Elementary African American males achieve proficiency at a lower rate than their peers in both reading and math. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand how elementary school teachers described their use of equitable strategies in teaching elementary African American male students, how these teachers described the experience of teaching African American male students, and how they used equitable strategies to shape the classroom environment to engage African American male students. Two theories provided the conceptual framework for this study-human development theory and critical race theory in education. Seven participants were selected through convenience sampling. Semistructured interviews were conducted. Data analysis for this case study was conducted using analytic descriptive coding and category construction. Major categories were identified in order to examine patterns, themes, and relationships. Data analysis of the responses of research participants in this study revealed: (a) nurturing teacher-to-student relationships were paramount to students' success; (b) teachers who received professional development focused on the implementation of equitable strategies struggled with monitoring the effectiveness of equitable strategies regarding student outcomes. Consideration needs to occur regarding introducing and implementing culturally relevant pedagogy and equitable strategies with preservice teachers in order for them to understand the cultural as well as academic needs of the students they will educate. The findings of this study may provide school stakeholders with the strategies needed to support and improve the academic abilities of elementary African American males, thus constructing positive social change.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka didaktiska verktyg och arbetssätt lärare använder samt vilka didaktiska utmaningar de upplever och hur dessa kan bemötas för att främja likvärdig religionsundervisning i årskurs 4–6 utifrån ett lärarperspektiv.  För att besvara studiens två frågeställningar har kvalitativa intervjuer med fem legitimerade lärare i religionskunskap genomförts. Studien utgår från en grundad teori samt teorin om interkulturalism med inriktning på det teorispecifika begreppet symbolisk interaktionism. Resultatet av studien visar att lärare förespråkar ett varierat arbetssätt med olika didaktiska verktyg, en integration av olika ämnen för att utöka elevernas förståelse för religionens betydelse samt ett kooperativt lärande för elevernas kognitiva förmåga. De utmaningarna som studiens resultat visade var elevernas skiftande förkunskaper, hanteringen av samhällsförändringar i undervisningens samt likvärdighetsuppdraget i relation till läroplanen.

School librarians create an atmosphere where learners feel empowered. Moreover, school library programming should support diversity, equity, and inclusive learning opportunities to facilitate student success. Thus, school librarians are expected to model and advocate for equitable learning spaces while considering the universal design for learning approach to improving accessibility, utilization, and relevance for all library patrons. Although it has been established that school library standards support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), more is needed to know about the impact of a crisis on school library programming and services. In addition, extensive research has not been conducted to determine school librarians' responsiveness and strategies to provide services for their school communities during disruptive times. This study examines school librarians' perceptions of the opportunities and challenges encountered while endeavoring to engage in DEI practices during crises.

Bakgrund: Prövningar i idrott och hälsa tycks ha ökat de senaste åren och att utforma en prövning i idrott och hälsa som ger förutsättningar att sätta ett rättvist, likvärdigt och rättssäkert betyg kan upplevas som en utmaning. Inte minst då det finns en avsaknad av såväl forskning på området som vägledande riktlinjer att förhålla sig till. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om det finns en konsensus om vad en prövning i idrott och hälsa 1 bör innehålla och utformas för att ge förutsättningar för en rättvis och likvärdig bedömning. Metod: Fem lärare i idrott och hälsa som har genomfört minst en prövning i idrott och hälsa 1 deltog i en strukturerad intervju via e-post. Tre av dessa bidrog även med dokument tillhörande respektive prövning. Materialet genomgick därefter en initial kvalitativ tematisk analys och därefter gjordes en induktiv analys för varje tema. Resultat och diskussion: Resultatet påvisade både likheter och markanta skillnader som under hur lång tid en prövning pågick, om den utfördes enskilt eller tillsammans med andra elever samt om läraren får avsatt tid för prövningen eller ej. Även lärarnas bedömningspraxis skiljer sig åt och man kan konstatera att det finns ett behov av vägledande riktlinjer både gällande förutsättningar och i hur prövning i idrott och hälsa bör utformas för att säkerställa en rättvis, likvärdig och rättssäker bedömning och betygsättning. / Background: Examination (Swe. prövning) in physical education and health seem to have increased in recent years and designing an examination in physical education and health that provides the conditions for setting a fair, equal, and legally secure grade can be perceived as a challenge. Not least because there is a lack of both research and guidelines to relate to. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a consensus on what a test in Physical Education 1 should contain and be designed to provide conditions for a fair and equal assessment. Method: Five physical education teachers who have completed at least one examination in physical education 1 participated in a structured interview via e-mail, three of them also contributed with documents related to each examination. The material was then subjected to an initial qualitative thematic analysis, followed by an inductive analysis for each theme. Results and discussion: The results revealed both similarities and significant differences, such as the length of time an examination lasted, whether it was carried out individually or together with other pupils, and whether or not the teacher is allocated time for the examination. Teachers' assessment practices also differ, and it can be concluded that there is a need for guidelines regarding both the conditions and how examinations in physical education and health should be designed to ensure fair, equal, and legally secure assessment and grading.

In Gaza, daily blackouts have lasted for over eleven years. Until recently, Palestinian families have received only four hours of power each day. Since Israel’s withdrawal from the region in 2005, the political discourse around the Right of Return has forced refugees to live in terrible conditions and darkness. The fear was that any transformation of the camps will bring about an integration of the refugee community with the local environment and thus any improvements to Gaza’s infrastructure and housing was seen as a direct erosion of the Right of Return. Can bringing light to Gaza transcend this boundary of temporality and restore hope to this impoverished community? With recent solar lighting ideas emerging to help solve Gaza’s energy shortage by solar energy companies such as SunBox and LittleSun, I plan to develop a solar urban lighting project for Gaza’s smallest refugee camp - Deir al-Balah (DEB) - to help improve security at night for residents and provide the community with opportunities to socialise in public common areas. In response to an ‘Improvement Plan’ conducted by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in 2017, which identifies DEB camp’s limited access to electricity and street lighting, I’d like to explore how a solar and ecologically-sensitive lighting programs can improve Gazan’s daily lives, by bringing clean, reliable and affordable energy access.

No description available.

This thesis examined the complex socio-ecological dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on the mechanisms that allow Amazonians to access natural resources along the gradient of urbanization. While Amazonian conservation and development policies have traditionally targeted rural areas, there is a growing need to consider the interconnectedness between urban, peri-urban (i.e. the area surrounding the urban center) and rural communities as the region urbanizes. The overall research question that guided this thesis research was "How does urbanization affect access to natural resources and how does access affect natural resource use?". We aimed to address key aspects of these relationships and the implications for sustainable development and conservation efforts. The first chapter explored the mechanisms by which rural, peri-urban, and urban populations in the Amazon access natural resources, focusing on the varied resources they use as food. Using the Theory of Access' framework and 33 semi-structured interviews with participants selected by snowball sampling in Manaus and Carauari (Amazonas, Brazil), we identified physical, knowledge, structural, social, and rights-based mechanisms as key to understanding resource access. The findings indicate that materiality (i.e. the presence and quality of a given resource), and knowledge were salient for rural and peri-urban people, who live in close proximity to natural resources, to establish access. Technology, such as mobile phones and internet access, further facilitated exchanges across the urbanization gradient. We also found out that the combination of mobility and social relations resulted in greater access to natural resources for those not living in physical proximity to such resources, for those not recognized as legitimate users, or for those that do not know how to extract natural resources. Across the gradient, people made use of social mechanisms and power to reinforce reciprocity among peers and access food. This study contributed to the advancement of the Access Theory by highlighting that people holding power, because of customary, social, institutional, political, and commercial power, accessed or controlled other people's access to natural resources, despite of legal constraints. By extending the notion of access to natural resources as bundles of diverse structural, knowledge, social, power, and rights-based mechanisms, novel policies can be designed to foster sustainable resource use while addressing power disparities for the development of the Brazilian Amazon. The second chapter examined the prevalence and quantity of wildmeat consumption, barter trade, and monetary trade across rural, peri-urban, and urban areas in the Brazilian Amazon. Through an indirect questioning technique, we surveyed 782 randomly selected households in Manaus and Carauari. We revealed substantial wildlife use throughout the urbanization gradient. In urban households, the rates of wildlife consumption, barter trade, and sale are significant (Manaus: 22%, 17%, 21%; Carauari: 57%, 30%, 7%, respectively), with higher market access in Manaus, the big city. Additionally, we found that wildlife trade occurred in both urban areas assessed, with an estimate of 21% (7-34%: Carauari) and 16% (6-26%: Manaus) of urban households trading wildmeat. Participation of peri-urban households in wildlife trade was high, especially close to Manaus. Results point to a need for inclusive wildlife policies, which regulate subsistence hunting, integrate fish and wildlife management within community-based conservation, implement measures to curtail illegal trade, and promote urban-rural development strategies. Together, these chapters highlight the importance of a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation in the Amazon, recognizing the interconnectedness of rural and urban communities. To foster sustainable development, conservation strategies must prioritize equitable access to natural resources and promote the active participation of rural, peri-urban and urban inhabitants in shaping conservation outcomes. / Master of Science / In this study, we examined how people in the Brazilian Amazon access natural resources. Imagine living in a place with rich rainforests, rivers, and unique animals. Immersed in this forest matrix are one big city and several small towns where people have markets to obtain their food, commute to work and school in crowded roads, use mobile technologies such as internet and mobile banking. In this thesis, we studied how Amazonian people in different places get the food they eat, like animals, fish, açaí berries, and Brazil nuts. In order to do so, we asked people living in the rural and highly forested areas, in the areas within and around a small town, Carauari, and one big city, Manaus, how they were able to obtain these foods. We divided this study in two chapters, which are presented below: Chapter 1: How people obtain natural resources We talked to people in different parts of the Amazon, from rural villages to a big city, to understand how they get access to natural resources as food. We found that people who live close to the resources, such as those in the rural areas, can easily collect food. Others use their knowledge and social connections, sharing food with friends, family, and people they trust. Technology, such as mobile phones and the internet, also helps them exchange resources. People frequently move among the countryside and the city to access natural resources. Influential individuals, such as politicians, environmental agents, and merchants, can get natural resources whenever they want or easily control what others can access. Our findings highlight the importance of social relations, power, and technology in accessing natural resources and suggest new policies to promote fair and sustainable use in the Amazon. Chapter 2: Wildlife in the big city, in the small town, and in the rural areas We also looked at the amount of wild meat from birds, mammals, and river turtles and tortoises that people consumed, sold, or exchanged with others. Around a quarter of families in the big city, Manaus, and more than half of the families in the small town of Carauari consumed wild meat. We also found that they may share or sell them, especially in the surrounding areas of the big city, where the amount of people demanding wild meat can be high. This can be a problem for wildlife and for people if there is not enough meat for everyone to eat, share or trade. So, to create a sustainable pathway for wildlife and people, we suggested conservation policies that: promote the inclusion of city people in sustainable plans for wildlife, make the use of people's contribution in strategies to protect wildlife, and that ensure that everyone has what to eat as an ally of wildlife conservation. Conclusion: Working together for the Amazon Conserving the Amazon rainforest is a team effort. Rural and city communities are connected, and we must share resources fairly. By doing this, we can help the Amazon thrive while taking care of its people.

Much research has been done in the realm of quantum walks over networks of qubits. We primarily study a type of graph consisting of a path with two stars connected to the leaves which we call a Double Extended Star. We find that Pretty Good State Transfer can occur in many ways in a Double Extended Star and that Fractional Revival cannot occur in Double Extended Stars except when the length of the path within is one.

The recognition in law of pension benefits and expectancies, as a matrimonial asset which may be subject to certain claims (and counterclaims), occured in South Africa in 1989. The starting point of this development was an investigation in 1984, on: "the possibility of making provisions for a divorced woman to share in the pension benefits of her former husband ". This investigation came about, in South Africa, after the matter had already been accepted, in many foreign legals systems, as a well-established, and most important concept of family law. The obvious question for the South African legislature was which of the pension-sharing schemes throughout the world would best serve as a model. Since the South African accrual system was largely based on the German Zugewinngemeinschaft, it seemed only natural that a close comparative study should be made of Germany's Versorgungsausgleich scheme. It is one of the aims of this thesis to point out whether and to what extent South Africa followed the German example. To do so, it will be necessary to examine first the different legal situations which were prevalent before and after the legal changes in the two countries and to elaborate on the reasons which led to these changes. The discussion in chapter three of how the German system of equalisation of pension expectancies, the so-called Versorgungsausgleich, is applied, will facilitate a comprehensive comparison with the South African scheme. The questions to be answered in the fifth chapter are whether it is appropriate to examine the equalisation of pension expectancies under South African law, which was only recently introduced, in a comparison with the German system and whether it is possible to speak of a Versorgungsausgleich when referring to the South African situation. Whenever possible, I have attempted to suggest solutions that may appear acceptable. To conclude the thesis, certain pension sharing problems arising under South African private international law will be briefly commented upon. / Private Law / LLM

Because women are predominantly responsible for childcare, men are the primary income earners. Having acquired the marital assets, on divorce the husband would retain them in a marriage out of community of property. The wife would be left deskilled, financially dependent, with little likelihood of receiving spousal maintenance and with no marital assets. In 1984 the Matrimonial Property Act and in 1988 the Matrimonial Property Law Amendment Act introduced a judicial discretion to equitably redistribute marital assets in certain marriages out of community. This dissertation argues that the bases for the limitation of the judicial discretion to women married before a certain date are unsound and that the limitation arguably violates the equality clause of the Constitution. / Law / LL.M.