Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur ledare beskriver de processer som uppstår in en multikulturell ledningsgrupp. Studien är designad som en fallstudie omfattande en multikulturell ledningsgrupp, med tio personer från sju olika nationaliteter. Teorier om ledarskap, multikulturalitet och gruppdynamik används för att visa på de komplexa grupp-processer som antogs kunna framträda. Forskningsfrågan som besvaras är: ”Vilka inomgruppsliga processer framträder i en multikulturell ledningsgrupp när gruppen samtalar om ledarskapet, multikulturaliteten och gruppdynamiken i den egna gruppen?” Huvudsaklig metod har varit fokusgruppmetoden. Materialet har analyserats med fenomenologisk hermeneutisk ansats. Resultatet visar tre processer som framträder: Identitetskapande, lärande och interaktion samt förhållningssätt till skillnader. Diskussionen behandlar dessa tre processer som intimt förknippade med varandra, och mynnar ut i några nycklar som kan användas för att öka förståelsen för arbete i multikulturella ledningsgrupper. / The purpose of this thesis is to study how leaders describe the processes that emerge in a multicultural management team. The study was designed as a case study of a ten person multicultural team of leaders from seven different nationalities. Theorys of leadership, multiculturality and group dynamics are used to show the complexity of the group processes that would eventually emerge. The research question that is answered is:”What in-group processes are emerging in a multicultural team of leaders, as they talk about leadership, group dynamics and multicultural issues within the group?” The method used is focus groups and the material has been analyzed with a hermeneutic and phenomenologic approach. The result shows three main processes that emerges within the group: identity building, deep learning interaction and attitude keeping to differences. The discussion treats these three processes as intimately connected to each other and some keys are suggested that can be used to increase understanding of work in multicultural teams of leaders.

Šio darbo tikslas – ištirti edukacinį filmo poveikį (per užslėptojo ugdymo/si bei savaiminio mokymo/si momentus). Tyrimo metu buvo analizuojamas Simpsonų filmas focus grupės metodu. Tyrimo duomenys nagrinėjami pagal autorės išskirtas kategorijas. Magistro darbe, remiantis lietuvių ir užsienio mokslinės literatūros analize, atskleistos edukacinės medijų plotmės: pristatyta neregimojo ugdymo/si bei savaiminio mokymo/si raiška animaciniuose filmuose; supažindinama su kino edukacija, kaip edukacinių plotmių sklaidos perspektyva animaciniuose filmuose. Tyrimas įrodo, kad animaciniai filmai (konkrečiai Simpsonų filmas) turi edukacinį poveikį paauglių atžvilgiu. / The aim of this work is to examine the effect of educational movie (through hidden curriculum and self-directed learning moments). During the research the Simpsons Movie was analysed by a focus group method. The research data is examined after authoress categories that she has excluded. This master‘s work is based on lithuanian and foreign nonfiction literature analysis, what is more the educational media planes are revealed: the hidden curriculum and informal learning expression in cartoon movies is introduced; the cinema education is introduced, like educational planes of scattered perspective in animated movies. The research proves that animated movies (The Simpsons Movie) have an educational impact on teenagers.

Cette étude a pour objectif d’évaluer la stratégie d’utilisation de critères de base, d’un point de vue éthique, dans l’allocation d’une quantité limitée d’antiviraux pour une utilisation préventive, lors d’une pandémie. Il est entendu qu’une réserve publique pour la prévention n’est pas présentement en vue. Ainsi un des objectifs de cette recherche est de servir de guide aux personnes ressources en positions décisionnelles, à savoir si l’acquisition d’une telle réserve est justifiée, et dans l’affirmatif, à qui elle serait destinée. La perspective spécifique de deux groupes de professionnels de la santé œuvrant en première ligne est considérée. Le premier groupe est constitué de professionnels provenant des hôpitaux de la région de Toronto qui ont vécu l’expérience du SRAS en 2003. Le second groupe est composé de travailleurs en santé de la région de Montréal qui n’auront pas vécu cette crise sanitaire. Les deux groupes sont analysés ensemble sur leur discours verbal et sur leurs réponses à un questionnaire bâti afin d’évaluer quel poids les participants donnent aux critères proposés. / The goal of this study is to assess the use of criteria as a means of deciding who might be priority recipients of an antiviral stockpile, aimed specifically at prevention, during an influenza pandemic. It is understood that a public antiviral stockpile for prevention is not available at this time. Thus one of the objectives of this research is to provide guidance to decision-makers in terms of feedback from healthcare workers on the issue of whether it is necessary to acquire such a stockpile and, if so, for whom. The specific perspectives of two groups of front-line healthcare workers are considered. One group consists of healthcare workers from Toronto hospitals who have experienced the 2003 SARS outbreak. The other group consists of healthcare workers from hospitals in Montreal who did not experience the SARS outbreak. The two groups analyses are based on verbal comments and their responses to a questionnaire designed to evaluate how participants with different background experiences will view and rank the proposed criteria.

La présente étude vise à décrire les représentations sociales que des jeunes francophones en santé au Nouveau-Brunswick ont à l’égard du diabète. Cette étude découle d’un partenariat, initié entre l’Université de Moncton et divers organismes et collèges communautaires du Nouveau-Brunswick, qui ont identifié l’importance d’intervenir auprès des jeunes francophones en milieu scolaire pour prévenir le diabète. La théorie des représentations sociales est le cadre théorique utilisé pour décrire la vision que les jeunes ont du diabète, de son origine et des facteurs associés à sa prévention. À notre connaissance, cette étude est la première à examiner le concept du diabète chez des adolescents non atteints de diabète. Hypothèse principale: étant donné que l’expérience que les adolescents ont du diabète est limitée à leur environnement social et qu’ils ont de la difficulté à définir les concepts de santé et de maladie, ils ne seront pas capables de décrire le diabète en profondeur. Pour ce faire, des groupes de discussion, incluant une technique d’association libre, ont été réalisés, entre novembre et décembre 2005, auprès d’adolescents de 5e, 8e et 10e année recrutés dans quatre écoles francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (Districts 1 et 11). Les réponses des élèves aux groupes de discussion et à l’association libre ont été classées dans des catégories et sous-catégories (analyse de contenu), et des tests de Khi-deux et de «Fisher» ont permis de déterminer les différences entre les sexes et les niveaux scolaires. Cent-trente adolescents (70 filles et 60 garçons) de 5e (n=44), 8e (n=46) et 10e année (n=40) ont participé à 19 groupes de discussion. Lors de l’activité d’association libre, les catégories les plus fréquemment mentionnées étaient : sucre (cité par 66% des participants), traitement (48%), nature du diabète (45%), nutrition (41%), sang (38%), complications (18%), manifestations physiologiques (11%), obésité (6%) et activité physique (6%). Aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre les sexes mais les élèves de 10e année ont cité plus fréquemment les catégories «traitement», «sang» et «obésité». Lors des groupes de discussion, les adolescents ont décrit le diabète comme une maladie (13/19 groupes) reliée au sucre (15/19 groupes) et au sang (13/19 groupes). Cependant, seulement quelques groupes ont discuté en profondeur de la nature du diabète (ex.: rôle de l’insuline et pancréas), des types de diabète (types 1 et 2) et des symptômes et des complications. Ils ont aussi cité ce que les gens atteints de diabète devaient faire pour traiter leur diabète (ex.: manger bien: 18 groupes; se piquer: 17 groupes; prendre des pilules: 5 groupes; et faire de l’activité physique: 5 groupes), mais ils n’ont pas discuté des stratégies à entreprendre pour y arriver. Les représentations de l’origine du diabète incluaient l’hérédité et l’âge (13/19 groupes), l’obésité et l’alimentation (12/19 groupes) et l’activité physique (13/19 groupes). Dans la moitié des groupes, les adolescents ont mentionné se sentir à risque de diabète; les filles plus que les garçons. Treize groupes ont fait référence aux comportements observés chez des diabétiques connus, ce qui démontre l’importance de l’environnement social sur les représentations. Les résultats de cette étude appuient l’hypothèse que les adolescents sont limités dans leur description du diabète en matière de définitions, origines et prévention du diabète. Ces résultats fournissent des pistes de réflexion aux professionnels de la santé pour identifier le contenu et les stratégies que devraient contenir les programmes éducatifs en matière de prévention du diabète chez les jeunes. / The purpose of this study is to describe healthy francophone adolescents’ social representations of diabetes. This study stems from a partnership, initiated between the University of Moncton and various college and community organizations in New Brunswick, which identified the importance of intervening among young francophone students to prevent diabetes. The theory of social representations is the conceptual framework used to describe adolescents’ vision about diabetes, its origin and factors associated with its prevention. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the concept of diabetes among adolescents without diabetes. Principal hypothesis: given that the experience adolescents have with diabetes is limited to their social environment and given that they have difficulty in defining the concepts of health and disease, they will not be able to describe diabetes in an in depth fashion. Focus groups, which included an activity using the Free Association technique, were conducted, between November and December 2005, with adolescents in grade 5, 8 and 10, recruited in four francophone schools in New Brunswick (Districts 1 and 11). Students’ responses, obtained during the focus groups and the Free Association activity, were classified into categories and sub-categories (content analysis); Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests were used to determine differences between sex and grade levels. One hundred and thirty adolescents (70 girls and 60 boys) in grade 5 (n=44), 8 (n=46) and 10 (n=40) participated in 19 focus group discussions. During the Free Association activity, the categories most frequently mentioned were: sugar (cited by 66% of participants), treatment (48%), nature of diabetes (45%), nutrition (41%), blood (38%), complications (18%), physiological manifestations (11%), obesity (6%), and physical activity (6%). No significant differences were observed between boys and girls but students in grade 10 were more likely to cite the categories of ‘treatment’, ‘blood’ and ‘obesity’. During the focus group discussions, adolescents described diabetes as a disease (13/19 groups) related to sugar (15/19 groups) and blood (13/19 groups). However, only a few groups discussed, in detail, the nature of diabetes (e.g.: role of insulin and pancreas), the types of diabetes (type 1 and 2), and the symptoms and complications of diabetes. They also cited what individuals with diabetes should do to treat their disease (e.g.: eat well: 18 groups; have injections: 17 groups; take pills: 5 groups; and be physically active: 5 groups), but they did not discuss the strategies to manage these behaviours. Representations of diabetes related to the origin of the disease included heredity and age (13/19 groups), obesity and nutrition (12/19 groups) and physical activity (13/19 groups). In half of the groups, adolescents mentioned feeling at risk for diabetes; girls more likely than boys. Thirteen groups referred to behaviours which they had observed among diabetics they knew, demonstrating the importance of the social environment in their representations. The results of this study support the hypothesis that adolescents are limited in their description of diabetes with respect to its definition, origins and prevention. These results provide direction for health professionals in identifying the content and strategies that should be included in diabetes prevention programs for youth.

Despite high achievement by many Māori (indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) students there is still a disparity between the achievements of Māori students and Non Māori students in the New Zealand educational context. Given that over 85% of Māori students are currently in mainstream settings rather than Māori medium settings the Government has initiated and supported teacher professional development approaches in efforts to enhance teacher effectiveness for teachers working with Māori in mainstream settings. This investigation looks specifically at the practice of four teachers who have been on the Te Kauhua/Māori in Mainstream Pilot project in a decile1 5 Intermediate school in the South Island of New Zealand. An important aspect of this investigation is that it listens to and includes the voices and opinions of eight students who are in the classes of these teachers. Early on in the Te Kauhua project teachers at the school articulated that it was the lack of engagement from their Māori students that was the problem and they wanted to look at ways in which they could maximise Māori student engagement in the classroom learning contexts. The particular aim of this investigation was to look at specific strategies and practices that teachers used to successfully maximise Māori student engagement in the classroom curriculum. The results highlighted the importance of the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the students, the positive impact of the extra effort that teachers applied to engage their students and the students’ preferences for working in small groups. Underpinning these aspects of practice was the importance that teachers placed on developing their reflective practice and the participation in small learning professional learning groups.

Over the span of the last 16 years of my teaching career I have taught elementary, secondary and adult learners in both traditional classroom environments, alternative school settings and distributed learning platforms. Regardless of the grade, subject or environment I have been an advocate of digital technology in education, and enthusiastically welcomed George Siemens’ predicted paradigm shift to connectedness enabled through its uses (as cited in Wikipedia, 2013). However, over the past decade this ability to connect through technology has also lead to an increase in cyber-bullying coupled with inherent risks associated with online environments making the connection between cyber-bullying and social media an important area of study. This study began because of a legal case study I was presented with during a graduate course at the University of Victoria concerning issues related to teachers and the law. The case study is based on a high profile YouTube cyber-bullying incident in Canada. Using concepts such as neoliberalism and the promotion of technology as a 21st century tool for schooling, I reviewed Government of Canada and British Columbian research as well as international research regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the use of technology by humans and in education. These documents provided an overview of debates around the benefits for using the Internet, and contrasted this with risks connected to loss of privacy and possible bullying online (cyber-bullying). My methodology for the study is grounded in qualitative research in which I used three different focus groups from which to gather data. The first group included graduate students from the University of Victoria enrolled in Leadership Studies. The second group consisted of members from a Social Justice Committee. The final group represented a team of teachers, administrators and support staff at a Secondary School on a coastal School District in British Columbia. Each focus group observed a video posted on YouTube and the discourse that was left below the posting of the video. Participants were asked to reflect individually, discuss as a group and record their thoughts and feelings for the purposes of the study and as a means to suggest ways to mitigate change. Their comments and suggestions for ways to mitigate change supported research I found and at times pointed towards directions I had yet to consider. Similar to me, the act of viewing and participating in the case study left an impact as to how best to mitigate change through the use of case studies and discussions that helped develop compassion and awareness for cyber-bullying victims. The study concludes with a review of current technology and health and career curriculum as it pertains to issues involving cyber-bullying and promoting socially responsible behaviour on the Internet available to schools in British Columbia, along with information regarding new initiatives including the E.R.A.S.E. bullying website. / Graduate / 0515 / 0710 / 0530 / ssamaras@sd46.bc.ca

This study investigates middle school students’ interest in learning about the Holocaust, which methods are the most effective at teaching the Holocaust and how the testimony of Holocaust survivors can be retold to the next generations of middle school students. In order to answer these research questions, my study uses surveys with three classes of current middle school students in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, a focus group with graduate students at the University of Victoria and an interview with Larissa Weber, the director of the Anne Frank Exhibition in Berlin. These quantitative and qualitative results are analyzed using a mixed methods approach. The middle school students’ perceptions regarding effective educational methods when teaching the Holocaust in my limited sample (n=77 in the first survey and n=58 in the second survey) suggest that there is a connection between personal narrative and empathy when teaching the Holocaust in middle school classrooms. These findings are contextualized with a summary of the history of Holocaust education in Canadian public schools and a discussion regarding the role of empathy in learning about the Holocaust. / Graduate / 0515 / 0311 / 0534 / natashaw@uvic.ca

<p> </p><p>Tediousness, fear and boredom are all part of everyday’s life for a student. How can a teacher counteract these feelings of boredom and replace them with a feeling of pleasure of learning? Students have to be motivated and want to go to school every day. By comparing student’s experiences of motivation this essays purpose is to create a theory about factors for motivation in education. However, the concept of motivation is far from easy to understand. Understanding what a student is motivated by is no less complex, and in relation to everyday’s teaching the situation is hard to grasp. A theory in this area is useful as a model of how to analyze a student’s motivation. After using focus groups the result was categorized into five categories. Strain, interest, the teacher, social and the future. By analyzing the results and the five categories a theory was formulated in which students were grouped by two criteria’s: motivation and prerequisites. Prerequisites are internal factors for motivation, motivation meaning external factors. Group 1 consists of students with less than average prerequisites and low motivation. Students in group 2 have good prerequisites but low motivation. Group 3 has bad prerequisites but are motivated. Thus group 4 students are motivated and have good prerequisites. To create motivation in education, a teacher could use this theory to better understand how a student is motivated. Thus creating a better understanding for how to motivate that student.</p><p> </p> / <p>Leda, rädsla och långtråkighet utgör stora delar av elevens vardag. Hur kan en lärare verka för att byta dessa känslor mot mer lust att lära? Motivationen och viljan att komma till skolan varje dag måste finnas. Genom att jämföra elevers erfarenhet av motivation är syftet med denna uppsats att skapa en modell om motivationsfaktorer för undervisningen. Begreppet motivation är så komplext att det är svårt att finna dess kärna. Vad är en elev motiverad till? Motivation i undervisningen är inte mindre komplext. En modell inom detta område kan alltså användas för att analysera en elevs motivation. Genom fokusgrupper kategoriserades resultatet i fem kategorier, press, intresse, läraren, socialt och framtiden. Ur en analys av resultatet och dessa fem kategorier formulerades en modell där eleverna grupperas i fyra grupper efter två skalor: motivation och förutsättningar. Förutsättningar är interna faktorer till motivation och motivation innebär externa faktorer. I grupp 1 befinner sig elever med dåliga förutsättningar och låg motivation. Grupp 2 är elever med bra förutsättningar och låg motivation. De i grupp 3 har dåliga förutsättningar men bra motivation. Grupp 4 har både bra förutsättningar och är motiverade. För att skapa motivation i undervisningen kan en lärare använda sig av modellen för att förstå hur en elev ska motiveras. Därmed kan en lärare bättre förstå hur en elev ska motiveras.</p>

School evaluation has increased in importance in recent years, particularly at the level of the whole school. It is the process which assesses the worth and merits of the institution. Due to the fact that, in most cases, evaluation is judgemental, the notion of Whole School Evaluation (WSE) was introduced into the South African education system by the national Department of Education after the 1994 democratic election. WSE has since then became the official evaluation system in South Africa. In WSE schools undergo internal as well as external evaluation. The results of the evaluation are then used by schools to draw the School Improvement Plans which are aimed at school improvement. This study explores the implementation of WSE in rural primary schools in Limpopo Province. A literature study investigated school evaluation within the international and the South African context, the provision of education in Limpopo Province and existing models of WSE. Against the background of the conceptual framework provided by the literature, a qualitative investigation was done in four primary schools in the Vhembe district in Limpopo Province. Data were gathered by means of in-depth interviews with principals of schools and supervisors. The researcher also conducted focus group interviews with School Management Team (SMT) members from participating schools. Data was analysed, discussed and synthesized. Analysed data revealed the following findings: schools experience difficulties in conducting self-evaluation, educator development in rural primary schools in Limpopo is a problem and the district and the Department of Education do not assist schools concerning development after WSE has been conducted. As a result of these findings, there is a need to assist schools in their development endeavours after WSE. The district officials as well as supervisors should find ways and means of assisting schools in the route to development. Areas for further investigation that would enhance WSE in rural primary schools have been identified. Finally, the conclusion is drawn that schools need to be rehabilitated after WSE. This will assist in developing the whole institution and improving the level of education in South African schools. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Utifrån ett interpersonellt psykologiskt perspektiv och self determination theory har föreliggande studie som syfte att undersöka hur sånglärare samtalar om relationer mellan lärare och elev i sångundervisning. I bakgrundskapitlet presenteras litteratur och forskning som belyser olika aspekter av relationer, relationskompetens och relationer i utbildning. Datamaterialet samlades in genom två fokusgruppsintervjuer där sånglärare diskuterade relationer. Den data som har genererats ur intervjuerna har bearbetats och analyserats med hjälp av ett tematiskt analyssätt. Resultatet visar att lärarna anser att relationer är viktiga för att eleven skall känna sig trygg och att det krävs en välfungerande relation för att kunna ställa krav i undervisningen. Resultatet visar också att lärarna anser att relationer kan vara svårt när de inte förstår eleven eller när eleven inte mår bra. Vidare visar resultatet att lärarna försöker hitta en bra balans i relationen till sina elever genom att ställa frågor för att visa genuint intresse. Sammanfattningsvis har lärarna svårt att definiera och beskriva vad det är som gör relationer välfungerande eller inte. I diskussionen lyfts två sammanfattade teman fram vilka är relationers betydelse och förutsättningar för relationer. / Through the lens of interpersonal psychological theory and self determination theory, this study explores how vocal teachers converse about relationships between teacher and students. The background chapter presents literature and previous research that describes different aspects of relationships, relationship competence and relationships in education. The data generated from the interviews has been collected through two focus group interviews where vocal teachers discuss relationships. The generated data was processed and analysed applying thematic analysis. The result shows that the teachers consider that relationships are important for the student to feel confident and that well-functioning relationships are needed to be able to make demands for teaching. Furthermore, the result reveals that teachers consider relations to be difficult when they experience that they don’t understand each other or when the student doesn’t feel well. Finally, the result shows that the teachers try to find a balance in the relationships to their students by asking questions to show genuine interest. In summary, the teachers find it difficult to describe and define what makes relationships effective, or lack thereof. In the discussion two concluding themes are highlighted, meaning of relationships and conditions for relationships.