The object of the dissertation is the impact of public libraries on users. The research is aiming at answering the question what is the impact of library public access computing on users and how can we evaluate it. The objectives of the dissertation are solved in three parts. The first part discusses definitions of impact, theoretical models and frameworks of its assessment and reviews the literature on impact evaluation in librarianship, highlighting the similarities and differences of general impact assessment concept and its adoption in librarianship. The second part presents the methodology of empirical study including target groups, methods, sampling, data collection and analyses. The third part describes study results which are summarized in the conclusions. The annexes provide additional information on research methodology as well as the extended results and research instruments. / Disertacijos objektas yra viešųjų bibliotekų poveikis vartotojams. Moksliniu tyrimu yra sprendžiamas klausimas kokį poveikį vieša interneto prieiga per viešąsias bibliotekas daro vartotojams ir bendruomenėms ir kaip jis galėtų būti įvertinamas. Iškeltą problemą sprendžiantys uždaviniai įgyvendinami trijose disertacijos dalyse. Pirmojoje dalyje atskleidžiama poveikio samprata ir pristatomi jo vertinimo teoriniai modeliai bei apžvelgiami užsienio autorių bibliotekininkystės srityje atlikti poveikio vertinimo tyrimai, išryškinami panašumai ir skirtumai tarp bendrosios poveikio vertinimo teorijos ir jos taikymo bibliotekų poveikio vertinimui. Antrojoje dalyje pateikiama empirinio tyrimo metodologija: išsamiai pristatoma tyrimo metodika, pagrindžiamas metodų pasirinkimas, aptariamas tyrimo dizainas ir vykdymas bei išdavos. Trečiojoje dalyje pristatomi tyrimo rezultatai, kurie apibendrinami išvadose. Prieduose pateikiamas išplėstinis tyrimo metodikos taikymo aprašymas, pateikiami papildomi empirinio tyrimo duomenys ir jų rinkimo instrumentai.

Recent retrospectives of classic psychology articles by Meehl (1978) and Wachtel (1980), concerning problems with psychology’s research paradigm, have been viewed by commentators, on the whole, as germane as when first published. However, no similar examination of Lykken’s (1991) classic criticisms of psychology’s dominant research tradition has been undertaken. Twenty years on, this thesis investigates whether Lykken’s criticisms and conclusions are still valid via an exposition of three contentious issues in psychological science: the measurement problem, null hypothesis significance testing, and the granularity of research methods. Though finding that little progress has been made, Observation Oriented Modelling is advanced as a promising methodological solution for improving psychological research.

This thesis examines political efficacy and youth non-voting in New Zealand. Drawing from a focus group discussion and depth interviews with 20 young people, I compare and contrast the attitudes and experiences of 18-24 year-old voters and non-voters. I assess whether the theory of political efficacy is a useful conceptual tool for distinguishing between their attitudes, and evaluate the ability of efficacy theory to explain youth non-voting in New Zealand. The thesis draws attention to the oft-overlooked benefits of using qualitative methods to conduct political science research. Based on my research, I find that the standard (quantitative) operationalisation of efficacy obscures the complex and nuanced nature of young people's thoughts about politics. Depth interviews and focus groups are found to be valuable means to gain insight into the political attitudes of young people, as - unlike quantitative methods - they allow participants to elucidate themselves using language and ideas of their own. A purposive sampling strategy using snowball referrals also proved to be a useful way to recruit young non-voters, indicating to future researchers that such an approach may be a good way to access disengaged populations. Contrary to the predictions of efficacy theory and to the findings of research in the quantitative tradition, I find fewer differences between young voters and non-voters than expected: the interviews and focus group in fact reveal surprising similarities in the political efficacy of young voters and non-voters. Through my research I identify three types of young non-voters: 'disinterested', 'inconvenienced' and 'principled' non-voters, each of whom give different and diverse explanations for their non-participation. These findings suggest that the usefulness of efficacy theory as an explanation for youth non-voting may have been overstated, and my research highlights the need to remain open to other explanations for youth electoral disengagement - such as rational choice and post-materialist theories.

This study investigates preadolescent girls’ interpretations of images of and messages about women’s bodies presented in both traditional and online media in the American cultural context. Using qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, email diaries, and digital photo collages, this study gives voice to girls aged nine to eleven from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds so that they might tell their stories about interacting with media that is relevant to their relationships with their bodies. Employing objectification theory as well as concepts from the cultural studies tradition, the findings suggest that the process of becoming a female body in the 21st-century American media environment is far more complex than a simple linear, cause-effect equation can express. Differences among girls in terms of media use, degree of media criticism, age, and interpersonal discursive environments moderate their relationships to mediated imagery and to their bodies. The findings also describe the mediated bodily ideal that is most relevant to preadolescent girls, the celebrity girls who embody this ideal, the ways in which girls experience self-objectification and body surveillance, and the nature of girls’ conversations with friends and family members about body-related topics. The study concludes by providing recommendations to concerned researchers, educators, and parents.

I here have been very few studies carried out on enhancing CFC (Cross-functional Collaboration) for the product design development. nevertheless there is a clear consensus among researchers that this issue is a critical one in ne product design development. Besides, almost all of the research work, which attempted to encourage CFC in NPD situations, was carried out focused on the cross-functional team which is the most effective organisation type to encourage collaboration between other functional groups, rather than the functional organisation, which is difficult organisation to facilitate collaboration between other functional groups. On the other hand, there is still no clear evidence which proves that CFC improves the performance of' design development. Nevertheless, this proof is essential premise to support the value of producing the information to improve CFC for product design development. This research attempts to fill in this gap in the deficiency of research. This longitudinal research has been conducted with complementary research methods: a qualitative research and a quantitative research in the field. As the main body of this research, 15 key -decision makers for new product design development were interviewed and 243 questionnaires from eight leading consumer electronics companies in three countries (Korea, Japan. UK) were analysed. In conclusion, firstly, this research has proved there is a plus correlation between the level of CFC and several dimensions of the design development performance of consumer electronics products. Furthermore, a new framework model is developed and proposed after compressing and combining all vital findings of this research work. This developed model presents three major findings of this research. Firstly, the factors affecting CF C for design development of consumer electronics products, secondly, the priority of importance of these factors, and finally, factors directly contributing to design development performance in several dimensions. Overall, the findings of this research help to people what are valuable factors for building CFC climate and what are prior factor in a quandary concerning, where to concentrate their efforts so as to successfully implement their (TV to improve their design development performance. In particular, the findings of this research could further help designers and design managers who lack the experience and knowledge of collaboration situations in the rigid functional organisational boundaries, which many consumer electronics companies face.

The prevalence of neurodegenerative disease in India is rising. Regenerative medicine (RM) is being developed to treat these conditions. However, despite advances in RM application for neurological disorders (NeuroRM), there is a lack of research on clinical translation of NeuroRM technologies in developing countries. Given that India is one of the first nations to translate in this field, much can be learned on challenges and solutions arising during translation. This study identifies stakeholders involved in such translation and outlines roles of each; it describes India’s regulatory environment concerning NeuroRM translation; and discusses the impact of collaboration in clinical translation. Twenty-three face-to-face interviews with clinicians, researchers and policy-makers within India were undertaken and transcripts subjected to thematic analysis. The study demonstrates that clinical translation of NeuroRM within India is taking place robustly, it identifies barriers and good practices being adopted, and provides recommendations based on participants’ experiences.

This study identifies informal networks as the most accepted method of sharing information. Enhancing service delivery is shown as being a key trigger of coordination while rigid funding approaches are perceived to be a major inhibitor. Organisational type, position, practice approaches and location are shown to influence people's perception of coordination.

Improving the quality use of medicines (QUM) among seniors, particularly those using multiple medicines, is a national priority. The National Prescribing Service??s Seniors QUM Program was developed in collaboration with consumers to address seniors?? medicines information needs. Seniors are trained as peer educators to convey QUM messages to other seniors in a single group session. However, there is a dearth of research assessing peer education for seniors about medicines, and little understanding of what peer educators do in practice. This research investigated how peer educators empower seniors toward the quality use of their medicines. A participatory action research inquiry was undertaken nationally with organisational leaders and locally with peer educators. The design was a nested case study with multiple sites, where the Seniors Program was the overarching case containing eight disparate local sites. The participatory inquiry engaged peer educators from each local site. Qualitative data were collected through participant observation and interviews. Data were analysed using grounded theory methods and findings were triangulated with other data sources. Peer educators demonstrated five main functions in the program ?? one primary function within QUM sessions and four support functions outside of sessions. The primary function of facilitating peer learning comprised 10 elements. A model depicts these elements in the context of varying session conditions and consequences. Educators?? lived experience as seniors and lay persons was an overarching contributor to peer learning, used strategically through storytelling to assist other elements. Sharing QUM outside of sessions occurred frequently, but requires development to reach isolated seniors. Peer educators exceeded expectations in getting QUM messages to seniors, applying unique skills to the information exchange within sessions. Their status as lay persons tackling the complex topic of QUM reflected an understanding of the disempowerment seniors may feel when seeking information about medicines. Peer educators?? ability to model an active partner role by applying their lived experience through storytelling in an interactive, mutually sharing session challenged seniors to rethink their medicines management and interactions with health professionals. As the population ages and medicines use increases, understanding and using seniors effectively as educators has great potential.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [145]-151).

Background – Enhanced social research interviews seek to engage interviewees in extended conversation-like dialogues where they are empowered to produce output by discussing themes of relevance to them. Photos, videos, vignettes and other enhancing tools have been used before in social sciences research interviews to contextualise the interview interaction. Initial Assumption – Sacred texts (such as excerpts from the Bible and the Quran) enjoy some features that make them potential tools to enhance research interviews. This study set out to answer the Research Question: ‘What are the benefits and challenges of using sacred texts as tools to enhance social research interviews?’ Methodology – Selected Biblical and Quranic verses were used in three sets each, to start social discussions with fifteen Christian and thirteen Muslim participants, respectively, in semi-structured interviews. Findings – The findings of this empirical study show that using sacred texts was perceived favourably by the participants, enhanced the dynamics of the interviews and provided a platform to produce data that are rich, varied and nuanced. Conclusion – This research points out the usefulness of sacred texts – as enhancing tools – when used in social research interviews to produce natural conversations that, in turn, lead to rich, nuanced data. This suggests that sacred texts can be added to the qualitative research interview-enhancing toolbox especially with exploratory studies that are open for emerging themes during interview settings. Research areas where sacred texts can be used in interviews include: ethics, social relations, gender roles, psychology, moral choices, cultural studies and spirituality, among other social sciences disciplines. Researchers as well as participants will be expected to have a degree of familiarity with the sacred book or texts to make both interviewers and interviewees interested enough in discussing it in an open and respectful setting.