| 1. |
- Almgren Mason, Suzanne, 1963-
(author)
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Life in the labyrinth : a reflexive exploration of research and politics
- 2002
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis is about exploring the politics within and around research. The starting point is a European project which ran from late 1997 to the end of 2000. It was called "Self-employment activities concerning women and minorities: their success or failure in relation to social citizenship policies" and had as its objective to provide the EU-Commission with recommendations for improved self-employment policies. Background material was complemented by interviews with "experts", but the main source of information was in the form of biographical interviews with the self-employed, or formerly self-employed, themselves. The qualitative method was used as a way of researching how individuals' background and experiences influenced their decision to become self-employed as well as their tendency to use labour market policies available for starting businesses. It was also a way to find out how those policies impacted on the individuals' lives. The consequent recommendations included a suggestion for broadening existing policies to comprise social aspects as well as financial allowances, and also the caution that self-employment was perhaps not the best solution to labour market and social exclusion.This latter doubt arose during project work, as did questions about methodology, the role of the researcher, and eventually about the politics that inform research. Only briefly touched upon in the project reports, these issues instead became the basis for the thesis. A reflexive rereading of the Final Report led to a critical examination of the political uses of concepts and categories, of how stereotypes affect research, and of the embeddedness in ethnocentric discourses of both research and researcher. The use of postcolonial and feminist theory, discourse analysis and a social constructionist perspective broadened the analytical possibilities and furthered understanding of the connections between politics and research. A conclusion is that a comprehensive change in the social order as well as in people's conscience is required to stem ethnic discrimination in society and the perpetuation of stereotypes and preconstructed categories in research.
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| 2. |
- Arvidsson, Barbro, 1945-
(author)
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Group supervision in nursing care : a longitudinal study of psychiatric nurses' experiences and conceptions
- 2000
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Inom hälso- och sjukvården betonas att vården ska ges utifrån ett patientorienterat sätt. Om sjuksköterskor skall kunna ge patienten god omvårdnad, måste de själva ha en god arbetssituation. Det blir allt vanligare att sjuksköterskor i arbetet utsätts för en mängd negativa psykiska påfrestningar, såsom hot och våld, som kan leda till stress. Stress kan också relateras till att sjuksköterskorna i sitt arbete ställs inför komplicerade etiska övervägande. Det är viktigt att få möjligheter att reflektera över vilka etiska principer och ställningstagande arbetet baseras på. En metod som möjliggör reflektion är grupphandledning i omvårdnad. Deltagarna i grupphandledning bör ha samma yrkesbakgrund och ledas av en utbildad handledare, som också har samma yrkesbakgrund, som de som deltager i handledning. I handledning reflekteras över genomförda omvårdnadssituationer utifrån frågor som Vad hände? Vilka etiska aspekter förekommer? Vad kan sjuksköterskan göra annorlunda om det händer igen? Det handlar om att genom reflektion undersöka hur sjuksköterskan agerar, gör bedömningar, tänker och känner i olika omvårdnadssituationer. I detta sammanhang kan hon/han få emotionell och teoretisk återkoppling, ges möjlighet att kritiskt granska och diskutera svåra ställningstaganden samt få alternativa handlingsmöjligheter. Det övergripande syftet med föreliggande studie var att granska och undersöka hur psykiatrisjuksköterskors professionella kompetens över tid förändrades genom grupphandledning i omvårdnad. Tre delstudier genomfördes. Undersökningsgruppen bestod av tolv psykiatrisjuksköterskor, fördelade på två grupper som erhöll handledning i omvårdnad under två år. Inför den första delstudien konstruerades två frågeformulär för att undersöka om deltagarna i grupphandledning upplevde trygghet, tillit och lärande under handledningssammankomsterna. Resultatet från delstudie 1 visar att psykiatrisjuksköterskorna i hög grad upplevde att handledningssammankomsterna karakteriserades av ett humanistiskt synsätt. Deltagarna upplevde stöd, hjälp och att man lyssnade på varandra samt att alla hade en inlevelseförmåga. Efter varje handledningssession skrevs dagbok över vad som hänt. Avsikten med dagboksanteckningarna var att få material som beskrev handledningssituationerna. En allmän kunskapsutvecklande handledningsmodell skapades av de i resultatet framtagna orden och formuleringarna. Handledningsmodellen kan användas vid uppbyggnad och genomförande av handledning och undervisning inom olika yrkesområden för att stimulera till ökad yrkesmässig utveckling. Delstudie 2 och 3 utgjordes av svar från intervjuer med deltagarna efter ett år och två år, under pågående handledning, samt fyra år efter avslutad grupphandledning i omvårdnad. Resultatet visar att psykiatrisjuksköterskorna kände ökad arbetstillfredsställelse. De förvärvade ökad kunskap och kompetens och fick förstärkt säkerhet i omvårdnadssituationer. Vidare uppfattade de att deras självförtroende ökat. Vid fyra årsuppföljningen framkom att psykiatrisjuksköterskornas yrkesidentitet hade förstärkts. De hade integrerat omvårdnadsperspektivet i det dagliga arbetet. Grupphandledning i omvårdnad bidrog till att deltagarna vidmakthöll styrka och hade kraft att fortsätta att arbeta. Psykiatrisjuksköterskorna önskade att grupphandledning i omvårdnad skulle utgöra en integrerad del i deras yrkesverksamhet. Efter avslutad handledning kvarstod känslan av gemenskap bland de som deltagit i handledning. I Sverige är omvårdnadsforskning på frammarsch och ger sjuksköterskor en god möjlighet till uppdatering och att bli mer avancerade och skickliga i sina uppgifter. Presenterade studie visar att grupphandledning i omvårdnad är ett sätt att få ökad medvetenhet om hur omvårdnadsforskningens resultat kan förklaras, tydliggöras och tillämpas. Grupphandledning i omvårdnad bör vara en naturlig del i sjuksköterskeutbildningen.
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| 3. |
- Barth, Henrik, 1971-
(author)
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Barriers to growth and development in small firms
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The purpose of the extended summary is to develop the understanding of the existence and reasons behind barriers to growth and development in small firms. More specifically, four questions are addressed: (1) What do we know about the term barrier, how can it be defined? (2) What types of barriers to growth and development have been identified? (3) How can barriers to growth and development be addressed in a framework? and (4) How do the results of the appended papers (Papers I-V) contribute to the research field of barriers to growth and development?A literature review was undertaken to answer the first two questions. The literature review was conducted in two phases. The conceptual and operational definition of barriers was addressed in the first phase. The results reveal diverse ways of focusing on barriers, which made it necessary to address similar terms, such as problem and causes of business failure in the second phase of the literature review. The different terms used in the papers of the literature review are discussed in order to determine whether or not the understanding of their content is coherent and conceptual. Based on the conceptual understanding and definition of barriers, the different aspects focused on in the literature were discussed, which led to the second question, What are the various aspects of barriers to growth and development?The knowledge gained from the literature review and the development of the understanding of the barrier concept led to the third question, Can barriers to growth and development be addressed in a framework? The discussion takes its starting point in the studies identified in the literature review and is related to some of the appended papers (Papers I and II). Similarities and differences between frameworks used in the papers identified in the literature review are discussed and, based on this knowledge, a framework for barriers to growth and development in small firms is presented. The framework distinguishes two types of barriers, namely internal/external barriers and tangible/intangible barriers.The knowledge available in the reviewed papers within the field of barriers to growth and development in small firms in combination with the results from the appended papers (Papers I-V) resulted in the fourth question. Part of the contribution of the appended papers concerns the operational definition, for example that barriers to innovation should be categorised as either occurring or preventing firms from innovating (Paper II), while other contributions concern specific types of barriers, for example the importance of managerial skills (Paper V). Overall, the contribution focuses on conditional factors, such as strategy and planning, organisation and management, and institution and policy factors, in relation to growth and development.
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| 4. |
- Boström, Barbro
(author)
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Acute postoperative and cancer-related pain management, Patients´ experiences and perceptions in relation to health-related quality of life and the multidimensionality of pain
- 2003
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis describes patients in acute postoperative pain as well as patients with acute cancer-related pain in palliative care, and their experiences and perceptions of pain management in relation to HRQOL and the multidimensionality of pain. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was chosen. Data were collected using interviews and questionnaires; APS, SF:36 and a new developed questionnaire PC-PPQ measuring care related to pain management in palliative care. For assessing pain VAS and Pain-o-Meter were used. The study group consisted of 100 patients on their second postoperative day, and of 75 patients with cancer-related pain from two palliative care teams. The result showed that at the time of the interview 29 of the patients with postoperative pain reported a pain > 3 on VAS and 79 reported VAS > 3 as worst pain past 24 hours. The higher the intensity of pain the less satisfied the postoperative patients were with the nurses´ way of treating their pain. Thirty-three patients stated that they had received information regarding the importance of pain relief. Patients with postoperative pain as well as patients with cancer-related pain had been prescribed analgesics mostly a combination of Paracetamol, NSAID and opioid. Of the 75 patients with cancer-related pain and in palliative care 22 patients reported pain >3 on POM-VAS and 47 patients reported >3 on POM-VAS as worst pain past 24 hours. Twenty-eight patients reported an average pain > 3 on POM-VAS past 24 hours. Twenty-four patients used the words troublesome or tiring when describing their affective pain. Sensory pain was described as prickling or sore by 15 patients. The patients perceived their pain as “aching all over” and expressed a wish for pain relief as well as a fear for increased pain. HRQOL especially physical functioning decreased for patients with average pain > 3. Being cared for by a nurse-led or a physician-led palliative care team indicated no statistically significant differences for patients´ HRQOL or pain intensities. The patients had experienced a statistically significant better care after being referred to a palliative care team, despite that pain control had not been optimized. Patients expressed a need for communication, planning and trust in order to improve pain management. Continuity of care and the opportunity to talk increase the patients feeling of security, as well as improved their perceived pain control. Structured ongoing discussion concerning pain management from an early stage of the disease or already preoperatively can provide an important intervention to meet the results of this thesis. Pain assessment covering the multidimensionality of pain, and pain treatment plans including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment are further important interventions.
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| 5. |
- Ericsson, Claes
(author)
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Från guidad visning till shopping och förströdd tillägnelse: moderniserade villkor för ungdomars musikaliska lärande.
- 2002
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Abstract In the Swedish compulsory school system there is a trend towards increased student influence. School ideologists have for at least ten years strongly emphasised this issue. This tendency is in line with a more general direction in Western societies, which in many aspects has moved toward individualisation. Based on these developments, the main reason for undertaking the presents study was to contribute to the discussion about different aspects of learning, which have as their starting point the issue of how adolescents experience musical learning. The study moves in and between the two fields of musical learning in school and in leisure time, and the data consists of seven group conversations carried out with eighth and ninth graders in secondary school. The analysis is undertaken in three steps, each one of which represents a gradually increasing level of abstraction. The theory is grounded on two different areas which have some common aspects, namely theories of modernity and philosophy of music education. The results show that value related issues such as preference and interpretation in the greatest possible extent should be left to the students, and the teacher should instead provide help to students by giving them tools for expression, such as training skills and providing a suitable milieu for musicing. Adolescents give expression to an apprehension that an important task of the school subject music is to expose musical genres and activities, whereupon the students can then choose what suits them. This way of acquiring music does not correspond to the way in which students assimilate music in everyday contexts and highlights a contradiction between how they legitimise musical learning in school and in leisure time. In their leisure time, students acquire preferences for music in an unsystematic and random manner. Their discussions strongly emphasise a search for music “to call their own”. Furthermore, the study shows that learning often occurs in situations where it is not intentional, for example when music listening is a background activity, but still an analysis of musical parameters takes place in an unconscious matter. Some of the adolescents consider ability to collaborate as the most important knowledge that comes out of music education in school. This attitude can be seen as a move from content to form. Two main discourses were identified: the discourse music and the discourse the school subject music. The discourse music is wide and embraces music in leisure time as well as in school. It consists of listening and musicing. The discourse the school subject music is narrow and legitimised only through its position as a school subject. The study also shows that musical learning has a therapeutical dimension and can be considered as a means to strengthen the self. This function seems to be an important end in musical activities. Finally, modern aesthetical values were applied to a post modern context, which implies that the aesthetics of modernity is still alive, and occupying a new body. Music educators in schools ought to consider the above outlined modernised conditions for musical learning, and thereby reflect upon the implications they might bring for music education.
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| 6. |
- Erlandsson, Lena-Karin, 1963-
(author)
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101 Women's patterns of daily occupations : Characteristics and realtionships to health and well-being
- 2003
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis investigated the concept of balance in daily occupations. The overarching aim was to explore women’s patterns of everyday occupations and to investigate relationships between different aspects of patterns of daily occupations and health and well-being. The participants were working, cohabitant women with pre-school children. The methods used focused on exploring patterns of daily occupations and assessing sociodemographic aspects, self-rated health, and well-being. The results imply methodological development for documenting patterns of daily occupations, measuring occupation-related experiences associated with daily occupations, and categorising patterns of daily occupations according to complexity. This thesis identified the building blocks of patterns of daily occupations as main, hidden and unexpected occupations. Women’s hassling experiences associated with daily occupations were generated mainly by the social environment and their uplifting experiences resulted primarily from performing occupations. Moreover, typical patterns of daily occupations with respect to complexity were identified, and relationships of complexity in patterns of daily occupations to health and well-being were investigated. The result indicated that more hassles in combination with low control and high complexity in pattern of daily occupations mean an increased risk of experiencing low health and well-being. The findings contribute to the knowledge base of occupational science by further illuminating the concept of pattern of daily occupations: its constituents and its complexity. The results contribute to research on women’s total workload in relation to a sense of well-being and give implications for occupational therapy intervention for people who have taken ill due to imbalance in their pattern of daily occupations.
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| 7. |
- Gustafsson, Linnea, 1967-
(author)
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Novation i norr : nya dopnamn och namngivningsmönster i Skelleftebygden 1791-1890
- 2002
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aim of this thesis is to examine and elucidate the introduction of new first names and the patterns of name giving from a social perspective based on material from baptismal registers. The region I have chosen to examine is Skellefteå and its surroundings 1791-1890. The point of departure is that the name giving may be considered a symbolic indication of the division between "us" and "them", based on constantly changing taste. During the period under examination, 1791-1890, 71 149 first names occur and 582 of which has been defined as new, i.e. first names that, as far as I know, did not exist in the area before the first example. Seen as the percentage of names occurring within different social groups the largest portion of new first names is introduced by the bourgeoisie and the smallest by the agrarian group.The new first names have been categorised as either a name choice or a name formation, with the former category containing more names than the latter. As regards categories of new names the bourgeoisie predominantly utilize name choice while for the agrarian group name formation predominates.The new pattern of name giving I have examined is the polyname system, which expands from the 18th Century onwards. The custom first grows in the name giving of girls, especially if born into the bourgeoisie. This social group also introduces the custom for the boys. When the custom of giving two names becomes too common in the region the bourgeoisie returns increasingly to one first name for the children, or to three or four names for each child. As regards the order of the new or old names, for boys the old name is generally placed first, especially among the agrarian group, if the two names are even in other respects e.g. have the same number of syllables.Once a new first name has been introduced it has to spread to survive. Of the 582 new names 422 spread and 160 do not. To examine the initial diffusion process from both a social and a geographical perspective 23 names have been chosen as representatives of different patterns of diffusion. The diffusion is described in terms of influence spreading from district to district or influence in the immediate surroundings. These two geographical aspects have been treated from a social perspective, in terms of a heterogeneous or homogenous social diffusion respectively.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Hildebrand, Kristina, 1963-
(author)
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The Female Reader at the Round Table : Religion and Women in Three Contemporary Arthurian Texts
- 2001
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Stretching back at least a thousand years, Arthurian literature constitutes a vigorous and varied genre that attracts scholarly attention. In a close reading of three modern Arthurian texts, Mary Stewart’s Merlin trilogy, The Crystal Cave (1970), The Hollow Hills (1973), The Last Enchantment (1979), Marion Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon (1982), and Stephen Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle, Taliesin (1987), Merlin (1988), Arthur (1989), Pendragon (1994), and Grail (1997), this study focuses on the intersection between two of the genre’s motifs: religion and gender. Inspired by the medieval Arthurian tradition, which is exemplified in my discussion by Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae and Sir Thomas Malory’s Works, these three texts rewrite the medieval stories, not merely by changing the plots, but by expressing new political, social, and cultural views of the gendering of religion.Stewart’s, Bradley’s and Lawhead’s novels portray different religious traditions: respectively, an eclectic monotheism, Neo-Pagan Wicca, and Christianity. They also offer different gender perspectives: in Stewart, the ungendering of the narrator and the unobtrusive inclusion of women as independent actors; in Bradley, feminist and female religion; and in Lawhead, the rejection of women as independent actors in religion.Modelled on the feminist reader response theory developed by Patrocinio P. Schweickart, my reading centres on the female readers’ identification as moderated by her faith, and aims to demonstrate that the female reader’s response will inevitably be coloured by the objects of identification offered by the text, by their portrayal of women as religious actors, and by the feminisation of evil that is apparent in them. Besides privileging the female perspective, my reading also attempts to recognise and critique patriarchal portrayals of women. Ultimately, my study shows that the female reader’s identification or alienation proceed from the interaction of the her own experience with the texts’ portrayal of religion and gender.
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| 10. |
- Ihlström Eriksson, Carina
(author)
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The Evolution of a New(s) Genre
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis describes and analyzes how the online newspaper genre has evolved since its inception on the Internet in the mid-nineties. The overall research question is: What characterizes the online newspaper genre evolution? The thesis is based on both synchronic and diachronic studies with a multimethod approach (including six different studies involving, e.g., interviews, questionnaires and web site analyses) intended to provide a comprehensive picture of this genre evolution. On the basis of genre theory, the thesis proposes a framework for understanding online newspaper genre evolution, integrating design (layout) aspects with publisher and audience views. Applying this framework to the collected empirical material, the thesis presents a comprehensive and integrated view of this evolution. Over time, online newspapers have evolved into a specific digital genre, with genre characteristics such as content and form, distinguishing them from other digital genres. However, this rapid development has also lead to diversities in form and function, triggering both academics and practitioners to seek ways to design for consistency within the genre. Several factors have influenced the online newspaper genre evolution, e.g., inhouse attitudes, business model shifts and technological progress at the publishers’ side. The audience demographics, habits and preferences have also changed. The layout of the online newspapers has been altered into long pages stuffed with content like news streams, headlines, photos, and services not possible in the printed edition. There has also been a shift towards frequent updates throughout the day and more content produced for the web. In addition, the thesis contributes to digital genre theory by modifications relevant to the online newspaper genre. For example, the concepts of genre awareness and genre interdependence are elaborated, a framework for identifying genre characteristics is proposed, and the concept “positioning” is introduced. Further, the thesis also contributes with implications for online newspaper design and publishing with longitudinal mappings of online newspaper layout and the habits and preferences of the audience.
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