This thesis presents an exploration of the operationalization of empowerment outcomes in research on transformative participatory evaluations, focusing on the context of international development evaluation. Covering a 15 year period from 1999 and 2014, through the examination of the empirical research literature, the study explores: 1) how empowerment outcomes are measured, 2) the extent to which these outcomes demonstrate empowerment principles, and 3) which factors and conditions appear to enable or detract from the attainment of these outcomes. I found that the current state of the empirical research on transformative participatory evaluation to be largely comprised of reflective case narratives that rely solely on scarcely documented qualitative methods. In general, transformative outcomes do tend to mirror empowerment principles such as ownership, inclusion, democracy, and social justice. Finally, I found that various factors and conditions are critical to the reported attainment of transformative outcomes, particularly in relation to the local program context, for example, reforms in local and international governments that support increased local control over resources and governance, organizational structures and priorities that are congruent with empowerment objectives, and previous experience with empowerment processes. I also highlighted deficiencies in the current empirical research and call on the evaluation community to improve research on transformative approaches to participatory evaluation by suggesting critical areas for practice and writing. These include strengthening research designs and the use of meta-evaluations, further defining and clarifying key terms, and providing rich detail to facilitate further learning in this area.

Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2015 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM / Unrestricted

The study examines the subject of financial inclusion and women’s empowerment in South Africa. Apart from the technicalities and minutiae affecting financial inclusion for women, the study will analyse the existing government measures on financial inclusion to determine if these contribute to the socio-economic empowerment of female entrepreneurs in South Africa. The study uses a feminist political economy perspective to understand the historical exclusion of the female gender in South Africa and the gender gaps regarding financial inclusion as a result. The effects of colonialism in South Africa on gender inequality, structural, psychological and cultural degradation and how these have affected women’s participation in social and economic relations in the finance sector in the country are part of the effort to understand financial inclusion and women’s empowerment. Resentment, exclusion and coercion are the inevitable consequences of poverty and inequality in post-apartheid South Africa. Although concerted efforts have been made by the state to address this problem, including ensuring that women and girls have access to finance and gender equality within their constitutional rights (as contained in the national policy), the problem has remained unabated. Using the qualitative method approach, based on attitudinal research of an exploratory nature, the study hoped to gain insight, from the available literature as well as respondents’ responses, into financial inclusion/exclusion and how this impacts women’s empowerment in South Africa. Keywords: Financial Inclusion, Inclusive Development, Political Economy, Women’s Empowerment, South Africa. / Thesis (PhD (Political Science))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / UP Doctoral Research Bursary. / Political Sciences / PhD (Political Science) / Unrestricted

Under år 2020 drabbades världen av en pandemi som i Sverige genererat restriktioner och rekommendationer som genomgripande påverkat hela samhället. Såväl tidigare forskning som den aktuella debatten om pandemin har i stor utsträckning fokuserat på situationen för äldre samt för personal inom sjukvård och äldreomsorg. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka förändringar coronapandemin medfört för personal som jobbar med stöd till individer med funktionshinder. I denna kvalitativa studie har vi intervjuat personal som arbetar inom daglig verksamhet, vilket är en lagstadgad insats för personer med funktionshinder. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats genom användning av begreppet empowerment och tidigare forskning kring ämnet. Det har framkommit både negativa och positiva aspekter av de konsekvenser som samhällets restriktioner inneburit. Det som framgår i studien är att personal har agerat och responderat individuellt till de rådande förutsättningarna. Vi har utforskat personalens strukturella och psykologiska empowerment utifrån tidigare modeller av Laschinger och Kanter avseende personalens förutsättningar och arbetsförhållanden. Vi har urskilt individuella variationer och övergripande mönster. Individuella variationer har främst utmärkts genom personalens emotionella respons. Ett gemensamt tema som framgått är att informanterna efterlyser bland annat bättre och tydligare information från kommuner och myndigheter. Inom verksamheterna har det dock skapats nya arbetssätt som på flera sätt upplevs som positiva av både personal och brukare, så positiva att man ämnar vidmakthålla vissa av dem även efter att restriktioner hävs. Vår ambition i denna studie är att lyfta fram de goda exempel som de förändrade arbetssätten medfört och låta den utgöra ett tidsdokument för denna specifika tidsperiod.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree: PhD (COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY) IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2010. / Empowerment is an act of enriching someone within a certain context to gain inner self-control. The best way of understanding empowerment is to focus on its process rather than outcome. It is also important to determine the structure upon which empowerment is likely to exist. As a result, this study was about the exploration of the interaction between empowerment as a process and the self-help group which forms a structural basis of empowerment. Therefore, the main focus of the research study was to investigate specific processes through which one goes to achieve empowerment when participating in a self–help group for divorced women.The qualitative research method, which incorporated participant observation, semi-structured interviews and focus group,formed the basis for the process of data collection and analysis. The sample consisted of 10 divorced women who participated in a self-help group for a contracted period of eight weeks. The findings of the research study suggested that, the process of empowerment within a self-help group structure is interactive rather than linear. The process of empowerment through the self-help group encounters included discovering the reality of the divorced status, the role of frustration in the process of empowerment, critical reflection as the powerful force behind the process of empowerment and taking charge of one’s life as a motivational factor that facilitated the self-help group activities and the process of empowerment. The only interpersonal factor that was significant in the study was the role of social support by group members in the process of empowerment. The conceptualization of the process of empowerment in the context of the self-help group, that emerged from the study, was remarkably distinct from the conceptualization of empowerment that has been depicted in the literature. Therefore, a significant finding in this study was how the self–help group can facilitate the process of empowerment for divorced women, which contrasted with other studies in which a sense of community was critical to personal empowerment. The interactions which were both positive and negative with others were the foundations for the process of empowerment in the form of critical reflections.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education (Educational Psychology) in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2016 / Data was collected using qualitative methodology. The purposive sampling was used in selecting nine teachers and eight parents for the study. To collect data, semi-structured interview questions were formulated. Interview questions consisted of open-ended questions were conducted to teachers and parents in determining the role they play in empowering special needs learners with psychosocial skills. Observation was done in different phases during lessons/learning. Qualitative data analysis was used in order to draw conclusion about the role of teachers and parents in empowering special needs learners with psychosocial skills in a special school. Research findings led to the following conclusions: teachers empower special needs learners in various ways compared to the role played by parents. They believe in teaching special needs learner’s skills to be independent, sociable, and presentable and be recognised by the society. Others teach skills by focusing on the learner’s strengths to overcome their weaknesses. Some teachers empower learners through sports in order for them to participate and compete with other children outside school while others believe in teaching discipline so that learners should be able to obey the rules outside school. The results reveal that the empowerment of learners depends on the child’s condition/disability. The findings revealed that hundred percent of parents believe in giving their special needs children love and support in whatever skill that has been identified by teachers as their role of empowering them. They also make their children feel important to the family and to the community. Parents believe that once the child feels loved, she or he is able to love themselves and others. The results show that there is a gap between the role played by teachers and that played by parents which needs to be filled. The findings revealed that partnership between teachers and parents in supporting special needs learners to benefit from their education is good although there are challenges mentioned. The programmes available in the school and in the community also empower special needs children even they exit school. On the basis of the findings, recommendations for teacher training in special education were put forward in order for the empowerment of special needs learners with psychosocial skills in special schools to be effective.

Nigerian women face numerous cultural difficulties in their quest to attain leadership positions in Nigeria, a developing country. They are often overlooked in favor of men due to politics, religious beliefs, education, and bias in gender roles. When Nigerian women emigrate to a new country, the challenges are even greater. Although several United States policies impact the ability of a female immigrant to attain a leadership position 'the Equal Pay Act, Affirmative Action, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act' little research has examined the challenges that affect their quest to attain leadership positions in the United States. This study explored the experiences of immigrant Nigerian women currently in leadership positions in New York City. Data for this study included interviews with 12 Nigerian female immigrants who responded to flyers placed throughout New York City; participants were also recruited via snowball sampling. Interview data were inductively coded, and then subjected to a modified Van Kaam method of analysis that revealed emergent themes. Many of the respondents reported the needed to change career paths because organizations in New York City did not recognize the equivalent of their careers, work experience, and education from their home country. As a result of this research, new information will be available to policymakers, which may be used to revise existing policies that directly impact immigrant women's career goals. The results may also provide new and useful information to leaders of local organizations that help female immigrants gain meaningful employment.

Work environments for health care providers in acute care hospitals have become increasingly demanding due to the impact of economic constraints, the rapid advancement of treatment modalities, and value systems changes among clients, as well as among heath care providers. In Japan, health care industries also face severe economic constraints. Because Japan has socialized medicine, the government controls reimbursements. Due to the dramatic growth in health care expenditures, the Japanese government has imposed regulations that reward shorter lengths of hospital stays with higher reimbursement. As a result, only patients whose conditions are critical and require complicated nursing care are now hospitalized. Consequently, the acuity levels of patients have increased every year. Under such conditions, administrators are charged with keeping the organization financially solvent so that they can remain in business, while continuing to improve the quality of their services. Although systems research in health care settings has received considerable attention in North American countries, there has been little research in this area in Japan, where systematic leadership training for nurse managers is also still in a developmental stage. Research on organizational effectiveness has shown positive correlations between managers' leadership styles and employees' psychological well-being or self-efficacy.The purposes of this study were: 1) to test Laschinger's Work Empowerment Theory with incorporation of leadership behaviors in acute care hospitals in Japan, and 2) to investigate how leadership behaviors might mitigate burnout and empower staff nurses working in acute care hospitals in Japan. It was expected that employees who perceived a high level of Structural Empowerment would demonstrate high Psychological Empowerment and low burnout level. If employees perceived high leadership behaviors in their immediate supervisors, their Psychological Empowerment was expected to be higher and their burnout level was expected to be lower.The following four instruments were used: 1) Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II (CWEQ-II); 2) Psychological Empowerment Scale; 3) Nurse Manager's Action Scale; and 4) Maslach Burnout Inventory. The questionnaire was distributed to 1,377 staff nurses working on 50 inpatient care units in two acute care hospitals in Japan. Participant response rates for all units were equal or greater than 50%. Psychometric evaluation of the instruments was performed. Construct validity and reliability were established for all instruments at the individual level. At the group level, construct validity and reliability for two instruments (Structural Empowerment and Nurse Manger's Action Scale) were confirmed, but not for two others (Psychological Empowerment and Maslach Burnout Inventory).Results suggested that the Work Empowerment Theory also fits Japanese nurses, but there was little effect of leadership behaviors on staff nurses' perceived empowerment. A group level analysis indicated that leadership behaviors did not influence Psychological Empowerment or Burnout, but influenced Structural Empowerment.

The teaching context in South Africa is continuously transforming. Consequently, there are numerous challenges that the educator has to face. Schools are challenged in ways that are different from private sector companies. Lack of resources and funds, teacher turnover, dealing with discipline, lack of learner motivation and self-esteem, racism, violence, antisocial behaviour, shortage of skilled personnel and educator strikes are some of the challenges in the educational environment. The education profession needs to re-think and re-design its existing management processes in order to retain staff. It can be expected that educators will be negatively influenced by the above challenges and will therefore express intentions to leave the profession. The ability of any school to achieve excellence will depend on the quality, level of competence and energy of the educators. The school requires motivated educators and should attract, develop, care for, retain and inspire the best people on a continuous basis. The school principal should be competent and willing to empower educators. Leadership empowerment behaviour and psychological empowerment could lead to lower levels of teachers' intention to leave. The aim of this research was to investigate the extent to which leader empowerment behaviour and psychological empowerment predict educators' intentions to leave the teaching profession in the Sedibeng West District of the Gauteng Province. The research method consisted of a literature study that served as the foundation of the empirical research. A cross-sectional survey design was used to achieve the research objectives. Three standardized questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire and Intention to Leave Questionnaire. The statistical analysis was conducted with the aid of the SPSS program. The statistical methods applied in the study consisted of factor analyses (validity), descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients (reliability), correlations and regression analyses. Significant correlations were found between Leader Empowering Behaviour, Psychological Empowerment and Intention to Leave. Leader Empowering Development and Leader Empowering Decision predicted a high percentage of the variance in Psychological Empowerment. Leader Empowering Development and Leader Empowering Decision predicted 18% of the variance in Psychological Empowerment (Attitude). Leader Empowering Behaviour predicted 11% of the variance in Intention to Leave. When Influence was entered into the equation, 19% of the total variance in Intention to leave was predicted. Based on the results, recommendations were made for schools and for future research. Leadership and empowerment of educators are important challenges that influence Intention to Leave and that could ultimately reduce turn-over rates of talented people. The empowerment and retention of staff are not only important challenges for schools, but for the growth and prosperity of the country. This research will hopefully contribute in assisting other researchers to develop strategies for improving leader empowerment behaviour and educators' meaning of work. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The teaching context in South Africa is continuously transforming. Consequently, there are numerous challenges that the educator has to face. Schools are challenged in ways that are different from private sector companies. Lack of resources and funds, teacher turnover, dealing with discipline, lack of learner motivation and self-esteem, racism, violence, antisocial behaviour, shortage of skilled personnel and educator strikes are some of the challenges in the educational environment. The education profession needs to re-think and re-design its existing management processes in order to retain staff. It can be expected that educators will be negatively influenced by the above challenges and will therefore express intentions to leave the profession. The ability of any school to achieve excellence will depend on the quality, level of competence and energy of the educators. The school requires motivated educators and should attract, develop, care for, retain and inspire the best people on a continuous basis. The school principal should be competent and willing to empower educators. Leadership empowerment behaviour and psychological empowerment could lead to lower levels of teachers' intention to leave. The aim of this research was to investigate the extent to which leader empowerment behaviour and psychological empowerment predict educators' intentions to leave the teaching profession in the Sedibeng West District of the Gauteng Province. The research method consisted of a literature study that served as the foundation of the empirical research. A cross-sectional survey design was used to achieve the research objectives. Three standardized questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire and Intention to Leave Questionnaire. The statistical analysis was conducted with the aid of the SPSS program. The statistical methods applied in the study consisted of factor analyses (validity), descriptive statistics, Cronbach alpha coefficients (reliability), correlations and regression analyses. Significant correlations were found between Leader Empowering Behaviour, Psychological Empowerment and Intention to Leave. Leader Empowering Development and Leader Empowering Decision predicted a high percentage of the variance in Psychological Empowerment. Leader Empowering Development and Leader Empowering Decision predicted 18% of the variance in Psychological Empowerment (Attitude). Leader Empowering Behaviour predicted 11% of the variance in Intention to Leave. When Influence was entered into the equation, 19% of the total variance in Intention to leave was predicted. Based on the results, recommendations were made for schools and for future research. Leadership and empowerment of educators are important challenges that influence Intention to Leave and that could ultimately reduce turn-over rates of talented people. The empowerment and retention of staff are not only important challenges for schools, but for the growth and prosperity of the country. This research will hopefully contribute in assisting other researchers to develop strategies for improving leader empowerment behaviour and educators' meaning of work. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.