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The New Economics Of Community: Local Exchange And Trading Schemes (Lets), Josephine Ann Brayford Jan 1999

The New Economics Of Community: Local Exchange And Trading Schemes (Lets), Josephine Ann Brayford

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Research into LETS has concentrated on the structural, economic and political dimensions of LETS involvement. In this context, LETS have often been portrayed as a solution to the problem of social exclusion. This thesis, however, suggests that involvement in LETS is more to do with communal sociability, and consequently has devoted attention to the ways in which community was created and maintained through LETS involvement. The thesis reports on a study of the communal activities of members from Kingsbridge and Yeovil LETS. The analyses are based on data derived from a questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The fieldwork …

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Social Support And Relocation: An Examination Of The Well-Being Of Army Wives, Monica Gorham Darcy Jan 1999

Social Support And Relocation: An Examination Of The Well-Being Of Army Wives, Monica Gorham Darcy

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Army wives throughout the United States participated in a study to evaluate the application of the triadic hypothesis of social support (Sarason, I. G., Sarason, & Pierce, 1992). The concept of social support consisted of the interaction among personality, interpersonal and situational factors with situation conceptualized as the event of relocation. The three factors were hypothesized to contribute independently to the prediction of well-being.

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Productive Efficiency And Privatisation : An Evaluation Of Korean Ports Policy, Dong-Wook Song Jan 1999

Productive Efficiency And Privatisation : An Evaluation Of Korean Ports Policy, Dong-Wook Song

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Korea has experienced remarkable economic growth during the last four decades due to its trade-oriented development policy. Since the international trade of Korea is carried predominantly by sea transport, its ports play a pivotal role in national economic development. This impressive development in a short period of time has resulted in rapidly increasing seaborne cargoes. All the parties involved in port activities have made a significant effort to keep pace with the ever-growing export and import cargoes. Korean ports, however, still have a number of problems including insufficient port and terminal capacity, inefficient management and operation, and bureaucratic administration, all …

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Flow Injection With Chemiluminescence Detection For The Determination Of Iron In Surface Atlantic Waters, Andrew Ross Bowie Jan 1999

Flow Injection With Chemiluminescence Detection For The Determination Of Iron In Surface Atlantic Waters, Andrew Ross Bowie

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis describes the design, optimisation and shipboard deployment of a flow injection - chemiluminescence (FI-CL) technique for the determination of iron (Fe) in seawater. Chapter One presents an overview of the marine biogeochemistry of Fe, including its speciation, sources and sinks, abundance and limitation for phytoplankton growth in the Wodd*s oceans. Current analytical methods for the determination of Fe in natural waters are also reviewed. Chapter Two reports the instrumental development of the FI - CL method. Each component is described and its suitability to the flow manifold discussed. Different CL detection systems are evaluated and a charge coupled …

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Meta-Stability Of Interacting Adaptive Agents, Steve Hill Jan 1999

Meta-Stability Of Interacting Adaptive Agents, Steve Hill

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The adaptive process can be considered as being driven by two fundamental forces: exploitation and exploration. While the explorative process may be deterministic, the resultant effect may be stochastic. Stochastic effects may also exist in the expoitative process. This thesis considers the effects of stochastic fluctuations inherent in the adaptive process on the behavioural dynamics of a population of interacting agents. It is hypothesied that in such systems, one or more attractors in the population space exist; and that transitions between these attractors can occur; either as a result of internal shocks (sampling fluctuations) or external shocks (environmental changes). It …

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An Artificial Intelligence Approach To The Processing Of Radar Return Signals For Target Detection, Vincent Yiu Fai Li Jan 1999

An Artificial Intelligence Approach To The Processing Of Radar Return Signals For Target Detection, Vincent Yiu Fai Li

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Most of the operating vessel traffic management systems experience problems, such as track loss and track swap, which may cause confusion to the traffic regulators and lead to potential hazards in the harbour operation. The reason is mainly due to the limited adaptive capabilities of the algorithms used in the detection process. The decision on whether a target is present is usually based on the magnitude of the returning echoes. Such a method has a low efficiency in discriminating between the target and clutter, especially when the signal to noise ratio is low. The performance of radar target detection depends …

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Measurement And Analysis Of Wave Loading On A Full Scale Coastal Structure, Adam Randolph Crawford Jan 1999

Measurement And Analysis Of Wave Loading On A Full Scale Coastal Structure, Adam Randolph Crawford

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

The aim of this investigation was to measure and analyse wave loading on a full scale coastal structure in order to validate current breakwater design methods and to improve understanding of the physical processes involved. A range of new, robust field measurement instrumentation was developed and deployed at the chosen field site, the Alderney Breakwater in the Channel Islands. The instrumentation deployed in this particularly harsh wave loading environment included an array of wave loading pressure sensors together with co-located void fraction gauges, which were used to measure the percentage air entrained within the seawater. Wave data was measured by …

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The Landscapes Of Richard Long: Perspectives On Prehistory, Space And Sculptural Form, Ian Wightman Jan 1999

The Landscapes Of Richard Long: Perspectives On Prehistory, Space And Sculptural Form, Ian Wightman

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between the work of Richard Long and prehistory. This is understood to operate at two levels. Firstly, Long's critical reception has repeatedly made connections between his work and prehistory, many of which are overly simplistic. Secondly, and underlying this response, it is proposed that we can point to a more productive understanding of Long's practice which frames his work within the concept of existential space. At this level of enquiry, more appropriate connections with prehistory can be made which help to explain both his working practice and the critical reactions to it. Chapter I, 'Introduction …

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An Investigation Into Attitudes Towards Illegitimate Birth As Evidenced In The Folklore Of South West England, Sarah Joanne Davies Jan 1999

An Investigation Into Attitudes Towards Illegitimate Birth As Evidenced In The Folklore Of South West England, Sarah Joanne Davies

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis is a comparative, cross-generic, study of attitudes towards illegitimacy as evidenced in folksong and folk narrative genres. It is a regionally based study, focusing specifically on oral materials collected from the counties of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, in the South West of England since 1970. Hence archival sources, in addition to my own fieldwork, provide the main sources of folklore data for this project. This is the first thesis to draw extensively upon the large body of material known as the Sam Richards Folklore Archive, which includes over 500 hours of taped recordings. The collecting towards this archive …

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Stories From The Lifeworld Of Primary Physical Education, Susan Clare Shorman Jan 1999

Stories From The Lifeworld Of Primary Physical Education, Susan Clare Shorman

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

This thesis attempts to Hnk conceptual analysis with empirical data and shows the interplay between the two. The first part of the thesis considers the work of Whitehead who presents an alternative philosophical framework to re-conceptualise our understanding of the value of Physical Education (PE). She uses the classical philosophical debate about the body and the mind to encourage us to view PE for its own intrinsic worth which she argues, may contribute to the quality of life or well-being of the individual. The dualist and monist theories of the body/mind split are considered and a phenomenological framework for understanding …

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Post-Natal Depression In First Time Fatherhood, Emma Victoria Worwood Jan 1999

Post-Natal Depression In First Time Fatherhood, Emma Victoria Worwood

School of Psychology Theses

It is gradually becoming acknowledged that fathers do suffer from post-natal depression, but very little is known about their experience or how many fathers are actually affected. The factors that may increase a father's susceptibility to post-natal depression, or those that might indeed protect him, have also been given little consideration in research to date. This study examined the prevalence and comorbidity of post-natal depression in 100 first time parents, using the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale (EPDS). The psychological factors of infant temperament, perception of own parenting and social support were investigated in a smaller sample of 30 fathers subsequently …

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Acquisition Of Syntax In A Minature Artificial Language : Effects Of Input And Instruction, Penelope Ann Fowler Jan 1999

Acquisition Of Syntax In A Minature Artificial Language : Effects Of Input And Instruction, Penelope Ann Fowler

School of Psychology Theses

The goal of the research was to discover which type of input and instruction best facilitates the acquisition of syntax in adult learners. An artificial miniature language was used to model real second language to control precisely the type of input, conditions of exposure and instruction accompanying that input. Performance of learners under four input conditions was compared and analogies were drawn between these conditions and those experienced by adult second language learners (L2 learners). "Instructed" learners Z): like formally instructed L2 learners were systematically taught the rules of the language. "Exposure" learners saw example sentences and were asked to …

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Validating The Use Of Airborne Remote Sensing In The Coastal Zone And Its Application To Suspended Sediment Flux Estimation, Marie-Claire Robinson Jan 1999

Validating The Use Of Airborne Remote Sensing In The Coastal Zone And Its Application To Suspended Sediment Flux Estimation, Marie-Claire Robinson

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Coastal and estuarine environments are dynamic yet highly sensitive which makes them particularly susceptible to any changes dictated by external forces. The interaction between environmental forces and those imposed by humans who live and work in the area is a very delicate one and needs to be considered through an holistic management approach to ensure the maintenance of a sustainable equilibrium. The use of airborne remote sensing in the coastal zone has been employed and validated for the specific aims of suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration and flux quantification in the Humber Estuary and sea-surface temperature and salinity determination in …

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Recruitment And Selection And Human Resource Management In The Taiwanese Cultural Context, Yu-Ru Hsu Jan 1999

Recruitment And Selection And Human Resource Management In The Taiwanese Cultural Context, Yu-Ru Hsu

Plymouth Business School Theses

The focus of this research is upon human resource management and recruitment and selection practices in the Taiwanese cultural context. The samples were primarily focused upon manufacturing industry in Taiwan. The postal questionnaire was chosen for data collection. The 500 manufacturing companies randomly selected for this research were sent two questionnaire each. The questionnaire on HRM and recruitment and selection (HRMRS) was addressed to HR manager whereas the questionnaire on work-related values of national culture was addressed to non-managerial employee. The research results indicate that there is a general desire among HR professionals in manufacturing organizations that HRM polices are …

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The Development Of Secretarial And Administrative Support Staff: Influential Factors In The Identification Of Need, Murray Jack Lovell Jan 1999

The Development Of Secretarial And Administrative Support Staff: Influential Factors In The Identification Of Need, Murray Jack Lovell

Plymouth Business School Theses

Radical advances in microelectronics applications during the 1970's precipitated rapid developments in new office technology which was held to threaten the very existence of the traditional secretarial task role. Many contemporary commentators conceived a correlative link between the emergence of the new technology and the displacement of administrative support staff, whilst others predicted that a form of "Taylorism" was about to invade the office environment with all manner of dehumanising connotations. The reality proved somewhat different and, far from eradicating the role of the secretary or reducing it to assembly-line proportions, the technology helped to facilitate the flattening of organisational …

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Voiding Dysfunction And Detrusor Instability After The Colposuspension Operation For Genuine Stress Incontinence, Luigi Bombieri Jan 1999

Voiding Dysfunction And Detrusor Instability After The Colposuspension Operation For Genuine Stress Incontinence, Luigi Bombieri

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Colposuspension is an effective treatment for genuine stress incontinence. Continence is restored by positioning the bladder neck in a fixed and elevated retro-pubic position. Despite a high success rate of up to 90%, post-operative complications occur which may have an adverse effect on quality of life. Voiding difficulties develop in 0-43% of patients and detrusor instability in 2- 25%. This considerable variability is due to differences in definition, the timing of assessment, patient selection, and probably also in surgical technique. The natural history of these complications is not clearly known due to the lack of prospective follow-up studies. There is …

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Capital Investment Decisions Of Large Industrial Firms In Major European Countries, Faith Yilmaz Jan 1999

Capital Investment Decisions Of Large Industrial Firms In Major European Countries, Faith Yilmaz

Plymouth Business School Theses

Using large-company panel data, this thesis empirically analyses investment decisions in major European countries. We particularly concentrate on three issues: the taxation of capital in the EU, the role of agency costs of debt on investment decisions, and the empirical analyses of the investment-uncertainty relationship. First, based on a dynamic system in capital and Tobin's q ratio, some simplified analytical results are derived to simulate various tax policy effects on investment. Also, for a single investment project, a model is developed to consider jointly the role of uncertainty and irreversibility in the taxation of capital. The simulation results cast doubt …

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Impact Of Egypt's Economic Reform Programme On The Stock Market Performance, Mohammed Moustafa A. Omran Jan 1999

Impact Of Egypt's Economic Reform Programme On The Stock Market Performance, Mohammed Moustafa A. Omran

Plymouth Business School Theses

The objective of this thesis is to highlight the Egyptian experiment concerning its economic reform programme, and to determine whether this programme has affected Egypt's stock market performance. Using 18 years of data, which covered the period 1980/8 1 to 1997/98 and incorporates time periods prior to and after adopting the economic reform programme, the thesis empirically investigates three main issues. Firstly, there is an examination of whether the Egyptian government succeeded in implementing its economic reform programme by looking to the main economic indicators: nominal interest rates, real interest rates, the inflation rate, exchange rate stability, the real GDP …

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An Examination Of The Antecedents To Small And Medium Enterprise Co-Operation, And Their Effect On Network Propensity And Behaviour., John White Jan 1999

An Examination Of The Antecedents To Small And Medium Enterprise Co-Operation, And Their Effect On Network Propensity And Behaviour., John White

Plymouth Business School Theses

Business co-operation in the small firm sector has in recent years been the beneficiary of both considerable academic debate and public sector funding for its facilitation. This thesis reviews the pertinent literature in the fields of business co-operation, trust, commitment and personality psychology. The limitations of existing networking - co-operation SME research are identified, and in particular the dearth of empirical based research. Where such research exists, no attempt is made to isolate variables which might determine whether individuals are likely to co-operate with others, and / or the likely success of their co-operative activities. As a means of addressing …

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Themes And Issues In The Experience Of Child Survivor Friends, Katherine Jane Adolphus Jan 1999

Themes And Issues In The Experience Of Child Survivor Friends, Katherine Jane Adolphus

School of Psychology Theses

This study was interested in the experience of adults who had been bereaved of close friends during childhood (aged 5-12 years). This was identified as an area that was both underresearched and of potential importance to mental health professionals. Six participants were recruited through newspaper articles and requests placed in G.P. surgeries. All of the participants met with the researcher for an open-ended, unstructured interview lasting between 1 and 11/2 hours. The interviews were explored using the qualitative approach of 'Interpretative Phenomenologjcal Analysis'. Several themes and issues emerged as important in the experience of child survivor friends. These themes were …

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Intelligent Control Strategies For An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Paul Jason Craven Jan 1999

Intelligent Control Strategies For An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Paul Jason Craven

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The dynamic characteristics of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) present a control problem that classical methods cannot often accommodate easily. Fundamentally, AUV dynamics are highly non-linear, and the relative similarity between the linear and angular velocities about each degree of freedom means that control schemes employed within other flight vehicles are not always applicable. In such instances, intelligent control strategies offer a more sophisticated approach to the design of the control algorithm. Neurofuzzy control is one such technique, which fuses the beneficial properties of neural networks and fuzzy logic in a hybrid control architecture. Such an approach is highly suited to …

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Modelling Of Swash Zone Sediment Transport On Coarse Grained Beaches, Eur Ing Erik Van Wellen Jan 1999

Modelling Of Swash Zone Sediment Transport On Coarse Grained Beaches, Eur Ing Erik Van Wellen

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A review is presented which assesses the importance of the swash zone as a potential contributor to the longshore and cross-shore transport on steep coarse-grained beaches. Based on this review it is apparent that the swash zone on such beaches forms an important contributor to both the longshore and the cross-shore transport. The review also identifies that the swash zone is neglected in all but a few sediment transport models. In addition, a lack of available shingle beach field data against which to validate existing and new transport models is also reported. Two surf zone integrated equations are presented with …

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Human Control Of Robotic Mechanisms: Modelling And Assessment Of Assistive Devices, Cathy-Ann Leonie Radix Jan 1999

Human Control Of Robotic Mechanisms: Modelling And Assessment Of Assistive Devices, Cathy-Ann Leonie Radix

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The prescription and use of Assistive Technology, particularly teleprostheses, may be enhanced by the use of standard assessment techniques. For input devices, in particular, existing assessment studies, most of which are based on Fitts' Law, have produced contradictory results. This thesis has made contributions to these and related fields, particularly in the following four areas. Fitts' Law (and background information theory) is examined. The inability of this paradigm to match experimental results is noted and explained. Following a review of the contributing fields, a new method of assessing input devices is proposed, based on Fitts' Law, classical control and the …

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Reducing The Computational Effort Associated With Evolutionary Optimisation In Single Component Design, Harish Dhanji Vekeria Jan 1999

Reducing The Computational Effort Associated With Evolutionary Optimisation In Single Component Design, Harish Dhanji Vekeria

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The dissertation presents innovative Evolutionary Search (ES) methods for the reduction in computational expense associated with the optimisation of highly dimensional design spaces. The objective is to develop a semi-automated system which successfully negotiates complex search spaces. Such a system would be highly desirable to a human designer by providing optimised design solutions in realistic time. The design domain represents a real-world industrial problem concerning the optimal material distribution on the underside of a flat roof tile with varying load and support conditions. The designs utilise a large number of design variables (circa 400). Due to the high computational expense …

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A Fibre Optical Strain Sensor, Thomas David Paul Allsop Jan 1999

A Fibre Optical Strain Sensor, Thomas David Paul Allsop

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Strain-sensing elements, fabricated in standard communications-grade single mode optical fibre, are increasingly being considered for application in structural health monitoring. The reason for this is the numerous advantages demonstrated by these devices compared with traditional indicators. This thesis describes work carried out on optical sensors at the University of Plymouth. The aim of this work was to achieve an optical fibre strain sensing system capable of measuring absolute strain with good resolution and having wide dynamic range, without bulky optical equipment and not susceptible to misalignment due to handling. Earlier work was devoted to study on an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric …

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Trauma Stress Severity And Road Traffic Accidents: A Prospective Pilot Study Into 11 Causal Factors, Louise Horner-Baggs Jan 1999

Trauma Stress Severity And Road Traffic Accidents: A Prospective Pilot Study Into 11 Causal Factors, Louise Horner-Baggs

School of Psychology Theses

Factors associated with the development of post traumatic stress symptomatology have frequently been reported in the literature over the last decade. However, of the empirical studies examining these factors, few have used appropriate methodological designs and most have examined one factor in isolation. This pilot study used a cross-lagged panel analysis design to investigate 11 factors previously identified in the literature as being causally related to the development of post traumatic stress symptomatology. The 11 factors investigated were: perceived controllability, perceived predictability, perceived threat, shattering and confirmation of core assumptions, causal attributions, supportive and unsupportive behaviour, peritraumatic dissociation and the …

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Rapid Clock Recovery Algorithms For Digital Magnetic Recording And Data Communications, Paul Michael Smithson Jan 1999

Rapid Clock Recovery Algorithms For Digital Magnetic Recording And Data Communications, Paul Michael Smithson

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

The 1990's may well be considered as the era of information technology, with the prevalence of computers, digital communications and hence the need for data storage. Diverse data storage media have been introduced, such as silicon (flash memory) [3] and the CD (Compact Disk) [4], however improvements in magnetic recording has resulted in magnetic media as the prominent leader in mass storage technology. With improvements to the storage medium, the read/write heads and the channel electronics, the capacity of magnetic rigid disks has approximately doubled every 3 years (period 1960-90) [5]. These improvements to the channel, coupled with fast data-access …

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Modelling The Fisheries Of Lake Manzala, Egypt, Using Parametric And Non-Parametric Statistical Methods, Medhat Mohamed Ahmed Abdelaal Jan 1999

Modelling The Fisheries Of Lake Manzala, Egypt, Using Parametric And Non-Parametric Statistical Methods, Medhat Mohamed Ahmed Abdelaal

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

Much attention has been given to the economic aspects of the fisheries in Egypt, while building a statistical or mathematical model for fish production has received little attention. This study is devoted to a comprehensive assessment of Lake Manzala fisheries; past, present and future. Lake Manzala is one of the main fisheries resources in Egypt, and there is evidence that the fisheries have been over-exploited in recent years. The study objectives were to determine the factors that affect fish catches by individual vessels, to compare between parametric and non-parametric models of the fish catches, and to produce a mathematical model …

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Advanced Magnetic Thin-Film Heads Under Read-While-Write Operation, Frank Zhigang Wang Jan 1999

Advanced Magnetic Thin-Film Heads Under Read-While-Write Operation, Frank Zhigang Wang

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

A Read-While-Write (RWW) operation for tape and/or potentially disk applications is needed in the following three cases: 1. High reliability; 2. Data servo systems; 3. Buried servo systems. All these applications mean that the read (servo) head and write head are operative simultaneously. Consequently, RWW operation will require work to suppress the so-called crossfeed field radiation from the write head. Traditionally, write-read crossfeed has been reduced in conventional magnetic recording heads by a variety of screening methods, but the effectness of these methods is very limited. On the other hand, the early theoretical investigations of the crossfeed problem concentrating on …

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The Development Of Undergraduates' Approaches To Studying And Essay Writing In Higher Education, Sherria Linda Hoskins Jan 1999

The Development Of Undergraduates' Approaches To Studying And Essay Writing In Higher Education, Sherria Linda Hoskins

School of Psychology Theses

Higher education has undergone a massive expansion particularly over the last twenty years. However,the value of this expansion is difficult to as certain. Despite a growing field of research in to adult learning in higher education little is known about the type of learning developed in this system. Biggs (1996) expressed concern that university learning is represented by increased knowledge and assessment requiring students to reproduce content, not demonstrate critical thinking. He claimed that this type of learning exists even in course-work essay writing. These concerns formed the theoretical framework for the current research, which explored the development of approaches …

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