In recent years, the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education has become a widely discussed issue. This paper starts with a brief examination of the relationship of political changes to the rapid educational reforms in recent years, including the school-level implementation of ICT. Specifically, the implementation of ICT in Hong Kong primary schools is investigated. Primary data are collected from school heads and teachers while secondary data are collected from the scholarly literature. In addition, supplementary data were collected for comparison from several areas in the UK. A number of research questions are proposed for the study, including the potential benefits and shortcomings of ICT in education, the difficulties of ICT implementation, and the relative cost effectiveness of ICT. Quantitative and qualitative methods emerged from the different research paradigms of positivism and interpretivism. Both are discussed in the research design chapter. A mixed-method approach was selected for the entire research project. Under this approach, quantitative data were collected through survey techniques and qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviewing. These two data collection processes were undertaken independently. The design and application of data collection for both categories of data are discussed at length. Eventually, 681 questionnaires and 17 interviews were analysed. The findings were consolidated and triangulated when possible, and are discussed in the concluding chapter. Throughout the study, responses to several important issues, including workload, time, professional development and school organisation, have been elicited from the participants. Finally, some recommendations are made that attempt to optimise the use of ICT in education. Further research areas are also proposed. In sum, the research suggests that ICT is a 2-sided tool. On one hand, ICT can provide numerous benefits to teaching and learning. On the other hand, stakeholders must be aware of its potential negative side effects. Moreover, ICT should be treated as only one of many instructional media, and it should be used carefully. Over-reliance on ICT should be avoided.

This study proposes a framework for simultaneously addressing qualitative and quantitative decision-making criteria during the early stages of the design process. It investigates the features and characteristics in an architectural tool that enable an architect to simultaneously address qualitative and quantitative criteria during the early stages of the design process and the requirements for implementing these features and characteristics inside a tool/working environment. It adopts a four-step methodology based on the qualitative methods of inquiry. These steps include logical argumentation based on the literature review, interviews, immersive case study, and Delphi method. The proposed framework provides a map of the areas and the themes that need consideration when developing an architectural tool that is expected to simultaneously address qualitative and quantitative criteria at the early stages of the design process. It categorizes the themes in three main areas: the themes concerned with qualitative studies, the themes concerned with quantitative studies, and the themes concerned with bridging the gap between qualitative and quantitative studies. The framework suggests that four major themes need consideration while developing architectural tools to support simultaneously addressing qualitative and quantitative criteria: Imagination Stimulation for qualitative studies, Knowledge Acquisition for quantitative studies, Architect as Toolmaker and Design Environment Coordinator, Hybrid Environment, and Interface for the synthesis of qualitative and quantitative studies. For practicing architects, the framework provides guidance to choose proper tools and form their design environment. Moreover, this study provides a new model of communication between the architecture community and the software developers. / Doctor of Philosophy / Any architectural project consists of numerous decisions that the architect must make. These decisions have different characteristics and can be categorized in many ways. One way to categorize them could be based on the nature of the criteria that the architects use to evaluate the results of their decision. In this manner, these criteria can be either qualitative or quantitative. Addressing these two different kinds of criteria demands entirely distinctive sets of skills. Architects are trained to address these two fundamentally different kinds of criteria, consciously or not. However, the reasoning process is much more complicated when the decision demands addressing qualitative and quantitative criteria, simultaneously. There exists the possibility that one criterion or one set of criteria may overshadow the rest if this complex task is approached without conscious planning by the architect. This study proposes a framework for simultaneously addressing qualitative and quantitative decision-making criteria during the early stages of the design process. It provides a map of the areas and the themes that need consideration when developing an architectural tool that is expected to simultaneously address qualitative and quantitative criteria at the early stages of the design process and uses several graphical representations to categorizes these themes based on the needs and objectives of the user.

The essays in this dissertation represent theoretical and empirical contributions to urban economics and regional science, focusing on the growing importance of nonmarket interactions. There is increasing evidence that the process of globalization is rendering the world "spiky" rather than "flat". Nonmarket interactions, such as knowledge spillovers, innovation or amenity-based externalities, play a central role in this process. As economic activity is not evenly spread across space, a detailed understanding of the economic linkages between regions is key to the design of effective public policy. This is particularly important in the context of economic linkages between regions or cities, highlighting the key adjustment mechanisms -- via both market and nonmarket transactions -- and their long-run implications for incomes, the cost of living, and the spatial distribution of population. Both the neoclassically-grounded field of urban economics and the rapidly expanding New Economic Geography (NEG) literature pioneered by Krugman offer a variety of models and (not infrequently competing) predictions about the factors and processes that shape the spatial structure of the economy. At the same time, the dialogue between qualitative and quantitative discourses in regional science has been marred by an increasingly embittered dispute over methodology. While acutely pronounced in economics, this development has re-shaped large parts of its sister disciplines as well, particularly sociology and geography. Across the board, proponents of quantitative science methodology increasingly likened themselves to their natural science counterparts, whereas qualitative methods had become the last bastion of "true social scientists". Today, these so-called "science wars" have rendered "qualitative" and "quantitative" analysis into almost mutually exclusive concepts. / Ph. D.

De nombreux dispositifs visent à orienter les comportements de déplacement vers des alternatives à l’automobile. Parmi eux, le pédibus correspond à un ramassage scolaire bénévole pour accompagner les enfants à l’école à pied. Son institutionnalisation et sa médiatisation illustrent les mécanismes de prise en charge des problèmes publics et la capacité du gouvernement des conduites à fabriquer des discours. Ainsi, le pédibus est présenté comme bénéfique en tout point alors que les études restent parcellaires et nuancées, quand sa pratique est marginale et éphémère. Nous avons proposé une analyse transversale franco-suisse romande compréhensive, associant approches qualitatives et quantitatives, qui repose sur trois pieds : discours, déploiement et pratiques. Nos analyses ont montré que le pédibus s’inscrivait dans une stratégie de communication basée sur la logique du choix modal, mettant l’accent sur la responsabilité individuelle en recourant à la morale, la culpabilité et la pédagogie. Si les promoteurs suisses sont aisément identifiables, en France ils sont plus erratiques et les actions restent isolées. Plus encore, le déploiement du pédibus était soumis à des caractéristiques urbaines et sociales spécifiques. Il est surtout présent dans les espaces résidentiels aisés, ceinturés par des voies de circulation, questionnant sa définition comme solution alternative à l’automobile. Un profil spécifique d’usagers a été mis en évidence, suggérant qu’il existerait des dispositions sociales en faveur du pédibus. Ce dernier est davantage perçu comme pratique, éducatif et rassurant pour pallier certaines défaillances politiques, que comme un déplacement sanitaire et écologique / Many objects aim to guide spatial behaviours towards alternative to the car. Among them, the walking school bus (WSB) is a school transport under the supervision of volunteers to escort children to school on foot. Its institutionalisation and its media coverage illustrate the mechanisms of handling contemporary public problems and the capacity of actors of the government of behaviour to make up the discourse. Thus, the WSB is presented as beneficial in every way whereas research remains fragmented and nuanced, when the practice is marginal and short-lived. It is in this context that we suggested a comprehensive analysis of both France and French-speaking Switzerland combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, based on three elements: promotional speeches, effective deployment and WSB usages. Our analyses showed that the WSB was inserted in a communication strategy based on the logic of modal choice, emphasising individual responsibility, referring to morality, guilt and pedagogy. While Swiss promoters are easily identifiable, in France they are more erratic and their actions remain isolated. Our results also showed that the practice of the WSB was dependent on specific urban and social characteristics. On the one hand, it is especially present in wealthier urban neighbours, cordoned off by roads, questioning the definition of WSB as an alternative solution to car use. On the other hand, a specific user profile was highlighted, suggesting that there exists social provisions in favour of collective commitments such as WSB. It being perceived more as a practical, educational and reassuring mean to remedy policy failures, than as a healthy and green mode of travel

L’utilisation des communications multi-canaux au niveau des protocoles MAC (MAC multi-canaux) dans les réseaux sans fil peut améliorer significativement le débit du réseau par rapport aux protocoles MAC mono-canal en permettant à plusieurs transmissions concurrentes d’avoir lieu simultanément sans interférence sur différents canaux non recouverts. Cependant, l’environnement multicanaux ajoute une nouvelle dimension aux protocoles MAC qui nécessite un nouveau mécanisme appelé "le mécanisme d’allocation des canaux" pour coordonner l’utilisation des canaux. Le rôle de ce mécanisme est de permettre aux nœuds de s’accorder sur le canal qui doit être utilisé et à quel moment pour la transmission de données dans un contexte distribué. L’absence de ce mécanisme ou une mauvaise coordination de l’utilisation des canaux peut produire l’effet inverse de celui recherché. Ainsi, l’efficacité d’un protocole MAC multi-canaux dépend strictement de l’efficacité du mécanisme d’allocation des canaux, qui par ailleurs, doit offrir les garanties nécessaires au fonctionnement de la communication multi-canaux. Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à la modélisation, l’analyse et la conception de nouveaux protocoles MAC multi-canaux dans les réseaux sans fil. Dans un premier temps, nous nous focalisons sur la spécification formelle et la vérification des propriétés fondamentales inhérentes aux activités de l’allocation des canaux et son impact sur le transfert de données des principales approches MAC multi-canaux proposées dans la littérature. Dans un second temps, nous visons à proposer, modéliser et à analyser formellement deux nouveaux protocoles MAC multicanaux résultants de l’analyse qualitative réalisée. Enfin, une étude quantitative et comparative est menée afin d’analyser les performances des protocoles proposés en terme de débit et d’impact du temps de commutation entre les canaux. / The use of multi-channel communications in MAC protocols (multi-channel MAC) for wireless networks can significantly improve the network throughput compared with single channel MAC protocols since concurrent transmissions can take place simultaneously on distinct non-overlapping channels without interfering. However, due to the multi-channel environment, a novel issue must be addressed in MAC protocols, which is called "the channel assignment mechanism" in order to coordinate the channels access. The role of this mechanism is to enable nodes to agree on which channel should be used and when for data transmission in a distributed way. The absence of this mechanism or a bad coordination of the channel usage can incur the opposite effect to that intended. Thus, the efficiency of a multi-channel MAC protocol depends strictly on the efficiency of the channel assignment mechanism, which also must provide the guarantees necessary to the good behavior of the multi-channel communications. In this thesis, we focus on the modeling, analysis, and design of new multi-channel MAC protocols in wireless networks. Firstly, we focus on the formal specification and verification of fundamental properties inherent to the activities of the channel assignment and its impact on the data transfer for the main multi-channel MAC approaches proposed in the literature. Secondly, we aim to propose, model and analyze formally two new multichannel MAC protocols, resulting from the qualitative analysis conducted. Finally, a quantitative and comparative study is conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed protocols in terms of the throughput and the impact of the switching time between channels.

Die digitale Transformation stärkt die Notwendigkeit selbstgesteuerten Lernens in der beruflichen Weiterbildung und gibt dieser Lernform neue Impulse. Um ihre aktuelle Relevanz und Umsetzung in der Bildungspraxis näher zu beleuchten, wurde im BMBF-geförderten Vorhaben 'Weiterbildung selbstorganisiert! Entwicklung einer Weiterbildungsdidaktik für selbstorganisierte Lernprozesse' u. a. der Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in zwei exemplarisch ausgewählten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen untersucht. Zur Erhebung von triangulierbaren Daten wurden eine Dokumentenanalyse, eine qualitative Befragung des Koordinations- und Leitungspersonals und eine quantitative Befragung von Lehrenden und Kursteilnehmenden in beiden Institutionen durchgeführt. Ein besonderes Augenmerk der Untersuchungen lag jeweils auf den Rahmenbedingungen, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen ermöglichen, fördern oder erschweren können und auf dem Einsatz von Methoden, didaktischen Prinzipien und digitalen Medien zur Unterstützung von selbstgesteuerten Lernprozessen. Die Ergebnisse der Teilerhebungen werden im vorliegenden Forschungsbericht präsentiert, diskutiert und mit Blick auf die Beantwortung der zentralen Forschungsfragen zusammengeführt. Daraus werden Handlungsempfehlungen für die zukünftige Gestaltung der Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen in Weiterbildungsinstitutionen abgeleitet. Abschließend werden Forschungsdesiderata formuliert, die anknüpfende Forschungsvorhaben aufgreifen sollten.:1 Einleitung 1.1 Selbstgesteuertes Lernen in der beruflichen Weiterbildung 1.2 Exkurs: Die Berufliche Weiterbildung 1.3 Kurzbeschreibung der zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 1.3.1 Bildungszentrum eines regionalen Berufsverbandes 1.3.2 Volkshochschule 2 Forschungsstand 2.1 Vergleichsstudien zur Umsetzung selbstgesteuerten Lernens in Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 2.1.1 Landesinstitut für Schule und Weiterbildung Soest 2.1.2 SeGeL 2.2 Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 2.2.1 Übergreifende institutionelle Faktoren 2.2.2 Institutionelle Bedingungen 2.2.3 Übersicht der für selbstgesteuertes Lernen erforderlichen Rahmenbedingungen 2.3 Methoden, didaktische Prinzipien und Medien für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 2.3.1 Methoden für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 2.3.2 Didaktische Prinzipien des selbstgesteuerten Lernens 2.3.3 Digitale Medien für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 3 Dokumentenanalyse 3.1 Erhebungsmethode Dokumentenanalyse 3.2 Bestimmung des Ausgangsmaterials 3.3 Durchführung der Dokumentenanalyse 3.3.1 Vorbereitung 3.3.2 Kodierung und Auswertung mittels strukturierender Inhaltsanalyse 3.3.3 Kodierung und Auswertung mittels evaluativer Inhaltsanalyse 3.4 Ergebnisse der Dokumentenanalyse 3.4.1 Selbstverständnis der Institutionen 3.4.2 Mitarbeitende 3.4.3 Entwicklung/ Planung eines neuen Kurses 3.4.4 Durchführung eines Kurses 3.4.5 Organisatorische Rahmenbedingungen 3.4.6 Gewährleistung der Qualitätsstandards 3.4.7 Lerndimensionen 3.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse der Dokumentenanalyse 3.5.1 Status Quo der Rahmenbedingungen in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungseinrichtungen 3.5.2 Methodische Limitation der Dokumentenanalyse 4 Befragung des Koordinations- und Leitungspersonals 4.1 Erhebungsmethoden 4.1.1 Interviews mit Expertinnen und Experten 4.1.2 Gruppendiskussion 4.1.3 Stichprobe 4.2 Messinstrument: Leitfaden 4.3 Durchführung 4.3.1 Vorbereitung & Durchführung 4.3.2 Auswertung 4.4 Ergebnisse 4.4.1 Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den Einrichtungen 4.4.2 Rahmenbedingungen 4.4.3 Nächste Schritte 4.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse der Befragung des Leitungs- und Koordinationspersonals 4.5.1 Status Quo der Rahmenbedingungen selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 4.5.2 Grenzen und Herausforderungen des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 4.5.3 Methodische Limitation der qualitativen Interviews 5 Dozierenden- und Teilnehmendenbefragung 5.1 Erhebungsmethode 5.1.1 Schriftliche Befragung 5.1.2 Stichprobe 5.2 Messinstrumentarien 5.3 Durchführung 5.3.1 Vorbereitung und Durchführung 5.3.2 Auswertung 5.4 Ergebnisse 5.4.1 Beschreibung der Befragten 5.4.2 Selbstgesteuertes Lernen in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.3 Methoden des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.4 Medieneinsatz in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.5 Didaktische Prinzipien in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.6 Abschluss 5.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse der Dozierenden- und Teilnehmendenbefragung 5.5.1 Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungseinrichtungen 5.5.2 Methodische Limitationen der quantitativen Befragung 6 Zusammenführung der Ergebnisse 6.1 Vergleich des Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.1.1 Allgemeine Eckdaten der Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.1.2 Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen in den Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.1.3 Selbstgesteuertes Lernen in den Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.2 Vergleich der Ergebnisse mit dem Forschungsstand 6.2.1 Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 6.2.2 Methoden, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen unterstützen können 6.2.3 Didaktische Prinzipien, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen unterstützen können 6.2.4 Digitale Medien, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen unterstützen können 6.3 Rückbezug zu den Forschungsfragen 6.3.1 Teilfrage 1: Status Quo der Rahmenbedingungen des selbstgesteuerten Lernens 6.3.2 Teilfrage 2: Anforderungen der Teilnehmenden an berufliche Weiterbildungsangebote 6.3.3 Teilfrage 3: Didaktische Prinzipien, Methoden und mediale Szenarien für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 7 Ausblick: Handlungsempfehlungen und Desiderata 7.1 Handlungsempfehlungen 7.2 Forschungsdesiderata 8 Bibliographie / The digital transformation strengthens the need for self-directed learning in continuing vocational education and training and gives new impetus to this form of learning. In order to shed more light on its current relevance and implementation in educational practice, the BMBF-funded project 'Weiterbildung selbstorganisiert! Entwicklung einer Weiterbildungsdidaktik für selbstorganisierte Lernprozesse' (Self-organised continuing education! Development of continuing education didactics for self-organised learning processes), the status quo of self-directed learning was investigated in two selected continuing education institutions. To collect triangulated data, a document analysis, a qualitative survey of coordination and management staff and a quantitative survey of teachers and course participants were conducted in both institutions. In each case, special attention was paid to the framework conditions that can enable, promote or impede self-directed learning and to the use of methods, didactic principles and digital media to support self-directed learning processes. The results of the sub-surveys are presented, discussed and summarised in this research report with a view to answering the central research questions. From this, recommendations for action are derived for the future design of the framework conditions for self-directed learning in continuing education institutions. Finally, research desiderata are formulated that should be taken up by related research projects.:1 Einleitung 1.1 Selbstgesteuertes Lernen in der beruflichen Weiterbildung 1.2 Exkurs: Die Berufliche Weiterbildung 1.3 Kurzbeschreibung der zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 1.3.1 Bildungszentrum eines regionalen Berufsverbandes 1.3.2 Volkshochschule 2 Forschungsstand 2.1 Vergleichsstudien zur Umsetzung selbstgesteuerten Lernens in Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 2.1.1 Landesinstitut für Schule und Weiterbildung Soest 2.1.2 SeGeL 2.2 Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 2.2.1 Übergreifende institutionelle Faktoren 2.2.2 Institutionelle Bedingungen 2.2.3 Übersicht der für selbstgesteuertes Lernen erforderlichen Rahmenbedingungen 2.3 Methoden, didaktische Prinzipien und Medien für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 2.3.1 Methoden für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 2.3.2 Didaktische Prinzipien des selbstgesteuerten Lernens 2.3.3 Digitale Medien für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 3 Dokumentenanalyse 3.1 Erhebungsmethode Dokumentenanalyse 3.2 Bestimmung des Ausgangsmaterials 3.3 Durchführung der Dokumentenanalyse 3.3.1 Vorbereitung 3.3.2 Kodierung und Auswertung mittels strukturierender Inhaltsanalyse 3.3.3 Kodierung und Auswertung mittels evaluativer Inhaltsanalyse 3.4 Ergebnisse der Dokumentenanalyse 3.4.1 Selbstverständnis der Institutionen 3.4.2 Mitarbeitende 3.4.3 Entwicklung/ Planung eines neuen Kurses 3.4.4 Durchführung eines Kurses 3.4.5 Organisatorische Rahmenbedingungen 3.4.6 Gewährleistung der Qualitätsstandards 3.4.7 Lerndimensionen 3.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse der Dokumentenanalyse 3.5.1 Status Quo der Rahmenbedingungen in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungseinrichtungen 3.5.2 Methodische Limitation der Dokumentenanalyse 4 Befragung des Koordinations- und Leitungspersonals 4.1 Erhebungsmethoden 4.1.1 Interviews mit Expertinnen und Experten 4.1.2 Gruppendiskussion 4.1.3 Stichprobe 4.2 Messinstrument: Leitfaden 4.3 Durchführung 4.3.1 Vorbereitung & Durchführung 4.3.2 Auswertung 4.4 Ergebnisse 4.4.1 Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den Einrichtungen 4.4.2 Rahmenbedingungen 4.4.3 Nächste Schritte 4.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse der Befragung des Leitungs- und Koordinationspersonals 4.5.1 Status Quo der Rahmenbedingungen selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 4.5.2 Grenzen und Herausforderungen des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 4.5.3 Methodische Limitation der qualitativen Interviews 5 Dozierenden- und Teilnehmendenbefragung 5.1 Erhebungsmethode 5.1.1 Schriftliche Befragung 5.1.2 Stichprobe 5.2 Messinstrumentarien 5.3 Durchführung 5.3.1 Vorbereitung und Durchführung 5.3.2 Auswertung 5.4 Ergebnisse 5.4.1 Beschreibung der Befragten 5.4.2 Selbstgesteuertes Lernen in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.3 Methoden des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.4 Medieneinsatz in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.5 Didaktische Prinzipien in Kursen der beruflichen Weiterbildung 5.4.6 Abschluss 5.5 Diskussion der Ergebnisse der Dozierenden- und Teilnehmendenbefragung 5.5.1 Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungseinrichtungen 5.5.2 Methodische Limitationen der quantitativen Befragung 6 Zusammenführung der Ergebnisse 6.1 Vergleich des Status Quo des selbstgesteuerten Lernens in den zwei exemplarisch untersuchten Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.1.1 Allgemeine Eckdaten der Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.1.2 Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen in den Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.1.3 Selbstgesteuertes Lernen in den Weiterbildungsinstitutionen 6.2 Vergleich der Ergebnisse mit dem Forschungsstand 6.2.1 Rahmenbedingungen für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 6.2.2 Methoden, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen unterstützen können 6.2.3 Didaktische Prinzipien, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen unterstützen können 6.2.4 Digitale Medien, die selbstgesteuertes Lernen unterstützen können 6.3 Rückbezug zu den Forschungsfragen 6.3.1 Teilfrage 1: Status Quo der Rahmenbedingungen des selbstgesteuerten Lernens 6.3.2 Teilfrage 2: Anforderungen der Teilnehmenden an berufliche Weiterbildungsangebote 6.3.3 Teilfrage 3: Didaktische Prinzipien, Methoden und mediale Szenarien für selbstgesteuertes Lernen 7 Ausblick: Handlungsempfehlungen und Desiderata 7.1 Handlungsempfehlungen 7.2 Forschungsdesiderata 8 Bibliographie

The communication of anthropogenic climate change presents many challenges, for communicators, scientists, policymakers and publics alike. Particularly difficult is the issue of uncertainty, which can include ambiguity around the phenomenon of climate change, the possible impacts of this, and the timeframe within which such impacts will be seen. Previous research has established that audiences are often averse to uncertainty, and will disregard or ignore messages that contain it. This raises a theoretical and practical question of how best to manage uncertainty in climate change communication in order to maintain audience engagement. This question was the focus of this PhD research. Specifically, the aim of this thesis was to explore the process of climate change communication from the perspectives of the scientists, communicators, and the recipient. I achieved this research goal by utilising a mixed methods design. I firstly interviewed the originators (i.e., scientists) and professional communicators of climate change information to explore the process from their side (Chapter 2). This revealed a number of themes connecting to the different ways scientists and communicators understand the process of communication (e.g., as information exchange versus relationship building), the challenges of climate change communication and uncertainty in particular, and the (appropriate) role of scientists when communicating with the public about climate change. Next, in a series of studies I experimentally explored how audiences respond to variations in the informational content of climate change messages (such as the level of uncertainty) and the role of different communicative styles in further shaping audience engagement (Chapter 3). Broadly, the results of these studies suggest that while uncertainty can undermine audience engagement with climate change communications, the negative effects of uncertainty are buffered when the communicator is perceived to be high in morality and/ or when they use an open communication style. Interestingly, these effects of communication style were particularly evident among women, whereas men tended to react against this. Together, these studies show how relational factors (e.g., communication styles and perceptions of communication sources) can moderate the impact of informational content on audience responses. Finally, I ended this programme of research by looking in more detail at how audiences perceive a real scientific organisation engaged in climate change communication and the bases of their beliefs about organisation competence and morality (Chapter 4). This study combined qualitative and quantitative data to delve deeper into some of the insights gained in the experimental work, and to reconnect this to the real-world organisation context I began with. This study again showed how perceptions of communicator morality moderate responses to uncertainty, but also provide useful insights into the different origins of perceptions of morality and competence. Chapter 5 concludes by summarising the research presented in this thesis, discussing its strengths, limitations and ways forward. Here, I also consider the theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the thesis’ research findings. Briefly, it is argued that addressing the scientific uncertainties of climate change may not necessarily mean altering the form of information itself. Rather, modifying the language peripheral to the information that contains uncertainty, attending to the ways in which audiences perceive the sources of uncertainty, and considering variations amongst publics, may help to engage in effective communication around the complex issue of climate change.

Gold mining in South Africa has played a significant role in the economic development of the country over the past 120 years. The continued focus on productivity, recruitment and consolidation in the South African gold mining industry will result in a decline in production. Much of the decline can be attributed to natural attrition as the industry has moved from a mass employer of limited, contract, unskilled labour, to an employer of more permanent, mostly semi-skilled or skilled labour. The objective of this research was to investigate the reliability of measuring instruments of social support, role overload (qualitative and quantitative), job satisfaction and turnover intention for employees in the mining industry. Further objectives included empirically determining whether social support has a moderating effect on the relation between role overload and job satisfaction and turnover intention. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A random sample was taken from a South African mining company (N=250). Gender and age were included as control variables. Individuals on Paterson grading E band to C Upper (managers) were part of the sample. Five measuring instruments were administrated. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The results obtained for the five scales proved the measuring instruments to be reliable. The results show that when an employee feels that his/her work is more than he/she can accomplish in the time available (quantitative role overload), the employee will most probably also feel that his/her work requires skills, abilities and knowledge beyond that of their own (qualitative role overload). It is also indicated that social support from the supervisor increases the employee's positive attitude or pleasurable emotional state towards his/her job or job experience (job satisfaction), as well as heightens the probability of social support from colleagues. Furthermore, the more positive the employee's attitude towards the job, the less the intention to stop working will be (turnover intention). This intention to stop working will also be less when social support from the supervisor is more and/or when the employee experiences less feelings that his/her work is more than he/she can accomplish in the time available. Turnover intention was predicted by social support from supervisor. Job satisfaction was predicted by role overload (quantitative) and social support from supervisor. By way of conclusion, recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The 2-oxoglutarate and ferrous ion dependent oxygenases are a super family of enzymes that are involved in a wide range of biological processes regulated trough the mechanism of post-translational modification (PTM). Such biological processes include hypoxia sensing (through regulating HIF transcription), fatty acid metabolism (through carnitine production), transcriptional regulation (through demethylation of histones), and collagen structure formation (through proline and lysine hydroxylation). To understand the underlying mechanisms of such regulatory processes, and to develop clinically useful inhibitors, and thereby regulate these processes in living organisms, requires sensitive methods for monitoring enzyme activity. The use of indirect methods such as quantification of reaction products (14CO2 or succinate) can be problematic, as both products can result from competitive reactions. Alternative direct measurement of substrate modifications using mass spectrometry-based proteomics can be applied; however, (1) for this technique the limit of detection is often prohibitive, (2) the method is best suited for the confirmation of known modifications, rather than for the discovery of new modifications, and (3) sequence coverage may often be only 60%, and therefore many modifications can be missed. The aim of the research presented in this thesis was to develop amino acid analysis and to apply these methods to the identification and quantification of PTMs catalysed by 2-oxoglutarate and ferrous ion dependent oxygenases. A range of LC-MS approaches were investigated including: (1) C18 reversed phase chromatography of quinoline derivatised amino acids, (2) ion paring chromatography, and (3) mixed mode chromatography with either UV, or conventional molecular MS, or isotope ratio mass spectrometry detection. Analysis of the elution patterns for those separation techniques enabled estimation of the retention parameters of modified amino acids and the identification of the modifications, where no standards were available. The most sensitive approach developed employed mixed mode chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry which was optimised for the analysis of modified amino acids. This was shown to have a limit of detection two orders of magnitude lower (0.01μM) than other conventional mass spectrometry techniques. Using amino acid labelling in cell culture, a quantification protocol was developed which employed a non-labelled internal standard and selectively labelled cell culture. The method was shown to be suitable for both very accurate quantification at low concentration levels and metabolic studies, allowing us to track back the modifications to their precursors. The analytical methods developed for amino acid analysis were successfully applied to the analysis of modifications resulting from 2-oxoglutarate and Fe dependent oxygenase activity. Stereochemistry of lysyl hydroxylation in the splicing regulatory protein Luk7L2 by JmjD6 as well as of the self hydroxylation of the JmjD6 was identified. The stereochemistry was shown to be different from that of previously reported for the collagen hydroxyline, hydroxylated by the another member of this enzyme family. mbP4H enzyme was shown to catalyse prolyl hydroxylation of taODD resulting in 4R-hydroxyprolyl. Amino acid analysis was used in order to verify the mechanism of the hBBOX catalysed rearrangement of Mildronate. Using the method developed for the analysis of non-derivatised amino acids the screening of potential substrates of hBBOX enzyme was carried out and two new substrates were identified. The isotope ratio mass spectrometry protocol was applied to the study of histones from cell culture; low levels of hydroxylated and methylated amino acids were quantified. The analytical methods described were developed to complement to the well established proteomics techniques. The methods developed enable investigation into the region- and stereo- chemistry of the modified groups within the modified AA residue and has proved to be a powerful tool of exploratory PTM analysis.

Manufacturing organisations have placed significant attention to the potential of industrial human-robot collaboration (HRC) as a means for enhancing productivity and product quality. This concept has predominantly been seen from an engineering and safety aspect, while the human related issues tend to be disregarded. As the key human factors relevant to industrial HRC have not yet been fully investigated, the research presented in this thesis sought to develop a human factors tool to enable the successful implementation of industrial HRC. First, a theoretical framework was developed which collected the key organisational and individual level human factors by reviewing comparable contexts to HRC. The human factors at each level were investigated separately. To identify whether the organisational human factors outlined in the theoretical framework were enablers or barriers, an industrial exploratory case study was conducted where traditional manual work was being automated. The implications provided an initial roadmap of the key organisational human factors that need to be considered as well as the critical inter-relations between them. From the list of individual level human factors identified in the theoretical framework, the focus was given on exploring the development of trust between human workers and industrial robots. A psychometric scale that measures trust specifically in industrial HRC was developed. The scale offers the opportunity to system designers to identify the key system aspects that can be manipulated to optimise trust in industrial HRC. Finally, the results were gathered together to address the overall aim of the research. A human factors guidance tool was developed which provides practitioners propositions to enable successful implementation of industrial HRC.