Unpublished Thesis Research Articles

Retraction statement: The application of a multi‐attribute decision‐making algorithm to learning management systems evaluation

The above article, published online on 3 February 2010 in Wiley Online Library (http://wileyonlinelibrary.com) has been retracted by agreement between the Journal Editors, Carina Girvan, Sara Hennessy, Manolis Mavrikis, Sara Price and Niall Winters, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. on behalf of British Educational Research Association. The Retraction has been agreed due to unauthorized use of material contained in an unpublished MSc thesis: Momani, A. (2008) Easy Way to Evaluate LMSs (EW‐LMS), Department of Computer and Information Systems, Near East University, Nicosia, North Cyprus.Reference Cavus, N. (2011). . British Journal of Educational Technology, 42, 19–30. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.01033.x

Mobile Health Interventions for Improving Health Outcomes in Youth

Mobile health interventions are increasingly popular in pediatrics; however, it is unclear how effective these interventions are in changing health outcomes. To determine the effectiveness of mobile health interventions for improving health outcomes in youth 18 years or younger. Studies published through November 30, 2016, were collected through PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Educational Resources Information Center, and PsychINFO. Backward and forward literature searches were conducted on articles meeting study inclusion criteria. Search terms included telemedicine, eHealth, mobile health, mHealth, app, and mobile application. Search results were limited to infants, children, adolescents, or young adults when possible. Studies were included if quantitative methods were used to evaluate an application of mobile intervention technology in a primary or secondary capacity to promote or modify health behavior in youth 18 years or younger. Studies were excluded if the article was an unpublished dissertation or thesis, the mean age of participants was older than 18 years, the study did not assess a health behavior and disease outcome, or the article did not include sufficient statistics. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied by 2 independent coders with 20% overlap. Of 9773 unique articles, 36 articles (containing 37 unique studies with a total of 29 822 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Of 9773 unique articles, 36 articles (containing 37 unique studies) with a total of 29 822 participants met the inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were calculated from statistical tests that could be converted to standardized mean differences. All aggregate effect sizes and moderator variables were tested using random-effects models. Change in health behavior or disease control. A total of 29 822 participants were included in the studies. In studies that reported sex, the total number of females was 11 226 (53.2%). Of those reporting age, the average was 11.35 years. The random effects aggregate effect size of mobile health interventions was significant (n = 37; Cohen d = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.14-0.29). The random effects model indicated that providing mobile health intervention to a caregiver increased the strength of the intervention effect. Studies that involved caregivers in the intervention produced effect sizes (n = 16; Cohen d = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.18-0.39) larger than those that did not include caregivers (n = 21; Cohen d = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02-0.25). Other coded variables did not moderate study effect size. Mobile health interventions appear to be a viable health behavior change intervention modality for youth. Given the ubiquity of mobile phones, mobile health interventions offer promise in improving public health.

Goffman's predramaturgical publications and their intellectual context: 1949-1953

Given the status of Erving Goffman in the social sciences, a lot has been written about him but his early and (especially) unpublished publications are not widely known, although they contain few original ideas that were never used in later part of his career and some that were elaborated in better known works. The paper discusses intellectual context, influences and phases of Goffman's sociology, especially predramaturgical phase – his unpublished master's thesis, two early papers, one unpublished report and unpublished PhD thesis. In the context of his later thought, doctoral thesis is especially interesting because it contains Goffman's first exposition of interaction order. At the end of the paper we see how Goffman went into dramaturgical phase.

What nursing students reveal about and learn from mentors when using stories of clinical practice.

Aim This article considers findings from a narrative research analysis that illustrate what nursing students can reveal about being mentored through their stories of clinical practice experience. The aim is to advocate the use of stories as tools to assist mentors in their roles, and to express to them students' concerns, sensitivities and priorities about clinical placement experiences. The findings are extracted from the author's unpublished doctoral thesis Learning from Practice: The Value of Story in Nurse Education ( Edwards 2013 ). Method The data are drawn from nursing students' stories about clinical practice experiences when engaged in the care of patients, and their perceived learning from them. Results Findings suggest stories can help develop understanding of nursing students' concerns, sensitivities and priorities, and can support mentors' important roles in students' learning. Conclusion The article illustrates the value of stories as learning tools in the workplace and, by looking at nursing students' stories about clinical practice, shows that paying attention to their concerns, sensitivities and priorities can improve the already significant role played by mentors in student learning.

Attitudes of Hospital Staff about Performance Based Additional Payment System: An Investigation in Mugla Sitki Kocman University Training and Research Hospital

The aim of the hereby study is to analyze whether the work system, called ” Performance based additional payment” affects the employees of the institutions, emerged after the co-colcational use of the Universities and the relevant institutions of the Ministry of Health in a negative or positive manner. The study in this regard was initiated by conducting a literature review and the books, articles, published or unpublished post graduate or doctorate thesis as well as the internet based documents were studied. In order to determine the impact of the Performance Based Additional Payment System, that is currently being implemented in the Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Training and Research Hospital, on the efficiency of the employees of the said hospital, a survey was developed and implemented on the working personnel. The population of the research is comprised of the entire personnel, working in the Institution, renamed Mugla Sitki Kocman University Training and Research Hospital, upon undersigning the “protocol for cooperation and collocation” signed by The Mugla State Hospital under the Ministry of Health and by Mugla Sitki Kocman University by time the indicated research was being conducted. 550 surveys were presented in order to acquire the assessments of the employees but only 338 of them were filled in. The data, received from this were analyzed in SPSS 14.0. As a result of the study it was seen that staff had negative attitudes towards to the Performance Based Additional Payment System

Level of Stakeholder Engagement and Participation in Monitoring and Evaluation of Construction Projects in Ghana

Globally, the construction industry is acknowledged as complex and capital intensive. The need for transparency in monitoring and evaluation to promote organizational learning and accountability in project delivery cannot be overemphasized, hence the need for stakeholder engagement and participation. This paper reports on the level of stakeholder engagement in project delivery and participation in monitoring and evaluation of public construction projects in Ghana. Both structured interview guide and questionnaire schedule were used to collect relevant data for the study. A desk review of journal articles, books, conference proceedings, published and unpublished thesis work from the institutions’ database and internet sources relevant to the study ware adopted to underpin the study. Project implementation minutes and meeting attendance were also perused. Data was descriptively analyzed. Six key stakeholders were identified in local government project delivery in Ghana. It was evident from the study that there was a high level of stakeholder engagement in project delivery whiles participation of stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation of public projects at the local government level was very poor. This was attributed to lack of knowledge, understanding, involvement and time devoted for monitoring and evaluation of projects by stakeholders. In conclusion, the poor participation of stakeholders in monitoring and evaluation of local government project delivery may have contributed to the many challenges faced in local government project delivery in Ghana. These challenges included procurement lapses which resulted in bad payment schedules, non-conformity to project specification, delayed project delivery, lack of health and safety compliance, client's dissatisfaction, and corrupt practices in the construction industry. The study advocates for participatory monitoring and evaluation through stakeholder management at the local government level project delivery. This can be promoted through community based development project (CBDP) delivery. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the level of stakeholder engagement and participation in monitoring and evaluation and its implication in local government project delivery in Ghana.

Hakamat and Peacebuilding 2004-2012

Five years after the secession of South Sudan from Sudan, peace building activities in Sudan have not yet come to an end and violent conflicts in Sudan have not stopped – rather, they intensified – while international attention has shifted to other regions of the world. Darfur remains a crisis region, and the southern, eastern, and western edges of the Sudan are still conflict-ridden, even increasingly so. This article looks into how peacebuilding projects engaged Hakamat – female singers and poets – to spread the message of peace between 2004 and 2012. This international involvement was influenced by two things: the image of Hakamat among the riverine North Sudanese and the international peacebuilding community as `troublemakers´; and the fact that they contradict the image of women as passive victims of violent conflicts. It was for these reasons that the Hakamat became a `hot topic´ with organizations working in Darfur. Although the issue was not prominently reported in the newspapers, the organizations working on peacebuilding in Sudan worked keenly with the women singers and poets known as `Hakamat´, who are said to influence the violent conflict in Darfur through their songs and poetry. The Hakamat perhaps first gained the attention of these organizations as potential peacebuilding actors and participants in peacebuilding workshops because of their `extraordinary´ role as women who can influence issues that were regarded as `male affairs´: that is, conflict and violence. Equally, the Government of Sudan also sought to involve the Hakamat in its political processes in Darfur since the late 1980s.This article is based on an unpublished Diploma thesis (Adam 2013), the research for which was carried out in the Greater Khartoum area between August 2012 and April 2013.

Van den Essen’s theorem on the de Rham cohomology of a holonomic [formula omitted]-module over a formal power series ring

In this expository paper, we give a complete proof of van den Essen’s theorem that the de Rham cohomology spaces of a holonomic D-module are finite-dimensional in the case of a formal power series ring over a field of characteristic zero. This proof requires results from at least five of van den Essen’s papers as well as his unpublished thesis, and until now has not been available in a self-contained document.

TYRTAEUS IN VIRGIL'S FIRST ECLOGUE

The first eclogue opens with an exposition, put in the mouth of Meliboeus (1.1–5): Tityre, tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fagisiluestrem tenui Musam meditaris auena;nos patriae finis et dulcia linquimus arua.nos patriam fugimus; tu, Tityre, lentus in umbraformosam resonare doces Amaryllida siluas. These five lines receive two and a half pages in Coleman's commentary, five in Clausen's, six in the recent commentary by Cucchiarelli, and eighteen in Paraskeviotis's unpublished thesis on the Eclogues’ sources. Yet on the central line and a half (3–4a), in which Meliboeus speaks about himself rather than Tityrus, only Cucchiarelli spends more (but only slightly more) than half a page. For lines 1–2 and 4b–5, focussed on Tityrus, numerous intertexts have been suggested: Theocritus 1.1–3 and 7.88–9, Lucretius 4.589 and 5.1398, Meleager, AP 7.196.2, Callimachus, Aetia fr. 73 Pfeiffer, to list the most important ones. No allusion seems to have been detected in 3–4a.

Questioning the application of Policy Governance for small-scale sports clubs in New Zealand

In 2004, the governing body for sport and recreation in New Zealand developed a governance manual entitled the Nine steps to effective governance. Based on the influential model, Policy Governance, developed by Carver [(1997). Boards that make a difference: A new design for leadership in nonprofit and public organizations (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; (2006). Boards that make a difference: A new design for leadership in nonprofit and public organizations (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons], this manual is seen as a blueprint for effective sport governance. In this study, we examine its appropriateness for small-scale sports clubs which make up the backbone of New Zealand sport sector. Through a case study of four clubs, using data collected through policy documents and interviews, we piece together the governance structures of four clubs and highlight the way they have achieved success without adopting a Policy Governance approach. We contend that small clubs can be effective using governance structures that deviate from the Policy Govenance approach and should consider more flexible governance structures as suggested by Bradshaw [(2009). A contingency approach to nonprofit governance. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 20(1), 61–68. doi:10.1002/nml.241] and Mowbray [(2011). Searching for the ‘mythical unicorn’: The missing link between boards of directors and organisational effectiveness (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Auckland University of Technology, Auckland.]

Sedimentology of a Middle Jurassic Base-of-Slope environment, Cutri Formation, Mallorca

The Cutri Formation’s, type location, exposed in the NW of Mallorca, Spain has previously been described by Álvaro et al., (1989) and further interpreted by Abbots (1989) unpublished PhD thesis as a base-of-slope carbonate apron. Incorporating new field and laboratory analysis this paper enhances this interpretation. From this analysis, it can be shown without reasonable doubt that the Cutri Formation was deposited in a carbonate base-of-slope environment on the palaeowindward side of a Mid-Jurassic Tethyan platform. Key evidence such as laterally extensive exposures, abundant deposits of calciturbidtes and debris flows amongst hemipelagic deposits strongly support this interpretation.

‘Vex the devil’: Scripture, God-talk and holiness at Villa Road

Abstract This article gives a critical account of the engagement with Scripture among a group of women and men from the Villa Road Methodist Church, Handsworth, Birmingham, UK. It presents research done in community during 2004/05 for the unpublished thesis, ‘Mary in the Kitchen, Martha in the Pew: Patterns of Holiness in a Methodist Church’ (MPhil., Birmingham, 2006), updated to include critical engagement with contemporary scholarship in Black British theology, womanist and feminist theology, holiness teaching and hermeneutics, and congregational studies. Working from ethnographic research, the article considers three clusters of emphasis, or creative tensions, in the use of Scripture: gender and God, thanksgiving/resistance in response to evil, and displacement/home-coming. The article argues that these themes specially concern the negotiation of identity and relationship between self, God, Scripture and context.

Language-learning holidays: what motivates people to learn a minority language?

ABSTRACTIn this article, we examine the experiences of 18 Galician language learners who participated in what Garland [(2008). The minority language and the cosmopolitan speaker: Ideologies of Irish language learners (Unpublished PhD thesis). University of California, Santa Barbara] refers to as a ‘language-learning holiday’ in Galicia in north-western Spain. We examine what motivates these learners to travel abroad to study Galician and in some cases to become new speakers of this minoritised language. We explore the ideologies and practices of these students, who as edutourists [Yarymowich, (2005). ‘Language tourism’ in Canada. A mixed discourse. In F. Baider, M. Burger, & D. Goutsos (Eds.), La Communication touristique. Approches discursives de l’identité et de l’alterité (pp. 257-273). Paris: L’Harmattan], are the targets and potential consumers of cultural and linguistic commodification. We explore the ways in which students themselves commodify Galician culture and language, in their attempts to capture what they perceive as an authentic learning experience and as a means of accessing a minoritised linguistic and cultural group.

Prevalence of HIV and hepatitis B coinfection in Ghana: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection has been associated with higher morbidity and mortality and may impact significantly on healthcare resource utilization. However, in Ghana, accurate estimates of the prevalence of HIV/HBV coinfection needed to inform policy decisions and the design of public health interventions are currently lacking. In this study, our aim was to determine the HIV/HBV coinfection prevalence rate in Ghana.MethodsPrimary studies reporting prevalence of HIV/HBV coinfection in Ghana were retrieved through searches conducted in PubMed, science direct, Google scholar and Africa journals online (AJOL) databases. The websites of the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service were also searched for related reports or reviews. Additionally, the online repository of two leading Ghanaian universities were searched to identify unpublished thesis related to the subject. All online searches were conducted between 01/03/2016 and 12/03/2016. Further searches were conducted through reference screening of retrieved papers.ResultsTwelve (12) studies published between 1999 and 2016 and conducted across seven (7) regions of Ghana were included in this review. The three (3) regions with no studies’ representation were Upper East, Upper West and Central regions. The 12 included studies involved a total of 8162 HIV patients. The reported HIV/HBV coinfection prevalence rates ranged from 2.4 to 41.7 %. The pooled HIV/HBV coinfection prevalence rate was determined as 13.6 % (95 % CI 10.2–16.8 %; P < 0.001).ConclusionsIn Ghana, about one in seven HIV patients may be also be chronically infected with HBV. Preventive interventions and strategic policy directions including systematic screening of all newly diagnosed HIV cases for coinfection will be needed, so as to improve management strategies for HBV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) implementation.

Conochironomus (Diptera: Chironomidae) in Asia: new and redescribed species and vouchering issues.

The presence of the Afro-Australian genus Conochironomus Freeman, 1961 (Diptera: Chironomidae) in Asia has been recognised only informally. An unpublished thesis included Conochironomus from Singapore, and the genus has been keyed from Malaysia without named species. Here, the Sumatran Conochironomus tobaterdecimus (Kikuchi & Sasa, 1980) comb. n. is recorded from Singapore and Thailand. The species is transferred from Sumatendipes Kikuchi & Sasa, 1980, rendering the latter a junior synonym (syn. n.) of Conochironomus Freeman. Conochironomus nuengthai sp. n. and Conochironomus sawngthai sp. n. are described as new to science, based on adult males from Chiang Mai, Thailand. All species conform to existing generic diagnoses for all life stages, with features from male and female genitalia, pupal cephalic tubercles and posterolateral 'spurs' of tergite VIII providing evidence for species distinction. Some larvae are linked to C. tobaterdecimus through molecular barcoding. Variation in other larvae, which clearly belong to Conochironomus and are common throughout Thailand, means that they cannot be segregated to species. Larval habitats include pools in river beds, urban storage reservoirs, drains with moderately high nutrient loadings, and peat swamps. Endochironomus effusus Dutta, 1994 from north-eastern India may be a congener but may differ in adult morphology, thereby precluding formal new combination until discrepancies can be reconciled. Many problems with vouchering taxonomic and molecular material are identified that need to be rectified in the future.

Alice in Wonderland: translating to read across Africa

ABSTRACTThis article comments on various translation strategies aiming at equivalence used by translators when reworking Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland into nine African languages. The back translations provided by the translators form the basis for the discussion [Lindseth, Jon, ed. 2015. Alice in a World of Wonderlands. Volume 1: Essays. Delaware: Oak Knoll Press]. This article provides examples and discussion of how African language translators deviated from the original text and it analyses the possible reasons for doing so, both linguistic and socio-cultural. The way in which translators created an African voice in the target languages is discussed by analysing their reflective essays and back translations. This is done against the backdrop of contemporary translation studies theory as espoused by Nokele [2015. “Translating Conceptual Metaphor in Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom: A Cross-cultural Comparison.” Unpublished PhD thesis, University of South Africa, Pretoria] as well as Colina [2015. Fundamentals of Translation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press]. There is a tension between remaining true to the source text and accommodating the socio-cultural context of the target text. In relation to Alice in Wonderland, it is argued that an integrated approach provides a more holistic and accurate re-working of the source text into the target African languages. The importance of creating a reading culture in Africa among the youth and the importance of translating reading material from one language to another in this endeavour is further highlighted.

Research to develop spiritual pedagogy, awareness and change

ABSTRACTA co-operative inquiry group consisting of 8 counsellors met for 11 months to explore their experience of spirituality in their training and in their work with clients [Swinton, V. (2010). The spiritual in counselling training (Unpublished Thesis). The University of Manchester; Swinton, V. (2015). The spiritual in counselling training. In G. Nolan & W. West (Eds.), Therapy, culture and spirituality: Developing therapeutic practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan]. The aim to explore whether spirituality was absent from the process of training, specifically to discover (1) how counsellors perceived and described their experience of spirituality in their training and (2) with a view to developing spiritual pedagogy into the training process of practitioners. The research was based on the Human Inquiry paradigm, where participants could consider the implications of new ideas for their own lives and their practice [Reason, R., & Bradbury, H. (2001). Handbook of action research: Participative inquiry and practice. London: Sage]. From these groups although four main themes were identified, what is being considered in this paper is how the inquiry group process proved to be a useful vehicle for transformative learning and a dynamic means for individuals to engage with the topic in counselling training.

Indonesian EFL Students’ Perspective on Writing Process: A Pilot Study

The study was aimed at understanding the EFL Indonesian students’ perspective on the writing process. The pilot study involved two male Indonesian postgraduate students in Universiti Utara Malaysia. The Indonesian students were selected based on the following criteria: (1) had enough knowledge in English writing, indicated by the completion of Academic Writing and Research Methodology courses taken in UUM; (2) had written an unpublished thesis during their undergraduate studies in Indonesia and they are writing their master or doctoral thesis in English; (3) used English extensively in writing their assignments, and in daily activities. Pseudonyms were used to refer to the participants as Sukarno and Suharto. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with the participants. The interview sessions took approximately 15-20 minutes for each participant and were videotaped and audiotaped. Semi-structured interview with 15 questions and probes were used. The results showed that the two participants had positive feelings and attitudes towards writing in English. Although they had a hard time in English writing during their undergraduate in Indonesia, they become fond of writing in English in their postgraduate time due to the exposure to English extensively. In composing, they used brainstorming, drafting, pausing, revising and editing in a recursive manner. Keywords: in-depth interview, pilot study, writing process, English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

Into the Cave: Sheldon Wolin’s Search for Democracy

Sheldon Wolin published Politics and Vision in the early months of 1960. He was thirty-seven and a junior ranking professor at the University of California-Berkeley. He had written a few academic articles here and there, and an unpublished dissertation on English constitutionalism, but no one was really sure what to expect from his first book.

Maternal Socialization and Kindergarten Children’s Behaviors from Jordanian Mothers’ and Teachers’ Perspectives

This study investigated whether Jordanian mothers’ self-reported parenting practices were associated with their kindergarten children’s prosocial or anti-social behavior based on three parental patterns: nurturance, respect, and power assertion. The participants were 95 mothers with children in the kindergarten level in Jordan. Additionally, 13 teachers of these 95 kindergarten children were also participants. This Parenting Styles Inventory Scale, and the Prosocial and Anti-Social Behavior Rating Scale, developed by Lin (Influences of parenting and teaching styles on young children’s prosocial and anti-social development in Taiwan. Unpublished dissertation, Arizona State University, USA, 1995), were used as instruments. Results indicated that nurturance was the most frequent and preferred parenting pattern of participants. Mothers who are warm and nurturing were more strongly associated with prosocial behavior in their children. An unexpected finding was that mothers with more children were more assertive and strict towards them.