VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Successful strategies to generate community involvement in solid waste management: Three case studies in the Philippines
Keywords: Refuse and refuse disposal, Management
Refuse and refuse disposal, Philippines
Refuse and refuse disposal, Management
Refuse and refuse disposal, Philippines

This thesis presents three success stories in solid waste management in the Philippines which focused on approaches toward community participation. Two cases highlighted the local government efforts in the conversion of the open garbage dumpsites into a waste processing zone i.e. the Controlled Waste Disposal Facility in Payatas, Quezon City, Metro Manila, and the Eco-Waste Processing Center in Los Banos, Laguna. The other case was an information, education and communication-based project of the author in Barangay Masili, City of Calamba, also in Laguna, with emphasis on community consciousness in solid waste segregation for a cleaner environment. Solid waste is one of the country's major issues confronting the community and the local government units. The legislation of RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act in 2001, addressed this phenomenon by calling for the involvement of all sectors, primarily the local authorities together with the community. This research examines the commonality and uniqueness of the strategies employed to encourage people's mobilization in managing solid waste. It was found that participation starts from a deepening awareness of people about the problems affecting them, getting involved, and becoming responsive when they understand its potential benefits. Participation is deeply anchored in political mobilization where leaders take the initiative and the will to make a difference in the community. Strong advocacy in the furtherance of community awareness and consciousness in relevant programs together with the stakeholders' partnership and networking play a very important role.
The role of the school district in influencing school improvement
Keywords: School improvement programs, Ontario
School districts, Ontario
School management and organization, Ontario

A mid-sized Ontario school district was considering actions it might take in order to influence school improvement as it was launching a district-wide improvement initiative focused on literacy. In this study, focus groups were conducted with teachers, school administrators and district office staff in order to try and capture the tacit and explicit understanding of school improvement and to identify the obstacles and opportunities for successful school improvement initiatives. The research explored dimensions that included participant orientation to school improvement and school effectiveness, control and commitment and the role of data in school improvement. It also explored perceptions about the status of, the formation of, and the support for learning communities as a key capacity building activity in the district. It then connects the findings with the literature on school improvement and makes suggestions to inform the future directions of the school district.
Giving meaning to women teachers' life histories and political commitments in the classroom
Keywords: Teaching
Women teachers, Rating of
Critical pedagogy
Teachers
Education, Aims and objectives

The focus of the present research on teachers' life histories and teaching practices or the personal and professional connections in teaching, sets out to study how ‘teachers as intellectuals’ or ‘transformative educators’ are working toward emancipatory/transformative practices in the classroom. Transformative pedagogy aims to redress the experience of marginality which students of colour experience in mainstream school curriculum which overlooks or undermines the histories of people of colour. Transformative teaching approaches include critical pedagogy, critical multicultural education, critical literacy, culturally response pedagogy and democratic processes in teaching and learning. Transformative educators place the study of marginalized communities at the center of the curriculum in order to counteract student marginality and disengagement. While traditional studies of teachers' lives and the genre of making explicit personal and professional links have reproduced the dominant North American conceptualization of ‘a good teacher’ as connoting someone who is ‘usually white’ and ‘middle class,’ current focus on teachers' lives and ethnography in today's contemporary classrooms, takes on a different approach by reflecting the changing ethnicity of teachers. Similarly the present research ethnography takes an interest in understanding how on one hand, teachers' awareness of their social locations (or their race, class and gender) and their political ideological commitments with the other, influence curriculum choices and teaching practice that contribute toward counteracting inequalities in the school system. The narrative texts of two teachers' life histories and teaching practices are analyzed using feminist interpretive theories that represent conversations across social differences and racial identities which includes South Asian Indo-Canadian and Euro-Canadian ethnicities. The classroom ethnography with the two teachers, who are identified as ‘transformative educators’ working toward social change, took place in a multi-racial, low socioeconomic elementary school community in the Greater Toronto Area. The community itself underwent fundamental demographic changes over the past twenty years, from a largely blue collar working class Portuguese/Italian community to the present largely South Asian (Indian, Sri Lankan) and Caribbean blue collar working class and underclass community. The research was carried out between March 1999–August 2000.
Achievement values and the adolescent self: A developmental analysis of personal meanings and motivations
Keywords: Academic achievement
Teenagers, Attitudes
Preteens, Attitudes
Values
Values in adolescence
Self in adolescence
Self in children

This study explored developmental differences in the personal meanings to the self and motivation orientations that adolescents have for their achievement-related values. A total of 32 adolescents in Grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 explained the importance of being a person who is "hard-working" or "intellectual-likes to learn." The analyses revealed that adolescents described the personal meaning of these values at three developmental levels that exhibit a stronger sense of self and connection between the value and the self with each increasing level. Age differences revealed that younger adolescents responded at Levels 1 and 2 while older adolescents responded at Levels 2 and 3. The adolescents expressed either intrinsic, extrinsic, or both of these motivation orientations towards having their achievement-related values. Age differences revealed that younger adolescents expressed more extrinsic motivation, whereas older adolescents expressed more intrinsic motivation. The theoretical and educational implications of these findings are discussed.
Attachment security and friendship quality in early childhood: a theoretical and methodological reconceptualization
Keywords: Attachment behavior in children
Security (Psychology) in children
Friendship in children

It is widely accepted that children's attachment security influences the quality of their later relationships with peers. Meta-analytic data, however, suggest that only a small to moderate portion of the variance in peer relations is accounted for by attachment security. Furthermore, little is known about the processes that mediate this relation. The present study addressed these two issues through the development and assessment of a new model of the attachment security-peer relations link which (1) addressed methodological limitations pertaining to the loose application of key tenets of attachment theory and limited measurement of friendship quality and (2) examined the mediating role of social understanding in the relation. A community sample of 5-year-old friend pairs (N = 60) served as participants. Both members of the dyad completed measures of social understanding and were observed playing in a free play and a stress condition. Friendship quality was assessed using behavioural and narrative measures. Mothers of both children completed a measure of child attachment security. While attachment security was significantly related to some aspects of friendship quality, a consistent pattern of association was not found. Inconsistencies were present at the level of the child (target child or friend), observational context (free play or stress condition), and friendship quality measure. Similar inconsistencies were noted in the relation between social understanding and friendship quality. Attachment security was not significantly related to children's performance on social understanding measures. The weak and inconsistent results found in the present study mirror those of previous research and are discussed in terms of shared problems with construct validity at within- and between-construct levels, highlighting the need for theoretical specificity. Future directions for research in the area of friendship quality are presented, with a call to researchers to move beyond simple linear models. The ideas discussed have ramifications for the design of research studies in the areas of attachment security, social understanding, and friendship quality, as well as implications for research design in developmental psychology in general.
Small steps and quiet circles: student transformations through the enactment of resilience processes
Keywords: Academic achievement
Minority students, Social conditions
Student adjustment
Resilience (Personality trait)
Youth with social disabilities, Social conditions

The general question guiding this research is: how do students experience social and emotional transformations when they change from being seen as at risk by schools to being engaged with, and academically successful, in them? The following specific questions are addressed in this study. What influences contribute to risk? What are the influences that enhance the processes of resiliency? What sense(s) of engagement contribute to academic achievement for students who are seen as at risk? What changes occur when students shift from being academically at risk to being academically successful? What personal and social transformations are involved in this process?Conclusions and recommendations can be broadly categorized as issues related to school personnel, curriculum, and institutional structures, calling on administrators to recruit, hire, support and promote teachers who demonstrate care for all students by focusing on students' strengths rather than deficits, respecting all students and their families, and having high expectations for students both academically and socially. From a critical perspective this study examines the experiences of students as they make the transition from being marginalized from or designated by the educational system, and by themselves as at-risk of not graduating from high school, to becoming engaged with and academically successful within it. The personal identity transformations, which are the focus of this research are primarily social and emotional in nature and entail a redefinition of the students by themselves, their peer groups, families, teachers and administrators. At the center of these transformations are relationships between and among individuals and groups. For this study I interview nine adults who had graduated from either university transitional programs or college to university articulation programs in order to understand how students who have experienced both academic success and failure make sense of their lived experiences and concurrent personal transformations. Interviewees are able to identify facets of educational systems which support and which hinder their feelings of inclusion, validation and levels of academic success and to articulate personal and social changes that they have experienced and the support personnel and systems which engendered their academic accomplishments.
Treatment behaviour of male batterers: An exploration of counsellor reports
Keywords: Abusive men, Behavior modification
Abusive men, Counseling of
Counselors

The current study explores the content of final progress reports written by counsellors of a batterer intervention program; specifically, the nature and frequency of counsellor documented in-treatment behaviours are explored. Results indicated that counsellors frequently reported on client attendance, accountability, and treatment engagement. Other treatment behaviours, however, were reported with moderate to minimal frequency, with some key behaviours never receiving mention. When accountability and treatment engagement were isolated as predictors of success, it was found that approximately 20% of clients were considered unsuccessful by counsellors at the completion of the batterer program. Success in Intervention Phase I was found to predict success in Intervention Phase II for unsuccessful- and successful-rated clients, but not for mixed-rated clients. Results also indicate that client motivation, but not working alliance score or individual-level characteristics, predict final counsellor-rated success. Research and clinical implications are discussed in the context of the current findings.
Education and HIV
Keywords: AIDS (Disease), Study and teaching (Elementary)
AIDS (Disease), Namibia
Student teachers, Attitudes
Student teachers, Namibia
Teachers, Training of
Teachers, Namibia

In the face of the increasing impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Namibia, much has been done within the educational sector to work towards mitigating the growing infection rate. The LifeSkills course has been developed and implemented in order to educate youth in the public school system about the virus and equip them with the necessary psycho-social skills to assist in reducing the risk of becoming infected. Research literature, however, indicates that teachers are reluctant to teach the course. In this study, research was undertaken to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and concerns of the University of Namibia's third year Bachelor of Education students about the teaching of HIV and, in particular, the LifeSkills course. Findings indicate a gap in knowledge about HIV-related issues and the LifeSkills course, in particular. Moreover, many students indicated reluctance and a lack of self-efficacy to properly implement HIV education.
Survey of hospital library managers' attitudes toward volunteers in Ontario hospital libraries
Keywords: Hospital libraries, Ontario
Volunteer workers in hospitals, Ontario
Librarians, Attitudes
Librarians, Ontario

The purpose of the research was to learn more about the contribution of volunteers in hospital libraries and increase our understanding of the issues and challenges related to volunteers. An anonymous, self-report 38-item questionnaire was mailed to 89 Ontario hospital library managers. Findings revealed that volunteers were used in the majority of Ontario hospital libraries. Hospital library managers hold diverse attitudes toward volunteer use. Managers viewed volunteers positively regarding helping with the workload and providing assistance with routine clerical tasks. Volunteers were viewed negatively regarding staff time needed for supervision and training of volunteers. Volunteers were more likely to be used in libraries where managers believed the library staffing was inadequate and were less likely to be used in unionized libraries. A key difference between activities performed exclusively by hospital library volunteers and those performed exclusively by public library volunteers is the complexity of tasks undertaken by hospital library volunteers.
Trade and the environment: defining a role for the World Trade Organization
Keywords: International trade, Environmental aspects
Environmental policy, Economic aspects

The purpose of this study is to define a role for the World Trade Organization (WTO) in protecting the environment. It is argued here that the WTO has a role to play in advancing environmental protection while still serving its foremost function as an institution committed to liberalizing trade: this role is to continue trade liberalization targeted at those market sectors where liberalization will be beneficial to the environment, to establish institutional mechanisms for managing both positive and negative effects of trade, and to reduce doctrinal barriers to environmental regulation. The role of the WTO in safeguarding the environment is defined by the relationship between trade and the environment. This relationship is defined in turn, for the purpose of formulating the WTO's role in environmental protection, by four elements: the economic theory of international trade, the environmental response to international trade and trade institutions, GATT and WTO jurisprudence on conflicts between trade and environmental policies, and the discussions of GATT and WTO working parties on trade and environment issues. These elements are formative in defining a role for the WTO in safeguarding the environment. Chapter 1 begins the examination of the relationship between trade and the environment by presenting the economic case for free trade and the environmental benefits of trade. Chapter 2 presents the environmental response to free trade, which focuses on the environmental hazards harboured in the economic case for free trade, in trade as an economic activity, and in the barriers that the WTO creates to environmental regulation. Chapter 3 analyses the GATT and WTO jurisprudence in the light of the concerns that environmentalists have with the multilateral trading system to determine how these concerns have been treated under GATT and WTO law. Chapter 4 examines the discussions of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment on issues that fall into two themes: the tension between market access and trade-restricting environmental measures and the linkages between multilateral environment and trade agendas. Chapter 5 provides recommendations for defining a role for the WTO in preserving high level domestic environmental policies and in protecting global resources.
Personal factors in simulated bicycle accidents
Keywords: Cycling accidents, Psychological aspects
Cycling accidents, Ontario
Risk-taking (Psychology) in children, Ontario
Sensation seeking
Children's accidents, Psychological aspects
Children's accidents, Ontario
Simulation methods

The study explored the relationship between children's response to risk in the form of a simulated bicycle accident, and several variables hypothesized to be related to risk appraisal. Specifically, the relationship between reported levels of sensation seeking, competitiveness, impulsivity, fear of failure, thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, boredom susceptibility, self-sufficiency, conformity, previous injury behaviour, gender, bicycle confidence, galvanic skin response and cycling behaviour in a simulated setting were examined in 60 Grade 2 and Grade 6 children. The following hypotheses were made regarding the association between risky behaviour in the variables listed above; Based on previous research it was hypothesized that Sensation Seeking, Competitiveness, Thrill and Adventure Seeking, Self Sufficiency, Experience Seeking, Boredom Susceptibility, Previous Injury Behaviour, and Bicycle Self-Confidence would all be positively correlated with risky behaviour (faster pedaling and late braking). Conversely, Conformity, Fear of Failure (test anxiety), and Galvanic Skin Response will be negatively correlated with risky behaviour. As well, males were predicted to show greater risk taking behaviour, as were Grade 6 children in general. Results indicated that Grade 2 subjects displayed riskier cycling behaviour in the simulator by pedaling faster than the stimulus film required them to, and by braking later in response to the hazard presentations. The questionnaire and GSR data did not predict risk taking behaviour in the simulator. The implications of these findings from developmental standpoint, and as a guide to further research are discussed.
Leaders helping teachers helping students: the role of transformational leaders in building teacher efficacy
Keywords: Educational leadership
School administrators
Teacher effectiveness
Teaching
Teachers
Educational change

Regardless of how well a centrally-driven reform is designed, it is only when teachers and school leaders have both the will and the capacity to implement reforms, in a conducive situation, that progress is made. At the core of this process of leaders building teachers' will and capacity is the concept of “teacher efficacy.” This dissertation described the relationship between school leadership (based on a model of transformational leadership) and teacher efficacy, in the implementation of large-scale reform. The conceptual framework proposed a relationship between leadership practices and student achievement, with two intervening variables: leadership practices were believed to have an influence on teacher efficacy, which in turn influenced teacher practices, which had an impact on student achievement. This research considered two different views of transformational leadership: both leaders' views of their own practices, and teachers' views of their leaders' practices. The research concerned the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies in elementary schools in England, and was based on surveys of teachers and headteachers in the early stages of implementing these reforms. Data were collected from 2374 teachers, and 417 headteachers and schools. Teachers reported moderate levels of self-efficacy in the implementation of these Strategies. They also saw moderate levels of transformational leadership practices in their leaders. These findings were not surprising in light of other research. The observed modest influence of transformational leadership practices on teachers' efficacy beliefs, however, called into question the expected relationship between these two variables. The thesis concluded that other factors had a stronger influence on building teacher efficacy in this instance—other factors such as the climate of reform overload, the lack of professional engagement in the reform efforts, and perhaps most importantly, the centralized nature of the reform initiative. It seemed likely that more effective leadership practices could have made a difference, but the highly centralized source of the reforms had made it difficult for leaders to become engaged in the process. Further research was recommended to assess the evolution of teachers' efficacy beliefs in the English reform effort, and to further explore the relationship between leadership and teacher efficacy.
When the fighting doesn't stop: an examination into the use of peer mediation in an elementary classroom
Keywords: Mediation
Conflict management
Peer counseling of students
Interpersonal relations in children

Recently peer mediation and conflict resolutions programs have been implemented in many elementary schools. Much work has yet to be done in the field and as a result I began my own inquiry on the topic. In addition to examining the types of conflicts students were engaged in and the way in which conflicts were resolved, the study also examined whether or not students were able to resolve conflicts independently of a mediator. Upon its conclusion the study found that while students were involved in various forms of conflict, that conflict resolution was successful in reducing conflict in certain situations. The study also found that upon receiving mediation training the students were able to resolve conflicts in an integrative manner. Finally, it found that some students were able to resolve conflicts independently of a mediator after having received mediation training. Peer mediation, therefore, assisted in creating a more harmonious environment.