A disconnect exists between research and practice that is impeding the flow of knowledge between researchers, practitioners and decision makers. This obstruction of knowledge is acting as a barrier to the use of evidence in decisions and also as a barrier to informing research of important questions that need answering through scientific investigation. This divide between research and practice can be crossed by building a bridge between researchers and practitioners across which knowledge can be transmitted, translated and exchanged. <br /><br /> A possible mechanism to understand the key contributors to bridge building is by using Wenger's Community of Practice model as a framework upon which to understand the importance of and how to build connections between research, policy and practice. The defining characteristic of a Community of Practice is the interaction between members in order to jointly determine and embrace goals, eventually resulting in shared practices. Crucial to the success of a Community of Practice is the engagement between community members. Without engagement, a Community of Practice can not share knowledge and achieve its negotiated goals. <br /><br /> This thesis studied a Community of Practice that is being deliberately formed to facilitate the development of a pan-Canadian population health research network. This network, CANSPANN (Canadian School Physical Activity and Nutrition Network) aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, and decision makers to create research programs studying the social-environmental influence of schools on youth physical activity and healthy eating that address priorities for policy and practice. <br /><br /> This thesis assessed if a quantitative questionnaire tool could validly and reliably measure the level of engagement between CANSPANN members. The questionnaire also aimed to determine if engagement predicted knowledge use. Eighteen items in the NEQ validly measure engagement of CANSPANN members. Sufficient content validly was established for these items. Of these eighteen items, only four subscales significantly predicted knowledge use. <br /><br /> Through reliability testing with qualitative interviews it was determined that the Network Engagement Questionnaire reliably measures engagement for CANSPANN members who are centrally involved. It is far less able to reliably measure engagement for peripheral members. Further testing with the NEQ is necessary in order to increase its reliability.

While innovation, individualisation, human rights and quality of life are acknowledged and valued by modern society, changes in the workplace such as a focus on efficiency, globalisation, restructuring, downsizing, acquisitions and merges impact, often negatively, on a workforce. A better understanding ofthese forces, as well as understanding the deeper needs of employees in organisations, should be pursued in order to optimise the workplace. South Africa is currently experiencing a skills shortage while the unemployment figures are well above 40 percent. As it is often said, the distinguishing economic resource in the twenty-first century is not commodities, but the human resource that organisations need to attract, develop and motivate in order to retain the correct type of employees. An approach is needed where both positive outcomes for the individual worker and the organisation may be achieved, including organisational performance, effective management of change, greater employee engagement and commitment, and effective talent management. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify any relationship that might exist between psychological empowerment, job satisfaction and work engagement and to determine whether psychological empowerment may predict job satisfaction and work engagement. A cross-sectional survey design was used in the study. One-hundred-and-fifty- three (N = 153) employees participated in the study in a surface coatings manufacturing organisation in Gauteng. The Psychological Empowerment Scale (MEQ), Revised Job Satisfaction Scale (JSQ), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) were used. The results indicated that a statistically significant positive correlation between intrinsic motivation and work engagement (practically significant, medium effect) and meaning, correlated positively (practically significant, medium effect) with intrinsic motivation and work engagement. Extrinsic motivation correlated statistically significantly (practically significant, large effect) with work engagement. VI The regresslOn analysis indicated that 34 percent of the variance explained in work engagement is predicted by psychological empowerment (i.e. influence (impact and self-detennination), meaning, and competence) and job satisfaction (i.e. extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation). No statistically significant differences regarding psychological empowerment could be found between tenure and educational levels. However, statistically significant differences were found for gender and language groups. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Detta är en kvalitativ studie inspirerad av hermeneutisk metodansats. Studien syftar till att försöka förstå hur elever i åk 3 och 9 upplever fenomenet läslust och vad som motiverar dem att läsa. Genom att utgå från elevers texter och deras beskrivningar av läslust och av vilka faktorer som motiverar eller hämmar läsning, har jag försökt att tolka elevernas uppfattningar om läslust. Studien är genomförd i två klasser på låg- respektive högstadiet och eleverna har med hjälp av frågor på en tankekarta fått skriva helt fritt om fenomenet läslust. Med stöd i en del av läs- och motivationsforskningen har jag försökt koppla elevernas texter till teorin och i analysen lyft fram och tolkat deras uppfattningar, känslor och upplevelser av vad läsning kan vara. Resultatet visar att elever uppfattar läsning som ett positivt måste om engagemanget, läslusten, finns. Eleverna beskriver hur de gör "mentala förflyttningar" eller känner "ett sug" efter att läsa. Elever som istället upplever olust och inte ser läsningen som något viktigt för dem, beskriver läsning som ett negativt måste, något "trist" eller "meningslöst" som skolan tvingar dem till. En slutsats i min studie är att undervisningen i skolan inte spelar den aktiva roll som den borde göra. Eleverna skriver inte i sina texter att lärare eller undervisning fungerat som en motiverande faktor för deras läslust. Denna slutsats har jag dragit utifrån ett begränsat antal elever och utifrån den uppgift jag gav dem och säger inget generellt om undervisningens betydelse för läslusten.

Indigenous peoples in North America have a long history of understanding their societies as having an intimate relationship with their physical environments. Their cultures, traditions, and identities are based on the ecosystems and sacred places that shape their world. Their respect for their ancestors and 'Mother Earth' speaks of unique value and knowledge systems different than the value and knowledge systems of the dominant United States settler society. The value and knowledge systems of each indigenous and non-indigenous community are different but collide when water resources are endangered. One of the challenges that face indigenous people regarding the management of water relates to their opposition to the commodification of water for availability to select individuals. External researchers seeking to work with indigenous peoples on water research or management must learn how to design research or water management projects that respect indigenous cultural contexts, histories of interactions with settler governments and researchers, and the current socio-economic and political situations in which indigenous peoples are embedded. They should pay particular attention to the process of collaborating on water resource topics and management with and among indigenous communities while integratingWestern and indigenous sciences in ways that are beneficial to both knowledge systems. The objectives of this paper are to (1) to provide an overview of the context of current indigenous water management issues, especially for the U.S. federally recognized tribes in the Southwestern United States; (2) to synthesize approaches to engage indigenous persons, communities, and governments on water resources topics and management; and (3) to compare the successes of engaging Southwestern tribes in five examples to highlight some significant activities for collaborating with tribes on water resources research and management. In discussing the engagement approaches of these five selected cases, we considered the four "simple rules" of tribal research, which are to ask about ethics, do more listening, follow tribal research protocols, and give back to the community. For the five select cases of collaboration involving Southwestern tribes, the success of external researchers with the tribes involved comprehensive engagement of diverse tribal audience from grassroots level to central tribal government, tribal oversight, on-going dialogue, transparency of data, and reporting back. There is a strong recognition of the importance of engaging tribal participants in water management discussions particularly with pressing impacts of drought, climate change, and mining and defining water rights.

Collaborating with communities has become an increasingly popular practice in archaeological projects all over the world. However, the strategies used for engaging communities have broad applications that are greatly determined by the social, economic and political climates of each region. How, then, are archaeologists supposed to ethically and professionally engage the communities their research impacts across these various contexts? Should there be a universal scale in which to measure and gauge community collaboration, and how can we assess that impact? My research uses strategies for assessing collaboration from various regions and disciplines, and applies them to an international context. Two archaeological projects in Greece and Jordan serve as the case study subjects for a formal assessment that measures levels of collaboration in five different categories and in two separate community groups. In conjunction with self-assessments taken by the archaeologists and students associated with each project, the results form a tool that comprehensively represents the needs and goals of all stakeholders associated. Ideally, this tool can be utilized to enhance our understandings on how the communities we work with perceive our projects and what must be done in order to understand how the goals of archaeologists and communities intersect each other.

Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Huston Gibson / Tens of millions of predominantly low-income, minority Americans live in food deserts – areas with poor access to healthful, affordable food. Food deserts have been associated with higher rates of diet-related diseases such as high blood pressure and obesity. These diseases carry significant morbidity and mortality and account for hundreds of billions of dollars in healthcare spending and lost productivity per year in the U.S. Establishment of a supermarket is the most effective intervention to eliminate a food desert. However, food deserts have historically been neglected by the retail industry. Local governments are rarely involved in supermarket recruitment. Often, food deserts themselves must recruit supermarkets. This study sought to understand how leadership and community engagement in supermarket recruitment influence its efficacy. The objective was to enable food deserts to more effectively recruit supermarkets. A case study of Argentine, a low-income, minority neighborhood in Kansas City, KS that successfully recruited a supermarket in 2013, was conducted. The heart of the case study was a series of interviews with individuals who were heavily involved in the recruitment. This study found the results of community engagement – specifically a community food assessment – were leveraged to attract funding and financing for a supermarket development. In settings where recruitment of a supermarket is contingent upon obtainment of these dollars, community engagement may be critical. Engagement empowers people to play an active role in shaping the future of their communities. It is a vital component of the urban planning process and government in general. Additionally, in the context of a food desert, engagement of residents can help accomplish the lofty goal of recruiting a supermarket and improving the food landscape – and health – of the community.

In this thesis, I address the role of museums in contemporary Scotland, with specific reference to Glasgow Museums, the city of Glasgow’s municipal museums service. The empirical research focused on both the policy landscape within which Scottish museums are emplaced, and the activities and practices of museum staff. The research involved interviews with museum professionals, and participant observation within the museums service. The research findings emphasise the complexity of the role that museums play in contemporary society. In the thesis, I attempt to articulate the policy concept of social inclusion insofar as is it articulated within Glasgow Museums. I argue that in recent years Glasgow Museums has attempted to re-orientate its service around social inclusion, and yet the diffuse nature of the concept, coupled with the complexity of the institutional and organisational configurations within which it is implemented, means that many different – and extremely diverse – activities come to be considered part of the social inclusion agenda. The complex set of power relations through which social inclusion is articulated often results in conflict between different museum venues, departments and cohorts of staff. Through an examination of the theory underpinning the concept of social inclusion, and the practices privileged as part of Glasgow Museums’ commitment to social inclusion, I argue that it could usefully be understood as a therapeutic technology. I also suggest that community engagement has become an increasingly important part of socially inclusive practice within Glasgow Museums, yet I contend that community engagement represents a new and largely uncharted territory for many museum professionals. Through an exploration of the planning and execution of a community engagement project – entitled Curious – I argue that community engagement could usefully be thought of as a form of care. As a result, I contend that community engagement requires distinctive skills, and that these skills are often explicitly gendered.

Sur la base de recherches à caractère expérimental, nous revisitons et approfondissons le paradigme de la consistance cognitive. Contrairement à ce que prévoient les théories de la consistance, nous montrons que, non seulement les gens ne présentent pas systématiquement des structures cognitives consistantes, mais aussi qu’ils se défendent fort peu face à des « agressions » idéologiques induisant de l’inconsistance. Nous expliquons ces observations, par le fait que la consistance n’est une valeur cognitive que dans des univers de croyances dotés d’une pertinence minimale. Par ailleurs, l’étude de la consistance cognitive donne lieu à la comparaison du formalisme classique des graphes et d’un formalisme nouveau : le graphe des parentés. Ces deux derniers convergent sur les indices de consistance. Le graphe des parentés met en évidence deux nouveaux indices : l’assimilation et la disjonction. Leur analyse donne lieu à une interprétation psychologique. / Based on experimental research we reviewed and thoroughly examined the paradigm of cognitive consistency. In contrast with various consistence theory predictions, we showed that people are not systematically endowed with consistent cognitive structures and do not defend themselves very carefully against ideological “aggressions” inducing inconsistency. We explained these findings by the fact that consistency has a cognitive value only in self relevant fields. On the other hand, studies on cognitive consistency gave rise to comparisons between classical formalism of graphs and a new formalism one: the graph of relationships. Both graphs converge on consistency factors. The graph of relationships underlies two new factors: assimilation and disjunction. Their analysis gave rise to psychological interpretations.