Welcome to UWISpace, The University of the West Indies Institutional Repository for Research and Scholarship
This archive was established by the UWI Libraries to support the dissemination of knowledge by providing open access to the digitally preserved intellectual output of the University. Here we aim to collect together in one place the research and scholarship of members of the UWI community. UWISpace provides a platform for the collection, organisation, access and preservation of scholarly information in digital formats.
Departments and individuals wishing to deposit their research material in the UWISpace archive can email the administrators, or phone (868) 662 2002, Exts. 84419, 82241, 82215 at The Alma Jordan Library, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.
All items in the UWISpace repository are protected by original copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Courtesy: The Caribbean Charts and Engravings Circa 1555-1818. The Alma Jordan Library. The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Communities in UWISpace
Select a community to browse its collections.
Recent Submissions
Essays on disability in Trinidad
(2019) Parey, Bephyer
Persons with disabilities are counted among the poorest in society because they are continuously excluded from mainstream activities such as education and employment. The aim of this thesis is to examine the existing situation regarding the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Trinidad. This is done through four separate studies investigating teachers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of children with disabilities in regular schools, accommodations in regular schools, well-being achievement among working-age persons with disabilities, and employers’ attitudes towards the inclusion of working-age persons in open employment. A mixed methods approach is used in each study to gain a deeper understanding of the situation. This and examination of the results through a critical theory lens provides information for policy recommendations regarding successful inclusion of persons with disabilities in Trinidad.
Estimation of value of travel time in Trinidad and Tobago
(2018) Stephen, Jevan Keston John
Given the local economic climate, new ways have to be sought to fund public sector infrastructure development. In the past, government administrations have shown an interest in implementing toll roads to provide the necessary aid for highway capital investments. However, critical to the success of such initiatives is the determination of the value of travel time to effectively assess their viability. This study utilized stated preference methods to determine the local value of travel time. A questionnaire was developed that incorporated a stated preference survey that involved binary choices between faster, expensive travel options and slower, cheaper ones and also captured socioeconomic data and work trip characteristics of the respondents. It was administered using convenience sampling via the Whatsapp mobile messaging app. To develop the survey, a preliminary estimate of value of travel time was the wage rate was made based on both national Gross Domestic Product and average income data. Analysis of the descriptive data revealed that the sample was biased as a result of the distribution methods. Due to the nature of the stated preference survey, the data was analyzed using binary logistic regression for which the parameters were determined using the maximum likelihood method. The overall value of travel time estimate obtained was found to be reasonable in comparison to the wage rate calculated using Gross Domestic Product. Further subgroup analyses done using the socioeconomic data and trip characteristics collected showed trends similar other studies done, particularly for variations in income, travel distance, and mode of travel. It was also found that congested travel and time constraints during the work trip also influenced the values of travel time observed for some of the subgroups
Ethnobotanical, morphological, genetic, and physicochemical studies on breadfruit [Artocarpus Altilis (Parkinson Fosberg] in the Caribbean
(2018) Daley, Oral Orlanda
Food and nutrition insecurity and high prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases are major concerns in tropical regions. The high-yielding but underutilised tropical food crop breadfruit [Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg] has potential to help address these issues in the Caribbean. However, the diversity of its germplasm in the region is unclear, which negatively affects greater utilisation. This study explored traditional knowledge, morphological, sensory, biochemical and molecular characteristics of existing Caribbean breadfruit accessions (ECA) and newly introduced breadfruit accessions (NIA) to facilitate cultivar identification and selection for commercialisation. Among ECA, over 44 vernacular names were recorded in a survey in selected Caribbean countries. These names were often associated with phenotypic characteristics such as fruit skin texture and pulp colour. Based on 49 quantitative and qualitative descriptors, high phenotypic variability was observed among ECA and NIA in an ex situ breadfruit gene bank in Trinidad and Tobago and the diversity has been expanded by NIA. Principal component analysis showed that fruit skin texture and skin colour were the predominant phenotypic traits in grouping breadfruit accessions. Molecular studies using ten microsatellite markers created two groups among 95 breadfruit samples based on genetic similarity. Average nucleotide diversity and nucleotide polymorphism were estimated as 0.159 and 0.279, respectively, indicating low to moderate genetic diversity in the breadfruit samples. Sensory and instrumental assessment showed that some NIA were very similar to the preferred ECA ‘Yellow’ regarding pulp colour and skin texture. Resistant starch (RS) was significantly different (p<0.001) among 21 breadfruit cultivars and ranged from 28.16 g/100 g to 50.53 g/100 g. As a consequence of the high RS in most cultivars, dietary fibre content and energy density were shown to be higher and lower, respectively, than previously reported, which supports promotion of breadfruit as a starchy staple for the management of diet-related non-communicable disease such as type 2 diabetes.
The contribution of the PAOC and PAWI to the development of Pentocostalism in Trinidad 1920-2002
(2018) Murray, Aakeil
This study was conducted to determine the role of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC), and its successor institution, the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI), in solidifying a strong Pentecostal presence on the island of Trinidad over the course of the 20th century. With other Pentecostals operating on the island during the same period, this work explains how the PAOC and PAWI was able to evolve and emerge as the premier Pentecostal organization, largely responsible for developing Pentecostalism on the island. It explains how religious revivalism in late 19th century and early 20th century North America, led to the permanence of Pentecostalism on the global religious landscape and triggered the formation of Pentecostal organizations such as the PAOC that subsequently exported and established the religion in Trinidad. The thesis shows that the success of the PAOC and PAWI in developing Pentecostalism on the island was primarily due to the appeal of the various facets of the religion to the Trinidadian population and the implementation of several evangelistic strategies by its missionaries and local workers. It assesses how these features of the faith and the strategies of the institution under different leadership, enabled the religion to grow numerically, infrastructurally and in popularity across the island, leading to its establishment and expansion during the 20th century
Within and beyond the nation reading the postnationalist condition in selected works of Salman Rushdie
(2017) Khan, Saadiqa
This dissertation examines the postnationalist condition in the Indian sub-continent and its diasporic sites within selected works of Salman Rushdie using a cultural memory approach. It argues that this cultural intervention is invaluable to conversations on postnationalism. The key issues of global-local relationships, the Indian post nation, a revised approach to human rights and gender rights in Shalimar the Clown, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Satanic Verses, and Shame are interrogated and revisited through modified cultural memory concepts. This perspective expands the parameters of both postnationalist and cultural memory theories while affirming the importance of cross-disciplinary approaches within literary research.