This study analyses the growing area of research that explores the evolution of technology from social and cognition perspective – and how the design and various implementation of technology are being shaped by the factors related to social-constructivism and beliefs systems of individuals. The newly developed technological phenomena of Cryptocurrency – the digital currency for all, provides us with an excellent case to study. We apply social and cognitive processes to understand technology trajectories across the life cycle of cryptocurrency. We thus deepen our understanding by analyzing why and what causes the various technological trajectories in the era of ferment and concluding our research by deriving various technological 'themes'. – that might evolve as the phenomena of cryptocurrency while moving towards the era of dominant design.

This research examined which factors of influence contributed towards efficacious systemic leadership development, within case studies in the energy and military sectors, and identified and explained common underlying themes and factors which could help formulate future interventions, as well as enhance extant theoretical knowledge. The literature showed that key challenges exist in identifying what contribution leadership development makes to enhancing organisational leadership, and as such, social capital and systemic development. To focus the research, specific definitions were constructed, as to what sort of effective leadership positively impacts upon organisational leadership; which cardinal themes of leadership development traverse interventions, namely Delivery, Contextualisation, Performance, Impact and Values integration; and what constitutes systemic leadership development. A Social Constructivist position was adopted which explains the nature of the phenomena underlying systemic leadership development.

Children's well-being is an extremely relevant topic at the moment both culturally and politically. Counselling psychologists complete training that includes a diversity of clinical and research approaches though these focus mainly on adults and neglect children. This study aimed to explore the construction of counselling psychologists' experiences of, and perceived contribution to, working with children. Charmaz's (2006) social constructivist version of the original grounded theory method was employed. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants from the British Psychological Society's website. Participants also self-selected for the study. Eleven individuals who were chartered counselling psychologists and had experience of working with children therapeutically were interviewed. Intensive interviewing was employed and the interviews were audio-taped with a typed transcript of each produced. Data analysis revealed a central concept which the researcher termed 'Being a Professional Chameleon', which gained expression through the subcategories of 'Adapting to Working with Children', 'Professional Selves' and 'Training and Competency of Working with Children'. The findings are discussed in relation to related literature, counselling psychology training and career paths. Implications for the counselling psychology profession are discussed, including suggestions for future research and clinical practice.

The questions addressed in this study arose from an earlier project which attempted to provide videoconferencing opportunities for Second Language (SL) teachers to engaging in bilingual “virtual exchanges” for their students (hereafter referred to as “eTandem videoconferencing”). This investigation was initially motivated by the interest on discovering why these teachers and their students did not take the opportunity to participate in the synchronous part of the exchanges. This qualitative study reports on the developmental paths experienced by twenty SL teachers from the US, the UK, Switzerland and Spain and their pupils in the process. It particularly aims to discover what teachers' roles emerge in the process. The research also focuses on how these teachers’ practices are consistent with a more social constructivist approach to Computer Assisted Language Learning. The investigation builds on Hartnell-Young’s theoretical model (2003) of teachers’ roles where computers are used. Data collection involves an initial survey, observation of teachers and students before, during and after the exchanges and video-stimulated recall interviews with the teachers. The research centres on critical incidents experienced by these teachers. Hugues' model (2009) of the expanded critical incident approach provides the methodological framework. In line with her model, the study has created a multifaceted word picture of these teachers, further characterised by a condensed set of critical findings. The teachers’ accounts reveal several incidents that inhibited or supported the teachers’ development in terms of how they planned the learning environment regarding the physical space, the virtual setting and the social environment and in terms of how they mediated the implementation of the exchanges towards a more interactive approach. In doing so, this investigation adds to the knowledge base available to educators and researchers by offering greater understanding about these SL teachers’ particular experiences.

Ethnicity is one of the powerful concepts in social sciences. It encourages social scientists coming from different academic disciplines to think over its roles, influences and power within communities which are shaped at various level. Particularly in the globalised world, traditional approaches such as primordalism, essentialism or instrumentalism have difficulty to provide a powerful framework to understand complexity and power of ethnicity in diasporic spaces which host different identity formations, experiences and cultural hybridisation. Accordingly, these traditional approaches miss differences among human beings who associated themselves with certain ethnicities. For this reason, social scientists tend to understand the concept of ethnicity with alternative approaches. Unlike traditional approaches, social constructionism does not seen ethnicity as fixed, stable homogeneous things. Rather, ethnicities refer to a cognitive process which is shaped by people’s attitudes, perceptions or interactions. Approaching to ethnicity as a cognitive process allows us to go beyond universality and sharp definitions of ethnicity. Also, it emerges out various interpretations in diasporic spaces where ethnicity can be reproduced in various ways. By relying on this theoretical framework, this research seeks to understand the reproduction of Armenianness in diasporic spaces. Through focusing on Turkish, Lebanese and British Armenians, it searches answers for following questions a) What are the components of Armenianness in Turkey, Lebanon and Britain? b) How are the components of Armenianness interpreted in diasporic communities in Turkey, Lebanon and Britain? c) How is Armenianness reproduced among Armenian youngsters in Turkey, Lebanon and Britain? It is hypothesised that Armenianness is not a holistic form, it can be observed as “a patchwork” consisting of various patterns and colours. In order to materialise research aims and goals, the research was supported by field works in Istanbul, Beirut and London between 2011 and 2013. Throughout the data collection period, in-depth interviews, ethnography and participant observation were preferred to not only identify components of Armenianness, but also to create datasets for comparing and analysing the cases. The datasets have been analysed by ANCO-HITS to demonstrate similarities and differences among various reproduction forms of Armenianness in numerical ways. As a result of the ANCO-HITS analysis, Armenianness was ranked in each case according to participants’ scores. Later on, two participants (having the most negative and positive) were introduced through referring findings and fieldwork notes which derived from ethnography. This research shows that Armenianness is observed in various forms. It is highly heterogeneous in diasporic spaces and experienced in different ways. Interpretations of youngsters are varied. It sometimes seems to be ethnic, nationalist, political, moderate or congregational. It also demonstrates that attitudes, perceptions as well as interactions of youngsters with Armenians and non-Armenians can be effective parameters differentiate Armenianness in diasporic spaces.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This study investigates how students in an online Masters Programme in Adult Learning, although geographically dispersed used SNs to develop a supportive environment that enables collaborative learning to support and deepen their learning. Web 2.0 social software provided the tools for various forms of communication and information sharing amongst student within the social networks. This study shows how the use of Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, podcasts, blogs, chat rooms, social networking sites and email have the potential to expand the learning environment, increase participation and enrich the learning experience. Rapid technological developments transform our world into a global society which is ever changing and interconnected. The SNs as a learning environment in this technological driven global society is complex and not clearly defined; therefore it was not easy for me to understand the nature of the SNs as learning environment. The social nature of this study has therefore urged me to use social constructivism as a conceptual framework to gain insights into how students have used the social networks to develop a supportive environment that enables collaborative learning to support and deepen their learning. The utilisation of social constructivism as theoretical lens has helped to broaden my perceptions of the SNs as learning environment, to deepen my understanding of how learning occurs in the SNs and to comprehend learner behaviour within this pedagogical space. Social constructivists view learning as a social process in which people make sense of their world by interacting with other people (Doolittle & Camp, 1999). Social constructivists belief in the social nature of knowledge, and the belief that knowledge is the result of social interaction and language usage, and, thus, is a shared, rather than an individual, experience (Prawat & Floden, 1994). Furthermore, they believe that this social interaction always occurs within a socio-cultural context, resulting in knowledge that is bound to a specific time and place (Vygotsky, 1978).

This study explored the experiences of street-involved youth who have received mental health services for symptoms of methamphetamine-induced psychosis. Specifically, the study investigated what factors were perceived by participants to promote and hinder access to mental health services. The researcher interviewed nine street youth at Covenant House, a Vancouver agency serving street-involved youth. Interview data and the researcher's field notes were coded and analyzed within a grounded theory paradigm. Youth discussed formal and informal sources of help and routes to both. Two distinct perspectives to treatment were identified: an addictions perspective and a concurrent disorders perspective. Respondents outlined the typical pathway into methamphetamine use and described barriers and supports for accessing services while undergoing drug-induced psychosis. Significant factors that encouraged access to services were positive relationships with helpers, strong peer supports, and the use of involuntary services when necessary. Identified barriers included fear of being stigmatized, lack of problem awareness, and systemic barriers. The current research proposed a model of access to mental health services that positions outreach and frontline workers as key figures to mediating street youth's access to appropriate services. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Syftet med denna uppsats är att utveckla en fördjupad förståelse för flickors relation till idrott i Moshi, Tanzania. Jag ville veta mer om hur en verksamhet arbetar för flickors möjligheter att utöva idrott. Jag ville också veta mer om hur verksamhetens personal och flickorna själva beskriver flickornas idrottande och dess betydelse för dem. Jag har valt kvalitativa metoder, såsom semistrukturerade intervjuer och en observation. För att uppnå studiens syfte genomfördes intervjuer med personal i en verksamhet. Jag har också gjort en gruppintervju med tjejer från ett netbollslag. Även en observation under en netbollsträning har gjorts. För bättre förståelse av ämnet har den insamlade datan analyserats genom tidigare rapporter och forskning samt teorin om social konstruktivism och begreppet självkänsla och empowerment. Utifrån resultatet i denna studie har det bekräftats att det finns vissa skillnader mellan flickor och pojkars idrottande i Moshi. Flickor möjligheter att utöva idrott är begränsad. Detta är kopplat till flera olika faktorer inom det tanzaniska samhället. Vidare framkommer det att möjligheter att utöva idrott finns. I skolor och andra organisationer får flickorna möjlighet att delta i idrott. Vidare har det bekräftats att idrotten har en positiv effekt på flera olika sätt. Idrottens betydelse har beskrivits med både positiva och negativa effekter för de flickor som deltar i idrottandet. Effekter som ökat självförtroende och empowerment är exempel på positiva effekter som idrotten medför. En annan positiv effekt som har beskrivits är vikten av idrott för sexualiteten. Exempel på negativ effekt är exkludering. / The aim of this essay is to develop an in-depth knowledge of girls’ relationship to sports in the city of Moshi, Tanzania. I would like to know more about how one organization are working for girls’ opportunities of practice sports. Also, I would like to know more about how staff and the girls from the organisation describe girls practice of sports and its meaning to them. I have chosen qualitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews and one observation. To achieve the aim, I have conduct interviews with staff at one organisation. I also have done one group interview with girls from a netball team. Also, one observation during one netball training has been done. For better understanding of the subject, the collected data have been analysed through previous researches and the theory of social constructivism and the concept self-esteem and empowerment. According to the results of this study, it has been confirmed that there´s some differences between girls´ and boys' sports in Moshi. Girls opportunities of practice sports are limited. This is linked to several different factors within Tanzanian society. Furthermore, it appears that opportunities of practice sports exist. In schools and other organisations, girls are given the opportunity to participate in sports. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that sport has a positive effect in many ways. The meaning of sports has been described with both positive and negative effects for girls who participate in sports. Positive effects such as increased self-esteem and empowerment are examples of described effects. Another positive effect which has been described is the importance of sport for the sexuality. Examples of a negative effect is exclusion.

This research studies norm subsidiarity in the practice of diplomacy. Norm subsidiarity is a concept found within norm diffusion scholarship. It is argued that this scholarship gives a privileged position to materially strong actors in its explanation of norm diffusion. The role of weaker states to support international norms is often ignored. Norm subsidiarity explains how materially weaker states support international norms to protect their autonomy from stronger actors. This research demonstrates the application of norm subsidiarity by tracing the history and context surrounding the diplomacy of Iran’s nuclear programme from its inception in 1957 to the present. Iran has successfully supported the norm of the peaceful use of nuclear energy by continuing to develop its nuclear programme. This is despite overwhelming international pressure from much stronger states who seek to stop this programme. The analysis shows that Iran’s actions can be described as a process of norm subsidiarity. This provides credibility to the argument that weaker states can play an important role in successfully supporting international norms, despite the desires of much stronger states. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Political Sciences / MA / Unrestricted

In this thesis, I draw attention to patterns at the intersection of (a) interpretations of science in two journals (Philosophy of Science, and Social Studies of Science) and (b) references to Wittgenstein's writings. Interpretations of science can be classed according to the degree to which they support a realist or social constructivist understanding of the entities described by current scientific theories. By tracing the intellectual traditions from which these interpretations emerged, I develop an abstracted classification of these positions. Since this classification does not meaningfully map onto the positions articulated by the writers sampled here (which is telling about intellectual histories generally), I develop a new, more promising scheme of classification. I find that Wittgenstein is appropriated more often in support of social constructivist views of science, but that reasons for this support are generally weak. Using a novel measure of content which I call "appeal-to-authority," I show that there is a significant difference between these journals in their use of Wittgenstein's writings. But there is a subtle methodological argument at work here as well. I show that methods of analysis which rely exclusively on intellectual histories, bibliometrics, and globablizing statements about the products of science suffer serious limitations. In short, this thesis reflexively shows that the methods upon which it is based allow room for considerable bias and manipulation, and thereby implicates many bodies of work built upon these methods. / Master of Science