Friendship matters. Practical support, caring, moral guidance, enjoyment, improved health and greater life expectancy are but a few of its benefits. Despite living in a stigmatizing social environment where isolation is common among disabled youth, some disabled teens establish strong friendships. A nuanced understanding of these meaningful friendships from the perspective of disabled teens was constructed through this qualitative study. Teens aged 15 to 20 who self-identified as experiencing stigma due to disability were recruited from urban, suburban and rural areas of Nova Scotia, Canada. Each teen was involved in a friendship of at least six months’ duration and had a close friend (with or without a disability) who was also willing to participate. Seven boys and seven girls, all but one of whom were disabled teens, took part in the study. These seven sets of friends engaged in research interviews and participant observation sessions. Nine adults who witnessed the friendships develop over time were also interviewed. Preliminary coding was completed using Atlas.ti. This was followed by a deeper, critical approach to analysis which generated three inter-connected themes. The first theme outlines how stigma disrupts the friendships of disabled youth though a range of processes (labeling, stereotyping, status loss, separation) that arise from and contribute to ableism – discrimination against disabled people. The second theme, finding a balance between adult support and surveillance, emphasizes the crucial role adults play in facilitating the friendships of disabled youth. The final theme, disrupting oppression to create enduring friendship, highlights the strategies used by these disabled teens to make and keep friends in a stigmatizing society. Strategies most often used that appeared to be effective for participants were disrupting norms about friendship, coming out as disabled, connecting through stigma, and choosing self-exclusion. Two strategies – horizontal hostility and passing as nondisabled – were potentially harmful to disabled youth and in some ways limited friendship opportunities. Ideas to counter the harmful effects of ableism while creating lasting friendships are addressed to disabled teens, to their families, to allies in the education system, and to the broader community.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2002. / "May 2002." Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-81).

Diss. Techn. Univ. Clausthal, 2008. / Business and Economics (German Language) (Springer-11775) (GWV).

Diss. Techn. Univ. Clausthal, 2008. / Business and Economics (German Language) (Springer-11775) (GWV).

Each year in Canada there are nearly 13,000 infants born to women under the age of 20 years (Statistics Canada, 2016). Infants born to adolescent mothers are at an increased risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, and congenital anomalies, making these infants more likely to require hospitalization in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) shortly after birth (DeMarco et al., 2021; Fleming et al., 2013; Shrim et al., 2011). Admission of their infant to the NICU creates an increasingly complex situation, as adolescent mothers and their children often already experience multiple social, psychological, and economic difficulties (Fleming et al., 2015). Additionally, adolescents are still developing important cognitive functions, such as advanced reasoning and decision-making, thus making their ability to navigate complex systems such as the NICU particularly challenging (Blakemore & Choudhury, 2006). However, the unique experience of the adolescent mother within the context of the NICU and their transition-home following discharge is poorly understood. Therefore, the overall purpose of this thesis was to explore the issue of transition-home from NICU for adolescent mothers with infants admitted to the NICU. Three overarching goals guided this thesis work, these goals were to: (a) understand the transition experiences of adolescent mothers with infants in the NICU from a theoretical perspective; (b) understand how to best collect rich qualitative data among study participants experiencing marginalization or stigma; and (c) conduct research to further understand the phenomena and how to begin to address transition-related issues. Findings related to each of these goals are presented in four manuscripts that make up this sandwich thesis, including a critical review of theory, an exploration of methods, and an interpretive description study exploring NICU-to-Home transitions. The work presented in this thesis emphasizes the complexity of the NICU-to-home transition for adolescent mothers. Findings highlight the need for strategies within the NICU to mitigate the negative influence of this experience and opportunities for more integrated models of care within the NICU and extending into the community. Implications for research, policy, and nursing education and practice are discussed. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Pregnancy and parenting during adolescence and care transitions from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home are relatively complex experiences. While each have been explored separately, very little is known about when these experiences intersect. This thesis examines theory and methods related to this complex intersection and describes findings of research exploring NICU-to-home care transitions for adolescent parents.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 123-134).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-81). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 235 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-203). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

This thesis investigates the use of action research and activity theory to promote the professional development of teachers in an Icelandic upper secondary school. The purpose of the research was to develop a new model to foster professional development through enhancing the participants’ agency to transform their practice. It was carried out with an action research group of twenty-one school professionals and an outside consultant. The group’s aim was to find ways to increase students’ sense of responsibility for their studies. The project combined the ideas behind the Change Laboratory, one of the methods of developmental work research established by Engeström and action research as elaborated by McNiff. I termed our approach the Change Room. There activity theory and the theory of expansive learning provided the participants with a conceptual framework, historical analysis and tools to analyse what changes might be appropriate in our classroom practice. The action research provided the participants with the method and tools to guide the participants when carrying out and evaluating these changes. The research focus was on tensions the participants experienced in their classroom practice. Through creative resolutions of these tensions the intention was to develop better practices and contribute to school development. The research used both action research and case study methodology. The research tools were documentary analysis, interviews, surveys, research diary and observations. The findings were analysed using deductive process based on activity theory. The teachers experienced tensions in their classroom practice between students’ active and passive learning, didactic and dialogic teaching methods, and the requirement to cover the syllabus and to promote deep learning. To resolve these tensions the teachers have developed teaching practices that enhanced active student learning and given more weight to the students’ voices. Participation in the action research group enhanced both individual and collective learning of the school professionals. Their agency to change practice was increased and they also developed more cross curriculum agency. The combination of activity theory and action research in the Change Room provides a new model for enhancing teachers’ professional development and collaboration that has potential to transform classroom practice.

This diploma thesis focuses on the motivation system in a selected company. In the theoretical part, main terms will be explained which are related to this issues. The practical part is focused on the description of company and analysis of the current motivational programme. In the last part of thesis are describes proposals for improving the motivational programme.