68 research outputs found
A case study of the design, implementation, and formative evaluation of a team development program for a women's swimming and diving team in a NCAA division I university setting
No full textThis dissertation reflects a case study of the process of the design, implementation and formative evaluation of a team development program conducted with a swimming and diving team consisting of twenty-three women at a NCAA Division I university during the 2008-2009 academic year. The dissertation was undertaken to contribute to the knowledge base about how team development programs can be designed and implemented in athletic settings. As a foundation for the dissertation, the participant observer role was used in conjunction with Maher's (2000) Program Planning and Evaluation (PP&E) Framework and Maher's (2004) Student-Athlete Pyramid of Development. Relying on these approaches as procedural and technical guidance, a framework of knowledge, skills and abilities was formulated and then put into an evaluable programmatic form to assist the student-athletes on the team with interpersonal communication, within the team context. This dissertation explores how the PP&E Framework can be coupled with some of the levels of the Student-Athlete Pyramid of Development along with knowledge about team development from business, military, and sport to assist an athletic team in learning to communicate constructively. Formative evaluation data is provided from participating team members and the coaching staff about the actual and potential value of this kind of program. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are offered for the possible design and implementation of similar team development programs in athletic, business, and other contexts.Psy.DIncludes bibliographical references (p. 119-126)by Robyn L. OdegaardIncludes abstrac
The Halophilic Microbial Community of Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge
No full textBackground and study goals: Established in 1937, Bitter Lakes Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico is an important oasis in a seemingly barren desert filled with essential wetland and desert species. The Bitter Lakes serve as an essential water source for the local wildlife. The lakes themselves are hypersaline, resulting in a unique biodiverse ecosystem. The salt lakes are home to microorganisms adapted to saline environments. Studying these microorganisms can help gain important insights into the biogeochemical
processes of hypersaline lakes, which are important to understanding the ecology of these lake systems, as well as the evolutionary adaptations associated with saline tolerance. Thus far, no studies have been performed on the halophilic microbial communities found at the Bitter Lakes. This thesis investigates the microbial community of this hypersaline environment by utilizing a combination of culture-dependent and culture-independent
methods in microbiology. Microbial community structure was analyzed using 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis from environmental DNA (eDNA) to reveal how the community structure is influenced by seasonal variations and physicochemical/ environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and salinity levels. A total of 32 unique strains were isolated, characterized, and identified using microscopy, molecular methods, and phylogenetic analysis. In addition, the complete genomes of six of these
selected isolates were sequenced and analyzed.
Results: Culture-independent 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis shows that Bacteria dominates across all sampling events and sites, primarily belonging to Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteria. These findings are inconsistent with previous studies in other hypersaline environments, which have mostly observed a dominance of archaea. For those studies that did find bacteria to be dominant over archaea, Proteobacteria was the dominant bacterial phylum, which is consistent with this study’s findings. Redundancy analysis (RDA) reveals that the microbiome composition at Bitter Lake
National Wildlife Refuge is largely dependent upon salinity, temperature, and seasonal differences across samplings. Salinity differences between sites showed different levels of biodiversity, and temperature across samplings (seasonal differences) showed differences between biodiversity between samplings. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of the isolated strains reveals identity with the halophile groups of Salimicrobium, Marinococcus, Salinicoccus, Alkalibacillus, Pontibacillus, and Halobacillus. Isolates were found to display orange to off-white coloration on media, consistent with findings in previous studies of halophilic bacteria. However, most isolates
were coccus-shaped, whereas most bacteria found in other studies were bacillus-shaped. Whole-genome sequencing analysis identified six unique species of halophiles
The Baron, his niece and friends : Friedrich von Hügel as a spiritual director, 1915-1925
No full textWhile the practice of spiritual direction is widespread and increasingly popular, there has been relatively little research on the practices of those perceived to be exemplary spiritual directors. The primary focus of this dissertation is Baron Friedrich von Hügel's spiritual direction of Gwendolen Greene, during the final decade of his life (1915-1925). It also analyses his direction of nine other individuals during this same period, enabling one to recognise and evaluate recurring trends in von Hügel's approach to spiritual nurture.
The key to the interpretation of von Hügel's approach is his conception of the 'Three Elements of Religion,' the Mystical, Intellectual and Institutional Elements. The thesis illustrates through analysis of von Hügel's correspondence and diaries the extent to which these shape his whole approach to spiritual direction.
The research is archival, focusing on von Hügel's letters of spiritual direction and his personal diaries. The methodology is critical historical research, based on a close reading and assessment of the materials available. To this end, a great deal of original material is unearthed and discussed for the purposes of articulating and evaluating the nature of von Hügel's role as a spiritual director.
The findings of this investigation indicate strengths and weaknesses in von Hügel's approach to spiritual direction. His primary contribution is his articulation and utilisation of the 'Three Elements of Religion.' These provide a balanced and holistic approach to spiritual direction. The primary weaknesses in his approach to spiritual direction are evident when he succumbs to values more indicative of the age in which he lived, than of the essence of the Christian tradition
'Making its own history': New Zealand historical fiction for children,1862-2008
No full textThis thesis considers historical fiction for children and young people dealing with New Zealand history from the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers to the end of the nineteenth century. It provides both a comprehensive survey of historical novels published between 1862 and the end of 2008, and an analysis of the way the same historical events and periods have been depicted in historical novels written at different times. Individual chapters discuss books set during specific historical periods or dealing with particular events - the pre-European period, early contact, nineteenth century immigration, the New Zealand Wars, the gold rushes, and the colonial period - in chronological order of publication. Since children's literature is particularly adept at reflecting and promoting the dominant ideas of the society in which it is produced, the chronological consideration of these texts reveals contemporary attitudes to such issues as race relations, gender roles, class, war and conflict, and concepts of national identity, as well as the way historical fiction has responded to societal changes since the 1860s.
The predominant themes of historical fiction set prior to 1900 are: the arrival of settlers in New Zealand; encounters with the country's indigenous inhabitants; the taming of the often hostile landscape; the assertion of the settlers' claims to 'belong' in their new land; and the establishment of New Zealand as a nation with distinctive characteristics. There are perceptible nuances and differences in the way these themes are discussed depending on the historical moment in which individual authors are writing. Novels of the Victorian period and early twentieth century reflect the imperialistic and evangelistic ethos of the time, and present the British settlers' right to colonize the land and the ensuing dispossession of Māori as largely unproblematic. Subsequent historical novels, particularly those written since the 1960s, offer a more inclusive version of New Zealand history, although the lack of historical fiction for children by Māori writers means that Eurocentric views of history continue to dominate, and that all representations of Māori and their history are mediated through Pakeha writers.
Shifts in social attitudes have resulted in changes in the treatment of Māori in historical novels for children, and similar changes have occurred in the portrayal of gender, class, and ethnicity. The passage of time has seen increased agency and a wider variety of roles allocated to Māori, female and working class characters, as well as greater ethnic diversity. Developments in New Zealand historiography are also reflected in fiction, although at times historical fiction prefigures written histories, or provides alternative views by depicting the experience of women, children and Māori, who often did not feature in conventional histories. While many historical novels for children, especially the earlier texts, are adventure stories set in the past and are not necessarily concerned with historical verisimilitude, an increasing number attempt to present authentic recreations of historical periods, including accounts of actual people and events, based on extensive research, and reinforced with peritextual material in the form of historical notes, bibliographies, maps and photographs.
The role of New Zealand historical fiction for children and young people has been not only to entertain young readers and inform them about their country's past, but to create and foster a sense of national identity
Curriculum-making in South Africa: promoting gender equality and empowering women (?)
No full textAuthor cannot archive publisher's version/PDF.The United Nations Millennium Development Goals (2000−2015) are clearly
embedded in South Africa’s education policy documents. However, they are not
adequately infused into the curriculum. This article focuses specifically on the
third Millennium Development Goal (MDG) − promoting gender equality and
empowering women − and the need to place this curriculum content at the
centre and not on the periphery, to achieve its goal. Qualitative document
research was used to explore the extent to which South Africa’s curriculummaking
has promoted gender equality and the empowerment of women during
the promotion of the 2000–2015 MDGs. The findings of this research show
potential intersections of poverty, age and worldviews with gender; a stronger
focus on human rights values; and concrete strategies to combat unhealthy
sexual behaviour. However, the curriculum continues to be saturated with
negative perspectives and binary perceptions of gender. There is also a lack of
attention to the world of work. The assumption underlying this seems to be that
gender equality and the empowerment of women are unattainable or that they are
unimportant. This article concludes by underlining the need for the curriculum to
be a genuine agent of change, which necessitates a new gender discourse in
curriculum-making.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2014.946474http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cgee20/curren
Realizing the right to health through the use of health print materials in the Western Cape, South Africa
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.This qualitative study was conducted in Cape Town, South Africa in 2010. It examines the effectiveness of promotional educational pamphlets on the awareness, understandings and practice of the right to health among eight civil society organizations and their constituents
'The meane peoples capacite': writing readers in early print
No full textPhDThis thesis examines constructions of what we might call popular readerships in early print. Focusing mainly on the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, it explores the ways in which a constituency of readers variously imagined as, for example, 'mean', 'common', or 'simple' are represented, instructed and discussed. As such, it is less an attempt to recover the reading habits of a particular social grouping, as rather an effort to trace contemporary attitudes towards that group‘s engagement with textual productions, and, more particularly, the anxieties that the perception of that engagement provoked.
In doing so, I discuss the treatment of books and reading in an early printed conduct book, trace the attitudes of two particularly influential humanist writers, Desiderius Erasmus and Juan Luis Vives to reading, concentrating on their engagement with Bible-reading and women‘s reading respectively, before examining the importance of real and imagined 'common' readers in the religious disputes surrounding the production of vernacular Scripture. Here, I focus on the polemical disputations between English reformists-in-exile, and their conservative opponents, through the analysis of texts by Thomas More, William Tyndale, and, particularly, William Roye and Jerome Barlowe
New Zealand by numbers
No full textA collection of statistical data on population developments in New Zealand.
Introduction
At the heart of all social, political and economic debates are the people that live in our country. The policies we make are for their benefit, and their needs drive our policy developments. It is thus only fitting to begin our journey into New Zealand’s data with a look at its population.
Demographics, literally the records (Greek: graphikos) of a people (demos), is the systematic way of looking at the people inhabiting a defined area. It is a crucial undertaking in any country but particularly so for countries experiencing changes in the composition of their population.
New Zealand certainly is experiencing population changes on at least three fronts. First, the New Zealand population is growing. This is nothing new because since colonial times, population growth has been positive every year with very few exceptions, particularly at war times. This population growth has been happening because of both positive net inward migration and natural increases. It is fair to say that population growth has been New Zealand’s standard mode.
The second population development worth watching is the changing ethnic composition of New Zealand. From a population that was almost exclusively bicultural with Māori and Pākehā, New Zealand has developed into a more diverse place. Not only have Pākehā changed within themselves to include more non-British European migrants, but in recent decades, the percentage of Asian-descent New Zealanders within the community has also increased. Indeed, many New Zealanders now identify as multi-ethnic.
The third important population development is in the age composition of society. By international, developed world standards New Zealand is still a relatively young nation. But its median age today is higher than at any point in the nation’s history, and we know this process of population ageing will continue. This in itself will have policy implications in a number of areas, not least in public finances, health care and housing.
New Zealand’s population continues to change, but this is nothing new and this chapter shows how
Administrators' perspectives of JROTC career academies and their impact on at-risk students' attendance, behavior, academic achievement, and graduation rates in urban public schools, 2005
No full textThe purpose of the study was to gather information from administrators regarding military career academies and their effectiveness toward 'at-risk� students relating to attendance, behavior, academic achievement, and graduation rates. The marriage between the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and career academies has linked programs with distinctly different cultures. JROTC programs are designed to attract motivated, enthusiastic students who show leadership potential. Their agenda focuses on discipline, chain of command, and self-responsibility. Career academies, in contrast, single out students who are not achieving up to their potential, many of whom are not motivated by traditional course work and are at risk of not completing high school. According to L. M. Hanser and A. E. Robyn (2000) in their book, Implementing High School JROTC Career Academies, the academies strive to prevent dropouts by creating schools-within-schools that provide integrated academic and vocational training. This study is concerned with administrators' perspectives of a military academy and the impact it has on the attendance, behavior, academic achievement, and graduation rates of students that attend urban public high schools
Research Note: The Coverage of War: Do Women Matter? A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Broadsheets in Germany
No full textOur social consciousness reserves the role of fighter solely for men. Women are not considered as being authoritative or decisive actors in the context of war and violence. During armed conflicts or other violent crises, female acting subjects seem to leave the public (i.e. media) stage – a place where they are underrepresented even under normal circumstances. Furthermore, media coverage of war, it is said, largely assigns the role of the victim to women. However, there is not much empirical evidence to support this view due to the significant lack of longitudinal quantitative studies on media coverage of women during wartime. In order to investigate this, a framing analysis of media coverage of war between 1989 and 2000 was conducted in Germany. This article reports on the results of this framing analysis and the representation of women during wartime in quality German newspapers. It is the first longitudinal gender-specific framing analysis of war coverage ever carried out in any country
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