A successful transition into kindergarten is of the utmost importance, as it marks the beginning of formal education and paves the way for future academic and social outcomes. The transition into school is considered to be a challenging and anxiety-ridden time for most children and their parents; it is expected therefore, to be particularly difficult for children with an intellectual disability (ID). These children have deficits in cognitive and adaptive functioning that affect their academic and social skills. Despite the apparent difficulty for children with ID and the importance of this time in their lives, the transition into school has been a relatively under-researched topic. Nineteen parents of children with ID participated in three one-hour phone interviews throughout the transition into school. The aims of the study were 1) to describe this group of children with ID and their families as the children entered school, 2) to investigate changes in characteristics of the child, resources, and perceptions of the parent during the transition, and 3) to examine relationships between these variables and the child’s quality of life and school readiness. Although the results are based on a small sample, they do provide some preliminary information about the experiences of children with ID and their families throughout the transition into school. Only adaptive behaviour scores and the number of services accessed changed significantly during the time of transition. Furthermore, it was found that adaptive behaviour was correlated with school readiness skills, as were physiotherapy and speech-language therapy use. The only variable that correlated with the child’s quality of life was parental involvement in parent support groups. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-28 15:35:10.833

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Different motivation theories have been developed in general management to explain workers' attitude to production. Collectively, these theories represent manufacturing workers more than any other set of workers. Attempts made to apply these theories to construction operatives have produced different and often confused explanations of the motives behind construction operatives' productivity. This research approached construction operatives directly in order to evaluate their motivation in relation to their productivity. The research aimed at proving or disproving a conceptualised positive relationship between construction operative motivation and productivity. Previous construction researchers assumed that there was a positive relationship between productivity and motivation without any empirical prove. This oversight was largely due to problems of quantifying abstract concepts such as motivation. This obstacle needed to be removed before the relationship between motivation and productivity could be empirically established. A technique based on the Subjective Expected Utility Theory was developed to quantify motivation. Productivity was measured by activity sampling. Relating them together gave a third order polynomial relationship indicating that there is a basic motivation in every bricklayer regardless of his working environment. The relationship also provided an empirical prove of an earlier conceptualised optimal motivation theory. The thesis shows that there is no significant causal relationship between motivation and work rate; rather, motivation significantly influences the proportion of working time spent productively. From a model of production output, motivation and skill, it was demonstrated that skill dominates productivity in bricklaying. Motivation accounted for 2.4% of the percentage variation in work rate and 25.3% of the percentage variation in percentage productive time. From a sensitivity analysis of the predominance of skill, critical activities controlling production output which could form the basis of a training programme for new bricklayers were identified. After testing all observations and findings for validity, they were combined into a list of propositions which form the basis of a theory of construction operative motivation. Based on the affirmation of the optimal motivation theory in construction operatives, a new concept of hyper-production was proposed.

This case study explores and documents the development of inclusive education in one urban school in the Maldives. It focuses on the steps taken to move the school towards inclusion, the practices and experiences of different stakeholders involved in the process, and the factors that influenced inclusive education in the school. Qualitative data was collected through interviews with some of the key members of the school community and through classroom observations and documents. Findings have revealed that the development of inclusive education in the school came about through a school leader rather than policies. In spite of recognized efforts towards inclusion, a range of exclusionary practices was still observed. Various impediments constrained the development of inclusive education, including, lack of collaboration between the SEN (Special Educational Needs) and the general staff, limited knowledge, awareness and positive understanding about inclusion, scarcity of resources and support services. Factors such as large classes, undifferentiated curriculum, and rigid time tables also negatively affected the developmental process. Findings indicate the complexity of developing inclusive education. The findings also suggest that changes on the societal level, in the education ministry and, in the school and classroom level could help sustain the development of inclusive education. The factors that could contribute to the development of inclusive education at these levels are discussed, as are the implications for the successful development of inclusive education in schools.

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