Interaction with rule-bound systems : introducing a new 'ideal type' problem context

This PhD thesis introduces a new ideal-type problem context of rule-bound systems. The thesis has been generated through a belief in the ability of metaphor to make the abstract visible, its capacity to make the unfamiliar familiar, and its effectiveness as a legitimate means of generating insight and organizing knowledge. Metaphorical description remains an integral part of this thesis from beginning to end.It shows how the new context of rule-bound systems provides closure of the ideal problem context grid along the participants access. Following the ideas that created the basis for this closure, insight into a new role for systems practitioners is provided and the ideal problem context grid developed to form of a Torus.Part 1 outlines the theoretical foundations and other inspirations that underpin the thesis. Grounded on a wider definition of rules, including rules in both a formal and informal sense, multiple ways of viewing rules are highlighted. The characteristics of rule-bound systems are identified, drawing comparisons with other 'ideal-types'. Suggestions are also drawn out as to how change might be affected in a rule-bound context. Part II of this thesis is an account of a real world intervention informed by Critical Systems Thinking, carried out under the auspices of Participatory Action Research. A number of systems research methods and concepts were employed to investigate the participation of students in policy making in two contrasting senior schools in the North of England - organizations believed to present many of the characteristics of the rule-bound system. The approach used was one mixing methods, specifically, the creation of a symbiotic relationship between Soft Systems Methodology and Critical Systems Heuristics. Part III describes the process of reflection undertaken and the conclusion to the thesis

The nature of informed bereavement support and death education in selected English primary schools

School-based bereavement support provision in England is considered to be improving, but remains problematic (Child Bereavement United Kingdom [CBUK], 2013; Potts, 2013; Holland & McLennan, 2015; Holland & Wilkinson, 2015). Representing an aspect of pastoral care, evidence from the literature not only indicates that schools can play an important role in bereavement support, but that training is required (Cranwell, 2007; Holland, 2008, for example), particularly given the discomfiture many school staff feel when discussing death-related issues (Holland et al., 2005; Ribbens McCarthy & Jessop, 2005). This appears to relate to socio-historical events which began in England after World War I (Gorer, 1965; Berridge, 2001; Walter, 2012) and to modernity’s secularisation in many European countries (Ariès, 1974). The result appears to be the sequestration of death as taboo (Mellor, 1992; Mellor & Shilling, 1993). Despite signs that death is undergoing something of a revival in England (Walter, 1994) the concept of death education, which is recommended by bereavement support training programmes, appears to remain problematic in English schools (Clark, 2006; Potts, 2013).In recognition of the bereavement support context in English schools, and with a personal interest in enquiring about how provision was ‘informed’ by specialist training courses, this led to the formulation of the main research question [MRQ] for the thesis: ‘What are the perceptions of key actors with respect to the nature of ‘informed’ bereavement support and death education within selected English primary schools?’ The resulting qualitative study was conducted in eight primary schools, in which data were collected utilising semi-structured interviews from seventeen richly-informed key actors. The perceptions-based predominantly qualitative data were coded and analysed within the interpretivist paradigm, which complements the study’s underpinning anthropological leanings.This empirical study has elicited rich, qualitative data from key actors in selected English primary schools offering bereavement support provision ‘informed’ by suitable training. In all eight schools, bereavement support provision was found to be proactive and nurturing, yet effectively ‘compartmentalised’, which also appeared to affect death education provision

Incorporating an error corpus into a spellchecker for Maltese

This paper discusses the ongoing development of a new Maltese spell checker, highlighting the methodologies which would best suit such a language. We thus discuss several previous attempts, highlighting what we believe to be their weakest point: a lack of attention to context. Two developments are of particular interest, both of which concern the availability of language resources relevant to spellchecking: (i) the Maltese Language Resource Server (MLRS) which now includes a representative corpus of c. 100M words extracted from diverse documents including the Maltese Legislation, press releases and extracts from Maltese web-pages and (ii) an extensive and detailed corpus of spelling errors that was collected whilst part of the MLRS texts were being prepared. We describe the structure of these resources as well as the experimental approaches focused on context that we are now in a position to adopt. We describe the framework within which a variety of different approaches to spellchecking and evaluation will be carried out, and briefly discuss the first baseline system we have implemented. We conclude the paper with a roadmap for future improvements.peer-reviewe

The holistic paradigm in the foreign language-culture curriculum

A wellness movement is rapidly evolving outside of the recognized professions. This is evidenced by the growing popularity of non-traditional ways of seeking total wellbeing, such as natural nutrition, the use of vitamins and herbs, exercise, meditation and yoga, and energy exchange. Participants in this movement view wellness as being more than the absence of disease; they see wellness as a dynamic, positive process that activates one's potential. The participation of the total being is essential. Characteristics of the wellness movement are the promotion of health or well-being, a positive optimistic approach that is holistic in nature, an emphasis on self-care and assuming responsibility for oneself, with a focus on natural means, and the internal direction of the individual. This movement is emerging in a fragmented, unorganized way and is lacking in standards

Toward a theory-based developmental reading program

Developmental reading programs have historically resisted intentional application of literary and rhetorical theoretical frameworks. This dissertation argues that a developmental reading program would benefit from curriculum design that is based on reading theory, specifically reception theories and rhetorical theory. Pedagogical practices based on these theories would shift the focus of reading instruction away from the text and toward the student, allowing and empowering the developmental student to take ownership of the meaning-construction that takes place during reading. By tracing the history of the developmental reading department of one community college, I am able to demonstrate why a developmental reading department would fail to rely on reading theory from the start, how a department can unify its basis in developmental education theory with reading theory, and how this will impact developmental reading students in the department

Attachment Matters for All - An Attachment Mapping Exercise for Children's Services in Scotland

As part of the first phase of the Looked After Strategic Implementation Group (LACSIG), the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) undertook research into care and permanence planning for younger children in care.1 They focused on 100 children all aged under four years old when they first came to the attention of services and examined how long it took from that point to achieve permanence. For over 90% of children this process took longer than two years and more than half had still not achieved a permanent placement four years after first contact with services. Several children had also experienced multiple placements, with transitions between carers often occurring at critical developmental points. The research highlighted the negative impact on long-term outcomes of such continued disruption of children’s attachments

Paradigm shift from student to researcher: An academic preparation program for international students

Although there are many Academic Preparation Programs designed for international postgraduate students, the importance of establishing “the role of the researcher” is rarely the focus of these programs. This role is a fundamental “threshold concept” (Meyer & Land, 2006) for postgraduate success which has the potential to be transformational at both Masters and PhD levels. This paper reports on an intensive academic preparation program (IAPP) for international postgraduate students commencing study at UNSW in 2009. This pilot program consisted of 40 hours facilitation prior to commencement of Semester 1, 2009. The program aimed to explore the “role of the researcher” by engaging in academic literacies fundamental to postgraduate expectations and empowering each student by acknowledging they were budding specialists in their disciplinary field. The design of the program encouraged personal responsibility for research and learning. This gave learners confidence to explore their reflective and critical learning process and to fine tune their research interests. Learning activities were designed to foster and record reflective practice. The use of a learning journal, group discussions and debriefings were central to the program and increased learners’ confidence as researchers. Student feedback of this pilot program was very positive and demonstrated its transformational nature. Based on this experience, we suggest that developing the “role of the researcher” offers another direction to consider when designing international preparation programs

Towards an Enactive Paradigm: A Cognitive Approach to Naomi Wallace's Spectator.

This thesis started as a means to illustrate the necessity of new epistemologies in spectatorship analysis of theater. Numerous studies have attempted to approach spectatorship, however, a non-textual analysis is lacking in most of them. In this research, I suggest that the study of the spectator’s mind is the gate that leads towards understanding the spectatorial phenomenon. Therefore, I propose a cognitive approach to spectatorship, in accordance with the growth of neuroscience that the humanities are experiencing in the last ten years. I focus on the works of the contemporary American dramatist Naomi Wallace as a complex model for spectatorship in the current Off-Broadway theater. Wallace’s plays intend to shock the spectator and to undermine stereotypes related to politics, social issues, race, and family. The playwright, who is considered by some critics a neo-Brechtian writer, questions the American capitalistic system and traditional values. Since Wallace pays special attention to the spectator’s emotions and the impact of theater beyond the performance, I believe that a cognitive approach to study spectatorship will not only enhance the understanding of the experience but also will help to elaborate a deep analysis of her plays. Within the cognitive approach to theater, Bruce McConachie’s recent studies on performance and evolution point towards the Enactive approach, which—more than paying attention exclusively to the mind—contemplates other concepts such as embodiment, environment, and experience. According to this breakthrough and the interdisciplinary pathways that are open nowadays in the humanities, this thesis relies on such theories, and therefore, focuses on a cognitive approach to spectatorship that progressively moves towards an Enactive analysis of Naomi Wallace’s work