This research explores the relationship between mindsets and divergent thinking skills. Specifically, the research questions sought to answer whether there was a positive association between a higher presence of divergent thinking skills and a creative growth mindset, as well as the impact environment has on creative growth. A total of 184 second and sixth grade students from a larger urban school district were surveyed. Data collection included: student surveys, two divergent thinking assessments, direct observation of the students and teacher notes. Results indicate most students identify with a creative growth mindset, but are lacking specific strategies to demonstrate creative growth. In addition, reflective survey results revealed the impact environment can have in helping students recognize and apply the specific strategies and characteristics highly creative people possess.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. Jeanette Taylor, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Aug. 27, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1995. / Includes copy of the seminar, with dual paging. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-172).

As online K-12 education becomes more prevalent, there arises a need to examine caring as it is experienced in technology-mediated contexts. The first article in this dissertation examines the definition of the term "caring pedagogies" and synthesizes relevant research helpful to understanding its application in a variety of contexts, including the technology-mediated context. The literature review is organized in the following categories: understanding caring pedagogy (defining and measuring), developing caring characteristics in individuals, developing caring communities, and developing caring in unique contexts. This article concludes that more research related to care is necessary in contexts other than the early childhood education context. The technology-mediated context would greatly benefit from such research. The second article in this dissertation investigates the experience of two teachers and four students in the Open High School of Utah and how they engaged in technology-mediated caring. Findings indicated that teachers care for students in this context by gaining a deep understanding of the student through shared perspective, continuous dialogue, and vigilant observation. Based on this understanding, teachers execute caring actions with the purpose of structuring the learning environment, attending to students' individual academic needs, and attending to students' well-being. Students completed the caring relationship by reacting to teachers' caring actions and acknowledging the care they received. The third article in this dissertation investigates technology choices conducive to creating and nurturing caring relationships in technology-mediated contexts. This article is based on the experience of the two teachers and four students in the Open High School of Utah. This study provides guidelines to help educators make technology choices that are effective in knowing the student, executing acts in the student's best interest, and receiving student reactions. Although research related to information and communication technologies has produced various useful frameworks for online education related to presence and immediacy, investigating technology-mediated caring has the potential to greatly enrich this scholarly discourse.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore conditions under which the human spirit flowers in modern organisations. The topic of the thesis was sparked by prolonged study at the Master’s level of the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, modern servant leadership theorist. Greenleaf was concerned with the ways and the conditions in which the human spirit flowers. He wrote a number of essays on the topic (Greenleaf, 1996b). He often questioned what organisations as they currently stood were doing to help people grow as whole people. As workers spend increasing amounts of time in the workplace, organisations continue to seek ways in which to increase employee satisfaction and decrease the compartmentalising of human experience. The geographical context of study is that of Aotearoa/New Zealand with participants selected from the Church Educational System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Tāmaki-makau-rau/Auckland region. The Church Educational System, or CES, is a worldwide religious education provider headquartered in the Western United States. The context for study was chosen based on my perceived personal growth as a student for nine years in the CES programmes and my desire to understand how the programme was administered in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The project employs a qualitative methodology using as primary data gathering methods in-depth interviews with three CES directors, three focus groups made up of sixteen volunteer teachers, classroom observations, and document analysis. Using Greenleaf’s descriptions of the servant leader as a central focus, I attempt through this qualitative study to address the central research question: How does the Church Educational System (CES) nurture servant leaders? The central metaphor of the garden was used in processing and analysing data. The garden metaphor was intended to assist in the conceptualisation of relationships of service as they are at work in the lives of participants. Identified relationships of service from the findings were between participants co-workers (plants), love (life-force), Jesus Christ (sun), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (plot), purpose (strength), Aotearoa/New Zealand (soil), exemplars (canopy), experience (seasons), Church Educational System (gardener), positions, training, programmes (gardener tools), growth (colour/aroma/fruit), knowledge (water), and organisational care (pruning/transplanting). Findings indicated that nurturing in the Church Educational System is influenced by the ability of the organisation to bring people together in meaningful ways. Findings also show that understanding relationships of service that make up whole people may be an important step for organisations in the nurturing of servant leaders. Nurturing in the CES appears to be taking place in three primary areas: balancing, renewal, and regeneration. The findings of this study have significance for those inside and outside of the CES. A chapter is dedicated to exploring possible application of findings in variant organisational contexts. Providing consistent formal and informal opportunities for sharing in spirit and intellect at the organisational level appears to be a key in the nurturing of servant leaders in organisations.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore conditions under which the human spirit flowers in modern organisations. The topic of the thesis was sparked by prolonged study at the Master’s level of the writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, modern servant leadership theorist. Greenleaf was concerned with the ways and the conditions in which the human spirit flowers. He wrote a number of essays on the topic (Greenleaf, 1996b). He often questioned what organisations as they currently stood were doing to help people grow as whole people. As workers spend increasing amounts of time in the workplace, organisations continue to seek ways in which to increase employee satisfaction and decrease the compartmentalising of human experience. The geographical context of study is that of Aotearoa/New Zealand with participants selected from the Church Educational System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Tāmaki-makau-rau/Auckland region. The Church Educational System, or CES, is a worldwide religious education provider headquartered in the Western United States. The context for study was chosen based on my perceived personal growth as a student for nine years in the CES programmes and my desire to understand how the programme was administered in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The project employs a qualitative methodology using as primary data gathering methods in-depth interviews with three CES directors, three focus groups made up of sixteen volunteer teachers, classroom observations, and document analysis. Using Greenleaf’s descriptions of the servant leader as a central focus, I attempt through this qualitative study to address the central research question: How does the Church Educational System (CES) nurture servant leaders? The central metaphor of the garden was used in processing and analysing data. The garden metaphor was intended to assist in the conceptualisation of relationships of service as they are at work in the lives of participants. Identified relationships of service from the findings were between participants co-workers (plants), love (life-force), Jesus Christ (sun), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (plot), purpose (strength), Aotearoa/New Zealand (soil), exemplars (canopy), experience (seasons), Church Educational System (gardener), positions, training, programmes (gardener tools), growth (colour/aroma/fruit), knowledge (water), and organisational care (pruning/transplanting). Findings indicated that nurturing in the Church Educational System is influenced by the ability of the organisation to bring people together in meaningful ways. Findings also show that understanding relationships of service that make up whole people may be an important step for organisations in the nurturing of servant leaders. Nurturing in the CES appears to be taking place in three primary areas: balancing, renewal, and regeneration. The findings of this study have significance for those inside and outside of the CES. A chapter is dedicated to exploring possible application of findings in variant organisational contexts. Providing consistent formal and informal opportunities for sharing in spirit and intellect at the organisational level appears to be a key in the nurturing of servant leaders in organisations.

abstract: ABSTRACT Early childhood education (ECE) teacher professional development refers to the various modalities of providing new and or additional content knowledge to the teachers who work with children birth to five. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an Arizona United Way-administered intervention project designed to provide focused professional development activities to 15 ECE teachers at seven high-need, center-based early care and education settings. Specifically, this study determined if these interventions influenced the teachers to undertake formative career path changes such as college coursework. In addition, the study also sought to understand the views, beliefs, and attitudes of these ECE teachers and if/how their perspectives influenced their educational career paths. Data were gathered through the triangulated use of participants' responses to a survey, face-to-face interviews, and a focus group. Findings demonstrate that the teachers understand that professional development, such as college coursework, can increase a person's knowledge on a given topic or field of study, but that they feel qualified to be a teacher for children birth to five even though 12 of the 15 teachers do not hold an AA/AAS or BA/BS degree in any area of study. Further, the teachers suggested that if they were to earn a degree it would most likely be in another field of study beside education. These responses provide another reason professional development efforts to encourage ECE teachers to seek degrees in the field of education may be failing. If ECE teachers wanted to invest time, energy and funds they would acquire a degree, which provided more financial reward and professional respect.  / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2011

This thesis researched the development and nurturing of koinonia in a small group setting as a way of building up a church with spiritual (qualitative) and numerical (quantitative) growth as one of the results. When considering church growth a small group ministry is an important alternative to the standard church practice. Chapter 2 reviewed the purpose of the church, and explored the concept of building up the church using Biblical concepts as its basis for doing so. Chapter 3 deals with the role of koinonia in building up the church and its impact on church growth. It also identifies the ministry of small groups as being the most suitable method to develop and nurture koinonia amongst members of a congregation. The ministry of small groups has a great practical potential for the church. It enables members of the congregation to identify and use their spiritual gifts and talents, and in so doing, discover their value and identity in Jesus Christ. Chapter 4 documents the findings of empirical research conducted amongst three South Korean Presbyterian churches that practice the ministry of small groups. The views of the three senior pastors were on the value of small groups were ascertained. This was followed by a detailed study, of the workings and effects of small groups covering 205 respondents spread across the three congregations. Based on the findings of the research, chapter 5 presents a proposed plan to build up the church, encouraging church growth through the development and nurturing of koinonia through a small groups ministry. The study proposes a seven fold approach to the implementation of a small group ministry designed to stimulate spiritual and numerical growth through the development and nurturing of koinonia amongst church members. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie tesis ondersoek die ontwikkeling en beoefening van koinonia (gemeenskapsbewustheid) in klein groepe as 'n wyse om die kerk se geestelike (kwalitatiewe) en getalle (kwantitatiewe) groei te bevorder. Met die oog op die groei van die kerk is die kleingroep-bediening 'n belangrike alternatief vir die standaard kerklike praktyk. Hoofstuk 2 bekyk die doel van die kerk, veral die opbou van die kerk volgens die Bybel se begrip daarvan. Hoofstuk 3 handel oor die rol van koinonia in die opbou van die kerk en die invloed daarvan op die ontwikkeling van die kerk. Die kleingroep-bediening is geidentifiseer as die mees gepaste metode om koinonia tussen die lidmate van die gemeente te stimuleer. Die kleingroep-bediening het 'n groot potensiaal vir die praktyk van die kerk. Dit stel lidmate in staat om hulle geestelike gawes en talente te ontdek, en op die wyse hulle waarde en identiteit in Jesus Christus te ontdek. Hoofstuk 4 dokumenteer die bevindings van die empiriese navorsing by drie Suid-Koreaanse Presbiteriaanse kerke wat 'n kleingroep-bediening toepas. Die drie senior leraars se seining van die waarde van klein groepe is verkry. Daarop volg 'n gedetailleerde studie van die werking en uitwerking van klein groepe soos verkry van 205 respondente vanuit die drie gemeentes. Op grond van die bevindings van die navorsing stel hoofstuk 5 'n plan voor om die kerk op te bou en kerkgroei aan te moedig deur die beoefening van koinonia in 'n klein groepe. Die studie stel 'n sewevoudige benadering voor vir die toepassing van 'n kleingroep-bediening wat ontwerp in om geestelike en getalle groei te stimuleer deur die beoefening van koinonia tussen gemeentelede. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Child development--Father's personality--Early child-care experience of fathers--Playfulness--Employment--Marriage status--Psychological support--Middle-class fathers.

This study examined the relationships between family structure (organization and control), family process (cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict) with parenting sense of competency (parenting efficacy) for mothers (n = 138) engaged in Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) related activities. Family structure in this study looked at how the family system is organized regarding clarity of family rules. In addition, family processes of the research participants looked at daily family routines and interactions. General parenting self-efficacy, task-specific self-efficacy for nurturance, and task-specific self-efficacy for teaching which are the dependent variables, looked at the degree to which parents feel competent and capable of solving problems related to these processes in the parent-child relationship. Research questions were answered using multivariate analysis of canonical correlational analysis (CCA) to examine the associations between the independent and dependent variables. Results showed significant relationship between family structure variables of control and organization and parents' self-report of their general efficacy and their task specific efficacy for teaching and nurturing. The study also showed an inverse relationship between process variable of conflict and overall self-efficacy of parents' and their task specific efficacy for teaching and nurturing.