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I takt med Sveriges ökande befolkningsmängd tillkommer krav på att kommunen ska kunna planera städer som lämpar sig till befolkningen utifrån fundamentala men även personliga behov. Kommunerna är de som genom planbesked meddelar om de tänker påbörja planläggning. I detaljplaneprocessen syftar samrådet bland annat till att bidra med bra beslutsunderlag men förekommer i processen först efter att ställningstaganden och beslutsfattande moment redan har skett från kommunens håll. Syftet med denna studie är att med hjälp av kvalitativ undersökning ta reda på hur Sveriges, till invånarantal, största kommuner arbetar med dialoger i tidiga skeden av detaljplaneprocessen. För att uppnå studiens syfte formuleras och ställs semistrukturerade intervjufrågor till de deltagande respondenterna. En litteraturstudie kring medborgardeltagande, inflytande och dialog har även genomförts i syfte att ge studien ett teoretiskt angreppssätt. Litteraturstudien har visat att för att bäst uppnå kvalitativa och resultatgivande medborgardialoger krävs både strategier och metoder. Beroende på sakfråga finns det vissa strategier, metoder och/eller styrverktyg som lämpar sig bättre än andra. Resultaten från intervjuerna visar på att de utvalda kommunerna enligt respondenterna anser sig arbeta med dialoger i tidiga skeden men att det saknas både en tydlig metodik kring hur dialogerna genomförs och en brist på implementering av resultaten från dialogerna. Samtidigt finns en medvetenhet bland respondenterna kring fördelarna med att föra dialoger i tidiga skeden och stora utvecklingsmöjligheter för samtliga kommuner som undersökts. / In line with Sweden's increasing population, there is a requirement that the municipality is able to plan cities suitable for the population based on fundamental as well as personal needs. The municipalities are the ones who, through planning notifications, announce if they intend to start planning or not. In the detailed development plan the consultation in planning aims, among other things, to contribute with a good decision-making basis. However the consultation occurs only after decisions have been made from the municipality's point of view. The purpose of this study is to use qualitative research to find out how Sweden's largest municipalities work with dialogues in the early stages of the detailed development planning process. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, semi-structured interview questions are formulated and asked to the participating respondents. A literature study on citizen participation, influence and dialogue has also been carried out with the aim of giving the study a theoretical approach. The literature study has shown that in order to best achieve qualitative and rewarding citizen dialogues, both strategies and methods are required. Depending on the subject matter there are certain strategies, methods and/or tools that are better suited than others. The results of the interviews show that according to the respondents, the selected municipalities consider themselves to be working with dialogues in the early stages, but that there is a lack of both a clear methodology regarding how the dialogues are carried out and a lack of implementation of the results of the dialogues. At the same time, there is an awareness among respondents about the benefits of dialogues in the early stages and furthermore great development opportunities for all municipalities that participated in the study.

This study evaluated the efficacy of the Stages of Behavior Change (SBC) Model for use with Hong Kong Chinese. The SBC Model has demonstrated empirical support in a variety of health behaviors and across diverse populations. Further, the SBC has implications for the development of behavior change interventions. The SBC is composed of three components: stages of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance. The stages of change are used to determine intention and time frames for behavior change. The SBC model applies Bandura's (1977) definition of self-efficacy and Janis and Manns’ (1968, 1977) conflict theory of decision making. The surveys used to measure these components have been validated and are predictive for condom acquisition. Survey data related to HIV/AIDS prevention (condom use) were collected from university students in Hong Kong and the United States. Comparisons were made across cultures (Hong Kong and the United States) and within the two cultural groups. Exploratory factor analyses using Principal Components Analysis revealed a single-factor model for self-efficacy and a 4-factor model for decisional balance (2 factors for advantages and 2 factors for disadvantages) concerning self (1) and others (we). Main effects for culture and staging were found for self-efficacy and the disadvantage component of decisional balance. Main effects for stage were found for advantages with a significant interaction. These data described an increase in self-efficacy across the stages of change for condom use and greater self-efficacy in HK then the US. The hypotheses for this study were supported with the exception of the advantages component of decisional balance within Hong Kong. Post hoc tests found no difference in self-efficacy in sexually active versus sexually non-active subjects in HK and the US and demonstrated differences in sexually active versus sexually non-active subjects in HK for advantages and disadvantages. Results offer support for using this model with Hong Kong Chinese as the data suggest more similarities than differences across two diverse cultures. These results have important implications for understanding behavior change mechanisms in diverse cultural groups and have significance for intervention planning in Hong Kong for AIDS risk reduction. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this study was to describe the needs and concerns regarding the Virginia Credentialing Initiative (VCI) of career and technical education (CTE) stakeholders in rural southwestern Virginia. These stakeholders included central office CTE administrators, high school principals, guidance counselors, and high school CTE teachers. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2008) was sent to 355 participants with 260 responding for a return rate of 73%. All of the respondents were employed in Superintendents' Region Seven. There are seven Stages of Concern: 0 Unconcerned, 1 Informational, 2 Personal, 3 Management, 4 Consequence, 5 Collaboration, and 6 Refocusing. Results revealed that when categorized by occupational areas, central office CTE administrators and teachers had primary concerns that ranged from Unconcerned to Personal. Guidance counselors had primary concerns that ranged from Unconcerned to Informational. High school principals had primary concerns that ranged from Unconcerned to Personal. All groups had lowest concern levels at the Consequence and Refocusing stages. Results for each group varied slightly when the number of years of experience was used as a reporting category. The primary level of concern was at the Unconcerned stage for each group when the respondents had 5 or fewer years of experience. CTE teacher groups were also categorized by subject area as those with long-standing licensing history (cosmetology, nursing, welding) and those newer to credentialing (agriculture, business, family and consumer sciences, marketing). The fields of nursing and welding had primary concerns at the Unconcerned level, while those in the agriculture, business, cosmetology, family and consumer sciences, and marketing subject areas peaked at the Personal level. Further research is recommended in relation to CTE stakeholder concerns and the implementation and use of the VCI. The implementation of new state legislation will affect CTE stakeholders as they adapt to the new graduation requirements for students pursuing a standard diploma. It is also recommended that qualitative research be conducted to ascertain specific avenues for addressing stakeholder needs and concerns, such as professional development. / Ed. D.