The central aim of this thesis was to increase understanding of designing vocational learning environments at the school–work boundary. Four studies were conducted, focusing on learning environment designs at the school–work boundary and on design considerations of the actors involved in their construction, both from the world of school and the world of work.
The central aim of this thesis was to increase understanding of designing vocational learning environments at the school–work boundary. Four studies were conducted, focusing on learning environment designs at the school–work boundary and on design considerations of the actors involved in their construction, both from the world of school and the world of work.
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and impact of peer-to-peer shadowing as a technique to develop nurse middle managers’ clinical leadership practices. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to gain insight into the experiences of nurse middle managers using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed into codes using constant comparison and similar codes were grouped under sub-themes and then into four broader themes. Peer-to-peer shadowing facilitates collective reflection-in-action and enhances an “investigate stance” while acting. Nurse middle managers begin to curb the caring disposition that unreflectively urges them to act, to answer the call for help in the here and now, focus on ad hoc “doings”, and make quick judgements. Seeing a shadowee act produces, via a process of social comparison, a behavioural repertoire of postponing reactions and refraining from judging. Balancing the act of stepping in and doing something or just observing as well as giving or withholding feedback are important practices that are difficult to develop.
The findings suggests that participation in music practices can significantly support caregivers' and nurses' contact with the people to whom they give care and the healthcare professionals' insights into the patients' and residents' personhood. Music can create experienced changes in the care environment through kairotic moments of connectivity and intimacy of the musical interaction. The music sessions support and reinforce the person-centred values of care delivery.The meaning of participatory music practices for the well-being and learning of healthcare professionals working with ageing patients and nursing home residents.
Polycotton textiles are fabrics made from cotton and polyester. It is used in many textile applications such as sporting cloths, nursery uniforms and bed sheets. As cotton and polyester are quite different in their polymer nature, polycotton textiles are hard to recycle and therefore mostly incinerated. Incineration of discarded polycotton, and substitution by virgin polycotton, create a significant environmental impact. However, textile manufacturers and brand owners will become obliged to apply recycled content in clothing from 2023 onwards. Therefore, the development of more sustainable recycling alternatives for the separation and purification of polycotton into its monomers and cellulose is vital. In a recently approved GoChem project, it has been shown that cotton can be separated from polyester successfully, using a chemical recycling process. The generated solution is a mixture of suspended and partially decolorized cotton (cellulose) and a liquid fraction produced from the depolymerization of the polyester (monomers). A necessary further step of this work is the investigation of possible separation methods to recover the cotton and purify the obtained polyester monomers into polymer-grade pure products suitable for repolymerization. Repolymerize is a new consortium, composed of the first project members, plus a separation and purification process group, to investigate efficient and high yield purification steps to recover these products. The project will focus on possible steps to separate the suspended fraction (cotton) and further recover of high purity ethylene glycol from the rest fraction (polyester depolymerization solution). The main objective is to create essential knowledge so the private partners can evaluate whether such process is technologically and economically feasible.
