VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
To understand and interpret the realms of reflective practice by an expert nurse
Keywords: Nurses
Nursing
Nursing, Study and teaching
Nursing, Psychological aspects
Self-knowledge, Theory of

This thesis explores and discusses the experience of an expert nurse with reflective practice. Both reflection-in-action and on-action are investigated. The main finding shows that technical reflection is the reflective process most utilized in the workplace. Workplace culture and social dynamics restrict the progression of this reflective process beyond technical reflection. It is also evident from the study that the process of reflection involves personal knowledge, tacit knowledge and empirical knowledge. My conclusions recommend that a shift in the reflective practice paradigm take place. This shift is a presence of a different reflective practice paradigm that integrates both critical reflection and evidence-based practice. Embedded in this married concept is the transformational power that can facilitate change within nursing practice. However, the shifts in reflective practice also need to address the shifts in management, practice, research and education. Without these shifts in the pillars of nursing, the drive towards critical reflection and evidence-based practice as a reflective practice paradigm remains limited. The married concept of critical reflection and evidence-based practice can bridge the theory-practice gap and provide nurses with the transformational power they need to change and impact their practice.
Motivation to study and investment in studying core french in secondary school: comparing English as a second language students and Canadian-born students
Keywords: French language, Study and teaching (Secondary)
English language, Study and teaching (Secondary)
Education, Bilingual
Bilingualism, Canada
Language and languages, Study and teaching
Second language acquisition

This mixed-method study was conducted to assess and compare the motivation to study French of English as a second language and Canadian-born students. A total of 101 students responded to a questionnaire. The students were grouped and compared according to their French class: Grade 9 academic, Grade 9 applied or ESL. The factor analysis results of the questionnaire are distinct from past motivational research. The results of the analysis of variance demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the ESL group and the applied group. Six typical-case students, two from each group, were then interviewed. The interviews confirmed a differentiation from past research. The interviews also allowed for comparison among the groups, which highlighted a distinction from not only past research but also among the groups. Similar to the questionnaire results, the interviews confirmed that the ESL students are more motivated to study French than the other two groups. The interviews also offered explanations for such motivation on behalf of the ESL students.
Implicit theories of innovation and expertise: impact within medical teams
Keywords: Expertise
Organizational change
Medical personnel, Ontario
Teams in the workplace

This thesis sought to understand how workers perceived the factors affecting individual and collective agency towards knowledge work. A review of the literature on organizational learning and innovation suggested that innovative practice in organizations is best understood as a dynamic interaction between individuals and their social context. This thesis proposed that an important missing link in understanding organizational learning is understanding workers' implicit theories about innovation, expertise and innovative practice. In particular, understanding the innovative practice of both experts and novices and how they work and learn together in an organizational context. Following this line of inquiry, 25 Clinical Clerks and 13 Clinical Faculty participated in semi-structured interviews in order to gain an understanding of how members of medical teams at different levels of expertise perceived their own innovative practice. A grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts suggested that worker's implicit theories of innovation and expertise impact their agency towards organizational learning and knowledge work and furthermore that worker's implicit theories are often inconsistent with theories of organizational learning and knowledge building. Addressing this inconsistency is proposed as an important step for the design of medical education programs and, more broadly, the development of learning organizations.
Two teachers' perspectives of teacher-teacher interactions during the implementation of the international baccalaureate primary years program
Keywords: International baccalaureate
Curriculum planning
Educational change
Teachers
Teaching
Education, Research

This study was designed to explore what happens to teacher-teacher interactions during the implementation of a comprehensive reform model, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (IB PYP) that mandates collaborative planning of curriculum. To this end, the project sought to examine and describe teacher-teacher interactions in an authorized IB PYP school as seen by the teachers, to examine and describe the conditions that effect such interactions in the IB PYP, and to explore what teachers see as the worth or influence of these interactions on their own classroom practices. This information was obtained through a qualitative case study, in which data was collected by audiotaped interviews, observations, and the analysis of relevant documents. The depth and form of the teachers' interactions were varied according to the purpose and the actors of the interactions. The paper provides a detailed description of the six components of a conceptual framework: the characteristics of the IB PYP, the organizational context, and the participants, the specific teacher-teacher interactions in which they engage and what the two teachers saw as the influence of these interactions.
An electrophysiological study of the cognitive processes underlying flexible rule use in 3-to 4-year-old children
Keywords: Cognition in children, Testing
Executive ability in children, Testing

Three-year-olds typically fail the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS), in which children are required first to sort cards by one pair of rules (e.g., colour rules: "If red then here, if blue then there"), and then sort the same cards by another, incompatible pair of rules (e.g., shape rules). In the current study, 3-to 4-year-old children were asked to play a computerized version of the DCCS task while being monitored by a 128-channel geodesic sensor net. We observed an Error Related Negativity (ERN) about 35 ms post-response on incorrect trials, and the amplitude of this component was more pronounced in children who failed the post-switch phase of the DCCS. Findings suggest that at some level, children are aware of the post-switch rules and detect the discrepancy between these rules and their (erroneous) behaviour.
Electronic commerce regulation in South Africa: an analysis of the effectiveness of Chapters 5, 10 and 12 of the South African Electronic Communications and Transactions Act No. 25 of 2002
Keywords: Electronic commerce, Law and legislation
Electronic commerce, South Africa

The past decade has been one of unprecedented development in the realm of e-commerce. It has also been South Africa's first decade as a democracy. This thesis surveys the role of regulation within the South African e-commerce environment. It argues that successful e-commerce development has the potential to harness a multitude of opportunities and can lead to broader social development and positive change. It argues further that an effective regulatory framework is an essential pre-requisite for such successful e-commerce development. Within this framework, the South African Electronic Communications and Transactions Act is examined, and the potential effectiveness of three of its chapters is evaluated. This thesis concludes that while room for improvement definitely exists, and that in many areas a more "light-handed" regulatory approach needs to be adopted, the ECT Act presents an innovative and responsive regulatory approach, and an important and positive step in the correct direction, and as such it should be welcomed, embraced, improved and refined.
"Meet me at the narrows": the historic mnjikaning fish fence and the transformative power of place
Keywords: Indians of North America, History
Indians of North America, Ontario
Indians of North America, Fishing
Indians of North America, Ontario
Place (Philosophy)

Relationships with(in) places, especially historically, ecologically, or culturally important heritage sites, can be the catalysts for transformative learning and social and personal change. This is the story of one such place: the Mnjikaning Fish Weirs at the Narrows between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Drawing on historical contemporary documents and stories, as well as my own experience of the place, I explore this landscape in several dimensions: the place itself; its cultural, historic and heritage significance; and the implications of the spiritual and psychological relationships occurring with and in the site. Woven into these dimensions are processes of storying, explorations of human relationships with and in places, and implications for the past, present, and future of this site.
A safe haven?: the ongoing debate on the policy required to most appropriately and effectively deal with war criminals in Canada
Keywords: War criminals, Canada
Crimes against humanity
World War, 1939-1945, Canada

This Thesis considers and assesses the adequacy and effectiveness of Canadian historical and current policy dealing with war criminals. Excluding the four decades subsequent to WWII, Canada's decision makers have followed an adequate policy on preventing war criminals from entering and residing within the country. Prior to the middle of the 1980's the issue of war criminals was wholly ignored in the nation but since that time more effective policies have been implemented, tested, and progressively improved. The country's current policy and legislative scheme allow for effective dealing with war criminals. Some necessary remedies have yet to be used and need to be pursued in order to make the policy completely successful. However, the policy on this matter has suffered from the serious flaw that not all available remedies against war criminals have been utilized. Domestic prosecution of war criminals found in Canada has simply not been a viable option.
Re-visioning staff development for K--6 French immersion teachers: a case study of a professional learning community
Keywords: French language, Study and teaching
French language, Ontario
French teachers, In-service training
French teachers, Ontario
Elementary school teachers, In-service training
Elementary school teachers, Ontario

The present case study examines the inception, development and achievements of a professional learning community (PLC) comprised of French immersion teachers working in three schools, located in a large urban school board in Ontario. Professional learning communities represent a new wave of staff development, founded upon the principle that professional development is most effective when it is school-based, sustained and collaborative rather that centralized, ad hoc and didactic. The PLC presented in this study, was established in 2000, and is among the first of its kind within the school district. The fact that the school board has pioneered this staff development model with French immersion teachers is of particular interest, given the well-documented history of inadequacy of pre-service and in-service preparation opportunities for immersion teachers. In the final chapter, the information acquired through this investigation has been applied to present a plan for future creation of similar learning communities.
Properties and application of thermo- and pH-responsive polymers for drug and gene delivery
Keywords: Pharmacy
Medicine

Thermoresponsive polymers based on poly[N-isopropylacrylamide] were prepared as linear chains and crosslinked polymer nanogels. pH-responsiveness was introduced by the incorporation of acidic and basic comonomers, methacrylic acid and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, respectively. The responsive properties of nanogels were characterized in terms of the effects of chemical composition, temperature, pH and ionic strength on the volume phase transition. The drug loading and release properties of anionic nanogels were evaluated using model drug compounds. Release of small cationic molecules by ion-exchange mechanism and macromolecules by diffusion mechanism from the gels was demonstrated. The rate of diffusion was dependent on the swelling state of the gel phase and decreased dramatically upon gel collapse at low pH and above the phase transition temperature of the gels. Convection driven release of macromolecular drug in response to temperature was demonstrated. Responsive anionic nanogels have potential utility in drug delivery applications where protection and rapid release of drug is required. Responsive cationic nanogels based on N-isopropylacrylamide and 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate or its quaternary alkyl ammonium halide salts were investigated as DNA carriers. Differences in the pH- and ionic strength-dependence of phase transition properties of cationic nanogels were attributed to the nature and to the distribution of structural charge in the gels. The results showed that stable cationic nanogels with tunable responsiveness could be prepared with potential for nucleic acid delivery. Responsive cationic copolymers were tested as components of non-viral transfectants and as modifiers of adenoviral vectors for gene delivery. The copolymers were shown to effectively modulate gene expression of plasmid DNA and adenovirus vectors when coupled by electrostatic interaction. The coupling of copolymer and plasmid DNA complexes with adenovirus resulted in transgene expression even in the absence of a functional viral genome suggesting that aggregate systems incorporating responsive copolymers with non-viral and viral components may lead to improved vector performance.
A study of holistic thinking in an agricultural leadership development program using asynchronous computer conferencing
Keywords: Technology, Moral and ethical aspects
Learning
Computer conferencing
Education, Computer network resources
Internet in education
Study skills

The primary goal of this qualitative case study was to investigate the nature of holistic thinking in the context of an asynchronous computer conference. Holistic thinking was defined as a constellation of higher-order thinking skills to include content/basic, critical, creative, and complex thinking. In addition, this study examined the utility of the Integrated Thinking Model (1989) as a conceptual framework for investigating such phenomena. A central tenet of constructivism applied to the design of online learning environments is these ought to facilitate processes whereby learners build and integrate complex representations of knowledge into patterns that are personally meaningful. A potential outcome of these processes is a "deeper" learning, one where "the learning exchange seems to go deeper than normal, when a certain aliveness and engagement falls upon us, capturing our minds and hearts." Facilitating the activation and use of holistic thinking in collaborative online learning environments is seen as key to the realization of this goal. For this reason, contextual factors (e.g., design of the online learning environment) and process factors (e.g., collaboration, facilitation) were seen as significant considerations worthy of investigation. Results of this study indicated that the case study participants did appear to be thinking holistically about the issues under discussion and demonstrated particular configurations of holistic thinking skills as described by the model used. Also, the conceptual framework used for this study has great utility for analyzing the presence or absence of a range of holistic thinking indicators. Potential areas of weakness include the range of thinking skills addressed by the model, resulting in a research tool that is perhaps too unwieldy for general use. Design features of the learning environment, specifically those constructivist principles embedded within the small group learning project, were thought to positively impact the demonstration of holistic skills by participants. Process factors such as the emphasis on collaboration, active peer facilitation, and effective project/information management were seen to confirm the assertion that these are important considerations in the design and delivery of online learning facilitative of holistic thinking and deep learning. This case study examined four adult learners' experiences and interactions within a particular collaborative on-line learning environment incorporated as part of the larger context of participation in a unique Canadian agricultural leadership development program. Using the asynchronous computer conference transcripts and other data sources generated by this group, this study describes the dimensions of the presence or absence of various indices of holistic thinking as operationally defined by the Integrated Thinking Model (ITM).
The protection of the right to life in non-international armed conflicts: what the ECtHR and the IACtHR should learn from one another
Keywords: Right to life
War victims

International law supports the complementary application of HRL and IHL for the protection of the right to life in non-international armed conflicts. Only HRL treaties provide victims with an effective avenue to obtain justice for violations suffered. However, they limit the mandate of the human rights courts to the application of HRL, preventing in principle such courts from applying IHL. This creates an inconsistency between the theoretically complementary applicability of HRL and IHL for the protection of the right to life in non-international armed conflicts--as recognized by international law--and the mandate of the human rights courts. This paper examines how the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights have respectively dealt with such inconsistency when dealing with cases concerning right to life violations in non-international armed conflicts and, on the basis of these findings--what they can learn from each other.
Comparative advertising: a comparative study of trade-mark laws and competition laws in Canada and the European Union
Keywords: Advertising laws, Canada
Advertising laws, European Union countries
Trademarks, European Union countries
Trademarks, Canada
Antitrust law, Canada
Antitrust law, European Union countries

When advertisers seek to promote their product at the expense of another in terms of quality, performance, sales, price or other attributes, they face not only a public cautious of their claims, but also a broad spectrum of legal rules. These include trade-mark law and competition law statutes, common law torts and self-regulatory mechanisms. This thesis illustrates the variety of legislation and jurisdiction surrounding comparative advertising in both Canada and the European Union, and, within the latter, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Culture, civilization, and the social construction of discipline-based art education
Keywords: Art, Study and teaching
Art and society
Culture, Study and teaching

This thesis is a critical analysis of discipline-based art education, (DBAE), an approach in which art education content is drawn from the four “parent” disciplines of studio production, art criticism, art history, and aesthetics. My concern is with how DBAE has been socially constructed around discourses of “excellence” and “cultural literacy” and, in accordance, celebrates and affirms the notion of art as something “good for” society: a measure of “civilization” and a form of useful knowledge which must be acquired in order to participate effectively in democratic society. I look at the mechanisms and processes by which DBAE has come to occupy a dominant position within American art educational discourse and I reveal how this emergent discourse, aided by liberal notions of democracy, has its social origins in a nineteenth-century doctrine of art as the embodiment of middle-class and Christian moral values. Above all, I examine the “discipline-ness” of DBAE, that is, its disciplinary organization of discrete and bounded knowledge(s), and call into question what is thought to constitute “relevant” cultural/artistic knowledge, for and by whom it is considered to be relevant, and why it is thus considered.
Peer relations of mainstreamed hearing impaired students
Keywords: Hearing impaired children, Psychological aspects
Mainstreaming in education, Social aspects
Social interaction
Intergroup relations

This study compared the peer relations of hearing impaired and hearing adolescents, as well as examined the differences in the peer relations of the hearing impaired adolescents by level of hearing and educational placement. Spoken language of the hearing impaired adolescents was also considered. Forty-one grade 6 to grade 8 students with mild (n = 20) or moderate to profound hearing loss (n = 21), from fully integrated (n = 29) or partially integrated (n = 12) educational placements were recruited, as were 40 grade 6 to grade 8 hearing students. All participants were administered a friendship interview adapted from Berndt and Hawkins (1994), the Friendship Quality Questionnaire (Parker & Asher, 1993), and The Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (Asher, Hymel & Renshaw, 1984). Friendship questionnaires were also given to all participants' teachers, parents and best school friend. The hearing impaired adolescents were also administered a measure of social interaction with hearing and hearing peers (Stinson, Chase, & Kluwin, 1991), as well as measures of English knowledge and functional spoken language. Hearing adolescents reported higher friendship quality on the subscale Intimate Disclosure and lower levels of loneliness than hearing impaired adolescents. There were, however, no differences on the other friendship quality subscales, or the number of nominated and corroborated friendships. For the hearing impaired adolescents, there were some differences in their levels of interaction separately with hearing and hearing impaired peers by level of hearing and educational placement. English knowledge and/or functional spoken language correlated positively with friendship quality and functional spoken language correlated negatively with loneliness. The findings from this study are consistent with previous literature, and suggest that hearing impaired adolescents, regardless of level of hearing, are at risk in their peer relations. Implications for educational practice and suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)