This research study employs explorative and descriptive qualitative research conducted in a naturalistic environment to identify factors that drive children from their homes to the streets of Bulawayo city suburban in Zimbabwe. The research study answers the question: How do children`s experiences drive them from their homes and why do they decide to live on the streets of Bulawayo city centre? Literature search was conducted after data collection to confirm findings. Data collection was conducted at Thuthuka Street Children`s project where an increase in the number of registered street children has been observed. Purposive sample selection of street children was conducted. Selection criteria was based on the participant being registered with Thuthuka Street Children`s Project, for one year being on and off the streets and volunteer to participate. Ethical consideration such as fairness justice and honest were observed. Soundness to establish trustworthiness rather than validity, the following alternative constructs were applied, credibility, transferability, dependability, conformability and authenticity. Focus group discussions using a guide with open-ended questions were conducted to collect data from 12 street children, which was then analysed by coding into themes, notably forms of abuse such as emotional, physical, and sexual and neglect, poverty, deviant behaviour and future plans. Children went onto the streets because they suffered abuse, and/or wanted freedom without parental dominance and to acquire fast riches in the streets. Based on the conclusions, the research makes recommendations from the participants and the researcher to policymakers, non-governmental organisations, parents and social workers, to address this deep-seated problem. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Maladies fréquentes, l’asthme touche 8,4% de la population canadienne âgée de 12 ans et plus et la maladie pulmonaire obstructive chronique (MPOC) touche de 5 à 15% de la population âgée entre 35 et 79 ans. L’asthme et la MPOC peuvent coexister chez un patient. Ce phénomène appelé syndrome de chevauchement de l’asthme et de la MPOC (ACOS) toucherait environ 10% à 55% des patients MPOC. Afin de mieux caractériser l’ACOS et les effets indésirables des médicaments utilisés pour traiter la MPOC, deux études ont été mises en place. Une première étude réalisée auprès de pneumologues a permis de décrire les méthodes de diagnostic, de traitement et d’évaluation de la maitrise de l’ACOS dans la pratique clinique. Les pneumologues rapportent que le diagnostic devrait être basé sur les caractéristiques cliniques, les tests de fonction pulmonaire et l'intuition clinique du médecin. De plus, un corticostéroïde inhalé en combinaison et un bronchodilatateur inhalé à longue durée d’action devraient être introduits rapidement dans le plan de traitement. La deuxième étude a permis d’évaluer la fréquence des effets indésirables chez les patients MPOC/ACOS traités avec un bronchodilatateur inhalé à longue durée d’action. Cette étude démontre que les effets indésirables sont fréquents chez les patients MPOC/ACOS et que la sécheresse buccale et la gorge sèche sont les plus rapportés. Ces résultats démontrent que la mise en place de lignes directrices pour l’ACOS ainsi qu’une meilleure connaissance du profil de tolérance des bronchodilatateurs inhalés à longue durée d’action seraient bénéfiques pour les patients / Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are frequent in Canada with a prevalence of 8.4% among Canadians aged 12 and over for asthma and a prevalence of 5 to 15% among Canadians aged 35 to 79 years. Asthma and COPD can coexist in a patient and this Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) affects about 10% to 55% of COPD patients. To better understand this syndrome, two studies were designed and conducted. First, focus groups evaluated how pulmonologists diagnose and treat ACOS, and how they assess its control in routine clinical practice. The pulmonologists reported that the diagnosis must be based on clinical characteristics, pulmonary function tests, and clinical intuition. They also agreed that the treatment should target the features of both asthma and COPD. The second study assessed the prevalence of adverse events in COPD/ACOS patients on long-acting inhaled anticholinergics (LAAC) and β2-agonists (LABA) in a real-world setting. This study demonstrates that side effects are common among COPD/ACOS patients. Dry mouth and dry throat were the most reported side effects. These results demonstrate that more explicit guidelines for ACOS and a better understanding of the safety profile of long-acting bronchodilators would be beneficial for patients.

The South African Reserve Bank presents an annual balance sheet for the South African household sector constructed from macro-economic data estimates. Broad asset and liability classes are presented which can be disaggregated with the use of micro-level data obtained directly from households. At the time of the study, however, micro-level data on the different asset and liability classes accumulated by households was not available. The main objective of the study was to disaggregate and measure the asset and liability base of South African households in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas using micro-level data. The study used a mixed methodological approach, consisting of both qualitative and quantitative data and was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, a comprehensive literature review was conducted on the recognition and measurement of household assets and liabilities. Economic theories that explain asset and liability accumulation were reviewed and international surveys on household net wealth measurement scrutinised. A heuristic model of a financial position section for the South African household sector was developed. In the second and qualitative phase, online and face-to-face focus group deliberations were conducted with experts in the field of household finance to ensure that the newly developed financial position section would robustly recognise and measure all possible household asset and liability classes. In the third and quantitative phase, the financial position section was included in an omnibus survey and data was collected from a representative sample of 2 606 households in South Africa. The weighted data was segmented in terms of metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas and presented as statements of financial position based on the classification, recognition and measurement principles of “The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010”. Composition analyses presented a secondary objective, namely to explore the effect of identified independent demographic variables on asset and liability accumulation. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) identified meaningful interaction effects for (1) age, income and area; (2) income and age; (3) education, income and age; and (4) education and income on asset accumulation and an age and income interaction effect on liability accumulation. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the contemporaneous effect of age, income, education and area of residence on household asset and liability accumulation and provides information on South African household net wealth not yet available. The disaggregated asset and liability base will assist policy makers both at micro- and macro-economic level with the overview and management of South African household net wealth. / Business Management / D. Com. (Accounting Science)

教育部明訂，九年一貫能力指標應作為教科書編輯者編撰課本、習作之依據。透過教科書，學生可期望習得能力指標所標示的能力。台灣國中英語教學現場中，習作常作為學生的回家作業，所以能力指標如何呈現在習作上可影響學生能力習得的結果；然而，目前相關研究仍顯不足，因此，本研究採用九年一貫國中英語讀寫能力指標，分析目前最為廣用的一套國中英語習作。另外，本研究也針對第一線國中英語教師進行團體訪談，以了解教師對習作和能力指標的看法。 本研究的結果總結如下: 1. 14條指標中，只有3項在習作中有超過10%的練習題目(推論字義文意;了 解文章主旨大意；合併、改寫及造句)；然而卻有8項指標在習作中的練 習題少於1.5%。 2. 針對被強調的3項指標，訪談教師同意這些能力的確需要被強調，只不過習 作的練習題仍顯不足。 3. 針對被忽略的8項指標，教師認為有些能力(例:查字典)對學生來說並非最 重要，因此習作缺乏此類練習是可以接受的；不過，某些能力(例:看懂圖 表標示)因為和學生的日常生活息息相關，理應出現在習作裡；而部分難度 較高的指標(例:寫一個段落)可編為自由選擇(optional)的習題，讓程度 較高的學生有更多練習的機會。 根據研究結果，研究者對教育決策者、教科書編輯、及英語教師提出數點 建議。 / The competence indicators (CI) listed in the Grades 1-9 Curriculum Guidelines are regulated as the principles for private publishers to compile teaching materials—textbooks and student workbooks. Through these teaching materials, it is expected that students can acquire the competences stipulated in the curriculum guidelines. Student workbooks, especially in Taiwan’s junior high school English classrooms, are used as a main source for students’ homework. Therefore, how the CIs are incorporated into the workbooks can affect students’ acquirement of the competences. Nonetheless, little research has been done on analysis of English workbooks based on competence indicators. This study, therefore, aimed to analyze a most popular set of junior high school English workbooks based on the Grades 7-9 reading and writing competence indicators. To gain more in-depth insights, a focus group interview with in-service teachers was later conducted to explore teachers’ views on the workbooks and competence indicators. The results of the present study are summarized as follows. 1.Of the 14 CIs, only three were emphasized (to guess meanings of words and reading passages; to understand main ideas; and to combine, change, and make sentences), each taking up more than 10% of the workbook exercises. However, there were up to eight CIs that were neglected, each taking up less than 1.5% of the workbook exercises. 2.As for the three emphasized CIs, the teacher interviewees agreed that the emphasis was necessary, but the practice in the workbooks were still insufficient for their students. 3.As for the eight neglected CIs, the teachers considered that: (1) lack of practice on some CIs, such as to use a dictionary, was acceptable, for these skills were impractical for their students; (2) some practices, such as to fill out forms, should have be included into the workbooks because they were related to students’ daily lives; (3) certain practices, such as to write a simple paragraph, could be designed as optional workbook exercises for high achieving students to master more advanced skills. Finally, some suggestions are provided on the basis of the findings in this study.

<p>This study researches fictional representations of dead bodies in two television series in which representations of dead bodies are prominent features. The study introduces a brief history of the  human body as a societal metaphor. The narrower theme of the study, the dead body as a cultural surface and carrier of meaning and ritual potential, is discussed through specific popular cultural television productions.</p><p>The two television series discussed in this study, <em>CSI: Miami </em>and <em>Six Feet Under</em>, are researched both through film analyses and focus group discussions. The film analyses have aimed<em> </em>to show to what use dead bodies are put in the narratives of the programs. The focus group discussions have sought to shed light on the audiences understanding of the meaning of the dead body, and also how this feature of the programs influence the audience and their experience of the programs.</p><p>The study shows that both series introduce and underline dead bodies as floating in-between subject and object status. A dead person is often introduced as a subject and then stripped of his or her cultural identity and reintroduced as an object or as having an uncertain cultural status which lies somewhere between object and subject. This borderline status of the body serves as a threat in the series, and the subject status of the body is reinstated in every case possible. Order is a central concept for the study and both series strive to reassert and maintain order, either in relationships or on a societal level. The reinstatement of order is reflected on the physical body as a metaphor and narrative device in both series. The reestablishment of the subject status of a dead body is part of this strive for order. The audience research concludes that all focus group members agree that the representations of dead bodies in the programs are important for their experience of the programs. Some find them unpleasant while others think they are interesting. The audience also listed several other themes of the programs which they found important. The representations of dead bodies strike the audience members both as “real” and material, and as metaphors.</p>

This study researches fictional representations of dead bodies in two television series in which representations of dead bodies are prominent features. The study introduces a brief history of the  human body as a societal metaphor. The narrower theme of the study, the dead body as a cultural surface and carrier of meaning and ritual potential, is discussed through specific popular cultural television productions. The two television series discussed in this study, CSI: Miami and Six Feet Under, are researched both through film analyses and focus group discussions. The film analyses have aimed to show to what use dead bodies are put in the narratives of the programs. The focus group discussions have sought to shed light on the audiences understanding of the meaning of the dead body, and also how this feature of the programs influence the audience and their experience of the programs. The study shows that both series introduce and underline dead bodies as floating in-between subject and object status. A dead person is often introduced as a subject and then stripped of his or her cultural identity and reintroduced as an object or as having an uncertain cultural status which lies somewhere between object and subject. This borderline status of the body serves as a threat in the series, and the subject status of the body is reinstated in every case possible. Order is a central concept for the study and both series strive to reassert and maintain order, either in relationships or on a societal level. The reinstatement of order is reflected on the physical body as a metaphor and narrative device in both series. The reestablishment of the subject status of a dead body is part of this strive for order. The audience research concludes that all focus group members agree that the representations of dead bodies in the programs are important for their experience of the programs. Some find them unpleasant while others think they are interesting. The audience also listed several other themes of the programs which they found important. The representations of dead bodies strike the audience members both as “real” and material, and as metaphors.

Huvudsyftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka varför människor i ålderskategorin 35-49 år inte lyssnar på radiokanalen P4 Västmaland, en av Sveriges Radios 26 st P4 kanaler. Den andra punkten som analyserats är, varför P4 Västmanlands publik lyssnar på kanalen. Med hjälp av fokusgruppsintervjuer via sociala media Facebook undersöks 15 personer uppdelade i två fokusgrupper: P4s lyssnare och icke lyssnare. Det gemensamma för båda grupperna är radiolyssnande som intresse och ålderskategorin. Tillsammans har grupperna genererat ca 234 facebook-inlägg, som utgör grundmaterialet till denna studie. En kompletterande enkät finns med som stöd inför analysdelen samt en intervju med P4 Västmanlands programledare, Annika Nordin. Denna studie använder sig främst av medieteoretikern, Barbara Thomass (2003) teoretiska perspektiv om public sphere (Habermas, 1989) och knowledge society sammankopplat till Public Service. Studiens resultat visar att majoriteten i målgruppen icke-lyssnare uppfattar kanalen som omodern. Denna uppfattning delas även av P4s egna lyssnare. Studien visar att Icke-lyssnarna inte tycker att lokala nyheter är viktiga.  När det gäller hur man tar reda på nationella och internationella nyheter är det framförallt webben, inte radio, som är det prioriterade alternativet för den sistnämnda gruppen. Studien visar även att för båda grupperna är datavana avgörande för hur man interagerar med medier och konsumerar nyheter. Slutsatsen av studien är att om P4 Västmanland upplevs som omodern, så kan detta vara ett hinder för radiokanalen att rekrytera nya lyssnare. Kanalen måste hitta en balans för att främja både sin egen publik, som efterfrågar variation i lokala nyheter, och samtidigt nå flera lyssnare i åldersgruppen mellan 35 och 49 år. Båda grupperna signalerar att möjligheten till interaktion via nya medier bör tas tillvara i dessa nya tider. / The main purpose of this thesis is to examine why people aged between 35-49 years are not listening to the Public Service radio channel P4 Västmanland, one of Swedish Radio´s 26 local channels. The second point has been analyzed is why P4 Västmanland audience listens to the channel. With the help of focus group interviews via social media site Facebook we examined 15 individuals divided into two focus groups: P4 listeners and non-listeners. Listening to the radio for pleasure is common to both groups, who are in the same age category. Together the groups are generated from about 234 Facebook posts, which are the basic material for this study. A supplemental questionnaire is included as a pre-analysis portion as well as an interview with P4 Västmanland journalist, Annika Nordin. This study mostly uses Barbara Thomass' (2003) theoretical perspectives on the public sphere (Habermas, 1989) and knowledge society linked to the Public Service. Our results demonstrate that the majority of the target non-listeners perceive the channel as outdated; this view is also shared with the P4's listeners. The study shows that non-listeners do not think local news is important. When it comes to how to get in contact with national and international news, it is primarily the Web, not the radio, which is the priority choice for the latter group. The study also shows that for both groups, computer access is crucial to how people interact with media and consume news. The conclusion of this study is that if the P4 Västmanland channel is perceived as outdated, so this may be an obstacle to the radio channel to recruit new listeners. The channel must find a balance in order to promote it´s own audience, which require the variation in local news, while reaching more listeners in the  35 and 49 age group. Both groups indicate that the potential for interaction through new media should be utilized in these new times. / A função principal deste estudo é analisar a razão pela qual pessoas na faixa etária de 35 a 49 anos não têm interesse na programação da emissora pública de rádio, P4 Västmanland, um dos 26 canais locais da Suécia. Em contrapartida, a outra questão a ser analisada refere-se à razão pela qual os ouvintes do canal citado, têm interesse na programação.  Este estudo utiliza-se do método de entrevista de foco realizado através da mídia social Facebook e tem como participantes 15 pessoas divididas em dois grupos: ouvintes da P4 Västmanland e ouvintes de outras emissoras de rádio suecas. O fator comum entre os grupos é o interesse por programas de rádio e o fato de serem da mesma faixa etária. A base do material de estudo é composta por aproximadamente 234 comentários realizados através da mídia social Facebook. O estudo dispõe também de uma enquete feita com os participantes e uma entrevista com a jornalista Annika Nordin,  locutora de um dos programas da rádio P4 Västmanland. O estudo se utiliza, em primeiro plano, das perspectivas teóricas de Barbara Thomass (2003) a respeito de public sphere ( Habermas, 1989) e knowledge society acopladas ao ideal de emissoras púbicas de rádio e TV. O resultado do estudo mostra que a maioria dos não -  ouvintes da P4 Västmanlands consideram o canal como antiquado, fator que também foi verificado entre os próprios ouvintes da rádio. Além disso, os não-ouvintes relatam não considerarem importante o noticiário local. A respeito do consumo de notícias nacionais e internacionais, o estudo mostra que a internet, para o último grupo citado, é o meio de comunicação priorizado para se ter acesso à informação. O estudo mostra ainda que o acesso à internet define o modo de interação com os meios de comunicação  e consumo de notícias, de modo geral. O estudo chega à conlusão de que se a emissora de rádio P4 Västmanland é vista como antiquada, torna-se, assim, difícil o recrutamento de novos ouvintes. A emissora em questão necessita de um equilíbrio para agradar seus próprios ouvintes , que estão em busca de um conteúdo variado no que diz respeito à abordagem de notícias locais e, ao mesmo tempo, adquirir novos ouvintes na faixa etária de 35 a 49 anos. Os dois grupos de participantes mostram também que as novas possibilidades de interação mediática precisam ser utilizadas em maior escala na atualidade.

Every year, tens of thousands of patients in North America die from preventable errors. Incident learning can decrease this number, but is not currently reaching its full potential in health care. The goal of this research was to propose strategies to effectively report and learn from incidents to drive quality improvement. A detailed literature review, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and thematic analysis were used to identify potential process improvement strategies from aviation and nuclear power and assess these strategies for feasibility and desirability in health care. This work was guided by World Health Organization recommendations and Rasmussen’s risk management framework. An extensive list of strategies to address existing shortcomings was ultimately proposed for consideration in health care. These strategies can serve as guidelines to proactively improve incident learning processes. This should help create more effective systems and in turn, improve patient safety.

Every year, tens of thousands of patients in North America die from preventable errors. Incident learning can decrease this number, but is not currently reaching its full potential in health care. The goal of this research was to propose strategies to effectively report and learn from incidents to drive quality improvement. A detailed literature review, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and thematic analysis were used to identify potential process improvement strategies from aviation and nuclear power and assess these strategies for feasibility and desirability in health care. This work was guided by World Health Organization recommendations and Rasmussen’s risk management framework. An extensive list of strategies to address existing shortcomings was ultimately proposed for consideration in health care. These strategies can serve as guidelines to proactively improve incident learning processes. This should help create more effective systems and in turn, improve patient safety.

Cette recherche documente les façons de faire l’évaluation formative d’enseignants de français du Lycée exerçant en contexte de classes pléthoriques au Sénégal. Le choix récent dans ce pays de l’approche par compétences invite à privilégier cette fonction de l’évaluation, au regard de son potentiel pour la progression des apprentissages des élèves (Allal & Mottier Lopez, 2005; Black & Wiliam, 2009; Morrissette, 2010). Cependant, les orientations ministérielles concernant sa mise en œuvre sont très générales, et jusqu’ici, la recherche a laissé dans l’ombre son application en contexte de classes pléthoriques. Puisant au domaine des savoirs pratiques (Schön, 1983) et à une vision interactive et située de l’évaluation formative (Mottier Lopez, 2007; Morrissette, 2010), j’ai conduit une démarche de recherche collaborative auprès de 14 enseignants de français exerçant dans le même Lycée, ponctuée par 6 entretiens de groupe. Un premier registre d’analyse a décrit des façons de faire rattachées à trois dimensions de la pratique de l’évaluation formative: l’analyse du contexte de la pratique, la construction négociée du savoir et la gestion de l’effectif. Un second registre d’analyse de leurs façons de faire en contexte d’«étrangeté culturelle» (Douville, 2002) a permis de conceptualiser leur savoir-évaluer en relation avec leur façon d’interpréter les problèmes qui se posent aux élèves, leur conception de l’erreur et leurs manières de réinventer les modes d’accomplissement traditionnels de l’évaluation ancrés dans la culture scolaire. / This research documents the ways formative assessment is operationalized by French teachers working in the context of overcrowded classrooms in a Senegalese High School. The recent choice for implementing the competency-based approach in this country invites teachers to promote the use of formative assessment which is geared towards the provision of high quality learning (Allal & Mottier Lopez, 2005, Black & Wiliam, 2009 Morrissette, 2010). However, Ministerial guidelines for its implementation are very general, and so far, research has not been carried out as regards its application in overcrowded classes. Building on the field of reflective practice (Schön, 1983) and an interactive situated vision of formative assessment (Mottier Lopez, 2007; Morrissette, 2010), I led a collaborative research with 14 French teachers working in the same High School. Six focus groups discussions were carried out which shed light on three dimensions related to formative assessment practices: contextual analysis of teacher practices, the negotiated construction of knowledge and the management of the overcrowded classrooms. Analysis of formative assessment practices in the context of « cultural strangeness » (free translation) (Douville, 2002) helped to conceptualize their know-how on evaluation in light of how they interpret the problems faced by students, their conception of what error constitutes and the ways they reinvent the traditional performance evaluation methods rooted in the school culture.