Eldora, Neethi and Seraphina are three young women who work as science interpreters at a large metropolitan museum. Each woman began her tenure at the age of 15, as part of an employment program for low-income and minority youth, and have since grown to become leaders within the program. Using autoethnography (Ellis, 2004) and portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot and Hoffman Davis, 1997), I explore the rich cultures and histories that each woman brings to her work, present stories that counter the dominant deficit narratives around diversity in informal science education, and reflect on connections to my own practice. Through a critical pedagogy framework (McLaren, 2009; Kincheloe, 2008), I analyze power and privilege within the institution, and the roles that race, language, and culture play in the dynamics of the workplace. This includes examination of workplace microaggressions, physical barriers to cross-cultural interaction, and technocratic ideologies that limit advancement and sense of belonging. From facing subtle acts of racism to taking on life-changing opportunities for growth, I examine the complex relationships that the women have with the institution, and explore ways that they are becoming agents of change. / Ph. D.

History education is important, as it provides context for current events today. Cultural heritage sites, such as historic buildings, ruins, or archaeological digs can provide a glimpse into the past. The use of different technologies, including augmented and virtual reality, to teach history has expanded. Augmented reality (AR) in particular can be used to enhance real artifacts and places to allow for deeper understanding. However, the experiences born out of these efforts primarily aim to enhance museum visits and are presented as handheld experiences on smartphones or tablets. The use of head-worn augmented reality for on-site history education is a gap. There is a need to examine how on-site historical experiences should be designed for AR headsets. This work aims to explore best practices of creating such experiences through a case study on the Solitude AR Tour. Additionally comparisons between designing for head-worn AR and handheld AR are presented. / Master of Science / There is a need for the general public to be informed on historical events which have shaped the present day. Informal education through museums or guided tours around historical sites provides an engaging method for people to become more knowledgeable on the details of a time period or a place's past. The use of augmented reality, which is the enhancement of the real-world through virtual content visible through some sort of display such as a smartphone, has been applied to history education in these settings. The educational apps created focus on adding onto museum exhibits, rather than historical locations such as buildings or other structures. Additionally they have focused on using smartphones or tablets as the medium for virtual content, rather than headsets, which involves wearing a display rather than holding one. This work aims to address the lack of headset-based, on-site history experiences by posing questions about what methods work best for designing such an app. Comparisons to handheld design are also made to provide information on how the approach differs.

Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) play an important role in the lives of people who rely on forests. An absence of data on the size of harvests, their location, and the economic value of NTFPs prevents effective management and full utilization by all stakeholder groups. We set out to measure one important NTFP sector -- the medicinal plant trade in the diverse deciduous forests of the eastern United States, by surveying licensed buyers of ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in 15 states about purchasing of other untracked species. To combat potential coverage and non-response bias we created a place-based model that predicted the probability of purchasing non-ginseng medicinals based on buyer location and used this to build more robust estimates. This viable method for estimating NTFP output is a replicable system that can be applied in other regions and for other products. We reviewed the literature and hypothesized biophysical and socioeconomic factors that might contribute to the prevalence of non-ginseng purchasing, and tested them on the respondents using multinomial logistic regression. The significant variables were used in two-step cluster analysis to categorize respondents and non-respondents in high or low production areas. Volume was assigned to non-respondents based on respondent behavior within each cluster. Both were then summed to estimate total output. The results depict trade volume and prices paid to harvesters for 11 medicinal NTFP species. There was significant variation between products. Two species, black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), accounted for 72 percent of trade volume and 77 percent of the value paid to harvesters. The total first-order value for all species estimated was 4.3 million $USD. The discrepancy between point-of-sale and retail value implies room for increasing value for all stakeholders at the base of the supply chain. Harvests for most species were concentrated in the central Appalachian coalfields. We also sought to understand what motivated or deterred participation by conducting qualitative interviews with buyers and other stakeholders. Buyers were interested in knowing the size and value of the trade, but had concerns about losing access to the resource, which was rooted in past experience with land managers and policy-makers, and conflicting discourse between stakeholders about the state of the trade and of wild populations. Many institutional deliverables are not well matched with the realities or priorities of the traditional trade. We describe potential avenues for collaboration and reciprocity, including providing market research and certifying or providing technical support for sustainably wild harvested material in addition to ongoing support for cultivation. / PHD / Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are sources of sustenance and livelihood for people around the world. This broad category includes parts of plants such as barks, roots, and fruits, and fungi harvested for food, medicine, decoration, for use in crafts and cultural and spiritual ceremonies. They are harvested for personal use, and sold into local and global supply chains. Commercially harvested NTFPs have a dual nature. They have the potential for providing income without having the kind of large-scale disturbance caused by logging or other more impactful extractive industry. At the same time, most forests are not managed for NTFP production, and the ecological impacts of most NTFP activity are difficult to assess. Habitat loss and harvesting pressure has led to the monitoring and regulation in the trade of one iconic medicinal NTFP American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) For the majority of NTFPs, the scale, value and distribution of the trade is unknown, presenting a barrier to effective management and institutional investment in the trade. We sought to better understand one important NTFP supply chain, the trade in medicinal plants occurring in eastern deciduous forests using a voluntary survey program. To accomplish this, we surveyed and interviewed registered ginseng buyers in 15 states about the other products they purchase. This dissertation is divided into three parts with three different objectives. The first is to describe the trade in medicinal NTFPs from eastern forests. This includes what species are being harvested, how harvests are distributed throughout the study area, the value of surveyed species to producers, and market structure close to the point of sale. We found that the majority of the trade was taking place in central Appalachia. The majority of the trade in terms of value and total output was concentrated in two species, goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). The second chapter seeks to create a replicable method for projecting total volume for the most commonly harvested species, including predicting the buying of the majority of respondents who did not participated. We created a model that predicted the likelihood of a respondent purchasing non-ginseng based on characteristics of their location associated with the trade. The third chapter uses interviews with buyers and other participants to explore how to improve participation in NTFP studies and make the results more useful for stakeholders.

No / Complete : FC 16. We aimed to develop a complex intervention to improve end of life care (EOLC) for people with advanced dementia and their carers. We collected data from 4 sources: literature review; qualitative data from health and social care professionals, carers and people with early dementia; quantitative data from people with advanced dementia and their carers; review of UK health and social care policy documents. Method and results: To develop the intervention we synthesised these data. 49 emerging statements were considered in workshops with health and social care professionals across UK to achieve consensus using the RAND Appropriateness Method (RAM) to develop components of the intervention. 1. Prior to workshops we sent invitees the RAM form consisting of 49 statements and asked them to rate these on a scale of 1-9 for appropriateness. 2. At the workshops statements rated as ‘uncertain’ or ‘inappropriate’ were discussed and all 49 items were rated again. 3. Analysis resulted in the retention of 29 statements rated as appropriate. 4. Post workshop attendees were sent the RAM form and asked to rate 29 statements for necessity. All 29 statements were rated as necessary and retained then mapped onto impact theories (Grol 2007) comprised of individual, social interaction, organisational or political/ economic context, and categorised as enablers and barriers for an intervention. Three core intervention components emerged: 1. Integrated systems and approaches to the delivery of careoperational plan 2. Education, training and support for health and social care professionals and carers - utilisation plan 3. Political and economic context dependent on reimbursement and contracting through CCG commissioning. Discussion: The next phase is to pilot components 1 and 2 of the intervention in a naturalistic experiment in one inner city and one suburban locality at different stages of development for services for EOLC for people with dementia and their carers.

Yes / and Health and social care may affect family carers’ health and wellbeing in addition to patients’ lives. It is recommended that such impacts (carer effects) are considered in decision-making. However, the scope of carer effects and range of decisions where carer effects should be considered is uncertain. This study aimed to identify (i) how different categories of healthcare and social care were perceived to impact on family carers and (ii) whether there was consensus about when carer effects should be formally considered in decision-making contexts. Methods: A Delphi study was conducted with 65 UK-based participants with expertise in dementia, mental health, and stroke. Participants considered two broad forms of ‘interventions’ (patient treatment and replacement care) and two broad forms of ‘organisational change’ (staffing and changes in timing/location of care). Participants assessed the likely impacts of health and social care on family carers and whether impacts should be considered in decision-making. The survey was conducted remotely at two time points. Results: Participants predicted widespread impacts from interventions and organisational changes on different domains of family carers’ lives, with ‘emotional health’ the most likely outcome to be affected. Patient treatment and replacement care services (‘interventions’) were associated with positive impacts across all domains. Conversely, timing/location changes and staffing changes (‘organisational changes’) were perceived to have mixed and negative impacts. There was widespread support (80-81%) for considering carer effects in research studies, funding decisions, and patient decision-making. Conclusion: This study highlights a perception that carer effects are widespread and important to consider in economic evaluation and decision-making. It highlights the particular need to measure and value effects on carers’ emotional health and the need to use a societal perspective to avoid cost shifting to family carers when introducing interventions and making organisational changes. / This work was funded by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Career Development Fellowship (CDF-2015-08-025) awarded to HA for this research project.

Yes / Entrepreneurship in small- and medium-sized enterprises are significant contributors to economic development. The purpose of this research is to examine the extent and motives for the use of informal training in Chinese SMEs. Using case studies, we found that informal training is widely used and generally accepted in Chinese SMEs. We also uncovered three separate categories on the motives for SMEs in adopting informal training based on the financial and time constraints they face, the perceived outcomes of training activities in terms of organisational performance, employee turnover, and the development of guanxi and positive team cohesion, as well as the attitudinal aspects of both managers and employees that influence their intentions in adopting a specific training approach. Our study contributes to the literature of HRM in Asia, and has important implications for the government and institutions in emerging countries to support entrepreneurship and SMEs.

The problem in this investigation has a three-fold purpose: namely, (1) to determine the results of delaying formal arithmetic until the fourth grade; (2) to ascertain the results reflected in the reading abilities of children when the time ordinarily spent on drill and organized instruction in arithmetic is given to reading, the diverted time being spent in reading arithmetic stories, playing games, and in using other arithmetical processes in connection with school activities; (3) to compare the results of a behavior journal kept for each child in the experimental group and in the control group.

All street hawkers are not the same in many Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs) of the global south as often portrayed by the media and documented in extant literature. This perception has created a gap in knowledge as researchers explore street hawking activities in NICs. In this study, I investigated a new informality trend of street hawking is coming into being within the capital city of Accra, Ghana. As governance is increasingly becoming entrepreneurial, informal activities are gradually becoming formal. Formal and registered businesses are increasingly capitalizing on hawking activities to occupy public spaces. The advent of the informality trend, I term corporate street hawking opens up new issues for the political economy, labor, and urban studies. By employing semi-structured interviews with 47 street hawkers in Accra, this paper sought to investigate three broadly interrelated questions. First, how do neoliberal policies impact the production of public space in Accra? Second, is corporate street hawking a form of creative destruction? Finally, how do corporate street hawkers practice agency within Accra?

Master of Music / Department of Music / Phillip D. Payne / The purpose of this study was to determine if music educators who have had experiences with informal music are more likely to employ informal learning within their classroom. Secondary research objectives included a comparison of survey results against specific demographics of the survey participants, an examination of the types of informal learning that the participants experienced and facilitated, and a look at the perceived barriers and benefits of informal music learning from the viewpoints of the participants. Participants (N=25) were practicing music educators pursuing graduate music studies. The participants were enrolled in a summer Master of Music program at a university in the Midwest. Data was collected by employing a pen and paper survey that provided a demographic description and informal music learning questionnaire. The participants were asked to indicate the frequency of participation in informal music activities prior to becoming a music educator. They further reported what informal music learning activities they facilitate within their school music curriculum. Finally, the participants responded to two short answer questions where they identified barriers and benefits they perceive with the implementation of informal music practices within their music programs. Results from a Pearson correlation showed a moderately strong relationship (p = 0.43) between participants who had informal music experiences (E) and who employed informal music learning within their music curriculum (C). There were no significant differences observed in the results between participants of different gender or school division. Of the short answer responses cataloged, participants cited a lack of experience with informal music and difficulty of connecting informal music learning to the formal music curriculum as the barriers to employing informal music learning in the classroom. The participants discussed the increase in student motivation, expanding musicality, and real-world relevance as the benefits of informal music learning. Knowledge gained from this study may be useful to individuals facilitating informal music learning within music education programs at the primary, secondary, or collegiate levels.

In the context of rapid urbanization, globalization, market liberalization, and growing flexibility of labor in the post-Fordist era, urban environments have seen economic opportunities and employment in the formal sector become increasingly less available to the vast majority of urban dwellers in both high-income and low-income countries. The intersectional forces of globalization, and neoliberalization have contributed to the ever-growing role of informal economic opportunities in providing the necessary income to fulfill household needs for individuals throughout the world and have also influenced social, cultural, and spatial organization of informal sector workers. Using a case study and ethnographic information from several regions of southern Ghana, this research examines the way in which informal sector food vendors in Ghana are imbedded in larger global food networks as well as how globalization is experienced by vendors at the ground level.