The objectives of this study were to (1) establish whether a relationship exists between individuals’ perception of organisational culture, measured by the South African Cultural Instrument (2005) and lifelong learning, measured by the Dimensions of the Learning Organisation Questionnaire (2003); and (2) determine whether the participants differed with regard to these variables in terms of sociodemographic contextual factors such as age, race, gender, education, years of service, disability status and job level. A quantitative study, using primary data, was conducted on a convenient sample (N=257) of full-time public service officials in a South African public service organisation. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships between individuals’ perception of organisational culture and lifelong learning. Significant differences were found in the perception of these variables for individuals with different years of service and for individuals of different age groups. The findings should contribute valuable knowledge to the field of organisational behaviour, which could be used to promote a lifelong learning culture in public service organisations. The study concludes with recommendations for future practice / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Les deux premi`eres parties de cette th`ese 'etudient respectivement des estimateurs pseudo-bay'esiens dans les probl`emes de compl'etion de matrices, et de tomographie quantique. Dans chaque probl`eme, on propose une loi a priori qui induit des matrices de faible rang. On 'etudie les performances statistiques: dans chacun des deux cas, on prouve des vitesses de convergence pour nos estimateurs. Notre analyse repose essentiellement sur des in'egalit'es PAC-Bay'esiennes. On propose aussi un algorithme MCMC pour impl'ementer notre estimateur. On teste ensuite ses performances sur des donn'ees simul'ees, et r'eelles. La derni`ere partie de la th`ese 'etudie le probl`eme de lifelong learning (que l'on peut traduire par apprentissage au long cours), o`u de l'information est conserv'ee et transf'er'ee d'un probl`eme d'apprentissage `a un autre. Nous proposons une formalisation de ce probl`eme dans un contexte de pr'ediction s'equentielle. Nous proposons un m'eta-algorithme pour le transfert d'information, qui repose sur l'agr'egation `a poids exponentiels. On prouve une borne sur le regret de cette m'ethode. Un avantage important de notre analyse est qu'elle ne requiert aucune hypoth`ese sur la forme des algorithmes d'apprentissages utilis'es `a l'int'erieur de chaque probl`eme. On termine cette partie par l''etude de quelques exemples: cas d'un nombre fini de pr'edicteurs, apprentissage d'une direction r'ev'elatrice, et apprentissage d'un dictionnaire. / The first two parts of the thesis study pseudo-Bayesian estimation for the problem of matrix completion and quantum tomography. A novel low-rank inducing prior distribution is proposed for each problem. The statistical performance is examined: in each case we provide the rate of convergence of the pseudo-Bayesian estimator. Our analysis relies on PAC-Bayesian oracle inequalities. We also propose an MCMC algorithm to compute our estimator. The numerical behavior is tested on simulated and real data sets. The last part of the thesis studies the lifelong learning problem, a scenario of transfer learning, where information is transferred from one learning task to another. We propose an online formalization of the lifelong learning problem. Then, a meta-algorithm is proposed for lifelong learning. It relies on the idea of exponentially weighted aggregation. We provide a regret bound on this strategy. One of the nice points of our analysis is that it makes no assumption on the learning algorithm used within each task. Some applications are studied in details: finite subset of relevant predictors, single index model, dictionary learning.

Published Article / In this article the author analyzes the types of knowledge and learning involved when educationalists study works of art to further their professional development. A theoretical background of experiential learning is presented. An Interdisciplinary Model of Aesthetic Knowing (IMAK) is developed and presented, utilizing the Model of Aesthetic Understanding as Informed Experience of Richard Lachapelle, Deborah Murray and Sandy Neim. Additional kinds of knowledge and learning processes included in the IMAK are discussed. Attending a concert in South Africa by Neil Diamond, the popular singer/songwriter stimulated the author to reflect upon his own metacognitive thinking and learning, both during and after the concert, and on the application of what he learned to the IMAK and in his lecturing room.

The objectives of this study were to (1) establish whether a relationship exists between individuals’ perception of organisational culture, measured by the South African Cultural Instrument (2005) and lifelong learning, measured by the Dimensions of the Learning Organisation Questionnaire (2003); and (2) determine whether the participants differed with regard to these variables in terms of sociodemographic contextual factors such as age, race, gender, education, years of service, disability status and job level. A quantitative study, using primary data, was conducted on a convenient sample (N=257) of full-time public service officials in a South African public service organisation. Correlational and inferential statistical analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships between individuals’ perception of organisational culture and lifelong learning. Significant differences were found in the perception of these variables for individuals with different years of service and for individuals of different age groups. The findings should contribute valuable knowledge to the field of organisational behaviour, which could be used to promote a lifelong learning culture in public service organisations. The study concludes with recommendations for future practice / Industrial & Organisational Psychology

Dėl globalizacijos, informacinių technologijų plėtros, pasikeitusios šalies ekonomikos, politikos, švietimo, bei didėjančių visuomenės poreikių mokymasis visą gyvenimą tampa pagrindinis iššūkis švietimui. Vis labiau akcentuojama būtinybė kelti mokymo kokybę, kurios pagrindinis veiksnys - nuolatinio tobulinimo ir atnaujinimo reikalaujanti pedagogų kvalifikacija. Kadangi mažų vaikų specifika reikalauja ypatingų pradinių klasių pedagogo kompetencijų, pedagogas negali sustoti vietoje, jis turi nuolatos tobulėti, atnaujinti savo žinias, gebėjimus, plėtoti studijų metu įgytas kompetencijas, kas šiame darbe bus suprantama kaip nuolatinis formalus kvalifikacijos kėlimo procesas. / Due to globalization, information technology development, changes in the economics, politics, education, and the growing needs of society, lifelong learning becomes a key challenge for education. There is more emphasis on the need to raise the quality of teaching, the main factor - the continuing improvement and upgrading requiring qualification of pedagogues. Since the specificity of small children require special primary school pedagogue competence, the pedagogue can not stand in the place, it must continually improve, update their knowledge, skills, develop expertise acquired during their studies, what this work will be understood as a continuous process of formal training. Because the specificity of small children require special primary school pedagogue competence, the pedagogue can not stand in the place, it must continually improve, update their knowledge, skills, develop expertise acquired during their studies, what in this work will be understood as a continuous formal process of qualification refinement. Research object - qualification refinement of primary education in the implementation context of „lifelong learning“ strategy.

This three-phase qualitative study examined the significance of personal learning in the lives of full-time elementary school teachers in Ontario, Canada. The research aimed to provide an awareness of the effects of engaged personal learning on teachers’ in-school practices and on student engagement in school. An online questionnaire was used as the initial exploratory tool. The questionnaire was completed by 87 Ontario elementary teachers, and results were stratified by age, gender, range of learning experiences, and career stage. The questionnaire was used to generate descriptive statistics, identify how elementary teachers pursue personal learning interests across different career stages, and gather open responses, in order to determine how teachers characterize their engagement in personal learning opportunities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants to characterize the teachers’ learning experiences, and to explore their views as to how their learning affected them personally and professionally. Classroom observations ensued with three of the interviewees. The data analysis indicated that the nature of personal learning varies across different career stages, and that such learning occurs most often in an informal setting. It also revealed the significance of learning opportunities that both challenge and extend knowledge in real-life contexts and/or that is social or collaborative in nature. Three themes—connections, self as learner, and vitality—emerged from the reported effects of teachers’ personal learning on their students and their classroom practice. The teachers’ passion for learning was evident in the many ways that they provide meaningful, collaborative, and challenging opportunities for their students in a very supportive and nurturing environment. Through the data collection and analysis, it became clear that some of the most profound learning experiences were not preplanned or intentional in nature, but arose as a result of life. In some cases, the participants did not consider these experiences to be learning—until they began to detail the effects that these experiences had on them, both as individuals and as educators. Suggestions for future research are offered to continue learning from teachers who take part in personal learning, and from the students that they teach. / Thesis (Ph.D, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-10-19 08:38:23.555

Vaginismus is defined as a persistent difficulty with vaginal entry, despite a woman’s expressed wish, due to muscle tension, avoidance, and/or pain (Basson et al., 2003). The disorder is classified as a sexual dysfunction; however, there is a paucity of literature on the sexual response, sexual function, and sexual behaviour of women with vaginismus. This thesis research was designed to investigate the differential aspects of sexual health in women with lifelong vaginismus, compared to women with lifelong dyspareunia (pain with intercourse) and women with pain-free intercourse. In the first study, 45 women viewed erotic films, of which one set depicted penetration and the other did not. Physiological sexual arousal was assessed via thermography. Subjective responses to films were assessed with questionnaires. Despite significantly greater negative emotions and lower mental sexual arousal in response to erotic stimuli, women with vaginismus showed genital arousal comparable to the comparison groups. In the second study, 174 women completed an online survey. Women with vaginismus reported more sexual difficulties than the no-pain group and a restricted range of lifetime sexual behaviours and lower frequency of intercourse attempts/experiences than the comparison groups. Women with vaginismus and dyspareunia reported more anxiety during sexual activity and a restricted sexual behaviour repertoire in the previous year and month compared to the no-pain group. Women with vaginismus endorsed more negative cognitions related to penetration, specifically concerns about losing control of their body and the situation. The findings suggest that sexual function difficulties and restricted behavioural repertoire may be associated with negative emotions and maladaptive cognitions. Women with vaginismus may avoid encounters that could lead to intercourse. Alternatively, the negative response to sexual stimuli may be indicative of a more global negative response to sexuality beyond intercourse. The negative penetration-related cognitions, negative responses to sexual stimuli, anxiety during sexual activity, and reduced range and frequency of sexual behaviours of women with vaginismus provide support for the Fear-Avoidance Model of Vaginismus. The impairment in sexual functioning supports the need to move beyond the singular treatment focus of making intercourse possible to an approach that addresses overall sexual rehabilitation.

För att möta en framtid där medelåldern bland Europas befolkning blir allt högre har Europeiska unionen riktat fokus på frågan om hur förvärvsfrekvensen i de högre åldersgrupperna kan höjas. Genom att anta en policy avseende det livslånga lärandet uppmanar EU sina medlemsländer att skapa nya förutsättningar för att förverkliga detta mål. Utifrån detta fokus på möjligheten att studera även i hög ålder har föreliggande studie utgått från seniora studenter i åldern 50+. Studiens syfte har varit att studera behov av och krav på anpassad pedagogik som den yrkes- och livserfarna seniora studenten har för att kunna tillgodogöra sig undervisning vid högskola och universitet. Studiens teoretiska perspektiv har utgått från sociokulturell teori och andragogik. Studien är byggd på vad den seniora studenten som individ upplevt samt hur omgivningen och dess krav ser på seniora studenter som grupp. Insamlandet av data har utgjorts av semistrukturerande intervjuer med sju individer som är 50+ och varit aktivt studerande på svensk högskola eller universitet under vårterminen 2016. Intervjuerna genomfördes utifrån frågeställningar om behov, krav och anpassad pedagogik. Svaren har analyserats utifrån interpretativ fenomenologisk analys, i relation till teorier och tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visar att den seniora studenten inte ser att det egna lärandet har förändrats över tid men att förutsättningarna har förändrats. Den seniora studenten har behov av att bli bemött som vuxen ansvarstagande individ och att den erfarenhet som följer med ska ses som ett positivt komplement genom att bidra till förening av teori och praktik i lärsituationen. Den seniora studenten har krav på kvalitetssäkrad undervisning och vill lyfta frågan om validering av tidigare erfarenheter samt bidra med sin erfarenhet för en anpassad pedagogik. Studien visar att den seniora studenten vill ha insyn och vara medbestämmande, men att de seniora studenterna i föreliggande studie inte är kravställande varken individuellt eller som grupp.

Indoor tracking and navigation is a fundamental need for pervasive and context-aware applications. However, no practical and reliable indoor positioning solution is available at present. The major challenge of a practical solution lies in the fact that only the existing devices and infrastructure can be utilized to achieve high positioning accuracy. This thesis presents a robust indoor positioning system with the lifelong learning ability. The typical features of the proposed solution is low-cost, accurate, robust, and scalable. This system only takes the floor plan and the existing devices, e.g. phones, pads, etc. and infrastructure such as WiFi/BLE access points for the sake of practicality. This system has four closely correlated components including, non-line-of-sight identification and mitigation (NIMIT), robust pedestrian dead reckoning (R-PDR), lightweight map matching (MapCraft), and lifelong learning. NIMIT projects the received signal strength (RSS) from WiFi/BLE to locations. The R-PDR component converts the data from inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors ubiquitous in mobile devices and wearables to the trajectories of the user. Then MapCraft fuses trajectories estimated from the R-PDR and the coarse location information from NIMIT with the floor plan and provides accurate location estimations. The lifelong learning component then learns the various parameters used in all other three components in an unsupervised manner, which continuously improves the the positioning accuracy of the system. Extensive real world experiments in multiple sites show how the proposed system outperforms state-of-the art approaches, demonstrating excellent sub-meter positioning accuracy and accurate reconstruction of tortuous trajectories with zero training effort. As proof of its robustness, we also demonstrate how it is able to accurately track the position regardless of the users, devices, attachments, and environments. We believe that such an accurate and robust approach will enable always-on background localization, enabling a new era of location-aware applications to be developed.

This thesis deals with the possibilities of education of elderly citizens in the Czech Republic. It compromises of a theoretical and an empirical part. In the theoretical part of the thesis the characteristics of gerontopedagogy and gerontodidactics were determined, and further the possibilities of education of seniors were outlined. The research in the empirical part of this thesis regards the adequateness of the offers of educational institutions for the elderly. The aim of the research is to determine whether the offer of the institutions in selected Prague districts, which currently provide learning opportunities for elderly, is sufficient for the purposes of their needs and interests. The ultimate research question is: What is the opinion of the respondents on the range of offers of the educational institutions? Further sub-questions were asked, regarding the number of educational institutions, the variety of activities offered, the lack of educational activities, promotion of the activities, the cooperation of the educational institutions with the social welfare department and with feedback from the elderly. A qualitative research was conducted by the method of semi-structured interviews with the social workers and employees of the educational institutions for the elderly (senior clubs) in...