About MacSphere

MacSphere is McMaster University's Institutional Repository (IR). The purpose of an IR is to bring together all of a University's research under one umbrella, with an aim to preserve and provide access to that research. The research and scholarly output included in MacSphere has been selected and deposited by the individual university departments and centres on campus.

To contribute to McMaster's Institutional Repository, please sign on to MacSphere with your MAC ID.

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Students wishing to deposit their PhD or Masters thesis, please follow the instructions outlined by the School of Graduate Studies.

Communities in MacSphere

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Recent Submissions

A Study of Yeast Isolates Obtained from Soil
(1953-10) Beacroft, Ralph Lewis
The isolation of yeast from ten soils with the aim of comparing their numbers with the numbers of other groups of soil microflora was undertaken. Species determinations of the yeast isolates were made and factors governing their distribution have been investigated. In addition, a study was made of the effect of certain nutritional factors on sporulation of Lipomyces starkeyi Lodder et Kreger-von Ri j, the only ascospore-forming species isolated.
Recall Using Well Known And New Relational Information
(1989-03) Snider, Andrea Beth
The thesis examined the use of two kinds of relational information in the process of recall. Previously, there has been separate study of the recall of items that share well known relations in permanent knowledge, and of items for which relations have been newly learned during study. Two approaches to explaining recall have evolved, each emphasizing the use of a different type of relational information. The thesis attempted to synthesize the two approaches into a single view of the process of recall. Experiments 1 and 2 established that the two kinds of relations are independent sources of information in memory, and that both are used in recall. Experiment 3 demonstrated that well known and new relations are used differently in recall even when they are processed in the same study episode. Experiment 4 examined how the two sources of information can be used together to maximize recall. Experiment 5 extended the findings to a different way of establishing new relations between previously unrelated items. The results suggested that the recall process makes use of whatever information is currently available in memory, including what was known previously and what was added in the course of study. It depends primarily upon any relevant permanent knowledge. If there are no permanently known relations to mediate recall, the process can occur by accessing the record of the new relation as it was formed at study. In addition, the different sorts of relations can combine forces to allow the recall of items that would not otherwise be accessible.
Rapid evidence profile #96: Effects of conscientious objection policies on quadruple-aim outcomes
(2025-10) Goodale G; Mishra S; Dass R; Ali A; Sivanesanathan T; Ciurea P; Alam S; Osorio-Bustamante D; Grewal E; Whitelaw H; Waddell K; Wilson MG
An overview of the best available research evidence from around the world (i.e., evidence syntheses) and local research evidence (i.e., single studies) and may include a scan of experiences from other countries and from Canadian provinces and territories, about the effects of conscientious objection policies on quadruple-aim outcomes in response to a decision-maker’s request.
“Well, what do girls do?”: Using the Arts to Learn Why and How Girls Engage in Activism
(2025) Bernier, Alexe
The aims of this arts-based dissertation are to highlight and better understand the experiences of girls who are engaged in activism. Inspired by years of community social work practice with girls, I came to this project with the firsthand knowledge that girls were working hard to create change in their schools, communities, and beyond. I also saw through my community practice that girls’ efforts were often patronized, ignored, and not taken seriously. The goal of this project was, therefore, to showcase and learn about the social and environmental change work of girls, including what motivated, helped, and hindered them in their political pursuits. My dissertation was guided by a critical childhood citizenship theoretical framework, which I developed by integrating theoretical concepts from critical childhood studies and critical citizenship studies. Methodologically informed by principles of feminist participatory action research, I engaged nine girls, aged 8-12 years, from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (Ontario, Canada) in individual semi-structured qualitative interviews and arts-based focus groups. Girls who participated in this study thus had opportunities to both individually and collectively articulate their key concerns and tensions as related to their engagement with gender and activism. Study findings illuminate why gender matters when thinking about girls’ activism and citizenship. More specifically, these study findings elucidate the gendered nuances of citizenship, the impacts of feminist and postfeminist tensions on girls’ social and environmental change work, and what may constitute “good” and “bad” citizenship for girls. This co-created knowledge makes meaningful contributions to child-centred research, social work research and practice, and the broader study of girls’ citizenship. It is my dream that this work inspires others to take girls seriously as citizens and change-makers, seek out and centre their perspectives and knowledge, and to turn to them as collaborators and co-conspirators as we work towards more socially and environmentally just worlds.
THE ROLE OF EXTERNAL MEMBERS IN COMPETENCE COMMITTEES
(2026) Eskandar Nadeen
Introduction: Competency-based medical education (CBME) is transforming residency training by emphasizing outcomes, including the knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours required for high quality patient care. In Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) has implemented Competence by Design (CBD) as its national CBME framework. Within CBD, competence committees (CCs) play a critical role in reviewing residents’ progress and making decisions about their advancement. An increasing number of residency programs have begun to include external members in their CC meetings, such as faculty from other departments, researchers, or non-physician healthcare providers (e.g., nurses or social workers). However, scholarly attention to how program CC members and residents perceive external members and the challenges external CC members encounter has been limited. Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted at McMaster University across multiple residency programs. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with program CC members, external members, and residents, as well as direct observations of CC meetings. All interviews were transcribed, and data were analyzed inductively using Yin’s “working your data from the ground up” strategy. Transcripts were coded and organized; themes were iteratively developed, reviewed, and refined. Results: Five themes were developed: 1) Multiple models and roles of external CC members, 2) Preference for one type of external CC member’s expertise over another, 3) External CC members as promoters of integrity, 4) Facilitators for the inclusion of vi external CC members in CCs, and 5) Practical challenges and structural constraints in the inclusion process of external members in CCs. Conclusion: The findings of this work confirm that external CC members are perceived to be a positive addition to CCs, enhancing decision-making processes. The findings have also identified multiple facilitators and challenges to the inclusion of external members in CCs.

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