Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Introduction The Swedish Work Environment Authority has developed a new guideline that gives employees a great responsibility to promote a good working environment and prevent ill health among their employees. The reason that these guidelines have been developed is that illness among employees at work in Sweden has increased. Background At a workplace in a medium sized city in Sweden a group of employees was offered to participate in a health promotion intervention. The goal of the intervention was to give the employees the best conditions for prosperous health and a chance to improve their lifestyle, if they had a need for it. With the help from a coach, the employees worked in groups and individually in areas such as stress, nutrition, physical activity, ergonomics and mental health, and it was the individual´s needs and interests that guided the entire process. The aim of the study was to examine what the participants experienced when participating in a workplace intervention with focus on health promotion. The method used in the study was a semi-structured interview with four participants, both men and women aged twenty five to sixty three, which were subsequently analyzed through a qualitative content analysis. The result showed that the workplace as an arena was of great importance for the individuals. It was perceived as positive that the intervention took place during work hours, otherwise it would have been doubtful that the participants would have participated. It was important for the individuals to discuss the process they went through with their colleagues. However, all participants experienced a sense of shame and did not want to share their inner thoughts with their colleagues. It turned out to be difficult to formulate their individual goals, their focus was instead on what others expected from them. The conclusion was that fear of failure among the participants was the reason why they did not want to share their individual goals with their colleagues. In order to continue to feel motivated for a change in life style, the support from the coach and colleagues was necessary. / Inledning Arbetsmiljöverket i Sverige har tagit fram nya riktlinjer där arbetsgivaren har fått ett större ansvar att främja en god arbetsmiljö och förebygga ohälsa hos sina anställda. Anledningen till att dessa riktlinjer utformats är att ohälsa bland anställda på arbetsplatser i Sverige har ökat. Bakgrund På en arbetsplats i en mellanstor stad i Sverige erbjöds en grupp anställda att delta i en hälsofrämjande intervention. Målet med interventionen var att ge personalen de bästa förutsättningar till välmående och en möjlighet att förbättra sin livsstil, om de upplevde ett behov av det. Med hjälp av en coach fick de anställda arbeta i grupp och individuellt inom områden såsom stress, näringslära, fysisk aktivitet, ergonomi och mental hälsa och det var individens behov och intresse som styrde processen. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur deltagarna upplevde att det var att delta i en arbetsplatsintervention beträffande hälsofrämjande insatser. Metoden för studien var semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra deltagare, både män och kvinnor i åldrarna tjugofem till sextiotre år gamla, som sedan analyserades med hjälp av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultatet visade att arbetsplatsen som arena var av stor betydelse för individen. Det upplevdes positivt att interventionen pågick under arbetstid annars hade det varit tveksamt om deltagarna skulle ha deltagit. Det var viktigt för deltagarna att diskutera processen som man genomgick tillsammans med sina arbetskamrater. Däremot upplevde samtliga intervjuade en känsla av skam som man inte gärna ville dela med sig av till sina arbetskamrater. Att formulera sina individuella behov var till en början svårt för alla då de fokuserade mer på vad andra förväntade sig att de skulle åstadkomma. Slutsatsen är att rädslan för att misslyckas gjorde att de inte villa dela med sig av sina individuella målformuleringar till sina arbetskamrater. För att deltagarna skulle känna motivation för en livsstilsändring så var stödet från arbetskamrater och coach positivt.

In a time where literacy is described as one of the most important tools for participation and development, configuration and implementation of scientifically based interventions can only been seen as a particularly important pedagogical challenge. Being able to read is a composite ability consisting of two main factors, being able to decode words and understanding the language (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). Motivation is another aspect that can be added to further solidify the result. The aim of the present study was to compare the development of word decoding, reading comprehension and motivation/interest in reading in the intervention group and the comparison group. One motivation-building method is to use a non-judgmental and unconditional “reading dog” to read for, which the intervention group did. Pupils from grade 2 and 3 who experienced reading difficulties, either had special assistance or extra accommodation, were divided into the two groups. During a seven week period the intervention group got to practice reading using reading lists and repeated reading, they also got to read for a “reading dog” once a week. Meanwhile the comparison group received "traditional teaching" and the ordinary decided support measures in the form of additional accommodation or special support. Word decoding ability, reading comprehension and interest/motivation in reading were measured individually before and after the seven week period. The results showed that the intervention group had made the greatest progress in word decoding and reading comprehension after the seven weeks, compared with the comparison group. The pretests showed that the comparison group had a higher mean on the thorough tests of word decoding and reading comprehension, but that the advantage had decreased between the two groups after seven weeks of work. The pupils' self-assessed value of the interest in reading had also been increased in the intervention group, whereas it had fallen slightly in the comparison group. The “reading dog” element was predominantly appreciated by pupils, parents or guardians and the regular teachers. To sum this study the intervention aimed to stimulate pupils' composite reading skills in a learning environment made to give pupils who were experiencing reading difficulties positive reading experiences and a stronger reader identity. / I en tid där läsförmågan beskrivs som ett utav det viktigaste verktygen för delaktighet och utveckling kan inte utformning och genomförande av vetenskapligt förankrade interventioner ses som annat än en pedagogisk utmaning. Läsförmåga är en sammansatt förmåga där faktorerna ord avkodning och språkförståelse samverkar för att ge upphov till läsförmåga (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). Motivation är ytterligare en aspekt som kan adderas för att förstärka resultatet. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att jämföra utvecklingen av ordavkodning, läsförståelse och motivation/läsintresse hos interventionsgruppen respektive jämförelsegruppen. En motivationsskapande metod kan vara att använda en icke dömande och kravlös bokhund att läsa för, vilket interventionsgruppens elever fick göra. Elever från åk 2 och 3 som var i någon form av lässvårigheter, antingen hade särskilt stöd eller extra anpassning, valdes ut till de båda grupperna. Interventionsgruppen fick under en sjuveckorsperiod öva läslistor och upprepad läsning samt läsa för en bokhund en gång per vecka, medan jämförelsegruppen fick “traditionell undervisning” och de ordinarie beslutade stödinsatserna i form av extra anpassning eller särskilt stöd. Ordavkodning, läsförståelse och läsintresse/motivation mättes individuellt före och efter sjuveckorsperioden. Resultatet visade att interventionsgruppen hade störst utveckling gällande ordavkodning och läsförståelse efter sju veckor, jämfört med jämförelsegruppen. Förtesten visade att jämförelsegruppen hade ett högre medelvärde på de ingående testerna av ordavkodning och läsförståelse, men att det försprånget hade minskat mellan grupperna efter de sju veckornas arbete. Elevernas självskattade värde på läsintresse hade även det höjts i interventionsgruppen, medan det hade sänkts något i jämförelsegruppen. Bokhundsinslaget skattades till övervägande del mycket högt av eleverna, vårdnadshavarna och de ordinarie lärarna. Sammanfattningsvis har denna intervention ämnat att stimulera elevers sammansatta läsförmåga i en lärmiljö skapad för att ge elever som hamnat i lässvårigheter positiva läserfarenheter, inre motivation och en stärkt läsaridentitet.

Schools in Florida used the multitiered system of support response to intervention framework to help students achieve the state and national standards but, in the national report card, 61% of the fourth-graders assessed in mathematics failed to achieve proficiency. Research indicated that the students lacked mathematical word problem-solving skills. The purpose of the qualitative study was to discover how fourth-grade special and general education teachers used the response to intervention framework evidence-based curriculum, instruction, intervention, assessment, and student data to teach math word problem-solving skills to children who have persistent and significant difficulties. Welner'€™s zone of mediation framework and Vygotsky'€™s sociocultural theory form the conceptual framework for the study. The teachers provided data through in-depth interviews, math intervention program, training document, teachers'€™ guides, assessment tools, and observation. All the data was uploaded to the latest version of NVivo and analyzed based on the research questions. The study findings showed that participants used all the features of the response to intervention framework to teach math word problem-solving skills and address the needs of at-risk students. Teachers should continuously reinforce math vocabulary, terminology, and math reading comprehension skills of students. Administrators and teachers should be able to use the findings of this study to improve the use of the response to intervention features to develop the math word problem-solving skills of students and influence teachers'€™ pedagogical practices.

La mémoire prospective est une fonction cognitive complexe sollicitée quotidiennement en particulier chez les personnes âgées qui sont, par exemple, fréquemment amenées à se souvenir de prendre un traitement médicamenteux. Cette thèse conduite dans une perspective différentielle était guidé par deux objectifs. Le premier était d’identifier les mécanismes cognitifs sous-tendant le déclin lié à l’âge à des tâches de laboratoire et à des tâches naturelles de mémoire prospective. Le second était d’étudier les possibilités d’amélioration de la mémoire prospective chez la personne âgée. Quatre études ont donc été conduites auprès de personnes âgées. Les deux premières études ont permis d’avoir une meilleure compréhension des effets du vieillissement sur la mémoire prospective en mettant en évidence le rôle médiateur de la mémoire rétrospective et du contrôle exécutif dans le déclin lié à l’âge de la mémoire prospective. La troisième étude a notamment montré que les personnes âgées semblent spontanément compenser certaines difficultés de mémoire prospective en ayant recours à des aides mnésiques externes. Ces trois études nous ont permis d’élaborer et de tester l’effet d’un programme d’intervention, visant à améliorer la mémoire prospective, basé sur le renforcement de la mémoire rétrospective, du contrôle exécutif et de certaines connaissances méta-mnésiques. Les résultats n’ont pas mis en évidence d’effet de l’intervention. Ces résultats suggèrent que des interventions individualisées ciblées sur des difficultés spécifiques seraient peut-être plus adaptées que des interventions destinées à améliorer le fonctionnement global de la mémoire prospective de la personne âgée / Prospective memory is a complex cognitive function requested to remember a planned action. For example, this function is particularly important in elderly people to remember taking medication at the appropriate time. Two key objectives were pursued in an interindividual differences approach. The first goal was to have a better understanding of prospective memory in aging people. Thus, we wanted to identify the cognitive mechanisms underlying the age-related decline in laboratory and naturalistic prospective memory tasks. The second goal was to estimate how prospective memory can be improved in elderly people. To that end, we performed four studies using samples of aging people. The results of the two first studies indicated that retrospective memory and executive control processes mediate the relation between age and prospective memory. In the third study, the results showed that elderly people compensated spontaneously some of their prospective memory problems using external memory aids. These studies allowed us to develop and to test a cognitive intervention program based on the reinforcement of retrospective memory, executive control processes, and metacognitive knowledge. The results indicated any effect of the intervention program on prospective memory performance. These suggest that individualized cognitive interventions focused on specific prospective memory problems would be more suitable than interventions designed to improve the global functioning of prospective memory in elderly people

The purpose of this research was to determine if a structured intervention program could assist individuals in adjusting to some of the disruption associated with divorce. A secondary purpose was to determine if identity status would mediate the effects of the intervention program upon divorce adjustment. The components of the intervention program were modeled on previous research. It was hypothesized that individuals participating in a structured treatment program would manifest greater gains in areas of divorce adjustment than the control group. However, results show that while there was greater gain for the experimental group than the control group in several areas, such gain was not a level of significance sufficient to support the primary hypothesis. In addition, support was not generated for the mediational role of identity. Indeed, identity appeared as a rather stable construct, showing very little change from treatment effects and not seeming to influence treatment outcome. It was found that those individuals high in identity status reported less adjustment problems from the divorce than those individuals with low identity statuses. However, this was not a factor of treatment with the control group reporting the same finding. Implications for future research suggest studies in divorce adjustment focus on symptomology and problems in day-to-day living, with objective measuring devices rather than the subjective self-report instruments currently in use. Research on identity status as it relates to divorce adjustment should be longitudinal in nature tracking identity prior to divorce, and allowing for longer intervention periods.

The thesis poses the question of how one can stabilize a state through external intervention without destabilizing sovereignty. The study critically examines the justifications for international and regional interventions in the cases of Liberia and Burundi through a social constructivist framework. The main objective of the thesis is to enhance the understanding of how sovereignty is interpreted during non-aggressive interventions, both from a theoretical perspective through analysis of official discourses and from a practical perspective through interviews with external and internal actors in the field. The thesis argues that it may be more fruitful for future studies to question the aim of these interventions, rather than ask how to improve them. The study finds that rather than reinforce the sovereignty, these interventions neutralize states subject to external intervention in the sense that they become dependent on external capacity to maintain their stability, thereby maintaining peace and order in the international arena. The conclusion is that these interventions remain both controversial and paradoxical and the stated aim of reinforcing the state's sovereignty is questionable at best.

Thesis (M.A. in International Security and Civil-Military Relations)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Donald Abenheim, Karen Guttieri. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

The effectiveness of treatment approaches aimed at children with language impairments to improve reading skills is the focus of this research synthesis. Research in this area is extensive but this report aims to focus on the results of 12 studies to highlight similarities and differences. Findings from these studies were analyzed and showed that phonological awareness intervention is one of the most prevalent types of intervention for this population. Research supports the fact that phonological awareness intervention can produce positive changes in children with language impairments. This type of intervention can not only cause improvements in phonological awareness skills but can also cause increases in reading ability. Credibility ratings for the studies as well as clinical implications are also discussed. / text

Young children with expressive language delay often present with limited vocabulary and reduced length of utterance. In consideration of the relationship between vocabulary and grammar, intervention that targets vocabulary may also result in improved syntax development. This study investigated whether a hybrid approach to verb-focused vocabulary intervention would result in improvements in increased use of target words, increased expressive vocabulary and/or increased sentence length. Four participants, aged two years nine months to three years six months participated in an intervention program that targeted vocabulary, specifically verbs. Number of target verbs, number of different words (NDW) used and mean length of utterance (MLU) were measured in baseline, intervention and post-intervention phases. Results indicated that all participants had increased use of targeted words and increased NDW. The majority of participants also had increased MLU. These findings suggest that verb-focused vocabulary intervention has the potential to have broad effects on the language skills of young children with expressive language delay. Further research is warranted to determine whether similar results would be found in a larger cohort. The study also raises questions around choice of intervention targets and intervention approaches for young children with expressive language delay.