The work presented in this thesis is concerned with photovoltaic cells formed by plating CdS single crystals and thin films, and Cd(_y) Zn(1 _ y)S single crystals, with copper sulphide. An electroplating technique has been used to control the phase of copper sulphide by changing the electric field during its formation. Different phases of Cu(_x)S have been identified directly using Reflection High Energy Diffraction (RHEED), and indirectly from spectral response measurements. A dramatic change in the spectral response accompanying the reduction in the covellite response associated with an increase in that from chalcocite following argon heat treatment has been achieved. The change from the djurleite phase to that of chalcocite has also been obtained by using argon heat treatment for 5 minutes at 200 C. This effect was found to be reversible in that layers of chalcocite were converted to djurleite when air was used as the ambient for the heat treatment. C-V measurements have demonstrated that with increasing plating bias the donor concentration decreases at first before it assumes a constant value. This led to the effect of decreasing the junction capacitance as the width of the depletion region changed. The problem of the stability of the CdS-Cu(_2)S photovoltaic devices formed by wet plating" is addressed by studying the combined effects of the substrate onto which the CdS is deposited and the ambient used during annealing. Thin film cells have been prepared on both Ag/Cr and SnO substrates, and the device characteristics for each have been investigated as a function of annealing ambient. The results have shown that devices formed on Ag/Cr substrates were more stable following annealing in air than in argon, while the converse was true for cells fabricated on SnO(_x) substrates. The degradation effects of CdS-Cu(_2) S photovoltaic cells have been investigated. While devices stored in the dark showed little or no degradation, those maintained under illumination exhibited a significant deterioration in all operational parameters over a four week period. As far as the combined effect of temperature and ambient on the stability of cells are concerned, it was found that the ageing of devices in argon at room temperature in the dark was negligible, and moreover the fill factor was observed to improve marginally. When the devices were stored in the same ambient conditions at 50 C, they showed a significant improvement in the fill factor, but simultaneously exhibited a considerable reduction in the short circuit current. This process was reversible, since the sensitivity of degraded devices could be restored by annealing them in a hydrogen/nitrogen mixture. By comparing Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) studies with solar cell device characteristics, it has been shown that the formation of copper oxide on the Cu(_2)S surface plays a significant role in the degradation of CdS-Cu(_2) S devices. The extent of the cross-over between the dark and light J-V characteristics is a function of the period of etching used prior to junction formation. The variation of current and diode factor has been established as a function of the bias value. The dependence of forward current on the temperature at fixed forward voltage has also been investigated. Finally this work has shown that an increase in V(_oc) can be achieved when Cd(_0◦8)Zn(_0◦2)S is used as a base material for solar cells instead of CdS. Different traps were identified through a photocapacitance investigation. An important trap was found at 0.78eV below the conduction band. It has been demonstrated that the effect of this level was found to be diminished much more slowly when the annealing was carried out in argon rather than in air. This level may play an important role in the Cd(0◦8) Zn(0◦2)S-Cu(_2)S solar cell properties.

No description available.

M.A. (Social Work) / The objective of this study was to provide guidelines for the training of professionals and others in community development for South West Africa/Namibia. The primary purpose was to establish how training programmes for both community consultants and workers nearer the grass roots levels could be developed. With this objective in mind, an exploratory study was undertaken in six countries, viz.• Israel, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Bophutatswana and Lesotho•. Interviews were conducted with various categories of trainers in these countries, utilising an interview schedule designed to cover the basic principles of curriculum design. The researcher concluded that prospective professionals and others should be trained at four levels, viz. the unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and academic and professional levels.- Specific curricula were proposed to serve as guidelines for the development of training courses for these different categories of trainees and students, in preparation for service in the field of community development. The envisaged indexes of successful community development are an ultimately improved quality of life, enhanced social functioning and stimulated but controlled modernization.

I am researching the use of several stormwater techniques known to reduce runoff to provide future developers and municipal officials with tools to meet the stormwater post-construction runoff standards laid out in Phase II of the Clean Water Act. Specifically, I am looking at Smart Growth, Low Impact Development, Open Space Design, and Green Infrastructure. Phase II states that any new development or re-development equaling one acre or greater must be able to capture and infiltrate the first inch of rain to fall on site following 72 hours with no measurable precipitation. There is no one way to solve the problem of stormwater management; therefore we must implement an integrated approach which synthesizes these design theories to effectively manage stormwater. I used the La Rue site on Kingston Pike just before Cherokee Blvd. as a testing ground for my hypothesis. I will proceed with two design scenarios for this project. The first scenario encompasses designing the site as if it were in the pre development stages. I will keep the same building square footage, but rearrange the footprints in a more efficient layout for stormwater management. The second scenario will be a retrofit of the site to comply with Phase II standards. Though it is not a current requirement of Phase II, many professionals believe in the coming years the EPA will require the retrofit of existing developments to meet these standards. In this scenario, the building footprints will remain exactly as they are but any other features will be malleable (infrastructure, vegetation, grading, etc.). Another component in this thesis will be to determine which design theories are best suited to each scenario. My pre-investigation belief is that for the pre-development scenario, I will be able to implement parts of all four theories. For the retrofit, I believe that I will be limited mostly to Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure. Though, it is possible that I may still be able to fit in some principles of the Smart Growth and Open Space Design (reduce impervious footprints, reduce road widths, etc.).

Through case study research, two pioneering schools in Canada that developed whole-school approaches to education for sustainability were investigated to illuminate how conceptual root metaphors resonate with ecological philosophy and educational practices. The study considers philosophy, policy formation, organization/ management structures, buildings/ grounds and resources, curriculum development, and teaching and learning practices at each of these schools. The findings are highlighted and further informed by what the administrators, teachers, community volunteers, parents, and students perceive to be the successes, obstacles and needs they faced in trying to establish their pioneering approaches. These insights provided methodological triangulation as they reinforced the literature review and analysis of findings. The case study includes an Independent school founded and designed specifically around bioregionalism so as to promote sustainability, and a government-run elementary school that decided to teach and model sustainability. The analysis reveals differences in the underlying conceptual metaphors and the significant extent to which these metaphors resonated with practice. This research suggests that root conceptual metaphors are significant and can be associated with various intentions and enactments of the whole curriculum. Ecological and mechanistic metaphorical perspectives have been found to be associated with policy formation, organization and management structures, decision-making and communication; curriculum development; community involvement; changes to the buildings and grounds; and teaching/ learning practices. Although this research suggests that where ecological metaphors were in play school practices were more strongly associated with an ecological model in education for sustainability, it has also shown that this may not be sufficient. Being aware of the underlying conceptual root metaphors in all aspects of the educational approach is also a critical step. The context within which a school operates may preclude or act as a strong obstacle to change. Simply grafting a sustainability program imbued with ecological metaphors onto the accepted educational system, one founded on contradictory ‘mechanistic’ metaphors, may not be as effective as intended as metaphors seem to seep into the school’s culture and systems. This, however, implies that there needs to be freedom and room to challenge significant systemic obstacles. There would need to be noteworthy changes in the socio-political structure that is in play. Accordingly, for schools to lead the change towards an ecological worldview or paradigm shift, schools would need to be free to adopt an alternative vision of education, ethos and particular organizational structures.

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how three Grade 9 teachers developed their understanding and practice of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the use of a participant-designed intervention. ESD may be simply understood as a concept that describes all educational activities concerned with developing an understanding of the relationships that exist among the issues of SD. ESD and SD are terms that hold many meanings. It is no wonder that teachers find it difficult to bridge their understanding and practice. Literature supports these ideas and also notes that the lack of awareness that teachers have about ESD is due to the poor attention it is given in school policy. This study suggests that self-directed professional development could address such a shortfall in schools. The action research study involved four steps of reconnaissanceplanning- action-reflection. These steps unfolded within three phases of development, namely: the pre-intervention phase, the intervention phase and the post-intervention phase. The ESD principles were used to identify the teachers’ understanding and practice of ESD during the pre- and post-intervention phases. During the intervention phase teachers as coresearchers were then responsible for designing an intervention that they thought would help develop their understanding and practice of ESD. This study was seen to employ coengaged professional development. The findings of this research served to inform teachers, ESD promoters, resource development workers and relevant UNESCO officials of the challenges and experiences facing teachers attempting to understand and practice a meaningful and much needed ESD. The findings also served to reveal the benefit that engaging teachers in action research and professional development has on teacher professional development. Findings suggest that teachers require certain conditions in order to engage in professional development. These conditions include: (1) Collaborative meetings in a neutral context within the framework of action research; (2) Verbal communication and sharing of ideas; (3) Sharing of resources and local media; (4) Opportunities for reflection; and (5) An outside facilitator. Teachers showed a great sense of empowerment as they displayed evidence of teacher efficacy. This research concludes that action research, reflective practice and self-directed professional development offer modes for ESD implementation that is empowering for teacher professional development. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The purpose of this study was to determine if CDA preparation courses affected beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice. Pre and post online TBS surveys were completed by 299 CDA candidates from campuses across the state enrolled in the three courses, each with the same syllabus and objectives. Analysis of the demographic information gathered with the pre-survey did not reveal a significant relationship between beliefs about developmentally appropriate practice and educational level of candidate or educational level of candidate's parents. No significant relationship was found between age, experience working with children, minority status, work environment, or computer usage, and beliefs about DAP. The study revealed a positive increase in beliefs about DAP after taking one course and while the increase was small analysis of factors within the survey did find a significant increase in beliefs about developmentally appropriate practices associated with teacher control and child centered literacy. The study found no significant difference in change of beliefs between face-to-face courses and Internet courses though the N was small making the finding inconclusive. The study did suggest a significant difference in positive change of beliefs about DAP for students enrolled in hybrid courses from students enrolled in face-to-face courses. / Department of Elementary Education

This thesis analyses Learning Development (LD), a field of practice designed to support students’ learning, and explores what this relatively new field can tell us about certain aspects of higher education in the UK. Theoretical work deriving from Foucault underpins the research. The empirical data is constructed from interviews, observation and reflexive autoethnographic sources, and the analytical thrust employs sociolinguistic tools from critical discourse analysis. The result is a case study of identity, offering unique insights into the field of LD itself and, through the ‘lens’ of LD, an original focus upon the production of relationships and their effects, as policies are enacted, within HE in the UK in the early 21st century. Although previous studies have examined the identities and practices of different university workers in terms of concepts such as ‘tribes’ and ‘territories’, and the impact of neoliberalism, this thesis takes a more relational approach. By combining a problematising theoretical framework with discourse analysis, it sheds light upon the mutual construction of relations between LDs, academics, students and university managers, as HE policy is produced, interpreted and enacted through practice at institutional levels. These insights also contribute to an understanding of the operation of ‘governmentality’ within universities. The LD lens brings into focus: i) the continuing drive towards commodification of all aspects of HE, including approaches to learning, under neoliberal economic and political conditions ii) the lack of preparation on the part of UK universities for some aspects of ‘diversity’ and the failure to fulfil the broad mission to widen participation commonly expressed by successive government policies since the 1990s iii) the persistence of traditional approaches to HE practices (particularly the privileging of ‘essayist’ literacy) iv) the tendency to limit student subject positions in respect of how HE is conceived and delivered The thesis concludes by offering some suggestions for further research and practice that may be useful for Learning Developers (LDs), academics and policy-makers in addressing these issues.

This study deals with the problem of seeking logical strategies for establishing educational programs on community planning in various categories of poor countries. Its thesis is that education for community planning in poor countries, to be effective, must relate to the development process at all levels of government and to the educational system. Two assumptions have been made: (1) Each of the poor countries must evolve its own program of manpower education, in which community planning education is but a part, in the light of its social and economic goals; and (2) Education for community planning in a poor country must interlock with its social and economic planning process. Two steps have been employed to prove or disprove this thesis. Initially, a set of logical strategies for establishing an educational system in poor countries has been formulated. Three levels of development have been considered and an appropriate set of strategies have been designed for each. Then this construct has been tested through two case studies. The case studies cover Ghana and Indonesia. In Ghana, an attempt is being made to produce local planning assistants. On the other hand, a professional program with a focus on regional planning has been established in Indonesia. Both programs are pioneering efforts. Both programs have been initiated under United Nations technical assistance. Both programs have been aided by a North American university; Ghana by the University of British Columbia and Indonesia by Harvard University. Considering the level of development of both countries, this study finds both programs as too ambitious and therefore too premature. Based on this study's set of logical strategies, Ghana and Indonesia should have concentrated on the education of planning assistants. In the meantime, the positions of professional planners should be filled by expatriate personnel. At the same time, selected nationals should be sent abroad for professional education. With a firm foundation of a planning assistants course, its extension towards professional education could proceed in a logical manner as the country's level of development improves. To poor countries contemplating to establish planning educational systems, this study offers a set of guidelines. These guidelines consist of two parts. The first part provides a framework for approaching the formulation of an educational program on a comprehensive basis. The second part relates how the comprehensive approach may be realized. These guideline, hopefully, will be refined as others would conduct further studies on the experiences of the rest of the countries which have inaugurated planning educational programs. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Current intervention programmes implemented in most Western Cape schools reflect the use of isolated item-based literacy teaching methods. However, the low literacy levels in the Western Cape primary grades do not indicate successful literacy learning. Therefore, this study seeks to implement alternative approaches to fostering literacy comprehension, such as socio-cognitive processing and constructivist approaches, which are more in line with current research than the traditional items based models of literacy instruction. The alternative, research-based methods were explored through the implementation of an individualized contingent literacy intervention with emergent literacy learners. The intervention took shape as a comparison between low progress learners, who participated in the literacy intervention lessons, and average progress learners, who did not participate in the literacy intervention lessons. The aim was to accelerate the low progress learners’ literacy learning so that they could reach the average-band performance of their classmates after 12 weeks in the intervention. Data were gathered by means of observations of learners and a Grade one teacher, an interview with the teacher and assessment results obtained in a pre-mid-post-test design. In order to triangulate the results of the intervention, both qualitative data and quantitative data were obtained and discussed. Based on qualitative data, the intervention lessons proved to be successful, because observations indicated positive change in the low progress learners’ reading and writing behaviours. Given the small sample size, the overall trend in the quantitative data supported the value of the intervention and indicated a need for extending the research beyond a pilot study. Further research using larger sample sizes is thus recommended. More research is also needed to obtain data on research-based interventions that are flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of learners from different cultural backgrounds. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die meerderheid Wes-Kaapse skole maak gebruik van intervensie programme wat geskoei is op die geïsoleerde item-geletterdheidsmetodes. Die lae geletterdheidsvlakke in die Wes- Kaapse laerskool grade reflekteer egter nie positief op die metode wat tans gebruik word nie. Daarom word hierdie studie onderneem met die oog op alternatiewe benaderings om geletterdheid te bevorder en sodoende verbeterde leesbegrip tot gevolg sal hê. Die benaderings ter sprake is sosio-kognitiewe prossessering en konstruktivistiese benaderings, wat beide meer in gehoor is met huidge navorsing. Deur alternatiwe navorsingsgebaseerde metodes, is ‘n individuele geletterdheid-intervensie program ontwikkel vir ontluikende geletterdheidsleerders. Die intervensie is geïmplementeer en gemeet deur middel van ‘n vergelyking tussen stadig vorderende leerders en gemiddeld vorderende leerders, waarvan laasgenoemde nie in die intervensie lesse deelgeneem het nie. Sodoende kan die impak onafhanklik vergelyk word. Die doel was om die stadig vorderende leerders se geletterdheidsvlak te versnel ten einde dieselfde geletterdheidsvlak van hul gemiddeld vorderende klasmaats binne 12 weke te behaal. Data is ingesamel deur middel van observasies van die leerders en ‘n Graad 1 juffrou, ‘n onderhoud met die juffrou en toetsresultate verkry in ‘n voor-middel-na-toets ontwerp. Om die resultate van die intervensie interpreteerbaar te vergelyk, is beide kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data ingesamel en bespreek. Uit die kwalitatiewe data blyk dit dat die intervensie lesse suksesvol was aangesien die observasies dui op ‘n positiewe lees en skryf gedragsverandering in die stadig vorderende leerders. Met die klein steekproef van leerders betrokke, was die algemene tendens van die kwantitatiewe data dat die intervensie wel waardevol was, maar dat verdere studies met groter steekproef groepe noodsaaklik is. Verdere navorsing t.o.v. die insameling van data vir navorsingsgebaseerde intervensies is nodig. Hierdie data insameling en evaluasie tegnieke moet die diverse behoeftes van leerders, afkomstig van ‘n verskeidenheid agtergronde, in ag neem en akkomodeer om resultate vergelykbaar te maak.