It is generally agreed that tourism results in both positive and negative impacts for residents of tourism destinations. There is a need to study resident perceptions of tourism because local residents are the ones who are most directly affected by tourism (Haywood, 2000; Simmons, 1994; Snaith and Haley, 1999). The study of resident perceptions is also valuable in that it can illuminate the views of those whose views are not otherwise heard. Several dozen studies have examined residents' perceptions of tourism and the vast majority of these studies have been rooted in positivism and apply quantitative methods. Recently a growing body of research has emerged which examine residents' perceptions of tourism from a qualitative research approach. <br /><br /> The intent of this study is to determine residents' perceptions of tourism in a rapidly growing mountain tourism destination. The Collingwood region of Ontario was used as the case study for this research. Specifically, this study examines residents' views on the current rate of growth, the costs and benefits of tourism, tourism as an economic development strategy, and the theoretical frameworks which might help to explain tourism in the Collingwood region. <br /><br /> This study is based on three research approaches which include qualitative inquiry, grounded theory, and explanatory case study research. Triangulation of data sources was used to examine the case from multiple perspectives and include a qualitative content analysis of the local newspaper, semi-structured interviews with residents and semi-structured key informant interviews. This data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. <br /><br /> The analysis resulted in the emergence of four major themes including growth, economic, political, and environmental. Growth was the dominant theme discussed by residents and some of the prevalent sub-themes include the lack of affordable housing, infrastructure problems, residential development, and new amenities and services. Some of the sub-themes include the economic benefits of tourism and economic development. Residents' vision for the future and their views on the Collingwood town council are political sub-themes discussed. The two significant environment issues which emerged were concerns over a new resort and housing development and the rapid rate of golf course development. Additionally, residents were asked what types of tourism they consider desirable and the two dominant forms which surfaced were nature/ecotourism and cultural tourism. <br /><br /> The analysis of the findings revealed that residents interviewed view tourism as one component of a larger system of growth and development within the Collingwood region. It was also revealed that most residents were more concerned about the rate and scale of development rather than the type of growth occurring in the Collingwood region. Furthermore, residents' recognize the complex nature of tourism impacts, and identify several indirect and induced impacts which result from tourism. This analysis also revealed that the lack of affordable housing within the region impacts both permanent residents and seasonal migrant workers. Two theoretical frameworks which were examined in relation to tourism in the Collingwood region include chaos systems theory and growth machine theory. <br /><br /> Three recommendations resulted from the research and include the creation of a tourism and urban growth policy and planning committee, a comprehensive affordable housing strategy, and the targeting of small and mid-sized business development.

It is generally agreed that tourism results in both positive and negative impacts for residents of tourism destinations. There is a need to study resident perceptions of tourism because local residents are the ones who are most directly affected by tourism (Haywood, 2000; Simmons, 1994; Snaith and Haley, 1999). The study of resident perceptions is also valuable in that it can illuminate the views of those whose views are not otherwise heard. Several dozen studies have examined residents' perceptions of tourism and the vast majority of these studies have been rooted in positivism and apply quantitative methods. Recently a growing body of research has emerged which examine residents' perceptions of tourism from a qualitative research approach. <br /><br /> The intent of this study is to determine residents' perceptions of tourism in a rapidly growing mountain tourism destination. The Collingwood region of Ontario was used as the case study for this research. Specifically, this study examines residents' views on the current rate of growth, the costs and benefits of tourism, tourism as an economic development strategy, and the theoretical frameworks which might help to explain tourism in the Collingwood region. <br /><br /> This study is based on three research approaches which include qualitative inquiry, grounded theory, and explanatory case study research. Triangulation of data sources was used to examine the case from multiple perspectives and include a qualitative content analysis of the local newspaper, semi-structured interviews with residents and semi-structured key informant interviews. This data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. <br /><br /> The analysis resulted in the emergence of four major themes including growth, economic, political, and environmental. Growth was the dominant theme discussed by residents and some of the prevalent sub-themes include the lack of affordable housing, infrastructure problems, residential development, and new amenities and services. Some of the sub-themes include the economic benefits of tourism and economic development. Residents' vision for the future and their views on the Collingwood town council are political sub-themes discussed. The two significant environment issues which emerged were concerns over a new resort and housing development and the rapid rate of golf course development. Additionally, residents were asked what types of tourism they consider desirable and the two dominant forms which surfaced were nature/ecotourism and cultural tourism. <br /><br /> The analysis of the findings revealed that residents interviewed view tourism as one component of a larger system of growth and development within the Collingwood region. It was also revealed that most residents were more concerned about the rate and scale of development rather than the type of growth occurring in the Collingwood region. Furthermore, residents' recognize the complex nature of tourism impacts, and identify several indirect and induced impacts which result from tourism. This analysis also revealed that the lack of affordable housing within the region impacts both permanent residents and seasonal migrant workers. Two theoretical frameworks which were examined in relation to tourism in the Collingwood region include chaos systems theory and growth machine theory. <br /><br /> Three recommendations resulted from the research and include the creation of a tourism and urban growth policy and planning committee, a comprehensive affordable housing strategy, and the targeting of small and mid-sized business development.

Background: Cancer incidence is increasing among Aboriginal peoples in Canada. The semi-isolated conditions of Northern Saskatchewan provide challenges for both health care workers and patients receiving cancer care. Since limited information exists on the way cancer is perceived and experienced, the purpose of this study was to explore the views of cancer, health and illness among the Woodland Cree in Northern Saskatchewan. </p><p>Methodology: Woodland Cree participants from the Lac La Ronge Band included 6 Elders, 8 cancer survivors, and 12 family members from five northern communities. Being a member of the band and fluent in the traditional language, the principal investigator used a narrative inquiry approach. Perceptions of cancer, health and illness were elicited through 18 personal interviews and two group interviews. Composite story creation and thematic analysis were the two methods used to analyze the data. </p> <p>Findings: Four broad themes were generated from the data. The concepts of health and illness among the Woodland Cree show that there is a complex intertwining of Western and traditional belief systems. Knowledge systems of the Woodland Cree represent the ways of knowing and being, including the seminal role Elders have within the communities as teachers and knowledge keepers. Cancer as experienced by the Woodland Cree reflects the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of having cancer or having a family member with cancer, including the challenges of receiving timely diagnoses and cancer care in isolated northern communities. Straddling both worlds was a theme that meandered throughout the data. The Woodland Cree have the capacity to pick the best from both the Western and traditional worlds, by accessing their inherent survival mechanisms. </p> <p>Discussion: Reluctance to talk about cancer seemed to be a deterrent from participating in the study. Family members need specific support mechanisms apart from the cancer patient and this may not be readily available. Challenges and opportunities for more culturally sensitive ways of providing cancer prevention and care are discussed. Further research is needed to investigate if the findings are reflected among other First Nations.

Consumption of wine is high internationally. There is a tendency of increasing consumption of qulity wine over table wine. The experience of drinking wine is not like drinking any other alcohol beverage, it is more sensual experince because of the sophistication of the taste and flavors that wine possesses. Sweden is not an exeption from the worldwide trend of increasing wine consumption. Moreover, Swedes are developing even more esthetic way of drinking wine, namely combining it with food. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of the Swedish consumers towards wine and in particular towards Bulgarian wine if there are any existent. It further investigates the determinants of the attitudes and perceptions towards wine. Three interviews with representatives of HoReCa (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering) and Systembolaget are conducted. They and the literature review serve as a base for the formulation of hypotheses which have to be supported or rejected with the help of a questionnaire developed for that purpose. The questionnaire is translated in Swedish as it is designed for the Swedish consumers. The current research is descriptive, so only descriptive statistics are used for the analyses of the data collected. The results of the study are really intriguing. Some factors that are mainly con-sidered of great significance turned out as not so important when it comes to the Swedish wine consumers. The interviews gave a really interesting insight about the specific situation on the Swedish alcohol market and the consumption of wine among Swedes. The questionnaires reached their purpose and helped to support or reject the formulated hypotheses and to draw some essential conclusions about the perceptions and attitudes towards Bulgarian wine. Finally, this paper ends with the main conclusions reached by conducting the research, some market implications about wine producing companies that would like to enter the Swedish alcohol market and in particular Bulgarian wine cellars. Then the shortcomings of the study and the future research are dis-cussed.

This study is designed to examine participants’ view of hearing loss as a critical health issue, the attitudes of people toward a person with a hearing impairment, the knowledge level of OSHA regulations pertaining to hearing loss, the general knowledge level of hearing loss and hearing impairment, and its causes, and participants attitudes towards wearing hearing protection. The study design is descriptive and correlational with data collected using a written questionnaire with a controlled population. Results were computed using the means and standard deviation for each factor. The findings indicate that additional education and awareness is essential if changes are to occur in the areas of general knowledge of hearing impairment, the acceptance of hearing protective devices in the work place or school, and better interaction and communication with those who exhibit a hearing impairment. One area of specific improvement must be in how agricultural instructors are trained in the field of safety so that students involved in agricultural sciences are better prepared to protect his/her hearing while performing activities found in the agricultural business.

Perceptions concerning training and development continue to appear in practitioner literature; however, the fact that those perceptions are not explored in HRD literature is a problem. The purpose of this study was to examine perspectives of participants in organization-sponsored training. A general qualitative methodology was utilized in this study. Then, through a social constructivism lens, the researcher looked closely at the interactions described in the trainees? experiences in order to understand their assumptions and how they made sense of their experiences. The researcher collected 10 interviews from participants representing various types of training experiences. The 10 interviewees identified shared experiences that led to the formation of four themes: (1) relevance and applicability, (2) attitudes and preferences, (3) immediacy, and (4) relational learning. Within the first theme, there were three subthemes: (1) responsibility for relevance and application, (2) communicating relevance, and (3) trainees? recognition of relevance and application. Theme 2, immediacy, consisted of three subthemes as well. Immediacy was explained by trainees as verbal, nonverbal, and environmental. No subthemes emerged from the other two themes. Finally, the themes revealed two episodic narratives. The two narratives were "Time is money--Is this worth the time?" and "If you don't care, I don't care." The two episodic narratives, pieced together, disclose the idea of the desired training described by the 10 participants. In conclusion, the findings of the study lead to a number of implications for practice and research. This study demonstrated the importance of trainers and instructional designers to develop clear understandings regarding what trainees think of face-to-face and online training and why they hold those opinions. Also, trainers and/or instructional designers should explore the use of communication and technology theories to develop training modules. In addition to practice, scholars should conduct more qualitative studies exploring trainee perceptions in online organizational training. Finally, the findings of the study showed that instructional communication researchers have not explored the issue of the importance of out-of-the classroom learning experiences in the field of human resource development.

This study examined the role of the superintendent as it is perceived by school administrators and school board presidents. The study was limited to public schools in Texas located within Region 20 ESC. Responses to a Likert-type instrument were solicited from school board presidents, superintendents and other school administrators (n=163). The questionnaire generated data regarding perceptions toward the role of the superintendent in nine different domains containing 38 different criteria. Results from an ANOVA showed no significant difference at the alpha level of .05. Sidak post-hoc tests were run as well, but because the ANOVA did not reveal any significant difference, the post-hoc data was not presented. The primary conclusion drawn from this study was that the perceived conflict in the literature that exists between boards and superintendents that is prevalent enough to cause a superintendent to leave a district, was not brought to light in this study. Board presidents, superintendents and other school administrators all appear to have the same perceptions regarding the role of the superintendent. This questionnaire did not reveal the source of conflict. However, the data revealed that board presidents, superintendents and other school administrators see the superintendent’s role in the same way. The findings from this research may indicate that as a result of extensive board training, there may be improved respect and communication between the board, superintendents, and other school administrators. Recommendations include, among others: 1. Research into the development of an instrument that examines a more reflective relationship between the board and superintendent dealing with the aspects of personality, character, prejudices and attitudes. 2. Through the legal process, to increase the length of a term for board members from the current three-year term to at least five years. 3. Through the legal process, modify the Open Meetings Act to allow boards the freedom to conduct self-evaluations and “board performance” issues behind closed doors. This would eliminate the perception of the board “airing dirty laundry” in public.

This investigation examines aspects of junior doctor training as perceived by both junior doctors and their supervisors. The studies were conducted as part of the role of educational facilitator at a district general hospital. The first and second studies report on surveys that were used to determine the experience of formal educational structures and informal training as reported by two cohorts of junior doctors. Qualities of the supervision relationship were explored using the Barrett Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI, Barrett Lennard 1962). Focus groups and in-depth interviews were used in the third and fourth studies to explore hospital consultants' perceptions of medical training. The main findings of this investigation are as follows. The salient learning experiences reported by the junior doctors were those referring to their practical experience, learning relationships and self-assessment methods. The junior doctors preferred learning from active involvement and informal situations. Associations were found between the junior doctors' ratings of the training experience and their perceptions of supervision relationships (BLRI). Those with an individual training plan were more satisfied with their training than those without. This investigation also highlighted tensions between the junior doctors' service provider and trainee roles. The functions of the learning relationship are presented in the discussion these include: teaching, role modelling, feedback and support. The generic skills (e.g. decision making) and learning practices (e.g. discussion) described by the hospital consultants in the interviews are discussed with reference to models of professional development (Eraut 1994), reflective practice (Schon 1983) and medical practice (Britten 1991). The findings have implications for the development and evaluation of strategies for training. evidence based medicine and clinical governance because they demonstrate the processes by which skills for medical practice are formed.

This thesis explores the current agricultural perceptions in the grade two students of Guelph Ontario. This research explored current stigma as well as the misconceptions that are often associated with farming in today’s urban populations. Primary data was collected from students through a survey conducted before and after an hour-long presentation in the classroom. The data collected was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, using coding methods frequency analysis of the codes chosen by students. Findings revealed that upon initial entry to the classroom most students defined farming through the use of animal-related examples. After the presentation, the students showed interest in other areas of farming, but still maintained a strong connection with the animal theme. Teacher support for this program was seen to an overwhelming degree. Further research should be conducted to help promote a similar program permanently in the Ontario elementary curriculum.

<p>This study ultimately aimed to explore children&rsquo / s and adolescents&rsquo / perceptions of exposure to community violence. More specifically, the study investigated the meanings that adolescents assign to personal safety and security and the extent to which these assignations explain child and adolescent well-being. At a methodological level, the study followed a qualitative methodological framework and collected data from 14 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 15. Two focus groups were used to collect the data which consisted of seven participants each. Participants were purposively selected from a high school located in a low income community in Cape Town. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the findings and the study was framed using Bronfenbrenner&rsquo / s ecological framework and the theoretical perspectives of Bulhan&rsquo / s theory of violence, social identity theory, psychological theories, social learning theory, and social disorganization theory. Key findings indicated that the participants were exposed to violence, both through witnessing and being subjected to it within their school, home, and community. Some children perceived a lack of safety within the environments with which they interacted. Data further indicated that exposure to violence created feelings of insecurity, such as fear and anxiety. Similarly, exposure to violence was perceived to have various detrimental effects on the well-being of a child and adolescent. These effects included injury, poor academic performance, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, fear, hopelessness, and many others. In addition to this, and based on these results, this study is significant because it taps into the realities faced by many children so that an awareness can be created and a safe space provided for these children to be children.</p>