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Identity construction of diaspora people has been facilitated through the use of the Internet, particularly, social network sites (SNSs), providing online spaces for transnational communication. Diaspora identity construction of the Uyghur2 diaspora on SNSs has not been explored, or at least has not yet been documented. This thesis presents empirical findings of a research examining the use of Facebook, as one example of SNSs, among the Uyghur diaspora with a focus on diaspora identity construction. It is guided by the research question, how the Uyghur diaspora identity is being constructed on Facebook. It provides a preliminary and exploratory analysis of how Facebook is serving as a platform for transnational Uyghur diaspora, how the Uyghur diaspora identity is negotiated through everyday Facebook use, and in turn, how the expression of identity online is contributing to the production of and emerging Uyghur diaspora identity. The research applied a two-stage content analysis of messages uploaded on the Uyghur diaspora Facebook sites during January to April, 2013. In the first stage, data were collected from Facebook profiles and were analysed quantitatively to provide a general overview of how Facebook is used among the Uyghur diaspora. Results from this stage also helped the selection of Facebook sites for a further qualitative analysis in the second stage, in which data were collected from discussion archives of selected Facebook sites and were analysed qualitatively to provide an understanding of how the Uyghur diaspora identity is being constructed online. Research findings indicate that the Uyghur diaspora identity online is actively being explored and constructed through everyday communication on Facebook. Findings suggest that this identity is defined by continuing connections to the original homeland and it is multidimensional encompassing ethnic, cultural, national, religious, and political identity. While ethnic, cultural, and national identity are being cohesively articulated, political and religious identity is negotiated with inclusion of differences and fragmentations. Nevertheless, with a common feeling of discontent towards Chinese regime and close concerns about situations of the Uyghurs in homeland, the globally dispersed Uyghur diaspora is still emerging as a collective subject. Findings demonstrate that the diaspora Uyghurs on Facebook express a strong awareness of social network sites as a useful tool for identity exploration and construction, transnational connection and communication. However, it appears that concerns over Chinese state surveillance might be a serious limitation to Facebook as a platform which encourages a stronger participation. This thesis contributes to research on how diaspora use the Internet to construct a shared imagination of identities and original homeland. It provides a foundation for future multi- and interdisciplinary studies as well as comparative and longitudinal studies on Uyghur diaspora. It points to the need for further research to address the complexity of the Uyghur diaspora identity in its interplay with other major factors for unifying the Uyghur diaspora. 1 Reziwanguli Nuermaimaiti is the candidate’s official name. However, Rizwangul Nur-Muhammad is the version of her name the candidate prefers as it is closer to the original spelling and allows for the correct pronunciation. 2 The ethnic name for Uyghur people is spelled in various ways, including Uyghur, Uighur, Uygur, and Uigur. In this thesis, the chosen version is Uyghur.

Despite increased female participation in sport, there remains an under-representation of women in sport leadership positions, particularly at the elite level (e.g., Acosta & Carpenter, 2010; Cameron, 1996; Hartmann-Tews & Pfister, 2003; McKay, 1997; Robertson, 2010). Researchers have identified barriers that have inhibited women’s progression to elite-level roles. Little is known, however, about the pathways or experiences of women who do advance to elite-level positions. The primary aim of this dissertation research was to explore how women overcome societal, organisational, familial, and personal barriers to obtain employment as elite-level coaches, officials (referees, umpires), and administrators (managers, directors, executives).

My purpose in this study is to examine a number of Australian novels which portray love relationships between men and women, and to suggest some reasons for the quality of these relationships as fictionally depicted. Traditionally, Australian culture has been male dominated, therefore, central to the culture are stereotypes of the masculine and the feminine. Sexism in Australia and the gender stereotypes which legitimize it have been recognised generally both by historians and sociologists. Miriam Dixson and Anne Summers have presented strong analyses of the effects of sexism in Australian society, both past and present; even a nonfeminist historian such as Manning Clark notes not only male dominance, but the development of social humiliations to which men subject women. Manning Clark traces a possible connection between this male dominance and the disproportionate number of male to female convicts. Dixson argues that the male convicts demeaned their female ounterparts unconsciously as a means of compensating for their own lowly positions. This, she argues, resulted in the majority of women in early generations of white settlement internalizing a negative self-image as the defining trait of a sense of self, in contrast to the potential positive 'real' self which her humanist psychological orientation assumes. She attributes the main problem to the men who settled in Australia as convicts, rejects, and negative and resentful administrators. Likewise, Summers has posed a socialist-feminist analysis to identify the means of women's oppression in a patriarchal society. She also argues that the problem lies with male power and female colonization. But both writers recognise that women accept their inferior status within patriarchy unconsciously, and conform to patriarchal stereotypes of female sexuality. Kay Schaffer has restated this case, though from the viewpoint of more recent developments of social theory which reject the assumption of a 'real' self. Nevertheless, these and others recognize that sexism has existed in Australian culture since white settlement. This sexism is shown in the depiction of love relationships in Australian fiction. However, I shall make a distinction between writing that depicts sexism critically as an element of Australian society/culture and writing that is informed by sexism in its depiction of love relationships. However, this is not a firm and definitive way of distinguishing between works, because they may contain elements of both factors.

This study shows how multisensory techniques, which have been used in other learning situations, have been used successfully in teaching English as a foreign language. This thesis discusses the problems faced by pupils with learning disabilities (L.D.) and why their difficulty in learning English as a foreign language is such a barrier to their progress in a world where English has become the global language. It also discusses the various methods used to teach a foreign language. A detailed description of the multisensory learning technique is given and its application to language acquisition, writing and spelling. A discussion of the history of reading is followed by chapter on reading instructions for learning disabled pupils. An outline of a remedial lesson is also given. In conclusion, a number of case histories are described in some detail to illustrate the problems faced by L.D. pupils and their struggle to overcome them successfully through use of multisensory teaching techniques.

In the past 20 years identifying the effective second language learning strategies of language learners is a topic that has received considerable attention in the field of second language acquisition. More recently, research has focused on the factors that affect strategy use. Attention has been focused in these areas largely because effective strategy use and the factors affecting strategy use are said to contribute to the language learner's success in language learning. This thesis investigates the use of second language learning strategies in a naturalistic learning context, that of missionaries in Nepal. It attempts to understand how 'success' or communicative competence is achieved for these missionaries of the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). In order to do this it explores the language learning experiences of both 'successful'and 'less successful' language learners of UMN, particularly concentrating on strategies related to oral communication. More importantly though, it is concerned with examining the influence of various factors on the strategies used by these language learners in the informal learning environment (i.e. 'real-life'situations).