<p>In this research paper, guided by Prof Z Groener, I explore the learning barriers experienced by deaf learners in the structured workplace component of a learnership programme. I focus on the learning barriers of deaf learners at work on an Information Technology learnership where the learning environment shapes and are shaped by deaf learners. Twenty deaf learners have entered during 2005 into an Information Technology: Technical Support NQF4 learnership, funded by the Information Systems (IT), Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies Sector Education Training Authority (ISETT Seta). I have determined how deaf learners are faring with work and learning in a technological environment that has experienced rapid and extensive restructuring during the past ten years. The specific difficulties which they experience during their structured workplace component of the learnerships have also been defined. I argue that when deaf learners form part of a community of practice, consisting of both deaf learners and hearing colleagues and who operate in the same area of knowledge and activity, they fare better than those who did not form part of such a community. I conclude this research paper with a link to the situated learning theory where I explain why the learner&rsquo / s situation contributed to their ability to learn.</p>

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

The aim of this study is to investigate politeness phenomena within the Hindu sector of the South African Indian English speaking community. The study focuses on the understanding of politeness within the target community and whether this understanding has changed over the past generation. It also examines if males and females exhibit and value politeness differently. Finally the study investigates which of the existing Western/non-Western models of politeness are relevant for describing the politeness phenomena in the target community. This study is conducted through the realizations of the speech acts of requests and apologies, focusing on the variables of age, status and social distance. In order to achieve triangulation, qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used. These comprised interviews with cultural/religious leaders, discourse completion tasks, interviews with families and a ranking scale. My findings reveal that the understanding of politeness phenomena within the target community is more in keeping with that in other non-Western cultures than in Western cultures. Females are found to exhibit more polite behaviours than males. Further, in general the understanding of politeness over the past generation has remained more or less constant. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Every year, 12,000 people in Sweden are diagnosed with aphasia. Many people with aphasia supplement their logopedic treatment by participating in an aphasia group. Aphasia groups provide both social and linguistic stimulation. The aim of the present thesis was to study the social interaction between participants, and between participants and leaders in aphasia groups. In the present study, eleven persons with aphasia and four leaders participated divided into three aphasia groups. The groups were video recorded during sessions with a total of four sessions. Two hours of social interaction were recorded. The material was transcribed and analyzed according to Conversation Analytical principles. The study focuses specifically on the use of gestures and face-work. Both phenomena could be observed in all groups. The results of the present work showed that different gestures could enhance as well as reduce intelligibility. Individuals’ gesture use was consistent with their ability of expression, i.e. the better the expressive ability, the more acceptable and understandable gestures. Face-work that was analyzed in the present study showed that face-threatening as well as face-saving strategies occur in aphasia groups. / Varje år drabbas 12 000 personer i Sverige av afasi. Många kompletterar sin logopediska behandling genom att delta i afasigrupp. Afasigruppen ger både social och språklig stimulans. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att studera social interaktion mellan deltagare och mellan deltagare och ledare i afasigrupp.  I studien deltog elva personer och fyra ledare fördelat på tre afasigrupper. Grupperna filmades under pågående session. Sammanlagt filmades fyra tillfällen och totalt cirka två timmar social interaktion. Materialet transkriberades och analyserades enligt samtalsanalytiska principer. I studien fokuseras särskilt på användandet av gester och fasadarbete (face). Båda kategorierna kunde iakttas i samtliga grupper. Resultatet i föreliggande arbete visade att olika gester kunde stärka förståeligheten och andra minska förståeligheten. Individernas gestanvändande stämde överens med deras uttrycksförmåga: Ju bättre uttrycksförmåga, desto mer vedertagna och lättförståeliga gester. Fasadarbete som analyserades i föreliggande studie visade att ansiktshotande så väl som ansiktsräddande strategier förekommer i afasigrupper.

Family centres have become a common institution to promote health and wellbeingamong young children (0-6 years of age) and their parents in Sweden. Thecore of the work is usually based on both maternal and child health care, a preschooland social services, all located under the same roof in the local community.The family centre in this study, known as the "Family House", was the firstof its type to be built in the city of Kristianstad, Sweden.The overall aim of the thesis was to understand family centre practice throughprofessionals' and parents' perceptions of the Family House and its relationship to modernity.The study employed a qualitative design using phenomenography as method tocapture people's perceptions of the practice. The research also drew on the approachof action research, where participants and researchers co-generateknowledge through collaborative communicative processes. Data was generatedfrom semi-structured interviews conducted with nineteen professionals andsixteen individual parents. Dialogue sessions with the professionals of the studyhave been held in order that they and the researcher could enter into a dialoguebased on the findings of the interviews. Data was consequently also generatedfrom these meetings.The way the professionals perceived the practice of the Family House fell intothree categories, namely, as a professional service, the provision of an informalmeeting place for professionals and families with young children or as a broadcommunity-based centre. Parents' perceptions fell into four categories; as aprofessional reception to obtain expert guidance and support, a study circle andliving room to informally share experiences and socialising, and a playgroundfor children where children could interact and learn social skills.One core finding of this thesis is that family centre practice for those involvedcontained a balancing act between simple modern expertise to control the futureand late modern opportunities for self-realisation and reflexivity.Parents and professionals shared the responsibility for children's well-being andthe distinction between private and public was blurred since parents used theHouse as a social arena for developing personal relations. It was also an arenafor integration between Swedes and immigrants based on engagement for bothcultural diversity and similarity.

Denna kvalitativa studies syfte är att undersöka, kartlägga och analysera sociala interaktionsmönster kring beslutsprocessen på Migrationsverkets asylprövning utifrån asylbeslutsfattares perspektiv. Genom att luta sig mot teori om beslut inom ramen för administrativt beteende samt teori om ansvarfördelning analyseras empirisk data insamlat med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med beslutsfattare från olika asylprövningsenheter.Studiens resultat visar att det finns invecklade sociala interaktionsmönster i asylbeslutsfattandet samt att tre kommunikationstyper kunde identifieras; informella, formella och semiformella. Beslutsfattare växlar mellan dessa typer i beslutsprocessens olika steg. Med hjälp av utvecklade sociala kommunikationsmönster, omsätts en tidspressad beslutsplan i handling. Sammantaget påvisar studien den administrativa människans begränsade rationalitet. På grund av ringa sociologiska forskning inom området är studien ett bidrag till disciplinen. / This qualitative study aims to investigate, identify and analyze social interaction patterns regarding the decision-making process at the Migration board’s asylum processing unit from the perspective of the asylum officer. Empirical data, which is collected through semi-structured interviews with asylum officers from different Migration board entities, is analyzed by employing different theories on decision-making in the context of administrative behavior and diffusion of responsibility. The outcome of the study shows that there is an intricate social interaction pattern in the asylum decision process and three communication types have been identified: informal, formal and semi-formal. The asylum officer switches between these types in the various stages of the decision-making process. Through developed social communication patterns, a time-pressured decision-making plan is put in action. Generally, the study demonstrates the bounded rationality of the administrative person. Due to lack of sociological research in this area, this study is a contribution to the field.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 210-236). / Microfiche. / ix, 236 leaves, bound 29 cm

This study explores the influence of music sharing at work on social relationships between colleagues. Music sharing has been proven to facilitate friendship and maintenance in various social environments (Brown, Sellen, & Geelhoed, 2001; Voida, Grinter, & Ducheneaut, 2006). However, music sharing at work in its influence on friendships between colleagues has never been explored, even though establishing and strengthening social relationships within the workplace have become increasingly important within organisations (Berman, West, & Richter, 2002). Informal relationships are beneficial for the overall well-being of an organisation as they increase the exchange of resources between colleagues. For the individual workers these relationships satisfy their need for social interaction. The study applied a mixed methods approach involving quantitative as well as qualitative methods. Twenty-nine employees from design agencies throughout New Zealand participated in an online survey and seven in semi-structured interviews. Both online survey and interviews were used in combination in order to achieve complementarily and triangulation between quantitative and qualitative data. The results suggest that music sharing contributes to the development of social bonding that occurs in the workplace. On the basis of the music that was shared through various technologies colleagues appeared to form impressions of each other. This involved determining each others’ music preferences and associating other personality aspects with those music preferences. It appeared that the more similarly colleagues perceived each others’ musical tastes, the more likely they were to become friends and/or to form informal music taste groups at work. The degree of reciprocity of music predicted the degree of intimacy between colleagues. When colleagues who were friends shared music with each other, they were much more concerned about reciprocating the music adequately than when they shared with colleagues they knew only superficially. The findings of this study are relevant for employers who want to promote relationship development between colleagues in a work environment where employees are passionate about music.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Boston University, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 560-575).