| 1. |
- Larsson, Johanna, 1986-
(författare)
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Trainee teacher identities in the discourses of physics teacher education : Going against the flow of university physics
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates what is involved in being recognized as a legitimate physics teacher-to-be in a Swedish physics teacher programme. Drawing on in-depth, qualitative interviews with 17 physics teacher educators and 17 trainee physics teachers, this thesis sees learning to become a physics teacher as a process of performing professional identities. It demonstrates aligning discourses of educators and trainees, and outlines a number of challenges that trainees have to negotiate when learning to become physics teachers.The first part of the project analyzes the discourses of teacher educators. Four discourse models are identified which demonstrate how the talk of physics lecturers portrays the default goal of learning physics as becoming a researcher. Choosing to become a teacher in this system, means diverting from the expected path of a physics student, and moving backwards towards school physics. In such a system, trainee physics teachers are described as less competent and ambitious than other physics students, and can be understood to be incomprehensibly “going against the flow” of university physics by aiming towards school physics.The second part of the project shows how physics courses are experienced by the trainee physics teachers as primarily meeting the needs of other student groups. The educators’ talk about trainee teachers as less competent and ambitious is mirrored by trainees who see no incentive to try hard for good results. The analysis shows a physics study culture that emphasises brilliance and nerdiness, resulting in a passive classroom culture and high stress. Deepened analysis of the identity negotiations of three female interviewees shows how trainee teachers are resourceful in navigating this study culture. Combining positions of feminine woman, trainee teacher, and physics student, these students create practices of relaxed and constructive physics learning that challenge the elitist physics discourse.The education of physics teachers is important for many reasons. There are projected shortages of trained teachers, and physics teachers have the power to affect how physics, a field that is lacking diversity, is perceived by young people. By exploring how becoming a physics teacher is entangled with discourses of competence, femininity, and the status of the physics discipline this thesis takes a novel approach to the education of physics teachers. The findings suggest that physics faculty in their role as teacher educators examine assumptions about physics teacher education and trainee physics teachers, and can be used to empower trainee physics teachers to challenge norms of brilliance and masculinity in physics.
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| 2. |
- Öhrlund, Isak, 1988-
(författare)
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Demand Side Response : Exploring How and Why Users Respond to Signals Aimed at Incentivizing a Shift of Electricity Use in Time
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- With increased weather-dependent electricity production and electrification at the heart of the ongoing transition away from fossil fuels, peaks in electricity demand are set to increase and become increasingly difficult to meet, which threatens the functioning of the electric power systems that our society depends on. Time-varying electricity rates, which aim to incentivize electricity users to shift their electricity use in time, have been proposed as a key instrument in alleviating grid imbalances and bottlenecks. Previous research has found that users respond to such rates by shifting their electricity use in time, but there is great variability in the observed response between studies that remains unexplained. In other words, it is unclear how and why users respond to time-varying rates, and thus how these so called demand side response policies should be designed to provide the best results.This thesis aims to improve our understanding of how and why (not) time-varying rates work by exploring how users respond to both price and non-price signals that aim to incentivize a shift of electricity use in time, and what motivates, discourages, enables and hinders them to respond. This is done through four separate studies that are carried out in contexts where users have been involuntarily subjected to interventions that aim to incentivize demand side response. Using several novel methods, research designs and understudied empirical contexts, the studies also illustrate how biases that are commonly observed in the literature can be avoided and how intervention effects that often remain overlooked can be captured.The results suggest that users may hold different motives to respond to signals that aim to incentivize a shift of electricity use in time, including non-financial motives such as a care for the environment and a will to meet the expectations of others. The rhythms and schedules of people’s everyday lives are identified as the most important hindrances for people to engage in demand side response. Notably, there is no evident relationship between how much money users may save by responding to a signal and their actual response. Many users do hold expectations of saving money and claim to engage in demand side response as a result of those expectations, but the fact that users are rarely (if ever) informed of whether their expectations are met or not suggests that many users may actually be willing to engage in demand side response with little or no financial reward. However, there is a risk that users who expect to save money may refrain from or stop engaging in demand side response if their expectations are not met, which poses a potential threat to the long-run effectiveness of conventional price-based demand response programs. There is also a risk that users who primarily hold non-financial motives may be discouraged to engage in demand side response if monetary savings is the key selling point of demand response programs. Policymakers, professionals and researchers should explore these risks and alternative policies that address them, particularly policies that may be more appealing to users that hold non-financial motives to engage in demand side response. Doing so will be key to ensure that current and future demand side response policies are cost-efficient and effective, both today and tomorrow.
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| 3. |
- Grande, Virginia, 1987-
(författare)
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That's How We Role! A Framework for Role Modeling in Computing and Engineering Education : A Focus on the Who, What, How, and Why
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Role model is a term used in everyday language and literature on education, particularly on diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, describing topics such as motivation and inspiration. However, role model, as a loosely defined concept, is understood and used in different ways. This shows the need for a shared vocabulary and structure to scaffold nuanced reflections and discussions on the who, what, how, and why of role modeling. This thesis describes the development of a framework for role modeling in computing and engineering education. It is focused on the role model’s perspective and is of particular use for educators as role models for students, although it can be used for others in this context.Educators were interviewed and surveyed, and the analysis comprised a phenomenographic approach, thematic coding analysis, argumentation, descriptive statistics, and group comparisons.The framework includes the dimensions of awareness and intention of role modeling. All educators are potential role models, regardless of whether we are aware of what we are role modeling and whether we intend for this to be emulated.What can be modeled is presented as achievements and aspects. As lenses to reflect on which ones a teacher should role model, we bring virtue ethics, care ethics, and ethics of freedom. Context and norms matter in role modeling, such as in who is a role model, as we argue for using research on identity and the history of computing. We provide examples of how and why educators role model (or not) care, emotions, and professional competencies outside norms in the disciplines. This thesis broadens how we understand and discuss role modeling in research and practice, including what can be modeled and obstacles to it. Practical examples (including reflection prompts) of how to use the framework are included for educators and other practitioners.
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| 4. |
- Hanh, Tong Thi Hai
(författare)
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Income diversification as a response to social-ecological traps : A case study of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in the Tam Giang lagoon, Central Viet Nam
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Many small-scale fishing and aquaculture households in the global South struggle with reinforcing feedbacks between resource degradation and livelihood impoverishment – a situation that is often resembled to a social-ecological trap. Studies suggest that facilitation of income diversification contributes to mitigation and even prevention of trap situations as it reduces exploitation pressure while at the same time makes the households’ livelihood more resilient. Understanding of how income diversification of small-scale fishing and aquaculture households has impacted on social-ecological traps, what impedes or enables income diversification, and how government facilitates income diversification, is crucial to develop effective policies and actions to facilitate sustainable development of small-scale fishing and aquaculture households. Using the Tam Giang lagoon, Viet Nam as a case study, this thesis finds that small-scale fishing and aquaculture households maintain varied income portfolios, including mobile fishing, fixed fishing, earth pond aquaculture, net-enclosed aquaculture, cage aquaculture, and paid labour. Diversification of their income helps to improve the households’ well-being. However, as these different income activities still depend on ecologies from one and the same natural environment, the strategy of income diversification accelerates the deterioration of the lagoon, which in turn impoverishes the well-being of its users. As a result, income diversification in this context produces and reinforces a social-ecological trap. This finding suggests that the households need to develop income activities that either depend in radically different ways on aquatic ecologies, or draw sufficiently on other than aquatic ecologies to escape the trap. Yet, both of these options are in practice hard to realize because people lack abilities e.g. education, labour skills, and alternative job opportunities to do so. The households in the Tam Giang lagoon are in need of support to improve their abilities and job opportunities to engage in alternative livelihoods. But these supports need to consider generational differences within households and the specific social and ecological contexts in which households are situated. For example, fishers and aquaculturists should be provided local-based alternative income activities to supplement their fisheries and aquaculture income. Meanwhile, their children should be improved their education and labour skills to engage in alternative jobs to exit fisheries and aquaculture. In this regard, this thesis finds that fisheries agencies are often unable to provide these supports. They need to enrich their understanding of social-ecological situations and aspirations of fishing and aquaculture households and their generational differences; improve their lack of motivation, commitment, and capacity; gain support from local governments to successfully support these households.
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| 5. |
- Mondino, Elena, 1993-
(författare)
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Changes in Hydrological Risk Perception and Implications for Disaster Risk Reduction
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Economic losses caused by hydrological extremes, such as floods and droughts, are exacerbating because of increased anthropogenic activities and global environmental changes. Understanding how individuals and communities interact with hydrological extremes thus becomes fundamental to develop effective strategies for disaster risk reduction. Risk perception plays an important role in determining how individuals and communities respond to the occurrence of an extreme event. This thesis aims at addressing aspects of risk perception that remain largely unknown. They include: i) how flood risk perceptions change over time, ii) the role of previous experiences, and iii) how the perception of flood risk relates to the perception of other natural hazards, such as droughts. The work is based on survey data collected in different study areas – both in Italy and Sweden at the local and national scales – via longitudinal as well as cross-sectional approaches. In relation to the three main objectives, this thesis found that: i) flood risk perceptions evolve differently over time depending on social groups; ii) different types of previous experiences with floods directly influence specific facets of risk perception, with knowledge deriving from the experience also playing an important role; iii) flood risk perception is heavily intertwined with drought risk perception. These results have policy and theoretical implications. Concerning the former, they can inform disaster risk reduction efforts in terms of risk communication and promote an integrated management of hydrological risk. As for the latter, they stress the importance of taking social heterogeneity into account when modelling the interaction between the social and the hydrological spheres, as this can influence the community’s response to extreme events. Fostering human adaptation to climate extremes is a priority. This thesis argues that adaptation can be achieved by promoting the awareness that not only are we at risk, but also that we have the means to address the risk.
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| 6. |
- Samuelsson, Christopher Robin, 1989-
(författare)
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Resourceful students : Engaging students in active and systematic investigations in laboratories involving thermal phenomena
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis focuses on students’ engagement in inquiry-based laboratory learning environments. The aim of the research is to explore what it is that makes students active and systematic in these types of lab learning environments. Two theoretical frameworks, social semiotics and the resources framework, are combined to describe how students activate and employ different types of resources (conceptual, epistemological and semiotic resources) in such learning environments. The thesis provides a model, the generalized resources triangle, which is used to synthesize ideas of the two theoretical frameworks. The concept of a barrier is introduced to emphasize resources that are in conflict with, inhibit or distract other resources that may be relevant for the learning environment. The thesis is based on five (I-V) publications (four empirical papers and one book chapter). Data for the individual empirical publications (II-V) have been gathered through video recording. The methods for analyzing the processed and raw data included multimodal conversation analysis and thematic analysis. The thesis argues that active engagement relates to how novel an encountered phenomenon is and how well students recognize the phenomenon. Several resources support students’ active engagement, primarily conceptual and semiotic resources (with a basis in an exploratory frame as an epistemological resource). Additionally, some of the conceptual resources (exemplars), instantiations of an exploratory frame (e.g. exploratory talk) and the employment of tools that afford instant inquiry, such as infrared cameras, can be used as indicators of active engagement. Importantly, the thesis also argues that students’ own systematic engagement relates to their epistemological resources, and the semiotic resources that mediate the epistemological resources. In particular, three epistemological resources that support students’ systematic engagement are identified: An exploratory frame, metacognitive reflection and procedural self-regulation (toward an inquiry-based approach). These resources are mainly practiced and developed by students’ engagement with inquiry-based activities and potentially also through education on learning and development (such as courses included in teacher education). The thesis includes a discussion about how the different types of resources can be used in addressing different types of challenges during inquiry-based labs: The activation of conceptual resources can be used as a short-term solution but a more long-term solution involves activation of epistemological resources. The thesis concludes by relating the findings of the thesis to the practice of teachers, that is, implications for teaching.
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