No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Liberty University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis can be described as an in-depth study of the politics of the secondary school curriculum - and, in particular, of the comprehensive school curricu.1unl - 1r: the twelve-year period from 1976 to 1988. It is, in effect, a contribution to contemporary history - an analysis of the Great Debate in education which began in 1976 and ended officially in 1977 while, in reality, continuing unabated in the succeeding years. The eight chapters of the thesis consider: the evolution of the comprehensive school curriculum from 1944 to 1976; the increasingly harsh criticisms of the comprehensive system and its teachers in the early 19705; the origins and authorship of the so-called Yellow Book and of James Callaghan's Ruskin College Speech; the moves towards a 'common' or 'core' curriculum for the secondary age range; the increasingly energetic thrust towards central control of the curriculum; the issues of differentiation, vocationalization and privatization; and the origins of the curriculum proposals in the 1988 Education Reform Act. It is argued that although there was clear evidence of disillusionment with the education system in general - and with the comprehensive reform in particular - in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was the economic crisis of 1973-75 which finally caused the role and purpose of education to be subjected to close scrutiny by all political groupings in this country. The Callaghan initiative of 1976 was essentially the response of right-wing Labour to that IJ.; crisis, with an attempt to build a new consensus around more central control of the curriculum, greater teacher accountability and the more direct subordination of the secondary curriculum to the perceived needs of the economy. The 1988 Education Act can be seen as an expression of the often contradictory aims and objectives of right-wing groupings within the Conservative Party, with the debate about the desirability or otherwise of a centrally imposed national curriculum being a dear example of conflict within New Right ideology about the role of the state in a free market Society.

"This dissertation documents a study on parameter estimation methods for comprehensive pyrolysis modeling. There are four parts to this work, which are (1) evaluating effects of applying different kinetic models to pyrolysis modeling of fiberglass reinforced polymer composites; (2); evaluation of pyrolysis parameters for fiberglass reinforced polymer composites based on multi-objective optimization; (3) parameter estimation for comprehensive pyrolysis modeling: guidance and critical observations; and (4) engineering guide for estimating material pyrolysis properties for fire modeling. In the first section (Section 1), evaluation work is conducted to determine the effects of applying different kinetic models (KMs), developed based on thermal analysis using TGA data, when used in typical 1D pyrolysis models of fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. The study shows that that increasing complexity of KMs to be used in pyrolysis modeling is unnecessary for the FRP samples investigated. Additionally, the findings from this research indicates that the basic assumption of considering thermal decomposition of each computational cell in comprehensive pyrolysis modeling as equivalent to that in a TGA experiment becomes inapplicable at depth and higher heating rates. The second part of this dissertation (Section 2) reports the results from a study conducted to investigate the ability of global, multi-objective and multi-variable optimization methods to estimate material parameters for comprehensive pyrolysis models. The research materials are two fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) composites that share the same fiberglass mats but with two different resin systems. One resin system is composed of a single component and the other system is composed of two components (resin and fire retardant additive). The results show that for a well-configured parameter estimation exercise using the optimization method described above, (1) estimated results are within ± 100% of the measurements in general; (2) increasing complexity of the kinetic modeling for a single component system has insignificant effect on estimated values; (3) increasing complexity of the kinetic modeling for a multiple component system with each element having different thermal characteristics has positive effect on estimated values; and (4) parameter estimation using an optimization method with appropriate level of complexity in kinetic model and optimization targets can find estimations that can be considered as effective material property values. The third part of this dissertation (Section 3) proposes a process for conducting parameter estimation for comprehensive pyrolysis models. The work describes the underlying concepts considered in the proposed process and gives discussions of its limitations. Additionally, example cases of parameter estimation exercise are shown to illustrate the application of the parameter estimation process. There are four materials considered in the example cases – thermoplastics (PMMA), corrugated cardboard, fiberglass reinforced polymer composites and plywood. In the last part (Section 4), the actual Guide, a standardized procedure for obtaining material parameters for input into a wide range of pyrolysis models is presented. This is a step-by-step process that provides a brief description of modeling approaches and assumptions; a typical mathematical formulation to identify model parameters in the equations; and methods of estimating the model parameters either by independent measurements or optimization in pair with the model. In the Guide, example cases are given to show how the process can be applied to different types of real-world materials. "

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Liberty University School of Education, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan, 1958. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 328-334).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan, 1958. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 328-334).

Since 1994, the main challenges of rural development in South Africa are related to fighting against the marginalization of the poor, which requires change in access to resources (i.e. land, water, education and skills), rural infrastructure and other government services (National Planning Commission, 2011:195). Numerous rural development programmes and strategies have been introduced in South Africa since the downfall of the apartheid government to address rural challenges based on the improvement of rural economic development and meeting basic human needs, but they lacked the configuration of integrated and coordinated planning (Olivier et al., 2010:101). In 2009 rural development became one of the key priority programmes in South Africa, through a Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP). The CRDP is a strategic programme aimed at being an effective response against poverty and food insecurity by maximizing the use and management of natural resources to create vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities (Olivier et al., 2010:101). It has a holistic approach, partnering various stakeholders like government departments, non-governmental organizations, the business sector and the communities, in order to enhance socio-economic issues (DRDLR, 2009:1). An analysis was conducted based on the current and proposed planning approach for CRDP in South Africa. The current planning approach for CRDP was analysed by means of a case study illustrating the current reality and process. The pilot project used to illustrate the current planning approach for CRDP was identified by the Office of the Premier (North West Province) in 2009, and was selected as the case study of this research, including the villages of Mokgalwaneng, Matlametlong and Disake, and to demonstrate the proposed planning approach for CRDP, Klein Eiffel was identified within the Joe Morolong Local Municipality, formerly known as Moshaweng Local Municipality, in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality. Structured interviews and semi-structured interviews were conducted with officials from the government departments, private sector and Eskom (cross reference Annexure B), to obtain expert views on the current and proposed planning approach for CRDP. Sixteen (16) interviews were scheduled with officials, managers and deputy directors individually (based on their expertise and availability) who are responsible for the planning, monitoring and implementation of the CRDP programme. During the conduct of these interviews, all officials commented critically on the current planning approach for CRDP and positively towards the proposed planning approach for CRDP, but only thirteen (13) responded in writing. The inputs and comments received enabled the formulation of the research conclusions and recommendations. / MArt et Scien (Urban and Regional Planning), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Since 1994, the main challenges of rural development in South Africa are related to fighting against the marginalization of the poor, which requires change in access to resources (i.e. land, water, education and skills), rural infrastructure and other government services (National Planning Commission, 2011:195). Numerous rural development programmes and strategies have been introduced in South Africa since the downfall of the apartheid government to address rural challenges based on the improvement of rural economic development and meeting basic human needs, but they lacked the configuration of integrated and coordinated planning (Olivier et al., 2010:101). In 2009 rural development became one of the key priority programmes in South Africa, through a Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP). The CRDP is a strategic programme aimed at being an effective response against poverty and food insecurity by maximizing the use and management of natural resources to create vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities (Olivier et al., 2010:101). It has a holistic approach, partnering various stakeholders like government departments, non-governmental organizations, the business sector and the communities, in order to enhance socio-economic issues (DRDLR, 2009:1). An analysis was conducted based on the current and proposed planning approach for CRDP in South Africa. The current planning approach for CRDP was analysed by means of a case study illustrating the current reality and process. The pilot project used to illustrate the current planning approach for CRDP was identified by the Office of the Premier (North West Province) in 2009, and was selected as the case study of this research, including the villages of Mokgalwaneng, Matlametlong and Disake, and to demonstrate the proposed planning approach for CRDP, Klein Eiffel was identified within the Joe Morolong Local Municipality, formerly known as Moshaweng Local Municipality, in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality. Structured interviews and semi-structured interviews were conducted with officials from the government departments, private sector and Eskom (cross reference Annexure B), to obtain expert views on the current and proposed planning approach for CRDP. Sixteen (16) interviews were scheduled with officials, managers and deputy directors individually (based on their expertise and availability) who are responsible for the planning, monitoring and implementation of the CRDP programme. During the conduct of these interviews, all officials commented critically on the current planning approach for CRDP and positively towards the proposed planning approach for CRDP, but only thirteen (13) responded in writing. The inputs and comments received enabled the formulation of the research conclusions and recommendations. / MArt et Scien (Urban and Regional Planning), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015