Née d’un travail partenarial entre le Groupement des Amis des Parcs Naturels Régionaux du Sud-Est (GAPSE) et l’Université Savoie Mont Blanc, cette thèse, réalisée dans le cadre d’une convention CIFRE, s’intéresse au volet participatif de la Gestion Intégrée de la Ressource en Eau (GIRE) dans les Parcs Naturels Régionaux de montagne du Sud-Est français.L’étude se fonde sur le retour d’expérience et l’analyse réflexive du programme de recherche-action-collaborative et participative « L’eau, entre mémoire et devenir », initié en 2008 par le GAPSE. À partir d’une méthode d’enquête auprès des acteurs clefs, elle identifie, dans ces territoires, une trentaine d’actions relevant du volet participatif de la GIRE. Le recensement et l’examen de ces actions et de leurs conditions de mise en œuvre, amènent à construire une représentation, sous forme de modèle évolutif, de cette approche participative de la GIRE. Les PNR s’inventent alors en nouveaux territoires de l’eau. En dépassant le strict cadre de la gestion par bassin, l’analyse approfondie des jeux, logiques et paysages actoriels œuvrant dans la mise en place de ces actions permet de questionner ce nouveau statut.Ce travail montre que, malgré une évolution législative liée à la réforme territoriale, restreignant les prérogatives des PNR en matière de gestion de la ressource en eau, des formes innovantes de démarches participatives s’observent, allant au-delà des dispositifs institutionnels de concertation de la GIRE.Ces initiatives volontaires, issues des collectivités, du milieu associatif ou encore de divers collectifs citoyens, sont souvent encore disparates et manquent de cohérence et de liant entre elles. L’action publique doit ainsi composer avec cette diversité d’acteurs et d’actions, aux objectifs et formes variés. Se dessine alors un enjeu d’articulation des démarches participatives et d’innovation en matière de participation citoyenne, auquel ce travail tente de répondre en proposant un guide méthodologique de mise en œuvre d’une GIRE participative fondé sur le retour d’expérience des PNR du Sud-Est. / The thesis arises from a partnership work between the association “ le Groupement des Amis des Parcs Naturels Régionaux du Sud-Est ” (GAPSE) and the “Savoie Mont Blanc ” University. It was made within the CIFRE agreement (Industrial agreement of learning/training by research). The PhD focuses on the participatory component of the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in the regional nature parks in the south-east of France.The study relies on the feedback and the analysis of the participatory action research program called “L’Eau entre mémoire et devenir” (“Water between memory and future”), which has been created in 2008 by the GAPSE. Based on a survey methodology of key actors, the thesis identifies around thirty participatory actions under the IWRM. The census and analysis of these actions and of their implementation conditions led to build a dynamic model about the participatory approach of IWRM.We examine the regional nature parks status, as news water territories, beyond the narrower confines of watershed-based management, on the basis of a thorough and integrated analysis of actors’ interactions.This study shows that these territories can generate innovative participatory actions going beyond just the institutional conciliation scheme, based on a representative system. These actions arise despite the legislative change, due to a territorial reform, which restrict water prerogatives of regional nature parks.However, these voluntary initiatives implemented by the territorial authorities, associations or citizen collective organizations are still disparate and lack of coherence and coordination between them.The public action has to deal with a diversity of actors and actions with various objectives. The real issue becomes citizen participatory initiatives articulation. This PhD tries to answer to this challenge by proposing a methodological guide about the IWRM implementation, based on the regional nature parks feedbacks.

This qualitative participatory action research project examined how the spiritual dimension in pastoral therapy served as a life-giving resource to facilitate healing and growth in the lives of three Christian female university students. A postmodern epistomology, social construction theory and a contextual feminist theology informed the praxis of pastoral narrative therapy. The themes of subjectivity, meaning, religious development and religious experience were the focus of this study. Narrative practices were engaged in to utilise spiritual talk in the co-construction of an alternative relational identity with the research participants. The theory of religious development is discussed from a social constructionist perspective with an accent on a personal relationship with God as central to the developmental process. The religious experiences of the participants contributed to a spiritual awareness of being connected, in a dynamic way, to God, that transformed the clients' perceptions of problems and ways of addressing problems in their lives. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

This research regarding power/knowledge abuse within the church was conducted within the postmodern social construction discourse and in the context of narrative therapy, feminist theology and practical theology. It presents a chronicle of five individuals who experienced abuse within their congregations. It reflects on the co-authoring journey of these five individuals personally and within the context of the narrative group. As part of the narrative group they came to re-author their lives around what they had experienced regarding abuse within their churches. Together they challenged those dominant structures that are so often hidden just below `sacred' tradition. In conclusion the five individuals experienced a renaissance within themselves and their personal theology of God and His dealings within the church. This renaissance has led them to seek out others who have experienced this form of abuse and to give them the hope that they discovered together. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology - with specialisation in Pastoral Therapy)

This study investigates the terms, dialogue, structure and active learning in Open Distance Learning texts in aa constructivist and problem-solving approach. In-text activities are imbedded in selfstudy texts. Their construct is validated against appropriate instructional design and learning theories for active learning. A course team developed, implemented and piloted a Unisa course for mathematics teachers in South Africa. The results describe their professional development through action learning. The Tornado-approach affects teams in organisations. A team used participatory action research and action learning with rich descriptions to document the longitudinal case study of four action research cycles over eight years. Qualitative research involved a literature survey, notes, portfolios, mindmaps, letters, interviews, document analyses, and assessment results. Our action research demonstrates ways to implement a post-modern learning design in an industrialized institution. The researcher applies action learning in professional development, in team management, and suggests models for successful/unsuccessful teams (tornado-effect). / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

Abstracts Data and information accumulated during several years of questionnaire and checklist surveys; site visits and walk-thorough investigations in some small and medium-sized enterprises provided the basis of this thesis. Seven articles are included in this thesis, dealing with workers' physical, physiological, cognitive and psychosocial issues. The data were collected on the target group of workers from different work sites in Bangladesh for a comprehensive assessment of tasks, jobs and ergonomic issues. Jobs and tasks were classified according to the job content and task activity they performed. Most of the subjects were interviewed and some of them volunteered for physiological tests to bring attention to their occupational exposure to potentially strenuous activities in a hot and humid climate. The results showed that their working environment was non-ergonomic, not only because of the work-related problems themselves but also because of stressful tasks, extensive use of muscle force, old machinery, economic constraints, and a lack of enforcement of work regulations and labour legislation. The findings also demonstrated that the workers were associated with an increased risk of occupational hazards due to various local reasons. The results of the case studies give some insight towards a better understanding of health, safety and ergonomics applications that may contribute to bring working society together and initiate a broad-based improvement of the working environment in many developing countries like Bangladesh. The practical concern of this thesis is to improve the design of the workstation as well as to improve a worker's safe manipulation of tools and equipment and control of machinery, critical posture, and so on. This thesis also attempts to contribute the author's own views and suggestions with the hope of drawing workers' and employers' awareness and public attention towards unsafe acts and conditions, and for increasing the implementation of work regulations and labour legislation. In order to discern probable solutions, this thesis implies a prerequisite of low cost engineering solutions in the small and medium-sized enterprises. As such, it outlines applications of locally available technology utilising practical knowledge, which also provide practical approaches so that work-tasks are less stressful but productive, and safe. So, to help ergonomic application to be effective, some technical measures appropriate for local environments are thus illustrated that can be directly implemented in the developing countries like Bangladesh to prevent and control work-related problems. However, the ultimate improvement will depend on the attitude of the people involved at all levels of an interactive system, while health and safety measures are introduced in synchronisation with local systems and/or existing environments. Emphasising the workers' cognitive, psychosocial and socio-economic improvement through self-help and self-care strategies, this thesis also concludes with the belief that the attitude of the local workers, and an indifferent working culture are the arbiters of work-related problems. It is therefore essential that a concrete implementation of locally available measures be made, establishing ergonomic changes in collaboration with all the parties concerned for particular job-tasks and work processes. To help initiate this process, a more work-thorough investigation is necessary through the guidance of co-ordinated research and studies. For this, an understanding of employers' attitudes and workers' involvement is essential; as well as having a grasp of the logic and reasoning behind workplace survey and the need for adequate injury records and work-related information. / Tiivistelmä Väitöskirjaan sisältyy seitsemän artikkelia, jotka käsittelevät työntekijöiden fyysisiä, fysiologisia, kognitiivisia ja psykososiaalisia asioita. Tiedot kerättiin eri kohteista Bangladeshissa keskittyen työtehtävien arviointiin ja ergonomiaan liittyviin tekijöihin. Aineisto on kerätty useiden vuosien ajan kyselykaavakkeiden ja tarkastuslistojen avulla; vierailut ja tutkimukset paikan päällä pienissä ja keskisuurissa yrityksissä muodostivat perustan tälle väitöskirjalle. Työtehtävät jaettiin sisällön ja aktiviteetin mukaan. Tutkimukseen osallistuneita työntekijöitä haastateltiin ja jotkut heistä olivat vapaaehtoisia fysiologisiin testeihin, joilla selvitettiin heidän altistumistaan mahdollisesti rasittaviin töihin kuumassa ja kosteassa ympäristössä. Tulokset osoittivat, että tutkittujen henkilöiden työympäristö oli epäergonominen, ei ainoastaan työhön liittyvien ongelmien takia, vaan myös stressin, liiallisen voimankäytön, vanhojen koneiden, taloudellisten tekijöiden sekä työhön liittyvien säännösten ja lainsäädännön puutteiden vuoksi. Tulokset osoittivat myös, että työntekijöiden riski työtapaturmiin oli kasvanut paikallisten syiden takia. Tulokset auttavat paremmin ymmärtämään terveys-, turvallisuus- ja ergonomiasovelluksia, joiden avulla työyhteisöjen osapuolet voivat käynnistää laaja-alaisen työympäristön parantamisen monissa kehitysmaissa kuten Bangladeshissä. Väitöskirjan käytännöllisen puolen tarkoituksena on työpisteiden ja -paikkojen suunnittelu ja työkalujen turvallisen käytön ja koneiden hallinnan sekä työasentojen edistäminen. Väitöskirja tuo myös esille kirjoittajan omia ehdotuksia ja näkökantoja mahdollisuuksiin lisätä työntekijöiden sekä työnantajien että julkista huomiota, vaarallisiin työtehtäviin ja -oloihin. Väitöstyö pyrkii lisäämään työn säännösten ja työvoimalainsäädännön huomioon ottoa. Työ esittelee myös teknisiä ratkaisuja pieniin ja keskisuuriin yrityksiin. Väitöskirja esittelee sovelluksia, joita paikallisen teknologian puitteissa voidaan käyttää hyväksi. Lisäksi se tarjoaa ergonomisia malleja, jotta työt olisivat vähemmän rasittavia ja sekä tuottavia että turvallisia. Ergonomisen toimenpiteen tehokkuus on pyritty nojaamaan myös paikallisuuteen. Ne voidaan suoraan toteuttaa kehitysmaassa, kuten Bangladeshissä estämään ja kontrolloimaan työperäisiä ongelmia. Kuitenkin lopulliset parannukset riippuvat paikallisten ihmisten asenteista, joita on vuorovaikutteisen järjestelmäkokonaisuuden kaikkien osapuolien tasoilla. Terveys- ja turvallisuustekijät esitetään liitettyinä paikalliseen kulttuuriin ja yhteiskuntaan tai olemassa olevaan ympäristöön. Painottaen työntekijöiden kognitiivisia, psykososiaalisia ja sosioekonomisia parannuksia oman avun kautta tämä väitöskirja myös päätyy siihen, että paikallisten työntekijöiden asenteet ja välinpitämätön työkulttuuri voivat olla työperäisten ongelmien alkusyitä. Sen tähden on olennaista, että paikallisten toimenpiteiden konkreettinen toteutus saadaan aikaan. Ergonomiset muutokset tehdään yhteistyössä kaikkien työprosessin osapuolten kanssa. Jotta tätä kehitysprosessia helpotettaisiin, on tehtävä enemmän toimenpiteitä myös tutkimuksen ja opiskelun alueilla. Tämän takia työnantajien asenteiden ymmärtäminen ja työntekijöiden osallistuminen on olennaista; sekä se, että löydetään käsitys toimenpiteiden logiikasta ja seurauksista työpaikalla. Näiden lisäksi tarvitaan myös onnettomuusrekisteri sekä työtä koskevaa informaatiota.

Currently, southern Louisiana faces extreme land loss that could reach an alarming rate of about one football sized swath of land every hour. The combined effect of land subsidence and predicted sea level rise threaten the culture and livelihood of the residents living in this region. As the most vulnerable coastal population in Louisiana, the communities of south Terrebonne Parish are called to adapt by accommodating, protecting, or retreating from the impacts of climate change. For effective preparation planning, the state of Louisiana needs to 1) understand the adaptation preferences and responses of these residents and 2) involve these vulnerable communities in adaptation related decision making. The study uses a survey-based methodology to analyze current adaptation preferences. Findings suggest that protection is the preferred adaptation response. The present study additionally uses participatory techniques to develop a land loss awareness mobile application to illustrate the importance and benefits of community collaboration.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Libya, as one of the third world countries, is struggling to address the issue of transformation and various institutional reforms (including the education system). For example, it has been observed that many biology teachers are faced with challenges relating to both subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) yet the expectation of the new curriculum is that biology teachers demonstrate professional efficacy in their work regardless of the challenges they face. In light of this, a group of Libyan secondary school biology teachers was investigated in Tripoli through a participatory action research process. The study was underpinned by the Shulman theory of PCK using a mixed-methods design to generate an understanding of the theory of basic knowledge of teaching. This investigation examined the influence of an in-service training programme consisting of three components of PCK namely: teachers‘ subject matter knowledge (SMK); use of instructional strategies; and understanding of learners on a group of Libyan biology teachers‘ instructional practices. On the one hand, the investigation considered their theoretical knowledge, and their experiences during the professional development programme aimed at designing new teaching and learning activities and materials while on the other hand, it considered their practical knowledge in terms of their professional skills or their practical use of what has been learned during their pre-service training as well as what they learned during the professional development programme. Specifically, the study focused on biology teachers from the Hai Alandalus District (Libya). This representation enabled me to unveil the PCK components held to some extent by the Libyan teachers in general. Moreover, the PCK representation has also enabled me to clarify the category of the teachers‘ PCK in the Libyan context especially as their PCK was unknown at the commencement of the study. The findings have shown that the professional development used in the study facilitated the biology teachers‘ ability in several ways such as increased their PCK and SMK; improved their ability to organize activity-based lessons; increased their desire to use a variety of instructional strategies; increased the understanding of their learners‘ needs; improved their awareness that their learners‘ performance is not unrelated to their socio-economic background; and so on. Overall, the findings suggest that designing and implementing new teaching and learning activities and materials based on the teachers‘ knowledge, experiences, and needs, in a workshop context could provide an enabling learning environment for them as well as facilitate their potential to provide a powerful means for increasing their PCK, SMK and understanding their learners. The study also reveals that there is a great necessity for designers to mount professional development programmes that take into consideration the teachers‘ PCK to meaningfully promote their professional development and instructional practices.

AFRIKAANS: Die doel van hierdie studie was om te beskryf op welke wyse ek, in samewerking met die deelnemers aan my studie, ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan ontwikkel het. Die behoefte aan ‘n gestruktureerde MIV&VIGS-skoolplan het ontstaan tydens ‘n omvattende navorsingsprojek, waarvan hierdie studie deel uitmaak en waartydens laerskoolonderwysers die behoefte uitgespreek het om MIV&VIGS-geïnfekteerde en -geaffekteerde kinders beter te ondersteun. Ek het my studie vanuit ‘n interpretivistiese benadering onderneem en my navorsingsproses verdeel in drie fases, wat onderlê is deur deelnemende aksienavorsingsbeginsels. ‘n Gevallestudie is as navorsingsontwerp gebruik. Agt laerskoolonderwysers, in ‘n informele nedersettingsgemeenskap binne die Nelson Mandela Metropool, is by wyse van gerieflikheid geselekteer. Deur die verloop van hierdie studie het ek ‘n multi-metodiese benadering geïmplementeer. Gedurende Fase 1 het ek eerstens relevante verwante studies binne die omvattende navorsingsprojek tematies ge-analiseer, om deelnemers se idees en behoeftes betreffende ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan te identifiseer. Tweedens het ek gedurende ‘n eerste veldbesoek twee fokusgroepbesprekings gefasiliteer, om te bepaal wat deelnemers se bestaande kennis met betrekking tot die Departement van Onderwys se Nasionale MIV&VIGS-Beleid was; wat hulle onderliggende rasionaal vir die ontwikkeling van die MIV&VIGS-skoolplan was; wat die moontlike inhoud van ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan sou behels; asook hoe en deur wie die MIV&VIGS-skoolplan aangewend en benut sou kon word. Hierna het ek die rou data getranskribeer en op tematiese wyse ge-analiseer en geïnterpreteer. Ek het voortdurend gebruik gemaak van observasies, wat vasgelê is in die vorm van veldnotas, asook foto’s. Vir Fase 2 het ek tydens ‘n tweede veldbesoek ‘n deelnemende aksienavorsingswerkswinkel gefasiliteer. Gedurende hierdie werkswinkel is die inhoud van die MIV&VIGS-skoolplan verfyn en gefinaliseer. Vervolgens het Fase 3 die dokumentering van die MIV&VIGS-skoolplan behels, in die vorm van ‘n formele dokument en ‘n plakkaat. Tydens my derde veldbesoek, met die bekendstelling van die skool as Resource and Support Centre in die gemeenskap, is die MIV&VIGS-skoolplan in tweeledige vorm (plakkaat en formele dokument) aan die skoolhoof oorhandig. Die gebruik van ‘n navorsingsjoernaal het my in staat gestel om deurgaans my persoonlike opinies, reflektiewe gedagtes en indrukke van my navorsingstudie aan te teken. Tydens data-analise het ek drie temas geïdentifiseer. Eerstens is die onderliggende rasionaal vir ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan bepaal, waar verbandhoudende subtemas aangedui het dat onderwysers hulle kennis en vaardighede wou oordra na ander skole in die omgewing ter ondersteuning van die breër gemeenskap; dat die oordrag van kennis en vaardighede om geïnfekteerde en geaffekteerde kinders in die klaskamer meer effektief te ondersteun ’n behoefte was; en dat die behoefte verder bestaan het om kennis en vaardighede te dokumenteer in die vorm van ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan. Tweedens is die deelnemers se verwagtinge met betrekking tot ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan gepeil, waar moontlike fundamentele beginsels vir ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan en die implementering van ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan, as subtemas geïdentifiseer is. Derdens is die moontlike inhoud van ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan bepaal. Die subtemas wat voorgekom het, was die identifisering en verwysing van geïnfekteerde en geaffekteerde kinders, asook ondersteuning aan hierdie kinders. Op grond van die bevindinge van my studie kan die gevolgtrekking gemaak word dat deelnemende aksienavorsing ‘n moontlike wyse is waarop ‘n MIV&VIGS-skoolplan, in samewerking met onderwysers, ontwikkel kan word. ENGLISH: The purpose of this study was to describe the manner in which I, in collaboration with the participants of the study, developed an HIV&AIDS school plan. The need for a structured HIV&AIDS school plan stemmed from a broad research project of which this study forms part and during which the participating educators expressed the need to support HIV&AIDS infected and affected children more efficiently. I approached the study from an interpretivist perspective, underpinned by action research principles, and divided the research process into three phases. I implemented a case study as research design and selected eight primary school teachers in an informal settlement community in the Nelson Mandela Metropole, by means of convenience sampling. Throughout this study, I followed a multi-methodical approach. During Phase 1, I conducted an analysis of the transcripts of related studies within the broad research project, in order to identify the participants’ needs and ideas, concerning an HIV&AIDS school plan. Secondly, I facilitated two focus group discussions during a first field visit, in an attempt to determine the teachers’ existing knowledge concerning the Department of Education’s National HIV&AIDS Policy; what the underlying rational for the development of an HIV&AIDS school plan could be; what the possible content of such a plan could entail; and how and by whom such a plan would be utilised and used in the classroom. I transcribed the focus group discussions and thematically analysed and interpreted the raw data. Throughout, I made use of observations, captured in the form of field notes and photographs. For Phase 2, I facilitated a participatory action research workshop during a second field visit. During this workshop we finalised the content of the school’s HIV&AIDS plan. The third phase entailed the documentation of the HIV&AIDS school plan, in the form of a formal document and a poster. During my third field visit, at the launch of the school as a Resource and Support Centre in the community, I presented the schools’ principal with the HIV&AIDS school plan, in the form of the formal document and poster. I continuously relied on a research journal to document my personal opinions, reflective thoughts and impressions of the study. Subsequent to the data analysis I completed, three themes emerged. Firstly, the underlying rational for an HIV&AIDS school plan were determined, with sub-themes indicating that educators wanted to transfer their knowledge and skills to other schools in the area to support the wider community; that teachers wanted to transfer their knowledge and skills to support infected and affected children more effectively, and that the need existed for knowledge and skills to be documented in the form of an HIV&AIDS school plan. Secondly, the participants’ expectations of an HIV&AIDS school plan were determined, with the fundamental principles of an HIV&AIDS school plan and the implementation of the plan as related sub-themes. The third main theme indicated the possible content of an HIV&AIDS school plan. This theme comprises sub-themes relating to the identification, referral and support of infected and affected children. Based on the findings of my study, I can conclude that participatory action research might be used to develop an HIV&AIDS school plan, in collaboration with teachers. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The challenges faced by mathematics education reflect the more immense difficulties of the schooling system as a whole. This thesis investigates such challenges in the light of an ethical learning foundation and aims for a transformation through the use of technologies as learning tools.  Interaction design methods are used to craft constructivist learning kits that aim to move mathematics students from passive receivers of knowledge to active learners. The proposed tools modify new technologies by adapting them to teachers’ and learners’ needs to be best suited for mathematics classroom adoption. Additionally, social, political, and economic issues that may hinder the adoption of constructivist learning are presented and critically discussed.  Finally, this thesis paves the way for future designers who aim to design mathematics educational kits by providing a design framework based on the learning theory and the design process presented in this thesis.

This thesis focuses on tribal engagement and tribal consultation in the United States. In the thesis, I discuss my experience working on an interdisciplinary research team completing a formal ethnographic study which was submitted to a federal agency. Using insights gained from this experience and additional experience working with American Indian tribes, I discuss historic, contemporary, and potential future strategies for involving and engaging American Indian tribes in land and resource stewardship decisions in the United States.