VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Understanding empathy: inner language in second language teaching
Keywords: Self-perception
Self-actualization (Psychology)
Self-acceptance
Empathy
English language, Study and teaching
Meaning (Psychology)

The purpose of this co-operative inquiry was to increase understanding of empathy. Research centered on an exploration of the meaning of empathy through an uncovering of inner language: first my own, then the inner language of seven published authors (Parker Palmer, Jean Vanier, The Dalai Lama, Kathleen Brehony, Joan Tronto, Ken Wilber, and Dr. Dean Omish), and subsequently, the inner language of six ESL teachers. I chose to work with ESL teachers because I am familiar with this area of teaching. The co-operative aspect of the inquiry undertaken with the teacher-practitioners was a multi-faceted, multi-approach investigation of empathy where empathy remained consistently at the center of our attention and at the heart of our actions. Much diversity in inner language among co-participants was found, as well as significant conflict within the inner language of individuals; nevertheless, inner language in individual co-participants remained quite stable over time. Since each person's inner language expresses his or her values and beliefs, its apparent stability in co-participants would suggest that empathy is a central value for each one of them. The relationship between judging and negotiating the boundaries of empathy was also examined, as well as the impact of judging in extending or blocking empathic feelings, and in fostering or inhibiting change. Experience in this inquiry precipitated several important understandings: (1) negative judgment of others and narcissism are antithetical to empathy; (2) we have a choice of how to act and what attitude to take in any given situation, and exercising that choice requires a conscious and immediate decision-making process based on values and beliefs in each new context; (3) direct experience/action moves understanding beyond a simple grasp of the subject matter to a new level of consciousness that becomes a new level of being; (4) this new level of consciousness includes and integrates new meaning from the unnameable, the inexpressible aspect of direct experience. This inquiry has implications that extend beyond the workplace in that it addresses general theories of consciousness development. For example, Wilber (2002) sees reflective practice as a way of moving from first tier consciousness to second tier consciousness, the essence of which is world-centric compassion. Similarly, the Dalai Lama's (1999) highest level of consciousness development is in what he calls "the supreme emotion" (nying-je), empathy plus reason. In this inquiry, co-participants, by engaging in successive cycles of activity/discussion, reflection, action, and more reflection, showed how movement from first to second tier consciousness can actually occur, and for the thoughts and actions of real people in real-life settings.
Errorless Acquiescence Training: External and social validation
Keywords: Social skills in children, Study and teaching
Socialization
Problem children, Behavior modification

The present study examined the external and social validity of Errorless Acquiescence Training (EAT), a social skills program for children with severe externalizing behaviour problems. Previous evaluations of EAT have been conducted in clinic settings; however, the present investigation occurred in a community school to address external validity considerations. Eight children participated in the program, which used success-focused errorless procedures (e.g., stimulus fading) to teach children to be flexible with the needs of peers and tolerate challenging social situations. Using time-series observations, we examined children's behaviour before, during and following EAT. These data revealed that children displayed increases in acquiescent responding, prosocial and clean-up behaviours, along with reductions in antisocial behaviours. We also collected pre-post teacher-ratings using a standardized questionnaire of social competence to examine the social validity of treatment effects. According to these data, the classroom teacher perceived meaningful improvements in child social skills and problem behaviours.
Beyond the legal: an inquiry into the politics of rights
Keywords: Civil rights

What is the relevance of the rights-discourse for 21st century politics? Was the political potential of rights exhausted during the civil rights era? Through an analysis of the rights-debate, an examination of Edmund Burke and Karl Marx's critiques of rights, and with the assistance of Antonio Gramsci's conception of ideology, this essay seeks to propose a new way of understanding the "politics of rights".I will defend the thesis that the "politics of rights" should be understood as having two different dimensions. I will claim that, on the one hand, rights can be deployed instrumentally as to advance a particular social cause, and, on the other, that they can be constitutive of political struggles.
Social cognition: a metaphoric analysis of knowledge processes in computer mediated learning
Keywords: Telecommunication
Telematics
Computer conferencing
Social perception
Computers
Information technology, Computer-assisted instruction

This research explores social cognition: how common and expert knowledge are negotiated, developed and retained by members of a social group. Social knowledge of two focal concepts, learning and computer mediated communication (CMC) is represented in concept networks. Each network represents concept-specific information, active and common in the communication of group members, in each data sample. Social knowledge processes are viewed as patterns, observed by comparing concept networks over time and by discourse context. Metaphor, defined as a cognitive agent, is introduced as an analytic device: an application of contemporary metaphor theory (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Lakoff, 1997). The study examines the communication of fifteen students and their instructor, interacting in computer mediated conferences. Discourse data consisted of computer transcripts and recorded interviews with participants, instructor, and with six experts experienced in teaching by CMC. Metaphoric expression was used to flag observations, and to guide interpretation. Codes representing concept-specific meaning, informed by metaphoric comparison, were linked in themes and collected in networks using a text interpretation program, ATLAS/ti. Study findings concerning the social denomination, or social knowledge, of concepts are organized by the four knowledge processes of interest: knowledge construction, retention, instructional development, and the growth of expert knowledge. Two categories of concept knowledge, hierarchical and associative, are defined in this study. Stored, social knowledge of concepts is observed to be constituted by a balance of hierarchical and associative meaning. In contrast, the pattern of social concept knowledge under construction is seen to be highly associative. Constructed knowledge active and common in student discourse develops hierarchical properties and value emphases similar to instructor knowledge. A strong pattern of similarity can be observed in the associative concept knowledge active in the expert group, and the persistent knowledge constructed by student participants. This use of metaphoric comparison in cognitive analysis is seen to enhance the quality of information available. This approach is specifically recommended for investigations of social contexts undergoing change, research contexts requiring non-intrusive observation, and questions concerning value development. Observations concerning social knowledge processes raise questions for further studies of metacognition, and educational practice.
Putting trust on the line: implementing telecommunication reform in South Africa and the role of international trade - the first five years
Keywords: International trade
Telecommunication, Law and legislation
Telecommunication, South Africa

The liberalization of domestic telecommunications markets has become a worldwide trend. Central to this is the requirement for effective regulation. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) has been heralded as the mechanism with which to effect telecommunication liberalization domestically and establish the principles required for effective regulation, but has simultaneously been criticized for lack of specificity and inadequate enforcement power. This thesis explores the strength of these claims by examining the first phase of South Africa's telecommunications liberalization programme through the lens of international trade. This examination is intended to serve three objectives: first, to document this process and assess SA's compliance with its GATS commitments undertaken from 1995 onwards; second, to understand why SA signed the GATS telecommunication treaty at all, given that its domestic reform agenda was set prior to its GATS accession; and, thirdly, to advance the claim that at the interface between domestic sectoral goals and international trade aspirations lies a useful mechanism, which if astutely applied, can facilitate the achievement of broader domestic policy whilst honouring commitments to the multilateral trading order. It is contended that the value of GATS accession lies in the legitimizing role that international commitments play in facilitating credibility and reducing the risks for foreign and domestic investors, of discretionary or opportunistic ex post behaviour or policy alteration. Moreover, to truly evaluate the usefulness of the GATS telecommunication instruments, a fuller appreciation of regulation in the South African context needs to occur, and finally, that all gains to be realized from utilizing the tension between domestic policy goals and international trade ideals, are entirely dependent on the relative capacities of states to meaningfully participate in the global governance structures for international telecommunications. This thesis concludes that subject to certain events occurring by, or close to the implementation deadline, SA is largely in compliance with its GATS telecommunication commitments. More insidious concerns however, exist for the country's prospects of introducing domestic competition in fixed line services. The ramifications for consumer welfare and the goal of universal service, which has been yoked to the government's post-apartheid "development priority" are significant.
The parent-child relationship and parents' involvement in youth justice proceedings from the perspective of youth: A pilot study
Keywords: Justice, Administration of, Canada
Juvenile delinquents, Canada
Juvenile delinquents, Attitudes
Juvenile delinquents, Canada
Parent and teenager, Canada

The Canadian Youth Criminal Justice Act recognizes the important role of parents in young people's legal proceedings. Yet, there has been little empirical research on the predictors of parental involvement in the youth justice system. In the present study, 47 male young offenders were interviewed about their experiences with parents prior to and during judicial proceedings, to examine the factors associated with young people's perceptions of parental involvement in legal contexts. Results indicated that parental warmth and general involvement in a young person's life were significantly related to parental participation in the youth justice system. However, multiple regression analyses showed that parental warmth offered little additional predictive power beyond that contributed by parents' general involvement. Findings are discussed in terms of both theoretical and practical implications, and directions for future research are outlined.
The parenting experience of adults with learning disabilities
Keywords: Parents with disabilities
Learning disabled
Parent and child
Parenting

This research reports on parents with learning disabilities. This qualitative investigation focused primarily on participants' perceptions of the impact of their learning disability on their experience of parenting. The existence of a learning disability was validated using recent psychoeducational assessment results, or with a brief psychoeducational assessment administered by the researcher. Fifteen participants engaged in two in-depth interviews with the researcher. In the second interview, each participant responded to the researcher's initial summary of the themes and patterns emerging from their individual, and the group's initial, interviews. The thesis begins with an overview of the status of research focusing on adults with learning disabilities, research on parents with disabilities, and the need for, and possible benefits of, an inquiry into the largely unexamined linkages between these areas of study. Little is known about the parenting experiences of adults with learning disabilities, about the strategies they have found helpful in carrying out their parenting activities, and the recommendations they have for other parents in a similar situation or for those who work with such parents. The findings reveal several problematic areas for these parents, in addition to many positive characteristics that they demonstrate in their parenting. Emergent themes centred around the protectiveness that participants felt concerning their children's self-esteem as well as their academic success, difficulties participants experienced in terms of time management, participants' emotional reactions to their experience of having a learning disability (such as feelings of inadequacy, guilt, regret, and frustration, as well as an emphasis on being self-reliant), and the importance that participants ascribed to having self-knowledge about their learning disability. Participants' reported experiences suggested that the learning disabilities led to a pervasive sense of vulnerability regarding the negative impact of the disability on many aspects of their lives, including their parenting experience. Study findings, while consistent in many respects with Belsky's (1984) Process Model of the Determinants of Parenting, lead to a revision of this model to include this sense of vulnerability as an intrinsic part of the Personality determinant and to suggest bi-directionality of effect between some of the determinants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
On our yellow backs, under western eyes: Creating the nation and its citizens as White vis-à-vis the Asian woman in Hollywood cinema
Keywords: Asian Americans, Cultural assmilation
Asian Americans, Ethnic identity
Asian Americans, Social conditions
Asian Americans, California
Asian Americans, Psychology
Asian Americans, California
Race discrimination, California
Generations, California
Acculturation, United States

The focus of my thesis will concern how Hollywood cinema produces the nation and its citizens as White, through the Asian woman in a predominantly White movie cast. I will concentrate on discourses that maintain Asian women as foreigners and center Whites as legitimate citizens in the imagination of Canada and the United States. I will presume popular culture is a tool of imperialism that reinscribes the dominion of Whiteness and analyze this imperial function through an anti-racist and feminist framework. I will examine popular contemporary Hollywood films such as Charlie's Angels (McG, 2000), Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle (McG, 2003), Snow Falling on Cedars (Hicks, 1999) and X2 (Singer, 2003) to probe how the Asian woman maintains the nation and its citizens as White.
The one who cares: a critique of Nel Noddings' ethic of care from a Korean feminist perspective
Keywords: Caring
Feminism, Korea
Women, Korea

The final challenge is "tough caring." There are people about whom we do not want to think. We must not view difficult situations as burdens. Caring is a virtue, and the practice of caring further develops our capacity to care. That is part of our responsibility to our fellow humans. I recognize my own limitations when it comes to tough caring. The alternative that I suggest takes into account the self who deserves to care. There is a great need for caring in this world. This connection can lead to more caring being demonstrated in education. Korean feminist caring enables teachers to encourage students to value their authentic identities. Students will develop the ability to care for others without feeling worthless. This thesis explores the concept of an ethic of care, taking into consideration modern North American thinking, particularly that of Nel Noddings, as well as considering a Korean perspective. My thesis begins with an exploration of my own story. My gender identity is fundamental to my understanding of myself. I then consider whether my roles are dictated by my birth as a female, that is, growing up with certain expectations of what women should do. Nel Noddings and her theories on self as a care-giver showed a way of understanding the self. Analyzing Noddings' work enabled me to think about caring in the context of my cultures. Noddings discusses the importance of emotional experience, and develops the concepts of care. For Noddings, caring provides a moral orientation for teaching and also can be an applied as an aim of education. Noddings does not make it clear what kind of women's experiences she is describing. Different women have different emotional experiences, which shape their caring relationships. Women, whose experience, like my own, was shaped by growing up in Korea, do not fit the model of reciprocal caring which Noddings describes. The models that I have constructed demonstrate how caring works in my understanding. To further illustrate my understanding of what it means to be a Korean woman, my thesis narrates several stories of Korean women, including myself.
The protection of children within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: The balance between pragmatism and idealism
Keywords: Children and war, Israel
Arab-Israeli conflict, Children
Humanitarian law
Children (International law)

Established within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this thesis is a reflection upon the ability of international law to guarantee fundamental rights to children under occupation. This will examine the relationship between human rights law and international humanitarian law focusing upon the provisions incorporated within the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Challenging existing principles of international law, particularly that of lex specialis, it is argued that protections should be the highest legal standards available regardless of their source. An examination of the rights to life and health develops the argument that different rights require alternative approaches to provide effective protection. Placing the discussion in the context of the current problems in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will highlight the potential in such an approach, as the legal community battles with the pragmatic nature of international humanitarian law against the idealistic potential of human rights.
A critical perspective of culturally diverse children in the changing school population in Hong Kong
Keywords: Immigrant children, Education
Immigrant children, China
Multicultural education, China

The thesis examines the effects of the changing school population as a result of the emergence of culturally diverse children in the schools in Hong Kong. The main thrust of this study is to find out factors within the school organization that may enhance or constrain the prospect of democratic schooling for newcomers. The research was carried out in localities having a high population density of newly arrived children (NAC). First hand data were gathered from a sample of nine school administrators and ten teachers through semi-structured interviews. Secondary sources of data were compiled from government policy documents, literature, media documentaries, children's stories and a varied database accessed through libraries and the internet. Data from this study were interpreted against the backdrop of critical pedagogy theory. Major findings of this study indicated that about 66.7% of the sampled schools that applied strict admission standards to rule out marginal standard students did not perceive the new arrivals as a problem. Instead, NAC were seen to bring additive values that could possibly contribute to the schools' fame and consolidate their superior “banding” status. The remaining schools (33.3%) practiced a more open door policy and had a lower banding status. The total number of NAC in these schools was greater than the total in the highly selective schools. Personnel reported numerous difficulties in meeting students' needs as well as in dealing with disruptive and other forms of unwanted behavior. The study found numerous institutional and structural elements that deny most NAC with less valued social and cultural capitals, and fair access to equal opportunity in schooling. As a result of lack of critical awareness of multicultural knowledge at the school and society levels, NAC as a social group face tremendous pressure to conform to a system that disadvantages them. Analysis of data shows that their struggles against being victimized are painful for many. Major issues such as power relations, language, cultural identity, and concept of equality were explored. A multi-level framework for interrogating democratic schooling was used to present findings. The thesis draws implications for future policies, theory and practice, and teacher education.
Identity formation in Korean Canadian women: a look at subjectivity, race, and multiculturalism
Keywords: Korean immigrants, Social aspects
Korean immigrants, Canada
Koreans, Canada
Korean Canadian women
Women immigrants, Canada
Minority women, Canada
Multiculturalism, Canada
Ethnicity

This thesis will focus on how subjectivity, race, and multiculturalism play a part in forming identities in Korean Canadian women. It will be based primarily on the study of eight Korean Canadian women living in Toronto, but will also include relevant literature from other researchers. The subjects will be asked questions about multiculturalism, race, stereotypes, family, religion, work, school, and identity during in-depth interviews. Subjects will be selected from a random sample, but will be expected to meet certain criteria such as age and length of residence in Canada. This research is significant because it will give Korean Canadian women the chance to speak for themselves and will also examine how Korean Canadian women's identities are shaped in Canada.