Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Of Secondary Student Perceptions Of Fairness About Assessment Processes Implemented By Their Teachers, Tania Blazevic

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigated the effects of secondary school teachers’ assessment practices on students’ perceptions of fairness in Croatia. It focused on the extent to which teachers implemented consistent assessment practices and made judgements of student achievements, and how this affected students’ perceptions.

The need for assessment influences its creation and implementation, which in turn influences the outcomes. Teachers’ assessment of students is an ongoing practice in schools in Croatia, both officially and unofficially, and questions about consistent application have persisted. This research was motivated by a confrontation with a disgruntled student and set in motion an examination of teachers’ application …

Mothers’ Experiences Of Their Adult Child’S Interethnic Relationship, Nikki Rajakaruna

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The number of interethnic relationships is increasing in many countries around the world. Research regarding the experiences of interethnic couples indicates considerable variation in the reactions of parents towards such relationship types (as reported by those within the relationship). In some studies, significant and sometimes violent opposition has been reported, resulting in negative consequences for the adult child, the couple and presumably the parents. Despite such reports, no research has considered the experiences of parents from the perspective of parents themselves. As such, I explored mothers’ experiences of their child’s interethnic relationship with the aim of determining the nature of …

Re-Composing Feminism: Australian Women Composers In The New Millennium, Talisha Goh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the age of postfeminism and fourth-wave feminism online, Australian women composers are theoretically able to “have it all,” however, the proportion of women in the occupation appears to have plateaued in recent years. In this thesis, I explore the multiple ways in which gender and feminism interact with practising Australian women composers. Feminist musicology has had a large impact on the Australian musicological scene, with theorists such as McClary and Macarthur bringing the subject of women in music to the fore in the 1990s, aiding efforts to advocate for reform on behalf of women composers. Additionally, third-wave feminist scholars …

The Grain Of The Digital Audio Workstation, Michael Terren

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores the material conditions and practices of the digital audio workstation (DAW), treating them as a subject of musical composition. The DAW is a software application currently ubiquitous in facilitating the creation of recorded and electronic music. Despite its prominence, few have articulated its unique possibilities for compositional practice, or historically contextualised the emergence of such practices. To clarify the locus of inquiry, a theoretical framework termed the grain of the DAW is developed. Derived primarily from Roland Barthes’ notion of the grain (1977), it is understood as the sonic effects in a recorded musical work that infer …

Linking Patient Safety To Clinical Practice: The Insight Of New Graduate Registered Nurses, Melanie Murray

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

New graduate registered nurses’ (NGRNs) transition to practice with limited clinical experiences and skills. The related anxiety and stress predispose new graduate nurses to increased risk of contributing to preventable errors or adverse events. This risk, together with the new graduate’s fledgling ability to manage clinical deterioration, potentially compromises quality and safety of patient outcomes.

A longitudinal mixed methods design was used to develop an understanding of new graduate registered nurses’ patient safety knowledge and actions within the first year of nursing registration and offer important insights into NGRNs’ transition with a patient safety focus. New graduate registered nurses employed …

Performance Practice In Hungarian Folk Music And Its Relationship To The Style Hongrois, Teresa Vinci

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates style and performance practice within the oral traditions of Hungarian folk music, and explores intersections with the nineteenth-century idiom style hongrois. Interviews, lessons, and workshops were undertaken as part of a practice-based immersive research experience, and comparisons with the style hongrois made via analysis of scores and recordings of Jeno Hubay (1858-1937). The research strives towards an ‘Historically Informed Performance’ specific to these styles, and explores how they can inform each other. Findings are presented through a dissertation and a CD recording “Never Far Away…” comprising the researcher’s violin performance as leader of an Hungarian folk …

Creative Recovery: Mapping Refugees' Memories Of Home As Heritage, Sana Murrani, Ioana Popovici

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who fled conflict and other adversities in their homelands are facing challenging times here in the UK as they are trying to integrate and build a new life. Being uprooted from one’s home and community is not easy - especially when one is faced with new struggles in life around navigating the UK Migration System, searching for adequate housing, learning a new language and most importantly, defining one’s existence again in this world amongst other concerns.Creative Recovery focuses on the narrative that the media misses from those who show resilience and courage as they fled …

An Analysis Of The Country-Of-Origin Effect On The Hrm Policies And Practices Of Finnish Mncs Operating In Italy, Rossana Guttilla

Plymouth Business School Theses

There is considerable debate in the literature as to the determinants of human resource policies and practices of foreign subsidiaries. Are these representatives of global emerging best practices and pointing to a convergence of Human Resource Management systems? Are they shaped by the cultural and institutional constraints of the host country? Or are they subject to country-of-origin effect? This study makes a significant contribution by examining the role of country-of-origin effect in the Italian subsidiaries of Finnish Multinational Corporations (MNCs); with the aim of exploring if and how it manifests itself and what are the main factors that strengthen or …

Exploring Post-Military Geographies: Plymouth And The Spatialities Of Armed Forces Day, M Rech, R Yarwood

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Africa Starts At The Pyrenees: Humor, Laughter, And Financial Recession In A Spanish Enclave In Morocco, B Campbell

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Methods Of Usability Testing In The Development Of Ehealth Applications: A Scoping Review, Inocencio Maramba, Arunangsu Chatterjee, Craig Newman

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Background The number of eHealth applications has exponentially increased in recent years, with over 325,000 health apps now available on all major app stores. This is in addition to other eHealth applications available on other platforms such as PC software, web sites and even gaming consoles. As with other digital applications, usability is one of the key factors in the successful implementation of eHealth apps. Reviews of the literature on empirical methods of usability testing in eHealth were last published in 2015. In the context of an exponentially increasing rate of App development year on year, an updated review is …

Maternity Service Organisational Interventions That Aim To Reduce Caesarean Section: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analyses, Anna Chapman, Cate Nagle, Debra Bick, Rebecca Lindberg, Bridie Kent, Justin Calache, Alison M. Hutchinson

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Auditions And … More Auditions, John Matthews, Guevara Vl De

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Using Foi To Explore Governance And Decision-Making In The Uk, M Sheaff

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Exploring Patients’ And Healthcare Professionals’ Experiences Of Patient-Witnessed Resuscitation: A Qualitative Study Protocol, Martina Fiori, Ruth Endacott, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

The Current Practice Of Family-Centred Care In Italian Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Multi-Centre Descriptive Study, Immacolata Dall'oglio, Rachele Mascolo, Emanuela Tiozzo, Anna Portanova, Martina Fiori, Orsola Gawronski, Andrea Dotta, Simone Piga, Caterina Offidani, Rosaria Alvaro, Gennaro Rocco, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

OBJECTIVES: To explore family-centred care practices in Italian neonatal intensive care units and describe areas for improvement. METHODS: A cross-sectional, multicentre, survey was conducted using the Italian language version of "Advancing family-centred new-born intensive care: a self-assessment inventory". The instrument is divided into 10 sections rating the status of family-centred care (1 = not at all, 5 = very well) and ranking the perceived priority for change/improvement (1 = low, 3 = high). A representative group of staff and parent for each unit were invited to complete the survey. Data was collected between January and June 2015. Correlations among unit …

Effects Of Family-Centered Care Interventions On Preterm Infants And Parents In Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Xiang Ding, Lihui Zhu, Rong Zhang, L Wang, T-T Wang, Jos M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Objective: To review English and Chinese randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the effects of family-centered care interventions on preterm infants’ and parental outcomes in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and to conduct a meta-analysis. Review method used: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycInfo, BNI, AMED and the Chinese databases CNKI and Wanfang were searched in April 2017 and updated in August 2018. Review methods: Only RCTs were included. Participants were preterm infants ≤ 37 weeks gestational age and parents. Interventions were related to family-centered care and outcome measures were infant and parent clinical outcomes. Included studies …

Science In Paediatric And Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing: International Forces Providing Evidence To Change Clinical Practice, F. J. Gill, J. M. Latour

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

When Challenges Impede The Process: For Circular Economy Driven Sustainability Practices In Food Supply Chain, Sharma Y Kumar, Sachin Kumar Mangla, Pravin P. Patil, Shaofeng Liu

Plymouth Business School

No abstract provided.

The Internationalization Of Nigerian Firms: Motivations And Location Patterns, C Omokaro–Romanus, Jr Anchor, P Konara

Plymouth Business School

Despite the increased number of studies of the internationalization of emerging-market multinationals (EMNCs), Latin American and Asian firms have dominated the focus of such studies, while the study of the internationalization process of sub-Saharan African firms in the international business literature is quite limited. Therefore, this article examines the motivations and location patterns of the internationalization process of four Nigerian firms through a multiple case study approach. The findings show that the internationalization of the Nigerian firms is a recent phenomenon, but the foreign investment pattern reflects a pan-African investment strategy. However, the findings also reveal that the firm-specific advantages …

Le Passage - Towards The Concept Of A New Knowledge Instrument, Isabella Marzena Beyer

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This dissertation is concerned with the analysis and development of the passage concept in immersive dome environments (IDE). The research follows an interdisciplinary approach that draws on practices of scientific and artistic visualisation in the process of knowledge production. The research methodology is informed by my working practice, developing experiences for spherical displays, first inside fulldome planetariums, and currently also inside further 360° media formats such as VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), and MR (Mixed Reality). The methodology is further underpinned by a media archaeology and interrogated through an ethnographic process of expert conversations and interviews. The media archaeology …

Artistic Modulation Of Consciousness By Bioelectromagnetic Stimulation, Luis Miguel Almeida Ferreira Girao

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The thesis demonstrates why the application of bioelectromagnetic stimulation as a medium of artistic expression allows for the production of new and unprecedented realisations of integrative art. Furthermore, the modulation of consciousness in human beings relating with such realisations is argued to be the core of a new practice of research resulting from the technological confluence of Philosophy, Art and Science. The Brunelleschi Experiment is examined in order to establish the assumption that one of the fundamental characteristics of Art is to impact consciousness of those interacting with its forms. The aspects of disembodiment of the previously referred experiment, instrumental …

The Impact Of Quality Management On The Thermal Performance Of Social Housing In The United Kingdom, João Paulo Ulrich De Alencastro

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

In 2017, the domestic sector in the UK accounted for approximately 28% of final energy consumption, 63% of this energy was used for space heating. Therefore, to achieve the UK Government carbon emission targets it is pivotal to reduce the heating energy use in housing sector by upgrading the thermal performance of the existing housing stock and building new energy-efficient dwellings. In 2017, housing associations were responsible for providing 16% of the new dwellings in the UK housing sector to a part of British society encompassing 73% of the lowest household incomes (lowest and second lowest quintiles). Apart from the …

Landscape Of Legislation: A Photographic Investigation Of The Mendip Hills Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty, David Anthony Wyatt

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This study used the researcher’s own photographic practice to interrogate the judgements of value explicit in the creation and maintenance of the Mendip Hills ‘area of outstanding natural beauty’ (AONB). The objective was to investigate what photography could say about the aesthetic judgements associated with such a designation. This was examined through identifying four case studies, all geographically located within the AONB, in order to explore the potential and limitations of diverse photographic methods. At each site, maps were created as part of the research thereby allowing site-specific conservation information to lead the practice. These locations were then photographed as …

Arhitectura 1950-1989. Interstitial Spaces Of Communist Romanian Architecture, Ioana Popovici

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between communist Romanian architecture as a politicised field of cultural production, and power embodied in the state’s institutions. While it is generally acknowledged that the cultural production in socialist Romania was undeniably impacted upon by politics, this sense of the extensive inter-conditioning between the paths of architecture and politics seems to disappear with Romania’s 1990s transition to democracy and capitalism. By adding to the nascent critical history of communist Romanian architecture, this thesis seeks to highlight the tacit transference of interaction patterns between the spheres of architecture and that of politics into contemporary practice, thereby …

Saudisation Rhetoric And Realities: Barriers To Effective Private Sector Participation In Public Policy Regulatory Framework, Salman F. Alotaibi

Plymouth Business School Theses

This thesis is concerned with the method and process of Saudisation policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The thesis examined the extent to which the Saudusation policy is regarded as a myth or reality and the factors responsible for this position. The study examined barriers to effective private sector participation in public policy regulatory framework and how modernisation of Saudi Arabia, has created a dependency on foreign workforce, due to scarce local high skilled workers. The research was based upon three case study conducted among the Ministry of Labour, The Chambers of Commerce and the Private Sector. It addresses …

The Delivery Of Mixed Communities In The Regeneration Of Urban Waterfronts: An Investigation Of The Comparative Experience Of Plymouth And Bristol, Daniel Thorning, Christopher Balch, Stephen Essex

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The raison d’être of spatial planning is to secure public benefits or goods through the regulation of private development. Under neoliberalism, where economic growth is privileged over community interests, the ability of planning to deliver public goods can be compromised. The aim of this research was to investigate the delivery of mixed communities in the regeneration of waterfront sites in two outwardly comparable, but in detail, rather different port cities, namely Plymouth and Bristol. The range of dwelling types, extent of affordable housing and associated practicalities of delivery were evaluated using planning application data, 2000–2017 and semi-structured interviews with key …

Supply Chain Financial Performance In Liquefied Natural Gas Systems, Nasiru Zubairu

Plymouth Business School Theses

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a rapidly growing energy source, with highly competitive supply chain networks, sensitive to global macro-economic developments. To date, supply chain finance studies have failed to explore supply chain financial performance (SCFP) in the LNG sector and few have demonstrated the potential impact of supply chain practices on financial performance. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between supply chain strategies and the financial performance of Nigeria liquefied natural gas (NLNG) systems, to guide practitioners to review and adopt supply chain initiatives that drive business survival and growth, while creating value for investors. To identify key …

Exploring The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Audiology Students About People Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Nancy Grosz Sager

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to explore and understand the attitudes and beliefs of audiology students about Deaf and Hard of Hearing people. The problem of practice was that some audiologists continue to advise parents not to sign with their Deaf or Hard of Hearing children. This problem was studied using the conceptual framework of General Systems Theory, looking at the problem through the lens of Critical Disability Theory, to determine if audiology students view Deaf and Hard of Hearing people from a medical model or from a social/cultural model. Using a qualitative case study methodology, I interviewed six first-year doctor …

Improving Teacher Retention By Addressing Teachers' Compassion Fatigue, Jacquelyn Ollison

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

California is experiencing a massive teacher shortage, and urban schools are disproportionately affected by it negatively. Retention efforts to date have not included strategies to address Compassion Fatigue (burnout and secondary trauma) teachers experience when working with traumatized students at urban schools. This dissertation explores whether Compassion Fatigue is an unaddressed reason for teacher attrition at urban schools. A mixed method practical action research approach using the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version Five (ProQOL 5) and qualitative interviews, portions of which were turned into illustrative vignettes drove the exploration. Approximately 114 teachers completed the ProQOL 5. Statistical analysis of …