Using Concept MappingPattern Matching to Develop a Conceptual Framework for Successful Transition of First Year Saudi Students into Postsecondary Education

This study identified the future ideal functions of PYP and developed a conceptual framework for the program at King Saud University. Four research questions were answered in this study including: 1) Using the Concept Mapping/Pattern Matching methodology, how do Saudi male and female postsecondary stakeholders conceptualize the future ideal functions of Preparatory Year Deanship to help students successfully transition into their first year of college/university?; 2) Does this Concept Mapping/Pattern Matching conceptualization compare and contrast with the current working model of the Preparatory Year Program at King Saud University?; 3) Does this Concept Mapping/Pattern Matching conceptualization compare and contrast with King Saud University\u27s explicit strategic plan?; and 4) When conducting a Concept Mapping/Pattern Matching conceptualization, how do the results for males compare and contrast with the results for females?;The Concept Mapping/Pattern Matching methodology advanced by (Trochim 1989a, 1989b; Kane & Trochim, 2007) utilized for data collection and analyzing. Fourteen male including 2-PYP students, 1-Medicine College Faculty, 1-Business Administration College Faculty, 1-Engineering College Faculty, 4-PYP Faculty, 1-Academic Advising Faculty at PYP, 1-Students Affairs Faculty at KSU, 1- Students Affairs at PYP, and 2-Educational Company and nine female including 3-PYP\u27 students, 1- Pharmacy College Faculty, 2-PYP Faculty, 2-Parents, and 1-Educational Company participated in two separate brainstorming sessions. The male participants generated 48 statements and the female group generated 36 statements. The participants in each group sorted the generating statements individually into groups and rated them based on a five-point scale for relative importance and institutional efficacy.;For each group male/female the Multidimensional Scaling and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis were conducted to create various concept maps, the final one being a seven-cluster and six-cluster concept map for male and female, respectively, representing the stakeholders\u27 conceptualization of the field being studied. Following the creation of the concept maps for each group, the resulting priorities and their conceptualization schema were both compared and contrasted to the current working model of PYP and the explicit strategic plan of KSU (KSU2030) for similarities and differences in a qualitative document analysis. The male and female perceptions were also compared and contrasted.;The study revealed three main dimensions for developing PYP at KSU including Organizational design and structure, Pedagogical functionality, and Student services. Further, seven foundational principles may be embraced to develop the three dimensions previously mentioned including: 1) adopting a talent philosophy to first meet student\u27s needs and then the institution\u27s mission; 2) a flexible PYP model to meet individual student\u27s needs; (3) applying a pedagogical on theory-based; (4) reorganizing PYP\u27s tasks and centralizing student\u27s services; (5) involving KSU\u27s colleges; (6) supporting non- filtering program; and (7) adopting self-operation. The significance of this study for the educational policymaker, planner, and developer, is that the findings can be used as a model to make student\u27s transition into postsecondary education successful

Consuming Guinness, Producing Irishness: Circuits of Cultural Production

This thesis explores the discourse surrounding the consumption of Guinness, the product, and it's advertising, utilising the theoretical structure of Johnson's circuit of culture. The theoretical underpinnings of the circuit of culture have been validated through the process of empirical investigation. This is achieved by interviewing the producers of the marketing and advertising strategies; interviewing Guinness consumers across three spaces (Ireland, the UK and the USA); and by analysing its advertising texts. The circuit of culture enabled me to explore the relationship between the consumption of the product and the consuming audience to see how the product was being used by Irish migrants to restore the imagined space called 'home'. Due to the empirical process I uncovered a rich tapestry of data and discovered issues previously unconsidered. For example, the research shows that audiences in Ireland and Abroad use Guinness as a metaphor for Irishness, Community, and National Identity. An exploration of the product and its signifiers unlocks myths and rituals surrounding it and demonstrates the role of the product and its consumption in the lived experiences of the consumer. Abroad, the exploration of this act of consumption uncovers issues such as racism, intra-racism, hybridity and authenticity. The research contributes in two main ways. It offers marketing and advertising theory a model for a more thorough understanding of the relationship between a product and its target audience. It also contributes to cultural studies theory by demonstrating the process and the effectiveness of the circuit of culture as an empirical tool

Ethnic Identity Development among Rural Adolescent Youth

The current study evaluated the factor analytic structure and developmental trajectory of ethnic identity, as measured by the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, (MEIM) among early rural adolescents. The convergent validity of the measure for rural youth was also examined. The sample for this study was drawn from a larger longitudinal study focusing on violence prevention efforts with an early adolescent sample residing in rural Florida. The final sample size for these secondary analyses was 5,695 participants. The sample was 53 % Caucasian, 24% Latino, 15% African American, and 8% Other. The mean age of the students was 11.3 years. Data were collected at seven time points. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted with the entire sample to determine whether a two-factor model was a satisfactory fit for the entire sample at Times 1-7. Individual growth curve modeling was used to determine ethnic identity trajectories. This study demonstrated that the MEIM taps into two factors (Exploration and Commitment) for rural adolescents. Moreover, the findings demonstrated multigroup equivalence across waves 1-7 of data collection for the Caucasian, African American, and Latino groups. Further, results from the growth curve modeling procedures indicated that Caucasian participants demonstrated a greater increase in Exploration relative to Latino and African American participants. Lastly, results from the convergent validity analyses indicated that Commitment was negatively related to attitudes towards violence and positively related towards attitudes towards nonviolence. Implications for future research and prevention programs that incorporate ethnic identity constructs are discussed

Toward Undogmatic Reading

Both Narratology and Digital Humanities look back on a remarkable history of research and progress. One after the other, the narratological and the digital research communities evolved into large international and interdisciplinary networks. While cooperation between the two disciplines would be possible and beneficial in many areas, they often still work in parallel rather than together. A workshop at Hamburg University brought together Literary Studies researchers from Narratology and from Digital Humanities to (a) discuss requirements for and possibilities of a digital operationalisation of analytical categories from Narratology and Literary Studies and (b) theoretically reflect upon possible connections between more traditional and digital approaches. The present volume combines the workshop contributions from both disciplines and thus attempts to further the bridge-building and dialogue