Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah Jane Fishback / This study examined how adult African American women experienced learning at two post-secondary institutions in the Midwest; a diverse, urban community college, and a predominantly white research university. The study also considered how barriers, challenges, responsibilities, and support systems impacted their learning experiences. Gender, race and age were variables of interest, and three theoretical lenses; Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger and Tarule's Women's Ways of Knowing, McClusky's Theory of Margin/Adult Roles and Responsibilities, and Critical Race Theory were used to explore the participants' experience of learning. This topic was of interest due to the paucity of research conducted in the area of post-secondary institutions, with adult African American women in the Midwest. This study found that learners used active learning, linked their learning to their life experiences, encountered racism, experienced barriers; situational, institutional, dispositional, and information; utilized familial, instructor, peer and spiritual support systems, would benefit from career advising, and that career goal uncertainty was a common obstruction. The women participating in this research were determined, motivated and goal oriented, and served as role models for their children, sought education to improve their lives, and emphasized the importance of education to reach career and life goals.

High retention rates, low levels of academic literacy and inundated support services show that students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are experiencing difficulty coping with the demands of tertiary study and reaching their academic goals. Literature shows that a significant number of students who are attending HEIs experience barriers to learning, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of lecturers at one University of Technology regarding their role in supporting students experiencing barriers to learning. The researcher used a mixed methods approach to collect data with the aim to describe the phenomenon accurately. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model provided a theoretical framework for this study as it emphasizes the importance of the interaction between the development of an individual and the systems within the individual’s social context. A purposive sampling strategy was employed, and self-structured questionnaires were given to lecturers who teach first year to post-graduate students at the University of Technology. After the statistical analysis of the quantitative data, fifteen lecturers were randomly chosen to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. The transcriptions of the interviews were coded and themes were identified. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, the researcher aimed to explain the results of quantitative data analysis. The key findings revealed that lecturers feel inadequate to deal with barriers to learning; mainly owing to a lack of training and that they are mainly of opinion that their duty is to refer students for support. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

High retention rates, low levels of academic literacy and inundated support services show that students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are experiencing difficulty coping with the demands of tertiary study and reaching their academic goals. Literature shows that a significant number of students who are attending HEIs experience barriers to learning, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of lecturers at one University of Technology regarding their role in supporting students experiencing barriers to learning. The researcher used a mixed methods approach to collect data with the aim to describe the phenomenon accurately. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model provided a theoretical framework for this study as it emphasizes the importance of the interaction between the development of an individual and the systems within the individual’s social context. A purposive sampling strategy was employed, and self-structured questionnaires were given to lecturers who teach first year to post-graduate students at the University of Technology. After the statistical analysis of the quantitative data, fifteen lecturers were randomly chosen to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. The transcriptions of the interviews were coded and themes were identified. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, the researcher aimed to explain the results of quantitative data analysis. The key findings revealed that lecturers feel inadequate to deal with barriers to learning; mainly owing to a lack of training and that they are mainly of opinion that their duty is to refer students for support. / MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Purpose – The aim of this research is to explore the benefits and barriers of integrating EMS to SCM in Sandvik Tooling. While exploring that, it is intended to gain insights into the methods employed to integrate the systems and find out the type of integration used in practice. Design/methodology/approach – Explorative case study method is employed in this research paper. Primary data is obtained through semi-structured interviews and observations. Triangulation, respondent validation, peer review are the principal strategies employed to ensure validity and reliability of this study. Findings – Sandvik Tooling employed a composite view of integration in which verbal and documented forms of information exchanged together with novel solutions to provide integration throughout supply chain on the basis of common goals and vision, shared values and resources. Integration is provided with a balanced mixture of interactions and collaborations. Benefits of integration are categorized as environmental, economic, and organizational benefits. On the other side, barriers are presented as internal and external barriers. Practical Implications – This research paper has significant practical contributions to businesses with presenting the ways to integrate and analyze these two systems and demonstrate barriers to overcome and benefits to take advantage of. Originality/value – Environmental management systems and supply chain management topics received considerable interest among researchers in recent decades. However there is a lack of research about how these two systems can be integrated and what kind of integration will best define this integration type. Analyzing barriers and benefits of integration process will also advance and contribute our knowledge in this research area.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management )) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / In keeping with international trends in education, South Africa has embraced inclusive education which makes provision for all diverse learners with learning barriers, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, to be educated and included in the mainstream classroom. ADHD is a common disorder known to be associated with behavioural and academic difficulties, creating challenges for both teachers and learners. Putting inclusive education into practice within diverse classrooms imply that teachers have to support and teach according to a variety of needs and preferences of learners, including learners with ADHD. I believe that teachers present one of the most valuable sources of information with regard to referral and diagnosis of the disorder. They are also responsible for creating an environment that is conducive to academic, social and emotional success for children with ADHD. However, since some doubt exists as to whether teachers have the appropriate knowledge of ADHD and management skills to fulfill this important role, this research study has sought to examine and evaluate how the presence of learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) impacts upon the educational and behavioural climate of the mainstream classroom in the Foundation Phase in primary schools in the Lejwleputswa District. The study moreover addressed the knowledge levels of teachers and support systems in place at both institutional and departmental level. Analysis of the information gathered through interviews revealed that ADHD learners have a predominantly negative impact on the mainstream classroom. The study found that teachers often hold negative beliefs regarding behaviour problems exhibited by ADHD learners, tend to be pessimistic about teaching these learners, and feel that they require extra time and effort to teach them. This could be attributed to a lack of knowledge and management skills of ADHD. Furthermore, it became evident that the majority of teachers view medication as the most effective treatment strategy. Recommendations for the DoE, teachers and further study were made.

In Botswana, nurses play a major role in the provision of healthcare. Most of the time it is the professional nurses who frequently discover patients with cardiac arrests and it is necessary for them to be trained to perform CPR as efficiently as possible. The aim of this study is to describe and explore the perceptions, barriers and needs as experienced by nurses in Botswana during the provision of CPR. For this study, the researcher utilised both quantitative and qualitative research designs in four phases. Phase one assessed and audited the existing available facilities in the provision of CPR. Phase two investigated the existing knowledge and skills of registered nurses in the performance of CPR. Focus groups discussions and semi-structured interviews were held during phase three to identify the perceived barriers, needs in the performance of CPR. In phase four, the researcher made recommendation to improve the provision of CPR in relation to system, nurse and patient. Convenience sampling and purposive sampling were used in this study respectively. The auditing of the equipment in the two referral hospitals showed that the availability of equipment was below 50%. The CPR knowledge and skills demonstrated by the nurses in the pre-test were inadequate. Following CPR training with the help of a manikin, the knowledge and skills among registered nurses improved substantially. The focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews among registered nurses and senior nurse mangers revealed that there was a lack of organisational support and resources, lack of knowledge and skills among registered nurses, inadequate policies and protocols are the major contributory factors affecting the registered nurses performance in the provision of CPR. In order to enhance the performance of the registered nurses while providing CPR, the researcher recommends the two referral hospitals to • have adequate provision of equipment • introduce regular BLS training program for registered nurses • have clearly defined policies regarding the nurses’ role on end-of-life care / Health Studies

It is said that eco innovation is the future of Europe’s competitiveness and by that Swedish companies face an exciting opportunity within the field of clean tech. This industry is expected to continue growing worldwide but Swedish companies still have a low export rate even though they have great potential due to their advanced technology. The purpose of this paper is to study the development of firms marketing strategies regarding product-market scope and differentiation and the impact of external conditions. The study will concentrate on the development of Swedish clean-tech firm’s marketing strategies in the U.S. How the perception of competition is impacting entrant firms’ market strategies has been scrutinized with help from a model developed by the authors based on perception of barriers and incumbent’s market strategies. The findings derived from three case companies claim that there is a relationship between the perception of barriers and incumbent’s market strategies on entrant firms’ market strategy. This implies that relying on advanced technology is not enough to become successful in new markets and that a successful market strategy is dependent on more than the product itself. The entrant firm must consider its situation and its options with help from their knowledge about barriers and incumbent’s market strategies.   Key words: Strategy, clean tech, barriers, product/market scope / Svenska miljöteknikföretags marknadsexpansion

Failure to engage and retain low-income, ethnic minority and immigrant families in treatment is a problem that plagues many intervention initiatives. Often, those most in need of services also experience significant barriers to treatment (e.g., logistical barriers, stress), resulting in low attendance rates. This study employed an ecological framework to examine the relationship between parents' report of stress, social support, and their engagement in a culturally sensitive, school-based intervention. Stress related to low income, minority and/or immigrant status is presented as a specific barrier that impacts treatment engagement. Additionally, social support is conceptualized as having a "buffering effect" on the potential negative impact of stress on engagement. Archival data was examined for families who participated in Connections intervention, a family focused intervention intended to strengthen family relationships, coping skills, and social support and to prevent child mental health problems. Thirty-five mothers of 3rd to 5th grade children were included in this study. Of this sample, 43% identified as Haitian, 31% as Hispanic, 14% as African American, 6 as "other," 3% as English-Speaking Caribbean, and 3% as European-American. Results indicated that maternal stress was negatively related to attendance, and satisfaction with social support was positively related to attendance. In addition, a stress by need for support interaction emerged, suggesting that attendance is most negatively impacted for mothers reporting high levels of stress and high levels of need for support. Among mothers with high stress, those indicating low need for support were able to attend almost twice as many sessions as those with high need for support. Attendance rates were also related to maternal acculturation: mothers identified as "enculturated" had the highest attendance rates (74%), followed by "assimilated" mothers(67%), "bicultural" mothers (50%), and marginalized mothers (20%). Treatment engagement is frequently conceptualized as an individual-level factor (e.g., motivation, readiness for change), but results suggest engagement also is shaped by contextual factors such as stress and social support. Future directions in research and clinical implications are discussed.

In any year, one in four British adults will experience a mental disorder (Singleton, Bumpstead, O’Brien, Lee, & Meltzer, 2001), but barriers to accessing treatment remain, one being fear of stigmatization. In this study perceptions of the stigma associated with mental illness were experimentally manipulated and perceived public stigma of help-seeking, attitudes to mental illness, self-stigma, and attitudes to help-seeking were measured. Results indicated that lowering perceived social stigma of mental illness reduced perceived public stigma attached to help-seeking, but also resulted in less positive attitudes to help-seeking, when compared to a neutral condition. The relationship between perceived societal stigma of mental illness and attitudes to help-seeking was mediated by perceived public stigma of seeking psychological help. This research raises questions about the effect of anti-stigma campaigns, which aim to change perceptions about stigma but may have a negative effect on attitudes to help-seeking.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) was once a disease process found only in the adult population. However, incidence rates of T2DM in children and adolescents are increasing at alarming rates and becoming a grave public health concern. As many as 5,089 individuals under the age of 20 are newly diagnosed with T2DM each year. The military community is not immune to these national trends and T2DM among military dependents is growing at similar rates to that of the civilian population. The primary aim of this DNP project was to investigate if barriers exist with regard to pediatric military dependents, ages 10-17 years, receiving appropriate diagnosis, and treatment of T2DM. Previously published literature has identified health disparities exist within the Military Health System (MHS), despite beneficiaries having equal access to care. This project also sought to assess providers' use of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) and Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in the treatment of pediatric patients' ages 10-17 with T2DM, as it has been indicated that use of evidence based guidelines for management of T2DM vary among military treatment facilities. Results of the DNP Project reflected information found in previous evidence based literature. Fifty percent of providers felt there is "probably" a health disparity among Type 2 Diabetic youth who seek care at a Military Treatment Facility (MTF). Diverse responses were received regarding applicable health disparity indicators among MHS beneficiaries, indicating these disparities may be multifactorial. Routine incorporation of EBP and CPGs into clinical practice also appeared to vary among participants. It is evident that further research may positively contribute to current understanding of health disparities among MHS beneficiaries.