The nursing profession in South Africa currently faces a climate of uncertainty and change as governments struggle to contain healthcare while improving access, equity and health outcomes. These factors are placing an extra burden on people in a profession that is already encapsulated by an above-average risk environment for burnout and occupational stress. This research emerges from the need to enhance the work wellness of employees in an already burdened profession. Enhancement of work wellness depends on the successful diagnosis of burnout, work engagement and occupational stress. To be able to measure these constructs, it is important to use reliable and valid instruments, taking into account the cultural diversity in a multicultural setting such as South Africa. No validated instruments in this regard exist for the nursing profession in South Africa. Furthermore, little information is available regarding these constructs and the relationship between them, including sense of coherence and coping strategies. The general aim of this study was to validate the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Nursing Stress Indicator (NSI) for the nursing profession in South Africa; to analyse the differences between the levels of burnout and engagement of different biographical groups; to identify the major occupational stressors and to investigate the relationships between occupational stress, sense of coherence, coping, burnout and work engagement. A cross-sectional survey design was used, with stratified random samples (N = 818) taken of registered nurses in South Africa. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey. the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Nursing Stress Indicator, the Orientation to Life Questionnaire, the Coping Orientation for Problem Experienced Questionnaire, as well as a biographical questionnaire, was administered for the purpose of data collection. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlations, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-tests, descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations resulted in a three-factor model of burnout, consisting of exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment, and a one-factor model of work engagement. The scales showed acceptable construct equivalence and internal consistencies for all three language groups, except for one item in the engagement scale, where a significant lower score was noticed for the African language speaking group. Practically significant differences were found in the burnout and engagement levels of registered nurses with regard to their age and rank, and in the case of work engagement, also regarding the years spent in nursing. T-tests revealed that burnout and engagement levels were influenced by the occurrence of a medical condition and a lack of specialised training, and in the case of burnout, also by longer working hours (full-time employment). Registered nurses reported significantly high levels of stress relating to staff shortage, inadequate salaries and excessive administrative duties. Lack of organisational support and job demands were the strongest predictors of burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation), together with a weak sense of coherence. Focus on and ventilation of emotions as a coping strategy was also related to emotional exhaustion. Low levels of burnout were found to be related to high levels of engagement. Multiple regression analysis revealed that occupational stress, a weak sense of coherence, approach coping, focus on and ventilation of emotions, and low seeking of emotional/social support predicted 33% of the variance in emotional exhaustion. Twenty-seven percent of the variance in depersonalisation was predicted by occupational stress, a weak sense of coherence, avoidance coping, focus on and ventilation of emotions, and a low turning to religion. Occupational stress because of job demands, a weak sense of coherence, approach coping strategies, focus on and ventilation of emotion, in the absence of avoidance as a coping strategy, predicted 17% of the variance in personal accomplishment, while low levels of occupational stress because of job demands, a weak sense of coherence, and approach coping strategies predicted 24% of the variance in engagement. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Languages currently used by planners to conceptualize, document, and present projects lack expansive imagination and polyphonic literacy. Planning demands new languages to address social and environmental challenges within our increasingly cross-cultural urban environments. Although storytelling theory in planning has expanded contemporary understanding of what constitutes method and practice within the discipline of planning, there has been little work to date explicating what poetry offers to planning education and practice. This thesis examines several opportunities and challenges in adopting poetry into contemporary practice in Vancouver, British Columbia using a multi-method approach. Methods include: a literature review on planning projects collaborating with artists; an ethnomethodological analysis of interviews with four Vancouver poets; a constructionist analysis of a planning text and a re/formation experiment with poetry; and finally, autoethnographic 'poetry as inquiry'. Learnings suggest that a critical approach to poetry offers an alternative language to connect to both 'self as planner' and to the multitude of overlapping voices of 'publics' in process, document, and presentation.

Archived video of presentation given by Dr. George Kuh at UBC Vancouver, May 7, 2009. Explores factors for student success in university and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2008 results for UBC-Vancouver.

An underlying goal of designers of some exercise video games is to increase people's motivation to exercise. Research in the field of exercise psychology shows that performing physical activity in groups increases exercise participation and adherence. However it is unclear whether the benefits of grouping apply to video games involving physical activity. This research investigates whether the motivational benefits of grouping translate to exercise games. We experimentally validate three properties of collaborative exercise games. Experiments were performed using a custom exercise game, designed with game requirements intended to increase exercise motivation. We discovered that the exercise enjoyment and engagement benefits of grouping do translate to exercise games: players preferred collaborative over single-player exercise games, and found our collaborative exercise game equally enjoyable and engaging in both co-located and distributed settings. Most interesting, non-exercisers and exercisers found the game equally enjoyable and engaging. These results indicate that collaborative exercise video games are a promising approach to helping with exercise enjoyment and engagement, and that developers should consider incorporating multiplayer support into their exercise games. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2008-06-23 15:44:59.46

Professional development includes the planned and unplanned activities that teachers engage in throughout their career to enhance the quality of instruction in their classrooms (Day, 1997). The attentive processes of engagement are described as being physically, emotionally, and cognitively present (Kahn, 1992). Engagement in professional development is strongly related to the level of commitment teachers have to their teaching profession (Rothwell & Herbert, 2007). Being engaged in professional development is necessary because it requires that teachers take responsibility for their learning, and believe that professional development practices will positively contribute to their career (McDonald, 2009). The purpose of this research was to understand the role of colleagues in teachers’ engagement in professional development. This study is situated within the conceptual framework of school culture. School cultures are sustaining patterns built over time through rituals, traditions, and accomplishments that enforce actions, feelings, and thought patterns of members (Deal & Peterson, 2009). One cannot have strong and effective professional development without a thick culture (Hopkins, 1994; Little, 1982). Thickness in culture is often forgotten but foundational for engagement in professional development activities (Glover & Coleman, 2005). This study is an examination of teachers’ perceptions in two schools: one school that showed exemplary collaboration among its staff and one school that was becoming a more collaborative school. Collaboration is understood as working in cohesion to achieve a common goal (Deal & Peterson, 2009; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1996; Little, 1982; Schlechty, 2009). One focus group with teachers at each school, with follow-up individual interviews, provided the data explaining colleagues’ influences on engagement in professional development. The findings of this study suggest that colleagues have an important effect on teachers’ engagement in professional development. Participants indicated that colleagues were a factor of engagement because they increased engagement through fulfilling their desire for face-to-face instruction, through their appreciation of being worked with, rather than worked on (Morewood & Bean, 2009), and through networking. As teacher participants worked together in professional development, they increased their school’s organizational capacity (Mitchell & Sackney, 2001). / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-05-25 18:03:15.505

Most of the research on students’ school engagement is based on Western society (Maslak, Kim, & Mcloughlin, 2010) and most was conducted on students in tertiary institutions (Kuh et al., 2005). This study pertains to the students’ school engagement factors in a non-Western one. Students’ school engagement continues to be an issue that attracts special attention. In this study, I review the existing literature relating to students’ school engagement while examining whether the success of a school as a learning environment is based on students’ interest in schooling or the fact that the school environment is crucial to students’ success (Bempechat, Beth, Piergross, & Wenk, 2008; Bong & Mimi, 2005; Deci & Ryan, 1992; Harris, 2008; Leithwood, Seashore-Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Newell, 2003; Satchwell, 2004; Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2001). In this study, I carry out a qualitative investigation through observations and interviews, of the factors present in school that influence students’ school engagement. The themes emerging from the data from the school observations and the interviews of the participants were colored by the unique school context, which inordinately did affect students' interest and school participation. Their analysis reveals the interplay of factors like the approach adopted in leadership, the teachers’ approach to pedagogy, and peer socialization towards students’ engagement. In my discussion, I provide suggestions derived from this study on how school administrators, educators and policy makers alike may indeed create, enhance, influence and sustain students’ school engagement in the context such as the one in my study. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-07-30 13:43:39.521

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis examines the narratives of Black youth and their parents about their experiences in Winnipeg schools. The study looks at aspects of academic achievement and school engagement. The study explores similar research based in Eastern Canada and the United States. Youth and parents were interviewed individually as a way of cross referencing the lived experiences of the young people involved in the study. In the paper, it is argued that Black youth in Winnipeg may feel disconnected to school and schooling because they cannot attach to the curriculum, they cannot attach to their teachers, and/or they cannot attach to their peer groups. The author explores the factors that influence the engagement and achievement of Black youth. The paper concludes by pointing out the implications of these stories on the structure of schooling and the practice of educators.

The purpose of this research was to develop a model for the implementation and evaluation of citizen-user involvement in mental health policymaking. The study explored the pathways through which the experiential knowledge of citizen-users enters policy processes, how the outcomes of citizen-user involvement are conceptualized by policy actors, and the contextual factors that influence the implementation and outcomes of involvement. Qualitative instrumental case study methodology was used to focus on the policy field of mental health and social housing. Data were collected through key informant interviews with a purposive sample of 21 people recruited from four policy actor groups: citizen-users, representatives of advocacy organizations, government officials (elected representatives and bureaucrats), and service providers. A review of policy documents as well as forum, committee and task force reports provided additional data for the study. The research built on a previous study that developed a model of the important processes that are used to engage citizen-users in decisions about services and policies. Findings from the current study built on this model by exploring the outcomes, pathways and contexts of involvement from the perspectives of policy actors. Four categories of outcomes were identified: substantive, instrumental, normative and personal. Benefits and risks of involvement were identified within each category. Participants described direct and indirect pathways through which the voices of citizen-users have gained access to policymaking. Direct pathways were those through which individual and collective voices of citizen-users have communicated directly with decision makers. Indirect pathways represented the ways in which the voices of citizen-users were mediated by other policy actors. The findings also highlighted five contextual factors that have influenced citizen-user involvement: the socio-political environments, institutional characteristics, participant characteristics, opportunities to be involved and other influences on policymaking. This research has added to knowledge about the important components of citizen-user involvement in policymaking. The results provide guidance to policy actors about ways to enhance involvement. People with mental health and social housing needs have important experiential and other knowledge to contribute to policymaking. The challenge is the ongoing search for the means to ensure that their voices are heard and carry weight.