Masters Coursework

What can the archaeology and history of Ephesus tell us about Paul’s ministry there? By examining the material evidence building by building and then adding layers of cultural and religious history, our aim is to begin to build a picture of the social framework in which Paul and his co-workers ministered. In attempting to understand the religiosity of the Ephesians and their codes of behaviour, we can expand our perspectives on the early Christian communities and ascertain the success of Paul’s missionary endeavours, despite the opposition he faced.

The Australian home education community is a rapidly growing, yet relatively unstudied segment of the population. The research presented in this thesis used a theoretical combination of hermeneutic phenomenology and grounded theory to explore motivations for and implementation of home education by qualified teachers within Australia. Research was conducted using an online questionnaire and follow up interviews.

Analysis of results revealed a number of themes relating to both motivation and implementation of home education. Motivating factors were represented by push factors, defined as negative perceptions of mainstream education and pull factors, positive perceptions of home education. Participants’ background teaching experience strongly influenced their decision to home educate their own children. These qualified teachers expressed concern regarding the inability of institutionalised education systems to cater for the diversity of individual needs. Implementation styles fell into three categories; formal, eclectic and informal, with a tendency to become less formal over time.

In contrast with perceptions of home educators, participants supported schools as a necessary educational option. Participants expressed a belief that while teaching background provided confidence when beginning home education, and knowledge of educational jargon, it was often detrimental when home educating due to differences between learning which occurs within a framework of classroom instruction and that which occurs individually in a home environment. Comparison was made between the findings of this research and the work of Pestalozzi.

Findings are consistent with previous Australian home education research and this work can contribute to discussions about developing more individualised learning programs in mainstream education. Findings also provide support for flexibility regarding implementation of educational styles within home education.

The aim of this study was firstly to examine the models of servant leadership, servant hood and transformational leadership in order to enhance our understanding of true Christian serving leadership. Secondly, the aim is to analyse the student and staff perceptions of the student leadership development program at one Christian school (CCAS). The research adopted a mixed methodology using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative component used an empirical survey, resulting in 56 useable responses. The qualitative component used semi-structured interviews with 15 students and 16 staff providing useable data. It was found that the student leadership program at CCAS has, at the very least, attempted and in most cases succeeded, to introduce to the students most of the elements of serving leadership. The data suggests that the overall perception of the present student leaders and leadership program was positive. There were however, a range of perceptions on the effectiveness of the respective components of the leadership program and what initiatives could improve its function. Student participants were very supportive of the leadership program but reflected on the need to increase the internal and external leadership opportunities. Student non-participants, reflected some positive comments but also some dissonance in regard to those in school leadership and those students participating in the leadership program Staff participants reflected positively on the impact on students and the leadership program, while non-participating staff were not as supportive and a few reflected critically on the program. 12 Recommendations for the improvement of the leadership program at CCAS include: increase inclusivity, probably by continuing to develop a cross curricula approach or engaging more students and staff in serving leadership initiatives, celebrate the leadership program by improving communication and sharing of information to the student, staff and parent communities, and develop more ownership in the program by the school community.

Resourcing for effective mission and ministry in local Seventh-day Adventist Churches: A call for the global church to think and act locally, studies the resources that are generated by, yet then taken away from, local Seventh-day Adventist Churches. While the Adventist church is a global movement, this study has limited itself predominantly to the structural issues affecting the local church in Adventism within the Western or developed world. It was found that 100% of the tithe that is given by a local congregation is remitted to higher administrative bodies of which as little as 40%, or less in the case of larger congregations, returns directly to the local church in the form of pastoral staffing. On top of giving tithes, Adventists give offerings of which only 38%, or 20 offerings per year collected during the main service remains in that local church. The local church retains nothing that is contributed for the main Sabbath school offering. Much of the extra money collected goes either to missions or to support the well resourced administrative structures above the local church.

This paper shows that the amount taken from the local church is excessive and detrimental to the local congregation’s health and vitality and negatively affects the local church’s ability to fulfil the great commission in its own neighbourhood. It argues for a balanced approach and looks to find the middle ground which avoids both the extremes of congregationalism and the present over-centralised system. This paper identifies encouraging steps that are being taken in this direction in the area of church buildings, staffing-for-growth at the local church level and the introduction of flexible structures. It recommends the retention of a greater portion of offerings in the local church and that a portion of tithe be available for the running of local missional events. Further recommendations are that 60% of tithe given by the local church be “locked-in” to that same church for the use of staffing, that a process of de-departmentalisation be undertaken to reduce the number of administrative departments and make them more effective and, finally, a simplification of the administrative system where the administration of the church can concentrate more intentionally on enhancing it’s primary unit of mission – the local congregation. This paper reminds readers that the local church is the church and it suggests it is axiomatic that the stronger the local church becomes, the stronger the entire body will be.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasingly becoming one of the largest contributors to preventable death globally each year. This disease is predominately caused by poor lifestyle choices such as unhealthy diet, inactivity, smoking and the harmful use of alcohol. Modern treatments of CVD are often surgical and pharmaceutical which can be both invasive and expensive and do not necessarily address the causation or prevention of the disease. Research is now being done in preventative health to study the effects that a healthy lifestyle has in both reducing and even reversing CVD. Lifestyle intervention programs are a part of this preventative health phenomenon. This study aims to explore the nature and effectiveness of the Coronary Health Improvement Program (CHIP), in its ability to reduce CVD risk factors. Data was collected from a set of volunteer-delivered CHIP programs that were conducted in Hawera, New Zealand. The sample consisted of 284 participants who responded voluntarily to local program advertising. Participants were given a blood screening and questionnaire which was conducted at the commencement and conclusion of the 30 day intervention. The blood screening was given to measure baseline biometrics (BMI, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, triglycerides and glucose) and the questionnaire was a tool used to gather information about the participants’ basic demographics, lifestyle, and family and medical histories. The data was then analysed to determine changes in the blood screening biometrics post intervention. Also these changes were further examined to determine the impact, if any, of participants’ lifestyle and family medical histories. An analysis of the nature of the program and its delivery was also conducted through interviews with the program facilitator. Participants’ blood screening results post intervention indicated a significant reduction in their biometrics from the baseline scores with reductions of 4% to 23%. In particular, participants who recorded high baseline figures recorded the most significant changes after the 30 days. There were significant differences across gender, marital status and age in the reduction of a number of the participants’ biometrics. This study provides valuable evidence suggesting that a volunteer-delivered, community based, CHIP lifestyle education program is effective in improving the health of participants and, in particular, reducing CVD risk factors. These findings will be important for the designing and delivery of lifestyle education programs for the prevention and treatment of CVD for the future.

This study examined a School-Home partnership literacy improvement program, the Reading Adventure Pack (RAP), that aims to support the child's involvement in and attitude to reading, and involve the members of the family in the child's reading by supplying literacy material. The RAP is based on a theme, containing about five books and a variety of related activities, which promote the skills of literacy, similar to the 'Home Literacy Bags' developed by Barbour (1999). In particular the study explored the effectiveness of the RAP with students from Years K/Prep to 3 in New South Wales and Victoria. The study involved a pre-RAP child and carer questionnaire followed by the child's RAP experience and then a post-RAP child and carer questionnaire. The children borrowed the resource packs to take home on a weekly rotational basis. This continued until the children had experience with all of the sixteen different RAP packs. When RAP was returned the children shared their writing in the response journal with their peers. The child was asked the same fourteen questions on the pre-RAP and post-RAP questionnaire with an extra eight questions specific to the RAP experience included in the post-RAP questionnaire.

The questionnaires revealed that the home environment, in the majority of oases, was extremely limited in terms of appropriate reading resources for children of this age, that the mother was the carer most involved in literacy development of the younger child in the home and the father was more likely to be somewhat involved with the older child in the home. The carers reported that they enjoyed working with RAP, and indicated that RAP, from their perspective, had a positive effect on their child's attitude to reading. The children's questionnaires revealed positive attitudes towards the RAP and that the RAP experience had increased the child's willingness to explore different literacy genres and had increased their involvement in and attitude to reading. It was noticed, however, that the impact of the RAP experience was not consistent across the age groupings or between the male and female students. The RAP experience had the greatest impact on the seven and eight year old female and eight year old male children.

There are many approaches to teaching mathematics. This paper examines one student-centred approach called the Booklet System used by a number of secondary schools in Brisbane from the mid-1990's for about a decade. Claims made by those advocating this system include improved achievement in mathematics and a better attitude to mathematics in general.

Year 9 students in three schools were given a Pre Test at the beginning of the school year and a Post Test in the second last week of the school year. Two of these schools operated a traditional teacher-centred textbook system and one school used the student-centred Booklet System. All students participating in the study in the three schools also completed Attitude Questionnaires at the same time as the Pre Test and Post Test.

Statistical analysis revealed that the Booklet System is successful in improving a student's attitude about their own progress in Mathematics, but does not improve their attitude to homework or Mathematics in general. It is not surprising then that this study shows that the Booklet students do not achieve any better academically than the NonBooklet students.

Education is strongly linked to economic development, prosperity and social progress, yet recently, the Solomon Islands has experienced economic and social problems. This research used a questionnaire and interviews to gather perceptions from curriculum stakeholders (government and private sector education administrators, teachers, parents, students and business people) regarding the construction, content appropriateness and accessibility of the Solomon Islands’ national secondary curriculum. The data gathered is intended to provide constructive input into future curriculum development.

Data supported the retention of one national secondary curriculum, but highlighted the need for one that is flexible and that takes into account the opinions of all stakeholder groups. Secondly, the content of the secondary curriculum provides much useful knowledge, but some gaps need to be filled, particularly in the area of the cultural, historical, geographical and global contexts of the Solomon Islands. Thirdly, the heavy emphasis on knowledge largely disregards students’ moral, spiritual, physical, aesthetic and affective faculties. It has also resulted in the curriculum being implemented in a way that largely prevents students from learning many academic, practical and competency skills. This unbalanced approach to secondary education overlooks a need for values education and has produced a workforce with few skills and little ability to apply knowledge. Fourthly, while access to secondary education is being increased, data identified other accessibility issues that need attention. These include a lingering gender imbalance, poverty, and a lack of attention to the needs of slow learners. Additionally, a serious imbalance in the II rural-urban distribution of resources and of well-qualified teachers has helped create an educated urban elite in a previously egalitarian society.

Recommendations and suggestions for further research are made which, if acted upon, could result in the Solomon Islands’ secondary curriculum attending to societal needs and supporting economic and social progress much more effectively.

Initially, this study examined the views of teachers who work in faith-based schools, relating to the nature of spirituality and religiosity. Then this study explored the self-ratings of teachers with regard to their religiosity, spirituality and five aspects of the work of teaching; colleagues, working conditions, responsibility, work itself and recognition, and how these factors impacted overall job satisfaction.

A mixed methods approach that involved the collection and analysis of both qualitative (opened questions) and quantitative (Likert scale response items) data was adopted, using a one-phase survey design. Analysis of the quantitative data involved comparison of the religiosity, spirituality and the five aspects of the work of teaching for various teacher sub-groups and the exploration for relationships between these variables and job satisfaction. The qualitative data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis to explore the impact that religiosity, spirituality and participant-identified aspects related to the work of teaching had on teachers’ overall job satisfaction. The sample consisted of nine schools in two Australian faith-based educational systems: Lutheran and Seventh-day Adventist (SDA).

Teachers within the SDA and Lutheran school systems saw Religiosity and Spirituality as distinct constructs, but they perceived there was a connectedness in that both are linkages to one’s relationship with God. Analysis of the five aspects of the work of teaching found that responsibility and work itself were the high rating factors, while working conditions and recognition were the low rating factors. In terms of the variables classified as Worldview factors, the spirituality factor rated significantly greater than the religiosity factor. Age had no significant impact on the magnitude of either worldview factors or the aspects of work elements. The teachers in the Lutheran schools scored higher on the five aspects of teaching elements, while the SDA teachers scored higher on the spirituality and religiosity elements. Primary teachers most often scored higher than the secondary teachers on each scale for the aspects of the work of teaching, but showed no significant differences for the religiosity and spirituality scales whereas the females scored every element higher than the males except for religiosity.

Regression analysis of the quantitative data indicated that overall job satisfaction was influenced by a combination of direct and indirect relationships that centred around, working conditions, work itself, religiosity, and the age of the respondent. In terms of the two faith-based educational systems the data indicated that the teachers in Lutheran schools perceived that religiosity had a strong direct impact on their overall job satisfaction, while for those teaching in SDA schools it was spirituality that had this direct impact. When the teachers were given the opportunity to outline their own framework for factors that influence overall job satisfaction three major themes emerged from the analysis of the data: people (others and oneself), processes (the job itself), and the purpose for teaching. When the school administration is able to give clear directions and colleagues are helpful and share their expertise and a team spirit exists this has a positive impact on the overall job satisfaction. Similarly when the students are developing/progressing and a difference is being made in their lives, together with the teachers themselves having a positive attitude then overall job satisfaction is high. Also, overall job satisfaction was increased when teachers perceived that their work had a higher calling or some connectedness with the divine.

Considering both data sources this study found that religiosity impacted overall job satisfaction directly and indirectly via the mediating element of spirituality. Also spirituality itself indirectly influenced overall job satisfaction via the purpose for teaching element. Finally the data indicated that overall job satisfaction increased when teachers’ relationships with their students and colleagues were positive and the teachers perceived there was a degree of organisational efficiency within their workplace.

This research seeks to identify the perceptions of the pastoral selection process in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia and New Zealand. Specifically, it seeks to gather perceptions of church members as they relate to the strengths and weaknesses of the current system. Who has the most influence in the pastoral selection process? How the concept of the "call" to ministry relates to the process? Whether or not there is enough information available to the process and what criteria are used in making selection decisions?

The research is constructed from an analysis of the current general HRM selection literature and the limited pastoral selection literature. A three-part survey instrument (see appendix one) was completed by eighty-nine respondents from Australia and New Zealand.

The strengths of the current system are seen as its independence from the pressure groups of the local church, yet with meaningful dialogue between local churches (where it occurs). The perceived weaknesses lie in the lack of information available to the process and the perceived heavy reliance upon second-hand information upon which selection decisions are based.

Respondents indicated their perception that more consultation, more dialogue, more information to inform the process and more effort to match pastors with congregations would seriously improve the current process. Tradition, the politics of control, time limitations and resistance by pastors were cited as perceived barriers to these changes actually occurring.

The comparison of the pastoral selection process with current HR practice revealed little congruence. Generally pastoral selection is not perceived as being done strategically and the general lack of quality information to inform the process means that selection based on competency or harmonisation is not possible.

Perceptions of influence reveal that Conference Administration and Executive Committees are seen as having the most influence in the pastoral selection process.

The influence of Union and Division is the factor most susceptible to demographic variance. Respondents who have been church members between 21 and 30 years, or who are female, or who have been denominationally employed in the past, or who have been Executive Committee members in the past, or who have been Conference Administrators in the past are more likely to perceive that the Union and Division have greater influence in the selection process than do the other groups within each demographic category.

Recommendations coming out of the study include having all pastors maintaining a current CV accessible to prospective employers, intentional and formal information sharing between local churches and their Conference on at least an annual basis relative to their situation and needs, annual appraisals for pastors, a centralised and strategic view of staffing at a national level, the advertising of pastoral vacancies and occasional joint-staffing between Conferences to introduce new personnel into their team.

Organisational cynicism, a negative attitude toward one's organisation, is now a recognised reality. Regoli and Crank (1990) noted specific targets of police cynicism that impacted on police behaviour while Wanous et al (2000), in another context, confirmed that cynicism about organisational change not only is a significant reality but it does have an impact on organisational outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the nature, extent and targets of organisational cynicism amongst field pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and any correlation with involvement in decision-making. A survey was conducted amongst 162 Australian and New Zealand Seventh-day Adventist field pastors in order to determine the level of organisational cynicism as targeted at Administration, Respect, Expectations, Change - situational attribution (the pastor's perception of uncontrollable elements bringing about a likely failure of change), and Change - dispositional attribution (the pastor's perception of the likely failure of change efforts due to the leaders themselves). The responses were analysed according to each target as well as against Various demographic indices. A potential antecedent to organisational cynicism, involvement in decision-making was also investigated. Organisational cynicism as it relates to deprivation in decision-making was considered in four key areas: local church goals and directions; regional level goals and directions; general church policy; employment issues. It was found that field pastors do exhibit organisational cynicism. 63% of the respondents could be classified as either Wary (falling within the medium cynicism rating) or Cynic (falling within the high cynicism rating). Organisational cynicism is normally higher when targeted at Respect, Expectations and Change (situational). The data show that, for most targets, it is the 30-39 age (or the 11-15 years of experience) group that exhibit the highest levels of cynicism, with the young and the inexperienced pastors most often exhibiting the lowest levels. Yet cynicism directed at Expectations is an exception, with the young and inexperienced pastors here exhibiting the highest levels. This study indicates that deprivation in decision-making is an antecedent to organisational cynicism directed at their administration, the expectations made of them and aspects of change efforts. Further, it is decision-making deprivation in terms of involvement in generating regional (Conference) goals and directions, general church policy and employment issues that significantly increases this organisational cynicism. Finally, a number of strategies for reducing organisational cynicism are suggested.

This treatise outlines a plan to explore, from the patient's point of view, the lived experience of undergoing and recovering from coronary artery surgery. It is postulated that men and women experience widely differing reactions to undergoing this surgical procedure.

This proposed qualitative study was planned to follow an adaptation of Streubert's (1991) phenomenological methodology, using purposive sampling of people experiencing elective coronary artery surgery at a large private hospital based in New South Wales, Australia. The planned sample would initially be planned to include four men and four women however, the exact number of participants required would depend on when data saturation was reached. The proposed method of data collection was to be a face-to-face interview, one week after surgery, but prior to discharge. A subsequent follow up telephone interview was to be conducted during the sixth post-operative week.

The projected findings, based on the literature review, indicate that men and women had contrasting psychosocial concerns and encountered both common and unique physical symptoms. As such, the meaning of this lived experience was different for men and for women.

The challenge to match philosophy with practice is an age-old concern. For Seventh-day Adventist Education, the challenge is no different. Within this context rests religious education. In this more specific realm, this challenge has been impeded in a number of different ways. Two are relevant to this study. The Adventist religious education classroom could well be considered a nexus for the purposes of Adventist educational philosophy. It holds much potential for holistic, authentic faith formation. There is evidence to suggest however, that in recent years, instruction in religious education within the context of Adventist Education has been somewhat paralysed by the dichotomies emerging from enlightenment and modernism; the fracturing of reason and emotion, thinking and acting. This has lead to practice that has been typified by a predominantly cognitive, information-driven emphasis. Such a characterization has had implications for the nurture of holistic faith, and the purposes of Adventist education have been compromised as a result. In addition to this, as with any educational practice, there exists within the teaching of religious education the propensity to divorce what is philosophically valued from what is practically applied. The invasion of expedient concerns can obscure what is deemed important, and the result is one of idealistic erosion. It is believed that a tool that can remind the teacher of holistic, aspirational goals can be of benefit to both pedagogy and student experience. The pathway between philosophy and practice can then be viewed with more transparency and authenticity. Recent decades have brought forth much enlightenment in the areas of best educational practice as it relates to holistic, authentic learning, and the crucial ingredients of faith formation for the young. The researcher believes that multiple spheres of influence, not only from the realms of education and faith formation, but also brain research, sociology and psychology have much to offer a holistic approach to religious education that will assist movement towards a personal and established faith. This study seeks to fuse what is relevant from these disciplines and forge ingredients of best practice into a practical tool that can not only make vision and purpose accessible, but holistic religious education, and ultimately spiritual formation more possible. The resulting Transformational Planning Framework offers a re-centering of the focus and modus operandi of religious education. It serves to protect what is valued in Adventist educational philosophy, and propel it towards the ultimate goals it so highly esteems.

Research indicates that self-efficacy, a person‟s belief in their own ability to meet certain expectations, can impact on their success. This concept has implications for pre-service teachers who are required to bridge the gap between theory and practice on professional experience sessions. This study aimed to explore pre-service teachers‟ perceptions of factors that influence their instructional self-efficacy. Data were collected from 71 students studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary) course using both qualitative and quantitative research instruments. Focus group (qualitative) transcripts were categorised and themes developed from these categories. Quantitative data was collected from a 50-item questionnaire, exploring their perceptions of their use of classroom planning, communication and management and its impact on their instructional self efficacy. Descriptive statistics for each question and sub-scale were determined and a linear regression was used to identify relationships between sets of independent variables (planning, communication, management), and two dependent variables teaching English and teaching Mathematics). Pre-service teachers identified vicarious and enactive modelling, accompanied by reflection, feedback and a supportive social environment as strong contributors to instructional self-efficacy. In contrast to expectations, they also identified instructional tactics booklets as very useful for increasing instructional self-efficacy. Data from the questionnaire indicated that there is a positive correlation between pre-service teachers‟ perceptions of their ability to manage classes and their instructional self-efficacy in teaching English and Mathematics. It also indicated that different sets of instructional tactics were perceived by pre-service teachers to determine their instructional self-efficacy in teaching various content areas. This study provided significant evidence that the use of specific instructional tactics and quality of pre-service classroom practice can be enhanced significantly by the manner in which the instructional tactics are taught, and may also provide relevant information for structuring practical teaching subjects in the future.

This study provides background research for the subsequent construction of a pedagogical history of chemical bonding. This includes original research to confirm and extend the literature on students’ alternative conceptions of chemical bonding. The study additionally surveys the history of the development of chemical bonding ideas. A pedagogical history provides a new way to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of chemical bonding. It takes the form of an interesting narrative, using attention‐grabbing historical episodes and original scientific data to help students understand the topic in a deeper way and to counteract known student alternative conceptions.

Students have many alternative conceptions of chemical bonding. Alternative conceptions reported by other researchers have been described in this thesis. In addition, a short history of the development of chemical bonding has been compiled. It was observed that many present alternative conceptions are rooted in historical ideas.

A diagnostic test was constructed to confirm and extend the research on students’ alternative conceptions of chemical bonding. The diagnostic test employed sub‐microscopic representations to probe students’ understanding of chemical bonding. 172 students from two Melbourne high schools participated in the diagnostic testing. Furthermore, seven senior students were interviewed to further probe their thinking about chemical bonding. A number of alternative conceptions previously reported were reproduced. In addition, some new alternative student conceptions were found that have not been reported in the literature on chemical bonding.

In order to remediate the alternative conceptions described by this study, a future pedagogical history will include discussions on sub‐microscopic representations of chemical bonding, describing particles undergoing bonding, understanding the range of bond types that exist, avoiding oversimplified chemical bonding descriptions, and significant historical episodes that have a high human interest and educational value. Recommendations for further research were made.

Parish nursing, has emerged in Australia over the last decade with an aim to provide holistic health care to people in church community settings through health education, counselling, referral, support and co-ordination of volunteers. Great value has been placed on the health promotional feature of the parish nurses’ role; however, to this time the experience of promoting health for the parish nurse has remained relatively unexplored. This research presents the results of a qualitative study to explore, identify and describe the lived experience of Australian parish nurses promoting health and wellness in Christian church communities. A phenomenological approach was used to analyse interview transcripts of nine parish nurses, resulting in the formation of seven themes describing their lived experience: realising the unique identity of parish nursing; valuing a holistic approach to health promotion; recognising the church setting as shaping health promotion; experiencing personal fulfilment; recognising challenges; and looking toward the future. An understanding of this experience enables reflection on the meanings of health promotion in this field and offers a base on which parish nurses may further explore best practice. The findings of this study can contribute to the body of knowledge used by parish nurses, educators and health promoters to further enhance developing models of practice within this emerging specialty.

The birth of a first child is a momentous occasion in the lives of the couple who are the parents. The event of birth heralds a period of enjoyment, wonder, emotional highs and lows, turmoil and change for the developing family. This treatise presents an exploration of the experience of parenting for the first time. An extensive literature review of qualitative research revealed that parents adjust to their role experiencing a variety of losses and gains during this process. Support, both formal and informal, were identified to be crucial to parents adjusting to their new role in a satisfying way. In addition to this, it was identified that expectant parents had unrealistic expectations of how the birth of a child would affect them, and they lacked practical knowledge of how to meet the meet the needs of this child. In respect to these findings, many researchers recommended a review of the structure and content of antenatal classes and the education of midwives and early childhood nurses. The information has been presented using the conceptual framework of Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory of Nursing to enable identification of the needs of new parents and how nurses may appropriately care for the developing family to encourage a satisfactory transition to parenthood. Recommendations have been made by the author regarding the education of midwives and early childhood nurses and for an alternative approach to preparation for parenthood classes.

This paper explores the effectiveness of coping strategies used by women in early motherhood. The purpose of the study and Swanson's Theory of Caring were used as a framework to organize the data analyzed. The qualitative research literature reviewed particularly, provided insights into the empowerment of women for transition to motherhood. Three themes evolved from current literature. These were: antenatal education, losses and failing. Women-generated solutions were elicited from the literature. These suggested recommendations were in terms of:

• antenatal education

• antenatal education being user friendly

• antenatal education being relevant to counteract feelings of failure.

This treatise recommends philosophical and practical changes to antenatal education.

Community nurses spend much of their time in the treatment and prevention of recurrence of venous leg ulcers. Failure by patients to follow treatment regimes that include compression therapy, diet, exercise and leg elevation is the source of much frustration for community nurses who are quick to label these patients as "non-compliant". Why is it that some patients will adopt health behaviours that are beneficial for the healing of venous leg ulcers and other patients will not? What can community nurses do to encourage participation in the above, self-care activities? A complex relationship between multiple factors that influence patients' decisions to adopt beneficial health behaviours exists. By encouraging the patient to identify personal influencing factors, a plan of care can be created together between the patient and the nurse. The required shift in attitude of the community nurse to form this "partnership" may contribute to less labelling of patients as non-compliant.

Major changes in wound care practices have occurred in recent years because of increased inquiry into the biology and physiology of wounds. Nurses are having difficulty keeping up with these changes which leads to knowledge being applied inconsistently in practice.

This study investigated what knowledge nurses use when practicing wound care, from a grounded theory perspective. By examining the social processes involved in nursing behaviour and the context from which these processes emerge, an explanation is given for the meaning of these experiences for nurses.

The substantive theory derived from this research informs nursing, its body of knowledge and future research.