本論文旨在分析法國法蘭西研究院院士Michel Serres的思想及其在教育上的啟思。Michel Serres是一名著名的法國哲學家，但是在台灣他還是一名較不為人所熟知的學者。然而經過本論文對於其思想進行研究，發現其理論有許多重要的教育哲學思想。因此，本論文首先便由Serres的法文原著，探究他的理論定位及其思維特色。而後，本論文以「吟遊、尋渡與參化」之三向度作為分析的軸心，來探討Serres的理論在教育上的重要涵意：在吟遊的層面上，吟遊當中的旅程、漂流、孤獨、暴露、受苦、節制、愛、與創造等概念，蘊含的是Serres的教育人類學的想像；在尋渡的層面上，由於吟遊者在漂流中去執、受苦、節制、愛與創造，因此他將不斷轉化自身，也將不斷地在知識與知識之間，以及人於人之間尋找交融之渡，這蘊含的是Serres的教育倫理學的想像；而在參化的層面上，除了投入人群，吟遊者將轉化自身，投入自然以及萬事萬物之中，與人、與自然以及萬事萬物相互參化，這蘊含的是Serres的教育美學的想像。「吟遊、尋渡與參化」，這三者就是Serres對於「教育」這一概念的開展與想像。 / This study is to investigate the thought and implication for education of Michel Serres, a distinct member of L'Académie française. Michel Serres is a famous philosopher, but he is not well-known in Taiwan. Through examining Serres’s thought, we can find many inspiring ideas of educational philosophy. In the first part of this dissertation, it will focus on Serres’s original French texts in order to explore the orientation and the characteristic of his theories. Secondly, this dissertation will discuss the critical three axes of Serres’s theories: ‘Troubadour, Seeking Passage and Co-evolution.’ Troubadour entails the ideas of voyage, érrance (wanderings), solitude, expose to, suffering, temperance, love, and creation. These concepts imply the image of Serres’s educational anthropology. Seeking passage indicates the self-detachment, suffering, temperance, love, and creation of Troubadour. Because of érrance, Troubadour will never stop self-transforming and will constantly searching for the passages among different knowledge as well as the passages among people. This implies the image of Serres’s educational ethics. Co-evolution represents Troubadour’s engagement not only in human beings but also in nature and in all things on earth because of his self-transformation. The troubadour eagerly engages himself in the co-evolution with other human beings, nature and all things on earth. This implies the image of Serres’s educational esthetics. The ideas of ‘Troubadour, Seeking Passage and Co-evolution’ are the keystones of Serres’s discourses and images on education.

Coyne’s (1976) interpersonal theory of depression proposes that individuals suffering from depressive symptoms tend to engage in excessive reassurance-seeking (ERS), defined as repetitively asking for assurances from close others about one’s lovability and worth. Research has shown that ERS is associated with negative evaluations from close others and lower partner-reported romantic relationship satisfaction, specifically (Starr & Davila, 2008). In a recent elaboration of Coyne’s theory, Evraire and Dozois (2011) proposed that ERS might only lead to rejection among individuals who possess core beliefs about the instability and unpredictability of relationships. The primary goal of the current study was to provide the first empirical test of this revised model. Furthermore, I sought to extend previous research in 2 important ways by: 1) employing both self-reported and behaviorally-assessed measures of ERS and 2) defining rejection in objective, behavioral terms. I recruited a sample of 118 women who attended an initial laboratory session with their male dating partners. The couple completed measures of ERS, depressive symptoms, anxious attachment (AA), rejection sensitivity (RS), and relationship satisfaction, and engaged in a laboratory task that was later coded for incidences of female ERS. AA and RS were combined to index core beliefs reflecting insecurity in relationships (i.e., “negative relationship cognitions”; NRC). Women completed a contextual interview to retrospectively assess historical romantic relationship rejection events. The women were re-contacted four months later to determine their relationship status. Consistent with hypotheses, behavioral ERS was significantly associated with concurrent male relationship dissatisfaction, but only among dysphoric women with high NRC. Surprisingly, ERS was only significantly associated with historical rejection in non-dysphoric women with low levels of NRC. In the prospective models, I found a main effect of self-reported ERS on partner-initiated rejection, but behavioral ERS was only associated with rejection among non-dysphoric women. My results were inconsistent with theory and previous research in models defining rejection behaviorally. Thus, I proposed revisions to existing interpersonal models to better capture the relationship between ERS and “real-world” rejection. My results underscore the importance of evaluating ERS in a particular relationship when predicting rejection outcomes in that specific relationship. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2013-06-13 13:39:01.64

Bakgrund: Graviditet och tidigt moderskap är perioder då kvinnor aktivt söker ny kunskap. Tillgången till hälsorelaterad information är enorm men kvaliteten på innehållet varierar mellan olika källor. För att kunna göra informerade val i hälsofrågor behöver mödrar evidensbaserad information, och det är en barnmorskas ansvar att kunna guida dem till högkvalitativa källor. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga nyblivna mödrars informationssökning samt att undersöka om det finns samband mellan informationssökning och olika sociodemografiska bakgrundsvariabler. Metod: Undersökningen baserades på delar av en pilotstudie inför ett större europeiskt projekt och data från 137 enkäter till nyblivna mödrar analyserades. Resultat: De mest använda informationskällorna bland mödrarna var barnavårdscentral och vårdsidor på Internet, således källor som tillhandahåller evidensbaserad information. Nästan lika populärt var dock att vända sig till familj och vänner och till Internetforum, där kvaliteten på informationen kan variera och ibland skapa missförstånd och oro. Slutsats: Barnmorskor bör därför hålla sig uppdaterade på det informationsflöde som finns, känna till vilka informationskällor deras patienter använder och vilken typ av information de hämtar. De bör också kunna guida sina patienter till högkvalitativ information. / Background: Pregnancy and early motherhood are periods when women are actively seeking new knowledge. The public access to health information is enormous but the quality of the content varies between different sources. To make informed health choices, mothers need evidence-based information, and midwives have a responsibility to guide them to highqualitative sources. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore new mothers’ information seeking and to investigate the relationship between information seeking and various sociodemographic background variables. Method: The study was based on parts of a pilot study prior to a wider European project, and data from 137 questionnaires to new mothers were analysed. Results: The most frequently used sources of information among the mothers were childcare centres and health sites on the Internet, thus sources that provide evidence-based information. Almost as popular was, however, to turn to family / friends and to Internet forums, where the quality of information can vary and sometimes create confusion and anxiety. Conclusion: Midwives should therefore stay updated on the predominant flow of information, know which sources of information their patients are using and what type of information they obtain. They should also be able to guide their patients to high-quality information.

Disertacijoje siekiama išanalizuoti Lietuvos Respublikos Seimo narių informacinės elgsenos ypatumus priimant sprendimus ir nustatyti jų elgseną lemiančius veiksnius. Atsižvelgiant į išskirtinę parlamento narių galią ir autoritetą priimant reikšmingiausius valstybei ir jos žmonėms sprendimus, jų ypatingą statusą (kaip Tautos atstovai, savo priimamais įstatymais ir kitais sprendimais jie įprasmina Tautos valią), politikų, kaip vienų svarbiausių politinio proceso dalyvių ir sprendimų priėmėjų, informacinės elgsenos pažinimas yra itin svarbus, aktualus ir reikšmingas, nes informacija yra neatsiejama nuo politinių sprendimų ir yra pamatinė jų dalis. Siekiant disertacijoje išsikelto tikslo teoriškai apibrėžti esminiai parlamentarų informacinę elgseną lemiantys veiksniai ir sukonstruotas struktūrinis modelis, apimantis pagrindinius parlamentarų informacinės elgsenos komponentus ir jai įtaką darančius veiksnius; atliktas empirinis tyrimas, siekiant nustatyti Seimo narių elgsenos ypatumus ieškant informacijos ir naudojant ją sprendimų priėmimo kontekste bei ištirti, kaip individualūs ir organizaciniai veiksniai lemia jų elgseną. Tyrimas atskleidė, kokį vaidmenį, pačių parlamento narių suvokimu, informacija atlieka politiniuose procesuose, kokios informacijos jiems reikia, kaip išsamiai politikai analizuoja ir gilinasi į informaciją priimdami sprendimus, kokiais informacijos šaltiniais naudojasi, kodėl ir kaip jie veikia sprendimus. Tyrime ypatingas dėmesys skirtas išanalizuoti, kaip... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The thesis aims to analyse the peculiarities of information behaviour of members of the Lithuanian Seimas in decision-making processes, and identify factors conditioning that behaviour. With regard to the exclusive power and authority of the MPs in making decisions that are of utmost importance to the state and its people, their exceptional status (being representatives of the Nation and adopting laws and various resolutions they embody the will of the Nation), the cognition of information behaviour of politicians, i.e. decision-makers who are among the most important actors of the political process, is critical, relevant and ponderable, as information being the foundation of political decisions is their indispensable element. Pursuing the goal set up in the thesis, the author offers a theoretical definition of the key determinants of MPs’ information behaviour and frames a structural model encompassing the basic elements of MPs’ information behaviour and factors influential of it; presents an empiric research that was conducted with a view to establish the peculiarities in the Seimas members’ behaviour when searching for information and utilizing it in the context of decision-making, as well as investigates in what way individual and organizational factors determine their behaviour. The inquiry revealed what role, in the perception of the MPs, information plays in political processes, what information is required, how thoroughly and deeply politicians analyse information... [to full text]

Disertacijoje siekiama išanalizuoti Lietuvos Respublikos Seimo narių informacinės elgsenos ypatumus priimant sprendimus ir nustatyti jų elgseną lemiančius veiksnius. Atsižvelgiant į išskirtinę parlamento narių galią ir autoritetą priimant reikšmingiausius valstybei ir jos žmonėms sprendimus, jų ypatingą statusą (kaip Tautos atstovai, savo priimamais įstatymais ir kitais sprendimais jie įprasmina Tautos valią), politikų, kaip vienų svarbiausių politinio proceso dalyvių ir sprendimų priėmėjų, informacinės elgsenos pažinimas yra itin svarbus, aktualus ir reikšmingas, nes informacija yra neatsiejama nuo politinių sprendimų ir yra pamatinė jų dalis. Siekiant disertacijoje išsikelto tikslo teoriškai apibrėžti esminiai parlamentarų informacinę elgseną lemiantys veiksniai ir sukonstruotas struktūrinis modelis, apimantis pagrindinius parlamentarų informacinės elgsenos komponentus ir jai įtaką darančius veiksnius; atliktas empirinis tyrimas, siekiant nustatyti Seimo narių elgsenos ypatumus ieškant informacijos ir naudojant ją sprendimų priėmimo kontekste bei ištirti, kaip individualūs ir organizaciniai veiksniai lemia jų elgseną. Tyrimas atskleidė, kokį vaidmenį, pačių parlamento narių suvokimu, informacija atlieka politiniuose procesuose, kokios informacijos jiems reikia, kaip išsamiai politikai analizuoja ir gilinasi į informaciją priimdami sprendimus, kokiais informacijos šaltiniais naudojasi, kodėl ir kaip jie veikia sprendimus. Tyrime ypatingas dėmesys skirtas išanalizuoti, kaip... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The thesis aims to analyse the peculiarities of information behaviour of members of the Lithuanian Seimas in decision-making processes, and identify factors conditioning that behaviour. With regard to the exclusive power and authority of the MPs in making decisions that are of utmost importance to the state and its people, their exceptional status (being representatives of the Nation and adopting laws and various resolutions they embody the will of the Nation), the cognition of information behaviour of politicians, i.e. decision-makers who are among the most important actors of the political process, is critical, relevant and ponderable, as information being the foundation of political decisions is their indispensable element. Pursuing the goal set up in the thesis, the author offers a theoretical definition of the key determinants of MPs’ information behaviour and frames a structural model encompassing the basic elements of MPs’ information behaviour and factors influential of it; presents an empiric research that was conducted with a view to establish the peculiarities in the Seimas members’ behaviour when searching for information and utilizing it in the context of decision-making, as well as investigates in what way individual and organizational factors determine their behaviour. The inquiry revealed what role, in the perception of the MPs, information plays in political processes, what information is required, how thoroughly and deeply politicians analyse information... [to full text]

Existing research and anecdotal accounts have consistently reported that Jewish people are positively inclined to seek treatment for mental health problems, including making use of psychiatric services and psychotherapy. However, much of this data has been based on samples of American Jewry and there appear to be no existing studies in the UK which have quantitatively investigated whether there are similar help seeking preferences for mental health problems amongst British Jewry. The present study investigated Jewish people’s attitudes and intentions to seek professional help for mental health problems and their experiences of seeking professional help in the UK. Using the theoretical framework of the Theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) the study also aimed to determine the strongest predictors of intentions and attempts to seek professional help, according to people’s attitudes, perceived social pressure, beliefs about the causes of mental illness and level of religiosity. The study included 126 Jewish people who were predominantly recruited from synagogues and community centres across the UK. Results indicated that a high percentage of this sample would be willing to see a mental health professional if they experienced a mental health problem. According to multiple regression analysis, attitudes towards seeking professional help and stress-related causal beliefs most strongly predicted intention to seek professional help. Despite the sample being non-clinically recruited, 63% of participants reported that they had experienced a mental health problem and the majority of these individuals had sought professional help in the past. Path analysis revealed that actual attempts to seek professional help were directly influenced by intention to seek professional help, perceived social pressure and supernatural causal beliefs. Given the high prevalence of mental health problems and use of professional mental health services amongst this sample, clinical considerations highlighted the need for preventative mental health strategies and culturally sensitive mental health services for Jewish people. Limitations of the study include the use of an opportunity sample which was unable to recruit members of the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

The aim of this study was to determine the information-seeking behaviour, needs and preferences of doctors, specifically with reference to Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) in the UK. This is particularly relevant during the current IT and resource development currently being undertaken in the NHS. Mixed methods research techniques were utilised to gather and analyse the data collected to meet the aims and objectives of this study. Three data collection methods have been utilised. The first utilised Clinical Librarians to count the information needs (questions) of doctors (Clinical Librarians Logs). The second data collection method gathered clinical questions from clinical librarians (specialists), medical librarians (generalists) and from websites hosting clinical questions (such as http://www.attract.wales.nhs.uk). These were analysed using the taxonomy developed by Ely et al. 2000. Finally an online questionnaire was used to gather data on doctors' awareness and use of electronic EBM resources. The major finding is that research undertaken on the information needs in the healthcare sector in the USA cannot be readily utilised in the NHS. This research utilised a unique data collection technique, the Clinical Librarian as a data collector. This enabled the quantification of doctors unperceived information needs. This research identified that doctors in the UK asked roughly one question for every four patients seen. Despite the advances and ease of use of electronic resources, the preferred information source was colleagues. Time continues to be the major barrier for accessinge lectronici nformation to aid clinical decision making.

This is a study of self and authority in the popular spiritual field. Since Heelas's The New Age Movement (1996), the notion of a common Self-spirituality in which seekers trust the authority of the Self has been familiar within academe. Yet, contrary to the direction of Heelas's earlier work on indigenous psychologies and self-religions, the different ways participants conceive terms like seeker and self has largely escaped analysis. This omission allows scholars to homogenise diverse activities and portray broad cultural trends. But, it also black boxes the self, side-lines how authority actually works, and obscures conflicts between participants. I address such gaps by examining four international enlightenment cultures, each with a guru (Andrew Cohen; Gangaji; Tony Parsons; and Steven Saunders of Holigral ). Research materials include field experiences, recorded events, and participants printed and online publications. Combining multi-site ethnography with sociological conversation and discourse analysis, and drawing upon science and technology studies throughout, my argument addresses three themes: seekers; gurus; and truths. Developing Heelas's earlier work, I show seekers are not pre-constituted but configured in interactional practices which draw upon various cultural idealisations of the self. An enlightened self is likewise configured differently in each culture. I show such mundane local practices constitute gurus as experiential experts through associating their personas with participants configured experiences of self. Different configurations of self are consequential, implying differing modes of engagement with wider society and figuring in credibility contests between different cultures. I provide a way of understanding enlightenment cultures which avoids homogenising them, considers their respective potentials to promote social change, and accounts for antagonisms between them. As tangential themes, through a literary Seeker Self voice, I address issues of distance and engagement in studying spirituality and the often transparent penetration of academic discourse by the discourse of spirituality, or its spiritual repertoire.

In the United Kingdom (UK) historic houses form part of the tourism and leisure market. Heritage encompasses a wide variety of establishments including historic houses, historic gardens, heritage centres, town centres, countryside and museums. The UK has a vast cultural resource in this respect and the research intends to concentrate on establishments that are known as the "built heritage" and that are often described as "historic" or "country houses". Millions of visitors annually visit properties to experience an insight into earlier periods of British history and culture. Many operate similarly to small businesses and often have a more diverse range of needs. A model was developed for the study to show the information needs of historic houses and the information seeking behaviour of those managing historic houses. Data have been collected both via questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires involved the investigation of those managing (owners, administrators, custodians) heritage establishments. The interview questions were put directly to individuals responsible for properties from a geographically dispersed area, with different categories of ownership (English Heritage, National Trust, private, local authority) and with different levels of visitor traffic. The survey focused on diversity of activities, information provision, use of information, developments (including technology) and collaboration. Historic houses have been part of a growing sector, allied to the growth in the leisure industry, which has led to increasing demands on their time and finances. In a world that increasingly provides more information than can be handled effectively by any one individual, properties need to be able to make effective use of this to protect the heritage for future generations. Building on the empirical work recommendations are made on policy making, education, audits, co-operation and technology to improve the provision and management of information within the sector to support these establishments. The research represents the first study to investigate the existing situation of historic houses and their information needs in the UK, to try and provide an overview of the sector and information provision and how that might be improved.

Information technology is constantly changing, and if academic users are to make best use of these resources, they must sustain efficient information-seeking behaviour. This study explores the information-seeking behaviour of graduate students at Kuwait University, and investigates the factors influencing that behaviour. The population also includes faculty members engaged in teaching and supervising graduate students, and academic librarians. Adopting Wilson's information-seeking model (1999) as the theoretical framework, the study identifies factors influencing graduate students' information behaviour and formulates hypotheses that illustrate the relationship between the different variables. The use of this model provides useful insights into determinants of the information-seeking behaviour patterns of students in a multidisciplinary graduate context. The research uses a mixed method approach, comprising questionnaire survey, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Application of the Critical Incident Technique method provided in-depth data about the patterns of information-seeking behaviour of both graduate students and faculty members. Logistic regression revealed that significant factors related to library awareness, information literacy, organisational and environmental issues, source characteristics, and demographics act as determinants of the patterns of students' information-seeking behaviour. Uneasiness on the part of graduate students towards using the library and consulting its personnel reflects a broader negative perception of the role of the library in shaping students' information-searching patterns. The clearest finding that emerged from the analysis of the students' information literacy dimension was that the majority of graduate students still face difficulties in finding the appropriate information resources, particularly when using resources that need advanced search strategies. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed a heavy reliance on the information resources that require least effort (search engines, Internet websites, and personal contacts). Further, results revealed that graduate students are overwhelmed by an information overload, which leads them to become anxious about finding the appropriate information resources. Based on the results of the research, recommendations are made to further explore the information-seeking behaviour patterns of graduate students in order to enhance their information literacy skills. Improving information-seeking behaviour and enhancing the information literacy of students require interventions on various fronts: faculty members, academic librarians, the university administration, and graduate students themselves.