<p>This dissertation used a qualitative and interpretive lens to explore visitor and staff perceptions of the mission and purpose of Glacier National Park and the National Park Service as well as the interpreted environmental state of this park. Through the use of online survey data and participant observations, this study provides a deeper understanding of how individuals inside of Glacier National Park view the potential for this park to succeed or fail with its mission as well as how environmental concerns are communicated to those within the park during the summer of 2019. Strategic environmental communication strategies are provided at the conclusion of this study in order to aid Glacier and the National Park Service in more efficiently educating their publics about their core goals and environmental management efforts.</p>

En stor andel av dagens barn och ungdomar är inte tillräckligt fysiskt aktiva, vilket är oroande då det finns ett positivt samband mellan pulshöjande fysiska aktiviteter och hälsa. Insatser för att öka barn och ungdomars fysiska aktiviteter är därför viktiga, där skolan som arena har en betydande roll. Skolan ska arbeta hälsofrämjande och ge eleverna en miljö där deras hälsa och lärande främjas. En viktig del i den stödjande skolmiljön är att stärka elever till att kunna ta makten över sina egna liv (egenmakt) där delaktighet är ett viktigt inslag. Tidigare studier visar på att pulshöjande fysiska aktiviteter kan ha en positiv effekt på koncentrationen, minnet och förbättra de akademiska prestationerna hos barn och ungdomar. Dock visar andra studier på motstridiga resultat och ifrågasätter även tidigare studiers resultat. Mer kunskap om skolpersonalens uppfattningar om pulshöjande fysiska aktiviteter i skolan behövs för att bättre kunna möta utmaningarna som uppstår samt få mer kunskap om vilka fördelar som pulshöjande fysiska aktiviteter i skolan för med sig. Studiens syfte var därför att utforska och beskriva hur skolpersonal uppfattar en pulshöjande fysisk aktivitetsintervention (PuLH). För att kunna svara på syftet användes följandefrågeställning: Vilka fördelar och utmaningar uppfattar skolpersonalen med PuLH? PuLH har genomförts i åtta kommuner i Jönköpings län. Interventionen har innehållit tre pulshöjande fysiska aktivitetspass i veckan, förutom de två obligatoriska idrott och hälsa lektionerna. Studien är en fallstudie med en explorativ design. Datainsamlingen genomfördes genom fokusgruppsintervjuer, öppna frågor och enskilda intervjuer. Totalt har 32 personer deltagit i studien varav 10 ämneslärare, 14 idrott och hälsa lärare samt åtta skolsköterskor. Datainsamlingen bearbetades och analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Dataanalysen ledde fram till tre teman och sex subteman. Skolpersonalen beskrev flera fördelar med PuLH både för elevernas hälsa, välbefinnande och deras villkor för lärande. De uppfattade även att de flesta av eleverna deltog och uppskattade de pulshöjande fysiska aktiviteterna. PuLH kan vara ett sätt att arbete hälsofrämjande i skolan eftersom det skapas förutsättningar till delaktighet och eleverna coachas att delta utifrån deras egna behov och de får delta på sina egna villkor. Skolpersonalen beskrev strukturella barriärer och divergens kring PuLH som utmanande. / A large proportion of today's children and adolescents are not sufficiently physically active, which is worrying as there is a positive relationship between moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) and health. Efforts to increase the physical activity of children and adolescents are therefore important, where school as an arena plays a considerable role. The school aims to promote health and provide pupils with an environment where their health and learning are promoted. An important part of the supportive school environment is that pupils are strengthened to be able to take control of their own lives (empowerment) and where participation is important. Previous studies show that MVPA can have a positive effect on concentration, memory and improve the academic performance for children and adolescents. However, other studies show contradictory results and question previous studies' results. More knowledge about school staff's perceptions of MVPA at school is needed to better meet the challenges that arise and gain more knowledge about the benefits that MVPA at school brings. The purpose of the study was therefore to explore and problematize how school staff perceive a MVPA intervention (PuLH). In order to answer the purpose, the following question was used: What advantages and challenges do school staff perceive with PuLH? PuLH has been implemented in eight municipalities in Jönköping County. The intervention included three MVPA sessions a week, in addition to the two compulsory sports and health lessons. The study is a case study with an explorative design. The data collection was conducted through focus group interviews, open questions and individual interviews. A total of 32 people participated in the study, of which 10 subject teachers, 14 sports and health teachers and eight school nurses. The data collection was processed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The data analysis led to three themes and six subthemes. School staff described several advantages of PuLH both for pupils' health, well-being and their conditions of learning. They also perceived that most of the pupils participated and appreciated the MVPA. PuLH can be a way to work health promotion in school because opportunities are created for participation and pupils are coached to participate according to their own needs and they can participate on their own terms. School staff described structural barriers and divergence around PuLH as challenging.

Organizational leaders know that training improves worker performance, but training is often initiated without considering employees' work task requirements. This instrumental case study was conducted to understand the perceptions of employees who completed a skills training program and those of supervisors. The conceptual framework was andragogy, emphasizing self-efficacy and self-direction, motivation, and goal setting for adult learners. The guiding questions addressed the perceptions of employees about their self-directed participation in the skills training program and its relationship to work tasks and supervisors' perceptions of employees' participation in that program. Semi-structured interviews with 8 individual employees and a focus group with 5 supervisors were conducted to discover those perceptions. All study participants found the training program to be generally beneficial, but some findings were unexpected. Employees expressed disappointment that anticipated promotion opportunities did not result from completing the program. Supervisors stressed that the high organizational operations tempo prevented employees from performing what they learned in the program. The findings led to the proposal of an instructor development program for the study site with the intent of improving instructor abilities to create more effective training. Through the program, instructors would increase knowledge and skills in instructional and design skills. Through a performance-based mindset that focuses on whether the training participant has improved in trained work tasks, instructors would be enabled to better prepare employees to succeed in work tasks and career goals and provide leaders with the information and products that they require.

The high debt-to-income ratios and the low financial literacy levels among Canadian immigrants are hindering public welfare, macroeconomic policies, and economic growth. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore why immigrants to Lloydminster, Canada possess high debt-to-income ratios in their financial portfolios by examining pertinent themes and patterns between their debt profiles and their financial literacy levels. The life cycle hypothesis, rational choice theory, and bounded rationality theory grounded the study. Data collection from the purposeful sample included semistructured face-to-face interviews with 13 adult immigrants and a focus group discussion with 6 adult immigrants, all of whom lived, worked, or owned a business in the city of Lloydminster. The application of Yin's 5-step data analytic procedure revealed key findings that described the pattern between immigrants' debt profiles and their financial literacy levels including environmental curiosity, excellent credit score, family survival, rational decision making, social institutions, economic institutions, pressure impacting financial decisions, credit facility impacting financial decisions, emotions impacting financial decisions, and discount deals impacting financial decisions. Immigrants to Canada can utilize the findings from this study to develop their financial literacy levels and stay committed to making sensible financial decisions, thus triggering positive social change. Sound spending habits could have positive implications for Canada's Gross Domestic Product growth and immigrants' wellbeing.

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For several decades now, physician-scientists have been referred to as an “endangered species.” Many factors have contributed to the dearth of clinical investigators, and training programs in clinical research are just one tool in a multi-pronged strategy to increase the number of successful physician-scientists working in health research. A qualitative approach that analyzes students’ educational goals and experiences can help fill the gaps in our knowledge about how best to train aspiring physician-scientists. This study was an interpretive phenomenology that evaluated the Master of Science program in Clinical and Translational Research (MSCTR) at the University of Cincinnati. The purpose of the study was to allow students to articulate their expectations, needs, and experiences in the MSCTR. The study included a group level assessment (GLA) and document review. Findings suggest several reasons students enrolled in the MSCTR, as well as some areas for improvement in the program: more physician-centered classes, a more directed curriculum, and a more cohesive course plan overall. Conclusions from these recommendations are that student perspectives can inform decisions around curricula and instructional methods in powerful ways, particularly when combined with a qualitative methodological approach. This study revealed several insights into how faculty and administrators can more effectively train physicians in research methodology. Training should be as applied and relevant as possible to make it directly applicable to clinical practice. This goal could be enhanced if classes – particularly statistics classes – were more physician-oriented. The curriculum of a clinical research training program for clinicians should be clear and directed, but with some flexibility and space within the curriculum for classes within areas of specialization. Collaboration should be integrated throughout, and courses should follow a logical, interconnected sequence.

Rock-a-Buy Baby: Consumerism by New, First-Time Mothers, is the first known sociological exploration of need-based consumption for babies, despite the baby gear industry being a $6-billion-dollar business (whattoexpect.com). Data stemmed from qualitative, semistructured interviews with new, first-time mothers (3 months – 1 year postpartum) conducted within participants‘ households. The insights gained from the present study tell us a great deal about the ―needs‖ that predominantly white, middle-class mothers socially constructed in anticipation of their first child, and the consumptive behaviors used to accomplish these "needs." Respondents had turned to similar resources (other mothers, online forums, consumer reports, books, magazines, etc.) to help them construct ―need‖ and formulate decisions among commodities. Provided they were relying on comparable, if not overlapping, bodies of knowledge, mothers‘ narratives about consumer ―need‖ were often congruent. Additionally, the ways expectant mothers accumulated items are ritualized and made tradition. The baby shower and gift registration process (which all of my respondents participated in to some variation) are social constructions; these practices, which are so strongly tied to consumption, also constituted reality for mothers, and inevitably, their babies.

Studies have shown a concerning and disproportionate amount of treatment failure and premature termination in youth populations. Routine measurement feedback has been proposed as a means to prevent treatment failure and premature termination for adults and may also improve youth mental health services. However, studies examining helpfulness of measurement feedback systems in youth populations have demonstrated a lack of effects more likely due to poor measurement implementation than to the measurement feedback system itself. Because contexts within the service settings are such crucial factors in whether an innovation is successfully implemented, examining barriers and facilitators in said contexts is a necessary step towards improving implementation for the ultimate purpose of improving youth mental health services. The present study explored barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ) and Treatment Support Measure (TSM) in youth routine clinical care. Thirteen staff of varying job titles, experiences, education and opinions towards measures were interviewed using consensual qualitative research (CQR) methods. Results were similar to previous studies, indicating multilevel barriers and facilitators to measurement implementation such as at the organization, staff, client and measure level. Using CQR data analysis, domains, categories and subcategories along with level of frequency are displayed and discussed in further detail. In addition to barriers and facilitators, interviewees provided recommendations for how to improve implementation of measures within their organization. Researchers provide recommendations of continued communication, re-assessment of barriers and facilitators over time and shared responsibility between stakeholders and professionals invested in improving youth mental health services.

Prenatal care (PNC) is an essential health service that can reduce adverse health and social outcomes through prevention, detection and treatment of abnormalities of pregnancy. It offers an opportunity to mitigate the impact of the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) on individual patients through advocacy and referral to social services. Despite a publicly funded health care system in Canada, disparities in access to PNC persist. Much is known about the barriers to PNC and client experiences of inadequate PNC (IPNC). Very little is known about care provider perspectives of IPNC, what should be done about it and are the barriers to doing it. The goal of this project was to address this gap in knowledge to inform the development of novel care delivery models that could reduce disparities in access to PNC in Hamilton. Using a Critical Theory lens, I conducted an interpretive descriptive study using individual interviews and focus groups with health and social service providers in Hamilton to explore their understandings of IPNC. Participants viewed IPNC as a small but important phenomenon disproportionately impacting people who are marginalized. The experience of IPNC is chaotic, worrisome and joyful for providers. An interdisciplinary, midwifery-led outreach PNC model would better meet the needs of the client population and providers alike. A Community Centred Care model of PNC embodies and enhances participant suggestions for addressing IPNC. Access to abortion, postpartum care and newborn apprehension require special attention. Peer participation and the impacts of patriarchy and racism must be addressed in the development of future PNC models. The ways in which participants described and proposed intervening in IPNC revealed an individualized understanding of the SDoH that is paralleled in existing research on IPNC. This conceptualization of the problem obscures the root causes of disparities in access and warrants future consideration. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Prenatal care (PNC) can help to reduce complications of pregnancy and birth and connect expecting families with other support services. Even though health care is free in Canada, people who are marginalized struggle to access enough PNC. We know the complexities of people’s lives and their negative experiences with the health care system prevent them from getting PNC. We know little about what PNC for people who don’t access it is like for the providers or why they can’t make their care easier to access. Mindful of systems of power, the goal of this research is to explore how health and social service providers understand inadequate PNC (IPNC), to inform accessible PNC models. Participants proposed an interdisciplinary outreach PNC model responsive to needs of the community. The Social Determinants of Health were an important part of how participants understood IPNC which shaped the way that they proposed to address it.