The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of self-initiated professional development of English language teachers at English Language School of BaSkent University. Within this framework, teachers&amp / #8217 / attitudes towards their professional development, their perceptions of major professional development activities, and the factors that hinder change and growth in teachers were investigated. The data collection instrument used was a questionnaire administered to 110 English language teachers at BaSkent University. The questionnaire consisted of both open-ended and close-ended items and the data collected were analyzed descriptively to understand the general trends and differences among teachers. The data analysis revealed that the teachers agreed with most of the concepts that reflect the importance of professional development. In addition, they were aware of the importance of major professional development activities for their growth. However, peer observation and action research, which are developmental activities, were not favoured as much as the other activities. In addition, it was found that the teachers did not make use of the activities as much as they gave importance to. Furthermore, teachers showed significant differences in importance given to and making use of the activities by the background variables. Female teachers, young teachers and the teachers who do not have much experience seemed to give more importance to and actualize some of the professional development activities more than the other teachers. Meanwhile, it was also noted that the listed factors that hinder growth were all found important by the teachers. The most important impediments to growth were indicated as excessive workload, lack of self-motivation and lack of institutional support for professional development.

The essential tenet of the behavioral momentum model (BMM) is that relative response rate decreases less in the face of disruption when maintained by a higher reinforcer density. Empirical support exists based on both response-dependent and response-independent reinforcement. In the present study the BMM was tested with college students in 4 multi-element experiments, each using 2 reinforcement schedules and a disrupter. Participants performed a categorical sort (by orientation) of triangles on a computer monitor. Sorting response rates were disrupted by a concurrent task, pressing the keyboard “T” key whenever 2 displayed changing numbers were equal. Initial training established fast (under VR 4) and slow (under DRL 5-s) sorting rates, and provided practice with the disrupting task. In Experiment 1 DRL 5-s provided higher reinforcer density, while in Experiment 2 VR 4 did. In Experiment 3 the higher total reinforcer density was achieved by adding VT 6-s to DRL 5-s while in Experiment 4 it was achieved by adding VT 12-s to VR 4. In all 4 experiments, sorting rate decreased with introduction of the disrupter. In Experiments 1 and 3, relative sorting rate decreased less under DRL based schedule (greater reinforcer density), supporting the BMM. However, in Experiments 2 and 4, relative sorting also decreased less under DRL (lower reinforcer density), contrary to the BMM prediction. Taken together, these data show greater relative resistance to change under DRL (versus VR), independent of reinforcer density. Thus, contrary to the BMM, the nature of the reinforcement schedule seemed to be the principal factor determining behavioral momentum. / May 2009

The purpose of this master's degree thesis was to develop an understanding of how hospital management, in the case studied, worked to achieve changes in an organization influenced by differing professional cultures. To gain insight into the conditions that may have contributed to nurses and physicians developing appropriate attitudes and behaviours, which may have affected the organization's ability to achieve the Swedish Quality Award 2012.  A qualitative single case study was conducted at Karlskoga Hospital, with focus groups as well as individual depth interviews.   The results of the case study showed the following conditions provided nurses and physicians the potential to develop appropriate attitudes and behaviours, which may have influenced the hospitals ability to achieve the Swedish Quality Award:   Responsibility and influence over the development processes. Participation in management teams and quality development groups as well as individual fields of responsibility. Training programs that have given insights and skills in quality management related to clinical practice. Nurses and physicians as key individuals gave legitimacy to development process, and served as management advisors. Collaboration between all kind of employees and responsibilities. Committed management.

The essential tenet of the behavioral momentum model (BMM) is that relative response rate decreases less in the face of disruption when maintained by a higher reinforcer density. Empirical support exists based on both response-dependent and response-independent reinforcement. In the present study the BMM was tested with college students in 4 multi-element experiments, each using 2 reinforcement schedules and a disrupter. Participants performed a categorical sort (by orientation) of triangles on a computer monitor. Sorting response rates were disrupted by a concurrent task, pressing the keyboard “T” key whenever 2 displayed changing numbers were equal. Initial training established fast (under VR 4) and slow (under DRL 5-s) sorting rates, and provided practice with the disrupting task. In Experiment 1 DRL 5-s provided higher reinforcer density, while in Experiment 2 VR 4 did. In Experiment 3 the higher total reinforcer density was achieved by adding VT 6-s to DRL 5-s while in Experiment 4 it was achieved by adding VT 12-s to VR 4. In all 4 experiments, sorting rate decreased with introduction of the disrupter. In Experiments 1 and 3, relative sorting rate decreased less under DRL based schedule (greater reinforcer density), supporting the BMM. However, in Experiments 2 and 4, relative sorting also decreased less under DRL (lower reinforcer density), contrary to the BMM prediction. Taken together, these data show greater relative resistance to change under DRL (versus VR), independent of reinforcer density. Thus, contrary to the BMM, the nature of the reinforcement schedule seemed to be the principal factor determining behavioral momentum.

The essential tenet of the behavioral momentum model (BMM) is that relative response rate decreases less in the face of disruption when maintained by a higher reinforcer density. Empirical support exists based on both response-dependent and response-independent reinforcement. In the present study the BMM was tested with college students in 4 multi-element experiments, each using 2 reinforcement schedules and a disrupter. Participants performed a categorical sort (by orientation) of triangles on a computer monitor. Sorting response rates were disrupted by a concurrent task, pressing the keyboard “T” key whenever 2 displayed changing numbers were equal. Initial training established fast (under VR 4) and slow (under DRL 5-s) sorting rates, and provided practice with the disrupting task. In Experiment 1 DRL 5-s provided higher reinforcer density, while in Experiment 2 VR 4 did. In Experiment 3 the higher total reinforcer density was achieved by adding VT 6-s to DRL 5-s while in Experiment 4 it was achieved by adding VT 12-s to VR 4. In all 4 experiments, sorting rate decreased with introduction of the disrupter. In Experiments 1 and 3, relative sorting rate decreased less under DRL based schedule (greater reinforcer density), supporting the BMM. However, in Experiments 2 and 4, relative sorting also decreased less under DRL (lower reinforcer density), contrary to the BMM prediction. Taken together, these data show greater relative resistance to change under DRL (versus VR), independent of reinforcer density. Thus, contrary to the BMM, the nature of the reinforcement schedule seemed to be the principal factor determining behavioral momentum.

La littérature scientifique s’intéressant aux adolescents agresseurs sexuels démontre qu’il s’agit d’une population qui apparait souvent résistante au changement (Rich, 2003). Il importe ainsi d’identifier les facteurs qui favorisent ou compromettent le déroulement de l’intervention auprès de cette clientèle. L’alliance thérapeutique et la motivation au changement figurent d’ailleurs parmi ces facteurs ayant démontré leur influence positive. Toutefois, considérant le caractère dynamique de ces dernières, peu d’études ont documenté les particularités de leur développement respectif, spécialement dans un contexte d’autorité tel que celui des adolescents agresseurs sexuels. La présente recherche permet donc de mieux comprendre la contribution de caractéristiques individuelles et environnementales sur le développement de l’alliance thérapeutique et le processus de changement chez cette clientèle juvénile. Basés sur une collecte de données quantitatives auprès de 166 adolescents agresseurs sexuels suivis dans différents centres de traitement spécialisés en délinquance sexuelle au Québec, les résultats obtenus à partir d’analyses corrélationnelles et multivariées illustrent de nombreuses relations significatives entre un ensemble de caractéristiques individuelles et environnementales et le développement de l’alliance thérapeutique et de la motivation au changement. En effet, différents traits de personnalité, les distorsions cognitives, les habiletés sociales, la détresse post-traumatique et les stratégies de coping sont plus ou moins associés à l’établissement d’une relation d’aide et d’une motivation à changer de comportement. De plus, les caractéristiques de l’environnement institutionnel et la perception du soutien social reçu se veulent des facteurs qui influencent généralement de façon positive les variables à l’étude. L’utilisation du Modèle transthéorique du changement permet de nuancer les résultats en ce sens que les facteurs explicatifs de la motivation peuvent différer d’une étape à l’autre dans le cycle du changement. Ainsi, les services offerts aux adolescents ayant commis une agression sexuelle doivent tenir compte du degré de motivation puisque celui-ci semble être associé à des caractéristiques individuelles et environnementales spécifiques. Finalement, il est important de mentionner que les conclusions de cette étude ne permettent pas d’établir des relations causales entre les variables à l’étude. Néanmoins, les résultats indiquent l’importance de porter attention aux facteurs de changement, qui peuvent différer d’une étape à l’autre dans le cycle du changement, et ceux associés au développement de l’alliance thérapeutique. / The scientific literature pertaining to adolescent sexual aggressors indicates that it is a population which often seems to be resistant to change (Rich, 2003). It is important to identify the reasons that promote or compromise the intervention with this clientele. The therapeutic alliance and the motivation to change are among the factors that have demonstrated a positive influence. However, taking into consideration the dynamic nature of the latter, few studies have documented the particularities of their respective development, especially when the adolescent sex offenders are placed in a context of authority. The current study makes it possible to better understand the contribution of individual and environmental traits on the development of a therapeutic alliance and the process of change with this youthful clientele. Based on a quantitative data from 166 adolescent sex offenders tracked in different centers specialized in sexual delinquency in Quebec, the results from correlational and multi-varied analysis show a significant relationship between a set of individuals and environmental characteristics, and the development of the therapeutic alliance and motivation to change. Indeed, different personality traits, cognitive distortions, social skills, post-traumatic stress and coping strategies are more or less linked with the establishment of a helping relationship and motivation to change behaviour. In addition, the characteristics of the institutional environment and the perception of social support received, appear to be factors that generally positively influence the variables under study. The Transtheoretical Model of Change enlightens the results in such a way that the factors explaining the motivation may differ from one step to another in the cycle of change. Thus, the services available to youth who have committed a sexual assault must take into account the degree of motivation, since it seems to be associated with specific individual and environmental characteristics. Finally, it is important to note that the findings of this study do not establish causal relationship between variables in the study. Nonetheless, the results show the importance of awareness of the changing factors, which can differ from one step to the next in the cycle of change and those associated with the development of a therapeutic alliance.

Contemporary organisations face a raft of challenges in coping with competing demands and rapidly changing environments. With these demands and changes comes the need for those within the organisation to be adequately skilled to meet these challenges both now and into the future. There is a growing concern that the rate of change is such that learning will not be sufficient and that individuals will need to be skilled in unlearning or letting go of past practice and behaviour. This research investigated individual unlearning as it applies in the workplace, and enabled the development of a process model of unlearning that provides specific indication of factors affecting unlearning during times of change. In particular, this thesis highlights the critical importance of elements of a more personal and affective nature; often referred to as "soft" issues. Six key factors at the level of the individual were identified as impacting unlearning; positive prior outlook, individual inertia, feelings and expectations, positive experience and informal support, understanding the need for change, and assessment of the new way. Two factors emerged from the organisational level that also impact unlearning; organisational support and training and history of organisational change. Many change efforts will fail because of lack of attention to individuals, how they unlearn and the level of feelings and expectations that accompany change. This research demonstrates that organisations must provide resources and education to provide both those in supervisory roles and those impacted by change with the necessary skills to unlearn and to embrace change at an individual level.

L’intolérance au changement est fréquemment observée dans l'autisme et s'exprime dans toutes les modalités sensorielles. L’objectif de ce travail était d’étudier la perception automatique du changement visuel chez des enfants et adultes avec autisme via un paradigme oddball passif. En utilisant l’électrophysiologie, des réponses atypiques aux changements visuels mêmes mineurs, ont été mises en évidence dans l’autisme, quel que soit l'âge, suggérant une hyperdistractibilité des patients. De plus, l’utilisation de l’IRMf a permis de révéler, lors de la présentation d’un changement visuel, une hyperactivation du cortex sensoriel associée à une hyperactivation du cortex cingulaire antérieur, d’autant plus élevée que les patients avaient des traits autistiques marqués. Cette étude suggère donc qu’une hyper-réactivité sensorielle associée à des troubles de l’attention visuelle sélective contribueraient aux troubles de perception du changement et aux difficultés d'adaptation dans l’autisme. / Resistance to change is often reported in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and may occur in all sensory modalities. The aim of the present work was to investigate automatic visual change detection in children and adults with ASD using a passive oddball paradigm. Whatever the age, electrophysiological results showed atypical responses to, even minor, changes, suggesting an hyper distractibility in the patients. Besides, fMRI results revealed hyperactivation of the sensory cortex associated with hyperactivation of the anterior cingulate cortex in adults with ASD, the latest being correlated with the degree of autistics symptoms. These studies thus suggest that a sensory hyper-reactivity associated with visual selective attention deficits might contribute to atypical change perception and adaptation in ASD.

Submitted by Rafael Prado Guerra (rafaelpradoguerra@hotmail.com) on 2018-01-10T02:07:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 4. Dissertação - Dinâmicas de Mudança - RAFAEL GUERRA_v5.5.pdf: 3556474 bytes, checksum: 43308ba3310a430b0013913be13a52e8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2018-01-24T12:06:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 4. Dissertação - Dinâmicas de Mudança - RAFAEL GUERRA_v5.5.pdf: 3556474 bytes, checksum: 43308ba3310a430b0013913be13a52e8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-01-29T16:41:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4. Dissertação - Dinâmicas de Mudança - RAFAEL GUERRA_v5.5.pdf: 3556474 bytes, checksum: 43308ba3310a430b0013913be13a52e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-07 / The present study intends to analyze dynamics of change and continuity in crisis contexts, through a case study of a hybrid organization of the energy sector in an emerging country. It is investigated the recent creation process of the Controlling area (until then formally nonexistent), from a historical perspective of agency-structure, trying to identify hybrid dynamics and strategies of resistance-acceptance to the imposition of a new order, resulting from the exchange of management and organizational restructuring. Qualitative research methods were used, using in-depth interviews with the company high-level executives, through a semi-structured and open questions script, as well as documentary and bibliographic analysis of primary and secondary sources. It can be observed that the scenario of institutional and economic crisis through which the organization, the sector and the country were passing made possible the emergence of managerialist logics and financial perspectives, accelerating the processes of changes that were already underway. However, we observed resistance actions that reshaped the initially proposed design for organizational restructuring referenced to market benchmarks, in which interaction and negotiation between agents promoted hybridization processes of structures and strategies that re-adjusted the final configuration. The work approach can be characterized as a limiting factor in hindering a more active and prolific participation of the interviewees, since in addressing sensitive issues such as restructuring, strategy, changes, acceptance, resistance, among others, they may worry about preserving information secrecy, strategic data or specific knowledge for the organization, and in certain cases there may be a selectivity criterion regarding the responses granted. It contributes to the practice because it allows the understanding of acceptance-resistance dynamics to organizational change and the resolutions arising from the social interaction of agents in the corporate environment, as a way of providing subsidies to managers of hybrid organizations belonging to this and other sectors and countries. It also adds to the theory evidence regarding research linked to the critical perspective, in that it brings important elements and field data to academic discussion. / O presente trabalho pretende analisar dinâmicas de mudança e continuidade em contextos de crise, por meio de um estudo de caso de uma organização híbrida do setor de energia em um país emergente. Investiga-se o processo recente de criação da área de Controladoria (até então formalmente inexistente), sob uma perspectiva histórica de agência- estrutura, procurando identificar dinâmicas e estratégias híbridas de resistência-aceitação à imposição de uma nova ordem, advinda da troca de gestão e reestruturação organizacional. Metodologia – Os métodos de pesquisa utilizados foram qualitativos, através da realização de entrevistas em profundidade com executivos de alto nível gerencial da companhia, por meio de um roteiro semi-estruturado com questões abertas, bem como análise documental e bibliográfica de fontes primárias e secundárias. Constata-se que o cenário de crise institucional e econômica pela qual passavam a organização, o setor e o país possibilitaram a emergência de lógicas gerencialistas e perspectivas financistas, acelerando processos de mudanças que já se encontravam anteriormente em curso. No entanto, observaram-se ações de resistência que remodelaram o desenho inicialmente proposto para a reestruturação organizacional referenciada a benckmarks de mercado, em que a interação e negociação entre os agentes promoveu processos de hibridização de estruturas e estratégias que readequaram a configuração final. O enfoque do trabalho pode ser caracterizado como um fator de limitação ao dificultar uma participação mais ativa e prolífica dos entrevistados, já que ao abordar temas sensíveis como reestruturação, estratégia, mudanças, aceitação, resistência, dentre outros, podem preocupar-se em preservar informações sigilosas, dados estratégicos ou conhecimentos específicos para a organização, podendo haver em certos casos um critério de seletividade quanto às respostas concedidas. Contribui para a prática pois permite o entendimento de dinâmicas de aceitação-resistência à mudança organizacional e as resoluções advindas da interação social dos agentes no ambiente corporativo, como forma de fornecer subsídios a gestores de organizações híbridas pertencentes a este e outros setores e países. Também acrescenta à teoria evidências em relação às pesquisas vinculadas à perspectiva crítica, na medida em que traz elementos importantes e dados de campo à discussão acadêmica.

This thesis describes a research investigation into the implementation of the Last Planner System (LPS) in Nigeria, to improve construction processes within the Nigerian construction industry. LPS is known to be the most developed practical use of Lean Construction. It focuses on minimising the negative impacts of variability, uncertainties, buffers, making projects more predictable, creating reliable work plans and convalescing collaborative planning. However, the Nigerian construction industry is associated with a number of challenges which impair its performance. These challenges were grouped and classified into six major barriers: these include: supervision and quality control, fluctuation and variations, subcontractor involvement, resistance to change, cultural issues, and lengthy approvals. Consequently, a Design Science Research (DSR) approach is adopted to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing LPS in construction projects in Nigeria. In order to achieve this aim, an Action Research strategy is adopted and three case studies are reported; two of these cases describe how LPS was successfully implemented in construction projects within Nigeria. While the third case involved an investigation into the state of production plan reliability, of a successful project in Nigeria. These projects were selected based on non-probabilistic sampling from different geographical locations in Nigeria to represent different kinds of construction projects within the country. The first and second cases involved the implementation of LPS within the construction of a prototype student’s hostel and the construction a 4 Kilometre single carriageway road respectively. The third on the other hand involved the construction of a multipurpose hydro-power dam project; where comparisons were made between typical LPS projects and the project management techniques applied within the project. Data was collected through observation site activities, interviews, documentary analysis and questionnaire survey. The data generated was subsequently analysed by means of content analysis and evaluated in terms of its reliability, validity, representativeness, flexibility, rigour and reflexivity. In view of the LPS implementation within the two case studies, six barriers were identified and classified together with the six barriers associated with the Nigerian Construction industry. These barriers were linked, measured and ranked in averages of their degrees of occurrences. It was revealed that the major barriers were cultural issues and resistance to change, while the others include; lengthy approval, subcontractor’s involvement, poor supervision and quality, fluctuations and variations. Hence, a framework was developed to mitigate these barriers, when implementing LPS in construction projects in Nigeria. The main steps of the framework include: the need to identify purpose; the need to identify stakeholders impact; the need to obtain Sponsorship; the need to build a cross functional team; the need to create measurement indices; the need for training on Lean techniques and LPS; and finally the need to create a right working climate. Furthermore a focus group between construction practitioners was organised to test and evaluate the framework developed. It was revealed from the focus group that the framework has the potential to facilitate the implementation process as proposed.