Communication of the European Parliament with the public takes place within various means and on different levels. This thesis offers an analysis of the European Parliament's communication strategy through the role-play game in the Brussels Parlamentarium. A role- play game simulating the legislative procedure of the European Union is available in all the EU official languages and it is targeted primarily at the youth between 15 and 18 years. The analysis is based on the political communication and political marketing theory, as well as on the concept of the role-play game as an educational tool. The methodological background of the analysis is embedded in the ethnographic research and its constituent methods, especially a participant observation and questionnaires survey, further completed by qualitative analysis of the visual and textual materials of the game. First, the advertising tools of the RPG are presented. Second, the course of the game is described and its transcript analysed. Third, the ways of reception of the activity by the participants are illustrated. The goal of the thesis is to show whether the role- play game is a successful communication tool of the European Parliament with the youth.

Regarder la mer comme un espace politique et social implique de dépasser les frontières et les disciplines. L’exercice est passionnant mais nécessite de rebattre les cartes. Cette thèse a ainsi comme ambitieux objectif de comprendre comment les humains observent et gèrent l’environnement marin, et comment ils parviennent, ou non, à échanger autour des représentations ainsi obtenues. Le célèbre exemple d’Antoine de Saint-Exupéry devrait suffire à donner une idée du défi à relever. Là où certains voient un chapeau d’autres imaginent un serpent boa qui digère un éléphant ; à nous, alors, de chercher à dessiner au travers de ce travail une description à la fois simple et précise des points de vue des humains sur ce qui les entoure ; des scientifiques, des décideurs et des pêcheurs sur les interactions entre pêcheries et petits cétacés dans le golfe de Gascogne puisque c’est le sujet qui nous intéresse. Nous nous sommes donc demandé comment observer les positionnements stratégiques des acteurs sur les captures accidentelles de petits cétacés dans le Golfe de Gascogne pour rétablir des relations de confiance et de dialogue entre les acteurs ? Pour répondre à cette problématique, nous avons mis en place un processus participatif d’accompagnement des acteurs pour construire une vision partagée de l’environnement marin. A l’aide de cette méthode, nous avons montré que l’environnement marin est un construit scientifique et qu’il est nécessaire de le construire politiquement et socialement pour y intégrer la complexité nécessaire à une gestion réellement durable des interactions entre activités humaines et écosystème marin. A ce titre, les instruments d’observation et de gestion de l’environnement jouent un rôle central comme nous l’expliquerons dans le cadre de cette thèse. / Looking at the sea as political and social space involves reaching across borders and disciplines. The task is thrilling but requires reshuffling the cards. Thus, this thesis ambitious objective is to understand how humans observe and manage the marine environment, and how they achieve, or not, to exchange around the obtained representations. The famous example of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry should give us an idea of the challenges to overcome. Where some see a hat, others imagine a boa snake digesting an elephant. So, in this study, our job is to draw a simple but precise description of humans’ points of view on their surroundings. More precisely, we focus on scientists, decision-makers and fishermen’s points of view on interactions between fisheries and small cetaceans in the Bay of Biscay (France). Therefore, we wondered how to observe stakeholders’ strategic positions on small cetacean bycatch in the Bay of Biscay to restore trust-based relationships and re-establish constructive dialogue among stakeholders. To answer this question, we set up a participatory process to support stakeholders in building a shared vision of the marine environment. By implementing this method, we showed that the marine environment is scientifically constructed. It also needs to be politically and socially constructed to incorporate the necessary complexity to sustainably manage interactions between human activities and marine ecosystems. As such, observation and management instruments of the marine environment play a central role as we will explain in this thesis.

I arbetet görs ett försök att genom litteratur och elevintervjuer närma sig frågan om vilka förutsättningar för lärande som simuleringar i geografi erbjuder och vilka lärandeteorier som då blir relevanta. Intervjuer har därför gjorts med elever efter att de genomfört ett för undersökningen utvalt simuleringsspel. I arbetet ställs också frågan om hur elever uppfattar simuleringen som didaktiskt verktyg och ett antal svarskategorier struktureras. Slutsatserna är att lärandet i simuleringar i första hand tycks vara beroende av den egna praktiska erfarenheten, den sociala interaktionen mellan deltagarna och den emotionella laddningen. Elevernas uppfattningar av lärandeformen stödjer dessa kvalitéer, men tillfogade också betydelsen av variation i undervisningen och det inneboende spelrummets betydelse för kreativiteten. / By literature and studentinterviews this work aims to identify which kind of learningpotentials geography simulations hold and try to connect these to relevant pedagogical theories. The work also tries to explore how students perceive simulations as didactic tool and structure these views in different categories. The author concludes that learning through simulations primarily depends on practical work, social interaction and emotional commitment. Also the different character of simulations and the gaming dimension seems to influence learning positively.

Interventions for children and their families have traditionally stemmed from two interrelated frameworks: play-based child therapies, and family therapies (Gil, 2015). Integrated family play therapy frameworks aim to capitalize on the strengths of both approaches by combining meaningful engagement of children through play, and systems-level insights into patterns of family functioning and interaction (Gil, 2015). A virtually unexplored avenue for play-based therapeutic applications of role-play that may lend themselves to an integrated family play therapy framework are tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs); cooperative and narrative-based games wherein players adopt the role of fictional characters as they navigate a fantasy setting arbitrated by a game master. Case studies on the use of TRPGs with children and young adults have yielded initial evidence of their potential therapeutic utility (e.g., Blackmon, 1994; Enfield, 2007; Rosselet & Stauffer, 2013), however, research on their application is limited, particularly with families. The current study pilot tested an original TRPG module (“The Family Tabletop Adventure”) for use with families to establish the module’s potential therapeutic utility and identify targets for further refinement. A sample of three family groups (N = 11) were recruited to participate in six weekly online sessions (a 1-hour introductory session, four 1.5- to 2-hour game sessions, and a 1-hour exit interview). A variety of mixed-method measures were used to assess family functioning at baseline and post-game, including observational coding, self-report, and qualitative group interviews. Exploratory analyses of the findings indicated the module’s feasibility of implementation and ease of use, low iatrogenic risk, perceptions by families as fun and engaging, and potential utility across a range of family processes relevant to therapeutic contexts, including communication and problem solving, positive interactions and relationship building, and the generation of novel insights about family members. Family feedback was used to identify several targets for additional refinement of the game module to improve families’ comprehension and engagement with the game. The implications of these findings and their relevance to the use of TRPGs in family intervention contexts are discussed. / Graduate / 2023-08-26

Legislative pressures are being brought to bear on South African employers to demonstrate that occupational assessment is scientifically valid and culture-fair. The development of valid and reliable performance-based assessment tools will enable employers to meet these requirements. The general aim of this research was to validate a performance-based assessment battery for the placement of sales representatives. A literature survey examined alternative assessment measures and methods of performance measurement, leading to the conclusion that the combination of the work sample as a predictor measure and the managerial rating of performance as a criterion measure offer a practical and cost-effective assessment process to the sales manager. The empirical study involved 54 sales persons working for the Commercial division of an oil marketing company, selling products and services to the commercial and industrial market. By means of the empirical study, a significant correlation was found between performance of sales representatives in terms of the performance-based assessment battery for the entry level of the career ladder and their behaviour in the field as measured by the managerial performance rating instrument. The limitations of the sample, however, prevent the results from being generalised to other organisations. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

This study aims to investigate how individuals that have been playing pen and paper role-playing games since the 1990s to 2016 view their own experiences and the development of role-playing games. Six informants were interviewed in-depth about their experiences and how they view the change of roleplaying games and how society sees it. All the informants had been playing roleplaying games since the 1990s and are still playing. In the thematic analysis, five themes were identified: negative experiences, relationships, fantasy, development and normative change. This study exemplifies the complexity of belonging to a stigmatized group and also how a cultural phenomenon can grow, change and become accepted. It also highlights the role the informants themselves played in that change. Interestingly, it was found that the informants kept playing, despite the stigma around their hobby, because they found role-playing to be meaningful and stimulating and not for the reason that they identified themselves as role-players. Furthermore, all informants mention that thanks to role-playing they have developed a skill-set (e.g. creativity, problem-solving, understanding of group dynamics), which has become valuable to them later in life. The informants always believed that role-playing was something positive and meaningful, which also was confirmed once enough research had been done.

The aim of this diploma work is to show possibilities of a role play in teaching english, using different methods of drama in education, which leads pupils to deeper understanding and starting the work and its influence of pupil's experience and pupil's taking part in solving problems with the situation and remembering cognitive and emotional benefits of a role play afterwards to motivate pupils for next learning. This diploma work describes aims and methods of nowdays ways of teaching foreign languages, explains new trends in teaching young learners (primary school). It describes their psychological development in age 6 to 11 and try to explain how it has an influence in teaching languages at primary schools. It causes the main differences between teaching adults and young learners. Teaching languages through methods of drama in education brings different approach to teaching. It develops teaching in two levels - in cognitive knowledge and in emotional experiences.

South Africa’s education system has undergone substantial changes in the last ten years. The shift to Inclusive Education attempts to provide all learners, regardless of their disability, learning difficulty, or disadvantage with access to education (Department of Education1, 2001). Curriculum 2005, in the context of an Outcomes Based Education (OBE) philosophy was an attempt by the Education Department to address the inadequate ‘Bantu’ education of the past. OBE was intended to replace teacher-centred approaches by encouraging children to become actively involved in the learning process, to gain knowledge as well as skills, and to think independently and creatively (DoE, 1998b). School ‘subjects’ of the past were changed to ‘Learning Areas’ some undergoing dramatic shifts in content and teaching strategies. These new Learning Areas also emerged with alternative assessment practices. Life Orientation (LO) is one such learning area. Many educators were suddenly required to teach these new Learning Areas, despite having little or no training in them. As a result many educators experienced frustration with the demands now placed upon them, and some felt unable to teach effectively. This study used a qualitative actionresearch design to obtain an in-depth understanding of the educators’ capacities to change their teaching practices in their Life Orientation classrooms. Six educators in a public primary school setting participated in a series of workshops aimed to introduce them to drama methods to be used in their Life Orientation teaching. The workshops were highly experiential in nature and were designed with the specific personalities and needs of each educator in mind. The results of the research indicate that educators are highly responsive to training, provided that they feel acknowledged as individuals and provided that the training builds upon their current expertise rather than attempting to change their practices altogether. Another key finding from the training was the opportunity for the educators to engage in the training as human beings with their own difficulties and frustrations being openly acknowledged. Many of the educators experienced the workshops as therapeutic and reported that this made the training both useful and personally fulfilling.

Teachers of foreign languages typically encourage their students to speak in the target language (TL) often, but due to various factors, this is not always achieved. Some reasons might include insufficient vocabulary, lack of topic knowledge, embarrassment, or simple unwillingness. Much of the existing research observes uses of the TL or native language (L1). The purpose of this study was to examine how often students use the TL in paired interactions and whether that amount has any relationship to the students' oral proficiency at the end of the course. In a SPAN 105 course at Brigham Young University, 27 students participated in this project by recording themselves during six in-class, paired interactions, after which they provided comments via questionnaires. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, with both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data revealed information about the time spent in the TL, as well as the time spent in the L1, and what relationship these variables had with listening comprehension and oral proficiency. The qualitative data exposed emergent findings related to TL/L1 use: helpful tools, effects of task type, pitfalls the students experienced, struggles and benefits of partnering, effects of recording, and student perceptions about the L1. The results of the study indicate a need for teacher strategies to encourage TL use in the classroom.

Increased demand for culturally sensitive healthcare services suggests that interprofessional beginning healthcare students need to gain the necessary cultural competency skills to be successful in delivering positive health outcomes for diverse patients. Bandura's theory of observational learning, Mezirow's theory of transformative learning, and Purnell's and Paulanka's model of cultural competence informed the framework for this research. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine the relationship between mode of instruction (observing role models in videotaped role-play simulation) and increased transcultural self-efficacy in cultural competence instruction. A convenience sample of 196 students enrolled in an interprofessional education (IPE) course was randomly assigned at the time of course enrollment to either control or experiment course sections. Pretest and posttest data were collected anonymously through paper-and-pencil administration of the Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool-Multidisciplinary Healthcare Provider (TSET-MHP). Paired-samples t test showed that students in the intervention group had statistically higher (p < .05) posttest scores in perceived transcultural self-efficacy after observation of standardized patient actors in a videotaped role-play simulation than did students in the control group. These results support the use of videotaped role-play simulation for cultural competence instruction as a means to achieve improved patient care within the culturally diverse population in the healthcare system.