The aim of this thesis is to study the multidimensional relation between the spatial and the social by focusing on Van as a place. In order to understand social processes, it is important to view the complex relation between the spatial and the social. Taking the space-place relation into consideration, this work approaches to the processes of construction and representation of identity of place in the framework of the interrelation between place, culture and identity. Different groups in society are in a constant contestation over the construction of the meaning and the identity of place. This work, studies how place is constituted both materially and imaginarily within this contestation process. Senses of place and the meanings given to places are formed by social, cultural, economical and political situations of the people. Consequently this thesis, discusses the contestation over the representation and the use of place in the context of social, cultural, economical, political processes and power relations. It considers the dynamics which are effective on the constitution of image of Van. It studies the influences of these dynamics on the construction, the use, the transformation and the reproduction of place through the cultural practices of different groups in the city. This thesis, researches the relation between place and culture, the everyday life practices of different groups and the process of production of meaning through these practices.

The aim of this thesis is to study the multidimensional relation between the spatial and the social by focusing on Van as a place. In order to understand social processes, it is important to view the complex relation between the spatial and the social. Taking the space-place relation into consideration, this work approaches to the processes of construction and representation of identity of place in the framework of the interrelation between place, culture and identity. Different groups in society are in a constant contestation over the construction of the meaning and the identity of place. This work, studies how place is constituted both materially and imaginarily within this contestation process. Senses of place and the meanings given to places are formed by social, cultural, economical and political situations of the people. Consequently this thesis, discusses the contestation over the representation and the use of place in the context of social, cultural, economical, political processes and power relations. It considers the dynamics which are effective on the constitution of image of Van. It studies the influences of these dynamics on the construction, the use, the transformation and the reproduction of place through the cultural practices of different groups in the city. This thesis, researches the relation between place and culture, the everyday life practices of different groups and the process of production of meaning through these practices.

Pasifika people are a youthful population group. It is important therefore that Pasifika youth have opportunities to live fulfilling and satisfying lives where they can achieve their dreams, support themselves and their families and make valuable contributions to their local communities, their country and global communities now and in the future. Government and local city councils have become more proactive in developing strategies that will assist young people to be part of an inclusive economy. One of the key areas identified, is the transitioning of low achieving and disengaged school leavers into further education, skills training or employment. Hence the government's and the councils' shared goals of implementing the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs in 2007, which is to ensure that all youth between 15-19 years of age are in employment, education, training or other activities that lead to their long-term economic independence and wellbeing (Ministry of Youth Development, 2004). Transition courses provide bridging alternatives for youth transitioning from school to employment. They are designed to provide extra help for students who leave school with low or no qualifications. In some cases youth find themselves out of favour with mainstream education and have been forced to end secondary schooling prematurely. Transition learning gives youth a second chance at education by improving their employment marketability. This research highlights the rich stories of Samoan male youths' transitional journeys. The study discusses the critical factors that have contributed either positively or negatively in their ability to transition successfully into the workplace. Eight Samoan male participants were involved in the study ranging from 18-21 years of age. This research topic has evolved from the researcher's involvement in working with South Auckland Pasifika youth for over four years. Some of these youth have been traumatised by their school experiences and have had to face some enormous barriers when transitioning from school into the work place or further tertiary education. After selecting the topic, research frameworks that would be most appropriate for the research were explored. The researcher shares similar cultural and personal experiences to the participants. The framework for the study is therefore aligned to the values of the researcher. Accordingly, the multi-case study approach has been adopted; as such an approach has the potential to reveal what participants feel is significant. The interpretive paradigm underpins this research. The technique for gathering data was through semiformal in-depth interviewing. During the interviews, the participants had the opportunity to discuss the effects that the transitional courses had on them as learners and as Samoan youth. This method of research is culturally appropriate, as it allowed the depth of voices of these young Samoan people to be heard. The themes that have emerged from the findings reflect the broad categories of literature and research findings in the field of transition. The findings also provide new and insightful information about transitional experiences of Pasifika male youth. The research findings from this study focus on key aspects of programme implementation including; the teacher/student relationship, mentoring, student resiliency and the role of the government in youth transition. The research also evaluates the extent to which the transition course curriculum content supports student knowledge and skills in their current work situation. All participants in the study were generally positive about the courses they attended. They discussed the positives in terms of good tutoring, high degree of team cohesion and relevant meaningful learning experiences. The participants cited the negatives as poor teaching, and the low level of some of the literacy and numeracy activities they were expected to complete. Overall they were far more positive about their transitional learning than they were with learning at secondary school. Most felt prepared for work. The study proposes further research in the area of youth transition. Findings from this study will be disseminated to the appropriate government policy makers, city councils, youth services and tertiary providers through presentations at youth development conferences.

Pasifika people are a youthful population group. It is important therefore that Pasifika youth have opportunities to live fulfilling and satisfying lives where they can achieve their dreams, support themselves and their families and make valuable contributions to their local communities, their country and global communities now and in the future. Government and local city councils have become more proactive in developing strategies that will assist young people to be part of an inclusive economy. One of the key areas identified, is the transitioning of low achieving and disengaged school leavers into further education, skills training or employment. Hence the government's and the councils' shared goals of implementing the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs in 2007, which is to ensure that all youth between 15-19 years of age are in employment, education, training or other activities that lead to their long-term economic independence and wellbeing (Ministry of Youth Development, 2004). Transition courses provide bridging alternatives for youth transitioning from school to employment. They are designed to provide extra help for students who leave school with low or no qualifications. In some cases youth find themselves out of favour with mainstream education and have been forced to end secondary schooling prematurely. Transition learning gives youth a second chance at education by improving their employment marketability. This research highlights the rich stories of Samoan male youths' transitional journeys. The study discusses the critical factors that have contributed either positively or negatively in their ability to transition successfully into the workplace. Eight Samoan male participants were involved in the study ranging from 18-21 years of age. This research topic has evolved from the researcher's involvement in working with South Auckland Pasifika youth for over four years. Some of these youth have been traumatised by their school experiences and have had to face some enormous barriers when transitioning from school into the work place or further tertiary education. After selecting the topic, research frameworks that would be most appropriate for the research were explored. The researcher shares similar cultural and personal experiences to the participants. The framework for the study is therefore aligned to the values of the researcher. Accordingly, the multi-case study approach has been adopted; as such an approach has the potential to reveal what participants feel is significant. The interpretive paradigm underpins this research. The technique for gathering data was through semiformal in-depth interviewing. During the interviews, the participants had the opportunity to discuss the effects that the transitional courses had on them as learners and as Samoan youth. This method of research is culturally appropriate, as it allowed the depth of voices of these young Samoan people to be heard. The themes that have emerged from the findings reflect the broad categories of literature and research findings in the field of transition. The findings also provide new and insightful information about transitional experiences of Pasifika male youth. The research findings from this study focus on key aspects of programme implementation including; the teacher/student relationship, mentoring, student resiliency and the role of the government in youth transition. The research also evaluates the extent to which the transition course curriculum content supports student knowledge and skills in their current work situation. All participants in the study were generally positive about the courses they attended. They discussed the positives in terms of good tutoring, high degree of team cohesion and relevant meaningful learning experiences. The participants cited the negatives as poor teaching, and the low level of some of the literacy and numeracy activities they were expected to complete. Overall they were far more positive about their transitional learning than they were with learning at secondary school. Most felt prepared for work. The study proposes further research in the area of youth transition. Findings from this study will be disseminated to the appropriate government policy makers, city councils, youth services and tertiary providers through presentations at youth development conferences.

The archaeological record indicates that there are differences in Viejo period (A.D. 700 or 900-1200/1250) and Medio period (A.D. 1200/1250-1400s) agricultural strategies and settlement distribution between the Casas Grandes River basin in northern Chihuahua and the Babícora Basin and upper Santa María River basin area in west central Chihuahua. During the Viejo period in the Casas Grandes region temporal, rainfed, agriculture is proposed and only a few settlements are associated with this system. In the Medio period irrigation and trincheras (stone terraces) were implemented increasing the land’s ability to support large populations and numerous settlements were aggregated around fields associated with these methods. For the latter two regions temporal agriculture is posited for both the Viejo and Medio periods. While populations thrived, the numerous settlements in each area are not aggregated but rather are dispersed across the landscape and on various topographic features. The objectives of this thesis were to investigate environmental and cultural influences as explanatory factors for the regional differences. Current environmental data indicate that the combinations of annual precipitation, soil types, and hydrology determine whether temporal or irrigation agriculture is possible. Temporal agriculture is not a viable option for the Casas Grandes region but irrigation is. The conditions in the Babícora Basin and the upper Santa María River basin are conducive to temporal farming while water for irrigation is not easily attainable. In that paleoenvironmental data demonstrate the antiquity of current environments then the agricultural options would have been similar in the past. Together, the archaeological and ethnographic data demonstrate the longevity of temporal agriculture in these areas. How temporal agriculture can be achieved and sustained is demonstrated in the tradition-based practices of modern farmers. The agency of modern farmers can be used as an analogy for agency in the past. When tested against the archaeological record the postulated temporal system and associated settlement patterns are indicative of a domesticated landscape structured for planting flexibility.

The archaeological record indicates that there are differences in Viejo period (A.D. 700 or 900-1200/1250) and Medio period (A.D. 1200/1250-1400s) agricultural strategies and settlement distribution between the Casas Grandes River basin in northern Chihuahua and the Babícora Basin and upper Santa María River basin area in west central Chihuahua. During the Viejo period in the Casas Grandes region temporal, rainfed, agriculture is proposed and only a few settlements are associated with this system. In the Medio period irrigation and trincheras (stone terraces) were implemented increasing the land’s ability to support large populations and numerous settlements were aggregated around fields associated with these methods. For the latter two regions temporal agriculture is posited for both the Viejo and Medio periods. While populations thrived, the numerous settlements in each area are not aggregated but rather are dispersed across the landscape and on various topographic features. The objectives of this thesis were to investigate environmental and cultural influences as explanatory factors for the regional differences. Current environmental data indicate that the combinations of annual precipitation, soil types, and hydrology determine whether temporal or irrigation agriculture is possible. Temporal agriculture is not a viable option for the Casas Grandes region but irrigation is. The conditions in the Babícora Basin and the upper Santa María River basin are conducive to temporal farming while water for irrigation is not easily attainable. In that paleoenvironmental data demonstrate the antiquity of current environments then the agricultural options would have been similar in the past. Together, the archaeological and ethnographic data demonstrate the longevity of temporal agriculture in these areas. How temporal agriculture can be achieved and sustained is demonstrated in the tradition-based practices of modern farmers. The agency of modern farmers can be used as an analogy for agency in the past. When tested against the archaeological record the postulated temporal system and associated settlement patterns are indicative of a domesticated landscape structured for planting flexibility.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:53:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LeaneMAS.pdf: 472571 bytes, checksum: e831b1097d5ae412f5770f04f378015b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-07-28 / This is a study concerning in the structure of non governmental organizations, based on the institutional theory. It aims to understand the relation among structure, social projects and environmental influences, analyzing if there is coherence with project social or expresses adaptation to the institutional pressures of the environment. It introduces as theoretical support for the themes, studies about institutional theory and social structure. The research is descriptive and exploratory; it also applies to a study of case, based on the technical procedures. From the research universe, that was compound by non governmental organizations from Natal, RN, Brasil, it was chosen the Casa Renascer, a non governmental organization that works with the combat to the violence and sexual exploration of children and teenagers. The data collection process employed includes documental research, observations and semi structured research devices, guided by the organizational process proposed by Serva (1996) and by the institutional theory. The collected data were qualitatively treated. The analysis was divided into three parts, following the research matters. The social project characterization demonstrated that the organization went by three main phases. The first one, characterized by focus in women and girls education and health; the second shows the emphasis on girls in social risk situation, with preventive approach; and the last one, characterized by victims assistance of violence and sexual exploration. From the analysis using the institutional theory mechanisms, the results showed that exists coherence between structure and environmental influences, but a weak coherence between structure and social projects. It indicates as main determinant of the structure, an aspect forgotten by the institutional theory, the power. It was observed the presence from normative, coercive and mimetic mechanisms, highlighting normative influences / Este ? um estudo a respeito da estrutura de organiza??es n?o governamentais, a partir de uma an?lise da perspectiva institucional de estudos organizacionais. Tem como objetivo analisar se a estrutura de uma organiza??o social apresenta coer?ncia com seu projeto social ou se expressa adapta??o ?s press?es institucionais do ambiente organizacional. Como suporte te?rico, foram utilizados os pressupostos da teoria institucional de estudos organizacionais e estudos sobre a estrutura social das organiza??es. Para atingir os objetivos, foi realizada uma pesquisa do tipo descritiva e explorat?ria, utilizando como m?todo o estudo de caso, com base nos procedimentos t?cnicos utilizados. Foi escolhido como objeto de estudo a Casa Renascer, uma OSCIP (Organiza??o da sociedade civil de interesse p?blico) que trabalha no enfrentamento ? viol?ncia e explora??o sexual infanto-juvenil. A coleta de dados foi realizada atrav?s da utiliza??o das t?cnicas de pesquisa documental, observa??o e entrevista semi estruturada, orientadas pelos processos organizacionais propostos por Serva (1996) e pela teoria institucional. Foi realizada uma an?lise qualitativa dos dados coletados. A apresenta??o dos dados analisados est? dividida em tr?s partes, de acordo com os objetivos espec?ficos estabelecidos para a pesquisa. A caracteriza??o do projeto social demonstrou a exist?ncia de tr?s fases principais: a primeira caracterizada pelo trabalho com meninas e mulheres, com foco em educa??o e sa?de; a segunda com meninas em situa??o de risco social, com ?nfase na preven??o e terceira com o atendimento a v?timas de viol?ncia e explora??o sexual. A partir da caracteriza??o dos processos organizacionais e da an?lise frente aos mecanismos isom?rficos propostos pela da teoria institucional, os resultados demonstraram haver coer?ncia entre estrutura e influ?ncias ambientais, e pouca coer?ncia entre estrutura e projetos sociais, indicando como principal determinante da estrutura um aspecto pouco abordado pela teoria institucional, o poder. Dentre os mecanismos que mais influenciaram as mudan?as estruturais na organiza??o, o mecanismo normativo foi destacado, mas tamb?m foi verificada a presen?a de mecanismos coercitivos e mim?ticos

The archaeological record indicates that there are differences in Viejo period (A.D. 700 or 900-1200/1250) and Medio period (A.D. 1200/1250-1400s) agricultural strategies and settlement distribution between the Casas Grandes River basin in northern Chihuahua and the Babícora Basin and upper Santa María River basin area in west central Chihuahua. During the Viejo period in the Casas Grandes region temporal, rainfed, agriculture is proposed and only a few settlements are associated with this system. In the Medio period irrigation and trincheras (stone terraces) were implemented increasing the land’s ability to support large populations and numerous settlements were aggregated around fields associated with these methods. For the latter two regions temporal agriculture is posited for both the Viejo and Medio periods. While populations thrived, the numerous settlements in each area are not aggregated but rather are dispersed across the landscape and on various topographic features. The objectives of this thesis were to investigate environmental and cultural influences as explanatory factors for the regional differences. Current environmental data indicate that the combinations of annual precipitation, soil types, and hydrology determine whether temporal or irrigation agriculture is possible. Temporal agriculture is not a viable option for the Casas Grandes region but irrigation is. The conditions in the Babícora Basin and the upper Santa María River basin are conducive to temporal farming while water for irrigation is not easily attainable. In that paleoenvironmental data demonstrate the antiquity of current environments then the agricultural options would have been similar in the past. Together, the archaeological and ethnographic data demonstrate the longevity of temporal agriculture in these areas. How temporal agriculture can be achieved and sustained is demonstrated in the tradition-based practices of modern farmers. The agency of modern farmers can be used as an analogy for agency in the past. When tested against the archaeological record the postulated temporal system and associated settlement patterns are indicative of a domesticated landscape structured for planting flexibility. / Graduate Studies, College of (Okanagan) / Graduate

This diploma thesis deals with the problems of child literacy and the environmental factors which condition its origin and development. My work maps the importance of external environmental determiners that affect reading comprehension and attitudes to reading including motivation and reading habits. The theoretical part looks into the elements of the children's reading process such as gaining skills and sub-skills, self-reflection and forms of aids to support reading in school and family - these two factors are the crucial ones. My work also considers the role of institutions such libraries but also the media and devices (TV, PC, the Internet). The empirical part presents the results of questionaires collected from the research of fourth grade elementary school students and their parents. The aim of the research was to see how is reading comprehension reflected in the assessment of children own reading skills of 4th grade pupils. Further, the thesis deals with how the influence of the family is reflected in the performance of reading comprehension and in the pupil's reading skills. Key words Environmental influences, reading literacy, reading habits, reading comprehension, reading self-concept.

This thesis is describing DPS power and data circuits installations for a historical listed building. Firstly, the theory describes requirements for architects and designs, the types of designs, the laws and directives. This part also contains instructions on how to lay the circuits, how to create environmental report and other topics closely related to design and architecture. Secondly, there is description of the design of the power and data installations for the building. The third practical section contains full project design documentation for power and data circuits for this building including technical drawing, environmental report, ground plans of the building, drawings of switchboards and block drawings. The outcome of this report is to present the theory and then create all relevant documentation for this historical building.