The purpose of this study is to explore what teacher candidates (n=156) believe will be their primary assessment purposes, summative assessment practices, and assessment formats in their classrooms, their values and beliefs surrounding assessment, and what contextual factors influence teacher candidates’ assessment beliefs and practices. The results are placed in the context of previous research into the assessment practice of teachers and compared to the recommended assessment practices identified in research and what the Ministry of Education of Ontario expects its teachers to do through its assessment document, Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). The survey instrument used in the study was composed of questions original to this research in combination with a revised version of the instrument used by McMillan (2001) and Duncan and Noonan (2007). Teacher candidates were divided into different groups based on their grade level, academic level, subject area, and B. Ed program (concurrent, or consecutive). Descriptive statistics were generated for each question by group and overall. A Principal Components Analysis was used to reduce the 35 items in the summative assessment practices section into 5 scales for ease of interpretation. Inferential statistics (paired samples t-tests, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to determine if there were statistically significant differences between groups. The results of my research indicate that the teacher candidates report having values and beliefs supportive of the orientation towards assessments reported in the research literature and Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). Teacher candidates’ responses regarding purpose and format were also in alignment with practices supported in the research literature and Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). In contrast, teacher candidates’ uses of non-academic criteria in making assessment decisions were not in line with recommendations found in the research literature and Growing Success (O.M.E., 2010). Only two statistically significant differences were noted between groups: Grades 7 and 8 teacher candidates reported using constructed response items more frequently than Grades 11 and 12 teacher candidates in their summative assessment practices; and concurrent education program teacher candidates reported their coursework as being less of an influence on their future practice than their consecutive education program peers. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-01 11:48:19.26

Teacher commitment is one of the key elements in education and is arguably becoming an increasingly important factor. The work teachers engage in on a daily basis is complex and demanding and requires a level of personal engagement and commitment. With the escalating demands and new challenges inherent in the current educational climate, what it means to be a committed teacher is also changing. It has become imperative to gain further insight into teacher commitment due to its close association with concepts such as quality of teaching, teacher adaptability, teacher attendance, teacher burnout, teacher retention, organisational "health" of the school, and student attitudes and learning outcomes. This multi-method study examined the phenomenon of teacher commitment as it is perceived by the teachers themselves. The research used a multi-method enquiry approach that employed two rarely connected qualitative methods of phenomenography and case study. It combined the two methods in an effort to extrapolate and enhance the results from one method (phenomenography) with the results from another method (case study). The combined methodology was considered to be appropriate to investigate the complex phenomenon of teacher commitment, specifically the multi-dimensional nature of teacher commitment, which is an area that had not previously been fully explored. In the phenomenographic investigation of this study, 30 experienced classroom teachers were interviewed. Participants worked in schools that represent the diverse education settings and contexts of Queensland. Geographically the range included teachers from suburban (Brisbane), regional (Rockhampton) and remote (Longreach) settings. Schools that participated in the research included special schools, primary schools, high schools and schools of distance education. This interview data were analysed to identify categories of description and develop a conceptual "map" of teacher commitment. The school site of Willowbark State School, a small inner city school was then investigated as a case study. The case study elaborated on the phenomenographic categories of teacher commitment identified by this study. Case study data were collected from a range of sources that included the school website, school documents, anecdotal evidence collected from observations and informal discussions and formal interviews with five educators with extended teaching experience. One of the significant outcomes of the study was an informed conceptualised Model of Contemporary Teacher Commitment that illustrates the relationship between the key categories of description and as such demonstrates the "collective mind" of the teachers in the study. The study identified six categories of description of teacher commitment. These categories included teacher commitment as a passion, investment of "extra" time, a focus on the students, maintaining professional knowledge, engagement with the school community and transmitting knowledge and values. These categories are integrated into the model by the use of two summarising dimensions, a "personal dimension" and a professional "enactment dimension." Another key finding that emerges from the study was the centrality of passion within teacher commitment. This finding challenges the position that teacher commitment can be discussed merely in terms of external factors such as students and subject areas. What the findings of this study do indicate is that a passionate connection to teaching is fundamental to any discussion about teacher commitment and this has implications for school and system leaders.

Yes / We examine corporate inertia towards circularity transition using organisational case studies, observations, and qualitative interviews with business executives. The study explores how the values and beliefs of business leaders and managers promote or inhibit internal and external stakeholder engagement to enable transition to circular business models. We focus on four large UK food companies, conducting interviews with 11 senior managers. Rather than a lack of awareness of the circular economy (CE), the results demonstrate that business leaders are not persuaded by the short-to medium-term business case for a CE. There is misalignment between values and beliefs of business executives and the circularity values and goals of their organisations. The misaligned values and beliefs inhibit relevant stakeholder engagement for transitions to a CE with responsibility shifted to civil society and public institutions. Management commitment to circularity transitions are at best a sophisticated form of circularity greenwashing. The study further suggests a general lack of collective disposition to foster collaborations with sectoral and supply chain partners to engender circularity transitions due to the absence of any standard systems for CE performance indicators. Circularity education and training play a positive mediatory role in changing negative assumptions, including the promotion of managers' engagement with other relevant stakeholders to build synergies and strategies for CE systems. The findings contribute to understanding the dynamics of corporate inertia regarding transitions to CE and highlight the relevance of aligning the personal values and beliefs of top management with organisational, sectoral, and supply chain partners’ values and goals.

Currently our world consumes the equivalent of 1.6 earths per year. Although the production has become resource-efficient by using fewer natural resources to produce one dollar of GDP, per-capita consumption in the US firmly increases. Individuals consume an ever-increasing quantity of goods and services which inevitably leads to environmental damages in terms of pollution, deforestation, climate change and psychological disorders such as reduced wellbeing, unhappiness, and anxiety. Past research has suggested that embracing sustainable consumption - where consumption of products and services have minimal impact on the environment, and improvement in society's wellbeing-might mitigate the detrimental effects of over-consumption. Increasingly studies in this stream propose that adopting a psychological approach, specifically by enhancing individuals' inherent capability known as mindfulness may aid in boosting sustainable consumption behaviors. However, only few studies have investigated the decision-making processes associated with mindfulness that could show a detailed picture of how mindfulness - receptive attention to and present moment awareness is positively associated with sustainable consumption behaviors. Conceptual model for this study was built based on mindfulness-related mechanisms, namely re-perceiving, systematic processing, and ability to overcome need for fulfillment. Using a four-step conceptual model: mindfulness-cognitive personality variables-values and beliefs variables-sustainable consumption behaviors, this research empirically examines how trait mindfulness is associated with sustainable consumption behaviors. Embracing a broad definition of sustainable consumption in terms of its impact on environment (composition) and level of consumption (volume), this research includes both pro-environmental and downshifting consumption behaviors. By utilizing an online survey method, data was collected from 1005 respondents in Amazon Mechanical Turk (Mturk). Findings from self-reported measures suggested that while mindfulness directly and positively associated with sustainable behaviors, significant indirect relationships are explained by cognitive personality variables such as cognitive flexibility, need for cognition, attention based self-regulatory control, and values/beliefs namely altruistic values, self-acceptance values, materialistic values, and perceived consumer effectiveness. Comparing empirical models using measures of both socio-cognitive based mindfulness and meditation based mindfulness demonstrated that the former has both direct and indirect relationships with sustainable behaviors while the latter showed only indirect relationships through cognitive personality variables and values/beliefs. By identifying cognitive personality variables that are closely associated with mindfulness, this research teases out the tenets of mindfulness that are more relevant for sustainable consumption behaviors. Also, the recognized cognitive personality variables in this research have been rigorously studied in consumer behavior research, hence finding their relationships with mindfulness might help uncover applications of mindfulness in mainstream consumer behavior research. In addition, by supporting relationships involving cognitive personality variables and values/beliefs relevant for sustainable consumption, this study may offer insights for policy makers and practitioners in maneuvering consumers' mindfulness and their sustainable behaviors to bring about change in their sustainable consumption behaviors.

Avgörande för att organisationer ska lyckas medkvalitets- och verksamhetsutveckling är värderingar som stödjer enkvalitetskultur, där engagerat ledarskap är en av värderingarna. Ledarskap ochkultur är olika sidor av samma mynt. Trots att de påverkar varandra saknaskunskap om vad ledare faktiskt gör och hur de beter sig för att stärka enkvalitetskultur. Tidigare studier har visat att det framförallt är det mjukavärderingarna; engagerat ledarskap, allas delaktighet/samverkan ochkundorientering som ger goda resultat för kvalitets- och verksamhetsutveckling.Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur ledare stärker en kvalitetskultur ochbeskriva en struktur för att leda en kvalitetskultur enligtorganisationsmodellen Teal. Frågeställningarna var; vad gör ledare för attstärka en kvalitetskultur, och hur beter sig ledare för att stärka enkvalitetskultur. Metoden var en kvalitativ fallstudie med litteraturgenomgång,fokusintervjuer och egna observationer. Åtta intervjuer genomfördes på ettkunskaps- och programföretag med en kultur som stämmer väl in på Teal.Intervjuerna kodades utifrån värderingarna inom kvalitetskultur och resulteradei för fallstudien specifika värderingar, beskrivningar av dessa utifrånbeteenden och en struktur för att stärka en kvalitetskultur. Resultatet visadeatt det ledarna gjorde för att stärka kvalitetskulturen var att ha fokus påvärderingarna engagerat ledarskap och allas delaktighet/samverkan, det villsäga mjuka värderingar vilka är de som framförallt ger goda resultat inom kvalitets-och verksamhetsutveckling. Ledarnas beteende kopplat till värderingarnaresulterade i strukturer för att stärka en kvalitetskultur enligt Teal. Såvälfallstudiens specifika värderingar som strukturer kan ge kunskap, stöd ochinspiration till organisationer och ledare som vill stärka en kvalitetskultur. / For organizations to succeed in quality management   values ​​that support a quality culture are crucial, where committed   leadership is one of these values. Leadership and culture are different sides   of the same coin. But even though they affect each other, there is little   knowledge of what leaders actually do and how they behave and act to   strengthen a quality culture. Previous studies have shown that it´s   especially the soft values; committed leadership, everyone's   involvement/collaboration and customer orientation that amount to good   results regarding quality management. The purpose of the study was to   describe how leaders strengthen a quality culture and describe a structure to   lead a quality culture according to the organizational model Teal. The   research questions were; what do leaders do to strengthen a quality culture,   and how do leaders behave in order to strengthen a quality culture? The   method was a qualitative case study with literature studies, focus interviews   and observations. Eight interviews were conducted at a company with a culture   that foremost is Teal. The interviews were coded based on the values ​​in   quality culture and resulted in case studies specific values, behavior   despriptions of these and a structure to strengthen a quality culture. The   results showed that what the leaders did to strengthen the quality culture   was to focus on the values ​​of committed leadership and everyone's   participation/collaboration, that is, soft values ​​which are the ones that   above all provide good results in quality management. The conduct of the   leaders, linked to the values, ​​resulted in structures to strengthen a   quality culture according to Teal. Both the case study's specific values   ​​and structures can provide knowledge, support and inspiration to   organizations and leaders who aim to strengthen a quality culture. / <p>2019-06-27</p>

This thesis explores and analyzes the demand for and supply of forests in and near urban areas from a social perspective. Specific focus is directed towards recreational qualities of forests located just outside urban borders, that is, urban fringe forests. To this end, the thesis is based on four empirical research papers. Papers I and II explore the demand component, while Paper III focuses on the supply component. Finally, Paper IV integrates issues of both demand and supply. In Paper I, a survey directed to the general public in urban areas is used to address differences between public attitudes to the forest in general and to the urban fringe forest more specifically. Paper II builds upon interviews with municipal planners with responsibility for green space issues in nine Swedish cities. In Paper III, spatial forest data is analyzed in a GIS to examine how urbanization and population developments influence the supply of urban fringe forests over time. Spatial analysis is further used in Paper IV to quantify forest attractiveness and accessibility in a single measure of urban fringe forest demand and supply. In Paper I it is shown that urban residents associate the urban fringe forest with a variety of design characteristics, as people’s opinions do not solely concern social qualities but also ecological and functional qualities. It is concluded that the overall influence of socioeconomic and demographic attributes is modest in comparison to the basic values and beliefs people hold about life, the environment, and the forest in general. In Paper II it is demonstrated that it is imperative for municipalities to own forest, since this allows them to secure sufficient provisions of recreational forests for future residents and from urban land developments. However, as private citizens do generally not take part of local planning and management decision-making there is an obvious risk for decisions biased towards the interests of social organizations, with specific activity and structural demands that do not necessarily reflect the interests of the general public. From Paper III it is evident that urbanization and population developments do not necessarily lead to a reduced supply of urban fringe forests over time; forest management practices are equally important to consider with regards to people’s opportunities to visit attractive forests for recreation. Finally, in Paper IV it is shown that more attractive forests are generally less accessible to urban residents, regardless of mode of transportation, and that the accessibility to urban fringe forests is generally lower in more deprived neighborhoods. / <p>The research for <em>Paper I </em>of this thesis was conducted in collaboration with Future Forests, a multidisciplinary research program, and its sponsors: the Strategic Foundation for Environmental Research (Mistra), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå University, the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden (Skogforsk), and the Forestry Industry in Sweden. The research for <em>Papers II-IV</em> was made possible with financial support from the Centre for Environmental Research in Umeå (CMF). Additional financial support was received from the Gösta Skoglund foundation, the Kempe foundation, and the Carl-Fredric von Horn foundation.</p>

Within the journey of self-determination, Indigenous Peoples are creating various systems that reflect their ways of knowing and being. Mi’kmaq Family & Children Services is such an agency, however, it is mandated to use provincial legislation, guidelines and policies that are deeply rooted in western ways of knowing. This thesis explores how to assess and mitigate risk from a Mi’kmaq perspective. Mi’kmaq social workers, who have experience assessing risk and developing plans to mitigate it, were interviewed regarding their perspectives on what needs to be considered when creating a model of assessment for Mi’kmaq families. Storytelling methodology was used for interviewees to share broadly what they felt as necessary aspects to incorporate into the assessment and mitigation processes. As the researcher I analyzed the interviews for themes and ideologies that would be necessary to consider when assessing risk and creating tools that assist with this process. Four open ended questions were provided to interviewees as a guideline for this exploration. They are: What do you believe the concerns, challenges and/or strengths of the current risk assessment model are when you are assessing the risk of Mi’kmaq children and youth? From your knowledge of Mi’kmaq ways of knowing and being what do you think a Mi’kmaq risk assessment would/could/should look like? Is risk assessment the right term for this work, or are there other words that best describe the work that we do from your knowledge of Mi’kmaq ways of knowing and being? What are the opportunities a Mi’kmaq risk assessment could offer Mi’kmaq communities? Due to Covid 19 restrictions the interviews had to occur by phone. They averaged one hour in duration. Interviewees agreed to be recorded, and following the interviews I transcribed the interviews. The transcription was given to each participant to review, edit and revise. The transcription was then formatted into a narrative format and each participant was given a name from the Seven Directions, with a pronoun being used to maintain anonymity. This narrative was given to each interviewee to review, edit and revise.
 The research found the following themes: ongoing cultural competence training is needed; the effects of residential school and other assimilation/oppressive tactics, not only affected Mi’kmaq lives in the past but continues to affect them currently; due to this, trauma informed and strength based practice, that is collaborative, is essential. Interviewees stressed the importance of using tools, such as risk assessments, that are more reflective of, and uphold a collaborative process, which holds up Indigenous epistemology, ontology, and axiology. This includes practices such as, the Medicine Wheel, Seven Sacred Teachings, reciprocity, reflection, circular thinking, use of Medicines and various Spiritual practices. / Graduate

Выпускная квалификационная работа “Описательное исследование общих ценностей и убеждений, связанных с формированием и / или укреплением участия работников в строительной отрасли” в форме магистерской диссертации выполнена на 91 листах (формат А4, шрифт Times New Roman, размер шрифта 14, интервал между строками 2), без вложений. Количество таблиц – 11 (без учета вложений). Количество рисунков – 19 (без учета вложений). Ключевые термины: управление человеческими ресурсами, организационная культура, общие ценности и убеждения, вовлеченность в работу, благосостояние работников. Выпускная квалификационная работа состоит из Резюме, Аннотации, Введения, 5 глав, рекомендаций по предложениям, заключения, библиографии и приложения. В теоретической части представлено определение организационной культуры, ценностей, вовлеченности и их важности. В практической части описываются общие характеристики исследуемой компании, анализ сотрудников и его результаты. На основе этих результатов было выдвинуто несколько предложений по развитию организационной культуры и повышению уровня вовлеченности сотрудников компании GUDSR. / Final qualifying work : “Descriptive study of Shared Values and Beliefs related to the generation and or strengthening of Worker’s Engagement in the Construction Industry in Yekaterinburg, Russia” in the form of Master thesis is performed on 91 sheets (A4 format, font Times New Roman, font size 14, 2 line spacing), excluding attachments. Number of tables – 11 (excluding attachments). The number of figures – 19 (excluding attachments). Key terms: Human resources management, organizational culture, shared values and beliefs, work engagement, labor welfare. Final qualifying work consists in Summary, Abstract, Introduction, 5 chapters, proposal recommendations, conclusion, bibliography and appendix. In the theoretical part it presents the definition of organizational culture, values, engagement and the importance of them. The practical part describes the general characteristics of the investigated company, the analysis of employees and its results. Based on these results, there was several proposals of organizational culture development and to arise the level of engagement in employees of GUDSR company.

Government human service organizations regularly attempt to recruit ethnically and culturally diverse professionals to improve services to diverse communities. The assumption here is that organizational culture and structure support this organizational practice. This study considers the unique challenge for Aboriginal professionals who work in a government child welfare system responsible for the oppression of Aboriginal children, families, and communities. As a non-Aboriginal organizational insider and researcher, I use a combined Indigenous/ethnographic approach to explore these issues with Aboriginal professionals within the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). This study involves a dual focus that examines the history, identity, values, motivations, and practice approaches of Aboriginal professionals as well as how organizational structural and environment variables support or impede their representation of community needs and interests. Analysis of these two areas results in significant findings for the organization, the social work profession, and various practice and organizational diversity literatures. Aboriginal participant descriptions of values, beliefs, and practices contribute to literature exploring contemporary Indigenous practice approaches that integrate traditional knowledge with professional practice. Consistent with some representative bureaucracy studies, participant descriptions of personal history, experience, practice, and motivation to work in MCFD indicate values, beliefs, and motivations strongly shared with their representative group: to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in government care and reconnect them to community. Aboriginal participant role tensions and dual accountabilities, resulting from their unique community/Ministry insider/outsider position, provide context to studies that explore tensions and contradictions that exist for diverse professionals working in their communities through mainstream organizations. Findings also contribute to studies in representative bureaucracy and other organizational diversity approaches concerned with the ability of diverse professionals to actively represent community interests. Organizational variables, such as low Aboriginal practice support, racism, cultural incompetence, hierarchical structure and decision making, risk-averse practice norms, poorly implemented rhetorical change initiatives, and institutional physical environments, among others, impede the ability of Aboriginal participants to actively represent community interests. Mitigating factors were found where some Aboriginal participants describe significant organizational support at the worksite level through dedicated culturally competent Aboriginal management and practice teams. / Graduate / 0452 / 0617 / 0631 / janerousseau@shaw.ca

Government human service organizations regularly attempt to recruit ethnically and culturally diverse professionals to improve services to diverse communities. The assumption here is that organizational culture and structure support this organizational practice. This study considers the unique challenge for Aboriginal professionals who work in a government child welfare system responsible for the oppression of Aboriginal children, families, and communities. As a non-Aboriginal organizational insider and researcher, I use a combined Indigenous/ethnographic approach to explore these issues with Aboriginal professionals within the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). This study involves a dual focus that examines the history, identity, values, motivations, and practice approaches of Aboriginal professionals as well as how organizational structural and environment variables support or impede their representation of community needs and interests. Analysis of these two areas results in significant findings for the organization, the social work profession, and various practice and organizational diversity literatures. Aboriginal participant descriptions of values, beliefs, and practices contribute to literature exploring contemporary Indigenous practice approaches that integrate traditional knowledge with professional practice. Consistent with some representative bureaucracy studies, participant descriptions of personal history, experience, practice, and motivation to work in MCFD indicate values, beliefs, and motivations strongly shared with their representative group: to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in government care and reconnect them to community. Aboriginal participant role tensions and dual accountabilities, resulting from their unique community/Ministry insider/outsider position, provide context to studies that explore tensions and contradictions that exist for diverse professionals working in their communities through mainstream organizations. Findings also contribute to studies in representative bureaucracy and other organizational diversity approaches concerned with the ability of diverse professionals to actively represent community interests. Organizational variables, such as low Aboriginal practice support, racism, cultural incompetence, hierarchical structure and decision making, risk-averse practice norms, poorly implemented rhetorical change initiatives, and institutional physical environments, among others, impede the ability of Aboriginal participants to actively represent community interests. Mitigating factors were found where some Aboriginal participants describe significant organizational support at the worksite level through dedicated culturally competent Aboriginal management and practice teams. / Graduate / 0452 / 0617 / 0631 / janerousseau@shaw.ca