Thesis advisor: Audrey Friedman / As increasing numbers of international students enroll at US universities, these institutions must consider how best to create inclusive campus environments that serve varied learning needs. While international student enrollment at schools of education remains low, some elite programs are drawing growing numbers, but there is a dearth of research regarding international students' transitions into this culturally-embedded field. These experiences warrant investigation so that faculty, administrators, and fellow students might better understand, accommodate, and empower the international students in their midst. The purpose of this dissertation is to describe how 7 female international students from China, South Korea, and India perceive their transition experiences in Master’s programs at an elite US graduate school of education. Three interviews were conducted with each woman, using questions based on Charmaz's (2006) life change protocol. Research sub-questions concerned: a) the decision to study in the US, b) the women’s personal characteristics and background experiences, c) challenges and changes, d) strategies, and e) forms of support. Grounded theory was paired with narrative methods to analyze and present findings, highlighting themes within and across participants’ transitions. Schlossberg’s transition model (Anderson et al., 2012) was used to interpret results, especially women's coping resources. Three main themes emerged: the complexity of self-determination, hard work and its limits, and marginalization and attempts to minimize it. Despite positive experiences, the women faced challenges. While most gained a sense of independence, some resented their new responsibilities and missed previous support networks. All women reported hard work as a key academic strategy, but their diligence was not always enough to transcend language and cultural barriers. Faced with segregation and/or marginalization in America, most women attempted to enrich their experience, surrounding themselves with caring people, volunteering, or seeking resources to achieve goals. The findings suggest that institutions of higher education should assess the social and academic needs of international Master's students and offer tailored support services that address language and cultural barriers inherent in their programs. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Forskningsresultat når inte alltid ut i vården till patienter och kliniskt verksam personal. Detta kan leda till att den vetenskapliga grund, som vården enligt svensk lagstiftning ska vila på, inte erbjuds. Anledningen till att vetenskapligt belagd kunskap inte når ut kan vara til lexempel avsaknad av kunskap om hur forskningsresultat sprids och om hur resultat kan omsättas till den egna verksamheten. Ett omfattande forskningsfält inom omvårdnad rör samtal, kommunikation och reflektion kopplat till relationen mellan vårdpersonal och patient. Reflektion bör ses som en central företeelse inom vården dels för att förstå patienten dels för att förändring skall komma till stånd. Reflektioner inom ramen för ett aktionsforskningsprojekt torde leda till förändringar i relation till vårdpersonals förståelse och attityder till patienten. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om förändringar sker i personals syn på sig själv och på patienten i samband med att de deltog i ett aktionsforskningsbaseratutvecklingsarbete. Fokus för utvecklingsarbetet var bedömning av patienters smärta. Studien är kvalitativ. Data har inhämtats i samband med fokusgruppsamtal, transkriberats och analyserats utifrån en hermeneutisk analysmetod. Följande tre huvudteman framkom vid analysarbetet; patienten blir en person; professionell identitet blir tydligare; teamanda förstärks. Innebörderna i dessa tre teman tolkas i relation till teorier om personcentrerad vård och transition. Deltagarbaserad aktionsforskning kan vara ett sätt att öka användning av forskning och omsätta den nya kunskapen till egen handling. I studien gav deltagarna uttryck för att deras arbete resulterade i ett förändrat arbete med smärta och smärtbedömning mot en patientnärmre vård. / Research results do not always reach out in care to patients and clinically active personnel. This can lead to the result that the scientific basis, as health care, according to Swedish law must rest upon are not offered. The reason that scientifically knowledge does not reach out can be such a lack of knowledge about how research is disseminated and how the results can be translated into its own practice. An extensive field of research in nursing relates conversation, communication and reflection related to the relationship between health professionals and patients. Reflection should be seen as a central phenomenon in health care to gain new understanding and lead to develop and change. Reflection in the context of anaction research project should lead to changes in relation to health professionals understanding and attitudes to the patient. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether changes occur in the staff´s view of oneself and the patient in an action research basedproject. Focus of the development project was the assessment of patients' pain. The study is qualitative. Data have been collected during focusgroup, transcribed and analyzed based on a hermeneutic method of analysis. Three main themes emerged from the analysis:the patient becomes a person, professional identity becomes clearer, team spirit is strengthened. Meanings of these three themes interpreted in relation to theories of personcentered care and transition. Participatory action research can be a way to increase the use of research and translate new knowledge to its own practice. In the study, participants expressed that their work resulted in a changed work with pain and pain assessment.

Diabetes mellitus typ 1 är en kronisk sjukdom och en av de vanligaste barnsjukdomarna som påverkar det endokrina- och metaboliska systemet. I dagsläget beräknas 497 100 barn i världen ha sjukdomen. När ett barn diagnostiseras får föräldrarna ett stort ansvar då sjukdomen kan vara livshotande om inte behandlingen sköts på rätt sätt. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva föräldrars upplevelser när deras barn diagnostiseras med diabetes mellitus typ 1. En transitionsteori användes för att strukturera föräldrars upplevelser i tre faser. Resultatet visade att föräldrarna upplevde det påfrestande att barnen fick sjukdomen. Det visade sig att det inte bara var de behandlingsrelaterade faktorerna som påverkade deras vardag. Det handlade även om förändring av relationer, ökad oro och svårigheter att lita på att andra tog ansvar. I slutet av föräldrarnas transitionsprocess var barnen gamla nog att ta över ansvaret själva. Föräldrarna behövde släppa kontrollen och låta barnen vara självständiga vilket var svårt för dem. Det är viktigt att forskning i ämnet kontinuerligt förnyas då föräldrarna behöver mycket stöd i denna svåra situation. Sjuksköterskan bör vara väl införstådd i upplevelser som kan förekomma hos föräldrar för att på så sätt kunna utveckla sin förmåga i att stötta dem i deras dagliga diabetesvård. / Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease and one of the most common childhood illnesses that affect the endocrine- and metabolic system. In the current situation estimated 497 100 children worldwide have the disease. When a child is diagnosed, parents get a big responsibility since the disease can be fatal if treatment is not done properly. The purpose of this study was to describe parents’ experiences when their children get diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus. A transition theory was used to structure the parents’ experiences in three phases. The results showed that parents experienced pain when their children got the disease. It turned out that it was not only the treatment-related factors that affected their daily lives. It was also about changes in relationships, increased anxiety and difficulty in trusting others to take responsibility. At the end of the parental transition process, the children were old enough to take over the responsibility themselves. Parents needed to let go of control and allow the children to be independent, which was hard for them. It is important that the research on the topic is continually renewed since parents need much support in this difficult situation. The nurse should have a good understanding of the experiences that may affect parents in order to be able to develop capacity to support the parents in their daily diabetes care.

The aim of this study was to see what the fundamental efforts were to bring about a democratic electoral system in Somalia? What are the significant obstacles in relation to the planned electoral system and what can the clan, the constitution and external actors mean in this context? What efforts can be made to introduce a democratic electoral system?  This study was conducted by using five semi-structured interviews and material collected on Somalia’s history, current state, and clan society. This paper concludes that there are different factors such as the International Community, the federal member states, Clan representatives, and major donors, which have had an effect on the democratization process in Somalia. Furthermore, it shows that the main problem is the application of the Constitution that is being hindered by the political elite and the federal member states. This research suggests several measures that must be enforced to carry out a democratic election, 1. A will from the political elite to speed up the process around the new electoral system, 2. The Constitution process must continue and be implemented, 3. Stable institutions, laws and regulation must be implemented, 4. The country’s security must be strengthened.  This study discovers that Somalia is in the decision phase in accordance with Rustow’s transition theory, where the country is slowly but surely applying democratic principles and rules into the Constitution.

The need to transition the global economy to net zero greenhouse gas emissions is clear. Commitments made by the majority of the world’s governments declare that a global net zero economy should be achieved by the middle of the century. What is less clear is how this transition should take place, or how these commitments impact companies. This paper explores senior management perspectives on a net zero transition, identifying drivers, enablers, and barriers to transitioning effectively. In line with Kurt Lewin’s work, we collectively refer to these as forces. Through 11 in-depth interviews and a quantitative survey to managers across several industries and geographies, we identify, rank, and visually conceptualise 26 forces that act on companies in the context of a net zero transition. The strongest driving force is ‘Societal awareness of climate change and net zero targets’, while the biggest current constraining force is ’Business priorities’. The force considered to have the single biggest potential impact is ‘government disincentives and bans’. Based on the collective analysis of our findings, there are possible policy implications that could be explored further in order to successfully manage a transition to net zero.

After 1989, along with the collapse of Soviet Union, Central and Eastern European countries the democracy became synonymous with ‘return to Europe’. The post-communist regime was a reaction against its predecessor and that reaction had produced a demand for democratization. Therefore, the process of democratization, which gained momentum at the end of eighties and, the beginning of the nineties, has become an important phenomenon. The most extreme case of transition, certainly, is former Yugoslavia. Due to the war and the collapse of the Federation into several successor states, the legitimacy and viability are still being questioned. The Balkan region, known as the ‘Powder Keg of Europe’ has been commonly considered to be representing a chronic political instability and a lack of socio-economic modernization as well as much poorer prospects for democratization and for acceptance into the European Union (EU) in comparison to the other countries of East and Central Europe. Slovenia however may be seen as the exception that proved the Balkan rule. Besides, the successor states of Yugoslavia, Slovenia has recorded the smoothest, non-violent and the least problematic transition toward liberal democracy. Slovenia maintained the highest level of system stability in the powder keg of Europe. Slovenia is the only Yugoslav successor state, which has peacefully established a functioning democracy. It has established a stable democracy and moved easily to a market economy. It is also the only the EU member country from the former. More importantly, Slovenia has kept the highest level of system stability in Powder Keg of Europe’. The main purpose of this thesis is to review and discuss the political democratization process in Slovenia. This study also reviews the reasons, which make the Slovenian transition to democracy special among the post-communist democracies. More specifically, this study particularly focuses on certain political aspects to discover its way of democratization. Slovenia, one of the most successful countries within Central and Eastern Europe is also the only component republic of ex-Yugoslavia not to confront continuing problems of ethnic challenge, deep political conflict and economic debility. All theories attempt to impose order and find patterns in the messy and complex reality of human life. Therefore, the theories are useful in that they ask important questions about democratization in general and contribute to particular explanations. Concerning the democratization process in Slovenia, ‘Theories of Democratization’ is generally going to be reviewed. Democratization theories aim to explain how authoritarian regimes change into liberal democratic ones. More specifically, Transition Theories will be applied during the study. Transition studies have been chosen, because they offer a ‘political’ explanation of democratization and also differentiate democratic transition and democratic consolidation phases properly, and point out the necessary conditions for the success of each phase.

Public transport in many Sub-Saharan African cities consists of paratransit, mini-to-medium-sized buses, which provide public transport and operate demand-driven and unscheduled. This form of public transport is often seen as less safe, less dependable, and environmentally unfriendly. One common intervention is the development of a Bus Rapid Transit system. A Bus Rapid Transit system is characterized by its bus-only lanes and offers a cheaper solution to rail transit systems. The development of such a BRT system changes the structure of the public transport system as BRT often takes over the areas in which paratransit previously operated. This leads to clashes between the stakeholders of the two modes of transport, which can threaten the success of the system as well as the livelihood of the paratransit workforce. This paper uses socio-technical transition theory, as well as stakeholder theory, to provide a clear picture of the entire land passenger mobility system. The focus of this thesis lies on firstly, analyzing the question why the development of BRT is favored over the optimization of paratransit. Secondly, it looks at different interaction approaches between the multi- regimes scheduled public transport (BRT) and paratransit, which can lead to a successful public transport system. Lastly, socio-technical barriers (political, technical, socio-cultural, and economic) are analyzed to understand which obstacles have to be overcome and what corresponding measures are. The results show that the development of Bus Rapid Transit is favored over the optimization of paratransit. Paratransit is seen as unsafe and unreliable, while Bus Rapid Transit offers an efficient, reliable, eco-friendly solution which also targets vulnerable groups. Out of the four different interaction approaches, competition between BRT and paratransit, a hybrid form between paratransit and BRT, the replacement of paratransit, and the prohibition of paratransit, the hybrid form is seen as most successful, as it allows both systems to contribute their strengths. Lastly, the actors involved in the socio-technical system, and socio-technical barriers and corresponding measures were analyzed. The biggest take-away when looking at the actors of the land passenger mobility system is that all stakeholders have to be involved, which includes paratransit drivers and people working on and off the vehicles. This paper has shown that when these stakeholders are not included, there might be resistance that might compromise the success of the BRT. The socio-technical barriers used were divided into economic, financial, infrastructural, and socio-cultural barriers. A successful paratransit / BRT interaction benefits from the move from a target system to a monthly salary for the paratransit driver. There should both be regulations and incentives so that paratransit acts as a reliable partner for the BRT system. It should be noted that a successful BRT / paratransit interaction cannot easily be replicated in another country without looking at the urban form preconditions. Bus Rapid Transit is a feasible solution for many Sub-Saharan cities. For an encompassing public transport system to be successful and to outcompete the car, it is necessary that all stakeholders work together and contribute with their strengths.

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to examine student-athlete perceptions of the role of summer pre-enrollment in their adjustment and transition to college. The study focused on student-athletes who received athletically-related financial aid at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-AAA institution. The Academic Progress Rate (APR), which measures academic eligibility and retention while incorporating a penalty structure for underperforming teams and athletic departments, has emerged as the fundamental measure of academic success for intercollegiate athletics programs. Educators have responded with a broad spectrum of support programs for student-athletes in order to meet APR benchmarks and avoid costly penalties. The NCAA first permitted the awarding of athletic aid to incoming student-athletes for summer pre-enrollment during the early part of the last decade. However, relatively little research has examined the concept of summer pre-enrollment and the role it may play in a student-athlete's adjustment and transition to college. The researcher conducted retrospective in-depth interviews with seven men's and women's basketball student-athletes who had completed one year of full-time enrollment at the selected institution and who received athletic aid for their summer pre-enrollment. Data was analyzed in a manner consistent with Boeije's Constant Comparative Analysis. This study drew upon Schlossberg's Transition Theory, and the participants described their experience in relation to their situation, self, support, and strategies. Collectively, the findings suggested that the participants perceived at least some benefit to their academic adjustment and social integration to college from the summer pre-enrollment. Though the summer pre-enrollment may not have provided identical academic, athletic, and social demands as the academic year, most of the participants indicated they were able to gain a better understanding of what college classes and college life were like as a result of their summer pre-enrollment participation. The findings further suggested that the participants were well prepared and well equipped for the demands of college prior to their summer pre-enrollment experience. Future research is needed to examine the role of summer pre-enrollment in the college adjustment and transition of student-athletes who are less prepared for the demands of college.

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Abstract Introduction: This study examined the lived experiences of Female Entrepreneurs in Lagos State, Nigeria, who transitioned from traditional corporate employment settings to venture into uncharted entrepreneurial territory. In their transition from employee to entrepreneur, this study identified the existence of glass ceiling in both phases. Considering the perception of a woman’s identity in the Nigerian patriarchal system, practical attention and analysis have not been given to their experiences as employees and entrepreneurs. Seven (7) Nigerian Female Entrepreneurs with established businesses in Lagos, Nigeria, participated in this study. Method: A qualitative research method that builds upon the philosophy of social constructivism was used to decipher the transition. Storytelling theory assisted the interviewees in expressing themselves freely and facilitated this research. Also, Schlossberg's Transition Theory was the foundational theoretical framework for this study. Result: The result of the study identified the inherent glass ceiling in their transition. Some peculiarities of the glass ceiling within Nigerian context include financing barriers, gender discrimination, a good support system, and limited female mentors. This was framed as the “second glass ceiling”. They discussed their coping mechanisms to overcome challenges and build successful businesses during transition. Conclusion: The conclusion demonstrates helpful modifications that can aid groups, organizations, academic institutions, and policymakers understand Nigerian women’s situation in corporate and business domains. Such understanding could promote equality of opportunity within society and organizations, eliminate entrepreneurship barriers, and aid their long-term retention of corporate or entrepreneurial engagement. In the long run, this will benefit the Nigerian economy, corporate organizations, female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, and their communities.