New Zealand relies on overseas teachers to fill approximately 30% of annual vacancies (Ministry of Education, 2006). 41% of these cohort were teaching in Auckland when this study was conducted (Ministry of Education, 2001, 2003). As only 7% were new to teaching, it is likely that they bring a wealth of teaching experience to New Zealand classrooms. In 2002 New Zealand introduced a new school-leaving qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), which includes a literacy strand in all subjects (Taylor, 2001). This thesis aims to investigate the needs, perceptions and insights of overseas teachers in Auckland regarding the literacy requirements of the New Zealand secondary curriculum. In this qualitative study, interviews were carried out with ten teachers who had been teaching in Auckland between one and six years and who had all previously taught overseas. Interviews were also carried out with two literacy leaders as part of the research. Key challenges that emerged were the incorporation of the NCEA literacy requirements in discipline areas; catering for the needs of students who speak English as a second language; dealing with the challenges of teaching literacy across the curriculum and subject specific language; finding and developing relevant resources and sourcing professional development relating to literacy teaching. Findings revealed there were two categories of teachers – teachers who were very aware of the literacy needs of their students and those who were less aware. Teachers from England and South Africa were very aware of the varied literacy needs of New Zealand students and had received professional development in this area. Other teachers seemed less aware of the literacy demands of their students, the curriculum or their own professional development needs. This study also reveals that recognition and provision for the professional needs of newly arrived teachers from overseas seems to vary. There is very little research on the experiences of immigrant teachers in New Zealand; this study helps to clarify the issues which these teachers face, particularly with regard to the dual challenges of teaching students with ESL and the expectations that all teachers will include literacy in their approach to teaching, which is part of the NCEA curriculum.

Master of Philosophy (Medicine) / Health care evaluation serves the purpose of monitoring the quality of health care provided by Health Care Providers (HCP), so that health care services can be provided most effectively and efficiently. Patient satisfaction studies are widely used to assess the quality of outpatient care. A client satisfaction study was conducted at an HIV health care facility in Sydney, Australia during 2007-2008. There were three objectives: 1.) To validate a questionnaire for future determination of client satisfaction in HIV health care facilities. 2.) To identify the levels of satisfaction of clients, and investigate any dissatisfaction and unmet needs towards HIV health care. 3.) To provide recommendations for improving client satisfaction levels in HIV health care. This research used a mixed method approach and consisted of two phases. The first phase was a quantitative survey conducted with 166 clients (both HIV positive and negative) at Albion Street Centre (ASC) using a newly-devised questionnaire. Clients were asked to answer demographic questions, rate their levels of satisfaction with each aspect and each HCP category, and provide suggestions for improvement. Quantitative statistical analysis was conducted to obtain a general view of client satisfaction levels. Dissatisfaction and unmet needs of clients were then investigated in-depth in the second phase of the research through qualitative face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Twenty-two clients (both HIV positive and negative) at ASC were interviewed individually and asked about their attitudes, perceptions, and experiences towards their HCP and the HIV health care services received. Thematic analysis was used to categorise and interpret the qualitative data. More than 90% of the clients were satisfied with most of the aspects covered in the survey, with a mean overall satisfaction score of 84 out of 100. Clients were most iii satisfied with the “technical quality” and “interpersonal manner” of the HCP, and were least satisfied with “waiting time” and “availability of HCP”. The HCP category with which the clients has the highest level of satisfaction was “nurses” (86%), followed by “psychologists” (84%), then “doctors” (83%). Clients who were HIV negative, had a full time job, visited ASC less frequently, or did not possess any type of Health Care Card were more satisfied with the services overall. No common dissatisfaction or unmet needs towards HIV health care service were identified. “Technical quality of HCP” and “the relationship with HCP” were the two most important determinants of client satisfaction, which outweighed the inconvenience contributed by the poor availability of HCP and the location of ASC. The maintenance of “confidentiality/privacy” was shown to be fundamental in HIV health care facilities. The multi-disciplinary nature of ASC increased the degree of convenience and satisfaction level among clients. Suggestions for improvement in client satisfaction levels include increasing the attractiveness of the physical environment and the variety of educational reading materials in the waiting area; introducing beverages, and encouraging clients to be involved in their treatment decisions. Health care administrative staff in particular are reminded not to neglect the importance of the availability of HCP, accessibility, and physical environment when establishing a new HIV health care facility. The mixed method approach (quantitative survey and qualitative interviews) proved beneficial. It increased the validity of the findings by assessing client satisfaction levels using more than one method. This enabled clarification of ambiguities noted in the initial survey through probes used in the interviews, and also allowed investigation of the determinants of client satisfaction through understanding their experiences in HIV health care. Future client satisfaction studies would benefit from using this approach.

Athletes can be exposed to verbal and mental abuse from their coaches, which can include behaviours such as belittling, humiliation, and psychological stress. This issue is exacerbated by the contention that exists within the literature on how to define verbally and mentally abusive coaching behaviours. The goal of this research is to explore coaches’ personal definitions and views on verbal and mental abuse and ways to address it within the community of elite female volleyball in Manitoba. This qualitative research study triangulates auto-ethnography, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis of both coaching education and policy text sources in force in Manitoba to explore the complexities of verbal and mental abuse in elite sport. This study analyzes consistencies and inconsistencies between the views of elite coaches, coach education text sources and coaching policies, and provides recommendations for addressing verbal and mental abuse in the context of elite female volleyball in Manitoba. / February 2016

A gap exists in the literature regarding the needs, concerns, and overall experiences of Arab American parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Al Khatib, 2017; Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). This study explored the experiences of five Arab American mothers of children with ASD. A qualitative interview approach, utilizing in-depth interviews, was used in order to investigate Arab American parents’ experiences of caring for children with ASD, their cultural beliefs and understandings of their children’s ASD, and their concerns and needs regarding their children. Six themes emerged from the interview data, which offered insight into Arab American parents’ unique experiences of caring for a child with ASD, including (1) parents’ journeys toward the acceptance of the diagnosis of ASD, (2) beliefs about the cause of autism, (3) concerns, (4) needs, (5) coping techniques, and (6) unanticipated positive effects. Findings of this study and aspects related to Arab cultural beliefs with the ASD diagnostic process are discussed in detail, as well as implications of the findings for the field of special education and recommendation for future research.

Syftet med studien är att beskriva tre fiollärares förhållningssätt till musikteori i undervisningen. Detta görs med forskningsfrågorna: Hur definierar fiollärarna begreppet musikteori? Vilka musikteoretiska element erfar fiollärarna att de integrerar i undervisningen?Hur erfar lärarna att de arbetar med musikteori i fiolundervisningen?och Vilka svårigheter förknippar lärarna med fenomenet musikteori i fiolundervisning? Studiens kunskapsteoretiska utgångspunkt är interpretativism och den vetenskapsfilosofiska utgångspunkten fenomenologi. För att uppnå syfte och svara på frågeställningar har semistrukturerade intervjuer gjorts med tre fiollärare. I resultatet beskrivs deras förhållningssätt till musikteori i undervisningen kategoriserade i fyra teman: Fiollärarnas definition av begreppet musikteori, Att arbeta med musikteori i fiolundervisning, Val av musikteoretiskt lektionsinnehåll och Svårigheter med musikteori i fiolundervisningen. I resultatet framkommer många skillnader och olikheter i de intervjuade lärarnas utsagor, men alla berör ämnet notläsning och betonar vikten av att koppla musikteoriundervisning till spel på fiolen. I studiens avslutande kapitel diskuteras resultatet i förhållande till tidigare litteratur och forskning samt till studiens vetenskapsfilosofiska perspektiv fenomenologi. / The purpose of the present study is to describe three violin teachers approach to music theory in teaching. The study has three research questions: How does the violin teachers define the term music theory? What kind of music theory elements do violin teachers experience that they integrate into their teaching? In what way do the teachers experience that they work with music theory in violin education?and What are the music teachers experiences of the phenomenon music theory in violin education?The theoretical foundation of the study is interpretativism and the philosophical perspective is phenomenology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the three violin teachers. In the result, their approach to music theory in violin teaching is categorized into four themes: The violin teachers definitions of music theory, To work with music theory in violin teaching,  choice of music theoretical lesson contentand Difficulties with integrating music theory in violin teaching. The results reveals that there is differences between the teachers' approaches. However, all the teachers reported that they emphasize note acquisition  and the importance of combining music theory with playing the violin. Finally, the results are discussed in relation to previous literature and research, as well as to phenomenological perspectives.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur instrumentallärare i kulturskolan uppfattar och tolkar begreppet förväntningar. I bakgrundskapitlet tas tidigare forskning och litteratur som berör området förväntningar upp.  Som metod användes enskilda semistrukturerade fenomenografiska intervjuer med fem informanter. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är fenomenografi.  Resultatet visar att begreppet förväntningar uppfattas på olika sätt men att det också finns likheter mellan informanternas synsätt. Förmågan att anpassa förväntningarna efter elevens ambition och mål är något som samtliga informanter beskriver. Eftersom uppfattningarna är formade utifrån informanternas levda erfarenhet finns det även variationer i deras sätt att beskriva förväntningarnas påverkan. Erfarenhet ses av informanterna som en viktig del i att lära sig att ha rimliga förväntningar på eleverna. Studien visar även att förmågan att anpassa förväntningarna efter situationen är viktigt för att undanröja hinder i undervisningen. Att inspirera eleverna att själva ta kontrollen över sin utveckling ses också som viktigt och kan påverkas av lärarnas förväntningar enligt informanterna. Avslutningsvis diskuteras delar av resultatet i förhållande till tidigare forskning och litteratur inom området förväntningar. / The purpose of this study is to through the lens of phenomenography explore how instrumental teachers in the Swedish music school perceive the concept of expectations. The background chapter describes previous research and literature in the field of expectations. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were used as the method of analysis and five informants were interviewed. Phenomenography was applied as both the theoretical foundation and analytical tool. The result reveals that the concept of expectations is perceived differently, however with certain similarities as well. The ability to adapt the expectations to the student's ambitions and goals turned out to be pertained by all informants. The informants have different ways of describing the impact of expectations, since they are formed based on the informed experience of the informant. According to the informants, experience is seen as an important and part of learning in terms of having reasonable expectations for the students. Furthermore, the study shows that the ability to adapt expectations to the situation is important in eliminating obstacles in teaching. Inspiring students to take control of their development themselves is also seen as paramount. This can be influenced by the teachers' expectations, according to the informants. In conclusion, key-findings are discussed in relation to previous research and psychological literature on expectations.

The chief aim of this study is to investigate the impact of context on written peer response. A second aim is to explore students’ attitudes towards peer response. The investigation has taken place at an upper secondary school in the south-east of Sweden, involving 20 students in grade 2 and 3 in the course Swedish C. The investigation is based on the students’ comments on their peers’ speech drafts and six qualitative interviews. The material embraces 211 comments, all of which are analysed by use of methods from SFL. The theoretical frame is founded on Grice’s (1975) principle of communication and Brown & Levinson’s (1987) principle of politeness. The investigation shows, among other things, that in the choice between giving effective response (according to the principle of communication), or giving response that maintain the social balance (according to the principle of politeness), the students in general choose the latter. This is reflected in the results of the linguistic analysis and confirmed in the six interviews.

The use of social media and its accessibility through smartphones is becoming a more and more researched topic in the field of ICT. In relation to this, the current study attempts to shed light on the general use of social media, Facebook in particular, by youth in Danish context and pays attention to how the accessibility to this media through smartphones affects the interaction between individuals when being together. The research finishes with three conceptual models which goal is to provide future design implications of the studied ICTs in a way that closer meets the user needs and requirements. The models are – one related to Facebook, one general application, and one related to supporting many-to-many communication. The study is of interpretative nature, based on qualitative research approach with a main method for data collection being qualitative semi-structured interviews. There were 8 interviews performed – 3 with students at a secondary school in Odense, Denmark, and the rest with students at the university in the same town. In this way an understanding of the use patterns and issues experienced by the different age groups was attempted. Furthermore, the study contributes with findings to certain discrepancies identified in the current literature, such as the need for context-aware devices, type of friends on Facebook and others. Finally, due to the limited source for data collection, the thesis does not claim for generalizability, but it should be viewed as a small contribution to the studies related to Facebook, particularly applicable within a Danish context.

Abstract Title: Coach, vän eller både och? – en kvalitativ studie om coachning inom arbetslivet Authors: Jonas Näslund & David Öhrling Tutors: Ulla Moberg & Larsåke Larsson Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to examine how coaching in working life serves, aiming to find what influences the interaction between coach and client. To seek to answer the purpose we raised a number of research questions which discussed, among other the coach's intentions and the parties' relationship. Theories This thesis is based on a number of different theories, where the Leader-member Exchange Theory is considered the main theory. LMX is used when studying the relationship between a manager and an employee. Other theories used in this thesis are for example the Social exchange theory and one-on-one-coaching. Method The methods used in this thesis are semi-structured interviews, observations and recordings of coaching sessions. The interviews were conducted before and after three different coaching sessions. The participants were one coach and three clients, who all work at Tele Coaching, a company which offers manager and employee coaching. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed using a content analysis. Results The result shows that there is a difficult balance between the coach’s role as an expert and as a colleague and friend. How well the coach manages to handle this balance is crucial for the outcome of the coaching session. A strong relationship between coach and client can affect the coach’s possibilities to communicate a message to the client. The coach may withhold feedback, which he or she normally wouldn’t, in fear of damaging the relationship. Another risk is that the client doesn’t see the coach as an authoritarian. To prevent these risks we suggest that an external coach should be used when possible. Keywords Coaching, Leader-member Exchange theory, Qualitative interviews, Relationship, Coach, Client, Positioning, Communication.

Vehicles searching for on-street parking create environmental and economic externalities through increasing network traffic flow and congestion, heightening pollutant emission levels, creating additional noise, giving rise to time delays for through vehicles, and leading to potential safety hazards caused by vehicles manoeuvring into or out of on-street spaces. Despite extensive negative impacts on individual drivers and on society, parking search is an under-researched area, particularly in more recent years and within the UK. Furthermore, current statistical modelling techniques applied to parking search time have not utilised a more comprehensive analysis in which hierarchically structured data on multiple levels could be addressed. The aim of this thesis, therefore, is to investigate and compare the factors that influence drivers urban on-street parking search time and its policy implications. A mixed methods approach was applied that comprised qualitative interviews conducted with local government authority Council Officers and a quantitative revealed preference on-street parking survey (sample size, 1,002 observations) undertaken in four cities in the East Midlands region of the UK in order to obtain individual driver-level socio-economic and other parking related factors that may influence parking search time. Statistically significant variables for each of the cities were identified by employing separate linear regression models. A multilevel mixed-effects model in which drivers (Level 1) are nested within streets (Level 2) was then applied to the pooled dataset. Significant factors in the multilevel (street level) model were identified as: time of arrival at a parking place (for which every time period after the 07:00-07:59 reference case indicated increased search time); parking habit; parking tariff; the number of parking places previously visited (on the same trip); trip time from origin to parking place; area type; trip purpose; weather; vehicle type; and walking time from a parking place to a destination. Comparison of the factors that influence parking search time revealed important differences in statistically significant variables and coefficient values between the single-level and multilevel regression modelling approaches. Policy recommendations based upon the findings of the parking survey, modelling analysis, and further interviews conducted with local authority Council Officers, focus around time of arrival at a parking place, area type, parking charges and the potential technological advances that, if implemented, could have a considerable effect on parking search times within urban areas. Robust data collection and subsequent monitoring of parking search activity within each city should be undertaken in order to provide an evidence base which would support the introduction of future policy measures to reduce parking search activity.