While the number of individuals in the United States between the ages of 25-44 with a bachelor’s degree has been increasing, so too has the number of individuals who have started college and dropped out. Higher education has numerous societal and individual benefits that are not being actualized because there are simply not enough individuals with bachelor’s degrees in this country. Nontraditional students (NTS) are entering higher education at increasing rates but at higher risk for drop-out; therefore, it is essential to learn more about this population to improve their rates of persistence. This study examines the life experiences of 35 NTS accepted to a bachelor’s degree program in a college of continuing education. This is a bounded case study of a specific group of students that utilized a content analysis of their application essays to understand their sentiments when (re)entering higher education. Themes stemming from the research questions, essay prompt, and theoretical lens were explored but allowed for others to emerge as well. Applicants shared many personal life experiences that contributed to their goals and motivations for achieving a bachelor's degree. Ambitions for earning a bachelor’s degree were spread across the personal and professional realms, including both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Most applicants had previously attended college prior to applying to CCE while two were applying to college for the first time. Twenty-one of the 35 applicants demonstrated a clear progression to self-authorship. This study has numerous implications for practice for admissions and various student support departments on campus. Through the collaboration of these offices, institutions can create a continuity of care surrounding these students and champion them to a degree. / Educational Administration

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The setting for this study was the University of the Western Cape, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, first year undergraduate students. All students who participated in the compulsory interprofessional programme were from the following disciplines: Occupational Therapy; Physiotherapy; Psychology; Social Work; Natural Medicine; Dietetics; Human Ecology; Sports Sciences and Nursing. The objectives of this study were to measure the attitudes and perceptions of first year students who participated in an undergraduate interprofessional programme. The attitudes and perceptions were further measured in relation to the specific lecturers involved, the age of the students, their gender, race, background as well their specific discipline. This was primarily a quantitative study incorporating two qualitative questions in which 657 students were issued with a questionnaire designed to determine their attitudes and perceptions towards interprofessional education. A sample size of 264 students resulted in 95% confidence intervals with a maximum precision of 5%. The questionnaire was adapted, with permission, from Cameron; Rennie; DiProspero; Langlois & Wagner (2009). MS Excel was used to capture the data and STATISTICA version 9 (StatSoft Inc. (2009) STATISTICA (data analysis software system), www.statsoft.com.) was used to analyze the data from the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the main features of the sample of this study and summary statistics was further used to summarize the findings of this study in order to communicate the bulk of the information as simple as possible. Two open-ended questions were included at the end of the questionnaire and this was used to triangulate the data. The Kruskal-Wallace test was used to measure the results, whereby a p-value of <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Of all the factors used to measure the attitudes and perceptions of students, the following three were significant: Gender; Race and Discipline. No other factors impact on the attitudes and perceptions of students towards interprofessional education. Student attitudes and perceptions towards interprofessional education were found to be very positive. The findings revealed that the most significant factor in the study was the lack of understanding of various disciplines participating in the programme and their understanding of the relevance of the teaching approach (interprofessional) as well as their specific role in the health care team. This clearly illustrated the need to recommend to the co-ordinating unit of the programme that this be defined more clearly for the students and specifically the Sports Sciences students. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie het plaasgevind by die Universiteit van die Wes-Kaap, in die Fakulteit van Gemeenskap en Gesondheidswetenskappe, met eerste jaar voorgraadse studente wat die verpligte interprofessionele program doen. Studente sluit in die volgende dissiplines: Arbeidsterapie; Fisioterapie, Sielkunde, Maatskaplike Werk, Natuurlike Medisyne, Dieetkunde, Menslike Ekologie, Sport en Verpleegkunde. Die doelwitte van hierdie studie was om die houdings en persepsies van die eerste jaar studente wat deelgeneem het in 'n voorgraadse interprofessionele program te meet. Houdings en persepsies was gemeet met betrekking tot die ouderdom geslag, ras,agtergrond sowel dissipline van spesifieke studente. Daar was ook gekyk of die betrokke dosente ń invloed het op studente se houdings en persepsies teenoor die program. Die studie was hoofsaaklik kwantitatiewe met n kwalitatiewe komponent. Vraelyse was uitgereik aan 657 studente om hul houdings en persepsies teenoor interprofessionele onderwys te bepaal. 'n Steekproefgrootte van 264 studente het in 95% vertrouensintervalle met 'n maksimum akkuraatheid van 5%. Die vraelys is aangepas, met toestemming, van Cameron, Rennie; DiProspero Langlois & Wagner (2009). MS Excel was gebruik om die data op te vang en Statistica weergawe 9 [StatSoft Inc (2009) STATISTICA (data-analise sagteware stelsel), www.statsoft.com] is gebruik om die data van die vraelyste te analiseer. Beskrywende statistiek is gebruik om te beskryf die belangrikste kenmerke van die steekproef van hierdie studie. Opsommingstatistiek is verder gebruik om op te som die bevindinge van hierdie studie met die doel om die grootste deel van die inligting so eenvoudig as moontlik te kommunikeer. Twee oop vrae is ingesluit aan die einde van die vraelys en dit is gebruik om die data te trianguleer. Die Kruskal-Wallace-toets is gebruik om die resultate, waar 'n p-waarde van <0,05 aangedui word statistiese betekenisvolheid te meet. Van al die faktore wat gebruik was om die houdings en persepsies van studente te meet, was die volgende drie beduidende: geslag, ras en dissipline. Geen ander faktore impakteer op die houdings en persepsies van studente in interprofessionele onderwys. Studente se houdings en persepsies teenoor interprofessionele onderwys was beduidend positief. Die studie het bevind dat daar ń algemene gebrek aan begrip is vir die relevansie van die program. Dit sluit in hoekom die verskillende dissiplines aan die program deelneem as ook wat hulle spesifieke rolle in die gesondheidsorg span is. Die aanbeveling is dus dat die koördinerings eenheid van die program die kursus meer duidelik sal moet definieer om so doende die studente se kennis in terme van relevansie van die interprofessionele program uit te brei met spesifiek verwysing na die Sport studente.

The study comprises an investigation of the quality of the clinical teaching environment of undergraduate students in the accredited Primary health care ( PHC) facilities used by a provincial nursing college in Limpopo. The researcher, who is employed full time in one of the accredited PHC facilities to which undergraduate students are admitted for clinical practice, became aware of the tension between the undergraduate students and professional nurses working in the PHC facility during the performance of clinical practice. Undergraduate students accused the professional nurses of neither supervising them properly during the execution of their clinical practice, nor assessing them on the prescribed practical outcomes. On the other hand, the professional nurses working in the PHC facility complained that undergraduate students were placed at the PHC facilities in large numbers with no clinical accompanist accompanying them. The research objectives were to determine the quality of clinical practice in the PHC clinical learning environment as rated by undergraduate students allocated by a provincial nursing college located working in a PHC facility in a district of Limpopo Province, and to formulate recommendations for the professional nurses in PHC districtmanagement to incorporate supervision for undergraduate students in order to enhance clinical teaching for undergraduate students in Primary health care facilities. The researcher used a quantitative, descriptive, explorative and contextual design. An all-inclusive sampling method was used to select research participants. Participants were undergraduate students of a provincial nursing college in Limpopo. Informed consent was obtained. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant authorities. Data was collected by using an internationally validated Clinical Learning Environment Supervision and Nurse Teacher Instrument (Saariskoki & Leino-Kilpi, 2008:259-267).. Data analysis was done by using descriptive statistics and revealed that the clinical practice environment was not conducive to enhancing practical skills development in the real practical PHC practice. Evaluation of study, limitations and recommendations for education, research, practice and policy were discussed. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The problem was to develop a concept of teaching English for the adult (24 years old or older) undergraduate. The purposes were to make a statement on teaching the adult, survey adults for their perceptions of their needs and the ways the courses met them, review findings of schools offering special adult degree programs, and develop a typology of the adult undergraduate in English with teaching implications. Chapter I states the problem, purposes, significance, and limitations of the study. Chapter II develops the historical background. Chapter III covers the survey and its implications. Chapter IV presents teachers' views of teaching English for adults. Chapter V summarizes the study and sets forth a conceptual structure for teaching the adult undergraduate in such courses.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jacinto Ordem.pdf: 8202947 bytes, checksum: 6c56cbb2378fff6054ebd7e8f70b8a20 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-14 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research aims to analyze the conceptions of proof and demonstration in plane geometry among undergraduate students in mathematics teaching at Pedagogical University of Mozambique. It is a qualitative research whose data collecting procedure was based on a questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire consisted of a sequence of tasks requiring the production of proofs and demonstrations, and the evaluation of methods of proofs by the subjects, at first. In a second step, the same subjects are interviewed about their own productions their responses. To carry out this part of study, each subject talks with the researcher about what he/she did, seeing to understand in depth the sense of his/her productions. This data collecting, articulating the questionnaire and the interviews, that we call triangulation of method, a terminology borrowed from Araújo and Borba (2006). Attended the research 19 prospective teachers in their 4th year of training in Mathematics Teaching, for final series of basic education Secondary education from Nampula and Beira Campus. Yet, took part of methodological procedures the didactical analyzes (a priori and a posteriori analyzes) of tasks designed for the questionnaire. As a theoretical framework of the study, we used the ideas of Paradigms and Geometrical Workspace proposed by Houdement and Kuzniak; the Type of Proofs, proposed by Balacheff, and Proof Schemes advanced by Harel and Sowder. The analysis of results showed that: (i) the subjects did not show consistent strategies of production of demonstrations, nor justifications with plausible mathematical foundation their strategies seem to be more influenced by didactical textbooks adopted in elementary school geometry. (ii) the subjects deal with proofs and demonstrations another topic of mathematics learning and not as means of communication and mathematical validation. (iii) the subjects do not use consistent criteria for evaluate proofs and demonstrations. (iv) our subjects have conception that proof and demonstration are simple rituals dissociated from one of its main roles, that of validating true properties and conjectures, or rejecting false conjectures. The study also showed that among subjects, reins the conception that there are empirical methods that validate geometrical properties, even if they are not demonstrations, and empirical methods that do not validate geometrical properties, depending on the type instrument used. In our perspective, we can say that this research is a valuable contribution to Mathematics Education, in general, and, particularly to the Mozambican context, if we consider that research of this kind is scarce in Mozambique. Therefore, we believe that the results of the study may contribute to rethink about the way geometry is seen at Pedagogical University of Mozambique / Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar as concepções de prova e demonstração em geometria plana de estudantes de Licenciatura em matemática da Universidade Pedagógica de Moçambique. É uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, cujo procedimento de coleta de dados se baseou em questionário e em entrevistas. O questionário é composto por uma sequência de tarefas exigindo a produção de provas e demonstrações e a avaliação de métodos de prova pelos sujeitos da pesquisa, em um primeiro momento. Em um segundo momento, os mesmos sujeitos são entrevistados sobre suas próprias produções suas respostas. Para levar a cabo esta parte da pesquisa, cada sujeito conversa com o pesquisador sobre aquilo que fez, procurando-se perceber a fundo o sentido de suas produções. É essa coleta de dados articulando o questionário e as entrevistas que damos o nome de triangulação de método, terminologia emprestada de Araújo e Borba (2006). Participaram da pesquisa 19 futuros professores do 4° ano da Licenciatura em Ensino da Matemática, para séries finais do ensino básico Ensino secundário das delegações de Nampula e Beira. Ainda fez parte dos procedimentos metodológicos análises didáticas (a priori e a posteriori) das tarefas concebidas para o questionário. Como referencial teórico, utilizamos as ideias de Paradigmas e Espaço de Trabalho Geométricos propostas por Houdement e Kuzniak; os Tipos de Prova propostos por Balacheff e os Esquemas de Prova avançados por Harel e Sowder. A análise dos resultados mostrou que: (i) os sujeitos não mostraram estratégias consistentes de produção de demonstrações, nem justificativas com embasamento matemático plausível suas estratégias parecem mais influenciados pela abordagem da geometria nos livros didáticos adotados no ensino fundamental. (ii) os sujeitos lidam com provas e demonstrações como mais um tópico de aprendizagem em matemática e não como meio de comunicação e de validação em matemática. (iii) os nossos sujeitos não utilizam critérios consistentes para avaliar provas e demonstrações. (iv) os sujeitos da pesquisa têm uma concepção de que provas e demonstrações são simples rituais dissociadas de uma de suas funções principais, a de validar propriedades e conjecturas verídicas, ou de refutar conjecturas falsas. O estudo revela ainda que, entre os sujeitos da pesquisa, reina a concepção de que existem métodos empíricos que validam propriedades geométricas, mesmo que não sejam demonstrações, e métodos empíricos que não validam propriedades geométricas, consoante o tipo de instrumento utilizado. Em nossa perspectiva, podemos dizer a pesquisa é um contributo valioso para a Educação Matemática, em geral, e, particularmente para o contexto moçambicano, se atendermos que pesquisas deste gênero pouco se tem falado de sua realização para o público alvo a que ela esteve voltada. Portanto, acreditamos que os resultados podem levar a se repensar sobre o quadro institucional a que a disciplina de Geometria plana é encarada na Universidade Pedagógica de Moçambique

Η παρούσα μελέτη διερευνά τις απόψεις, τις αντιλήψεις και τη σχέση των προπτυχιακών φοιτητών του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών με το Πανεπιστήμιο συνολικότερα. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, εξετάζονται τα κριτήρια βάσει των οποίων ο φοιτητής ή η φοιτήτρια επιλέγει τη σχολή φοίτησης αλλά και η άποψη που είχαν οι φοιτητές/φοιτήτριες για το Πανεπιστήμιο πριν εισαχθούν σε αυτό. Ακολούθως, ιδιαίτερο βάρος δίνεται στην πορεία που διανύουν οι φοιτητές μέσα στο Πανεπιστήμιο, τους παράγοντες που την καθορίζουν και πως αυτοί επιδρούν στην προσωπικότητα των φοιτητών. Διερευνώνται, επίσης, οι προοπτικές τους μετά την απόκτηση του πτυχίου, μέσα από το δικό τους οπτικό πρίσμα αλλά και αυτό των γονιών τους. Πέραν της υπάρχουσας βιβλιογραφίας, η έρευνα στηρίζεται σε 21 ατομικές, ημι-δομημένες συνεντεύξεις με προπτυχιακούς φοιτητές και φοιτήτριες του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Όσον αφορά την ερμηνεία αυτών στηριχθήκαμε στην Grounded Theory αλλά και στη θεωρία του Bourdieu περί κοινωνικού και πολιτιστικού κεφαλαίου. Από την έρευνα προκύπτει ότι η πλειονότητα των παιδιών αποφασίζουν αυτοί για την εισαγωγή και για τις μελλοντικές επιλογές τους χωρίς να πιέζονται από τους γονείς αλλά απογοητεύονται από την εσωτερική εικόνα του Πανεπιστημίου. Τέλος, οι διδάσκοντες και η (οικονομική) κρίση μοιάζουν να επηρεάζουν σημαντικά την Πανεπιστημιακή πορεία αλλά και τα όνειρα των ερωτώμενων. / This study surveys the views, the perceptions and the relationship of undergraduate students of the University of Patras with the University as a whole. More specifically, we examine the criteria according to which the students choose their faculty and the inspection they had about the University prior to being accepted. Afterwards, special attention is paid to the course of students during their University years, the factors that determine it, and its effects on personality. Their prospects after graduation through theirs and their parents’ point of view are examined, as well. In addition to the existing literature, the research is based on 21 individual, semi-structured interviews with undergraduate students of the University of Patras. Grounded Theory and Bourdieu’s theory of social and cultural capital were used as hermeneutical tools to induct meaning out of the data. Research reveals that the majority of students decide on their own about their future choices without being influenced by their parents but students are let down by University’s inside conditions. Finally, academic instructors and financial crisis seem to affect considerably the University course and the dreams of the interviewees.

The study comprises an investigation of the quality of the clinical teaching environment of undergraduate students in the accredited Primary health care ( PHC) facilities used by a provincial nursing college in Limpopo. The researcher, who is employed full time in one of the accredited PHC facilities to which undergraduate students are admitted for clinical practice, became aware of the tension between the undergraduate students and professional nurses working in the PHC facility during the performance of clinical practice. Undergraduate students accused the professional nurses of neither supervising them properly during the execution of their clinical practice, nor assessing them on the prescribed practical outcomes. On the other hand, the professional nurses working in the PHC facility complained that undergraduate students were placed at the PHC facilities in large numbers with no clinical accompanist accompanying them. The research objectives were to determine the quality of clinical practice in the PHC clinical learning environment as rated by undergraduate students allocated by a provincial nursing college located working in a PHC facility in a district of Limpopo Province, and to formulate recommendations for the professional nurses in PHC districtmanagement to incorporate supervision for undergraduate students in order to enhance clinical teaching for undergraduate students in Primary health care facilities. The researcher used a quantitative, descriptive, explorative and contextual design. An all-inclusive sampling method was used to select research participants. Participants were undergraduate students of a provincial nursing college in Limpopo. Informed consent was obtained. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant authorities. Data was collected by using an internationally validated Clinical Learning Environment Supervision and Nurse Teacher Instrument (Saariskoki & Leino-Kilpi, 2008:259-267).. Data analysis was done by using descriptive statistics and revealed that the clinical practice environment was not conducive to enhancing practical skills development in the real practical PHC practice. Evaluation of study, limitations and recommendations for education, research, practice and policy were discussed. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-28).

Ο ιατρός καλείται να ανταποκριθεί σε ένα ρόλο με διττή σημασία: σε αυτόν του θεραπευτή και σε αυτόν του επαγγελματία. Η σύγχρονη ιατρική εκπαίδευση στοχεύει στην καλλιέργεια στάσεων για τον επαγγελματισμό. Η παρούσα εργασία πραγματεύεται το ζήτημα της διαμόρφωσης της επαγγελματικής ταυτότητας των προπτυχιακών φοιτητών του Ιατρικού Τμήματος του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, διερευνάται το πλαίσιο στο οποίο βιώνεται η ασθένεια, αναγνωρίζεται η ανάγκη παροχής υπηρεσιών υγείας προς την κοινωνία και εξετάζεται η ανάπτυξη του ιατρικού επαγγέλματος. Αρχικά, πραγματοποιείται μια εκτενής εννοιολογική αναφορά στον επαγγελματισμό, όπου βασίζεται και η επαγγελματική ταυτότητα του ιατρού. Ακολούθως, με την εμπειρική έρευνα επιδιώκεται η διερεύνηση των απόψεων και των στάσεων, που αναπτύσσουν οι προπτυχιακοί φοιτητές της εν λόγω Σχολής σχετικά με τις βασικές παραμέτρους διαμόρφωσης της επαγγελματικής τους ταυτότητας. Επιπρόσθετα, εξετάζεται η σύνδεση του Οδηγού Σπουδών του Τμήματος με τα χαρακτηριστικά του επαγγελματισμού και ειδικότερα της ιατρικής ταυτότητας. / Doctors are expected to cope with the roles of both healer and professional. Current guidelines for medical education require students to develop proper attitudes towards professionalism. In this work we explore the theoretical concept of professionalism, concerning the undergraduate students, who attend the Medical School at the University of Patras. In particular, we examine the context in which the disease, the health service and the medical profession are encountered. Empirical study is carried out in order to identify the core elements of the undergraduate students regarding medical identity. In the theoretical part, we extensively examine the notion of professionalism, in which the formation of medical identity is based on. In the empirical part of the dissertation, we seek to reveal the attitudes which are related to medical professionalism, according to students’ beliefs. Furthermore, we examine the connection among the Medical School’s curriculum, the characteristics of professionalism and the elements, which are being identified in medical identity’s definition.

Objectif. L’idéation suicidaire est la première étape dans la spirale infernale du comportement suicidaire. Pour mieux prévenir l’idéation suicidaire, le but de notre étude est d’investiguer ses prédicteurs chez des étudiants de licence : traits de personnalité, stress lié aux événements devie, troubles psychopathologiques, estime de soi, satisfaction de la vie et relations interpersonnelles.Méthode. L’étude s’est déroulée { l’Université Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense entre 2008 et 2010, et nous avons recueilli les données auprès d’un échantillon de 855 étudiants (âge moyen de 23 ans, écart-type de 5,5 ans; H = 198, F = 657) provenant de plusieurs filières de licence, mais avec une forte surreprésentation de la filière de psychologie (n=614). Nous avons utilisé une batterie d’instruments pour mesurer les variables cibles.Résultats. Les résultats des analyses en pistes causales avec médiation montrent que seulementquelques variables prédictrices expliquent plus de la moitié de la variance de l’idéation suicidaire (52%). Les prédicteurs les plus efficaces en termes de significativité sont l’agréabilité (β entre -0,06 à -0,18), l’estime de soi (β entre -0,08 à -0,52), la présence de l’anxiété-l’insomnie (β entre 0,17 { 0,37), le dysfonctionnement social (β entre 0,09 { 0,23), le trait d’être renfermé (en retrait, introverti) (β entre 0,08 { 0,29), les troubles de pensée (β entre 0,16 { 0,40) et le comportement transgressif (β entre 0,14 { 0,31).Discussion. Malgré les limitations de notre étude, nous constatons qu’un petit nombre de prédicteurs expliquent une variance importante de l’idéation suicidaire et que les prédicteurs ne se comportent pas de façon identique pour les différents sous-groupes ; hommes/femmes, appartenance à la filière psychologie/autres. / Objective. Suicide ideation is the first stage that leads to the vicious circle of suicidal behaviours.Thus, the objective of our research is to investigate the association between suicide ideation andits predictor variables (personality traits, stress related to life events, psychopathological disorders, self esteem, satisfaction with life and interpersonal relationships) amongst undergraduate university students.Method. This study was conducted at the Université Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défence between2008 and 2010. We have collected data from a sample of 855 students (average age of 23 yearsand standard deviation of 5 years and 6 months; M = 198, F = 657) composed of different disciplines but with an overrepresentation of psychology undergraduates (n = 614 with an average age of 23 years; σ = 6). We used a battery of instruments to measure the variables of interest.Results. The results of path analysis show that only a few predictor variables explain more than half of the variance in suicidal ideation (52%). The most effective predictors in terms of significance are: agreeableness (β between -0.06 to -0.18), self-esteem (β between -0.08 to -0.52), comorbidity of anxiety-insomnia (β between 0.17 to 0.37), social dysfunction (β between 0.09 to 0.23), withdrawal (β between 0.08 to 0.29), thought disorders (schizophrenia) (β between 0.16 to 0.40) and rule breaking behaviour (β between 0.14 to 0.31). Discussion. In spite of the limitations of our study, we have found that a relatively small number of predictors explains a significant amount of variance in predicting suicidal ideation. Moreover, predictor variables are not identical for different subgroups.