471 |
A case study analysis of thematic transformations in nondirective play therapyLevin, Susan Charlotte 11 1900 (has links)
A multiple case study approach was employed in this
intensive thematic analysis of the process of nondirective play
therapy. Using a naturalistic research paradigm, this study
undertook to identify and describe the principal verbal and play
themes and their transformations emergent over a course of play
therapy, as well as to identify and describe similarities and
differences between the themes emergent in those two domains.
Play and verbalization, two types of symbolic expression, were
considered routes of access to the child’s evolution of personal
meaning.
The research participants in this multiple case study were 4
preschoolers, aged 3 to 4. Each participant received 20 weekly
play therapy sessions which were videotaped and transcribed.
Running notations were made on the verbatim transcripts as to
participants’ play activities. Separate coding schemes were
devised for the emergent play and verbal themes. Supplemental
data collection, organization, and analysis procedures included a
field notebook with post hoc descriptions of the sessions,
session summary sheets profiling play and verbal themes, charts,
and memos.
This study, discovery-oriented and exploratory in nature,
yielded rich descriptions of the intricacies of therapeutic
change on two symbolic levels. From these descriptions were
extracted not only information on the transformations in play and
verbal themes but also an understanding of the qualitative
changes which denote the phases of therapy, and insight into the
process of evolving meaning across these phases.
A central finding of this study was that the arrays of play
and verbal themes and their patterns of transformations were
highly individualized. However, a number of themes emerged in
common to all cases: Exploration, Aggression, Messing, Distress,
and Caregiving or Nurturance. Participants were observed to work
through contrasting themes, with preschoolers’ therapy
characterized as an active struggle with such intense,
oppositional forces as birth and death, injury and recovery, loss
and retrieval. Typical thematic transformations included
movement from infantile vulnerability to mastery, from grief
toward resolution, from fear to safety and protection.
The beginning phase of therapy was found to be typified by
exploratory play. The middle phase was typified by intensified
involvement in play and by experiences of disinhibition. The end
phase was characterized by two contrasting yet not mutually
exclusive tendencies, namely, the introduction of a sense of
hopefulness, confidence, and integration; and an improved
capacity to deal with difficult psychological material. Entry
into the middle and end phases was signalled by qualitative
shifts in the child’s attentional, tensional, or relational
state.
The theoretical implications of this study included insight
into the critical role of the child’s initiative and of the
therapist’s permissiveness in the unfolding of symbolic
expression. Each individual case contained specific theoretical
implications for such classic problem and treatment phenomena as
developmental delay and play disruptions.
The practical implications of this study include emphasizing
the need for practitioners to counterbalance attention to the
child’s verbal expression with attention to transformations in
play activity and play material usage. It is suggested that
further research extend the ramifications of this exploratory
study by examining the themes occurring in treatment within
homogeneous populations according to problem configuration.
|
472 |
Hopes and desires for language learning : conversations with bilingual familiesThomas, Lynn Alexandra 05 1900 (has links)
Children learn language in the family. They also learn about the ways in
which language can be used to communicate needs, share ideas, express
cultural identity and negotiate and reinforce group membership. In bilingual
and minority language families children also learn about the existence of
different languages, of different ways of talking about the same object and
expressing the same ideas, and the appropriate time and place to use each
language. The place of language in the development of cultural identity and
group membership is particularly important for people who speak more than
one language and feel attachments to more than one culture.
This study explores what it is to be a bilingual parent of young children.
Parents who were themselves bilingual were asked about their own
experiences with language, and their experiences with raising their children.
The dissertation is organized around the themes of language learning in the
family, in the community, and within the context of school.
This study has resulted in a broad range of findings, among which are: that
raising children to be bilingual is a deliberate act requiring considerable,
conscious effort on the part of parents, that parents who have a mentor,
someone they know who has successfully raised bilingual children, are more
likely to persist with their efforts despite difficulties, and that close religious,
cultural or familial ties to other speakers of the minority language are
positive influences on both parents and children. Another important finding
is that parents are greatly encouraged by meeting health and/or educational
professionals who are positive and informative about bilingualism in young
children.
Conversation is the methodology for this study because it allows the
participants and the researcher to work together toward a greater
understanding of the topic under study. Through conversations with other
interested people I was able to invite them into my questions. Sharing stories
of language, and reflecting on what these stories mean and how they have
affected and continue to affect us, opens the possibilities for a much greater
understanding of what it means to speak more than one language in this
society, and how that will affect our children.
|
473 |
Following versus breaking with precedent : organizational conformity and deviation in the British Columbia legal professionCliff, Jennifer E. 05 1900 (has links)
This study investigates the effect of founders socialization experiences and
contextual interpretations on the deviation of recently-established law firms from the
dominant organizational form in the B.C. legal profession. Through this research I
address three issues fundamental to the neo-institutional perspective on organizational
analysis: 1) whether consensually-understood frameworks exist in highly-institutionalized
environments, 2) the extent to which new entrants to such industries reproduce
or depart from these prescribed arrangements, and 3) why some conform while others
deviate.
In the first phase of my investigation, I ascertained the nature of the legal profession
s dominant template for organizing by analyzing qualitative data collected from
multiple data sources including both observers of and practitioners within this industry.
I subsequently validated this template by collecting quantitative data through a
survey administered to a panel of lawyers. The results support the existence of a commonly-
perceived template for organizing in the B.C. legal profession.
In the second phase of my research, I investigated sixty recently-established law
firms in B.C. Through a background questionnaire and personal interview conducted
with the founder of each firm, I collected data on multiple dimensions of form, the
founder s experience, and his or her rationale for designing the firm in a certain way. I
also administered a survey to a separate panel of lawyers, to obtain their perceptions of
the extent to which alternative arrangements differed from those of the dominant
template. This data was used to calculate deviation measures for the recentlyestablished
firms.
The results revealed that, despite the prevalence with which founders voiced
disenchantment with the dominant template, 85% of their firms exhibited very little
deviation from the normative form. Thus, it appears that most new entrants to a highlyinstitutionalized
setting act primarily as agents of institutional perpetuation rather than
entrepreneurship. The 15% that exhibited greater deviation tended to be headed by
founders with less experience in the industry s most prominent organizations and by
those who most strongly questioned the moral legitimacy of prevailing organizational
arrangements. Experience in marginal organizations or other industries, as well as
doubts about the dominant template s pragmatic legitimacy, were insufficient triggers
of new entrant deviation.
|
474 |
Disabling sexualities : an exploratory multiple case study of self-identified gay and bisexual men with developmental disabilitiesThompson, Scott Anthony 11 1900 (has links)
The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to investigate how self-identified gay
or bisexual (GB) men with developmental disabilities managed their complex identities.
Through various profiling strategies and snowball sampling techniques, seven such GB
men volunteered. These key participants resided over a wide geographical area, from
the coastal US to the southern part of British Columbia. Semi-structured interviews were
conducted with each person, three of whom identified a caregiver as being a particularly
important part of his "coming-out" process. Semi-structured interviews were also
conducted with these supporting participants, as well as a few other relevant
professionals. Key participants' life stories were framed within several theories: namely;
Goffman's (1963) stigma, Lave and Wengers' (1991) legitimate peripheral participation,
disability theory, queer theory and Smith's (1987) institutional ethnography. Similarly,
the supporting professionals' responses were analyzed. The results present rich
kaleidoscopic narrative descriptions, and provide many implications for special
education practice and queer activism.
|
475 |
The women-in-development efficiency approach : a case study of programming income generation in a Chinese villageTyler, Diane 11 1900 (has links)
In the 1970s, international development planners began to recognize women's
important roles in their communities. A variety of approaches to include women have
since evolved, and their merits are debated. They have been described in the literature
as "welfare," "Women-in-Development" (WID), and "Gender and Development"
(GAD). The welfare approach focuses on basic needs while strengthening women's
homemaker and reproductive roles. The WID approach is based on increasing women's
incomes as a means toward empowerment. The Gender and Development (GAD)
addresses systemic gender discrimination. There is need for research in development
planning. Development programs track results during the project, but seldom look at
long term impacts and sustainability.
This thesis reports the results of research on a 1991 WID efficiency approach,
women's income generation project in Shaanxi Province, China, by examining the
impact seven years later. My methodology involved interviews with twenty-one
women project participants, eight husbands, village leaders and informal lunch-hour
focus group discussions with villagers. The project involved transition from grain to
orchards. The orchards dramatically increased women's incomes and improved the
quality of village life. The women took full control of orchard management, pushing
men out of the orchards saying that they were "incapable" of the monotonous orchard
tasks. Most husbands found off-farm jobs, diversifying household incomes. Women
gained marketing skills, self-confidence, and financial independence, but remained
vulnerable as primary producers to income fluctuations. Most women stayed outside
village politics, and traditional gender role socialization was maintained. The project
fulfilled women's needs and interests, however, long term results for women are mixed.
The Shaanxi field project was one of sixty-six field projects under the Canada-
China Women-in-Development Project (1990-1995) implemented in partnership by the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the All-China Women's
Federation. The project had two components: poverty reduction and institutional
strengthening of the Women's Federation. I was the Canadian co-manager of the
Canada-China WID Project, and have since completed more than thirty contracts
(fifteen projects) plus a two-year contract as co-manager of the Canada-China Women's
Law Project (one year of which was full-time in China). My research is intended to
assist and improve my future work in the development field, and to inform those
interested in women's development program planning and gender equality policy.
Good planning was key to the strength of the Canada-China WID Project.
Partners shared a common goal. CIDA's efficiency approach supported the Women's
Federation policy to bring women into production as a means of achieving equality.
Participatory planning and decision-making involved Federation project officers across
China. Delegation in management and clear, commonly set guidelines increased
partners' involvement and accountability. Power in planning gradually, and tacitly,
transferred to the Women's Federation as they assumed ownership and responsibility
for results.
Strong donor/recipient partnership and participatory planning processes
strengthen potential for sustainable results. Suggestions to improve women's
development planning include: increasing gender awareness, strengthening women's
interest and capacity in political participation, developing risk mitigation strategies to
lessen income insecurity, blending WID/GAD projects, and further research on project
impacts.
|
476 |
The effect of early diet on hepatic cholesterol metabolism in pigletsDevlin, Angela Marie 11 1900 (has links)
Plasma total, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL)
cholesterol concentrations increase immediately following birth. Interestingly, this
increase is greater in breast-fed infants than in infants fed formula. The reason(s) why
there are differences in plasma cholesterol concentrations between breast-fed and
formula-fed infants is not known. However, this difference may be a consequence of
the variations in lipid composition between milk and infant formula. Little is known
regarding the specific effects of the lipid component(s) of infant diets on the expression
of genes involved in hepatic lipid metabolism. The studies presented in this thesis
determined whether the addition of cholesterol, arachidonic acid [20:4(n-6)] and
docosahexaenoic acid [22:6(n-3)] to formula, and the positional distribution of fatty acids
in formula triglycerides increases plasma cholesterol in formula-fed piglets to levels
observed in milk-fed piglets. In study #1, piglets were fed from birth to 18 days of age
with either a conventional infant formula (conventional formula) or a formula with
synthesized triglycerides (TG) (synthesized TG formula). The conventional infant
formula had 70% of the total 16:0, representing 23% of total fatty acids, esterified at the
sn-1 and 3 positions of the formula triglyceride. The synthesized TG formula contained
a similar percentage of 16:0, representing 23% of total fatty acids, but had 47% of the
total 16:0 esterified at the centre (sn-2) position of the formula triglyceride. Each of the
conventional and synthesized TG formulae were provided either without (<0.10 mM) or
with 0.65mM cholesterol added to formula, 0.52mmol/L as unesterified cholesterol and
0.13 mmol/L as cholesterol oleate. A reference group of piglets was also fed sow milk. In study #1, the levels of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase mRNA, 7-a-hydroxylase
(C7H) mRNA, and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) mRNA were higher in the formula-fed
than milk-fed piglets, irrespective of the formula cholesterol content or the positional
distribution of fatty acids in the formula triglyceride. This was accompanied by lower
plasma total and HDL cholesterol concentrations, lower hepatic triglyceride
concentrations and lower concentrations of bile acids, cholesterol and phospholipid in
bile of the formula-fed than milk-fed piglets. Adding cholesterol to the formula increased
hepatic cholesterol concentrations and decreased hepatic levels of fatty acid synthase
(FAS) mRNA, but had no effect on the plasma cholesterol concentrations of the
formula-fed piglets. Directing 16:0 to the sn-2 position of the formula triglyceride led to
lower plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, lower concentrations of
bile acids in bile, lower hepatic levels of FAS mRNA and activity, and higher hepatic
levels of ACC mRNA than in piglets fed the conventional formula.
In study #2, piglets were fed the conventional formula either without or with egg
phospholipid (9.5g/L) to provide 0.8% 20:4(n-6) and 0.3% 22:6(n-3) of total fatty acids,
or sow milk from birth to 15 days of age. Supplementing the conventional formula with
egg phospholipid resulted in higher levels of 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3) in liver and bile
phospholipid, higher plasma HDL concentrations, higher bile acid and phospholipid
concentrations in bile and lower hepatic ACC mRNA levels in the formula-fed piglets.
The levels of 20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-4) in liver and bile phospholipid were also higher in
the piglets fed the supplemented formula than in the piglets fed milk. A significant
inverse relation was found between the levels of hepatic ACC mRNA and the percentage
of 20:4(n-6) in liver triglyceride and the percentage of 22:6(n-3) in liver phospholipid. Egg phospholipid supplementation of formula had no effect on hepatic LDL receptor mRNA
or hepatic FAS activity and mRNA in the formula-fed piglets. The piglets fed either the
supplemented or the conventional formula had lower levels of plasma cholesterol and
higher levels of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity and mRNA and C7H mRNA than
piglets fed milk.
These studies show that early diet, that is, milk compared to formula feeding,
results in lower levels of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity and mRNA and C7H mRNA
accompanied by higher plasma cholesterol concentrations in piglets. Supplementing
formula with cholesterol or the preferential esterification of 16:0 at the sn-2 position of the
formula triglyceride did not raise plasma cholesterol concentrations and had no effect on
hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity and mRNA or C7H mRNA in formula-fed piglets.
Supplementing formula with egg phospholipid, increased bile and liver phospholipid
20:4(n-6) and 22:6(n-3), decreased the levels of hepatic ACC mRNA and increased the
concentrations of bile acids and phospholipid in bile. These findings suggest that milk-fed
piglets have lower rates of hepatic cholesterol synthesis, lower rates of conversion of
cholesterol to bile acids and the lipid present in sow milk and formula may be metabolized
differently. These findings are significant in that they raise the question as to whether or
not this effect of early diet will continue through to adulthood and influence metabolic
response to diet fat.
|
477 |
The dissolution of career in the lives of middle class, middle aged menMalek, Alard A. 11 1900 (has links)
This grounded theory study investigated the experiences of 18 middle class, middle
aged men who lost long term employment because of organizational restructuring. Limited
research had previously been conducted in this area and this study extends our
understanding about the impact of job loss on people who have lost long term employment.
The purpose of the study was to explicate the lived experiences of these men and generate
an explanation and model of how they reconstructed their understanding of career
following job loss from long term employment. The men's experience of job loss and how
they constructed career after the loss of long term employment were explained through a
dynamic and interacting four stage process model of the dissolution of career.
Stage 1, establishing career, explained how the men came to understand career as a
relationship. For these men, career, as a relationship, was based on trust and was
comprised of reciprocal terms believed to exist between the "good employee" and the "good
employer." Over time, by fulfilling the terms of reciprocity, a psychological contract was
established between the men and their employers. This contract contained mutual
obligations, such as, employment security in exchange for employee commitment, loyalty,
hard work, and sacrifice.
Stage 2, the termination of employment, revealed how the experience of job loss
signified a violation of the psychological contract. The men believed they had complied
with the psychological contract; however, the employer's failure to provide employment
security represented a violation of the psychological contract. This violation was a highly
emotional experience, tantamount to a betrayal. Although compensation could represent the
employer's effort to honour the employer/employee relationship, compensation in the form
of severance pay was not adequate.
Stage 3, disengaging from career, signified the period of time during which the men
attempted to come to terms with the loss of career. The men attempted to secure new
employment in a world of work different from the world in which they had begun their
careers. Although the men sought employment that promoted the employer/employee
relationship of career, seeking work revealed career as they had known it was unlikely in
the new world of work. Past experience and educational upgrading had little effect on their
ability to secure employment. Employers favoured inexpensive labour, immediate skills,
and short term working relationships with employees. Generally, the men found
themselves working in unstable jobs for less money. The men who secured stable work,
gained job security through union membership or self employment instead of relying on the
employer/employee relationship. The men's experiences during this stage underscored the
experiences of the second stage.
Stage 4, the dearth of career, represented the outcome of the men's experiences of the
preceding stages. Although the men maintained previous definitions of career, they stated
they had lost career and that career is no longer possible in the context of the new world of
work. They were less trusting of employers. They favoured a transactional orientation
towards work and stressed self interest in work relationships. Whereas, career provided a
major source of purpose and meaning in the past, they constructed new purpose and
meaning in life by reprioritizing other relationships in their lives, that is, with self, family,
and friends. One wonders, however, whether life seemed less meaningful for the men
who participated in this study because they maintained their definitions of career.
|
478 |
Student-teacher rapport in video-conferencingDe Clercq, Loya Marie, University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education January 1996 (has links)
Education and delivery methods of this education to students are always chaning. To teach students in geographically separated locations, many technologies are being used and one of these technologies is video-conferencing. However, the human element of education must neither be lost nor forgotten as we continue with new ways of educating students of the future. That is, the value of the student-instructor relationship and the critical role it plays in effective teaching and learning must be retained by distance educators. To develop a deeper understanding of the relationship between instructors and students of a video-conferenced classroom is the goal of this study. This case of student-teacher rapport in video-conferencing was conducted over a six-week summer course. Data were collected by questionnaire, student and instructor interviews, and class observations from both sites. From these primarily qualitative research techniques, several recurring themes emerged. All of these were central to the establishment and perceptions of an instructor-student rapport. Some of these areas were crucial to this video-conferencing case study and will serve to assist futre educators. The primary result of this case study was that very little rapport was established between the instructor and his students and it was perceived by the instructor and the students that this scant
amount of rapport was sufficient. The paramount themes which were revealed include: the lack of name knowledge on the part of the instructor and the students' perception that this was acceptable; the technological problems; the question-asking procedures; and the amount of side-chatter and other off-task behaviours. All of these factors compounded to suppress the existence of an instructor-student rapport in this course. Recommendations for distance educators are included. / xiii, 223 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.
|
479 |
Capital and stratification within virtual community : a case study of metafilter.comLawton, Paul, University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science January 2005 (has links)
In this thesis, I conduct a case study of a virtual community (Metafilter.com) in order to apply Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital and class to an online community. The specific goals for this thesis are in mapping the different forms of capital that are active in Metafilter in order to see how they structure its social space. The questions I address are: 1) what forsm of capital are active in the Metafilter community? 2) How are they similar to the forms of capital presented by Bourdieu? Having identified the active forms of capital, 3) do they act to influence stratification in the Metafilter community? / vi, 129 leaves ; 29 cm.
|
480 |
How do resource foster parents conceptualize concurrent planning?Melrose, Heather January 2003 (has links)
In this small qualitative study, the researcher explores how four families involved in resource foster care services conceptualize concurrent planning in the child welfare system. Analysis of the four semi-structured transcribed interviews revealed four dominant themes: hope and optimism that resource foster care could be a rewarding alternative to further infertility treatment; anger and fear of disruption related to birth family visits; identification of the foster child as their own; and uncertainty regarding resource foster care team rules, roles, and responsibilities. Each theme was influenced by an attachment to the child they were fostering and the fear of losing that child. / The findings suggest that resource foster parents do not fully embrace concurrent planning as a philosophy of care that supports and works towards the best interests of children. Practice principles central to concurrent planning were often abandoned as a result of intense identification with adoptive parenthood status. / The researcher has included a number of recommendations with respect to future studies, training needs, and recruitment strategies. The conclusion states that in the best interests of children, resource foster parents must fully embrace the concept of concurrent planning defined within child welfare context and legislation.
|
Page generated in 0.0451 seconds