Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Alberta, 2010. / "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta." Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on July 23, 2010) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2005. / Title from PDF title page screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-83)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 288-315).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1976. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-236).

Thesis (Ed.D.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2006. / Thesis advisor: Ronnie Casella. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education, Department of Educational Leadership." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-272). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-205).

A descriptive case study approach was used to learn more about the transitions experienced by women counsellor trainees. The transitions that counsellors-in-training face are multi-faceted and challenging. Information was sought about the ways counsellor trainees adapted to these challenges, particularly any methods that helped them be resilient or to grow during the transitions. Three women graduate students in the Masters program were interviewed in depth at three points in their counsellor Training- program entry, after pre-practicum, and end of practicum. The interviews used the “lenses” of narratives, self-defining memories (SDMs), and possible selves to understand the influence of the past, present and anticipated future on the women’s transition process. Using inductive analytic techniques, transcripts of the interviews were analyzed on a case-by-case basis, cumulating in a detailed narrative account of each woman’s unique experience in the transition over time. The bulk of the study is a description of the three very different journeys of the women participants. In addition, common themes and patterns across the cases were briefly noted and described. The case studies revealed a complex interaction between the women’s SDMs, current experiences, and possible selves. Their unique personal histories, strengths, and unresolved issues from the past were found to influence the types of challenges they faced or chose within the transition. The women’s possible selves and projected SDMs often reflected their current concerns, and foretold upcoming developments in their lives. Overly strong feared selves (imbalanced possible selves), which were associated with a feeling of threat and low self-confidence, interfered with one woman’s readiness to respond to the challenges presented by the transition. SDMs generated richly detailed narratives, were responsive to change and could, themselves, facilitate change. The research interview unintentionally also facilitated change. Participants welcomed the opportunity to discuss their experiences in greater detail than they had elsewhere; they felt supported during the interview, and found it helpful to create a context that they could use to make meaning of their experiences. Overall, participants found counsellor training more overwhelming, intense, and time-consuming than they had anticipated. At the start of training, these strongly motivated women, accustomed to independence and feeling competent, suddenly found themselves in a new environment being watched and assessed as they tried to acquire new skills. Their self-confidence dropped dramatically and they became uncomfortably focused on external direction and feedback. Initially, perseverance, determination and the strength of their dream to become a counsellor kept them pushing onwards with their graduate work. Gradually, as they began to accumulate successes in their training environment, and they reached out to peers for support (or their peers approached them for help), their fear of not belonging and their unreasonably high expectations for performance began to abate. The women’s confidence rebuilt as they came to realize they did belong, and could acquire the basic skills to be a counsellor. Once the women became more assured that they could handle the academic and counselling skills of the program, their efforts tended to shift from perseverance, survival, and meeting external demands to developing a more internal focus. They began to integrate the material in more personally meaningful ways and to sculpt more personal visions of their counselling goals. There was also a shift towards integrating the academic material with their practical counselling experiences, their values and their lifestyle choices. Although general patterns were observed across the case studies, the individual variations in the women’s experiences were far more striking than their commonalities. The unique personal histories, strengths, preferences, values, life circumstances, and perspectives of the women significantly influenced the type of transition they experienced. / Graduate

D.Phil. (Political Science) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Despite popular and professional concerns with schools as institutions where socialization occurs, there are few empirical studies of classroom behaviour. The problem set for the study reported here was to observe classroom behaviour and to provide a theoretical description of what was observed in terms relevant to sociologists' interest in socialization. The thesis is thus a description of "normal form" behaviour in the classroom, with an analytic interest in how that relates to a useful conception of socialization. Socialization is first discussed with respect to some aspects of common culture, taken for granted by adults, but "taught" explicitly in first grade. Following that, the study reports upon the ways in which children acquire membership in the class, rule-learning associated with such membership, and the import of membership acquisition for the goal of socialization as conceived here, i.e. the production of social actors competent to handle "normal environments". It is argued that the classroom is one such environment encountered by children in early life, and that the work of the school as a "socializing agent" cannot be appreciated without some understanding of these matters. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate