This thesis researches how individuals make sense of information and find their way in complex online environments. Global information communication networks are today accessible to almost everyone. One consequence of this network is greater ease of interaction with friends and colleagues from around the world. Another consequence is an increase in the amount of information that individuals face on a daily basis. People experience much of this information in fragments, from different sources, and in different media formats. In order to act meaningfully in a particular context, individuals form coherence around the information that they encounter. Making sense of this information is a challenging and on-going task, especially in advanced economies where knowledge-related work is a growing segment of the economy. Developing a coherent view of new information, and how it relates to existing information, is important in preparing individuals and organizations for decision-making, planning, and capacity for action. This research study considers the cognitive, social, technological, and spatial strategies that individuals use when they navigate the structure of, and content in, a large open online course with over 2,200 participants. The research includes a social network analysis of the participation patterns of learners in an open online course as well as a grounded theory exploration of the techniques and strategies those learners utilize in their learning. The theory that emerges from the research is the Sensemaking Wayfinding Information Model (SWIM) that details how individuals orient themselves through self-directed activities, as part of social networked systems, and through the use of technologies. This model centres on the information habits of individuals and emphasizes the centrality of identify formation, navigation, social interactions, and sensegiving activities. The social networks that form as individuals make sense of topics indicate the importance of participation, active engagement, language-based activities and artefact creation (such as naming concepts, creating word images, or creating images, diagrams, and videos), and sustained involvement over time.

M.Phil. (Labour Law and Employment Relations) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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This thesis seeks to contribute to the field of learning management system (LMS) development in tertiary educational institutions, particularly to advance the adoption of learning management systems (LMSes) by exploring the incorporation of sociallymotivated discussion forum models. This study proposes a Web-based application, which includes four different discussion forum models for LMSes, in order to test usability and student preferences. The purpose of this study was to compare two non-social discussion forums and two social discussion forums, to determine their appropriateness in terms of attributes or features and general functionality for LMSes. The design processes led to the creation of a Web-based application called 4DFs, which includes four different discussion forum models. Two of these models are non-social discussion forums: the chat room unstructured model and the traditional general threaded discussion. The other two types are social discussion forums, where users can choose who they converse with: the Twitter-style short comment feed and the Facebook-style. The chat room and the traditional general threaded discussion forums' features are based on those of Sakai, since the research sample was comprised of students from the University of Cape Town (UCT). The Twitter-style and Facebook-style elements, such as retweets, hashtags, likes and reposts, are based on Twitter and Facebook. A pilot study was conducted to discover any errors or issues with the experimental procedure. A controlled experiment was then conducted with 31 students from the institution. Participants had to fill out a background information survey to gather some demographic information and to understand more about participants' previous experiences using chat rooms, discussion forums, and social media applications for university related purposes and for non-university related purposes. Following that, participants were given tasks to test all the features of the different discussion forum models. To avoid bias in the participants' choosing of discussion forum models, the research was conducted with a Counterbalanced Measures Design. Participants had to fill in the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire in conjunction with their use of the Web-based application. Then, after using all discussion forums, they had to fill out a preferences questionnaire that asked about their preferences of the discussion forums and the features. The Twitter-style short comment feed model was preferred in terms of the ease of use and since participants were familiar with this forum. This was followed by the chat room unstructured model and the traditional general threaded discussion in terms of these forums' ease of use and students' preference for the layout. The Facebook-style was less preferable. Also, participants indicated that the post button, reply button, edit, delete, and search button were more beneficial features. Participants mention that the layout of the chat room unstructured model was not optimal, since the massive amount of text made it confusing and unclear to decipher. Participants suggested that including the uploading of media, allowing private chat, adding extra features for important posts, and using a repost button in the discussion forums would be more useful. The study found that students preferred that the learning forum include certain characteristics; they prioritised ease of use, less complexity, less interaction and a user-friendly interface over their familiarity with the forum. For learning, there is a need to use the features for a specific purpose so users do not necessarily want extra fancy features (like emojis), instead they want systems that help them to learn efficiently.

This study is important because of the high prevalence of mental and physical disorders experienced by American adults. These bring undue strain to those suffering them and to the health care system because research indicates that many of these disorders may be mitigated via supportive conversation, or through the practice of physical exercise. The purpose of this quantitative treatment-control study was to examine the relationship between the practice of walking/talking and resulting mood and satisfaction levels. Self-determination theory and biopsychosocial perspectives were used to provide a framework for the study. The research questions asked whether there was a mood response difference, or a difference in the level of satisfaction, between walking/talking and sitting/talking. Research questions also asked whether correlations existed between mood and satisfaction levels and levels of psychological needs being met during exercise. Participants volunteered from rural New York communities, and they were assigned equal intervals of the 2 different activities for a total of 10 weeks. Data were collected via three scales; scores were compared via use of independent-samples t-test, simple linear regression, Pearson correlation, and analysis of variance to investigate the relationships between the independent and dependent variables. Outcomes showed no significant mood response differences or satisfaction differences between the two different activities. No significant correlations were found between mood scores or session rating scores and levels of psychological needs met in exercise. Knowledge gained through this study may support individuals and practitioners incorporating lifestyle change approaches, and findings may inform further research design development on the topic.

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The goal of this study was to determine what factors influence teachers in their use of discussion in the social studies classroom. I interviewed two middle school teachers and made classroom observations over a three month period. These teachers believed discussion was an important process for students to gain critical thinking and citizenship skills. These teachers believed they were conducting discussions but in fact were often conducting what Nystrand et al. (2003) termed recitation, in which students respond to questions and the teacher validates the response. The disconnect between belief and practice may be the result of a combination factors, including a lack of teacher facilitation skills, the timing of the research, and the tensions caused by the state curriculum standards. / Ph. D.

Leaders are generally viewed in a positive frame as having the ability to influence and motivate others (Tierney, 2005). They are frequently required to make choices in order to lead their organizations. Those choices are often influenced by the opinions of followers and public opinion in general (McIntosh, Cacciola, Clermont & Keniry, 2001). Understanding the opinion formation process, how leaders formulate opinions and how they make choices in leading their organizations is still at issue (Burns, 1978; Gardner, 1990). One of the goals of higher education is to create student leaders who are contributing members of society and who are able to generate informed opinions. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of student-student interactions on change of opinion among student leaders (SLs) and non-student leaders (NSLs). This study compared differences between student leaders and non-student leaders, and sought to examine which types of discussions with students different from oneself, best predict change in opinion. Data from the 2004 College Student Experience Questionnaire (CSEQ) (Pace, 1984) were used in the study. The CSEQ asks respondents about their involvement with leadership experiences and the degree to which they have influenced others' opinions and been influenced by others' opinions. Participants also report how often they have become acquainted with or had discussions with other students who are different from themselves based on several characteristics. These characteristics referred to individuals who had different interests, philosophies of life or personal values, political opinions, religious beliefs, race or ethnic backgrounds, family backgrounds or were from different countries. Data were analyzed via logistic regression and t-tests. Findings revealed that discussions with other students who are different from oneself in regards to political values and country of origin lead to higher levels of opinion change. Opinion change, then, is influenced by specific types of discussions, and these discussions have an even greater influence on SLs than NSLs. In addition, highly involved SLs engage in discussions with others different from oneself significantly more often than less involved SLs for each of the seven types of discussions. / Ph. D.