Significant changes in demographics, including a growing ageing population and a larger number of people with disabilities, have made inclusive design an increasingly relevant notion in the design of products, services, and environments. However, there is considerable concern that the concept of inclusive design is rather limited in its current definition and applications and has not yet been thoroughly applied. This is possibly due to the conventional understanding and application of inclusive design, mainly rooted in and focused on physical aspects of inclusion, such as accessibility, usefulness, and usability. This limited focus has led various voices in design academia and industry to speak of the need for further consideration of the psychological and social aspects of inclusive design as the next step to facilitate inclusive design, and make impact. In this research, inclusivity on psychological and social levels, is referred to as "psychosocial inclusivity". The concept of psychosocial inclusivity, including a clear definition thereof and its application, is rather limited in the existing literature. Therefore, this PhD research aims to further explore this concept by establishing a clear definition and the dimensions thereof. In order to achieve this, an initial definition and dimensions of the psychosocial inclusivity in design are established through a critical review of existing literature from both social science and design perspectives. The initial definition and dimensions are then developed, refined, and evaluated through four empirical studies: the Delphi study (expert survey); field study I (ethnographic interviews with mobility scheme users); field study II (ethnographic interviews, creative workshop, and observation of older individuals); and an evaluation study (online survey of design academics and professionals). These studies have been designed based on a triangulation approach in order to enhance the reliability and validity of the outcomes. At the end of this research, the definition and dimensions for psychosocial inclusivity in design (Cognitive, Emotional, Social, and Value dimensions) are proposed. The outcomes of this research can enhance the understanding and knowledge of the concept of psychosocial inclusivity in design. Also, the definition and dimensions can be used by design academics and professionals or third parties to consider psychosocial aspects. The dimensions also can be developed as a complete set of framework or toolkit through further research.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é explicar os mecanismos sociais das decisões judiciais. Em particular, a investigação centra-se no processo de tomadas de decisões de operadores do Direito no sistema de justiça juvenil em São Paulo. Busca-se, assim, verificar quais são os fatores determinantes da aplicação da medida socioeducativa de internação para adolescentes acusados de cometimento de ato infracional e o modo pelo qual se dá esse processo decisório. Desde a promulgação do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente, em 1990, o sistema de justiça juvenil brasileiro passou a operar em um novo registro: as medidas socioeducativas passaram a se restringir a autores de infrações penais; e a medida de internação, em particular, a crimes cometidos com violência e/ou grave ameaça à pessoa. Mas a gravidade do ato infracional é de fato o principal preditor das decisões judiciais na justiça juvenil? Ou haveria outros fatores explicativos, como aqueles relacionados às características sociais dos adolescentes, às relações de poder inscritas nas interações sociais ou mesmo à estrutura organizacional dos tribunais? Na busca pela explicação dos mecanismos sociais dessas decisões judiciais, esta pesquisa propôs um desenho multimetodológico, integrando técnicas quantitativas e qualitativas para investigar os mecanismos das decisões e verificar os determinantes da aplicação da medida socioeducativa de internação em São Paulo. Assim, em um primeiro momento, as hipóteses citadas foram testadas por meio de modelos logísticos binomiais tendo a decisão sobre a internação como variável dependente em um cenário multivariado. Os resultados encontrados indicam um alto grau de proporcionalidade entre crime e pena, tendo os atos infracionais considerados mais graves os mais significativos efeitos sobre a probabilidade de internação; mas indicam, também, a reprodução de relações de poder - adolescentes usuários de drogas e que não trabalham nem estudam, mantidas as outras dimensões constantes, também têm maior chance de receber a medida socioeducativa de internação. Em seguida, a fim de explicar os mecanismos dos efeitos do tratamento estimados anteriormente, foram acompanhadas semanalmente as audiências de apresentação e de continuação e as oitivas informais no Fórum Brás, em São Paulo. Ao mesmo tempo em que se concluiu que as oitivas informais, centrais no processo decisório, ocorrem cerimonialmente e que as decisões são tomadas via documentos, o que explica o mecanismo de proporcionalidade encontrado anteriormente, pôde-se concluir que eventualmente os Promotores de Justiça \"voltam atrás\" de suas decisões quando há um rompimento na definição da situação, o que explica o mecanismo dos efeitos das características individuais dos adolescentes. / This research aims at investigating the social mechanisms of judicial decisions. It particularly focuses on the decision-making process of legal actors in the juvenile justice system in São Paulo. Thus, the research aims at verifying the determinants of the confinement disposition for juveniles who have been accused of a crime and the way which this decision is made by. Since the Child and Adolescent Statute was promulgated in 1990, the Brazilian juvenile justice system started working under new guidelines: dispositions are now restricted to offenders; and the confinement disposition is restricted to offenses committed with violence and/or with a threat to a person. But is the seriousness of the crime indeed the best predictor of judicial decisions? Or are there other explanatory factors, such as the ones related to the individual characteristics of the teenagers, to the power relations within social interactions, or even to the court organizational structure? Aiming at a mechanism-based explanation of these judicial decisions, this research has proposed a mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative techniques to investigate mechanisms of the decision-making process and to verify the determinants of the confinement disposition in São Paulo. Thus, at first, the aforementioned hypotheses were tested with binary logistic models, presenting the decision concerning the confinement disposition as the dependent variable on a multivariable scenario. Results indicate a high degree of proportionality between crime and punishment, with the seriousness of the offenses having significant effects on the probability of confinement; but the results also indicate some reproduction of power relations - drug user youth and those who neither work nor study increase their odds of being more severely punished. After that, aiming at explaining the mechanisms of the treatment effects estimated beforehand, both judicial and informal hearings (at the State\'s Attorney office) were weekly observed at the juvenile court in São Paulo. While it was possible to conclude that the informal hearings are central to the decision-making process and occur ceremonially, with decisions being made by documents-consulting (which explains the proportionality mechanism), the research also found that the Attorneys often regret their decisions when there is a rupture of the definition of the situation. This explains the mechanism of the individual characteristics effects on juvenile sentencing.

No description available.

ABSTRACT The primary purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of Aboriginal student achievement in six Saskatchewan public community schools in urban, rural, and Northern settings. Three of the schools were elementary schools, and three were high schools. Data for the study were obtained by means of teacher semi-structured interviews, and a teacher survey designed expressly for this research. The research opportunity sought to “explore in the context of selected Saskatchewan community schools, teachers’ perceptions of Aboriginal achievement, the unique and contextualized features that govern Aboriginal learning, and the efforts of teachers to enhance Aboriginal student learning.” Historically, Aboriginal student achievement has been viewed through a deficit lens. To gain a positive perspective of this phenomenon, a constructivist paradigm, a social justice theory of change governed by an ethos of appreciative inquiry were employed using a Mixed Methods Research design. Specifically, a two phase exploratory methodology where a qualitative phase followed by a quantitative one was used to best inform the research perspective. A multi-case study approach for each school and division was deemed the most effective means of exploring teacher conceptualizations of the manner and conditions under which Aboriginal students best learn. A total of nine teachers were interviewed and 28 responded to the teacher survey instrument. Member checks of the interview data were undertaken and statistical data using both Excel for Windows as well as SPSS statistical programs were employed for survey data analysis. Owing to the small survey sample, the author advises that caution be used when considering the survey results. However, it is hoped that refinement of the survey tool and its use in later research will prove to be of benefit in understanding the phenomenon of Aboriginal student achievement. A peer data analysis panel was convened to thematically analyse the four open-ended questions contained in the survey. Findings for this study indicated teachers valued the work of collaborative teams, supportive school learning environments, differentiated instruction, assessment for learning, professional development, and culturally responsive instruction and curriculum and school/division alignment to enhance Aboriginal student achievement. The study found that perceptions of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers differed where Aboriginal student achievement was concerned. As well, participants felt that heightened Aboriginal student achievement could be fashioned by determined student engagement in their academic work. Finally, participants believed that parent and community engagement in schools and the academic life of their children would also enhance Aboriginal student learning outcomes. It is hoped that this study will serve as a point of initiation for more research into the phenomenon on a wider basis in order to generate greater understanding of the means by which Aboriginal students may flourish within public schools in Saskatchewan and potentially elsewhere.

Background: Home visits are part of general practice work in Germany. Within the context of an expanding elderly population and a decreasing number of general practitioner (GPs), open questions regarding the organisation and adequacy of GPs’ care in immobile patients remain. To answer these questions, we will conduct a representative primary data collection concerning contents and organisation of GPs’ home visits in 2014. Because this study will require considerable efforts for documentation and thus substantial involvement by participating GPs, we conducted a pilot study to see whether such a study design was feasible. Methods: We used a mixed methods design with two study arms in a sample of teaching GPs of the University Halle. The quantitative arm evaluates participating GPs and documentation of home visits. The qualitative arm focuses on reasons for non-participation for GPs who declined to take part in the pilot study. Results: Our study confirms previously observed reasons for non-response of GPs in the particular setting of home visits including lack of time and/or interest. In contrast to previous findings, monetary incentives were not crucial for GPs participation. Several factors influenced the documentation rate of home visits and resulted in a discrepancy between the numbers of home visits documented versus those actually conducted. The most frequently reported problem was related to obtaining patient consent, especially when patients were unable to provide informed consent due to cognitive deficits. Conclusions: The results of our feasibility study provide evidence for improvement of the study design and study instruments to effectively conduct a documentation-intensive study of GPs doing home visits. Improvement of instructions and questionnaire regarding time variables and assessment of the need for home visits will be carried out to increase the reliability of future data. One particularly important methodological issue yet to be resolved is how to increase the representativeness of home visit care by including the homebound patient population that is unable to provide informed consent.

The main focus of this thesis has been the activity development of social work practice. The thesis presents the construction of a theoretical frame for developing social work practice; namely, Interactive Activity-Documentation model (IAD), and includes the process of testing and reviewing the model. The thesis was based on an interactive research design, which involved the researcher and the practitioners in the development and testing of the model. The researcher constructed the IAD model based on theoretical considerations concerning the characteristics of social work, the practice’s knowledge requirements, learning processes, reflexivity in relation to actions, the systematic documentation of actions and reflections and the need for an interactive process to enhance the usage of the model. The setting in which the testing and the development of the model took place was a family centre, an organization in which a social worker, a midwife, paediatric nurses and preschool staff work together to coordinate services for families with children. The material that was used during the testing and for the review of the model consisted of descriptions of the family center’s aims, goals and objectives in a foundation document, continuous descriptions and reflections of the practitioners’ actions, descriptions and reflections of how the families understand the practice, documents in which the content of the foundation document and the continuous descriptions and reflections from the practitioners and families are compared and notes from the practitioners’ discussions about the comparison. The study showed that the use of a model for activity development in social work practice provides the practitioners with the possibility to systematize their documentation and the tools that they use in the development process. Another finding in the study was the importance of dealing with explicit assumptions in the construction process. Explicit assumptions provide the opportunity to discuss the possibilities of the model and potential problems. The staff’s critical discussions concerning the resources of the organization revealed that, for example, time spent together with other staff members had a positive impact on the development process. The review also shows that development achieved by learning through reflection enhances critical thinking in social work practice.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma. / Bibliography: leaves 113-119.

Diss. Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2006.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed Sept. 23, 2008). Includes bibliographical references.

Teenage pregnancy is an ever increasing dilemma in South Africa. Dealing effectively with pregnant teenagers is a continuous challenge for the health care providers particularly the nursing staff. The present study focuses on the reproductive health care services in a Gauteng province clinic and pregnant teenagers' experiences of their interaction with the nursing staff. Six pregnant teenagers were included in the study. Data consistied of the participants' narratives regarding the health care services provided by the nursing staff. Themes from the narratives were identified and explored according to a Social Constructionism stance within the Postmodernist paradigm. Factors found to affect the experiences of the pregnant teenagers included acceptance, respect, effective communication, privacy, trust and the dedication and professionalism of the nursing staff. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)