Despite non-formal education being introduced into the international discourse on education policy in 1972, there has since been relatively little research devoted to exploring this concept and, in particular, to the experiences of educators who lead non-formal educational processes. This thesis documents a phenomenological inquiry into the educational beliefs held by leaders working in non-formal educational settings within Canada. The purpose of this inquiry was to determine the existence of a shared set of educational beliefs among leaders in non-formal educational settings. The research included an emergent qualitative inquiry design that drew on hermeneutic and phenomenological philosophies as well as critical theory. Research methods involved narrative inquiry, auto-ethnography, and photo-elicitation. Data elicited by this investigation revealed that participants subscribe to a shared set of educational beliefs, the essence of which involves the interaction and interchange between elements of praxis, service, and concern for the develop of whole beings.

The restructuring of Canadian health care for more than twenty years has ushered in opportunities for growth in private home care services. Within this socio-economic reality, some seniors and families feeling the impacts of the cutbacks to health and social services have turned to other alternatives of care to fill care gaps. A new type of caregiver, the paid companion, has surfaced in this respect. Operating either independently or through private health care agencies, paid companions resemble surrogate family members or friends who perform a variety of services for the elderly who can afford to pay for private home care and support. My research objective has been to explore and develop an understanding of the experiences and relationships of paid companions and their clients within the context of the political-economic climate of neoliberalism that has supported the development of paid companions. This thesis presents research conducted between 2009 and 2010 in the Greater Victoria area with 30 participants: 15 companions, 8 clients, and 7 key informants. The two qualitative methods of qualitative (semi-structured open-ended) in-person interviews and autodriven photo elicitation were utilized in order to examine the subjective experiences of paid companions and their clients. The research revealed the ambiguity and divergence of opinion around the terms ‘companion’ and ‘paid companion,’ which are inherent in the nature of the work itself. The majority of participants emphasized that friendship and fictive kinship often form the core of a relationship that has been built on caregiving and trust. While paid companions derive fulfillment by providing care for clients, the relationships they develop with them are intrinsically linked to the companionship and care they give. Although clients’ care needs most often stem from general health and mobility issues, the relationships that are gradually formed with their companions often become as important as the task-based assistance their companions provide to them. / Graduate

Teachers face pressures to meet the needs of an ever-changing diverse population of learners while simultaneously attempting to assist students in meeting state standards. There is a body of research that supports emergent bilinguals' growth in reading and writing. However, those practices do not necessarily reflect classroom instruction nor the needs of the students. The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent emergent bilinguals' perceptions about their learning from research-based literacy practices implemented in a classroom designed as a third space. Data were collected using participatory research and photo-elicitation and were analyzed using inductive analysis. The emergent bilinguals provided their insights about class assignments. Findings revealed that research-based literacy practices support emergent bilinguals' perceptions of learning when they are made accessible to them in distinctive yet extensive ways. For students to uncover which literacy activities they value, teachers need to present them with various opportunities to explore their own learning and encourage them to take ownership of their learning. Educators must consider the unique and individual needs of emergent bilinguals when designing the classroom environment and the lessons based on the standards. Recommendations for practitioners, professional development coordinators, and researchers are presented.

abstract: This study explored female identity formation, of Ethiopian women and women of Ethiopian heritage as they participate in a coffee (buna) ceremony ritual. The study is anchored in the theoretical framework of a sociocultural perspective which enabled an examination of culture as what individuals do and believe as they participate in mutually constituted activities. Participants in Ethiopia were asked to photograph their daily routine beginning from the time they awoke until they retired for the night. Thematic analysis of the photographs determined that all participants depicted participation in the Ethiopian coffee ceremony in their photo study. Utilizing the photographs which specifically depicted the ceremony, eight focus groups and one interview consisting of women who have migrated from Ethiopia to Arizona, responded to the typicality of the photographs, as well as what they liked or did not like about the photographs. Focus groups were digitally recorded then transcribed for analysis. A combination of coding, extrapolation of rich texts, and identifying themes and patterns were used to analyze transcripts of the focus groups and interview. The findings suggest that this context is rich with shared meanings pertaining to: material artifacts, gender socialization, creation of a space for free expression, social expectations for communal contributions, and a female rite of passage. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2011

The uniqueness of this study is primarily in the application of a visual research methodology to generate knowledge and understanding in an area that is often associated with quantitative research. Careers and employment research typically focuses on statistical information which can provide general information but does not give an in-depth understanding of the area under study. Visual research can give an in-depth understanding; in addition to giving access to a different kind of knowledge, supported by Harper (2002) who proposes “that images can evoke deeper elements of human consciousness than words alone.” I explore the various ways in which students perceive and develop different career aspiration including what motivates and what might inhibit students’ development of their career aspirations. This understanding will enhance my professional practice and encourage the Careers and Employment department within the University to adapt their service and give students the relevant tools and information to prepare them for employment. A visual research methodology is utilised as this fits comfortably with my background in art and gives the in-depth knowledge I require for my research (see Clark-Ibáñez, 2004; Collier (1957); Collier and Collier, 1986; Cousin, 2009; Guillemin and Drew, 2010; Harper, 2002; Harris and Guillemin, 2012 and O’Brien, 2013 for further information on the benefits of using a visual research methodology). Auto-driven photo-elicitation (ADPE) is used with six fine art and six business management students. These students often have less career direction and tend to struggle to secure graduate level positions (Swani, 2016); in addition, the two subject areas were chosen because they are a contrast in terms of how their curriculum is delivered. Using visual research to inform careers and employment is unique and through sharing my research and research experience I want to initiate a shift in how careers and employment research is approached in the future. In addition to the uniqueness of using a visual research methodology in careers and employment my findings indicate there are five orientations business management and fine art students’ use when developing their career aspirations: a strong sense of direction, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, weak planning and dreams. This research discusses the five orientations and the factors that might contribute to a rich learning environment for career building. Subject and professional identity are discussed in relation to identity formation and career building. Four main sources of identity formation are identified: identity through being (transition from study to profession), identity through self-discovery, identity through belonging (concerning the informal and cultural aspects of community life), and identity through peripheral participation (activities that are akin to peripheral participation in a professional community). This research establishes there is a relationship between the development and building of identity and self-efficacy through belonging, professional experience and working alongside mentors when developing strategies to develop career aspirations.

Background: In recent decades, improvements in medical treatment, public health, technology and education have resulted in people living much longer. This includes people with learning disabilities, the fastest growing sector being the over-70s, and those who are women. There have been a limited number of studies exploring ageing in the population of people with learning disabilities, and very few of these have studied ageing from the perspectives of women. Aim: To develop a contemporary perspective of the lived experiences of older women with learning disabilities. Objectives - To identify how women with learning disabilities construct the experience of ageing, through the lens of an asset theoretical framework - To examine how older women with learning disabilities experience the wider cultural and socio-political influences, and how these impact on their lives - To utilise a narrative approach that integrates stories and photo elicitation to facilitate a more in-depth understanding of their experiences - To indicate how a refined model could be developed to improve policy and practice in the provision of services for older women with learning disabilities An inclusive methodology is central to this thesis, with an expert reference group of four women with learning disabilities working in partnership with the researcher. The expert reference group ensure that this work is grounded in everyday experience, providing both support and challenge. Ten women over 55 with mild or moderate learning disabilities were purposively invited to take part. Narrative methods integrated with photograph elicitation captured their lived experiences, facilitating a more in-depth 3 understanding of their experiences of ageing. In methodological terms this offered a number of strengths in helping the women to engage with the research process and provided a visual reference that promoted a more inclusive and flexible approach to capturing the lived experiences of older women with learning disabilities. Findings The findings identify how a group of older women construct their experiences of ageing. The equanimity and positive outlook on life is interpreted and understood through developing and understanding their protective health assets. A central theme is the importance of friendships and relationships, providing a buffer during adverse times and helping the women to feel supported and valued by their local community. Conclusion In its contribution to service development and knowledge, this thesis provides a contemporary perspective of the lived experience of women with learning disabilities as they age. Furthermore, mapping the narrated assets of these women introduces a new and alternative model for representing individual experiences that challenge the mainstream perspective that has been central to UK policy and practice during the 21st century. This thesis has begun to address a gap between policy and the reality of the lived experience, and presents an alternative asset-based relationship framework (Fig 30 p. 248) that has the potential to guide and shape future learning disability practices. Finally, this appears to be the first study to apply an asset theoretical framework to underpin research with women who have learning disabilities, offering an alternative perspective that challenges social care policy and professionally-defined integration and social inclusion indicators.

abstract: ABSTRACT Historically, first-generation college students (FGCS), students whose parents have not attended college nor earned a degree, are more likely to have lower college retention rates and are less likely to complete their academic programs in a timely manner. Despite this, there are many FGCS who do succeed and it is imperative to learn what fuels their success. The theoretical perspectives that framed this study included: hidden curricula, resiliency theory and community cultural wealth. Drawing from these perspectives, this qualitative research study consisted of a 10-week photo-elicitation facilitation and reflection group in which participants identified aspects of the hidden curricula encountered in the university that were challenging in their educational journeys and guided them in identifying the sources of strength (i.e. protective factors) that they channeled to overcome those challenges. The participants for this study were selected using a stratified purposeful sampling approach. The participants identified as Latina, low-income FGCS who were on good academic standing and majored in two of the largest academic units at Arizona State University's Tempe campus- the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Fulton College of Engineering. This study used participants’ testimonios (critical, reflexive narratives), photo-elicitation images, student journal responses, focus group dialogue and Facebook group posts to better understand the resiliency of Latina, low-income FGCS at ASU. Using grounded theory analysis, this study revealed the following, Latina, low-income FGCS: - Primarily define and develop their academic resiliency outside of the classroom and use social capital connections with peers and aspirational capital connections to their future to be successful inside the classroom. - Are heavily driven to succeed in the university setting because of their family's support and because they view their presence in college as a unique opportunity that they are grateful for. - Operationalize their academic resiliency through a combination of hard work and sacrifice, as well as an active implementation of resilience tactics. - Are motivated to pass on their resiliency capital to other students like them and perceive their pursuit of a college education as a transformative action for themselves, their families and their communities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2016

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Development, environmental sustainability, agriculture and livelihoods are dimensions that are often considered antagonistic. By thinking at the landscape level however, innovative opportunities arise for simultaneity as these entities manifest spatially and require communication across disciplines. Trans-frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) embrace this thinking. These are large areas that cut across two or more international boundaries, include within them at least one Protected Area (PA) and other multiple resource use areas, including human dwellings and cultivated areas. Similarly, ecoagriculture is an innovative approach to land use management as it seeks to spatially synergise agriculture, livelihoods and biodiversity conservation across space and requires an awareness of landscape-level issues by land users, a condition which is not necessarily met. Such landscape thinking stems from the fact that if a piece of land is subject to rigorous conservation, it will fail if the surrounding areas are degraded. Additionally, it has been shown that agriculture often benefits from the nearby presence of natural areas for ecosystem services such as pollination, pest management, and erosion control. As such, multifunctional landscape mosaics together with small scale farmers, not large scale monocultures, are the key to global food security, as the former more effectively links agricultural intensification to hunger reduction. In order to ascertain an integrated understanding of the landscape concept, necessary for the formalisation of ecoagriculture, this study assessed the landscape perceptions and understandings held by local people residing within a TFCA. We employed participatory methods within the Mathenjwa Tribal Area (MTA), an area falling within the Lubombo TFCA and identified as holding ecoagriculture potential. Results revealed that local people perceive landscape as a function of subsistence utility. Local people perceive land-use multifunctionality, necessary for the formalisation of ecoagriculture, but at a smaller scale than expected depending on both social and biophysical interpretations. Landscape scale projects should incorporate local landscape understandings. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MA / Unrestricted

The demand on research libraries to digitize theircollections as a means of increasing the availabilityof said collections are increasing. However, a prerequisite for this is the cataloging of the collections – a task commonly associated with large demands on time and other resources. One way of handling this might be efforts in applying automatization as a part of the cataloging process. This thesis examines the possibilities of using automatization when catalog- ing commercial ephemera. For this, focus is directed towards the features of the material; the process of cataloging; and the demands on the catalogued mate- rial from its various users using a theory based on Monica J. Bates (2002) Cascade-model. By conducting a case study, consisting of observations based on contextual inquiry and interviews partly using photo elicitation, automatization of cataloging is found to be a possible way to improve availability, but not without its own complications and demands on re- sources. In conclusion, suggestions are made for considerations libraries should be aware of before automatization might be implemented at research libraries.