This thesis investigates the potential for radio on the Internet to enhance processes of communication and media practice in the form of new a public sphere. Drawing on the work of Marshall McLuhan, the early stages of this thesis present an enquiry into the unique positive qualities of both radio and the Internet. The argument that follows contends that radio presented on the Internet can draw from the perceived technological benefits of each individual medium, combining as a potential site for public spheres. Both Habermas’s liberal public sphere and contemporary critiques of the concept are examined to define a range of principles that could be tested against relevant examples. The increasing commercialisation of the Internet is presented as a challenge to the normative ideals of a public sphere and counter-balances the optimism of a technologically determinist approach. A series of thematic codes are developed from the relevant theory and combined with qualitative interviews. This forms the framework for a thematic analysis of three individual case studies: Unwelcome Guests, an anti-corporate radio programme, SW Radio Africa, “the independent voice of Zimbabwe,” and NH Making Waves, the radio arm of a community peace activist group. The study investigates opportunities for these three individual case studies to act as public spheres, by examining the interplay that occurs between both Internet and radio practices. As the thematic analysis will demonstrate, placing radio content on the Internet presents new opportunities to diversify content and audiences through collaborative production and improved distribution. Recommendations for further research emphasise the need to pursue the Internet’s role in the public sphere potential of radio.

Many thinkers argue that major differences among languages lead to major differences in experience and thought. Each speech community possibly embodies a distinct world view. The purpose of this study was to explore, through the use of proverbs, the relationship between acculturation and world views among monolingual and bilingual Chinese, with proficiency in Chinese and/or English used a proxy for level of acculturation. Data were collected through questionnaires and qualitative interviews regarding attitudes to English and Chinese proverbs. Data were analyzed by means of SPSS and modified grounded theory methodology. The statistical and qualitative findings contradicted each other: the former found a significant effect for monolingual English speakers, while the latter indicated much more mixed responses with no clear patterns related to language. Implications of findings were discussed and a “global view” was proposed to take the place of a culturally-based world view.

<p>The purpose of this research was to ascertain how children in lowrisk, middle to upper income areas perceive violence and their experience of it. It explores their exposure to violence and how this may affect their view of the future in terms of their hopes and fears. The research was framed around Frantz Fanon&rsquo / s theory of violence and Urie Bronfenbrenner&rsquo / s Systems Theory. The aims of the research was to explore children&rsquo / s perceptions of violence and how this affects children&rsquo / s sense of wellbeing within the context of South Africa by: i) investigating how much children know and understand about the violence that is prevalent in the country, ii) discovering how this frames their perception of violence and finally iii) explore how this affects their sense of well-being. The participants of the study were 28 male and female grade 6 children, between the ages of 10 and 12 from a private school in the Cape Town metropole. There were three focus groups consisting of 8-11 children per group. This was a qualitative study. The data collection was interpreted through Thematic Analysis. The highest standards of ethical conduct and research practice were adhered to.</p>

This study examined the conditions and experience of students who were placed on academic probation in view of key elements of Dewey’s (1958, 1938/1997, 1934/2005) theory of experience. Core data emerged from 16 in-depth interviews with five students who received assistance from an academic support program while on probation. An additional interview was conducted with the academic companion and another with the program developer. A document analysis and a researcher journal supplemented the data. The interviews were analyzed according to a three-dimensional narrative inquiry space (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Dewey, 1958, 1938/1997) to produce profiles and thematic connections (Seidman, 2006). Findings are presented in five texts. The first and second manuscripts depict the stories of two students using the profile genre. These texts disclose rich stories where the meaning of experience is lived. A third manuscript examines students’ experience from the student and professional perspectives. Major themes uncovered, include (a) resistance to seek help; (b) deep personal costs; and (c) a desire to succeed and complete their undergraduate studies. A fourth manuscript explores companioning as experienced by students and supported by resource personnel. It reveals that (a) the companioning role was defined by a specific form of guidance and attendance to self-confidence and (b) the program helped students clarify their needs, promoted their adaptation to the university context, and offered support through a positive relationship. A fifth manuscript examined the characteristics of a fruitful helping relationship. Findings suggest that (a) a rapport characterized by presence and trust and (b) an approach promoting responsibility, awareness, and holism were key. These findings offer a weighty contribution to the literature on post-secondary education by revealing rich and unique experiences. By tapping in the complexity of the participants’ experience, findings help shift away from the current focus on obstacles and deficiencies often attributed to probationary students. Résumé Cette étude a examiné l’expérience d’étudiants ayant été placés en probation académique à la lumière d’éléments-clés de la théorie de l’expérience de Dewey (1958, 1938/1997, 1934/2005). La principale source de données provenait de 16 entrevues en profondeur auprès de cinq étudiants ayant participé à un programme d’accompagnement universitaire alors qu’ils étaient en probation académique. Une entrevue a aussi été menée avec l’accompagnatrice et une autre avec la conceptrice du programme. Une analyse documentaire et un journal de bord de la chercheure complètent les données. Les entrevues ont été analysées selon une analyse narrative tridimensionnelle (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Dewey, 1958, 1938/1997) de façon à produire des profils et des liens thématiques (Seidman, 2006). Les résultats sont présentés dans cinq textes. Les premier et deuxième textes dépeignent l’histoire de deux étudiants sous forme de profils. Ces textes découvrent de riches et profondes histoires véhiculant la probation comme expérience de vie et la signification attribuée à celle-ci. Le troisième texte présente l’examen collectif de l’expérience des cinq étudiants ayant participé au programme d’accompagnement. Cette analyse est enrichie des perspectives de l’accompagnatrice et de la conceptrice du programme. Trois thèmes se dégagent de l’expérience de ces étudiants en probation académique soit (a) une résistance à faire usage des services de soutien; (b) des coûts personnels considérables; et (c) un désir de réussir et de compléter leur programme d’études. Un quatrième texte explore l’expérience d’accompagnement tel que perçu par les étudiants et les professionnels. L’analyse révèle que (a) l’accompagnatrice agissait à titre de guide et était attentive à la dimension de la confiance en soi et (b) le programme a aidé les étudiants à identifier leurs besoins, a soutenu leur adaptation au contexte universitaire, et a offert un soutien personnalisé par l’entremise d’une relation d’aide positive. Le cinquième texte se concentre sur les particularités d’une relation d’aide efficace en contexte de probation académique. Les résultats relèvent que cette expérience est qualifiée par (a) un rapport de présence empathique et empreinte de confiance réciproque et (b) une approche globale favorisant la responsabilité et la conscientisation. En dévoilant la richesse et l’unicité de l’expérience, ces résultats offrent une contribution intéressante. Illustrant la complexité des expériences de probation ils contribuent à s’éloigner d’une vision centrée sur les obstacles et les déficits des étudiants en probation académique.

InSwedenhaving a high degree of intelligence is controversial and giftedness is not always seen as an asset.  Twenty-four gifted adolescents from the high-IQ organization MensaSwedenresponded to questions about their sense of coherence as well as to open-ended questions about how their intelligence affected their lives in the contexts of school, friends, and family.  A thematic analysis of the open-ended questions was performed.  Most of the participants wrote about school being under-stimulating and not fitting them.  In the cases where school was seen as stimulating, this was due to individual teachers or school systems other than the traditional Swedish school.  In the context of friends, the adolescents felt support and viewed their friends as an important part of their lives, although good friends were hard to find, especially before secondary school.  Like friends, the family was mostly seen as a positive context where the adolescents could find support.  A majority of the participants felt they had trouble fitting in with people in general, with the exceptions of close friends and family.  The implications of these results are that the Swedish school system needs to be more flexible and that despite school being seen as negative in many cases, friends and family act as buffers to promote adolescents' well-being.

As Canada becomes increasingly multicultural, counsellors along with other mental health professionals are challenged to find ways to meet the varying needs of an increasingly multiracial, multi-religious, and multicultural population (En-Nabut, 2007; Lambert, 2008; Qasqas & Jerry, 2014). Gaining knowledge about counselling Muslim women is essential as the Muslim community is growing throughout Canada. Muslim women face various challenges as they endeavor to respond to changing social conditions as an underserved minority and religious community (En-Nabut, 2007). A basic interpretive qualitative research design (Merriam, 2002) was utilized to investigate the dynamics of working with Muslim women in a therapeutic setting. Next, ways of being more culturally informed in working with this population, from the perspective of female Muslim mental health professionals were explored. Interviews were conducted with five female Muslim mental health professionals. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to analyze patterns in the data. Four themes emerged: (a) seeking help is not easy: challenges faced by Muslim women clients, (b) lack of awareness: fear of the unknown, (c) participants’ suggested solution: psychoeducation and cross-cultural training, and (d) the building blocks of client-counsellor relationship: trust and communication. Findings are described alongside implications for counselling practice and future research.

This project examines the ontoepistemological underpinnings of diversity education in the field of communication by focusing on the points where diversity, pedagogy and communication intersect. In this study I seek to understand how we come to know what we know about diversity, or the social construction of differentness, and how we share this information with others. I analyzed three popular interpersonal communication textbooks, examining the patterns revealed in the text, in order to address these questions. This study uses three complimentary methods to reveal the number of occurrences that center on diversity in the text (content analysis), to interpret themes reflected by the patterns discovered in the text (thematic analysis) and a creative twist on the coding process that opens the analysis process to the coders and includes their input as participants to this study (reflexive content analysis). The results of this study revealed three-hundred ten occurrences of the social construction of difference across all three textbooks but only a portion of those, seventy-six, suggested social constructionist underpinnings of these constructs. This study shows how we have missed an opportunity at the introductory level to expand our student's knowledge of issues in diversity.

The changing dynamics in patient care, along with the increasing role of early clinical experiences and community-based teaching models, can be a catalyst in furthering important research and training for clinical teaching excellence. Curricular challenges as well as limited scholarly work generate educational possibilities for study. Embracing a strong educational doctrine of teaching excellence in undergraduate medical education will help shape the future of health care and ultimately enhance patient care. This grounded theory study (a) described and explained descriptions of teaching excellence among first and second year academic and community-based preceptors in the Longitudinal Clinical Experience (LCE) program at the University of South Florida (USF), Morsani College of Medicine and (b) generated theory related to the explanation of the phenomenon of clinical teaching excellence. The single site study drew upon preceptors in the Longitudinal Clinical Experience (LCE) course who were nominated for a teaching excellence award by second, third, and fourth year medical students through a voluntary, online survey. Based on these surveys, 17 academic and 17 community-based preceptors who represented someone who had gone above the student's expectations in providing an exceptional learning experience were nominated. From the list of 34, 13 eligible preceptors were invited to participate in the study and a sample of eight (four academic and four community-based preceptors) were interviewed. The semi-structured, one-hour face-to-face interviews were conducted between April and December 2012 using an interview process. All interviews were located in the preceptor's academic, hospital, or practice setting except one, which took place in the preceptor's private residence. Interview questions were distributed to participants in preparation of the meeting. After obtaining written informed consent by the participants, interviews were tape recorded and lasted an average of 60 minutes. Data analysis was completed using a complimentary, manual and electronic coding method to categorize and develop initial concepts and themes. Data were continuously tested with field notes, observations of the interviews and settings, and thoughts from the researcher's journal, supporting the fluid and constant comparative analysis of grounded theory. The following four thematic categories, supported by preceptors' reflective and reframing practices, emerged from the presentation of data for theory development: (a) preceptors have an awareness of, and adapt to, each student's readiness to learn; (b) preceptors demonstrate an intrinsic commitment to teaching; (c) preceptors create supportive learning environments; and (d) preceptors utilize sound pedagogical practices. As a result of an in-depth, reciprocal analysis from the selected categories and descriptions of clinical teaching excellence, a higher-order construct (theory) was generated, and suggested transforming and implementing adult learning principles and strategies into early clinical education experiences can have a positive influence on medical education and strengthen student learning. Recommendations for practice and future research include (a) utilizing findings in curriculum planning, (b) expanding the study to increase awareness of the value of reflection and reframing in clinical teaching, (c) investigating the impact of clinical teaching excellence on patient care practices, and (d) expanding the study to compare primary care and specialty disciplines. Professional development programs should include designing activities based on preceptors' instructional needs, sound pedagogical practices, and in compliance with continuing medical education requirements.

This study explores motivations of two ‘new’ humanitarian donors, Brazil and India, byanalysing debates from two of the agents in each country involved in the processesregarding humanitarian assistance - the Brazilian Federal Senate and the BrazilianMinistry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Indian Ministry of External Affairs andCouncil of States - by means of a thematic analysis. This resulted in the identification ofmotivating factors for humanitarian spending in the form of themes. For Brazil thethemes Priority, Humanitarianism, Regional Solidarity and International Integrationcould be identified. For India the themes identified were: Security Interests,Humanitarianism, Good Neighbour, Competence and Preparedness.By comparing the findings of this study with the ‘Seven Frames relevant to Foreign AidPolicy’ of Western donors established by van der Veen, it could be concluded that newdonors and Western donors share similar interests in the areas of power, security,international reputation and humanitarianism, which guide them as motivating factors indecisions regarding humanitarian assistance. Nonetheless, there are also differences forexample with regards to economic interests and issues of obligation, which are presentfor Western donors, but could not be identified in motivations of the new donors Braziland India. The study concludes that the framework established by van der Veen forWestern donors is not sufficient to explain motivations of new donors in the area ofhumanitarian assistance. Instead, a new framework is necessary to explore the differingapproaches and motivations of both Western and new donors in their complexity.

<p>The purpose of this research was to ascertain how children in lowrisk, middle to upper income areas perceive violence and their experience of it. It explores their exposure to violence and how this may affect their view of the future in terms of their hopes and fears. The research was framed around Frantz Fanon&rsquo / s theory of violence and Urie Bronfenbrenner&rsquo / s Systems Theory. The aims of the research was to explore children&rsquo / s perceptions of violence and how this affects children&rsquo / s sense of wellbeing within the context of South Africa by: i) investigating how much children know and understand about the violence that is prevalent in the country, ii) discovering how this frames their perception of violence and finally iii) explore how this affects their sense of well-being. The participants of the study were 28 male and female grade 6 children, between the ages of 10 and 12 from a private school in the Cape Town metropole. There were three focus groups consisting of 8-11 children per group. This was a qualitative study. The data collection was interpreted through Thematic Analysis. The highest standards of ethical conduct and research practice were adhered to.</p>