Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

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published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis describes a research study that examined how collaborative reflective practice with three staff members in a middle years school affected their psychological constructs of what constitutes a good school. Using an action research design, the study made use of personal construct psychology and the methodology of repertory grid technique. Repertory grid results were analyzed using methods developed from personal construct theory (cluster analysis, principal components analysis and messy change grid analysis). This permitted insight into the nature and processes of changes that occurred. These processes were examined in light of Leithwood’s work on teacher development and Fullan’s thoughts on educational change. Using these models as an analytical framework, an evaluation was made of the potential uses and value of repertory grid technique in middle schools. The technique aligns well with the Leithwood and Fullan models and has notable benefits and advantages to offer the field of educational leadership.

This thesis describes a research study that examined how collaborative reflective practice with three staff members in a middle years school affected their psychological constructs of what constitutes a good school. Using an action research design, the study made use of personal construct psychology and the methodology of repertory grid technique. Repertory grid results were analyzed using methods developed from personal construct theory (cluster analysis, principal components analysis and messy change grid analysis). This permitted insight into the nature and processes of changes that occurred. These processes were examined in light of Leithwood’s work on teacher development and Fullan’s thoughts on educational change. Using these models as an analytical framework, an evaluation was made of the potential uses and value of repertory grid technique in middle schools. The technique aligns well with the Leithwood and Fullan models and has notable benefits and advantages to offer the field of educational leadership.

This thesis concerns the use of repertory grids to examine personal and professional development (PPD) during professional training programmes. Paper one consists of a systematic review of 11 repertory grid studies of people undergoing training in human services professions. The findings suggest that professional socialisation occurred in line with the aims of training programmes but was an idiosyncratic, non-linear process which continued post-qualification. Trainees' thinking style became more abstract, less polarised and more cognitively complex. Implications for people training in human services professions and training providers are discussed and suggestions for improved future research are provided. Paper two reports a repertory grid study examining 26 third-year trainee clinical psychologists' construal of their PPD. The findings suggest that trainees' personal and professional selves were construed to be similar to each other. Trainees reported feeling anxious, stressed, unsettled and lacking an appropriate work-life balance. These difficulties were attributed to the demands of training and were expected to resolve once training was completed. Suggestions for future research with improved methodology are made and the implications of the findings for trainees, training providers and employers of newly qualified clinical psychologists are given. Paper three provides a critical reflection of the thesis; discussing the strengths and limitations of each of the papers and concluding with the author's personal reflections on the process of the research and her own PPD.

Abstract not available

<p>Studiens syfte var att undersöka möjligheterna att använda intervjutekniken Repertory Grid Technique (RGT) som utvärderingsteknik för att utvärdera User Experience (UX) på distans. Detta gjordes genom att de föreställningar som en handledarstödd utvärdering resulterade i jämfördes med det resultat som uppnåddes genom en webbaserad variant av samma utvärdering. Studiens resultat visade på en svårighet för respondenterna i den webbaserade utvärderingen att formulera föreställningar som går att använda för analys av en produkts UX. Diskussionen pekar på en tänkbar lösning i form av förstudier som utförs med en mindre grupp av respondenter för att på detta sätt hjälpa utvärderarna att skapa sig en referensram att använda vid tolkningen av de föreställningar som sedan kan samlas in under en webbaserad utvärdering. Studien syftade även till att jämföra vilka aspekter kopplade till UX som utvärderingarna genererade, samtliga av dessa kopplades till subjektiva eller produktrelaterade aspekter.</p>

Colour is a basic aspect of perception and the perception of colour varies from individual to individual. This indicates that the perception of colours mean different semantics in various contexts to different individuals. Therefore, these differences in perception forms to behave in different attitudes towards colours among individuals and it is likely to achieve different attitudinal responses to colours from individuals. Relying on the effects of colours on individuals, the initial interest of this thesis is to explore the attitudinal approaches of individuals to colours. This thesis is first and foremost exploratory in nature. This thesis intended as a first step towards exploring the ways in which the individuals think of, construe and give meaning to colours in their own words. The subjective approach proposed in terms of this thesis is based on the underlying philosophy behind Personal Construct Theory (PCT). In order to elicit the individuals&rsquo / ways of construing and giving meaning to colours in their own words, an experiment was conducted with the utilisation of the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT). Sixty undergraduate students of Middle East Technical University (METU) Faculty of Architecture were voluntarily participated in the experiment. As a stimuli, eleven basic colours which were black, grey, white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, brown, blue and green were utilised. For the second step, this thesis intended investigating the structure and interrelations between the elicited attitudes of individuals and eleven basic colours. As a result of the experiment, 60 repertory grids were elicited and were analysed by using the qualitative and quantitative applications of content analysis. The resulted data afterwards were analysed by using multivariate statistical analysis methods. The overall results of this research can support certain information for further scientific investigations on colour perception and colour psychology. Additionally, the results of this research can help and guide designers to attain objective understandings about the individuals&rsquo / attitudes to colours. This can contribute to designers as a practical worthwhile during colour design and colour planning in their products and services.

Colour is a basic aspect of perception and the perception of colour varies from individual to individual. This indicates that the perception of colours mean different semantics in various contexts to different individuals. Therefore, these differences in perception forms to behave in different attitudes towards colours among individuals and it is likely to achieve different attitudinal responses to colours from individuals. Relying on the effects of colours on individuals, the initial interest of this thesis is to explore the attitudinal approaches of individuals to colours. This thesis is first and foremost exploratory in nature. This thesis intended as a first step towards exploring the ways in which the individuals think of, construe and give meaning to colours in their own words. The subjective approach proposed in terms of this thesis is based on the underlying philosophy behind Personal Construct Theory (PCT). In order to elicit the individuals&rsquo / ways of construing and giving meaning to colours in their own words, an experiment was conducted with the utilisation of the Repertory Grid Technique (RGT). Sixty undergraduate students of Middle East Technical University (METU) Faculty of Architecture were voluntarily participated in the experiment. As a stimuli, eleven basic colours which were black, grey, white, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, brown, blue and green were utilised. For the second step, this thesis intended investigating the structure and interrelations between the elicited attitudes of individuals and eleven basic colours. As a result of the experiment, 60 repertory grids were elicited and were analysed by using the qualitative and quantitative applications of content analysis. The resulted data afterwards were analysed by using multivariate statistical analysis methods. The overall results of this research can support certain information for further scientific investigations on colour perception and colour psychology. Additionally, the results of this research can help and guide designers to attain objective understandings about the individuals&rsquo / attitudes to colours. This can contribute to designers as a practical worthwhile during colour design and colour planning in their products and services.