Studiens mål er å belyse deltakernes erfaringer med selvmordsadferd og tolke fortellingenemed henblikk på mening. De spørsmål studien forsøker å besvare er hvordan mening ogkommunikasjon i relasjon til selvmordsadferden konstrueres og hvilken funksjonfortellingen har for fortelleren. Åpne dybdeintervjuer ble brukt for å samle data. Enfenomenologisk-hermeneutisk tilnærming basert på Ricoeurs filosofi, kombinert medLabovs struktur av personlige narrativer ble brukt for å tolke data.Studien antyder at selvmordsadferden hos deltakerne er et resultat av sammensatte prosessermellom personen, gruppen og samfunnet. Analysen av narrativene resulterte i 26 koder, somble abstrahert til seks sub-kategorier og tre kategorier. Kategoriene var: 1) Meningen med åbli bekreftet og ha tilhørighet, 2) Meningen med å ønske endring av livsbetingelsene og 3)Meningen med å velge mellom mulige løsninger. En tolket helhet formet tema ”Mellomdøden som befrielse og drømmen om et liv”.Selvmordsadferden fremstår hovedsakelig som en kommunikativ handling om personensemosjonelle relasjon til seg selv. Hvordan mannlighet konstrueres har hatt betydning forselvmordsadferden, særlig i relasjon til farsfiguren. Deltakernes egne ressurser i livet harvært knyttet til naturen, gudsfiguren, daglige normalaktiviteter og vennskap. Ikke-dømmende holdninger hos hjelpepersonell og lett tilgang til akutt psykososial omsorg erviktige elementer i et forebyggende folkehelseperspektiv / The aim of the present study was to illuminate the experiences of suicidal behaviour in someNorwegian males with long-term drug addiction, and interpret their personal narratives inregards of meaning and communication. Open-ended, in-depth interviews were chosen forcollecting data. A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach, based on the ideas of Ricoeurin combination with Labovs structural perspective on personal narratives was used toanalyse the data.This study suggests that the suicidal behaviour is a result of a complex interrelationshipbetween the person himself, the group he is a part of and the society at large. Analysis of thepersonal narratives resulted in six sub-categories. Three main categories were identified: 1)The meaning of being confirmed and attached, 2) The meaning of wishing changes in lifecircumstances and 3) The meaning of choosing between possible solutions”. The analysis asa whole formed a theme: “Between death as a solution and dreaming of a life”.The suicidal behaviour can be viewed as a speech about the individuals’s emotional relationto themselves. How masculinity is constructed has had a great impact on the participant’ssuicidal behaviour, specially their relationship with their father. The participants ownrecourses in life have been associated with a sense of coherence. Non-judgemental attitudesin professional helpers and easy access to acute psychosocial care are of importance from apreventing public health perspective / <p>ISBN 91-7997-084-2</p>

This study has been approached from a narrative counseling point of view, which is a product of the postmodern discourse. Counseling within this framework represents a fundamental new shift in counseling practices. Various theories and perspectives are being discussed in this study to explain the context to the reader in which narrative theory operates. Taking the above mentioned framework into consideration the researcher enters into discussions with an individual who has experienced restrictive narratives. Another point of departure of the researcher in this study is that the belief systems of individuals play a significant role in their lives. Narrative counseling with respect to counseling is therefore a very useful instrument in assisting people to understand how their lives are being shaped and influenced by means of their belief systems. Within the framework of the narrative counseling perspective a series of discussions took place with the client. The purpose of these discussions was to deconstruct the client problem saturated story or restrictive narrative into an alternative story of hope, free from the restrictions of the dysfunctional belief system. / This study has been approached from a narrative counseling point of view, which is a product of the postmodern discourse. Counseling within this framework represents a fundamental new shift in counseling practices. Various theories and perspectives are being discussed in this study to explain the context to the reader in which narrative theory operates. Taking the above mentioned framework into consideration the researcher enters into discussions with an individual who has experienced restrictive narratives. Another point of departure of the researcher in this study is that the belief systems of individuals play a significant role in their lives. Narrative counseling with respect to counseling is therefore a very useful instrument in assisting people to understand how their lives are being shaped and influenced by means of their belief systems. Within the framework of the narrative counseling perspective a series of discussions took place with the client. The purpose of these discussions was to deconstruct the client problem saturated story or restrictive narrative into an alternative story of hope, free from the restrictions of the dysfunctional belief system. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Based on a gap identified in existing literature, the aim of the study was to qualitatively examine the thematic patterns and lines of development of leadership models. The research was conducted from within a postmodern, social constructivist epistemological point of view; and was more specifically guided by the narrative theoretical framework. The sample of leadership models were therefore considered as leadership narratives. These leadership narratives were subjected to a qualitative analysis aimed at identifying relevant themes and patterns of development, which were subsequently mapped into a story network analysis and visually represented in the form of a sociogram network display. The major findings of the present research included that; themes that were identified by means of a qualitative analysis, contributed to a possible description of the characteristics of leadership. Core leadership narratives could also be identified and was subjected to further research, which uncovered that the developmental patterns and lines of these core narratives resembled the movement of a pendulum. Such a pendulum seems to have predictive value for organisations, as it might contribute to the understanding of the influences of internal and external factors within these organisations. The research also contributed by exploring the possible impacts that social changes had on the developmental lines and patterns of leadership narratives. This imbedded the study firmly into its proposed sociological context. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

This study has been approached from a narrative counseling point of view, which is a product of the postmodern discourse. Counseling within this framework represents a fundamental new shift in counseling practices. Various theories and perspectives are being discussed in this study to explain the context to the reader in which narrative theory operates. Taking the above mentioned framework into consideration the researcher enters into discussions with an individual who has experienced restrictive narratives. Another point of departure of the researcher in this study is that the belief systems of individuals play a significant role in their lives. Narrative counseling with respect to counseling is therefore a very useful instrument in assisting people to understand how their lives are being shaped and influenced by means of their belief systems. Within the framework of the narrative counseling perspective a series of discussions took place with the client. The purpose of these discussions was to deconstruct the client problem saturated story or restrictive narrative into an alternative story of hope, free from the restrictions of the dysfunctional belief system. / This study has been approached from a narrative counseling point of view, which is a product of the postmodern discourse. Counseling within this framework represents a fundamental new shift in counseling practices. Various theories and perspectives are being discussed in this study to explain the context to the reader in which narrative theory operates. Taking the above mentioned framework into consideration the researcher enters into discussions with an individual who has experienced restrictive narratives. Another point of departure of the researcher in this study is that the belief systems of individuals play a significant role in their lives. Narrative counseling with respect to counseling is therefore a very useful instrument in assisting people to understand how their lives are being shaped and influenced by means of their belief systems. Within the framework of the narrative counseling perspective a series of discussions took place with the client. The purpose of these discussions was to deconstruct the client problem saturated story or restrictive narrative into an alternative story of hope, free from the restrictions of the dysfunctional belief system. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2005.

Based on a gap identified in existing literature, the aim of the study was to qualitatively examine the thematic patterns and lines of development of leadership models. The research was conducted from within a postmodern, social constructivist epistemological point of view; and was more specifically guided by the narrative theoretical framework. The sample of leadership models were therefore considered as leadership narratives. These leadership narratives were subjected to a qualitative analysis aimed at identifying relevant themes and patterns of development, which were subsequently mapped into a story network analysis and visually represented in the form of a sociogram network display. The major findings of the present research included that; themes that were identified by means of a qualitative analysis, contributed to a possible description of the characteristics of leadership. Core leadership narratives could also be identified and was subjected to further research, which uncovered that the developmental patterns and lines of these core narratives resembled the movement of a pendulum. Such a pendulum seems to have predictive value for organisations, as it might contribute to the understanding of the influences of internal and external factors within these organisations. The research also contributed by exploring the possible impacts that social changes had on the developmental lines and patterns of leadership narratives. This imbedded the study firmly into its proposed sociological context. / Thesis (M.A. (Sociology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Prostitution is a large and multifaceted subject. In this study, the purpose is to gain an insight into how the police officers work and act when they get in contact with young prostitutes. The study contains answers and opinions from five police officers which were conducted through semi-structured interviews in this qualitative study. The results were analysed based on a social constructive perspective and Goffman’s stigma theory. According to our result the police work differs depending on which city it is, even though all police stations should be working the same way. All five respondents defined young prostitution similar; they used the legal definition of it. Right now there is a restructuring going on in which 21 police districts are becoming one. When this is through, the respondents think that it will result in more equivalent work, and more room for action.

The researcher’s professional role as an Education Officer was the impetus for this study. Designing and implementing professional development activities is a significant component of the researcher’s position description and as a result of reflection and feedback from participants and colleagues, the creation of a more effective model of professional development became the focus for this study. Few studies have examined all three links between the purposes of professional development that is, increasing teacher knowledge, improving teacher practice, and improving student outcomes. This study is significant in that it investigates the nature of the growth of teachers who participated in a model of professional development which was based upon the principles of Lesson Study. The research provides qualitative and empirical data to establish some links between teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning outcomes. Teacher knowledge in this study refers to mathematics content knowledge as well as pedagogical-content knowledge. The outcomes for students include achievement outcomes, attitudinal outcomes, and behavioural outcomes. As the study was conducted at one school-site, existence proof research was the focus of the methodology and data collection. Developing over the 2007 school year, with five teacher-participants and approximately 160 students from Year Levels 6 to 9, the Lesson Study-principled model of professional development provided the teacher-participants with on-site, on-going, and reflective learning based on their classroom environment. The focus area for the professional development was strategising the engagement with and solution of worded mathematics problems. A design experiment was used to develop the professional development as an intervention of prevailing teacher practice for which data were collected prior to and after the period of intervention. A model of teacher change was developed as an underpinning framework for the development of the study, and was useful in making decisions about data collection and analyses. Data sources consisted of questionnaires, pre-tests and post-tests, interviews, and researcher observations and field notes. The data clearly showed that: content knowledge and pedagogical-content knowledge were increased among the teacher-participants; teacher practice changed in a positive manner; and that a majority of students demonstrated improved learning outcomes. The positive changes to teacher practice are described in this study as the demonstrated use of mixed pedagogical practices rather than a polarisation to either traditional pedagogical practices or contemporary pedagogical practices. The improvement in student learning outcomes was most significant as improved achievement outcomes as indicated by the comparison of pre-test and post-test scores. The effectiveness of the Lesson Study-principled model of professional development used in this study was evaluated using Guskey’s (2005) Five Levels of Professional Development Evaluation.

<p>The aim of this study was to, with a social constructivistic approach, examine how parents,regarded as neglecting their children, are depicted in 12 LVU-legal cases from the Supreme Administrative Court in Sweden. By using a document analysis influenced by discourse analytical tools, we found that there are repeated descriptions of the parents, which constructs an image of parents as shortcoming in the care of their children. The categories lack of emotions, mental disorder, substance abuse and physical maltreatment were the main reasons for child neglect that the parents were described from. Attitudes towards authority, aggression and immaturity, lack of insight, and deficiencies in the home were repeated in the description of the parent. We further found that mothers were regarded as more responsible of the children compared to fathers. According to Goffman, describing certain groups of individuals with discredited words has a stigmatizing effect. It helps to reinforce what is considered normal or abnormal. Furthermore, we have found that the language of the LVU-legal cases, possess a power in the construction of parents who neglect their children, which was analyzed on the basis of Foucault's theory of power.</p>

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore through a social constructivist framework the similarities and differences emerging from a set of Canadian and Chinese award-winning picture books published between 2004 and 2014. In addition to the application of Radical Change characteristics to the picture book set, responses of eight participants in Canadian and Chinese academic and teaching contexts were also explored through semi-structured interviews related to conceptualizations and use of children’s picture books. Child-image and theme were investigated through content analysis. The exploration illuminated that the most frequent child-image was child who encounters difficulties. Child-as-problem solver and playing/imaginative child were more reflected in the Canadian titles, while the Chinese titles included more child-as-narrator and moral/life model. The theme of moral/life lessons was frequently represented by the selected titles, whereas the biggest difference between the two cultural categories was imagination/fantasy, with the Chinese study set involving it far less often. The most obvious Radical Change type was changing forms and formats. The most important purpose of using picture books in both Canadian and Chinese contexts appeared to be books as teaching tools. There has been a considerable amount of imagination/fantasy or children with authentic characterization/special needs in the selected books, yet the participants believed there was a dearth of the particular theme or child-image in current picture books. This study indicates potential for further comparative studies of Canadian and Chinese award-winning picture books, and extends the knowledge of picture books, to address current gaps in the literature, particularly as available research relates to the creation, evaluation and use of picture books.

This thesis argues that colonization plays a major role in corruption in developing countries. There are different types of corruption: bribery, fraud, and institutional corruption. They occur often, and in some instances, these habits were developed as a result of the colonizers influencing the behaviors of their colonies. Although colonial times seem far back, the characteristics and influences have been deeply engrained in the countries that have long since gained their independence from their colonizers. In the following thesis, I will argue the correlation that colonization and corruption have, while also addressing particular countries in the argument maintaining that there is a link that exists. This case aims to foster an understanding that although there are many causes of corruption, colonization serves as a basis for state development, which in turn affects the presence of corruption. This thesis will reflect research made by scholars regarding corruption and colonization, as well as the theory and hypotheses that support each issue.