The Relevance of the Research. In the general programmes/curricula and the Standards of Education of the School of General Education of Lithuania (2003) it is stated that “preschool, primary and basic child education is considered as one of the most important priorities of contemporary education policy, as the basis for lifelong learning”. Contemporary preschool education regulations are an aspiration to help a child to acquire competencies necessary for everyday life and successful education/self-education at school, the basis of which is the sum total of already possessed value attitudes, gained abilities and skills, and experience. It is not enough to call child’s competencies an aspiration – it is important to attempt to “measure” them, and it is what has been emphasized in the present work. The importance of one of the competencies – the cognitive competency – is emphasized in Preschool Education Standards (2003). The straightest way to the development of child’s cognitive competency is the formation of natural environment in a preschool institution. Cognitive psychology considers permanent investigation of environment as one of the most important factors of the development of child personality. In contemporary reformed nursery school the investigation activity, its importance, significance, functionality, relations between natural environment and the cognitive competency is little or almost not investigated area. The Object. The importance of natural environment for the... [to full text]

Increasing longevity in Western society means that older adults will spend more of their later lives as retirees, or as older workers. In this respect, what it means to live as an older adult represents a shifting landscape, where the health and well-being of older adults are guided by the socio-cultural narrative of decline (being aged passively), and ageing in the era of the Third Age (actively growing old). As such, there is a need for research to examine how older adults can age well as retirees, or as older workers. To date, research in this field has seldom considered the role of the natural environment in this respect, despite a burgeoning body of research that indicates the beneficial impact of natural environments upon health and well-being. The aim of this research, therefore, was to examine the role of natural environments in the lives of older adults during the retirement process, and in the lives of older workers, and the potential implications for ageing well. Pluralistic methods were utilised within a longitudinal design in order to generate narrative data. Specifically, 7 retirees and 3 older workers were interviewed in 3 stages, over a time period of 2 years. Narrative analysis revealed that, initially, pre-retirees’ stories were guided by notions of being aged passively, facilitated by a relational narrative and often illustrated by dys-appearing body-self relationships. In contrast, older workers’ stories were driven by notions of actively growing old, facilitated by an individualistic narrative. In the later stages of data collection, retirees’ stories developed to also be guided by actively growing old, where embodied decline was overshadowed by aspects of being such as spirituality, intellectual stimulation, and mindfulness. Such stories were complemented by a developed sense of self, highlighting the importance of self-awareness in later life. Natural environments played a role by providing a multi-dimensional platform from which to age well. For example, on a physical level, spending time in natural environments often involved being active in a non-prescriptive way coupled with a sense of autonomy, calmness and relief from stress. On an emotional level, pleasurable memories from childhood were re-ignited when in natural environments, which participants found invigorating. On a cognitive level, whilst in natural environments, participants were able to engage in a spiritual and intellectual process of negotiation whereby selves were re-discovered from the past, contemplated in the present, and constructed for the future. Implications of these findings for policy and practice, and the original contribution to knowledge made by this research, are discussed within.

Although family centered care and natural environment services have been heralded as the ideal model in early childhood intervention and have been mandated by Part C of IDEA, research demonstrates that family centered principles are still not adhered to in many early childhood programs. Previous research in this area is lacking with regard to the limited diversity of participants (i.e., white, middle-class woman) and perspectives (i.e., childcare providers). This dissertation reports the results of a study that took into account perspectives of multiple stakeholders in early intervention including families, service providers, and program directors in order to understand the full range of difficulties and supports experienced when providing family centered care in the natural environment. This qualitative study used grounded theory methods to analyze information gathered through semi-structured interviews to elaborate the barriers and facilitators experienced in family centered care and natural environment services. The core theme identified in the data was the tension between the resources available to early intervention and the ideals of best practice. This core finding was supported by three themes regarding facilitators and barriers to service provision. Two of these, the need for theoretical buy-in to the model and the challenges of negotiating roles in family centered care, emerged as either facilitators or barriers, depending on service provider roles. The third theme was common across the data and indicated that the major barrier to natural environment services was the management of scarce resources.

Wordsworth¡¦s Ecological Concepts Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to explore Wordsworth¡¦s concepts of ecology, with emphasis on the relationship between human community and the natural world. Since ecology is closely related to man and nature, it is necessary to discuss man¡¦s relations with the natural world. In Wordsworth¡¦s works, we see many ecological concepts such as man¡¦s adaptation to his habitats, the mutual relationship between people and nature, and the catastrophic results of people¡¦s intervention with the natural world; however, his ecological ideas are often overlooked by critics. Therefore, in this thesis, I would like to examine Wordsworth¡¦s works from an ecological point of view. In the first chapter, I discuss Wordsworth¡¦s ecological concepts, with emphasis on how human beings can live in harmony with the living environment. My discussion shows how Wordsworth advocates a harmonious relationship between man and nature and how he insists that man should be an engaged participant in his interaction with the natural environment. In the second chapter, I discuss Wordsworth¡¦s reaction to the changing living environment. I will show the changes in his living environment and examine Wordsworth¡¦s reaction to these changes. Through my discussion of his ecological concepts, I will claim that Wordsworth is an ecologist who understands the complex relationship between human beings and their dwelling places and who believes that the destruction of the natural world must impoverish human beings.

This thesis is an architectural exploration of The Serpentine Fen Wildlife Area in Surrey, British Columbia as a public park and an opportunity for environmental education for children. As public education becomes more environmentally conscious, there is a need for architecture that supports how the child interacts with and perceives their natural environments. This thesis proposes the use of a single architectural element as a transition between multiple site conditions to create a dynamic link between earth, air, water which affords the abilitity for a relationship to be developed between the user and their environment. This element will consistently be present in the user’s journey through the site and serves to encourage interaction with the identified site conditions. The thesis investigates how this continous element acts as locus, datum, frame, reference, stage and devise to enhance the child’s experience of nature.

In this study a multiple-baseline design was used to determine the effectiveness of three different modeling sequences in increasing cooperative behavior in children in a laboratory situation. The research also assessed the short- and long-term effects of the laboratory procedures on children's behavior in a free-play setting. Subjects were 9 pairs of preschool-aged children. In the laboratory situation pairs of subjects performed a block-stacking task which allowed them to respond either cooperatively or independently. Following baseline periods of varying lengths, the pairs of children were exposed to one of three videotapes of cooperative models. In Tape 1 adult models demonstrated cooperative behavior, but exhibited no verbal behavior. In Tape 2 the models made positive statements about cooperation contiguous with the demonstration of cooperative behavior. In Tape 3 the models demonstrated cooperation, made contiguous positive statements about cooperation, and in addition, they received differential positive reinforcement for cooperation. Although three of nine teams showed a significant increase in mutually cooperative responding, consistent multiple baseline control was not demonstrated. Therefore, it could not be conclusively stated that the videotaped cooperative models were effective in increasing children 1 s mutually cooperative responding in the laboratory. A significant increase in parallel play was noted between laboratory partners in free-play periods immediately following the laboratory sessions; however, this increased interaction was not obvious when 5-day and 6-week follow-up observations were made.

In this study a multiple-baseline design was used to determine the effectiveness of three different modeling sequences in increasing cooperative behavior in children in a laboratory situation. The research also assessed the short- and long-term effects of the laboratory procedures on children's behavior in a free-play setting. Subjects were 9 pairs of preschool-aged children. In the laboratory situation pairs of subjects performed a block-stacking task which allowed them to respond either cooperatively or independently. Following baseline periods of varying lengths , the pairs of children were exposed to one of three videotapes of cooperative models . In Tape l adult models demonstrated cooperative behavior, but exhibited no verbal behavior. In Tape 2 the models made positive statements about cooperation contiguous with the demonstration of cooperative behavior. In Tape 3 the models demonstrated cooperation, made contiguous positive statements about cooperation, and in addition, they received differential positive reinforcement for cooperation. Although three of nine teams showed a significant increase in mutually cooperative responding, consistent multiple baseline control was not demonstrated . Therefore, it could not be conclusively stated that the videotaped cooperative models were effective in increasing children's mutually cooperative responding in the laboratory. A significant increase in parallel play was noted between laboratory partners in free-play periods immediately following the laboratory sessions; however, this increased interaction was not obvious when 5-day and 6-week follow-up observations were made.

No abstract Provided. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

This thesis explores the relationship between the "constructed" (built) environment and the natural environment. What defines such a relationship and can the relationship be formulated? Surely a successful union is much like a marriage whereby one part is better than either of the individual parts. This thesis is an exploration into that relationship. It explores the nature of the built environment through the construction in the natural environment. In addition, it explores the possibility of utilizing a set of guidelines to assist the designer in the creation of such a relationship. The project type (Retreat Center) itself opens the door to possibilities by carving out the natural environment. It proposes that through careful design considerations a harmony can exist between man's built environs and the earth's natural environment. / Master of Architecture

Borders and border barriers can be breached and boundaries and political agendas can change. The Great Walls of China, Hadrian's Wall, and the Iron Curtain have lost their strategic value. Walls are contested presently in the Middle East. And the unpopulated DMZ in Korea, while still of strategic value, is being recognized for its biodiversity and resurgence of endangered flora and fauna. Presently, the United States is building a defensive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in the name of national security and to stem the tide of drug and human trafficking. In the process it has waived numerous environmental laws thereby putting transboundary ecosystems in danger of irreparable harm. Why should there be interest? For the reason, as put forth by Mumme and Ibáñez, that while much attention has been paid to adverse environmental effects within the United States, "little attention has been given to the potentially complicated effects of the international boundary, water, and environmental agreements to which [the United States and Mexico] are party should Mexico choose to press its rights at the level of international law. . . . As international treaties and protocols, these agreements enjoy a legal standing that may supersede the authority of most domestic legislation." The implications are far reaching. Mexico has sent diplomatic notes to the U.S. embassy in Mexico and to the U.S. Department of State, and the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT), Mexico's environment secretariat, has held informal talks with the Department of the Interior (DOI) and with the Secretary of Homeland Security--all apparently of no avail. Canada's notes have been similarly ignored by the Department of Homeland Security. What then for the U.S-Mexico border fence? Will it eventually become a relic of past political policy? Is the United States to ignore the lessons of the past and void its environmental treaties and agreements with Mexico? Should we not be concentrating on comprehensive immigration reform and the causes of drug abuse in the United States rather than a short-term solution to long-term problems?