The purpose with this study is to investigate what information that has reach the pedagogues according to the work towards a “poison free” pre-school. The study will also investigate the pedagogue’s opinion about how the marginalization is affecting the quality and educational work caused by the removal of dangerous plastic toys that are harmful to the environment. The marginalization of dangerous plastic toys from the pre-school can lead to unwanted consequences to the quality of the pre-schools The study will be written from a pragmatical perspective, which according to Kroksmark (2011) are about that the pedagogues are supposed to adjust the environment to the children’s needs. Are the children’s needs affected by the removal of plastic toys? My choice of method is therefore interviews with the pedagogues to get answers to my questions. The study’s choice of interview method is semi structured interviews and is set up so that the responder can speak freely about any given theme and make it possible for me to ask follow up questions. This method is adapted to gain a big amount of information and to get so close to my questions as possible. The result shows that the pedagogues have gained good information about the unhealthy chemicals and been able to pass this forward to the caregivers. The effect towards a pre-school free from unhealthy substances shows that some of the responders thinks that especially one of the genders are affected by removal of dangerous toys.

Formål – At beskrive variationen i sygeplejerskers opfattelse af deres efterlevelse af anbefalinger for håndhygiejne samt hvilke faktorer sygeplejersker oplever, har betydning for om de udfører håndhygiejne som anbefalet.   Design - Beskrivende og undersøgende undersøgelse med en fænomenografisk forsknings-tilnærmelse. Semi-strukturerede interviews med fokus på sygeplejerskers egen opfattelse af deres efterlevelse af anbefalinger for håndhygiejne.   Ramme – Hvidovre Hospital.   Informanter – 14 sygeplejersker (12 kvinder, to mænd) fordelt på 11 afdelinger, indenfor kirurgiske specialer, medicinske specialer, kvinde-barn specialer og intensivterapi.   Resultat –  Analysen viser, at de interviewede sygeplejersker er af den opfattelse, at de stort set altid efterlever anbefalingerne for håndhygiejne. Endvidere blev der ved analysen identificeret seks forskellige opfattelser af de faktorer, der har indflydelse på, om sygeplejerskerne følger anbefalinger for håndhygiejne: Håndhygiejne er en naturlig handling; Smitterisiko; Akutte situationer, uforudsigelighed og travlhed; Omgivelsernes opmærksomhed; Håndhygiejnefaciliteter; Akkreditering, hygiejneaudit og håndhygiejnekampagne.   Konklusion – Sygeplejerskers oplevelse af, at de udfører håndhygiejne som anbefalet og deres forskellige opfattelser af faktorer, der har betydning for, om de følger anbefalingerne for håndhygiejne bør have indflydelse på de håndhygiejneaktiviteter, der planlægges og iværksættes med henblik på at øge sygeplejerskers efterlevelse af anbefalingerne for håndhygiejne. / Aim – To describe variations in nurses’ ways of experiencing compliance with recommendations for hand hygiene and factors nurses experience as having influence on their compliance with hand hygiene.   Design – Descriptive and explorative study using a phenomenographic approach. Semi-structured interviews, focusing on the nurses’ own experiences regarding compliance with recommendations with hand hygiene.   Setting – Hvidovre Hospital.   Subjects – 14 nurses (12 women, 2 men) from 11 different wards, within the surgical speciality, the medical speciality, the women-child speciality and intensive care.   Results – The analysis shows that the interviewed nurses perceive that they nearly always follow the recommendations for hand hygiene. Furthermore six different perceptions of factors with influence on nurses’ compliance with recommendations for hand hygiene were identified in the analysis: Hand hygiene is a natural action; Infection risk; Acute situations, unpredictability and busyness; The attention of the surroundings; Facilities for hand hygiene; Accreditation, hygiene audit and hand hygiene campaign.   Conclusion – Nurses’ experiences of compliance with recommendation for hand hygiene and the different perceptions of factors influencing wether they follow recommendations for hand hygiene ought to influence the planning and implementations of hand hygiene activities in order to promote nurses’ compliance with recommendation for hand hygiene. / <p>ISBN 978-91-7844-743-5</p>

In the 21st century, the mobility of world population has posed greater challenges to healthcare practitioners, since they are facing an increasingly diverse patient population from all over the world. At the same time, patients also find it difficult to access and utilize quality health care services in a culturally diverse context. This study examines the role of culture in Chinese international students’ health-seeking behaviours in Canada. The study explores any barriers/perceived barriers that Chinese international students may confront when accessing health care which can prevent them from obtaining quality health care services in Canada. To this end, an intercultural health communication model was employed as a theoretical framework, and semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection tool. While contributing to existing literature on health communication and culture, this study also hopes to contribute to providing Canadian universities and institutions important information regarding Chinese international students’ access to and utilization of health care services with the hope of enhancing the quality of ethnic health care and promoting better health outcomes.

Recent research has proposed a new stage in human development, termed emerging adulthood by Jeffrey Arnett, which is characterized by a prolonged journey to adult roles and responsibilities. This thesis explores the experience of Chinese emerging adults, university students aged 20-25 years using Erikson’s and Levinson’s developmental theories as a theoretical framework. These authors proposed that three major developmental tasks are necessary for the transition to adulthood: separating from family of origin, forming an adult identity and finding the place for the self in the larger society. Qualitative interviews were conducted virtually with 12 Chinese university students to understand their perceptions and lived experience. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview transcripts. The results suggest Chinese emerging adults (a) have a low level of separation from parents; (b) have not formed a clear sense of identity and have not achieved a self-definition in adulthood; and (c) have not made initial commitments to love and work. It is speculated that the Chinese sociocultural context may further postpone its young adults’ independence and autonomy, and this prolonged transition to adulthood is both positive and problematic to Chinese young adults. This study lends support to Arnett’s emerging adulthood theory through its exploration of emerging adulthood in China, where, to date, little research has been done on this subject. It provides rich descriptions of the experience of Chinese emerging adults’ lives and enhances understandings of the role of culture in influencing the emerging adulthood period.

Government of Canada communications professionals work in an increasingly challenging environment, characterized by an intrusive 24/7 media cycle, a frenetic pace of evolving communication technologies, layered accountability requirements, political tension, and waning public trust. Scholars call on professional communicators to help rebuild public trust, which is intrinsic to a healthy democratic government. The Three-dimensional Model for Transparency in Government Communication developed by Fairbanks, Plowman and Rawlins (2007) serves as the theoretical framework for investigating the Government of Canada’s approach to transparent citizen-focused communications from the perspective of communications professionals. The model’s adaptability to the Government of Canada context is tested through 23 qualitative semi-structured interviews with Government of Canada senior communications advisors, managers and executives. The data is analysed using constant comparative thematic analysis. The findings demonstrate that Government of Canada communicators strongly value transparency. Furthermore, the key components of the transparency model – communications practices, organizational support and provision of resources – encapsulate the factors that influence the practice of transparent citizen-focused communications by the Government of Canada. The study concludes by offering recommendations for future research and practical applications.

The aim of this study was to identify how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) affects business processes and service delivery within hotels and how ICT interacts with strategic issues confronting hotel managers. The areas of exploration were: 1) the business context of ICT; 2) the main role of ICT in day to day business; 3) ICT's impact on service delivery to hotel guests; and 4) the role of ICT in the future.As the study was exploring the General Managers' (GMs) perceptions, interviewing was selected as the most appropriate data gathering method. The sample covered a range of Auckland hotels which differed according to location, size and quality. Semi-structured interviews were used to facilitate the comparison of data between interviewees. Common themes and concepts were identified which were compared to the demographic characteristics of the hotels as well as previous research detailed in the literature.The contextual issues identified were staff availability and retention, competition (particularly price wars resulting from discounting), and location and infrastructure issues. Only half the GMs interviewed identified benefits from ICT in the day to day operation of their business. All of them described challenges or disadvantages posed by ICT. The impact on service delivery to guests was viewed more positively but there were still misgivings about the potential barriers which ICT created. There was a strong view that staff were of overwhelming importance to service delivery. Finally, envisioning the future, ICT was perceived as having the ability to make a strong contribution to business development but this ability would be constrained by staffing problems. Analyses of the findings suggest that ICT has a dual role of gathering management data and providing guest services, and GMs appear unaware of how this dual role contributes to the challenges posed by ICT. Similarly, there was limited awareness of the interaction between human agents in a business, the organisational structures, and ICT.The business implications of these findings suggest that GMs would benefit from being aware of the roles of ICT and addressing the needs of staff for a clearer understanding of how their role, and the ICT that supports it, fits into their broader operation of the business.This study is the one of first to examine the impact of ICT in New Zealand hotels, and, in particular, how this interacts with the broader social issues, and offers insights into the areas of potential conflict and ways to manage the impacts of ICT in hotels.

In 2006, Manitoba released a mandatory social studies curriculum for Grade 8 that included for the first time a section on world religions. It was released during a time when reasonable accommodation was being debated in various parts of Canada. This research explored the ways in which teachers in public schools in the city of Winnipeg dealt with teaching world religions within the climate of “reasonable accommodation” and charter challenges towards freedom of religion. Case study methodology with semi-structured interviews involving teachers included their experiences teaching about world religions. Results indicated teachers who teach about world religions require further information and feel there are personal, professional, and social factors that influence their ability to teach this subject as thoroughly as they would like. Implications for practice include: professional development in the area of world religions; resources for teachers; and government support. / February 2016

Mergers and acquisitions have become very popular in recent decades for firms seeking competitive advantage. The high failure rates of these initiatives make a closer look at the influence of the human factors and their complexity on these change activities necessary. This study traces the development of merger and acquisition activities in four companies, with a particular focus on individuals’ sensemaking over time and on the influence of human functional factors on the process and the outcomes of the mergers reviewed. A qualitative case-study approach is adopted with sixteen in-depth semistructured interviews in four post-merger organisations. The analysis of the collected primary data is done through a descriptive analysis of each individual case and a cross-case analysis of the four investigated cases. The findings show that there is a direct influence of the researched human functional elements and of the individual sensemaking on both the process and outcomes of the reviewed merger and acquisition cases. Based on the findings, a human functional merger and acquisition model – reflecting the interaction and influence of the human functional elements – and a management guideline for adopting this, are developed. This study provides a review of the influence of some significant organisational and individual human functional elements, such as leadership, communication, decision-making, relationship, and individual beliefs, values, attitudes and learning on the process and outcome of mergers and acquisitions. Such an investigation of these elements and their complexity, interaction with and influence on the process and outcome of change initiatives, and more specifically in the context of mergers and acquisitions, has not been undertaken previously.

Comparing to the aggressive growth of the Chinese student population on Canadian university campuses, their lived experience and identity issues deserve more attention that it already had. Using the theoretical framework combining social identity theory (Tajfel, 1974) and Ting-Toomey’s (1999, 2005) identity negotiation theory, this thesis investigated the identity construction and negotiation process of Chinese international students in Canadian universities. The study utilized a qualitative approach combining semi-structured interviews and a thematic analysis to examine the intercultural experiences of sixteen Chinese students in the Ottawa area through their own voices. Six themes were uncovered and future implications for international education practice were further discussed.

abstract: An explanatory sequence mixed methods design was used to examine the effects of choice on the writing performance and motivation of college students (n = 242). The randomized control trial was followed by semi-structured interviews to determine the perceptions students (n = 20) held on the experiment as well the importance of choosing writing topics in college writing assignments. The effects of choice were tested as part of a real writing assignment that was included in nine sections of an introductory special education course. Results from hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analyses found choice had a statistically significant negative effect on holistic writing quality, number of words written, and intrinsic writing motivation. Findings from the semi-structured interviews provided context for understanding the unexpected quantitative results. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Learning, Literacies and Technologies 2018