When a face-to-face work group tries to accomplish its collective goals, the effectiveness and maturity of a group hinge on the combination of the functional roles performed by group members¡X task-oriented roles and group maintenance roles [Klopf, 1981; Benne et. al., 1948]. This research examines the phenomenon of group developmental processes, the functional roles performed by group members, and the relationships among certain critical functional roles, group maturity, and team effectiveness in the learning-task oriented virtual team setting. The samples are 24 project teams composed by part-time graduate students in a cyber university. After analyzing the group discussion sections by content analysis method, the development processes of these virtual teams demonstrate Tuckman¡¦s five-stage model of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. For the groups on forming stage, there are only two group maintenance roles ¡X initiator and information seeker/giver, performing by virtual team members. Conflicts between team members are not obvious due to virtual teams¡¦ learning-oriented task. Three group maintenance roles ¡X encourager, gatekeeper, and follower will encourage the occurrence of group cohesiveness and lead virtual teams to norming stage. Furthermore, when groups mature, four emerging task-oriented roles ¡X opinion seeker/giver, coordinator, orienter and evaluator will enhance the virtual team effectiveness. Negative functional roles (process-hindering roles) are rare due to virtual team¡¦s learning-oriented task. Therefore, this result indicates that members in a virtual team should play different critical positive functional roles according to their group¡¦s developmental stages, and it will facilitate group evolvement and improve team effectiveness.

Facing the unceasing challenges of new technology, the use of virtual teams as the future organization structure has become more and more common. The objectives of this thesis are to investigate members¡¦ behavior in each stage of group development adopted from Tuckman¡¦s five-stages model, and to find out the impact of critical behaviors on virtual team¡¦s collaborative performance. This thesis selects nine learning-task oriented virtual teams composed by part-time graduate students in cyber university of NSYSU and probes into the theme of each groups¡¦ discussions by content analysis approach. SYMLOG is applied to observe group member¡¦s behavior and construct the categories of content analysis. According to the research results, the critical behaviors of initial stage are active (U) and friendly (P) behaviors. During the middle stage, the existence of encouragers and followers should improve group development towards high performance. In the final stage, group members shall be able to shift the communication focus from emotionally expressive (B) to instrumentally controlled (F) in order to reach superior effectiveness. Therefore, the findings of this thesis will provide some suggestions about member¡¦s behavior, facilitate group development, and improve virtual team¡¦s collaborative performance.

This study focuses on the identification of didactic guidelines for presenting values education in secondary schools. The studied literature sends a clear message that values education is of cardinal importance in education, teaching and training. In 2000 the National Department of Education of South Africa assembled a task team to identify a set of values in particular relevant to education and training. In the report Manifesto on Values Education and Democracy (DOE, 2001) six core values are singled out as of primary importance to the new dispensation in South Africa: equality, equal rights, tolerance, multilingualism, transparency, accountability, and social responsibility. The Report focuses only on national, political and social values, however. From research performed by Rens (2005), Hattingh (1999) en Bagarette (1995), it is clear that an individual needs to be educated as a holistic being and all life values thus need to be addressed integratively . A literature study was undertaken to clarify the concepts values, value orientation and values education, and also to determine how adolescents experience values education. Consequently, different values education programmes currently implemented in foreign countries were analysed . It was found that the 'Cornerstone-waardes" programme of John Heenan, applied in New Zealand, could reasonably easily be adapted for the South African context. From the discussion of the curriculating process as applicable to values education, didactic guidelines could be formulated for values education in South African schools. To identify the current orientation to values as manifested by learners, teachers and school principals in South Africa, the values questionnaire compiled by Vreken and Rens (2001) for research on the values orientation of university learners, was adapted and completed by the population involved in this study. Principals were subjected to partly-structured interviews to gain their opinions on values education in schools. Interviews on possible guidelines for values education in South Africa were also conducted by e-mail with international experts. Since the primary aim of the study was to determine the values orientation of secondary school learners and to recommend didactic guidelines for values education, the aim was mainly attained by means of the empirical study. Noteworthy is, however, that there is no symmetry between learners' views on important values and those that the Department of Education finds it necessary to be promoted. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

This study focuses on the identification of didactic guidelines for presenting values education in secondary schools. The studied literature sends a clear message that values education is of cardinal importance in education, teaching and training. In 2000 the National Department of Education of South Africa assembled a task team to identify a set of values in particular relevant to education and training. In the report Manifesto on Values Education and Democracy (DOE, 2001) six core values are singled out as of primary importance to the new dispensation in South Africa: equality, equal rights, tolerance, multilingualism, transparency, accountability, and social responsibility. The Report focuses only on national, political and social values, however. From research performed by Rens (2005), Hattingh (1999) en Bagarette (1995), it is clear that an individual needs to be educated as a holistic being and all life values thus need to be addressed integratively . A literature study was undertaken to clarify the concepts values, value orientation and values education, and also to determine how adolescents experience values education. Consequently, different values education programmes currently implemented in foreign countries were analysed . It was found that the 'Cornerstone-waardes" programme of John Heenan, applied in New Zealand, could reasonably easily be adapted for the South African context. From the discussion of the curriculating process as applicable to values education, didactic guidelines could be formulated for values education in South African schools. To identify the current orientation to values as manifested by learners, teachers and school principals in South Africa, the values questionnaire compiled by Vreken and Rens (2001) for research on the values orientation of university learners, was adapted and completed by the population involved in this study. Principals were subjected to partly-structured interviews to gain their opinions on values education in schools. Interviews on possible guidelines for values education in South Africa were also conducted by e-mail with international experts. Since the primary aim of the study was to determine the values orientation of secondary school learners and to recommend didactic guidelines for values education, the aim was mainly attained by means of the empirical study. Noteworthy is, however, that there is no symmetry between learners' views on important values and those that the Department of Education finds it necessary to be promoted. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

This research focuses on the experiences of adolescents dealing with parental loss through death, irrespective of the age of the child at the time of loss. Through an increased understanding of this phenomenon, the researcher highlights the need for supporting and guiding adolescents who are dealing with parental loss. Role players are identified and insight into the task of assisting adolescents who are dealing with parental loss through death, is developed. A qualitative approach was followed in order to gain in-depth data regarding the experiences of adolescents dealing with parental loss through death. The general orientation to the research methodology is discussed in chapter one. The first objective of the study was to build a theoretical frame of reference regarding the field of adolescence as well as the influence of parental loss and the grief process, on this developmental stage. This objective is achieved in chapters two and three The second objective was to conduct an empirical study on the experiences of adolescents who were dealing with parental loss through death. The researcher conducted interviews at the school in which she works. Play techniques were implemented by the researcher to assist in exploring the adolescents’ experiences and therefore facilitate the research process. Themes and sub-themes were identified during the data collecting and analyzing processes. The findings are discussed in chapter four. The main themes, relating to the experiences of adolescents dealing with parental loss, identified in this study, are: <ul> <li> Emotions and needs vary and are linked to both the process of grieving and the development of a separate identity. <li> Although many possible support systems exist, insufficient guidance and support, both formal and informal, are being offered. <li> The adolescents’ focus on the past, present and future is affected by parental loss. <li> The relationship with the parents, both deceased and surviving, affects the adolescents’ functioning in the present. <li> Secondary implications of parental loss affect the adolescents’ experience of the loss. <li> Identity formation is affected by the bereavement process. <li> Risk and protection factors include present relationships and support systems; being offered the opportunity to grieve; spiritual beliefs and the adolescents’ behaviour. <li> Physical effects of dealing with parental loss though death included symptoms of depression.</li> </ul> The final objective of the research was to provide conclusions and recommendations and receives attention in chapter five. Recommendations are made to the South African Government, Department of Education and schools and include proposed strategies and policies for offering support to adolescents dealing with parental loss within the school systems. Recommendations to social workers and other professional support structures include bereavement training, flexible service delivery options and the developing and empowering of community-based structures. Knowledge of the experiences of adolescents dealing with parental loss through death is increased and the need for offering support and guidance to this vulnerable group in our society receives attention through this research. / Dissertation (MSD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

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My thesis is focused on children's speech development, agend 3 - 4. The aim of my work was to research on which basis children learn to speak nowadays and compare my results with the research evidence of Prof. Václav Příhoda. In the theoretical part of my work, there are some important definitions, description of speech development by Václav Příhoda and also some other authors. There are also another factors which have an impact on speech development. The practical part was being realized by collecting data by the electronical questionaire to parents and also through the observation of 10 chosen children. The collected data were sorted by the PC programme. The results conclude in chat age the different developmental speech stages happening and it also shows the differences with the research of Prof. Václav Příhoda. In the research part there are some differences being discovered between mine and Příhoda's results. Many children nowadays start to use correct inferior sentences between 3 - 4 years, unlike the children who were the part of Příhoda's research. A few children from my research sample start to use the conjecture sentences after the age of 3. KEYWORDS speech, speech development, communication, different development of speech, speech development stages

Lietuvos pajūrio geologinės sandaros pažinimas, jo geologinės raidos žinojimas, čia vykstančių geologinių procesų suvokimas neabejotinai buvo, yra ir bus ypač aktualūs. Tyrimų objektas apėmė kelių dešimčių kilometrų pločio Baltijos jūros pakrantės ruožą žemyniniame krante, Lietuvai priklausančias šiaurines Kuršių nerijos ir Kuršių marių akvatorijos dalis. Absoliutaus datavimo metodų taikymas nuosėdų ir moliuskų liekanų amžiui nustatyti, iškastinių moliuskų liekanų apibūdinimas, nauji paleobotaninių tyrimų rezultatai bei kita gausi geologinė informacija leido patikslinti Baltijos paleobaseinų vandens lygio (kranto linijos) kaitą vėlyvajame ledynmetyje ir holocene, sudaryti seriją paleogeografinių rekonstrukcijų – kartoschemų skirtingų Baltijos jūros raidos stadijų baseinams. / The Lithuanian coastal area represents a specific region of great economic and rcreational importance. This research has been focused on a few tens of kilometres of the wide continental coastal sector, the northern parts of the Curonian Spit and the Curonian Lagoonal area. The geological material and results of absolute dating collected from numerous sediment samples have served as the basis for the essential specification of the boundaries, age, genesis and palaeo-sedimentation conditions at different Baltic Sea development stages.

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