This thesis explores mothers' reactions to, and methods of dealing with, the sudden death of a child, using a constructivist approach. The study focusses on the meanings that mothers construe in relation to the sudden death of their child and the role of these constructions in her "recovery" from this loss. It also explores the grieving process, the effect of the loss on the mother, including a focus on changes in her value system, her role as a mother and as a wife, as well as the impact of this loss on the family system. The study was conducted on the basis of qualitative research methodology, making use of the case study method. The sample consisted of three mothers, selected purposively. The data gathered was analysed inductively. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

The theories of social cognition and personal constructs compose the theoretical backdrop to this dissertation which deals with people's expectations regarding romantic partners and relationships.Five women were interviewed and a qualitative analysis undertaken and discussed with a view to elucidating the influence of one's parents, cultural background and individual identity on the development and functioning of expectations. These expectation are based on beliefs about men and relationships in general and about healthy and unhealthy relationships in particular. Attension is given to the role of relationship beliefs and expectations in evaluations of romantic relationships and the consequences of such evaluations for relationship satisfaction and commitment. It is concluded that expectations play an important role in the process of partner and relationship eva,uation and thus, in the outcome of relationships. Parental and cultural influences are found to play an important part in shaping individual values and expetations, albeit in an indirect manner. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

This thesis explores mothers' reactions to, and methods of dealing with, the sudden death of a child, using a constructivist approach. The study focusses on the meanings that mothers construe in relation to the sudden death of their child and the role of these constructions in her "recovery" from this loss. It also explores the grieving process, the effect of the loss on the mother, including a focus on changes in her value system, her role as a mother and as a wife, as well as the impact of this loss on the family system. The study was conducted on the basis of qualitative research methodology, making use of the case study method. The sample consisted of three mothers, selected purposively. The data gathered was analysed inductively. / Psychology / M.A.(Clinical Psychology)

The theories of social cognition and personal constructs compose the theoretical backdrop to this dissertation which deals with people's expectations regarding romantic partners and relationships.Five women were interviewed and a qualitative analysis undertaken and discussed with a view to elucidating the influence of one's parents, cultural background and individual identity on the development and functioning of expectations. These expectation are based on beliefs about men and relationships in general and about healthy and unhealthy relationships in particular. Attension is given to the role of relationship beliefs and expectations in evaluations of romantic relationships and the consequences of such evaluations for relationship satisfaction and commitment. It is concluded that expectations play an important role in the process of partner and relationship eva,uation and thus, in the outcome of relationships. Parental and cultural influences are found to play an important part in shaping individual values and expetations, albeit in an indirect manner. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

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In 2006 a new training route for Educational Psychologists (EPs) was introduced, which extended the entry criteria to applicants from a range of professional backgrounds. The related literature indicates that this was a contentious issue. The aim of the current study is to explore the relationship between the role of the EP and professional background using an interpretive methodology. Twelve participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format. The participants were four EPs, four primary Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos), three secondary SENCos and a Portage Worker. The aim of the study is also to establish what skills and qualities the participants perceive to be necessary to be an effective and credible practitioner. Following analysis of the interview data, a number of themes emerged. In terms of desirable EP attributes, the participants’ responses fell into three broad categories, interpersonal skills, psychological skills and other qualities. The participants perceived the EP role as either expert or collaborative, although some expressed a degree of uncertainty about the nature of the role. All of the participants alluded to a link between experience and credibility, although the nature of desirable experience varied between personal and professional experience. Participants who viewed the role of the EP within an expert model favoured teaching experience over other forms of pre-training experience. The second stage of this study is set in the context of the recent changes to the initial training of Educational Psychologists (EPs). The broad aim of the study is to explore beliefs that are held in relation to the relationship between the role of the EP and professional background. In particular, stage two aims to explore the participants’ belief systems in greater depth. It was therefore deemed that Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) would provide an appropriate psychological framework to inform the design of the study and interpretation of the data. Six of the twelve participants who were interviewed at stage one of this study participated in follow-up interviews using a self-characterisation technique. Their responses were laddered in order to elicit superordinate constructs, until an end point was agreed upon between participant and researcher, which are referred to as ‘core constructs’. The data were clustered in relation to the themes arising from stage one, resulting in six clusters, collaboration, motivation and applying psychology being ranked as most important for EPs. The use of PCP as a theoretical framework has provided a psychological perspective from which to address beliefs regarding the professional background of EPs.

This thesis explores a conceptual understanding of dialogue within a community of practice. It argues that meaningful conversations are at the core of critical, reflective, and analytical praxis, and that a critical understanding holds transformative possibilities for teaching and learning. Aspects of western and ethnic paradigms and their theoretical constructs, which may either enhance or hinder current practices, are identified, as are elements that arise from several case studies drawn from a large banking organisation operating out of South Africa. It is hoped that an evaluation of the research findings will provide a basis for an understanding of dialogue within a local context and that, further, it will provide a platform for extended dialogical exploration and research.

Bakgrunden till studien var ett gemensamt intresse kring ungdomars identitetsutveckling. Då inga studier kring hur just hemmaplanslösningar kan bidra till en positiv identitet gått att finna, så blev det intressant att genomföra en studie kring detta. Studiens syfte är att utifrån ett personalperspektiv öka förståelsen för vilken innebörd arbetet med hemmaplanslösningar har då det gäller att ta tillvara och stärka ungdomars positiva identitetsprocesser. För att kunna besvara detta syfte har frågeställningar utvecklats som först handlar om hur en personalgrupp beskriver att identitetsskapande sker i deras verksamhet och hur de sedan beskriver att hemmaplanslösningar kan bidra till att stärka dessa ungdomar i en positiv riktning. Studien har utgått ifrån ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv som har varit genomgående i hela uppsatsen. För att samla in vårt material har sex stycken enskilda kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts som sedan har analyserats och bearbetats med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar på att personalgruppen beskriver identitetskapande som något socialt format med och av individens kontext. De beskriver också att hemmaplanslösningar kan bidra till en stärkt identitetsprocess genom deras arbetsmetoder, människosyn och sätt att vara. Vår tolkning och slutsats blir att personalen anser sig i sitt arbete med hemmaplanslösningar kunna påverka ungdomars identitetsskapande i en positiv riktning. Eftersom studien har ett personalperspektiv hade vidare forskning kring ett ungdomsperspektiv varit intressant att genomföra. / The background to our research is a common interest in adolescent identity development. We have found no previous studies of how home solutions can contribute to a positive identity development so we considered it interesting to do such a study. The purpose of the research is based on a staff point of view to increase understanding of the meaning to the work with home solutions when it comes to taking advantage of and strengthen young people's positive identity processes. In order to answer this purpose, we have chosen to problematize questions about how identity formation takes place in their activities and how they with home solutions can strengthen these young people in a positive direction. We have used a social constructionist point of view throughout this research. To collect our material we have done six individual qualitative interviews that have been analyzed and processed using a qualitative content analysis. Our results shows that the staff group describes identity as socially constructed with and by the individuals context. They also describe that home solutions can contribute to a stronger identity development through their work, their view of man and ways of being. Our interpretation and conclusion is that the staff considers their work with home solutions contributes to influence young people's identity development in a positive direction. Since our study has a staff point of view it would be interesting to do further research on a youth perspective.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990's Kazakhstan experienced a socio-economic transition from a socialist economy to a free market economy and was challenged with building a newly independent state. In pursuit of fulfilling strategic nationwide tasks, the government undertook multidimensional measures in all spheres. However, in order to implement such profound changes and keep up with globalization, the newly independent state found itself in a position where there was a burning need for a serious update in knowledge and skills in all fields. In light of the National State Conception of Education Development of 2005 (NSCED), higher education in Kazakhstan is viewed as the most fundamental liaison between academia, research and innovation in industry and business of the country. Integration of these three components represents the concept of a national innovation system that will allow Kazakhstan to establish successfully its own competitive advantage in the global arena. Therefore, the higher education faculty of Kazakhstan becomes the driving force in fulfilling such grand tasks as relating research to practice, as well as increasing the knowledge, skills, and capacities of young specialists and researchers for a future sustainable society. In other words, there is a need to determine the current status of higher education faculty development which may then serve as a basis for a comprehensive approach and enable the compliance process with the Bologna international standards of education to be expedited. For the purpose of this study, a qualitative research methodology was used whereby the researcher was the primary research tool who interviewed 20 faculty members and university administrators from two large universities of national status in Kazakhstan. The data collection tools employed were semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis and field notes. Since the nature of this phenomenological study is exploratory and descriptive, it was considered holistically and based on interpretation and analysis of all study participants combined. Moreover, the phenomenon under study is complex due to a dynamic interaction and interdependence of multiple HRD levels; and consequently, it was viewed through the contexts of international relationships, the country's broad societal transformations, and its organizational and individual levels. The research findings indicate that there is no systematic and consistent approach to faculty development in the area of higher education in Kazakhstan. The majority of current faculty development and any professional development activities tend to have a spontaneous character without implementation of a thorough faculty needs task analysis or performance evaluation. The faculty as social subjects with different socio-cultural identities is currently in the process of constructing a new academic identity based on updated social values, beliefs, mentality and work styles. In the case of successfully updating professional expertise and higher education policy implementation, the faculty will constitute a group of highly educated experts and professionals who are capable of providing the younger generation with a high quality education according to international standards and conducting intensive research that will connect the theory and practice through real applications in various industries.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between empathy-related constructs of English instructors at Atilim University Preparatory School and certain demographic features such as age, gender, educational background, and experience. The scale which consists of a demographic inventory, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview were developed by the researchers. The scale consists of &quot / Interpersonel Reactivity Index (IRI)&quot / . The results of the questionnaire were analyzed through SPSS 15.0. This data gathering instrument was implemented on 90 English instructors working at Atilim University Preparatory School. The results of the interviews were analyzed tghrough content analysis. The result of the study revealed that there is a relationship between perspective-taking and empathic concern tendencies of English instructors and their age and experience.