The ‘social turn’ in applied linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA) has seen the emergence of a range of socially-oriented perspectives, such as sociolinguistic, sociocultural, socio-historical and situated learning, yet this has not resulted in L2 learners’ social origins and backgrounds being given sufficient attention in L2 research. The present study therefore argues for taking a sociology of language learning perspective to investigate L2 learners’ social biographies and their academic achievement in English. This social perspective is informed by the sociology of education as well as critical approaches to applied linguistics. Learners’ social biographies consist of learner-internal (personal) and -external (social) factors. These factors are conceptualised as learner habitus and family educational capital (economic, social and cultural) respectively, with reference to Bourdieu’s theories in the sociology of education. The study investigates secondary school students’ English learning outcomes in relation to their habitus and family capital situations in a rural context in Bangladesh. It uses a mixed methods research design and draws on both quantitative and qualitative data. It also utilises multiple perspectives, provided by 10th grade students (n = 228) and their English teachers, head teachers and parents. The data collection instruments include a questionnaire survey, an English proficiency test and participant interviews. The study shows that aspects of family economic and cultural capital and learner habitus are significantly associated with the students’ English achievement. However, social capital, operationalised as parental input into the students’ English studies, is not associated with their academic achievement in English, although it is significantly correlated with learner habitus and parental education. The students’ perceptions of their family capital situations and the perceived impact of these situations on their academic experience were supportive of structuralist determinism. Despite the constraining effects of family capital disadvantage on academic experience, disadvantaged students can neutralise these effects by means of their habitus and thus negate social determinism in the context of their scholastic achievement. The study also shows that contrary to the widening gap in the academic achievement of students in favour of females in many social contexts, the female students in the present context performed somewhat less well than their male counterparts in the school-leaving examination. Finally, the students’ English learning and academic outcomes were embedded in their social biographies. Their academic achievement or underachievement cannot be fully understood without recourse to their familial and social worlds, their lived experiences, their desires for better futures and their disadvantage, and lack of means to pursue those desires.Despite some caveats, the findings have important implications for the theory and practice of teaching English in Bangladesh and other social contexts. First, it is necessary to include both learner-internal and -external family/social factors in the investigation of L2 learners’ English learning experience and outcomes. Second, ELT policies should have provisions that address these beyond-the-school factors in order to develop English language skills across social classes and geographic locations. Finally, schools should embrace the question of inequality in English learning outcomes and devise mechanisms for the reduction of inequalities within their limited resources and capacities. The major contribution of the study is to our understanding of the factors associated with English language learning in rural communities in developing societies. In particular, the study substantiates non-cognitive, non-methodological and non-curricular approaches to EFL/ESL. Identification of these factors is facilitated by the perspective of sociology of English learning and the concept of social biography. In addition, the study designs a theoretical and conceptual framework and instruments for researching student achievement in English in relation to family capital and learner habitus.

The Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa has been seen as an innovative approach to youth development. The E tipu e rea – Rangatahi Development Package was particularly useful for organisations implementing the strategy with Maori youth. There have been successful Maori youth development initiatives, though these have been ad hoc. Nonetheless, the realities and experiences of Maori youth are still not being fully addressed in national policy. This has implications for the support and resourcing of Maori youth development initiatives. Maori youth are members of a range of groups including whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori communities in te ao Maori as well as the wider youth population and New Zealand society. The histories, experiences and viewpoints of each distinct group contribute to diversity in the Maori youth population which presents challenges for Maori youth development. Maori development goals do not adequately focus on Maori youth and youth development theory does not fully consider culture. The challenge is to successfully integrate Maori culture and youth culture in a relevant and meaningful manner so that Maori youth can positively contribute to Maori development and wider New Zealand society. This study examines purakau (narratives) about Maui (Polynesian ancestor) as a template for the analysis of Maori youth development. Interviews were undertaken with a group of Maori youth from the Manawatu region. The research showed tikanga and ahuatanga were relevant to the contemporary daily lives of the participants. The study found that positive development and the realisation of potential for Maori youth was affected by individual and environmental influences. This thesis concludes by making recommendations for policy, practice and further research. Finally, it offers a culturally appropriate theoretical approach for positive Maori youth development.

The Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa has been seen as an innovative approach to youth development. The E tipu e rea – Rangatahi Development Package was particularly useful for organisations implementing the strategy with Maori youth. There have been successful Maori youth development initiatives, though these have been ad hoc. Nonetheless, the realities and experiences of Maori youth are still not being fully addressed in national policy. This has implications for the support and resourcing of Maori youth development initiatives. Maori youth are members of a range of groups including whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori communities in te ao Maori as well as the wider youth population and New Zealand society. The histories, experiences and viewpoints of each distinct group contribute to diversity in the Maori youth population which presents challenges for Maori youth development. Maori development goals do not adequately focus on Maori youth and youth development theory does not fully consider culture. The challenge is to successfully integrate Maori culture and youth culture in a relevant and meaningful manner so that Maori youth can positively contribute to Maori development and wider New Zealand society. This study examines purakau (narratives) about Maui (Polynesian ancestor) as a template for the analysis of Maori youth development. Interviews were undertaken with a group of Maori youth from the Manawatu region. The research showed tikanga and ahuatanga were relevant to the contemporary daily lives of the participants. The study found that positive development and the realisation of potential for Maori youth was affected by individual and environmental influences. This thesis concludes by making recommendations for policy, practice and further research. Finally, it offers a culturally appropriate theoretical approach for positive Maori youth development.

The Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa has been seen as an innovative approach to youth development. The E tipu e rea – Rangatahi Development Package was particularly useful for organisations implementing the strategy with Maori youth. There have been successful Maori youth development initiatives, though these have been ad hoc. Nonetheless, the realities and experiences of Maori youth are still not being fully addressed in national policy. This has implications for the support and resourcing of Maori youth development initiatives. Maori youth are members of a range of groups including whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori communities in te ao Maori as well as the wider youth population and New Zealand society. The histories, experiences and viewpoints of each distinct group contribute to diversity in the Maori youth population which presents challenges for Maori youth development. Maori development goals do not adequately focus on Maori youth and youth development theory does not fully consider culture. The challenge is to successfully integrate Maori culture and youth culture in a relevant and meaningful manner so that Maori youth can positively contribute to Maori development and wider New Zealand society. This study examines purakau (narratives) about Maui (Polynesian ancestor) as a template for the analysis of Maori youth development. Interviews were undertaken with a group of Maori youth from the Manawatu region. The research showed tikanga and ahuatanga were relevant to the contemporary daily lives of the participants. The study found that positive development and the realisation of potential for Maori youth was affected by individual and environmental influences. This thesis concludes by making recommendations for policy, practice and further research. Finally, it offers a culturally appropriate theoretical approach for positive Maori youth development.

The Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa has been seen as an innovative approach to youth development. The E tipu e rea – Rangatahi Development Package was particularly useful for organisations implementing the strategy with Maori youth. There have been successful Maori youth development initiatives, though these have been ad hoc. Nonetheless, the realities and experiences of Maori youth are still not being fully addressed in national policy. This has implications for the support and resourcing of Maori youth development initiatives. Maori youth are members of a range of groups including whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori communities in te ao Maori as well as the wider youth population and New Zealand society. The histories, experiences and viewpoints of each distinct group contribute to diversity in the Maori youth population which presents challenges for Maori youth development. Maori development goals do not adequately focus on Maori youth and youth development theory does not fully consider culture. The challenge is to successfully integrate Maori culture and youth culture in a relevant and meaningful manner so that Maori youth can positively contribute to Maori development and wider New Zealand society. This study examines purakau (narratives) about Maui (Polynesian ancestor) as a template for the analysis of Maori youth development. Interviews were undertaken with a group of Maori youth from the Manawatu region. The research showed tikanga and ahuatanga were relevant to the contemporary daily lives of the participants. The study found that positive development and the realisation of potential for Maori youth was affected by individual and environmental influences. This thesis concludes by making recommendations for policy, practice and further research. Finally, it offers a culturally appropriate theoretical approach for positive Maori youth development.

This thesis is a study of older volunteers and their feelings of being valued and of worth within that role. The perceptions of older volunteers and their managers within three participating non-government organisations, government and organisational policy documents and relevant legislation and literature in the fields of ageing and volunteering provided data for the research. Changing political, economic and social conditions together with ageing of the Australian population have resulted in human services being increasingly contracted to non-government organisations. This in turn has resulted in more services than hitherto being delivered by volunteers many of whom are older people. Population ageing implies that there will be an increasing need for human services provision in the first half of the twenty first century. Whether there will be sufficient volunteers to maintain these services will depend at least in part on the responsiveness of organisations to their volunteer base and the effectiveness of their recruitment strategies. This research indicates that a sense of mastery over their circumstances is critical to volunteer satisfaction. Volunteers discussed their perceptions of maintaining control over their circumstances through the process of initiating volunteering arrangements and negotiating role changes in response to their changing health or abilities. Managers recognised the need to be responsive to the changing abilities of older volunteers and identified strategies for maintaining the volunteer contribution. Management style and in particular communication emerged as integral to volunteer satisfaction and an awareness of and responsiveness to differing motivators was important, particularly in relation to social networking and making a worthwhile contribution as a source of feeling valued.

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 112-128).

Thesis (M.Hous.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 112-128). Also available in print.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-05-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:07:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 orlando_rs_dr_arafcl.pdf: 1658419 bytes, checksum: f09c7196590bcd6e25bf2a53e248635d (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Apesar da maior relevância adquirida nas últimas décadas, o debate ambiental global promovido nas grandes conferências patrocinadas pelas Nações Unidas tem encontrado dificuldades para se transformar em ações concretas para a sustentabilidade. Contudo, contribuiu, nos níveis mais locais, para a criação de novos arranjos institucionais e novas formas de planejamento cuja tônica é a participação, a democratização e a descentralização dos processos políticos como requisitos à sustentabilidade – o que chamaremos nesse trabalho de “governança ambiental”. A ideia que norteia este trabalho é a de que o envolvimento e a participação democrática dos atores sociais são fundamentais para incorporar maior legitimidade e eficiência às políticas públicas, especialmente àquelas que se relacionam com a temática ambiental, deslocando o eixo das discussões e da tomada de decisões de um aparato estatal-tecnocrata para espaços socialmente mais representativos. Assim, o alcance do planejamento e das políticas ambientais dependeria da qualidade da interação e das sinergias entre os representantes do Estado e a sociedade civil – a formação e os efeitos dos estoques de capital social. A participação dos atores sociais, propondo parcerias na gestão pública, pode contribuir para uma discussão mais democrática e propositiva com o Estado. Através de um estudo de caso sobre o Conselho Gestor das Áreas de Proteção Ambiental Cabreúva, Cajamar e Jundiaí, realizado entre os anos de 2006 e 2009, pretende-se compreender as possibilidades e os limites da gestão compartilhada em Unidades de Conservação de Uso Sustentável com base nos pressupostos teóricos do capital social, considerando os inúmeros interesses envolvidos no processo e as próprias dificuldades inerentes aos debates efetuados em espaços participativos e plurais / Though in the past few decades the global debate on the environment has gained an increased relevancy in United Nations sponsored conferences, this has not resulted in concrete actions toward sustainability. Still, it has contributed to sustainability-enhancing transformations at the local level. Such changes include the creation of new institutional arrangements and ways of planning that stress participation, democratization and decentralization of political processes. In this work, I will call such changes “environmental governance.” This work is guided by the principle that the involvement and democratic participation of social actors are vital for the increased legitimacy and efficiency of public policy, especially that which relates to the environment. This principle shifts the focus of discussions and decision-making from a technocrat-state apparatus to more socially representative spaces. With this shift, the reach of planning and environmental policies would arise from the quality of the interaction and synergy between the representatives of the State and the civil society – the development of a stock of social capital. The participation of social actors, proposing partnerships in public management, can contribute to a more democratic discussion with the State. A case-study on the Management Council of the Cabreúva, Cajamar and Jundiaí Environmental Protection Areas, carried out between 2006 and 2009, provides the basis of this work. The analysis aims to understand the possibilities and limits of shared management in the Units of Sustainable Use Preservation, using theoretical assumptions of social capital and taking into account the numberless interests included in this process and the difficulties which are inherent to the debates in participatory and plural spaces

The thesis looks at the process of setting up a platform between civil society and public sector where the intention is for stakeholders to have a dialogue around different solutions to societal issues. The second component involves the legal arrangement where government uses public procurement to buy a service from a civil society organisation. The thesis explores what motivates this process and what some of the consequences are for the stakeholders. The discussion takes its stance in the conflict between civil society as a voice bearer of specific societal issues or as a service deliverer towards government. It also looks at whom partake in this process and whom gets left out. The thesis looks at the policy documents at a national and regional level and as well compare two regions with one being considered the “best practice” region. Informants from the Värmland region where interviewed and their impressions where compared to the policy documents and some keywords.  The thesis concluded that the stakeholders partaking in general are positive towards the process but that there are institutional setups that could be better dealt with to handle issues of power imbalances and exclusion.