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Instructor feedback on written assignments is one of the most important elements in the writing process, especially for students writing in English as a foreign language. However, students are often critical of both the amount and quality of the feedback they receive. In order to better understand what makes feedback effective, this study explored the nature of students’ assessments of the educational alliance, and how their receptivity to, perceptions of, and decisions about using their instructors’ feedback differed depending on how strong they believed the educational alliance to be. This exploratory case study found that students not only assessed the quality of the educational alliance based on goal compatibility, task relevance, and teacher effectiveness, but that there was also a reciprocal relationship between these elements. Furthermore, students’ perceptions of the educational alliance directly influenced how they perceived the feedback, which made the instructor’s choice of feedback method largely irrelevant. Stronger educational alliances resulted in higher instances of critical engagement, intrinsic motivation, and feelings of self-efficacy. The multidirectional influence of goal, task, and bond mean that instructors who want to maximize their feedback efforts need to attend to all three.
This study examines the contribution of saving and credit cooperatives (SACCOS) on the improvement of members‘ socio economic development in Rwanda: Opportunities and challenges‖, Evidence from Umwalimu SACCO- Huye District‖. The appearance of saving and credit cooperatives or credit unions has been known as remedy for social ills rooted in poverty because of its efficiency in loans or credits dispensation, social equality for enhancement and reduction of poverty amongst low income earners. Therefore, millions and millions of poor people and non-bankable in developing countries (or third world countries) have been provided access to formal financial services through saving and credit cooperatives‘ programs.
The targeted population concerned by the study was 1,940 members of USACCO from which a sample of 92 respondents was purposively selected. The study has adopted a combination of correlation and descriptive research design. It has employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study used both primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected using questionnaire and interview and, while secondary data was collected using documentations techniques whereby, Manual of procedures and Credit policies of USACCO and financial reports have been consulted. The analysis of data was done using SPSS version 21. The data was presented in form of tables, charts and graphs designed by SPSS v. 21. The bio-characteristics of respondents showed that, the majority of respondents were women with 55.4%, majority of respondents‘ age is between 26 to 45 years Furthermore, and majority 77.20% of respondents were married. 100% of respondents attended school, where the majority of respondents attended secondary school with certificate A2.
The study has revealed that Umwalimu SACCO services offered to its members have a positive effect on the improvement of members‘ welfare. It was found that USACCO services have slightly affected income level of members, assets acquired, access to education and medical care as well as small income generating activities established by members in Huye District. The analysis of data also revealed that there are some variables which have effected USACCO members‘ socio-economic status, these were listed as: Education background of a member, number of dependents, the occupation of a member, and number of loans got from USACCO, government programs against teachers‘ welfare, and membership duration played very important role on the improvement of standard living of teachers. All these variables were found to have positive effects on teachers‘ socio-economic status, except the family size of respondents.
In addition, the findings showed that, the majority of respondents confirmed that, they did not find opportunities to save with other financial institutions, and other respondents did not have access to loan from other financial institutions due to complicated loan requirements. In addition, after they
have joined USACCO, their deplorable status somewhat changed, both socially and economically which has contributed to the improvement of their welfare. Therefore, the study testified that, the welfare of USACCO members in terms of assets acquired, income increased was improved compared to situation before joining USACCO. The study concludes that ―the level of improvement of living conditions of teachers depends largely to the level of loan granted by USACCO to teachers and membership duration. If the level of teachers‘ loan and saving increases, there will be also improvement of teachers‘ wellbeing‖ and finally, USACCO financial service is a veritable instrument for better improvement of economic and social conditions of teachers. The study recommends that, USACCO should provide frequent and regular trainings on business management game to their members. This could help members for good management of their loans and reducing loan defaulters‘ cases observed at USACCO. Challenges observed were lack of physical collateral security required by USACCO, complicated loan requirements terms and conditions and insufficient trainings on business management game.
Today’s agriculture heavily relies on pesticides to manage diverse pests and maximise crop yields. Despite elaborate regulation of pesticide use based on a complex environmental risk assessment (ERA) scheme, the widespread use of these biologically active compounds has been shown to be a threat to the environment. For surface waters, pesticide exposure has been observed to exceed safe concentration levels and negatively impact stream ecology leading to the question whether current ERA schemes ensure a sustainable use of pesticides. To answer this, the large-scale “Kleingewässer-Monitoring” (KgM) assessed the occurrence of pesticides and related effects in 124 streams throughout Germany, Central Europe, in 2018 and 2019.
Based on five scientific publications originating from the KgM, this thesis evaluated pesticide exposure in streams, ecological effects and the regulatory implications. More than 1,000 water samples were analysed for over 100 pesticide analytes to characterise occurrence patterns (publication 1). Measured concentrations and effects were used to validate the exposure and effect concentrations predicted in the ERA (publication 2). By jointly analysing real-world pesticide application data and measured pesticide mixtures in streams, the disregard of environmental pesticide mixtures in the ERA was evaluated (publication 3). The toxic potential of mixtures in stream water was additionally investigated using suspect screening for 395 chemicals and a battery of in-vitro bioassays (publication 4). Finally, the results from the KgM stream monitoring were used to assess the capability to identify pesticide risks in governmental monitoring programmes (publication 5).
The results of this thesis reveal the widespread occurrence of pesticides in non-target stream ecosystems. The water samples contained a variety of pesticides occurring in complex mixtures predominantly in short-term peaks after rainfall events (publications 1 & 4). Respective pesticide concentration maxima were linked to declines in vulnerable invertebrate species and exceeded regulatory acceptable concentrations in about 80% of agricultural streams, while these thresholds were still estimated partly insufficient to protect the invertebrate community (publication 2). The co-occurrence of pesticides in streams led to a risk underestimated in the single substance-oriented ERA by a factor of about 3.2 in realistic worst-case scenarios, which is further exacerbated by a high frequency at which non-target organism are exposed to pesticides (publication 3). Stream water samples taken after rainfall caused distinct effects in bioassays which were only explainable to a minor extent by the many analytes, indicating the relevance of unknown chemical or biological mixture components (publication 4). Finally, the regulatory monitoring of surface waters under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) was found to significantly underestimate pesticide risks, as about three quarters of critical pesticides and more than half of streams at risk were overlooked (publication 5).
Essentially, this thesis involves a new level of validation of the ERA of pesticides in aquatic ecosystems by assessing pesticide occurrence and environmental impacts at a scale so far unique. The overall results demonstrate that the current agricultural use of pesticides leads to significant impacts on stream ecology that go beyond the level tolerated under the ERA. This thesis identified the underestimation of pesticide exposure, the potential insufficiency of regulatory thresholds and the general inertia of the authorisation process as the main causes why the ERA fails to meet its objectives. To achieve a sustainable use of pesticides, the thesis proposes substantial refinements of the ERA. Adequate monitoring programmes such as the KgM, which go beyond current government monitoring efforts, will continue to be needed to keep pesticide regulators constantly informed of the validity of their prospective ERA, which will always be subject to uncertainty.
The present study deals with the synthesis of N-phenacylpyridinium salts and their use as photoinitiators for epoxy resins. The use and suitability of phenacyl salts as photoinitiators for epoxy resins has already been described in previous studies. The individual impact of the specific components on the rate constants of epoxy reaction has not been investigated in detail. Based on the structure of N-phenacylpyridinium salt the substances described in the present study were varied due to the exchange of counter ion and different substituents. Investigating the impact of the specific substituent with focus on the reaction of epoxy groups there is a dependence found for three main factors. First, depending on whether to use a phenyl or methyl group as substituent there was found an impact on the process of photolysis. Furthermore, concerning the dependences on the pyridine derivative and the counter ion, it was found that pyridine derivatives with electron withdrawing groups and counter ions, which can build strong acids, accelerate the rate constants of the epoxy reaction. Vice versa, pyridine derivatives with electron donating groups and counter ions, which can form weaker acids, decrease the rate constants.
The determined rate constants and the formulation of substances discussed in the present thesis in an adhesive formulation show the suitability of selected substances as photoinitiators for the polymerization of epoxy resins.
This study was conducted in Nyungwe National Park (NNP); a biodiversity hotspot Mountain rainforest of high conservation importance in Central Africa, but with little knowledge of its insect communities including butterflies, good indicators of climate change, and forest ecosystem health. The study aimed at availing baseline data on butterfly species diversity and distribution in NNP, for future use in monitoring climate change-driven shifts and the effects of forest fragmentation on the biodiversity of Nyungwe. Butterflies were collected seasonally using fruit-baited traps and hand nets along elevational transects spanning from 1700 m up to 2950 m of altitude. Two hundred forty-two species including 28 endemics to the Albertine Rift and 18 potential local climate change indicators were documented. Species richness and abundance declined with increasing elevation and higher seasonal occurrence was observed during the dry season. This was the first study on the spatial and temporal distribution of butterflies in NNP and further studies could be conducted to add more species and allow a depth understanding of the ecology of Nyungwe butterflies.
Inland waters play an active role in the global carbon cycle. They collect carbon from upstream landmasses and transport it downstream until it finally reaches the ocean. Along this path, manifold processing steps are evident, resulting in (permanent) retention of carbon by sediment burial as well as loss by evasion to the atmosphere. Constraining these carbon fluxes and their anthropogenic perturbation is an urgent need. In this context, attention needs to be set on a widespread feature of inland waters: their partial desiccation. This results in the emergence of formerly inundated sediments to the atmosphere, referred to as dry inland waters. One observed feature of dry inland waters are disproportional high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, this observation was so far based on local case studies and knowledge on the global prevalence and fundamental mechanisms of these emissions is lacking. Against this background, this thesis aims to provide a better understanding of the magnitude and mechanisms of carbon emissions from dry inland waters on the global and local scale and to assess the impact of dry inland waters on the global carbon cycle. The specific research questions of this thesis were: (1) How do gaseous carbon emissions from dry inland waters integrate into the global carbon cycle and into global greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets? (2) What effect do seasonal and long term drying have on the carbon cycling of inland waters? The thesis revealed that dry inland waters emit disproportional large amounts of CO 2 on a global scale and that these emissions share common drivers across ecosystems. Quantifying global reservoir drawdown and upscaling carbon fluxes to the global scale suggests that reservoirs emit more carbon than they bury, challenging the current understanding of reservoirs as net carbon sinks. On the local scale, this thesis revealed that both, heterogeneous emission pattern between different habitats and seasonal variability of carbon emissions from the drawdown area, needs to be considered. Further, this thesis showed that re-mobilization of buried carbon upon permanent desiccation of water bodies can explain the observed emission rates, supporting the hypothesis of a positive feedback-loop between climate change and desiccation of inland waters. Overall, the present thesis highlights the importance of adding emissions from dry inland waters as a pathway to the global carbon cycle of inland waters.
This dissertation is dedicated to a new concept for capturing renunciation-oriented attitudes and beliefs — sufficiency orientation. Sufficiency originates in the interdisciplinary sustain-ability debate. In contrast to efficiency and consistency, sufficiency considers human behaviour as the cause of socio-ecological crises and strives for a reduction in consumption respecting the planetary boundaries. The present work places sufficiency in a psychological research context and explores it qualitatively and quantitatively. On the basis of five manuscripts, the overarching question pursued is to what extent sufficiency orientation contributes to socio-ecological transformation. Based on one qualitative study and five further quantitative studies, sufficiency orientation is investigated in different behavioural contexts that are of particular importance with regard to CO2 emissions. In addition, sufficiency orientation is linked to a wider range of psychologically relevant theories that help gain an overview of correlates and possible causes for the development of a sufficiency orientation.
Manuscript 1 uses expert interviews (N = 21) to develop a heuristic framework on a transformation towards societal sufficiency orientation including barriers and enablers, as well as ambiguities on such a change. The derived elements are interpreted in the light of the leverage points approach. This framework can serve as a heuristic for future research and to develop measures concerning sufficiency orientation.
As part of an online study (N = 648), Manuscript 2 examines the extent to which sufficiency orientation can be embedded in classic models for explaining pro-environmental intentions and behaviour (Theory of Planned Behaviour, Norm Activation Model), and showed a significant contribution to the explanation of intentions and behaviour in the field of plastic consumption.
Manuscript 3 reports two framing experiments (Study 1, N = 123, Study 2, N = 330) to investigate how pro-social justice sensitivity contributes to making sufficiency orientation more salient and promoting it. While sufficiency orientation and pro-social facets of justice sensitivity were positively related to each other, there was no effect of the framing intervention in the hypothesised direction. The results indicate that justice-related information at least in the presented manner is more likely to generate reactance.
Manuscript 4 presents an online study (N = 317) and targets the importance of sufficiency orientation for predicting actual greenhouse gas emissions in relation to flight behav-iour and policy support for the decarbonisation of mobility. In addition, the connection between sufficiency orientation and global identity is examined. It turns out that sufficiency orientation is superior to global identity in predicting actual emissions and decarbonisation policies. Contrary to expectations, sufficiency orientation and the form of global identity operationalised in the presented study shows a positive correlation and are compatible.
Manuscript 5 reports a reflective diary intervention (N = 252) that should lead to a short- and long-term increase in sufficiency orientation by satisfying basic psychological needs through induced self-reflection. For both groups with or without the intervention, sufficiency orientation increased slightly but significantly. Although no specific effect of the manipulation was found, basic psychological need satisfaction turns out to be the largest predictor for sufficiency orientation. Subjective well-being is positively associated with sufficiency orientation, while time affluence shows no clear associations in the study.
Overall, the results highlight the relevance of sufficiency orientation in relation to socio-ecological transformation and actual behavioural change. Sufficiency orientation is related to low-emission behaviour and support for political measures to decarbonize infrastructures. These results contribute to the discussion on the intention-behaviour gap in regard to impact-relevant behaviour, i.e. behaviour producing high emissions. The present findings suggest, that sufficiency orientation could be related to a strong intention-behavioural consistency. However, further research is needed to validate these results and improve the measurement of sufficiency orientation. Furthermore, the studies provided insights on correlates of sufficiency orientation: justice sensitivity, global identity, subjective well-being and left-wing liberal political ideologies are all found to be positively related to sufficiency orien-tation. Moreover, basic psychological need satisfaction was identified as a potential mechanism that can support the emergence of sufficiency orientation, however, causality remains unclear. From these findings, the work derives practical implications how to possibly strengthen sufficiency orientation on the micro, meso and macro levels of society.
Taken together, the dissertation provides important insights into a new and still developing concept, and shows its connectivity to psychological theories. However, future research is required in order to grasp more precisely the complexity of sufficiency orientation and to understand origins and predictors of sufficiency orientation. This work contributes to the interdisciplinary debate on socio-ecological transformation and points out that sufficiency orientation can serve to a future worth living as being related to reduced consumption.
Agriculture requires a sustainable intensification to feed the growing world population without exacer-bating soil degradation and threatening soil quality. Globally, plastic mulching (PM) is increasingly used to improve crop growth and yields and consequently agronomic productivity. However, recent literature reported also critical aspects of PM for soil quality and showed contradictory outcomes. This might result from the numerous applications of PM in different climates across various crops, soils and agri-cultural techniques. Thus, a closer look is necessary on how PM influences soil processes under certain climate and cultivation conditions to obtain a comprehensive understanding of its effects, which is im-portant to evaluate PM in terms of a sustainable agriculture.
The aim of this PhD thesis was to understand how multiannual PM influences soil properties and pro-cesses under the temperate, humid Central European cultivation conditions and to evaluate the resulting consequences for soil quality. I designed a three-year field study to investigate the influence of PM (black polyethylene, 50 μm) on microclimate, structural stability, soil organic matter (SOM) and the concentrations of selected fungicides and mycotoxins in three soil layers (0–10, 10–30 and 30–60 cm) compared to straw mulching (SM). Both mulching types were applied in a drip-irrigated ridge-furrow system in strawberry cultivation.
PM shifted the soil microclimate to higher soil temperatures and lower soil moistures. The higher soil temperature seems thus to be the key factor for the increased crop growth and yields under the present humid climate. The reduced soil moisture under PM indicated that under PM the impeded rainfall infil-tration had a stronger effect on the water balance than the reduced evaporation. This indicate an ineffi-cient rainwater use in contrast to arid climates. PM changed the water cycling in the ridges from down-ward directed water flows to lateral water flows from furrows to ridges. This reduced nitrogen leaching in the topsoil (0–10 cm) in the strawberry establishment period. The plastic mulches avoided aggregate breakdown due to rapid soil wetting and excess water during rainfalls and thus maintained a loose and stable soil structure in the surface soil, which prevents soil compaction and made soil less prone to erosion. PM changed carbon fluxes and transformation so that a larger total and more stable SOM was observed. Thus, the higher belowground biomass productivity under PM compensated the impeded aboveground biomass input and the temperature-induced SOM decomposition. However, SM increased the labile and total SOM in the topsoil after the first experiment year and promoted microbial growth due to the aboveground biomass incorporation. PM reduced fungicide entry into soil compared to SM and reduced consequently the fungal biomass reduction and the biosynthesis of the mycotoxin deoxyni-valenol. The modified microclimate under PM did not increase mycotoxin occurrence. In this context, PM poses no risk for an increased soil contamination, impairing soil quality. This PhD thesis demon-strated that the PM effects on soil can vary depending on time, season and soil depth, which emphasizes the importance to include soil depth and time in future studies.
Compared to semiarid and arid regions, the PM effects found in this PhD thesis were small, absent or in another way. I attributed this to the fact that PM under humid climate reduced instead of increased soil moisture and that SM had due to straw und strawberry canopy a similar ‘covering effect’ as PM. Thus, generalizing the PM effects on soil across different climates seems hardly possible as they differ in type and extent depending on climate. A differentiated consideration is hence necessary to evaluate the PM effects on soil quality. I conclude that PM under temperate, humid climate might contribute to reduce soil degradation (e.g., SOM depletion, erosion, nutrient leaching, soil compaction and soil contamina-tion), which sustains soil quality and helps to enable a sustainable agricultural intensification. However, further research is necessary (1) to support my findings on a larger scale, longer time periods and across various soil and crop types, (2) to address remaining open questions and (3) to develop optimization to overcome the critical aspects of PM (e.g. macro- and microplastic waste in soil, mulch disposal).
The decline of biodiversity can be observed worldwide and its consequences are alarming. It is therefore crucial that nature must be protected and, where possible, restored. A wide variety of different project options are possible. Yet in the context of limited availability of resources, the selection of the most efficient measures is increasingly important. For this purpose, there is still a lack of information. This pertains, as outlined in the next paragraph, in particular, to information at different scales of projects.
Firstly, there is a lack of information on the concrete added value of biodiversity protection projects. Secondly, there is a lack of information on the actual impacts of such projects and on the costs and benefits associated with a project. Finally, there is a lack of information on the links between the design of a project, the associated framework conditions and the perception of specific impacts. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by providing more information on the three scales by means of three empirical studies on three different biodiversity protection projects in order to help optimize future projects.
The first study “Assessing the trade-offs in more nature-friendly mosquito control in the Upper Rhine region” examines the added value of a more nature-friendly mosquito control in the Upper Rhine Valley of Germany using a contingent valuation method. Recent studies show that the widely used biocide Bti, which is used as the main mosquito control agent in many parts of the world, has more negative effects on nature than previously expected. However, it is not yet clear whether the population supports a more nature-friendly mosquito control, as such an adaptation could potentially lead to higher nuisance. This study attempts to answer this question by assessing the willingness to pay for an adapted mosquito control strategy that reduces the use of Bti, while maintaining nuisance protection within settlements. The results show that the majority of the surveyed population attaches a high value to a more nature-friendly mosquito control and is willing to accept a higher nuisance outside of the villages.
The second study “Inner city river restoration projects: the role of project components for acceptance” examines the acceptance of a river restoration project in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Despite much effort, many rivers worldwide are still in poor condition. Therefore, a rapid implementation of river restoration projects is of great importance. In this context, acceptance by society plays a fundamental role, however, the factors determining such acceptance are still poorly understood. In particular, the complex interplay between the acceptance or rejection of specific project components and the acceptance of the overall project require further exploration. This study addresses this knowledge gap by assessing the acceptance of the project, its various ecological and social components, and the perception of real and fictitious costs as well as the benefits of the components. Our findings demonstrate that while acceptance of the overall project is generally rather high, many respondents reject one or more of the project's components. Complementary social project components, like a playground, find less support than purely ecological components. Overall, our research shows that complementary components may increase or decrease acceptance of the overall project. We, furthermore, found that differences in the acceptance of the individual components depend on individual concerns, such as perceived flood risk, construction costs, expected noise and littering as well as the quality of communication, attachment to the site, and the age of the respondents.
The third study “What determines preferences for semi-natural habitats in agrarian landscapes? A choice-modelling approach across two countries using attributes characterizing vegetation” investigates people's aesthetic preferences for semi-natural habitats in agricultural landscapes. The EU-Common Agricultural Policy promotes the introduction of woody and grassy semi-natural habitats (SNH) in agricultural landscapes. While the benefits of these structures in terms of regulating ecosystem services are already well understood, the effects of SNH on visual landscape quality is still not clear. This study investigates the factors determining people’s visual preferences in the context of grassy and woody SNH elements in Swiss and Hungarian landscapes using picture-based choice experiments. The results suggest that respondents’ choices strongly depend on specific vegetation characteristics that appear and disappear over the year. In particular, flowers as a source of colours and green vegetation as well as ordered structure and the proportion of uncovered soil in the picture play an important role regarding respondents’ aesthetic perceptions of the pictures.
The three empirical studies can help to make future projects in the study areas of biodiversity protection more efficient. While this thesis highlights the importance of exploring biodiversity protection projects at different scales, further analyses of the different scales of biodiversity protection projects are needed to provide a sound basis to develop guidance on identifying the most efficient biodiversity protection projects.