participation of the São Paulo Zoo Technical Team at various stages of the implementation process, from the elaboration of visual and textual communication elements, to the building processes. In addition, as a consequence of this strengthening, the participants suggested and developed, in a participatory way, two manuals about the space aimed for environmental educators. Finally, during the Moment IV we observed that the use of participatory methodologies contributed to improve and strengthen the development of the space that educates, once the participants came to be regarded as subjects who share bonds to interpret the reality, and the dialogue established is linked to collective action in order to transform the socio-environmental problem in question, namely, the conservation of the black lion tamarin. We hope that the present research will contribute to the field of environmental education research in zoos and also to black lion tamarin conservation strategies, since it highlights the fact that it is possible to perform a participatory, reflective, cooperative and liberating practice. / A conservação da fauna silvestre vem se destacando no cenário mundial como uma das maiores problemáticas da atualidade. Diversas instituições estão se mobilizando para elaborar estratégias e ações eficazes para evitar a extinção de espécies ameaçadas. Dentre essas instituições, observamos a atuação dos zoológicos no desenvolvimento de pesquisas científicas, na participação em programas de conservação de espécies ameaçadas, na elaboração de ações educativas e na promoção do lazer e entretenimento do público visitante, compilando as suas quatro principais missões. Nesse contexto, a Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo (FPZSP), além de realizar uma série de ações educativas com o público visitante, também participa e integra programas de conservação de espécies ameaçadas, como o Programa Estadual de Conservação do Mico-leãopreto (Leontopithecus chrysopygus), desenvolvendo pesquisas sobre a biologia e a ecologia de algumas populações da Floresta Nacional de Capão Bonito (SP). Sendo assim, o objetivo da presente pesquisa foi desenvolver um processo educativo participativo para a elaboração e implementação de um espaço educador na FPZSP, visando à conservação do mico-leão-preto. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em uma abordagem qualitativa, com base nos pressupostos da educação ambiental crítica, especificamente da Pesquisa-Ação-Participante, uma vez que teve a intenção de produzir conhecimento (âmbito da pesquisa) para planejar e implementar um espaço educador (âmbito da ação) a partir do envolvimento e participação de 23 profissionais e 65 visitantes da FPZSP (âmbito da participação). Nesse sentido, a investigação apresentou um caráter processual e foi desenvolvida em quatro momentos: Momento I: diagnóstico participativo sobre conhecimentos e saberes em relação à espécie a partir da realização de entrevistas individuais com os profissionais e visitantes da FPZSP; Momento II: realização de dois grupos focais com a equipe da Divisão de Educação e Difusão (DED) e Equipe Técnica (ET) para elaboração participativa da proposta educativa do espaço; Momento III: atuação e diálogo entre a DED, ET, Divisão de Engenharia e Diretoria Administrativa para a implementação do espaço educador; Momento IV: análise reflexiva do processo de elaboração e implementação a partir de grupos focais com a equipe da DED e ET e criação participativa de materiais educativos sobre o espaço educador. A partir dos dados obtidos no Momento I foi possível estabelecer categorias relacionadas às estruturas e às ações educativas que seriam implementadas no espaço educador, as quais emergiram do processo dialógico estabelecido entre os participantes e a mestranda. Com base nessas categorias, elaboramos no Momento II uma proposta educativa contendo as características estruturais e educativas do novo espaço, o qual foi constituído por quatro quiosques temáticos, 23 painéis, dois jogos educativos e uma peça teatral de fantoches sobre a espécie. No Momento III da pesquisa, observamos o fortalecimento da participação da equipe técnica da FPZSP em diversas etapas do processo de implementação, desde a elaboração da comunicação visual e textual dos elementos educativos, até os processos operacionais de construção de estruturas. Além disso, a partir desse fortalecimento, a própria equipe participante sugeriu e elaborou, de forma participativa, dois materiais educativos sobre o espaço educador destinados à educadoras/es ambientais. Por fim, observamos durante o Momento IV que o uso de metodologias participativas contribuiu para enriquecer e fortalecer o processo de elaboração do espaço educador, uma vez que os participantes passaram a ser considerados como sujeitos que partilham laços para interpretar a realidade, de forma que esse diálogo está vinculado à ação coletiva para transformação da problemática socioambiental em questão, qual seja, a conservação do mico-leão-preto. Esperamos que a investigação contribua para o campo da pesquisa em educação ambiental em zoológicos e para as estratégias de conservação do mico-leão-preto, ao ressaltar que é possível realizar uma prática participativa, reflexiva, cooperativa e libertadora.