Thesis supervisor: Alvin Snider. Includes bibliographic references (p. 214-227).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-175). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983.

Not available / text

Not available / text

Not available / text

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

The purpose of this essay is to examine how public libraries work with children's books, in other languages thanSwedish, regarding acquisitions. The purpose is also to describe what the libraries assignments are in regard tochildren with non-Swedish backgrounds. This is then put in a relation to the libraries democratic assignment.The main questions are: What are the libraries' assignments, as described in the libraries regulations? How do thelibraries work to fulfil their assignments? To answer these questions a survey in two parts has been carried out. The first is a study of the libraries'regulations, and various handbooks that serve as an inspiration for librarians. The other is a qualitative interviewsurvey which took place at three libraries in Uppsala and one in Märsta. The survey of the documents shows that the libraries are expected to give special attention to the needs ofchildren with non-Swedish backgrounds. Among other things, this means keeping a varied book stock of goodquality, on all the different languages represented in the area. In Sweden, the leading supplier of media servicesserving libraries, are BTJ. The libraries in the survey turn to BTJ's selection when acquiring books. The librarians however find BTJ's selection of books limited and non-satisfactory when it comes to children's booksin other languages than Swedish. On account of this, the librarians are forced to turn to alternative solutions. The alternative channels for acquisitions they mention are the children's bookshop Bokspindeln in Stockholm,retailers who visit the libraries, and acquisitions during their own travels abroad. The International Library in Stockholm is a valuable resource, in administering book deposits to the local libraries and aiding them withadvice regarding acqusitions. The essay's theoretical frames are built upon three main concepts: identity, ethnicity and language. The theories discussed, suggest that a person's language and ethnicity is of great importance when it comes to theperson's process of forming an identity. The identity is continuously constructed in the interaction and dialoguewith others. The libraries can play an important role for this process, as a source of language and culture. Furthermore, the survey notices the libraries' role as a democratic force in society. The libraries areexpected to act in order to maintain the human rights. The libraries can serve as an open room for democraticdiscussions. The libraries should offer everyone free and unlimited access to knowledge, thoughts, culture andinformation. They can also contribute to increasing the status of minority languages and stress the value ofmultilingualism. The libraries are also seen as a place where cultural exchange is possible, which is meant tohelp create a base for greater understanding and openness towards different cultures in the minds of the people. The main conclusion in this essay regards whether the libraries can or cannot do enough to fulfill theirassignments. The main source for acquisitions mentioned, BTJ, being the leading supplier of media services tolibraries, does not seem to have enough resources to serve the libraries in a satisfying way, when it comes tochildren's books on other languages than Swedish. Whether the libraries can meet the special needs ofmultilingual children, is therefore a question of the librarians own resourcefulness and networking.

The recent and past history of South Africa make this an ideal setting for the study of attitudes of children towards themselves, their own race group and other groups. This research examines self-esteem, perceived social stratification, racial identification and preference attributions. The study followed a cross-sectional design with a sample of 228 grade 1 and grade 4 school pupils. These children were selected from three different types of schools in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands region ensuring representation from three of the traditionally classified race groups - Black, Indian and White. Three assessment instruments were administered: the Culture-Free Self-esteem Inventory of Battle (1992); the Social Status Technique which assessed Perceived social stratification, .racial identification and preference attributions; and an adaptation of the Social Distance Scale of Bogardus (1925) which was administered to a proportion of the sample and correlated with the Social Status Technique preference scores as a measure of validity for this scale. Analysis of the results included provision of reliability and validity data of the Social Status Technique. Results both confirm and contradict some of the various findings of recent local and international research. With respect to self-esteem, it was found that the younger black children showed significantly lower scores than the Indian and white children of the sample. The younger black children also showed less distinct scores on racial identification, as well as evidence of out-group preference attributions. Older black children showed clearer ingroup identification and preference. The younger Indian children identified mostly with their own group, but not significantly more than with the 'Nhite group. They identified significantly less with the black group. Older Indian children showed clearer own-group identification. Preference attributions were made for the Indian and white groups by the Indian subjects. White children of both age groups showed more distinct scores on in-group identification, and a greater degree of in-group preference attributions than the other two groups. All subjects showed recognition of social stratification, rating the white group as more advantaged than the Indian, and particularly the black group, which was rated lowest. Theoretical implications are discussed, and recommendations for future research in this area are made. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

It is argued that the tensions facing foreign workers in the South African labour market should be seen against the background of the recent history of migration in which it has been primarily workers with low educational and vocational qualifications that have arrived from neighbouring countries and who have been employed within the informal sector doing fairly dangerous and poorly paid work. Aim: In light of this, the purpose of this study was to explore immigrant worker’s experiences and perceptions of tension, identity and social resources within the Port of Durban, with an overall focus on the construction of a positive work identity. Methodology: The broad paradigm of this research study is located in the qualitative research field. The researcher specifically used an interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) following the guidelines of Smith, Jarman and Osborne (1999). The IPA was used because the researcher was interested in identifying, describing and understanding the subjective experiences and cognitive interpretations of immigrant workers in respect of their subjective experiences and perceptions of tension; identity and social resources; and because the researcher intended to make sense of the participants’ worlds through a process of interpretative activity. Semi-structured interviews using a non-probability sampling technique were employed to purposively select 10 participants from within the container terminal division of the Port. The IPA as suggested by Smith et al. (1999) was then used to identify the connections and themes in respect of shared meanings and references and /or in respect of hierarchical relationships in each transcript. Themes that were found to be common were grouped together i.e. clustered by the researcher. The researcher then derived a master list of superordinate themes and sub-themes from the clusters of themes. Findings: The thematic analysis unearthed eight themes : (1) interpretation of what it means to be an immigrant; (2) causes of tension at work; (3) causes of tension outside of work; (4) mechanisms for managing tensions; (5) individuality versus belonging; (6) factors leading to a positive work life; (7) identifying social resources; and (8) overcoming tensions using social resources. The participants’ lived experiences of tension indicated that a number of barriers had impacted and were continuing to impact on their everyday work experience. Overall, tensions, such as disrespect, violence and inequality, made it difficult for immigrants to identify positively with their work and fellow South Africans. Notwithstanding the fact, participants additionally managed to identify key aspects and positive experiences, such as training and learning opportunities that served as potential social resources that workers could rely on in order to help them overcome some of the above mentioned tensions and attain a more positive immigrant work-related identity. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.