This thesis explores the nature of pedagogic connectedness and reveals the qualitatively different ways in which teachers in the middle years of schooling experience this phenomenon. The researcher defines pedagogic connectedness as the engagements between teacher and student that impact on student learning. The findings of this phenomenographic-related study are used to provide a framework for changes to pedagogic practices in the middle years of schooling. Twenty teachers of years 7, 8, and 9 boys in an independent college in South-East Queensland participated in this study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with these teachers and the interview transcripts were analysed iteratively. Five qualitatively different ways of experiencing pedagogic connectedness emerged from this study. These categories of description are linked hierarchically and are delimited from each other through six common dimensions of variation. Teachers’ conceptions of pedagogic connectedness range from information providing through instructing, facilitating, guided participation to mentoring. The five different conceptions may be classified broadly as teacher-centred, transitional or student-centred. In the information providing conception, pedagogic connectedness between teachers and students is limited with teachers perceiving themselves as subject experts and providing few opportunities for student-teacher engagements. The most complex conception, mentoring, is characterised by partnerships between teachers and students in which teachers view themselves as more experienced equals. These partnerships extend beyond the confines of the classroom and beyond the years of schooling. In this conception, teachers describe teaching as an emotional activity with teachers demonstrating passion for teaching and learning. The findings of this current study extend earlier understandings of teacher-student mentoring relationships in the middle years of schooling. These expanded understandings may contribute to enthusing middle years students and re-engaging them with schooling during these vital years.

Urban greenspace has an important role in supporting biodiversity and providing structural and functional connectivity between natural habitats. However, the mapping of vegetation in urban areas presents challenges, as urban vegetation is highly fragmented and heterogeneous. This study compared maps with respect to their strengths and weaknesses in providing ecologically relevant information in an urban area with the purpose to find how useful they are for local planning. The study took place in the urban part of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. The maps analysed were the Urban Atlas 2012 provided by Copernicus, the Prime 2 database provided by the Ordnance Survey Ireland, and two maps that were generated by this project from Sentinel 2 satellite imagery, one which showed vegetation based on calculated NDVI and one with four land cover classes calculated with a supervised classification. These maps were compared from three points of view: correspondence of vegetation classes, structural connectivity, and quality of vegetated areas. Analyses of structural connectivity were based on several landscape metrics, one of them was the degree of coherence (Cm) which reflects how connected the vegetation patches are in the landscape. Definition of quality was based on contextual indicators, such as the proximity to streams and areas with high conservation value, and vegetation present on a historical map from the 1830s. The results showed that the overlap of vegetation between the datasets varies between 27.0-89.1%. The different datasets definitions of vegetation affect how well they correspond in terms of where vegetation can be found. Resolution is also an important factor, as urban vegetation patches tend to be small and thus a coarse minimum mapping unit – as is the case for the Urban Atlas – masks important information on the configuration of vegetated areas in the urban area. The structural connectivity of vegetation differed little between Prime 2 (Cm = 7.95×10-2%) and the Urban Atlas (Cm = 5.87×10-2%). However, the distance between vegetated patches was on average shorter in Prime 2. This suggests that the Prime 2 dataset, because of its higher spatial resolution, contains more information on potential stepping stones for species to move around the landscape. The distribution of vegetated areas with higher contextual quality was mainly close to the boundaries of the urban area. Connectivity in a fragmented landscape like this urban study area plays a crucial role in maintaining populations of flora and fauna. It is therefore important to consider in the management of urban vegetation and in planning for development. This study offers a first insight in the structural connectivity of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, which can be used to make more informed decisions that will sustain urban biodiversity.

abstract: Objectives This cross-sectional study sought to assess the eating and physical activity behaviors among in-state and out-of-state college freshmen attending Arizona State University and to determine if social connectedness mediated the relationship between residency status and eating and physical activity behaviors. Methods College freshmen from two dormitories were recruited for participation from Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. A 128-item survey assessing demographics, college life, eating and physical activity behaviors, and social connectedness was administered. In addition, participants completed up to three days of dietary recall. Multivariate linear regression models, adjusting for age, gender, race, ethnicity, highest parental education, dormitory, Pell grant status, number of dietary recalls, and availability of a weekend day of dietary recall were used to assess the relationships between residency status, social connectedness, and eating and physical activity behaviors. Results No associations were observed between residency status and calories, grams and percentage of calories from fat, and added sugar. There was a statistically significant association between residency status and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). In-state students reported 21 minutes less per day of MVPA than out-of-state students did (β=-20.85; 95% CI=-30.68, -11.02; p<0.001). There was no relationship between residency status and social connectedness. Social connectedness and eating and physical activity behaviors were not associated. Social connectedness did not mediate the relationship between residency status and eating and physical activity behaviors. Conclusions In-state and out-of-state students differed in their MVPA; however, this relationship was not mediated by social connectedness. Further studies are needed to confirm the relationship between MVPA and residency status. In addition, more studies are needed to assess the relationship between social connectedness and MVPA. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Nutrition 2016

The positive association between income and subjective well-being (SWB) is undisputed; there remains scope, however, to expand our understanding of the explanatory mechanisms at work. The theoretical framing is formed from economics and psychology which have been the traditional homes of happiness research. However, the stance taken here is sociological in its attention to social networks and social status. I also emphasise psychological benefits as an explanatory mechanism for the money-happiness relationship. Following Layard (1981) and Easterlin (2001), it is posited that above the level at which basic needs are met, higher SWB results from the higher rank in society that money brings. I argue that rank and status inform how individuals feel about themselves (self-esteem, self-worth) and their environment (perceived control) and that it is these factors that bring about SWB. Furthermore, social connectedness is an alternative source of these benefits and it is thus hypothesised that connectedness will intervene in the money-happiness relationship. Secondary or “weak” ties are expected to have an additional and separable effect to close ties alone. I use the term resilience as a framing concept as it allows the stressor (financial situation) and outcome (SWB) to be discussed in a single term. The thesis has three empirical aims. The first is to determine whether connectedness influences the money happiness relationship, where ‘money’ refers to household income, perceived financial situation and being worse off than the previous year. Secondly, I aim to separate the effect of connectedness from the effect of personal characteristics by observing outcomes before and after a change in connectedness. Third, I aim to unravel the potentially paradoxical role of networks for those on low incomes as both a resilience resource and therefore greater happiness, and as a source of wider social comparison and therefore greater unhappiness. I use data from seven waves of the British Household Panel Survey. A latent class analysis establishes a measurement schema of connectedness based on strong and weak ties. Growth curve models are used to measure the effect of money on SWB and differential effects by connectedness are demonstrated with interaction terms. Resilience before and after network changes are explored using multiple group linear regression at two time points, and neighbourhood social comparison is examined in multilevel models. The findings are that income has no bearing on the SWB of the socially-integrated (those with both strong and weak ties) while the isolated have a lot to gain. The SWB of the integrated does suffer in difficult financial circumstances as subjectively reported but less so than the isolated or those with only strong ties. Further, when individuals expand their network it is accompanied by a decrease in the importance of income for SWB. These patterns can in part be explained by the fact that the SWB of the well-connected is less influenced by their position relative to those living around them, at least where the income gap is not too large. Therefore, the assumption of happiness as a zero-sum game is mistaken; social comparison is not inevitable and SWB can be maintained through social integration providing the level of inequality is not too high.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Internationalisation is an important worldwide phenomenon, and amongst others, presents as a major trend in higher education and continues to be on the agenda of higher education providers worldwide. It is significant for the sustainability of higher education at a national level, and subsequently, the contribution that higher education makes to the development of a nation, its people and its ability to compete in the global market. Internationalisation within universities continues to develop apace as institutions move from equating international strategies with international student recruitment to developing mature internationalisation agendas that incorporate recruitment, research collaborations and capacity-building.

Background: Refugees find it difficult to integrate and assimilate in their host country because of a myriad of challenges. Mobile phones have become one of the main tools for promoting their wellbeing and supporting the integration of refugee communities on the margins of society. Mobile phones can contribute towards reducing isolation and loneliness, and assist in improving interpersonal relations and fostering processes of assimilation. The purpose of the research: The main objective of this study was to examine how the use of mobile phones by refugees in South Africa contributes to their social connectedness. To this end, the study discusses the role of mobile phones in the process of acculturation, in creating a sense of belonging, and in maintaining relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This research employed a qualitative method and an interpretivist epistemological perspective. A conceptual framework was developed on the basis of a literature review. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews and WhatsApp group chats, and analysed using thematic analysis. The interviewees comprised 27 refugees living in South Africa, and the WhatsApp group had 15 members. Findings: The findings demonstrate that the refugees face a multitude of obstacles, including language and culture barriers, the challenge of obtaining legal status, physical separation from their friends and family, and feelings of being judged, insecure, and excluded. Mobile phone usage offers refugees several benefits, especially through their affordances that include accessing information, pursuing economic and institutional opportunities, enabling communication, and developing linguistic and cultural knowledge of the host country. At the same time, mobile phones enable refugees to maintain connection with their country of origin. Refugees nevertheless considered it difficult to develop a sense of belonging through their use of mobile phones. Research contribution: This study adds to perspectives on utilising mobile phones to achieve social connectedness for two categories of refugees: newcomers and old-timers. The study contributes to theory by proposing a framework for understanding and analysing the relationship between social connectedness and mobile phones. The study contributes to knowledge through the investigative approach of using WhatsApp group chat to collect data. The findings can contribute to enabling non-profit organisations and UNHCR to develop strategies and processes for providing interventions for refugees.

Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) are at a higher risk for suicide compared to the general population, but little is known about why this is. Many LGBTQ individuals face some form of discrimination or victimization in their lifetime, and some evidence suggests these experiences may contribute to this group’s higher suicide risk. Unfortunately, research has only examined the impact of direct discrimination/victimization on suicidality and has neglected to examine how ambient discrimination/victimization relates to suicidality. Additionally, although some links exist between discrimination, victimization, and suicide, the mechanisms by which these are related are unknown. This study aims to address these gaps in the literature by exploring the effect of ambient discrimination/victimization on suicidal ideation and examining psychological pain as a mediator and social connectedness as a moderator between various forms of discrimination and victimization and suicidal ideation. Regression, mediation, and moderation analyses were conducted in order to examine these relationships in a sample of 200 LGBTQ-identified individuals. Results of this study may provide insight into why the LGBTQ community is at an increased risk for suicide.

In this thesis, we study the return and volatility spillovers between forex and stock markets in Scandinavian countries employing recently developed method- ology of spillover indices. Those measures are based on forecast error variance decomposition of generalized vector autoregressive (GVAR) model. This allows us to estimate both total and directional spillovers. Moreover, frequency connect- edness analysis is conducted by decomposing the spillover indices into frequency bands, corresponding to short-, medium- and long-run connectedness. We used daily data for major stock market indices and exchange rates of domestic cur- rency towards US dollar for Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Our data spans from February 2002 till July 2018 that covers turmoil periods of global fi- nancial crisis in 2007-2009, European sovereign debt crisis 2010-2013 and Brexit referendum in mid 2016. Our empirical analysis reveals that Norwegian financial markets do not contribute much to both return and volatility spillovers. On the other hand, euro and Danish FX market perform very similarly, by exhibiting the highest spillover contributions for both returns and volatility. Furthermore, distinct increasing trends in spillovers are revealed during the turmoil periods for most of the markets. From frequency...

Background: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, suicide was second leading cause of death for adolescents (age 15-24). Over the past 15 years, the suicide rate has increased 24%. Previous research has connected the importance of physical activity as a protective measure to mental health problems such as depression which is often a preceding cursor of suicide. Previous research has also provided evidence supporting adult connectedness to the adolescent as a protective effector for suicide ideology. Although there is leading independent corroboration for each of these factors as preventative measures for suicide, there is limited research on the effect of both components combined. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between usual activity, mental state, adult involvement for connectedness and suicide idealization. Hypothesis: Usual activity alone will have a strong correlation with mental state and suicide idealization. Adult involvement for connectedness alone will have a strong correlation with mental state and suicide idealization. Usual activity and adult involvement together will have the strongest correlation with mental state and suicide idealization. Methods: Data was collected at high schools in Appalachian Tennessee and Virginia. Between January and June 2017, the Adolescent Community Health Survey was conducted among random classrooms. Tennessee schools totaled 444 students and Virginia schools totaled 385 students. Information about the study was given to teachers, parents and students before school visits. Parental permission was written and received before survey was administered. A team of researchers administered and monitored the questionnaire in classrooms where students provided individual responses on the health survey. All data was weighted according to logistic regression statistics. Results: As a result of completing the above procedure, it was learned that physical activity is directly related to suicide ideation with adult connectedness as a mediator. It was also learned that mental health is directly related with suicide with physical activity as a mediator. Conclusions: Ultimately, it was demonstrated that physical activity and mental health has the highest significance to suicide ideation. Parent connectedness is only significant as a mediator. This significantly means the focus to prevent suicide ideation is to focus on intervention for mental health and physical activity. Sub focuses should be on adult connectedness and physical activity to monitor warning signs of suicide ideation.

The thesis is focused on researching the recent phenomena of the emerging virtual Esperanto communities. The aim is to understand how feeling of belonging and connectedness are generated online. The theoretical framework that the study follows is Sense of Community theory by McMillan and Chavis (1986). It presents 4 components that combined together create a strong bond within a community – membership, influence, shared emotional value, and reinforcement of needs, later revised to spirit, trust, art and trade respectively. This particular theory helped significantly structure the way the analysis was carried out. The main results from the qualitative and quantitative data are that the sense of connectedness the respondents demonstrated to the Esperanto communities was strong. The interview participants have been members for more than 10 years, and have indicated they believed they shared similar values and needs with their co-members, but most strong ones with the groups they shared other interests except Esperanto. The Internet, as all interview participants confirmed, has played a huge role for the development of the Esperanto language and culture and currently connects thousands of Esperantists worldwide and provides them with a space to be producers of their media, Esperanto. Furthermore, some statements demonstrated that not speaking the language results in excluding people from the group, excluding also new members who used auxiliary languages (e.g. English or German) along with Esperanto, to help their communication at Esperanto gatherings. Finally, there were also found signs of segregation among an older generation of Esperantists, who made division between Esperanto speakers and non-speakers and between the different Esperanto institutions.