This article explores some of the social processes and functions within a community of learners who had to adjust to changing social and academic contexts. The group included 13 learners from Botswana, five of whom were males and eight of whom were females, with an age range of between 25 and 45 years. The learners were primarily Tswana-speaking, with the exception of one who spoke Afrikaans. The learners were registered for an informal one-year counselling certificate course at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. The Botswana learners had no prior contact with mainly white, Afrikaans-speaking communities, such as those found in Potchefstroom. As a result, they had to make various adjustments on personal, academic and social levels. An inductive qualitative approach was followed, using the Mmogo™-method as a case study, to gain insight into the experiences of a group of learners. The Mmogo™-method facilitated the use of culturally appropriate items and the learners were able to use cultural symbols to reflect on their experiences. The learners were asked to make visual presentations of their experiences throughout the time spent in their new contexts. Thereafter focus group discussions were conducted, where the visual presentations were discussed. The central themes were derived from the focus group data and the analysis of the visual presentations. The findings indicate that the process of creating new social meanings occurred through various phases. The initial phases were marked by uncertainty and misconceptions. The early interactions among the community of learners led them to realise that they generally shared the same goals, and also had other things in common, such as political and religious beliefs. The development of a collective consciousness was characterised by the emergence of smaller groups within the large community. As time went by, the collective consciousness in the community deepened and the smaller groups became more diffused. This contributed to open sharing of information and knowledge creation; and it facilitated the attainment of goals. The findings also indicate that there were a number of processes involved in the construction of meanings that contributed to the negotiation of meaning, and an exchange of ideas and information within the community of learners. The communication patterns within the community of learners were found to be open, honest and inclusive. This contributed to the free flow of information and facilitated minimisation of misconceptions. In addition, these patterns facilitated decision-making and encouraged feelings of belonging within the community. Natural leadership emerged and the responsibilities associated with it were discharged in specific and African-conscious ways. The learners also used context-specific analogies to illustrate relational support within their community. For example, they compared relational support to oxen pulling a plough and to a traditional three-legged pot to express the extent to which they mutually depended on each other's talents and resources. The findings also point to certain underlying assumptions that contributed to the development of relational support. In this community, a collective consciousness and sense of trust emerged as the learners worked together towards their goals. The values of sharing and working together are also the defining features of the African worldview. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

This article explores some of the social processes and functions within a community of learners who had to adjust to changing social and academic contexts. The group included 13 learners from Botswana, five of whom were males and eight of whom were females, with an age range of between 25 and 45 years. The learners were primarily Tswana-speaking, with the exception of one who spoke Afrikaans. The learners were registered for an informal one-year counselling certificate course at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. The Botswana learners had no prior contact with mainly white, Afrikaans-speaking communities, such as those found in Potchefstroom. As a result, they had to make various adjustments on personal, academic and social levels. An inductive qualitative approach was followed, using the Mmogo™-method as a case study, to gain insight into the experiences of a group of learners. The Mmogo™-method facilitated the use of culturally appropriate items and the learners were able to use cultural symbols to reflect on their experiences. The learners were asked to make visual presentations of their experiences throughout the time spent in their new contexts. Thereafter focus group discussions were conducted, where the visual presentations were discussed. The central themes were derived from the focus group data and the analysis of the visual presentations. The findings indicate that the process of creating new social meanings occurred through various phases. The initial phases were marked by uncertainty and misconceptions. The early interactions among the community of learners led them to realise that they generally shared the same goals, and also had other things in common, such as political and religious beliefs. The development of a collective consciousness was characterised by the emergence of smaller groups within the large community. As time went by, the collective consciousness in the community deepened and the smaller groups became more diffused. This contributed to open sharing of information and knowledge creation; and it facilitated the attainment of goals. The findings also indicate that there were a number of processes involved in the construction of meanings that contributed to the negotiation of meaning, and an exchange of ideas and information within the community of learners. The communication patterns within the community of learners were found to be open, honest and inclusive. This contributed to the free flow of information and facilitated minimisation of misconceptions. In addition, these patterns facilitated decision-making and encouraged feelings of belonging within the community. Natural leadership emerged and the responsibilities associated with it were discharged in specific and African-conscious ways. The learners also used context-specific analogies to illustrate relational support within their community. For example, they compared relational support to oxen pulling a plough and to a traditional three-legged pot to express the extent to which they mutually depended on each other's talents and resources. The findings also point to certain underlying assumptions that contributed to the development of relational support. In this community, a collective consciousness and sense of trust emerged as the learners worked together towards their goals. The values of sharing and working together are also the defining features of the African worldview. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

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This project seeks to mediate one of the most significant issues with implementing writing groups in the secondary classroom: students do not know how to meaningfully engage in discussions about their writing. Students lack the necessary skills as well as understanding of the rhetorical nature of language to effectively request and provide feedback on pieces of writing. The application of theories of dialogue and collaboration to the research about writing groups suggest that the quality of student writing depends on the quality of their discussions about writing. Thus, my action research study investigates the types of language used between students in writing groups. I audio recorded students' writing group discussions and asked students to reflect on their experience in a written survey. Drawing on recorded small group conversations and student reflections, I consider how secondary students' rhetorical approach to writing groups allows them to collaboratively make meaning and improve their writing. The following research question guided my work: What rhetorical skills and understanding are necessary for meaningful participation in writing groups? In this context, meaningful participation is defined as productive discussions wherein comments build on one another as students create meaning and generate new ideas together. This was evaluated by the students themselves in their written reflections as well as my analysis of the recorded group discussions. Thematic analysis revealed that students who have an awareness of the rhetorical situation as well as skills such as responding and questioning are better able to participate meaningfully in writing groups.

This thesis discusses the relationship between space (physical and figurative) and sovereign power, with respect to the history of the United States' immigration and boundary policy. It examines spatial organization as a social product, and simultaneously a producer of mainstream associations of illegal activity at the border with Mexico. It begins with a brief introduction to a spatially informed analytical framework, a history of relevant United States' immigration policy. The paper then uses newspaper coverage from the 1970s and 1980s to examine the local and national rise of xenophobia in the United States, and the normalization of boundary control and associated illegality. The socio-spatial evaluation of federal policy and public sentiment culminates with a discussion of the border policies developed by the United States Border Patrol in the early 1990s. The strategy introduced focused on preventing immigration by deterring migrants from the attempt. This plan was necessarily spatial in nature as it sought to displace migrants from ideal crossing spaces to sites vulnerable to capture by the Border Patrol. Ultimately, the history of the United States boundary with Mexico demonstrates the power of controlling a territory, and controlling a social narrative.

Bakgrund: Tiden är en av de äldsta mänskliga konstruktionerna och ett fenomen som människor alltid velat mäta. Detta har människan gjort genom alla tider med hjälp av allt från solur, astronomiska ur till mekaniska ur. I dagens moderna samhälle där människor har en ständig tillgång till displayer som visar hur mycket klockan är, fortsätter den Schweiziska klockindustrin att exportera för miljontals Schweiziska franc och efterfrågan tycks inte påverkas av de elektroniska prylarna och ”smartphones”. När tiden inte är det relevanta längre eller det som konsumenter strävar efter vid köp av en klocka, ställer vi oss frågan om vad det är som driver folk till att vara villiga att lägga ner så mycket pengar på en sådan produkt? Vad är det för värde som huvudsakligen uppfattas och varierar de mellan konsumenterna beroende på klockans syfte? Genom att undersöka faktorer inom de olika värdekategorierna Socialt-, Hedonistiskt- och Funktionellt värde, och med hjälp av två olika konsumenttyper, har författarna som avsikt att slutligen klargöra vilka faktorer som är mer eller mindre värdeskapande. Studien bidrar till en kartläggning och en kunskapsspridning om vilka faktorer som är mest värdeskapande, inte bara gällande klockor, men även för hela premiumindustrin. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera vilka faktorer som är av vikt och har betydelse för konsumenters uppfattning om värde när det gäller premiumprodukter. För att utreda detta har vi valt att fokusera på klockindustrin där vi avser undersöka och fastställa vilka faktorer som till högre eller lägre grad har betydelse för konsumentens uppfattning om vad som genererar ett värde. Genomförande: Studien har ett interpretativistiskt synsätt och är en deduktiv studie som karaktäriseras av ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt. Empirin har samlats in genom ett bekvämlighetsurval med inslag av målstyrt urval. Sammanlagt har 9 intervjuer med privatpersoner genomförts. Slutsats: Studien visar på att de värdeskapande faktorerna varierar beroende på konsumenttyp samt deras syfte med köpet. Orsakerna till hur konsumenter uppfattar faktorer som värdeskapande beror på vad konsumenten strävar efter, hur insatt konsumenten är i ämnet samt dess bakgrund. De värdeskapande faktorerna går även att väva samman och utgör ofta ett ökat värde tillsammans. / Background: Time is one of the oldest constructions created by humans and a phenomenon that humans always wanted to measure. This has been done by humans throughout all ages, using everything from sundials, astronomical watches to mechanical watches. In today's modern society, where people have constant access to displays showing the time, the Swiss watch industry continues to export for millions of Swiss francs and the demand does not seem to be affected. When time is neither the factor nor the reason why people are buying a watch, what is causing people to spend money on such a product? What types of values are essentially perceived and do they vary between consumers depending on their purpose of the watch? By examining factors within the different categories of value; the Social-, the Hedonistic- and Functional value, and by using two different types of consumers’, the authors have the intention to clarify which factors are of more or less value- creating. The study contributes to a mapping and dissemination of knowledge about which factors are the most value creating ones, not only regarding watches, but for the entire premium industry. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify which factors are important and of significance to consumers' perception of value in terms of premium products. As a case for investigating this issue, the authors have chosen the watch industry where they intend to investigate and determine which factors are of higher or lower importance to the consumer's perception of what has generated value-creation. Completion: The study has an interpretative approach and is a deductible study characterized by a qualitative approach. The empirical data has been collected through a convenience sample with elements of a target sample. A total of 9 interviews with private individuals have been conducted. Conclusion: The study shows that the value-creating factors vary depending on the consumer type and their purpose of the purchase. The reasons for how consumers perceive factors as value creating depend on what the consumer strives for, how committed the consumer is to the subject and the consumer’s background. The value-creating factors can also be put together and often constitute an increased value.

Ce mémoire propose une étude du parcours de vie de Marcel Rioux qui cherche à saisir les conditions qui l’ont amené à incarner la figure de l’intellectuel au Québec à son époque. En effet, cette étude propose l’analyse de l’itinéraire social, tel que le suggère Bernard Lahire dans sa biographie sociologique, à l’origine de dispositions mentales et sociales, puis de ressources — héritées ou acquises au fil de l’itinéraire biographique de Rioux —, qui lui confère une position privilégiée dans la société; position en vertu de laquelle se forment l’autonomie et la liberté d’expression propres à l’engagement social et politique digne de lui conférer la qualité d’être intellectuel. C’est sur la base de la mobilisation de dispositions et de ressources particulières, qui prend la forme d’un rapport habitus et capital chez Pierre Bourdieu, propre à générer l’autonomie nécessaire à faire exister l’intellectuel dans son orbite et apte à légitimer sa position sur la scène publique, qu’il sera démontré en termes théoriques que n’est pas intellectuel qui veut. / This present master’s thesis proposes a study of the route of Marcel Rioux’s life in order to seize the conditions which lead him to embody the intellectual’s figure in Quebec in his time. Indeed, this study proposes the analysis of the social route, such as suggests Bernard Lahire in his sociological biography, at the origin of mental and social capacities, then of resources — inherited or acquired in the course of the bibliographic route of Rioux —, which confers him this privileged position in society; position by virtue of which form the autonomy and the freedom of expression for the social and political commitment conferring him the quality to be intellectual. On the basis of the mobilization of capacities and particular resources, which takes the combined shape of habitus and capital for Pierre Bourdieu, appropriate to generate the autonomy needed to make the intellectual exist in his orbit and capable of legitimizing his position on the public scene, it will be demonstrated in theoretical terms that is not intellectual whoever wants to be.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Auxiliadora de Lima Wang.pdf: 1004158 bytes, checksum: 178fcdb9ba66350b2f3d28988b2208ad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-14 / Based on the principle of operant selection, it is possible to assume that certain verbal practices in a community tend to be initially diverse and over the time become less diverse. Aiming to investigate this assumption, in this study the verbal interactions on the blogs of the journalists Luis Nassif (LN) and Ricardo Kotscho (RK) were analyzed. The goal was to identify aspects of the interaction between participants and of the opinions about the target political issue that could be characterized as diversity and uniformity. A post related to the Brazilian political parties PSDB and PT published, at first, in the blog of Kotscho and, after that, re-posted in the blog of Nassif, as well as comments on the post, served as data for the analysis. All comments published in both blogs were analyzed according to three main aspects: (1) positioning and form of interaction between the participants (classified as agreement/disagreement, among other categories, and classified according to how the participants presented their opinions, that is, with or without arguments); (2) positioning and form of interaction about PSDB / PT(classified as favorable or unfavorable to these political parties, and classified with respect to how the arguments were presented, that is, citing aspects / strategies of the party s political program, or disqualifying the political party / politician belonging to the party; (3) positioning and form of interaction about the orientation of the media in political coverage (classified as favorable or unfavorable to PSDB / PT, and classified according to how the participants described the media coverage, that is, with criticisms / disqualifications addressed to media companies / journalists in general, or with criticisms / disqualifications addressed to specific media companies/journalists). Diversity in many aspects of interactions between participants was found in both blogs. Regarding interactions about politics, uniformity was found in LN s blog: the majority of the participants positioned favorably to PT and unfavorably to PSDB. In RK s blog, the relationship between favorable and unfavorable positioning to PSDB / PT was more balanced, although with the largest number of participants positioned themselves unfavorably to the PSDB compared to the number of the participants that positioned themselves unfavorable to PT. Based on these results and from the results of other research in which interactions in the LN s blog were analyzed, it is possible that the behavior of the group in LN s blog has gone / is going through a selection process, resulting in a more uniform political orientation of its members. Possibilities and limits to diversity / uniformity of verbal interactions on web are discussed, as well, possibilities and limits to planning potential interventions for changes in cultural practices widely disseminated / Baseando-se no princípio de seleção operante, é possível supor que certas práticas verbais em uma comunidade tendam a ser, inicialmente, diversas e ao longo do tempo se tornem menos diversas em algumas de suas dimensões. Com o objetivo de estudar esse possível fenômeno, neste trabalho analisaram-se interações verbais nos blogs dos jornalistas Luís Nassif (LN) e Ricardo Kotscho (RK), para identificar aspectos que pudessem ser caracterizados como diversidade e como uniformidade na interação entre participantes, e com respeito a um tema político-alvo. Serviram como fonte um post relacionado com os partidos políticos PSDB e PT publicado no blog de RK, depois reproduzido no blog de LN, assim como seus respectivos comentários. Os comentários foram analisados segundo três aspectos principais: (1) posicionamento e forma de interação entre participantes (classificados quanto à concordância/discordância entre participantes, entre outras categorias, e classificados quanto à forma de apresentálo, isto é: com argumento que sustente a posição ou sem argumento); (2) posicionamento e forma de interação sobre PSDB/PT (classificados como favorável ou desfavorável a esses partidos, e com relação à maneira de apresentálo: citando aspectos/estratégias do programa do partido/político ou desqualificando o partido/político, por exemplo); (3) posicionamento e forma de interação sobre a orientação da mídia na cobertura política (sendo a orientação da mídia classificada como favorável ou desfavorável ao PSDB/PT, e classificados segundo a forma de apresentá-lo: com críticas/desqualificações dirigidas ao trabalho de empresas/jornalistas específicos ou a empresas/jornalistas em geral). Em ambos os blogs encontrou-se diversidade no posicionamento e na forma de interação entre participantes. Nas interações sobre política, encontrou-se uniformidade no posicionamento do grupo de LN: a grande maioria se posicionou de modo favorável ao PT ou desfavorável ao PSDB. No blog de RK, a relação entre posicionamento favorável e desfavorável ao PSDB/PT ficou mais equilibrada, mas foi maior o número de participantes que se posicionou desfavoravelmente ao PSDB em comparação com o número que se posicionou de modo desfavorável ao PT. Com base em resultados desta e de outra pesquisa em que o blog de LN serviu como fonte, considera-se possível que o comportamento dos participantes do blog de LN tenha passado/esteja passando por processo de seleção, que resultaria em maior uniformidade na orientação político-partidária de seus integrantes. Discutem-se possibilidades e limites para diversidade/uniformidade do produto de interações realizadas na web e para intervenções que pretendam alterar práticas culturais amplamente disseminadas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ANEXO 1 - FOTOS DAS EDICOES.zip: 94043962 bytes, checksum: e2a1541f3bcd5a9371ef4b0a8650509b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-26 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O conhecimento socialmente construído tem sido um tema explorado por estudiosos das Ciências Sociais, da Psicologia, e mesmo da Análise do Comportamento. Conhecimento socialmente construído é conhecimento que um indivíduo adquire do mundo por meio de descrições fornecidas pela comunidade verbal. Tal conhecimento é comportamento verbal que envolveria tatos, autoclíticos e intraverbais - que são especificamente respostas verbais sob controle antecedente de estímulos também verbais. Nas sociedades ocidentais contemporâneas a mídia de massa tem desempenhado um papel importante na construção e manutenção de conhecimento socialmente construído, fornecendo às pessoas, através de seus veículos - jornais, TV, internet, rádio, cinema, entre outros - relatos verbais acerca de eventos que ocorrem no mundo. O presente estudo constituiu uma tentativa de desenvolver ferramentas e procedimentos de investigação do material produzido por dois jornais diários brasileiros sobre eventos que ficaram conhecidos como: (a) o atentado terrorista de 11 de Setembro de 2001, ocorrido nos EUA, e (b) o atentado terrorista de 11 de Março de 2004, ocorrido em Madri, na Espanha. Partiu-se da suposição de que a veiculação destes eventos por estes jornais funcionaria como estimulação verbal que promoveria no leitor respostas que identificamos como seu conhecimento desses eventos. Foram analisados aspectos formais e de conteúdo das manchetes e imagens de notícias em 12 edições da Folha de São Paulo e do O Estado de São Paulo, publicadas nos 3 dias subseqüentes à ocorrência de cada um dos eventos. Selecionou-se para análise as matérias que faziam referência direta ou indireta aos eventos, no título ou no primeiro parágrafo. Foram registrados para cada matéria: os títulos, leads, o tipo de matéria, a origem da matéria, a presença, o tipo, e a origem da imagem. Os títulos e imagens foram classificados de acordo com o conteúdo apresentado e com classificações utilizadas pela rede CNN na cobertura do 11 de Setembro. Os resultados apontam para uma semelhança entre os jornais na configuração das suas primeiras páginas na veiculação de ambos os eventos: apresentando um relato dos eventos no primeiro dia, a reação imediata do país atingido no segundo, e a ênfase em apontar um suspeito no terceiro dia. No entanto, o conteúdo relatado foi diferente para cada evento - ambos os jornais mostraram o de 11 de Setembro como um ato de guerra e o foco da reação foi a agência governamental; já o 11 de Março foi contado como uma tragédia com ênfase nas vítimas e o foco da reação foram as manifestações da sociedade civil pela paz. Nos dois jornais, para os dois eventos, houve predomínio de manchetes e imagens de origem externa, provenientes de agências e jornais estrangeiros, sugerindo que o próprio comportamento verbal emitido pelos jornalistas já é, em muitas ocasiões, comportamento intraverbal ou conhecimento socialmente construído, com a implicação de que seus leitores têm um acesso mais indireto ao fenômeno do que o próprio relato do jornal permite supor. Estes resultados, apesar de iniciais, sugerem a importância de produzir alternativas metodológicas de coleta e análise de dados com o objetivo de descrever (a) as variáveis que controlam aspectos específicos do comportamento verbal de quem produz o relato e (b) os possíveis efeitos comportamentais de tais relatos sobre os leitores.