Rural West Virginia has a very high percentage of older adults. The age-related disease of Alzheimer’s threatens the health of older Appalachians, yet research on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in this population is scarce. In order to improve screening rates for cognitive impairment, Appalachians need to understand their vulnerability. The first step would be to assess their knowledge about AD but a suitable AD knowledge test has not been developed. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a new measure of knowledge about AD that is culturally congruent, and to examine factors that may predict AD knowledge in this rural population. A correlational descriptive study was conducted with 240 participants from four samples of older adults in south central rural Appalachian West Virginia using surveys and face-to-face interviews. Results from tests for stability, reliability including Rasch modeling, discrimination and point biserial indices, and concurrent, divergent, and construct validity were favorable. Findings were that although more diversity in test item difficulty is needed, the test discriminated well between persons with higher and lower levels of education [F(2, 226) = 170.51, p = .001]. Using multiple regression, the predictors of AD knowledge included caregiver status, miles from a healthcare provider, gender, and education; (R2=.05, F(4,187) = 2.65, p =. 04). Only years of education accounted for a significant proportion of unique variance in predicting the total BKAD score (t = 2.14, p =. 03). Implications include the need for further tool refinement, testing for health literacy, coordination with recent statewide efforts to educate the public regarding AD, and community based participatory research in designing culturally effective education programs that will ultimately increase screening and detection of Alzheimer’s disease in rural populations. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

Public administration addresses issues that competing and aligning groups determine to be meaningful enough to address. However, there seems to be no shared universally objective ways of remedying anything. Everything is up for argument. Additionally, attempting to solve one set of problems often creates other connected problems and/or unintended consequences. So, public work ever [sic] never ends. This dissertation's purpose was to contribute a new theoretical understanding of the experience and practice of public administration. Its research addressed if and how a grounded existential theoretical framework could emerge that would help practitioners and scholars understand and describe public administrative efforts and experiences. Currently, there is no existential theory of public administration. This dissertation sought to initiate work in that direction. This dissertation employed a grounded theory methodology to collect information from Senior Executive Service (SES) members, to analyze the information for emerging concepts and theoretical relevance through constant comparison, and to discover/construct a theoretical framework for understanding public administrative efforts and experiences. "The grounded theory approach is a general methodology of analysis linked with data collection that uses a systematically applied set of methods to generate an inductive theory about a substantive area" (Glaser, 1992, p. 16). / This dissertation identified the emergence of three categories/themes that organized what the SES members were saying, doing, and perceiving. These categories include "the environment," "the work," and "the individual." The core category/theme, "the Sisyphusian predicament," theoretically unifies these categories/themes through a metaphorical application of existential concepts. It describes the issues administrators experience (never-endingness, boundedness, and finitude in the face of infinitude (managing the scope and scale of one's intentions; generating and authoring relevance, significance, and meaning; and the choice for metaphysical revolt/ microemancipation). There are scholarly and practicable applications of this framework. This dissertation contributes exploratory work towards developing a new theoretical alternative within public administration. It provides an alternative approach for viewing and understanding organizational processes within public organizations. Additionally, an existential approach facilitates a plurality of competing schools of thought wherein administrators can select approaches to decision making and acting on the basis of context and utility. / by T. Lucas Hollar. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Effective decision support plays vital roles in people's daily life, as well as for professional practitioners such as health care providers. Without correct information and timely derived knowledge, a decision is often suboptimal and may result in signi cant nancial loss or compromises of the performance. In this dissertation, we study text mining and topic modeling and propose to use text mining methods, in combination with topic models, to discover knowledge from texts popularly available from a wide variety of sources, such as research publications, news, medical diagnose notes, and further employ discovered knowledge to assist social and medical decision support. Examples of such decisions include hospital patient readmission prediction, which is a national initiative for health care cost reduction, academic research topics discovery and trend modeling, and social preference modeling for friend recommendation in social networks etc. To carry out text mining, our research, in Chapter 3, first emphasizes on single document analyzing to investigate textual stylometric features for user pro ling and recognition. Our research confirms that by using properly designed features, it is possible to identify the authors who wrote the article, using a number of sample articles written by the author as the training data. This study serves as the base to assert that text mining is a powerful tool for capturing knowledge in texts for better decision making. In the Chapter 4, we advance our research from single documents to documents with interdependency relationships, and propose to model and predict citation relationship between documents. Given a collection of documents with known linkage relationships, our research will discover e ective features to train prediction models, and predict the likelihood of two documents involving a citation relationships. This study will help accurately model social network linkage relationships, and can be used to assist e ective decision making for friend recommendation in social networking, and reference recommendation in scienti c writing etc. In the Chapter 5, we advance a topic discovery and trend prediction principle to discover meaningful topics from a set of data collection, and further model the evolution trend of the topic. By proposing techniques to discover topics from text, and using temporal correlation between trend for prediction, our techniques can be used to summarize a large collection of documents as meaningful topics, and further forecast the popularity of the topic in a near future. This study can help design systems to discover popular topics in social media, and further assist resource planning and scheduling based on the discovered topics and the their evolution trend. In the Chapter 6, we employ both text mining and topic modeling to the medical domain for effective decision making. The goal is to discover knowledge from medical notes to predict the risk of a patient being re-admitted in a near future. Our research emphasizes on the challenge that re-admitted patients are only a small portion of the patient population, although they bring signficant financial loss. As a result, the datasets are highly imbalanced which often result in poor accuracy for decision making. Our research will propose to use latent topic modeling to carryout localized sampling, and combine models trained from multiple copies of sampled data for accurate prediction. This study can be directly used to assist hospital re-admission assessment for early warning and decision support. The text mining and topic modeling techniques investigated in the dissertation can be applied to many other domains, involving texts and social relationships, towards pattern and knowledge based e ective decision making. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Patients who are hospitalized and are without voice would like to participate in their care. This requires clear communication. Speak for Myself™ (SFM) was developed for use at the bedside so that communication may be facilitated between patient and nurse when the patient is voiceless. The objective of this study was to evaluate Speak for Myself™ at the bedside and to measure the outcomes. This was a mixed methods, one group pre-test-post-test, quasi-experimental study. Twenty adult patients in three hospitals in South Florida agreed to use Speak for Myself™ during their acute care hospital stay (M = 8.86 hours). This group of participants (n = 20) ranged from 45 to 91 years old (males = 14; females = 6). Of the participants, 15 (75%) self-identified as European American, 2 (10%) self-identified as Hispanic, 2 (10%) self-identified as African American, and 1 (5%) self-identified as Asian. Ten of the participants (50%) were in respiratory failure. Two (10%) were receiving oxygenation measures related to unspecified complications of their illnesses. Of the remaining eight participants (40%), one each was receiving oxygenation measures due to atrial fibrillation, arteriosclerotic heart disease, cardiogenic shock, endocarditis, neck abscess, renal failure, status post seizure activity, and tongue metastasis. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-08-17T13:19:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosa Lídia da Silva.pdf: 47760667 bytes, checksum: d80910ea86dadb29eb499036da193a43 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T13:19:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosa Lídia da Silva.pdf: 47760667 bytes, checksum: d80910ea86dadb29eb499036da193a43 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-28 / This dissertation is inserted in the Research Line: Text and speech in the oral and written modalities of the Program of Postgraduate Studies in Portuguese Language. It is the study of a model whose purpose is to guide the writing process of the didactic unit document, by teachers authors or experts in the disciplines. We use the nomenclature didactic unit as a series of teaching and learning activities assembled and organized for learning purposes (LIBÂNEO; FREITAS, [2009]). This model, named didactic unit template, is built with the components of a didactic unit, and may contain autoforming features, which facilitate the production of the final document, even by less experienced authors. Our main objective was to better understand the template, its composition and socio-rhetorical organization, to reflect if and in what way it affects the quality of the material it supports, contributing to the teaching and learning process. We use as theoretical foundation the socio-rhetorical studies of gender. The authors consulted were Swales (1990; 2004); Miller (1984, 2014); Bhatia (1993, 2001, 2012); Bazerman (2000); Bazerman and Miller (2011); Aguiar (2011); Biasi-Rodrigues and Bezerra (2012); Campos (2014); Crescitelli and Campos (2015) and Motta-Roth (1998; 2004). Being restricted the access to templates, for reasons of copyright, we began our study by textbooks, in view of being a type of text whose components are included in didactic units and for having their use recognized in the support of educational activities. We analysed ten books and, of these, we selected two to present the more detailed analysis. Having obtained a template of allowed use, named as Template COL, we were able to analyse it and reproduce it here. This model was created by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), an international organization supporting education, especially in less developed countries. For a second example, we describe the items of a didactic unit template, based on our experience working with this type of model. In these models, we identify rhetorical moves and steps, according to Swales' (1990) CARS Model, to better understand the organization and interrelationship of its elements. In the course of research, we have a contact with a case study of a researcher active in the development of education in Namibia (FRÖHLICH, 2008), which shows the practical use of the template to support authors, even with less experience. The contact with the Template COL and the reality in which it is used has shown us that – in addition to helping in the quality of the final document, as we have seen previously because of our professional experience – the application of templates can be a valuable resource, including in less favored regions. Analysis by socio-rhetorical principles allowed us to see the text through more than one approach, considering its objectives, its functioning and the people affected by it. For us, it has been evident that the careful planning of the didactic unit and the construction of its final document in an organized way are important so that it fulfills its purpose with students and teachers. In this composition, the author can be aided by the template, which also requires planning and constitutes a tool to support the preparation of documents for educational purposes / Esta dissertação insere-se na Linha de Pesquisa: Texto e discurso nas modalidades oral e escrita do Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Língua Portuguesa. Trata-se do estudo de um modelo cuja finalidade é guiar o processo de escrita do documento unidade didática, por autores professores ou especialistas nas disciplinas. Empregamos a nomenclatura unidade didática como sendo uma série de atividades de ensino e aprendizagem reunidas e organizadas com propósitos de aprendizagem (LIBÂNEO; FREITAS, [2009]). Esse modelo, nomeado template de unidade didática, é construído com os componentes de uma unidade didática, podendo conter recursos de autoformatação, que facilitam a produção do documento final, mesmo por autores menos experientes. Nosso objetivo principal foi conhecer melhor o template, sua composição e organização sociorretórica, para refletir se e de que maneira ele afeta a qualidade do material a que dá suporte, contribuindo com o processo de ensino e aprendizagem. Utilizamos como fundamentação teórica os estudos sociorretóricos de gênero. Os autores consultados foram Swales (1990; 2004); Miller (1984; 2015); Bhatia (1993; 2001; 2012); Bazerman (2000); Bazerman e Miller (2011); Aguiar (2011); Biasi-Rodrigues e Bezerra (2012); Crescitelli e Campos (2015) e Motta-Roth (1998; 2004). Sendo restrito o acesso a templates, por questões autorais, iniciamos nosso estudo por livros didáticos, tendo em vista serem um tipo de texto cujos componentes figuram em unidades didáticas e por terem seu uso consagrado no apoio a atividades educacionais. Analisamos dez livros e, desses, selecionamos dois para apresentar a análise mais detalhada. Tendo obtido um template de uso permitido, nomeado como Template COL, pudemos analisá-lo e reproduzi-lo aqui. Esse modelo foi criado pela Commonwealth of Learning (COL), organização internacional de apoio à educação, principalmente em países menos desenvolvidos. Para uma segunda exemplificação, descrevemos os itens de um template de unidade didática, baseadas em nossa experiência de trabalho com esse tipo de modelo. Identificamos, nesses modelos, os movimentos retóricos e passos, conforme o Modelo CARS, de Swales (1990), para entender melhor a organização e a inter-relação de seus elementos. No percurso de pesquisa, conhecemos um estudo de caso de uma pesquisadora atuante no desenvolvimento da educação na Namíbia (Fröhlich, 2008), que evidencia a utilidade prática do template para apoiar autores, mesmo com menor experiência. O contato com o Template COL e com a realidade em que é utilizado mostrou-nos que – além de auxiliar na qualidade do documento final, como já havíamos constatado anteriormente em razão de nossa experiência profissional – a aplicação de templates pode ser um valioso recurso, inclusive em regiões menos favorecidas. A análise por princípios sociorretóricos permitiu-nos ver o texto por mais de um enfoque, considerando seus objetivos, seu funcionamento e as pessoas que por ele são afetadas. Evidenciou-se, para nós, ser relevante o planejamento criterioso da unidade didática e a construção de seu documento final de maneira organizada, para que cumpra seu propósito junto a estudantes e professores. Nessa composição, o autor pode ser auxiliado pelo template, que requer, igualmente, planejamento e constitui uma ferramenta de apoio à elaboração de documentos com fins didáticos

Significant changes in demographics, including a growing ageing population and a larger number of people with disabilities, have made inclusive design an increasingly relevant notion in the design of products, services, and environments. However, there is considerable concern that the concept of inclusive design is rather limited in its current definition and applications and has not yet been thoroughly applied. This is possibly due to the conventional understanding and application of inclusive design, mainly rooted in and focused on physical aspects of inclusion, such as accessibility, usefulness, and usability. This limited focus has led various voices in design academia and industry to speak of the need for further consideration of the psychological and social aspects of inclusive design as the next step to facilitate inclusive design, and make impact. In this research, inclusivity on psychological and social levels, is referred to as "psychosocial inclusivity". The concept of psychosocial inclusivity, including a clear definition thereof and its application, is rather limited in the existing literature. Therefore, this PhD research aims to further explore this concept by establishing a clear definition and the dimensions thereof. In order to achieve this, an initial definition and dimensions of the psychosocial inclusivity in design are established through a critical review of existing literature from both social science and design perspectives. The initial definition and dimensions are then developed, refined, and evaluated through four empirical studies: the Delphi study (expert survey); field study I (ethnographic interviews with mobility scheme users); field study II (ethnographic interviews, creative workshop, and observation of older individuals); and an evaluation study (online survey of design academics and professionals). These studies have been designed based on a triangulation approach in order to enhance the reliability and validity of the outcomes. At the end of this research, the definition and dimensions for psychosocial inclusivity in design (Cognitive, Emotional, Social, and Value dimensions) are proposed. The outcomes of this research can enhance the understanding and knowledge of the concept of psychosocial inclusivity in design. Also, the definition and dimensions can be used by design academics and professionals or third parties to consider psychosocial aspects. The dimensions also can be developed as a complete set of framework or toolkit through further research.

Submitted by Elba Lopes (elba.lopes@fecap.br) on 2017-09-20T14:38:48Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Simone Ferreira e Silva.pdf: 1191981 bytes, checksum: 7ad61f8339d058f729c68691353fd8b7 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-20T14:38:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Simone Ferreira e Silva.pdf: 1191981 bytes, checksum: 7ad61f8339d058f729c68691353fd8b7 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-30 / The purpose of this research was to analyze the structure of the social network of the scientific production in four publications in the English language in Behavioral Finance in the period of 2011 to 2015. To achieve this purpose, bibliometric and sociometric studies were conducted based on 261 articles from the EBSCOHost data base which contained the expressions: behavior (including variations like behavior, behavioral, behavioural), limits to (of) arbitrage, cognitive biases, overconfidence, optimism, catering, market timing and prospect theory in the titles, key-words or abstracts. Afterwards, it was performed a bibliometric analysis of the most prolific and cited researchers and institutions, the social network they belong to, the indexes of density, the centrality of degree and betweeness, the centralization, closeness and structural holes. The social network analysis indexes made it possible to point Goetzmann as the author of the central positioning in the network, nevertheless there is no researchers elite in Behavioral Finance in periodicals and period studied. As for the institutions, the elite does exist and is made up by actors with relevant position in the network, mainly the Center of Economic Policy Research and The National Buereu of Economic Research. The results of this research may contribute to the development of the scientific production in Behavioral Finance both national and international, and benefit all who direct or indirectly are related to this field, either academic or professional. / Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar a estrutura da rede social formada pela produ????o cient??fica em quatro publica????es em l??ngua inglesa na ??rea de Finan??as Comportamentais no per??odo de 2011 a 2015. Para atingi-lo, foi realizado um estudo bibliom??trico e sociom??trico com 261 artigos da base de dados EBSCOHost que continham as express??es: behavior (incluindo varia????es como behaviour, behavioral, behavioural), limits to (of) arbitrage, cognitive biases, overconfidence, optimism, catering, market timing e prospect theory em seus t??tulos, palavras-chave ou resumos. Posteriormente, procedeu-se ?? an??lise bibliom??trica de pesquisadores e institui????es mais prol??ficos e citados, das redes sociais por eles formadas e dos ??ndices de densidade, centralidade de grau e de intermedia????o, centraliza????o, proximidade e lacunas estruturais. Os ??ndices da an??lise de redes sociais permitiram apontar Goetzmann como autor de posicionamento central na rede, por??m n??o existe uma elite de pesquisadores em Finan??as Comportamentais nos peri??dicos e per??odo delimitado. J?? quanto ??s institui????es, a elite existe e ?? formada por atores com posi????o relevante na rede, principalmente o Centre of Economic Policy Research e a The National Bureau of Economic Research. Os resultados desta pesquisa poder??o contribuir para o desenvolvimento da ??rea da produ????o cient??fica em Finan??as Comportamentais nacional e internacional, al??m de beneficiar todos que, direta ou indiretamente, relacionam-se com esse campo, nos ??mbitos tanto acad??mico quanto profissional.

"Why are you researching us?" ... "Are you a spy?"..."Are you taping right now?" asked children at the ‘Community School,' in those first moments of this qualitative study. This thesis contributes to the growing body of social research in the field of early childhood education, viewing children as capable and competent meaning makers, engaging their input as ‘agentive researchers,’ and reconceptualizing research methodology, play theory, and early childhood teaching practice. Changing contexts of 21st century childhoods, as well as new theories regarding literacy and meaning making, prompted this research involving a reconceptualization of play and its value, within the context of multiliteracies theories and holistic education. This process of reconceptualization was informed by observation (playscapes, places, props, plots, partners and practices) of boys at play considering their meaning-making processes. Through participant observation in a full-day Kindergarten, play episodes were documented (i.e., digital videography, photography, audio recording, field notes, collection of artifacts) and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Three broad themes emerged. First, physical and social aspects of the Classroom Play Environment were found to be influential in creating conditions for play, influencing the quality of engagement and learning. Ample time, space, freedom of movement, and access to plentiful creative materials were important in children’s active play and meaning making processes. Common behavourist classroom management techniques were avoided in favour of social constructivist approaches, which promoted children’s self-regulation with an aim to recognize and foster their sense of agency, and support emergent play-literacy practices (Hill & Nichols, 2006). Second, children’s explanations regarding the source and inspiration of play themes and interests prompted a reconsideration of ‘spontaneity’ as foundational to a Definition of Play. Defining play processes as “multiliteracies”, and play episodes as “text”, play ideas were found to be intertextually linked to multiple texts including picture books, multimedia, and iconic texts. Third, Boys' Play was observed to involve much movement combined with rough and tumble, pretend, construction, and word play, prompting a re-consideration of ‘narrative’ within the context of play and literacy research literature. As well, boys inquired about gendered play objects and identities in complex and personal ways. This digital thesis document utilized a multimodal design, embedding visual and audio text, creating a new multimodal thesis form with an aim toward considering all modes of meaning making as equal, rather than emphasizing or privileging print text (Jewitt & Kress, 2003).

The Ph.D. dissertation encompasses an interdisciplinary study exploring qualitative, holistic strategies for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in integrated areas of law, medicine, education, psychology and justice, through both inductive analysis of field research as well as through relevant documentary analysis, incorporating a global or comparative component. Compliance with Guidelines for Research Involving Aboriginal Peoples has been sustained through community partnerships with various First Nations and Métis Communities, Elders and Parents, as well as with an FASD Parental Advocacy Group, advised by a team of interdisciplinary researchers in the academy. Accordingly, emergent research protocols were co-constructed through ongoing collaboration with the various community partners. In Aboriginal research, it is essential not to parachute in and out of communities with the data, but rather to forge genuine, collaborative, long term partnerships, and to build capacity in those communities.<p> The dissertation format approved by the Student Advisory Committee is Manuscript Style, a format approved by the University of Saskatchewans College of Graduate Studies and Research (formerly referred to as X-Format) similar to a self-edited book or collection of articles with introduction, sub-text, intra-text and general discussion to link the manuscripts. The various manuscripts comprising the present thesis include:<p> 1.Framing the Research Anthology: A Vision Quest, Ékehohksimoht Ke-kiss-see Muya<p> Section One situates the research style, process, approach, substance and rationale of the dissertation. It is largely situated within holistic Indigenous epistemologies, which may require a paradigm shift, in contrast to more bounded western world views.<p> Interdisciplinary, holistic, community-based research on the topic of FASD, including a search for solutions, extends globally, across the lifespan, and across sectors.<p> II. Indigenous Disadvantage and Despair, An Evaluation of Recent Strategies and Alternatives: Healing and Transformation, Pluralism and Reconciliation, Ne wah kuma ka tik<p> Section Two explores historical and contextual factors leading to a high prevalence of FASD, as well as strategies to overcome disadvantage, including Reconciliation, Treaty Processes, and Research as Reconciliation. Local Narratives are privileged over Meta-narratives, to counter the power of global market forces usurping the sphere of family, community and culture.<p> III. Disjunctures and Discontinuities in the Law of Mental Intent: FASD as a Site of Resistance and Transformation, Esquiskuit<p> Section Three examines the disconnect between medical knowledge of FASD, on the one hand, and the Laws of Mental Intent, on the other, inspiring a search for a unified, integrated theory of mental disorder and criminal responsibility that takes into account modern neurocognitive conditions like FASD. Section Three further explores the present piecemeal and compartmentalized rules for fitness, responsibility, various levels of mental intent, and a resultant rationale, substance and process of law reform and systemic change.<p> IV. FASD and Holistic Literacies: A Talking or Sharing Circle, Wa-sa-cam-e-be-ke-skue<p> Section Fours inductive themes comprise model practice guidelines for the gestalt of Literacy and FASD, derived from inductive analysis of qualitative data collected in the field research. The data was collected using Sharing Circles with Aboriginal Elders, Parents, and Mentors of Individuals with FASD; Conversational Interviews with Parents and Children with FASD; as well as Interviews and Focus Groups with various Professionals who support individuals with FASD and their Families. Special protocols were followed in creating and participating in the Indigenous Research, Sharing Circles and Conversational Interviews. Meta-paradigmatic analysis situates Indigenous Research Methodologies among emerging, multi-disciplinary, inductive methodologies suitable for understanding the infinite complexity of natural phenomena, such as FASD.<p> V. Epilogue: An Honour Song, Kethou-ne-ka-mon<p> Circles of healing, transformation and reconciliation heal wounds, reconcile differences, and transform paradigms of justice, health, education and governance, through the incorporation of models of equitable, holistic relationships with one another and with Mother Earth. Multidisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives, dialogues between local and global, and particular and universal, become matrices to support new paradigms embodying broader reflections of reality.

The Ph.D. dissertation encompasses an interdisciplinary study exploring qualitative, holistic strategies for individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in integrated areas of law, medicine, education, psychology and justice, through both inductive analysis of field research as well as through relevant documentary analysis, incorporating a global or comparative component. Compliance with Guidelines for Research Involving Aboriginal Peoples has been sustained through community partnerships with various First Nations and Métis Communities, Elders and Parents, as well as with an FASD Parental Advocacy Group, advised by a team of interdisciplinary researchers in the academy. Accordingly, emergent research protocols were co-constructed through ongoing collaboration with the various community partners. In Aboriginal research, it is essential not to parachute in and out of communities with the data, but rather to forge genuine, collaborative, long term partnerships, and to build capacity in those communities.<p> The dissertation format approved by the Student Advisory Committee is Manuscript Style, a format approved by the University of Saskatchewans College of Graduate Studies and Research (formerly referred to as X-Format) similar to a self-edited book or collection of articles with introduction, sub-text, intra-text and general discussion to link the manuscripts. The various manuscripts comprising the present thesis include:<p> 1.Framing the Research Anthology: A Vision Quest, Ékehohksimoht Ke-kiss-see Muya<p> Section One situates the research style, process, approach, substance and rationale of the dissertation. It is largely situated within holistic Indigenous epistemologies, which may require a paradigm shift, in contrast to more bounded western world views.<p> Interdisciplinary, holistic, community-based research on the topic of FASD, including a search for solutions, extends globally, across the lifespan, and across sectors.<p> II. Indigenous Disadvantage and Despair, An Evaluation of Recent Strategies and Alternatives: Healing and Transformation, Pluralism and Reconciliation, Ne wah kuma ka tik<p> Section Two explores historical and contextual factors leading to a high prevalence of FASD, as well as strategies to overcome disadvantage, including Reconciliation, Treaty Processes, and Research as Reconciliation. Local Narratives are privileged over Meta-narratives, to counter the power of global market forces usurping the sphere of family, community and culture.<p> III. Disjunctures and Discontinuities in the Law of Mental Intent: FASD as a Site of Resistance and Transformation, Esquiskuit<p> Section Three examines the disconnect between medical knowledge of FASD, on the one hand, and the Laws of Mental Intent, on the other, inspiring a search for a unified, integrated theory of mental disorder and criminal responsibility that takes into account modern neurocognitive conditions like FASD. Section Three further explores the present piecemeal and compartmentalized rules for fitness, responsibility, various levels of mental intent, and a resultant rationale, substance and process of law reform and systemic change.<p> IV. FASD and Holistic Literacies: A Talking or Sharing Circle, Wa-sa-cam-e-be-ke-skue<p> Section Fours inductive themes comprise model practice guidelines for the gestalt of Literacy and FASD, derived from inductive analysis of qualitative data collected in the field research. The data was collected using Sharing Circles with Aboriginal Elders, Parents, and Mentors of Individuals with FASD; Conversational Interviews with Parents and Children with FASD; as well as Interviews and Focus Groups with various Professionals who support individuals with FASD and their Families. Special protocols were followed in creating and participating in the Indigenous Research, Sharing Circles and Conversational Interviews. Meta-paradigmatic analysis situates Indigenous Research Methodologies among emerging, multi-disciplinary, inductive methodologies suitable for understanding the infinite complexity of natural phenomena, such as FASD.<p> V. Epilogue: An Honour Song, Kethou-ne-ka-mon<p> Circles of healing, transformation and reconciliation heal wounds, reconcile differences, and transform paradigms of justice, health, education and governance, through the incorporation of models of equitable, holistic relationships with one another and with Mother Earth. Multidisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives, dialogues between local and global, and particular and universal, become matrices to support new paradigms embodying broader reflections of reality.