In many Western societies grandparents take on the role of occasional or short-term care providers of their grandchildren. However, recent years have witnessed a significant increase, both in Australia and overseas, in the number of children being raised by their grandparents due to the inability of the children’s parents to effectively meet their parenting responsibilities.This study is an interpretive inquiry that seeks to understand the meanings grandparents attach to their experiences of the grandparent-as-parent role, rather than the traditional grandparent role. The study also investigates how assuming the non-traditional grandparent role has influenced the identity of grandparent caregivers. A narrative inquiry approach was employed to ‘hear the voices’ of 34 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren in NSW, Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with each of the participants and their narratives were subsequently analysed through the lens of identity theory.Findings from the study reveal that grandparents experience a significant degree of roleidentity conflict in their grandparent-as-parent role. The loss of their traditional grandparent role, together with the shift in commitment to the grandparent-as-parent role, has resulted in a ‘space of difference’ between the ‘ideal’ and the ‘real’ of being a grandparent. This ‘space of difference’ is made up of a series of binary experiences described as myth/reality, visible/invisible, deserving/undeserving, voice/silenced, included/excluded, which appear to have consequentially impacted grandparents’ selfesteem and self-verification processes. The study posits that grandparents lack adequate support, or doulia, resulting in a prevailing belief that their commitment to the grandparentas- parent role is not publicly acknowledged nor afforded the justice it deserves.The study concludes that both policy and practice in NSW have failed to recognise and address the complexity of experience, or the ‘space of difference’ occupied by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, and provides a number of recommendations in response to the grandparent experiences narrated through this research.

In many Western societies grandparents take on the role of occasional or short-term care providers of their grandchildren. However, recent years have witnessed a significant increase, both in Australia and overseas, in the number of children being raised by their grandparents due to the inability of the children’s parents to effectively meet their parenting responsibilities.This study is an interpretive inquiry that seeks to understand the meanings grandparents attach to their experiences of the grandparent-as-parent role, rather than the traditional grandparent role. The study also investigates how assuming the non-traditional grandparent role has influenced the identity of grandparent caregivers. A narrative inquiry approach was employed to ‘hear the voices’ of 34 grandparents who were raising their grandchildren in NSW, Australia. In-depth interviews were conducted with each of the participants and their narratives were subsequently analysed through the lens of identity theory.Findings from the study reveal that grandparents experience a significant degree of roleidentity conflict in their grandparent-as-parent role. The loss of their traditional grandparent role, together with the shift in commitment to the grandparent-as-parent role, has resulted in a ‘space of difference’ between the ‘ideal’ and the ‘real’ of being a grandparent. This ‘space of difference’ is made up of a series of binary experiences described as myth/reality, visible/invisible, deserving/undeserving, voice/silenced, included/excluded, which appear to have consequentially impacted grandparents’ selfesteem and self-verification processes. The study posits that grandparents lack adequate support, or doulia, resulting in a prevailing belief that their commitment to the grandparentas- parent role is not publicly acknowledged nor afforded the justice it deserves.The study concludes that both policy and practice in NSW have failed to recognise and address the complexity of experience, or the ‘space of difference’ occupied by grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, and provides a number of recommendations in response to the grandparent experiences narrated through this research.

The aim of this qualitative research study is to develop insights into the dynamics involved in work- family conflict, balance and coping strategies. The study explores the experiences of seven professional women, who are also mothers, employed in professional work positions in Grahamstown. The research is interpretive in nature as it aims to explore the conflicts experienced by the professional mothers in balancing their competing roles. The study focused on the demands that these women face and the coping strategies that these working mothers develop and use, in order to balance their career aspirations as well as their family responsibilities. It set out to explore the women’s perceptions of work- family conflict and the extent to which they experience it, further examining the compromises that the women have had to make and possible feelings of guilt or regret that they may have experienced. The findings indicated that this balance is sensitive to many facilitating and hindering factors. The participants revealed that they experience work- family conflict, and that the experience of it has largely to do with the guilt of not spending enough time with their family. Another significant finding was that the women expressed their coping strategies as being organised; forming a line between work and family life as well as employing domestic workers. The women further stated that there are constant compromises that have to be made to fit in the multiple roles, and that feelings of guilt and/or regret do set in at times.

High rates of turnover and the limited tenure of directors of nursing (DONs) in long-term care creates instability in the nursing workforce and the quality of care provided. Organizations, industry, and stakeholders have made little progress to change this turnover crisis. The purpose of this quantitative study, guided by organizational role and social exchange theories, was to determine if there was a difference in levels of affective organizational commitment and intent to stay mediated by leader-member exchange in long-term care DONs with different levels of role conflict and role ambiguity. The key variables were measured with the Role Questionnaire, Leader-Member Exchange Scale 7, Affective Commitment Questionnaire, and the Intent to Stay Scale. DONs were recruited via e-mail and social media, and 126 participants completed the surveys with 42 experiencing high role conflict and 13 experiencing high role ambiguity. Results revealed no differences in the levels of affective organizational commitment or intent to stay between DONs with high versus low levels of role conflict or role ambiguity. However, role ambiguity and leader-member exchange, but not role conflict, significantly predicted a DON's affective organizational commitment and intent to stay. Future research could consider the levels of role conflict and role ambiguity experienced by the DON and the tenure of the DON and the effect on the quality of resident care provided. The results of this study could impact positive social change by being used to advocate for role clarity and improve relationships with leaders to increase DON tenure, which would improve nurse workforce turnover and the quality provided in long-term care.

Mature female students encounter a range of challenges, including stereotype threat, which may affect their persistence in academic programs. Research has been conducted on stereotype threat in adult learners, but little research has been done on the impact of stereotype threat on mature female students in higher education. The purpose of this qualitative study using the experience sampling method (ESM) was to investigate how role conflict and social isolation due to age differences affected the learning experiences of mature female students (ages 45-54). The study used a conceptual framework incorporating Steele and Aronson’s stereotype threat theory and the concept of perceived belonging. The research questions explored participants’ use of time and interactions with others to determine the extent to which they may have experienced role conflict and social isolation due to age differences. Using ESM in conjunction with interval-contingent diaries, the study collected data on 5 mature female students enrolled at a national, for-profit undergraduate institution 5 days per week for 4 weeks. Data were analyzed, codes and categories were developed, and themes were identified according to the research questions and diary prompts. Analysis of themes suggested that participants experienced role conflict, struggled with time management, and often felt overwhelmed and exhausted. The themes also indicated that participants interacted favorably with staff and professors but found themselves in conflict with classmates, often as a result of age differences. This study may lead to the development of interventions that can be used to address the unique, diverse needs of mature female students in higher education.

This was a quantitative study designed to determine the role orientation and role behavior of school resource officers in public secondary schools in a metropolitan area of central Texas. The perception of role orientation and role behavior was assessed by two relevant groups: secondary school principals and school resource officers. Each group's perception of role orientation and role behavior was compared to determine if role conflict was an inhibiting factor in the job performance of the recently created school resource officer position. This instrument relied heavily on the work of James Telb who conducted a 1982 study involving the role perceptions of public safety officers in public institutions of higher learning as viewed by senior patrol officers and campus judicial officers. A questionnaire was distributed to both groups to assess perceptions of role orientation of school resource officers as either service oriented or law enforcement oriented. A statistically significant difference in role orientation was identified between groups on two factors: maintenance of traditional police values and police discretionary powers and handling of behavioral scenarios.

The covid-19-pandemic has affected many companies and businesses in society, the retail business being one of them. The pandemic has caused a decrease in sales and many stores have had to make staff reductions. The responsibility of managing the store, as well as managing the changing work conditions, lands in the hands of the store managers. Previous research shows that the middle management position is a vulnerable position where they constantly have to adapt to and handle different interests, particularly during a time full of change. The purpose of the study is to contribute to knowledge about how the covid-19-pandemic affect the store managers work role and leadership, focusing on the conflicting demands and expectations that are integral parts of the middle management position. The empiric material has been gathered through qualitative interviews with store managers in retail, specifically within clothing,cosmetics and shoe retail. The basis for the analysis of the data is a collective theoretical framework regarding sociological ambivalence and sociological coping. The result of the studyshows that the pandemic has resulted in changed work conditions mainly due to temporary and permanent staff reductions. The changed work conditions has led to intensified conflicting demands for the store managers causing them to experience a role conflict, a conflict of values, and conflict between goals and means. Moreover, the study shows that the store managers have handled the conflicting demands and expectations by switching between roles, accepting the intensified demands, seeking support from upper management and co-workers, and to some extent by attempting to make change and set boundaries. The study indicates that the storemanagers work involves incompatible demands and expectations that they are attempting to meet, as a result the store managers feel that they are stretched to their limit. / Den rådande covid-19-pandemin har påverkat många företag och branscher i samhället, däribland handelsbranschen. Pandemin har resulterat i minskad försäljning och många butiker har behövt göra personalneddragningar. Ansvaret för att driva butiken och hantera de förändrade arbetsförhållandena hamnar i knät på butikscheferna. Tidigare forskning visar att mellanchefspositionen är en utsatt position där de ständigt måste förhålla sig till och hantera olika intressen, särskilt under en tid av förändring. Studien syftar därmed till att bidra med kunskap om hur covid-19-pandemin påverkar butikschefens yrkesroll och ledarskap, med ett fokus på de motstridiga krav och förväntningar som inbegrips i mellanchefspositionen. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom kvalitativa intervjuer med butikschefer inom sällanköpshandeln. Grunden för analysen av datamaterialet är ett samlat teoretiskt ramverk om sociologisk ambivalens och sociologisk coping. Studiens resultat visar att pandemin har resulterat i förändrade arbetsförhållanden främst i form av permitteringar och personalneddragningar. De förändrade arbetsförhållandena har lett till en intensifiering av motstridiga krav och förväntningar på butikscheferna vilket gör att de upplever rollkonflikt, värderingskonflikt och konflikt mellan mål och medel. Vidare visar resultatet att butikscheferna hanterat motstridiga krav och förväntningar genom att växla mellanrollfunktioner, acceptera intensifieringen av kraven, söka stöd från ledning och kollegor samt till viss del försöka förändra och sätta gränser. Studien indikerar att butikschefernas arbete präglas av yttre inkompatibla krav och förväntningar som de försöker möta, vilket resulterar i butikschefernas upplevelse av att de vänder ut och in på sig själva.

abstract: The presence of police officers is not an assurance of safety for everyone. Yet, modern concerns for school safety suggest there is a need for more police officers in schools. Over the last 70 years of School Resource Officer (SRO) programs, the variations of SRO program implementation and the expectation of roles and responsibilities has produced conflicting research on benefits or harms of police in the school environment. The purpose of police in schools has shuffled from relationship-building ambassadors for the community, to educators on crime prevention and drug use, to law enforcement officers for punitive juvenile sanctions, to counselors and role models for legal socialization, and other roles for emergency management and crisis response. Plans to place more officers in schools for purposes of “school safety” requires an examination of the SROs’ roles within the school, their interactions with students, and how these roles and interactions contribute to safety. This study explores the roles of SROs to understand the variations of roles within a program and understand factors influencing the roles of SROs (e.g., school climate, initiation by others). To evaluate these roles and potential influences, cluster analysis and multinomial regression models were developed from one year of SRO-student interaction data (n=12, 466) collected daily from the Richland County (SC) Sheriff’s Department SRO Division located in South Carolina. These interactions were defined by the framework of counseling, educating, and law enforcing roles. Results indicate the variations of roles performed are largely influenced by the school type (e.g., elementary), SRO perceptions (e.g., counselor), and the engagement of SROs by school officials for specific roles. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2019

Cette recherche vise à examiner la relation entre le conflit de rôles et la performance des employés. La littérature scientifique ne présente pas des résultats unanimes concernant ce sujet. Dans notre étude, la première hypothèse de recherche suggère que la relation entre le conflit de rôles et la performance au travail est négative. Notre hypothèse est basée sur la théorie d’interférence qui considère le conflit de rôle comme un obstacle à la performance. L’échantillon de l’étude comporte 3621 individus qui travaillent dans 45 entreprises canadiennes. Les données de l’étude sont hiérarchiques, c’est pourquoi nous avons effectué des régressions dans un modèle linéaire mixte. La deuxième hypothèse de recherche teste l’effet d’une variable modératrice sur la relation entre le conflit de rôles et la performance au travail. Cette variable modératrice est le type d’emploi qui est classifié selon le fait que la performance dépend de l’interaction avec d’autres individus ou pas. Les résultats de notre étude valident notre première hypothèse, mais ne supportent pas notre deuxième hypothèse. / The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between role conflict and the performance of employees. The scientific literature presents inconsistent results regarding this relationship. In this study, the first hypothesis suggests that there is a negative relationship between role conflict and performance. This hypothesis is based on the interference theory that considers role conflict an obstacle to performance. Our sample includes 3621 people working in 45 Canadian organizations. The data we used is hierarchical, which is why we conducted regressions in a linear mixed model. The second hypothesis tests the effect of a moderating variable on the relationship between role conflict and performance. This variable is the job type, which is classified according to whether performance depends on the interaction with other individuals or not. The results of our study validate the first hypothesis but show no support for the second one.

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