| 1. |
- Abraham, Getahun Yacob
(författare)
-
Education for Democracy? : Life Orientation: Lessons on Leadeship Qualities and Voting in South African Comprehensive Schools
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This study takes as its starting point how teachers understand, interpret and teach social development aspects of Life Orientation in South African comprehensive schools. The specific focus is on lessons on leadership qualities and voting for third grade learners in four schools, each dominated by either Black, Coloured, White or mixed groups of learners. Field work with an ethnographic approach and a qualitative strategy was used to gain access to empirical data. Policy and curriculum documents, guidelines and textbooks were used. Classroom observations in four classes and interviews with 14 third grade teachers were conducted. Theoretical concepts of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction are applied. Ulf P Lundgren’s Frame Factor Theory is used to study school organization. Basil Bernstein’s Pedagogical Devices are considered when examining the different levels of pedagogical activities. To be a teacher in South Africa one needs to attend at least two years of teacher education after completing high school. Teachers in the classes studied underwent their teacher education during apartheid years. Due to limited in-service training, they sometimes experience problems of understanding and interpreting the learning area, which they usually tackle by consulting documents, colleagues or school authorities. The learners’ understanding varied based on their family background and type of school they attended. There were enormous differences in material, financial and organisational resources between classes and schools. The resources for teaching leadership qualities and voting were not, however, different between the classes. The lessons were teacher dominated and direct transmission was used as a method. The way teachers facilitated the lesson on leadership qualities and voting varied but all showed some democratic shortcomings. Apart from answering questions, learners were neither invited nor encouraged to participate to further their understanding of the theme. Limited aspects of leadership qualities were discussed, individual leaders’ roles were emphasised and the teachers picked candidates for class leaders in three of the classes. It was also evident that the class environments were not suitable for critical or creative thinking and democratic upbringing. The schools reproduced norms, values, languages and cultures of the different groups. Officially, teachers emphasised the common national South African identity. This emphasis on national identity could disguise the injustice some groups experience in society.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ahlgren, Per
(författare)
-
The effects of indexing strategy-query term combination on retrieval effectiveness in a Swedish full text database
- 2004
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with Swedish full text retrieval and the problem of morphological variation of query terms in the document database. The study is an information retrieval experiment with a test collection. While no Swedish test collection was available, such a collection was constructed. It consists of a document database containing 161,336 news articles, and 52 topics with four-graded (0, 1, 2, 3) relevance assessments. The effects of indexing strategy-query term combination on retrieval effectiveness were studied. Three of five tested methods involved indexing strategies that used conflation, in the form of normalization. Further, two of these three combinations used indexing strategies that employed compound splitting. Normalization and compound splitting were performed by SWETWOL, a morphological analyzer for the Swedish language. A fourth combination attempted to group related terms by right hand truncation of query terms. A search expert performed the truncation. The four combinations were compared to each other and to a baseline combination, where no attempt was made to counteract the problem of morphological variation of query terms in the document database. Two situations were examined in the evaluation: the binary relevance situation and the multiple degree relevance situation. With regard to the binary relevance situation, where the three (positive) relevance degrees (1, 2, 3) were merged into one, and where precision was used as evaluation measure, the four alternative combinations outperformed the baseline. The best performing combination was the combination that used truncation. This combination performed better than or equal to a median precision value for 41 of the 52 topics. One reason for the relatively good performance of the truncation combination was the capacity of its queries to retrieve different parts of speech. In the multiple degree relevance situation, where the three (positive) relevance degrees were retained, retrieval effectiveness was taken to be the accumulated gain the user receives by examining the retrieval result up to given positions. The evaluation measure used was nDCG (normalized cumulated gain with discount). This measure credits retrieval methods that (1) rank highly relevant documents higher than less relevant ones, and (2) rank relevant (of any degree) documents high. With respect to (2), nDCG involves a discount component: a discount with regard to the relevance score of a relevant (of any degree) document is performed, and this discount is greater and greater, the higher position the document has in the ranked list of retrieved documents. In the multiple degree relevance situation, the five combinations were evaluated under four different user scenarios, where each scenario simulated a certain user type. Again, the four alternative combinations outperformed the baseline, for each user scenario. The truncation combination had the best performance under each user scenario. This outcome agreed with the performance result in the binary relevance situation. However, there were also differences between the two relevance situations. For 25 percent of the topics and with regard to one of the four user scenarios, the set of best performing combinations in the binary relevance situation was disjunct from the set of best performing combinations in the multiple degree relevance situation. The user scenario in question was such that almost all importance was placed on highly relevant documents, and the discount was sharp. The main conclusion of the thesis is that normalization and right hand truncation (performed by a search expert) enhanced retrieval effectiveness in comparison to the baseline, irrespective of which of the two relevance situations we consider. Further, the three indexing strategy-query term combinations based on normalization were almost as good as the combination that involves truncation. This holds for both relevance situations.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ahlstrom, Linda
(författare)
-
Improving Work Ability and Return to Work among Women on Long-term Sick Leave
- 2014
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to gain new knowledge of factors and interventions that improve work ability and return to work (RTW) among women on long-term sick leave from human service organizations (HSOs). The specific aims of the studies were: to evaluate the associations between the self-rated Work Ability Index (WAI) and Work Ability Score (WAS), and the relationship with prospective sick leave, symptoms, and health (Paper I); to investigate whether intervention with myofeedback training or intensive muscular strength training could decrease pain and increase work ability among women with neck pain (Paper II); to examine the associations between workplace rehabilitation and the combination of supportive conditions at work with work ability and RTW over time (Paper III); and to explore experiences, views, and strategies in the rehabilitation process for RTW (Paper IV). This thesis is based on a prospective cohort study (n=324) and a randomized controlled study (RCT) (n=60, participants with neck pain). Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The data collection consisted of questionnaires, laboratory-observed data, register-based data, and interviews. The results showed a very strong association between WAI and WAS, and results predicted future sick leave degree, health-related quality of life, vitality, neck pain, self-rated general health, self-rated mental health, behavioral stress, and current stress (Paper I). In the RCT (Paper II), individuals in the myofeedback intervention group increased their vitality and work ability over time and individuals in the intensive musculoskeletal strength training group increased their WAI, WAS, and mental health over time. WAI, WAS, and RTW increased over time among individuals provided with workplace rehabilitation and supportive conditions at work (Paper III) such as a sense of feeling welcome back at work, influence at work, possibilities for development, degree of freedom at work, meaning of work, quality of leadership, social support, sense of community, and work satisfaction. Women described (Paper IV) how they were striving to work and how they had different views, strategies, and approaches in the rehabilitation process for RTW. They expressed a desire to work, their goals for work, and their wishes for work. In the rehabilitation process for RTW they described their interaction with stakeholders as either controlling the interaction or struggling in the interaction. They described strategies to cope with RTW in terms of yo-yo (fluctuating) working: yo-yo working as a strategy or yo-yo working as a consequence. This thesis identifies factors of importance in improving work ability and RTW among women on long-term sick leave from HSOs. For women with neck pain, the intervention study showed feasibility of the intervention and demonstrated improved work ability and decreased pain (Paper II). The intensive muscular strength training program, which is easy for the individual to learn and perform at home, was associated with increased work ability. The results regarding rehabilitation highlight the importance of integrating workplace rehabilitation with supportive conditions at work to increase work ability and improve RTW (Paper III). Women expressed that they were striving to work and that they wanted to work (Paper IV). These women were “going in and out” of work participation (yo-yo working) as a way to handle the rehabilitation process. For assessing the status and progress of work ability among women on long-term sick leave, the single-question WAS may be used as a compliment to the full WAI as a simple indicator (Paper I).
|
|
| 4. |
- Aldrin, Viktor, 1980-
(författare)
-
Prayer in Peasant Communities : Ideals and Practices of Prayer in the Late Medieval Ecclesiastical Province of Uppsala, Sweden
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study has been to identify, explain and delineate praying among peasant communities in the ecclesiastical province of Uppsala, Sweden. Four aspects have been examined through the perspectives of ideals and practices, namely the standards of prayer, devotional prayer, prayer in times of need and prayer cultures. The standards of prayer considered the physical and mental behaviour of the praying peasant woman or man. The most ordinary way to act during prayer was to stand with hands together, palm against palm, and to pray in the vernacular often using mental themes to enhance the devotion. Devotional prayers were foremost the three ‘standard’ prayers Paternoster, Hail Mary and Apostolic Creed, and could be used separately or combined. Prayer in times of need was possibly considered a matter of praying to saints, something that cannot be proven to have been either practiced or recommended on other, ordinary occasions where God and the Virgin Mary were considered the proper recipients of prayer. A few authentic prayers exist that were possibly said by peasant women and men in connection with miracles and these show the ability to construct elaborate prayers and to propose businesslike agreements with saints. These three prayers were required knowledge for a peasant woman or man and were put to the test in order to become a godparent, and were therefore made available in the vernacular by the parish priests. Ways to maintain the prayer cultures were through mnemonic techniques, and indulgences stipulating and confirming prayers used or to be used in connection with certain churches, days and places within the churches. Name saints could also be used, since the person and the name saint were considered to have a special bond. Prayer could also be used as protection for the living; since a prayer was considered to generate either merits or favours from a celestial patron to his or her client. The prayer life of those belonging to peasant communities was both elaborate and full of nuances.
|
|
| 5. |
- Andersson Malmros, Robin
(författare)
-
Translating grand challenges into municipal organizing : Prevention of terrorism, extremism, and radicalization in Scandinavia
- 2022
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates why and how municipalities organize to address grand challenges. Previous research shows that municipalities have increased their policymaking and organizing in relation to grand challenges, often without any national regulations forcing them to do so. The rationales, processes, and mechanisms underpinning this type of municipal voluntarism are understudied. The research is based on the case of Scandinavian municipalities and their efforts to prevent terrorism, extremism, and radicalization (TER). From playing a miniscule role in Scandinavian counter-terrorism policies until the 2010s, municipal employees such as teachers, social workers, and youth workers have in current practice become the backbone of the fight against TER. Municipalities generally have little or no strategic or practical experience of preventing TER, resulting in extensive uncertainty and ambiguity as to how to organize the relevant efforts. In this thesis, the process leading from grand challenge to municipal organizing is framed as a translation process. The analysis uses concepts from sociological institutional theory and social movement studies, and is informed by data from newspaper articles, municipal policies, interviews, and observations. The findings are presented in four papers. This thesis shows how the decentralization of a grand challenge from being an international or national to a municipal responsibility is a multi-layered, highly discursive translation process that is dependent on reframing a challenge as a local one. Regarding TER, the local frame was based on a new institutional vocabulary, triggered and legitimized by critical events, which elite actors used to localize the grand challenge. Once localized, institutional pressure was exerted on municipalities to organize preventive efforts. While institutional pressure caused rapid organizational activity, it also led to the ambiguous translation and editing of concepts and preventive approaches with unintended, paradoxical, and problematic consequences. Many of the observed organizing activities centered on rhetorical efforts to legitimize the challenge and its associated concepts and practices. This was a consequence of the grand challenge being contested locally, since it introduced a new institutional logic that conflicted with those dominating the local institutional context.
|
|
| 6. |
- Axelsson, Christer
(författare)
-
Evaluation of various strategies to improve outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with particular focus on mechanical chest compressions
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills vary among health care professionals. A previous study revealed that chest compressions were only performed half the time in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Field conditions and fatigue could be possible explanations. The aim of this thesis was to study the impact of the introduction of mechanical chest compression in OHCA according to survival and its usability and b) passive leg raising (PLR), to augment the artificial circulation, during CPR. ... mer Methods: This thesis is based on a pilot study conducted in the Gothenburg/Mölndal and Södertälje Emergency Medical Service systems in 2003-2005. Witnessed OHCA (adult >18 years) received either mechanical (n=159) or manual (n=169) chest compressions. The pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) has been shown to correlate with cardiac output (CO) during CPR. To compare the effect of the different strategies, the PETCO2 was measured, during CPR, with standardised ventilation. Result: PLR during CPR increased the PETCO2 value within 30 seconds. Mechanical active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR, compared with manual compressions, produced the highest mean of initial, minimum and average values of PETCO2. However, mechanical chest compressions did not appear to result in improved survival. Clinical circumstances such as unidentified cardiac arrests (CAs) resulted in a large drop-out in the intervention group or a late start to the intervention in relation to CA. The late start meant that the intervention targeted a high-risk population with a low chance of survival. The majority of identified CAs were coded by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) according to symptoms (usually unconsciousness), while the minority were coded according to the diagnosis of CA. Patients coded according to the diagnosis of CA had an earlier start of CPR, a higher rate of bystander CPR and a tendency toward higher survival rates. Conclusion: Since PLR during CPR appears to improve circulation after OHCA, larger studies are needed to evaluate its potential effects on survival. Compared with manual compressions, mechanical ACD CPR produces probably the most effective CPR. However, different clinical circumstances make the device difficult to study outside hospital. Coding a CA according to diagnosis rather than symptoms appears to improve the out-of-hospital care.
|
|
| 7. |
- Bajqinca, Nuhi
(författare)
-
Mother Tongue Education - The Interest of a Nation. A policy study in Sweden 1957-2017.
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This doctoral thesis is a policy study about mother tongue education policies as they have developed historically in Sweden.The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate the policies of mother tongue education from 1957 to 2017, focusing on how Swedish nation-state politics and societal change characterized the status and positioning of mother tongue education in the Swedish school system.
|
|
| 8. |
- Bergh, Anne-Louise
(författare)
-
Sjuksköterskors patientundervisande arbete : Ett otydligt fält
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim: The overall aim of this thesis is to explore, describe and critically assess conditions for nurses’ patient education work. This was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the aim was to describe nurses’ experiences and perceptions of patient education work in relation to organisation, environment, professional cooperation and pedagogical competence, as well as describe differences between primary, municipal and hospital care. In the second stage, the aim was to identify discourses in the ways managers speak of the conditions for nurses’ patient education work in primary and hospital care.Methods: In studies I and II, a randomised selection of nurses (842) received a questionnaire of 47 items concerning factual experiences and perceptions patient education, and 13 background items. Questionnaires were returned by 83 % of the participants. The items concerned organisation, environment, professional cooperation (I), and pedagogical competence (II). Descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and content analysis for open-ended items were used. In studies III and IV, data was collected from three focus group interviews with managers (n=10) in hospital care, and three focus groups interviews with managers (n=10) in primary care. An explorative, qualitative design with a social constructionist perspective was used. The data was analysed with a critical discourse analysis.Results: Nurses’ perceptions of conditions for patient education differ between healthcare settings, in favour of primary care (I, II). The nurses in primary care had better conditions and more managerial support, for example in the allocation of uninterrupted time (I). The primary care nurses had an advantage in relation to those in municipal or hospital care when it came to following research in patient education as well as how they perceived their own competences, pedagogical education and post graduate specialisations (II). Due to a heavy workload and a lack of time, the managers in hospital care could neither see the importance of their role as a supporter of the patient education provided by the nurses nor their role in the development of the nurses’ pedagogical competence. The managers used (mainly) organisational, financial, medical and legal discourses for explaining their failure to support the nurses’ providing patient education (III). The discursive practice in primary care comprised a discourse order of economic, medical, organisational and didactic discourses. The economic discourse was the predominant one, to which the organisation had to adjust. The medical discourse was self-evident and unquestioned. The managers initiated reorganisations, generally due to financial constraints. The nurses’ pedagogical competence development was unclear. Practicebased experiences of patient education were considered very important, whereas theoretical pedagogical knowledge was considered less important (IV).Conclusions: Nurses’ patient education work must be made visible and be given sufficient resources. In this process, support from their managers is considered vital. Managers’ support for nurses’ practical and theory-based pedagogical competence development needs to be strengthened.
|
|
| 9. |
- Bång, Angela
(författare)
-
Emergency medical dispatch. The first medical response for life-threatening conditions. Assessment and invention of patients with chest pain and/or suspected cardiac arrest
- 2002
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aims: To describe the Emergency Medical Dispatcher's (EMDs) possibility of assessment and intervention of patients reported having chest pain and/or cardiac arrest, with regard to identification of the problem, priority-decision, provision of instructions in dispatcher-assisted bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the subsequent outcome in terms of final diagnosis and survival. Methods: Prospective and retrospective observational studies based on registrations made by EMDs in case record forms (during two months, 1993), and in the dispatch protocol (27 months, 1994-1996) and subsequent follow-up in ambulance and hospital files. Evaluations of tape recordings of emergency calls to the EMS dispatch centre, concerning patients treated for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (99 calls/1986, 100 calls/2000-2001). A qualitative study was used to describe the EMDs perceptions of identifying cardiac arrest, offer and provide instructions in CPR to callers. Ten EMDs were approached for face-to-face interviews in 1997. Results: Among 503 patients reporting chest pain, 68% were judged as having severe chest pain, of which 26% developed acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as compared with 13% among patients judged as having only vague chest pain (p = 0.0004). The EMDs had a strong suspicion of AMI in 36%, a moderate suspicion of AMI in 34%, and a vague or no suspicion in 30%. Among patients with a strong suspicion of AMI, 29% subsequently developed AMI compared with 18% among patients with a moderate suspicion, and 15% among patients with only a vague or no suspicion of AMI (p< 0.001). The study sample size was too small to evaluate the predictive value of various associated symptoms accompanying chest pain. The priority level was similar in patients with and without a life-threatening condition (81% vs. 73% receiving the highest priority). In patients with cardiac arrest outside hospital, more attention should be paid to the detection of these patients by the EMDs, however, when the EMDs had a suspicion, their accuracy was high. Half of witnesses accepted an offer of instructions in CPR, and one-third completed dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR. The comparison between no performance and performance of dispatcher-assisted bystander CPR, suggests an increase in survival from 6% to 9%. Among suspected cardiac arrest cases, EMDs offer CPR instruction to only a small fraction of callers, with an accomplishment in all, of ~8%. However, 30-50% of suspected cardiac arrest cases seemed eligible to be approached with such an offer. A major obstacle was the presentation of suspected agonal breathing, which was estimated to occur in about 30%, and was described as: difficulties breathing, poorly, gasping, wheezing, impaired and occasional breathing. The EMDs have a belief that they are being an empathic authority that relieves the caller of the burden of responsibility, and by meeting the witness mentally, this may enable the caller to act at the scene. The EMDs are dependent on the callers knowledge and trustworthiness, and convincing answers from the caller prompt a more secure feeling in the EMDs, just as caller's lack of knowledge having a negative effect on the EMDs efforts. Conclusion: There was a strong relationship between the EMDs suspicion of AMI and subsequent development of AMI. One-third, however, developed AMI among those where the EMD had had a moderate, vague or no suspicion of AMI. Patients judged to have severe chest pain, developed AMI twice as often as patients judged to have vague pain. Caller's reporting patients with a combination of unconsciousness and agonal breathing or respiratory arrest should be offered dispatcher-assisted CPR instruction. This may improve survival in out-of hospital cardiac arrest.
|
|
| 10. |
- Bångsbo, Angela, 1968
(författare)
-
Collaborative challenges in integrated care: Untangling the preconditions for collaboration and frail older people's participation
- 2018
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Frail older people often have comprehensive and complex care needs involving different caregivers and professionals. Deficits in integrated caretaking often result in hospital readmission. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to describe and analyze preconditions for collaboration and participation in integrated care for frail older people from the professionals’ perspective. Methods: In study I patient participation was examined with a case study, including face-to-face interviews with health and social care professionals and audio-recordings of discharge planning conferences. Study II explored inter-professional and inter-organizational collaboration using a focus group technique, focusing discharge planning conferences. Study III was quantitative, and described and compared the influence of different factors on the importance of inter-organizational collaboration within the integrated care process program “Continuum of care for frail older people.” Study IV quantitatively evaluated the preconditions for implementation of the program. Results: Study I showed that frail older people’s participation in discharge planning conferences was achieved when the older people took or were supported to be active participants, the professionals had clear roles, authority, they created a structured, calm atmosphere, and older people and professionals were well prepared before discharge planning takes place. Study II demonstrated that conflict in collaboration arose between professionals and organizations, implicating a tacit framework, e.g. who is responsible and has the authority to make decisions and what are the prioritizations in relation to the choice of care actions for older people. In Study III, educational level i.e. post-secondary education, influenced inter-organizational collaboration more than organizational affiliation. Study IV showed that the preconditions for the program implementation were limited with regard to the professionals’ understanding and ability to change their work procedure, and their commitment decreased. Conclusion: Inter-professional and inter-organizational collaboration need improvements to ensure a continuum of high-quality care and frail older people’s participation in the discharge process. Insufficient knowledge among the professionals obstructed collaboration in favor of organizationally related norms and values and professional boundaries. Implementing complex interventions in organizations with high employee turnover and competing projects takes time and dedication.
|
|
