This thesis addresses why a comprehensive art education curriculum needs to merge with visual culture in order to better serve current elementary students today. The review of literature supports this theory and proves that the two approaches work together to make learning relevant and effective. The units of study provided make up a guideline that show teachers how to include visual culture into the current comprehensive art education structure. This allows students to bring their own ideas and experiences into the classroom, and results in making the visual arts more personal. Following this curriculum will help students own their education and ultimately gain higher level thinking and learning in the visual arts as well as other subject areas.

The lower Churchill River has been an important travel route for people living in its vicinity for a long period of time. Churchillians’ have used it for subsistence harvesting, as their potable water source and as a place of recreation and relaxation. Previous research has documented the importance of the Churchill River to the residents and has explored how the Churchill River Diversion affected the community of Churchill (Boothroyd, 1992; 2000; Four Directions Consulting Group, 1994; 1995). The purpose of this project was to identify how Churchill residents used the lower Churchill River (from 1970 to 2006), recognizing three distinct periods of time. Twenty interviews were conducted with former or current long-term residents of Churchill, as well as two interviews with experts on issues concerning the lower Churchill River. Many interviewees stated that additional negotiations and measures are required before they deem the mitigation compensation package from Manitoba Hydro to be adequate considering the impact of the diversion on the residents of Churchill.

Many immigrant (minority language) parents send their children to heritage language programs in hopes of helping their children maintain connections to their mother cultures and languages. This case study aims to explore the challenges minority language parents may encounter with decisions related to heritage language retention through community-based heritage language programs in a Canadian Chinese diaspora community. Five parent participants were recruited based on their diverse geographical and linguistic backgrounds. From interviews with these parents five themes emerged. These are 1) the nature of parental expectations regarding the function of heritage education, 2) the differences between heritage education and mainstream education, 3) varying perceptions of being part of a cultural minority, 4) manners of negotiating ethnic identity, and 5) the issue of diaspora values. The findings may shed light on how heritage education may be further developed, and also provide educators and policy makers with a better understanding of the importance of heritage education from the parents’ perspective.

This study is an attempt at consolidating in a single source the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans since 1652, as well as the various perspectives on the origins of Afrikaans put forward from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. As a consequence of sociopolitical circumstances in South Africa, the various role-players involved in the origins and development of Afrikaans have not all been adequately taken account of in the description of the history of the Afrikaans language. This has contributed to the prevalence of inaccurate perceptions about the origins of Afrikaans. Amongst others, these misperceptions have let to the teaching of the history of Afrikaanspredominantly focusing on the (white) historical Eastern variety and on standard Afrikaans, minimising the existence of any possible Creole influences on the language. For purposes of this study, the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans since 1652 was rewritten in order to take account of the influence of all the role players (the Europeans from the West, the indigenous Koina from Africa, and the slaves brought from Asia) on the origins and development of Afrikaans. A further aim of this rewriting was to evaluate and consolidate, chronologically, the approximately 40 perspectives on the origins of Afrikaans against the background of the socio-political milieu within which these perspectives developed. Some aspects of this rewritten history of Afrikaans were taught by means of a series of lessons to learners in regions representative of areas where sub-varieties of the three historical Afrikaans varieties are spoken and heard. The aim was to determine whether series of lessons, similar to the one used in this study, could be regarded (and recommended) as an appropriate presentation method to disseminate the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans among the school-going youth. Knowledge of and insight in the inclusive history of the development of Afrikaans may contribute to the process of reconciliation in South Africa, because this history suggests that Afrikaans is the collective creation of Afrikaans-speaking citizens' ancestors: Europeans from the West, indigenous Koina from Africa, and slaves brought from the East. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Afrikaans en Nederlands)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

During services of the Reformed Churches of South Africa (RCSA), certain psalms and Biblical hymns are used frequently, while others are almost never used. The objective of this study is to determine how the Psalter of 2003 can be used optimally. The model of Zerfass is used for the investigation. The final results of the study are presented in the form of a model that can enrich the optimal use of the Psalter 2003 as means of communication in the liturgy of the RCSA. In Chapters 2 and 3, a basic-theoretical investigation is conducted, with reference to perspectives from Scripture and history. The investigation reveals that music and songs had already played an important role in the church of the Old Testament, and that the Psalms had had a significant influence on the liturgy and the faith. In the New Testament, new hymns are found that supplement those from the Old Testament. The form in which these hymns were composed, was closely connected to the context whence these songs arose. The communication that a hymn effects, is achieved jointly by word and music, in the church of the New Testament and subsequently. Since the Reformation, a degree of separation arose between the songs used in the church and outside, but mutual influences are observed. In Chapters 4 and 5, attention is paid to metatheoretical perspectives, first in communication science, then in hymnology. It is in their singing that the congregation participates in the worship of a church service. Such singing is indeed the basic form of participation, which promotes communication among members of the congregation. In judging a metrical version of a Psalm, attention should especially be paid to the content, style of the text and the melody. In the empirical investigation, qualitative and quantitative methods are used. The investigation proceeds in three phases. In the first phase, information is obtained about the hymns that were sung in a number of congregations in the course of a year. In the second phase, a questionnaire was set and sent to ministers, organists and members of congregations. In the final phase, interviews were conducted with ministers and organists from five congregations. The data show that the hymn occupies an important place in the liturgy. However, the investigation reveals that this point of departure is not fully realised in practice, and some shortcomings are identified. In particular, there is a need for extension of the hymnody, especially by hymns from the New Testament. In Chapter 7, an indication is given of the factors that constrain the optimal use of the Psalter 2003 as means of worship in the church service. The most important problems are: • the incomplete utilisation of the full collection of hymns in the Psalter, • the underuse of the 2001 metrical version, • the repeated use of a small subset of hymns, • problems with the melodies and liturgical usefulness, • limitations in the training of ministers and organists, • resistance to the 2001 metrical version, • a lack of proper programmes to practice the new hymns, and • inadequate support and encouragement by church councils in respect of improving the skills of organists. In view of these problems, a model is proposed, which identifies the relationships among the role players / elements necessary to promote worshipping through singing: • the users of the Psalter 2001, viz. Ministers, organists and members of the congregations, together with the role of the church council, • the Psalter 2003 as hymn book, and • the possible extension of the current corpus of hymns. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Liturgics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This dissertation demonstrates that the voices of children and the experiences of childhood provide important new perspectives about the settler societies in British Columbia and Alberta during the period 1860 – 1925. It employs a combination of direct quotations from individual children and analysis across the cohort of one hundred historical children as a means to explore both individual personalities and shared child perspectives of childhood. Child-created diaries and correspondence were selected as the principal documentation in this study as a deliberate strategy to privilege children and to enable clear child-centred voices unmixed with those of adults. The intent is to reveal child-centred understandings about the physical and emotional aspects of growing up in Western Canada that are set within the contexts of specific communities, of family life, of sibling relationships, of friendships and separations. Some significant findings include the phenomenon of boarding school within the childhood experience and the realization that many settler children spent childhoods away from family, the difficulty boys shared in achieving masculinity, and the importance placed by girls and boys on charting and comparing their physical growth and attainment of child-centred milestones of achievement. / Graduate

Denna studie vill ge större inblick och förståelse för individen bakom den kriminella stämpeln, samt bringa insyn i dessa individers egna tankar om sina kriminella handlingar och kampen ut ur kriminaliteten. Avsaknaden av tron på att personliga livshändelser sker utifrån egna handlanden, där personen istället agerar passivt offer i sitt liv är något som återfinns hos interner. Motsatsen till detta är personer som tror på sitt eget handlande, det vill säga internal locus of control. Denna uppsats belyser kriminellas bakgrundshistoria till uppbrottet ur den kriminella livsstilen med fokus på locus of control, vändpunkter och framtidsperspektiv. Tio personer deltog, varav åtta män och två kvinnor i enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visade att majoriteten förklarade sin kriminalitet med yttre faktorer. De nådde vändpunkten när rädslan för att förlora sitt liv eller sina närstående blev för stor. Nio av tio ser nu långsiktigt på sin framtid till skillnad från förr.

Bakgrund: Palliativ vård är en aktiv holistisk vård som utgår från den enskilde patientens livssituation. WHO definierar palliativ vård som ett förhållningssätt som syftar till att förbättra livskvaliteten för patienter och deras närstående som drabbats av livshotande sjukdom. Sjuksköterskans roll i denna vårdkontext kan beskrivas som relationsskapande, stödjande, kommunikativ och koordinerande. Patienten i palliativ vård befinner sig i en utsatt situation och dennes behov består i att upprätthålla god livskvalitet genom smärtlindring och existentiellt stöd. Denna situation ställer krav på sjuksköterskor att ständigt skapa och upprätthålla vårdrelationer med patienter som senare dör, vilket kan vara en utmaning för sjuksköterskan. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter i palliativ vård. Metod: Litteraturöversikt baserad på åtta vetenskapliga kvalitativa artiklar hämtade från databaserna CINAHL och MEDLINE. Artiklarna har analyserats enligt Fribergs analysmetod. Benner och Wrubels omsorgsteori har använts som teoretisk utgångspunkt för att diskutera resultaten. Resultat: De erfarenheter av palliativt vårdarbete som sjuksköterskorna beskrev i denna litteraturöversikt fångas i fyra centrala teman; Sjuksköterskans relation till patient och dennes familj i palliativ vård, Hur palliativ vård påverkar sjuksköterskans egen person och liv, En vårdande inställning samt Utmaningar i det palliativa vårdarbetet. Diskussion: Resultatet ger en bild av ett komplext vårdområde där ett holistiskt förhållningssätt är nödvändigt. Sjuksköterskan följer med patient och närstående på en resa i livets slutskede som kräver närhet och påverkar hen emotionellt. Utmaningarna och de negativa aspekterna i vården uppvägs av stimulans, tacksamhet och strategier att bemästra de svåra situationerna. / Background: Palliative care is an active, holistic care which is based on the individual patient's life situation. WHO defines palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness. The role of the nurse in this context can be described as relationship-building, supporting, communicative and coordinating. The patient in a palliative care context is put in a vulnerable situation and is in need of maintaining a good quality of life through pain management and existential support. This situation puts demands on nurses to constantly create and maintain care relationships with patients whom will later die, which can be a challenge for the nurse. Aim: The aim was to describe nurses' experiences of caring for patients in palliative care. Method: Literature review based on eight scientific qualitative articles retrieved from the databases CINAHL and MEDLINE. The articles have been analysed according to Friberg's method of analysis. Benner and Wrubel's theory of caring has been used as a theoretical starting point to discuss the results. Results: The nurses' experiences of working in palliative care in this literature review were described in fourcentral themes; The nurse's relation to the patient and her family in palliative care, How palliative care affects the nurse's own person and life, A caring attitude and Challenges in the palliative nursing care. Discussions: The result shows a complex nursing field where a holistic approach is essential. The nurse follows the patient and family on a journey at the end of life which requires closeness and affects her emotionally. The challenges and the negative aspects are balanced by satisfaction, gratitude and strategies to cope with the difficult situations.

Shawn Lennie, Ethical Complexities in the Virtual World: Teacher Perspectives of ICT Based Issues and Conflicts, Doctor of Philosophy, CTL, OISE, 2013. Using a qualitative research methodology, this study explores the perceptions that K-12 teachers have on the ethical issues they have experienced as a result of, or in relation to, ICT. Participants included 10 practicing teachers who had identified experience with ICT based issues in their teaching practice. Each participant engaged in two semi-structured interviews focused on the research topic. The first interview explored the perceptions and experiences that the participants had with ICT based issues in their practice, while the second involved an examination of eight vignettes involving ICT based issues that were ethical in nature. The use of this approach provides a descriptive account of the experiences and perceptions of the participants in the study. Results from the study highlight the impact that ethical issues involving technology have on the moral work of teachers and the challenges that emerge as teachers attempt to identify morally responsible ways to respond to the complex and dynamic challenges that they face. Participants demonstrate a heightened sensitivity to ethical issues involving technology that compromise the safety and well-being of children, such as cyber-bullying, as well as those that compromise professional and academic integrity, such as plagiarism. Results also reveal the predominant use of subjective moral judgment when evaluating the moral significance of ICT based issues and reluctance on the part of teachers to challenge the inappropriate use of technology by their colleagues. This contrasts with a strong belief that teachers play an important role as moral models for students who are developing an understanding of what constitutes responsible digital behaviour. These results are significant to scholarship on teacher professionalism, digital ethics and citizenship, and policy development relating to ICT based issues.

This dissertation reports a study exploring adult engagement with sustainability learning practices in EcoSchools-certified secondary schools in Canada, Lithuania and Sweden as a means towards shaping a liveable future. The study is situated in the area of education for sustainable development. The study design was initially based on an interest in revealing specific practices of sustainability education as a means of improving the relationship between environmental impact and wealth. While echoing findings in the existing literature, this research contributes to the development of the field through insight into the perspectives that adults bring to sustainability education. Primary data collected in the spring of 2006 were recorded (mostly single) semistructured interviews with 30 individuals (national coordinators, caretakers, teachers and administrators), including 10 Canadians from four schools, 14 Lithuanians from four schools, and six Swedes from two schools. Four phases of qualitative analysis were used on the data: initial transcript coding and trends; précis document trends; a six-stage model of interview responses allowing vertical (between question) and horizontal (between stage) comparisons; word maps of subthemes as a scaffold to detail participants’ four primary views (long, wide, deep, dynamic) regarding sustainability. Ultimately, the results of this study point less than expected to revealing specific transferable practices regarding success and challenge in EcoSchools. Rather, these findings provide some insight into a means of shaping a sustainable future through an individual’s sustainability perspective: a living responsiveness based on a sense of connection, supported by improved sustainability cognition, and realized through sustainability practice and considered engagement.