| 1. |
- Jansson, Ulrika
(författare)
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Den paradoxalt nödvändiga kvinnan : Könsdiskurser i Svenskt Näringsliv - ett nyliberalt drama
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- – Det är självklart att det ska råda jämställdhet mellan kvinnor och män. Ingen ska behöva behandlas sämre på grund av vilket kön man tillhör. Men är det lika självklart att det alltid – och överallt – ska råda könsjämvikt? Frågan diskuteras av organisationen Svenskt Näringsliv som en del i deras opinionsbildande verksamhet. Jämställdhet framställs som en självklarhet men samtidigt förefaller det finnas vissa reservationer för vad som kan betraktas vara jämställdhetens mål. Könsjämvikt, det vill säga en jämställd fördelning mellan kvinnor och män, antas som exemplet visar inte vara helt självklart. Med hänvisningar till marknadsekonomi förklarar Svenskt Näringsliv att politiska initiativ för ökad jämställdhet inte kan utgöra grund för näringslivets jämställdhetsarbete. Det måste istället utgå från näringslivets egna behov för att inte riskera företagens roll som producenter och organisatörer av värde och välfärd. I den här avhandlingen undersöks vad som händer när marknadsekonomiska principer möter politiska krav på förändring. Hur begripliggörs krav på jämlikhet mellan könen i en nyliberal kontext? Med utgångspunkt i en närgången läsning av Svenskt Näringslivs opinionsbildande material om jämställdhet diskuteras hur kön diskursivt konstrueras. Studien visar hur kvinnor på olika sätt införlivas både i en föreställningsvärld om marknaden som alldeles nödvändig och i en värld som domineras av män och manliga normer.
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| 2. |
- Gottvall, Maria, 1980-
(författare)
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Introduction of School-Based HPV Vaccination in Sweden : Knowledge and Attitudes among Youth, Parents, and Staff
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of knowledge, attitudes, consent, and decision-making regarding Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, seen from the perspectives of concerned parties – high school students, school nurses, and parents.Two quantitative studies were performed: one descriptive cross-sectional study and one quasi-experimental intervention study. Qualitative studies using focus group interviews and individual interviews were also performed.High school students’ knowledge about HPV and HPV prevention was low but their attitudes toward HPV vaccination were positive. An educational intervention significantly increased the students’ knowledge regarding HPV and HPV prevention. Their already positive attitudes toward condom use and HPV vaccination remained unchanged. The students wanted to receive more information about HPV from school nurses. The school nurses were also positive to HPV vaccination but identified many challenges concerning e.g. priorities, obtaining informed consent, culture, and gender. They saw an ethical dilemma in conflicting values such as the child’s right to self-determination, the parents’ right to make autonomous choices on behalf of their children, and the nurse’s obligation to promote health. They were also unsure of how, what, and to whom information about HPV should be given. Parents, who had consented to vaccination of their young daughters, reasoned as follows: A vaccine recommended by the authorities is likely to be safe and effective, and the parents were willing to do what they could to decrease the risk of a serious disease for their daughter. Fear of unknown adverse events was overweighed by the benefits of vaccination. Parents also saw the school nurse as an important source of HPV information.Conclusions: Positive attitudes toward HPV vaccination despite limited knowledge about HPV, are overarching themes in this thesis. School nurses have a crucial role to inform about HPV prevention. It is important that the concerned parties are adequately informed about HPV and its preventive methods, so that they can make an informed decision about vaccination. A short school-based intervention can increase knowledge about HPV among students. From a public health perspective, high vaccination coverage is important as it can lead to a reduced number of HPV-related disease cases.
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| 3. |
- Haglund, Caroline, 1981-
(författare)
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Integrating Efficacy and Toxicity in Preclinical Anticancer Drug Development : Methods and Applications
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Preclinical testing is an important part of cancer drug development. The aim of this thesis was to establish and evaluate preclinical in vitro methods useful in the development of new anticancer drugs. In paper I, the development of non-clonogenic assays (FMCA-GM) using CD34+ stem cells for assessment of haematological toxicity was described. A high correlation was seen when comparing the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) from FMCA-GM with the IC50 from the established clonogenic assay (CFU-GM). In paper II, FMCA-GM was complemented with additional cell models, establishing a normal cell panel. In vitro toxicity towards the five normal cell types was compared with known clinical adverse event profiles. The normal cell panel roughly reflected the tissue specific toxicities but was most useful in the prediction of therapeutic index. In paper III the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes from human, dog, rat and mouse to detect species differences in cellular drug sensitivity was described. Good agreement between our method and the established CFU-GM assay was observed. In paper II the benefit of using primary tumour cells from patients to predict cancer diagnosis-specific activity was studied. The in vitro activity of fourteen anticancer drugs was tested in tumour samples of both haematological and solid tumour origin. In general, clinical activity was well reflected. In paper IV, the efficacy and toxicity models were applied for experimental follow-up of a novel inhibitor of the ubiquitin-proteasome system, CB3 (Phosphoric acid, 2,3-dihydro-1,1-dioxido-3-thienyl diphenyl ester). In the preliminary characterization of CB3, antitumour activity and a favourable toxicity profile were displayed, although the exact mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. CB3 will therefore be further investigated. In conclusion, the work presented here contributes to different parts of the preclinical drug development and the methods may aid in the characterization of anticancer compounds
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| 4. |
- Ledman, Kristina, 1972-
(författare)
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Historia för yrkesprogrammen : Innehåll och betydelse i policy och praktik
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis offers critical perspectives on a history syllabus for vocational education and training (VET) tracks in Swedish upper secondary schools and adds to our knowledge and understanding of the educative function of history education for the individual and for society. The overall aim of this thesis is to critically investigate discourses that are voiced in different fields about the construction and reproduction of the history curriculum in VET tracks. A general question addressed is how vertical (critical and theoretical) and horizontal knowledge is articulated by the discourses in terms of the meaning of history in a VET context. The following four research questions were the focus of the four different studies in this thesis: How were non-vocational subjects discussed on a policy level during the post-war period, and what meanings were ascribed to history education? What aspects of history as a field of knowledge are recontextualised into a pedagogic discourse for the VET curriculum? How do teachers perceive the history syllabus? What do the students express concerning the history syllabus and history education? The results of these studies are reported in separate papers, and the aggregated results are analysed in this thesis. The data consisted of government bills and committee reports, material from the National Agency of Education archives, and interview data gathered through interviews with 5 teachers and 46 students. The major theoretical inspiration comes from Basil Bernstein whose theories of classification and framing, pedagogic discourse, pedagogic code, and vertical and horizontal discourses are used in the analysis. With the aid of these concepts, the content and meaning of history education for VET are connected to macro levels of education, and the way in which education reproduces social order when certain forms of knowledge are distributed to different groups in society is discussed. Three major conclusions are drawn. First, history as a pedagogic discourse comes forward as versatile and contradictory when the results from the studies are aggregated. There is, however, a shared understanding that the meaning of history in VET is to educate the students to become democratic and active citizens. Secondly, the investigated discourses ascribe history education with the potential to distribute critical and powerful knowledge. The students see a value for history education in their future as citizens and for giving them access the public conversation of society. A final conclusion is that the pedagogic code, embedded in the history curriculum, can be interpreted in two different ways. The emphasis on competencies and the focus on the last two hundred years can be interpreted as (A) an expression of a wish for immediate utility and thus an instrumental view of education or (B) the recontextualisation of scientific theories, concepts, and practices into a pedagogic discourse as a means to give students access to disciplinary (powerful) knowledge.
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| 5. |
- Lundberg, Gun, 1950-
(författare)
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Teachers in action : att förändra och utveckla undervisning och lärande i engelska i de tidigare skolåren
- 2007
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Sweden has for many years suffered from a shortage of teachers appropriately trained to teach English to young learners. In 1987 The Swedish National Agency for Higher Education decided that English should no longer be a compulsory subject within primary teacher training, instead it was offered as an optional subject within the primary teacher training programmes This policy decision had dire consequences and ultimately led to the current position which sees a mere 30 % of trainee Teachers opting for the English language pathway.Although consensus has been achieved in Europe and beyond relating to the advantages of teaching modern languages at an early age there are significant variations between regions and schools relating to the introduction of English in primary schools and implementation of the national syllabus for English is still undeveloped in many schools. The syllabus for English and the learning objectives to be attained by the end of Year 5 in school (11-year-olds) are very wide. These wide goals can appear very attractive to a qualified teacher, educated in appropriate methodology and having access to plenty of authentic target language teaching material, but for an unqualified teacher these national goals are not easily transferred into practice. This is probably the main reason why the use of textbooks and workbooks seem to be regarded as the most appropriate pedagogy instead of a more communicative approach to teaching and learning of English.This contextual background was the starting point for the design of an in-service course for primary teachers who are unqualified to teach English to young learners but who are obliged to do so as the Swedish primary school system operates mostly on the principle of a generic class teacher who delivers all curriculum areas. The shortage of teachers appropriately trained to teach English to young learners and the lack of parity for English as a subject in the early school years brought about the call for effective in-service training with a built-in capacity for challenging traditions and the development of sustainable change and improvement towards a more communicative approach of teaching and learning in the language classroom.The in-service course was designed as a part-time, distance course of 15 ECTS over a period of 20 weeks, the model being for teachers to divide their delivery and study time on a 50/50 basis, a blend of theory and practice. The aims were to emphasise research-based teaching and strive for a goal of better applications into practise of the centralised syllabus based on the European Framework of References, CEFR, and the communicative approach to teaching and learning of languages. A further aim was todevelop more confidence and autonomy in the teachers. An action research module was integrated into the course as it was considered to have the capacity to improve educational practice, promote professional development and enhance classroom performance. Action research is also understood to have a potential for long-term change and commitment through encouraging professionals to reflect critically on their often taken-for-granted practices where uncontested beliefs and values are held by staff members.The results of the action research projects reveal that whilst it is difficult to bring about change in school cultures which have strongly embedded traditional teaching habits there is also an accompanying body of evidence demonstrating improvement in teaching and learning pedagogy for young learners in the north of Sweden. The action research projects have been organised into five themes: (1)An Early start, (2)Target language use,(3) Motivation, (4) Language methodology and didactics and (5)Documentation and progression.A summary of the analysis of 123 action research project reports indicates that teachers seem to be convinced that children as young as 6-7 can benefit from early language learning if the circumstances are right with age-appropriate methodology and a secure classroom climate. Teachers have initiated a more consistent target language approach in their classrooms and the pupils have actively engaged by starting to use the target language more frequently during lessons and even beyond their formal sessions.Both teachers and pupils alike have begun to articulate that English is fun, stimulating and enjoyable. The use of language strategies such as guessing competence and strategic competence has increased together with continuous discussions about the processes of language learning and addressing of didactic core questions revolving around why, how and what. The introduction of small steps of scaffolding technique for learner autonomy has resulted in pupils generating lots of ideas for English to bring the subject alive and English is no longer an isolated stand alone subject instead it is more successfully merged holistically into the generic skill and competence base for Early Learning provision. All kinds of inventive documentation and evaluation ideas, language portfolios and recordings of oral skills have become useful tools for assessing language progress and for assurance of continuity and progression in language learning.Teaching is an increasingly challenging process requiring sophisticated skills, competencies and qualities. Teachers therefore are playing pivotal roles in the drive towards improving language learning amongst our pupils and the application of action research seems to have assisted their practice. With action research as a tool teachers are able to develop their professional learning through systematic investigation rather than by reproduction of disconnected teaching tips. Through action research, teachers will begin to understand what is really happening in their classrooms, why it is happening and how teaching and learning can be systematically improved. This study illustrates how 123 action research projects, carried out by the teachers in their own practices, have encouraged self directed professional learning, increased confidence, competence and pupil engagement.
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| 6. |
- Mohammadi, Mohammad
(författare)
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Probabilistic time estimation in tunnel projects
- 2021
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Transport infrastructure projects, including tunneling, suffer from timedelays and cost overrun. A literature review shows that the effect ofuncertainty has been neglected in explaining time and cost overrunmeaning that technical explanations matter. Probabilistic estimations oftime and cost can be employed for dealing with uncertainty in transportinfrastructure projects.In this licentiate thesis, KTH’s probabilistic time and cost estimationmodel for tunneling projects (Isaksson and Stille, 2005, Rock Mech. RockEng., 38, 373-398) was improved. The improvements include breakingdown the production activities into their sub-activities, which form thebasis for assessing times (or costs) for tunnel construction. In addition, theexceptional time and the length of model’s geotechnical zones aredescribed as stochastic variables instead of deterministic values used in theoriginal model. Given its hierarchical structure, the model can be used fortime and cost estimation of all types of tunnels and all constructionmethods in various geological condition.The improved version of the model uses three types of input parametersthat are probabilities of occurrences of different geological condition andidentified undesirable events, production effort of sub-activities (i.e. timespent for performing the sub-activity per unit length of tunnel) andadditive delay time that is imposed as a result of occurrence of undesirableevents. The important issues in modeling the uncertainty in the productionefforts of sub-activities are also explained.
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| 7. |
- Wennberg, Anna Lena, 1952-
(författare)
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Pregnant women and midwives are not in tune with each other about dietary counseling : studies in Swedish antenatal care
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background During pregnancy, a healthy diet is beneficial for the expecting mother and her fetus. Midwives in antenatal care have an ideal position for promoting a healthy diet and thereby help women to not only lower the risks of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes, but improve maternal health. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe diet and dietary changes during pregnancy from the women’s and the midwives’ perspectives with a focus on dietary counseling. The thesis comprises four studies. The specific aims in the respective studies were to: I) Describe pregnant women’s attitudes to and experiences of dietary information and advice, as well as dietary management during pregnancy. II) Explore midwives’ strategies in challenging dietary counseling situations. III) Describe how midwives’ perceive their role and their significance in dietary counseling of pregnant women. IV) Describe women’s food habits during pregnancy and up to six months postpartum.Methods Studies I-III were qualitative. Study I included focus group interviews with 23 pregnant women. Study II included telephone interviews with 17 experienced midwives working in Swedish antenatal health care. Study III included the same 17 interviews from study II and supplemented them with four face-to-face-interviews. Qualitative content analysis was performed in all three studies. Study IV was a longitudinal study including a quantitative analysis of a questionnaire, which was given to women at five occasions during and after pregnancy. It concerned their food habits and it was answered by 163 women. The quantitative data was analyzed using comparative and descriptive statistics.Results The overall findings of the thesis were summarized as the main theme “Pregnant women and midwives are not in tune with each other about dietary counseling”. The main theme included the two themes ‘Pregnant women are concerned about risks for their child but fail to change to healthier dietary habits over time’, and ‘Midwives view themselves as authorities, though questioned ones’. In subthemes it was highlighted that pregnant women are well informed and interested in risk reduction for their child’s best and that they try to do their best to improve their diet during pregnancy. However, their diet did not reach levels of healthy eating recommendations and became even unhealthier after pregnancy. It was also highlighted that midwives experienced insufficient knowledge in dietary issues and related risks and that they had difficulties to give dietary support to pregnant women. Midwives were found to mainly focus on giving information and they lacked sufficient competence for challenging counseling.Conclusion Pregnant women, on the one hand, experience a lack of support from the midwives when dealing with dietary changes. The midwives, on the other hand, feel exposed and express a need for both further education in dietary issues and training in counseling. Women’s food habits during, but in particular after pregnancy need improvement, and dietary counseling could be more focused on healthy eating in a long-term perspective.
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| 8. |
- Ängeby, Karin, 1966-
(författare)
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Prolonged latent phase of labour : Prevalence, labour outcomes, quality of care, women’s experiences and preferences, and psychometric properties of a questionnaire
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the prevalence and labour outcome of a prolonged latent phase of labour, quality of care, women’s experiences and preferences during labour, and to psychometrically test a questionnaire.Methods: Qualitative and quantitative methods. Sixteen primiparous women’s preferences for care during a prolonged latent phase of labour were studied with focus-group and individual interviews and analysed with content analysis (I). From a one-year cohort of 2660 women, 1554 women with a spontaneous onset of labour were invited to participate and 1389 women accepted invitation (II-IV). Data from 1343 women’s birth records were analysed with descriptive and analytic statistics (II). 758 women, (RR 64%), 343 primiparous and 415 multiparous, responded to the Intrapartal-specific Quality from Patients Perspective Questionnaire, QPP-I (III), the Early Labour Experience Questionnaire, ELEQ (IV) and additionally birth-related items. Data were analysed with descriptive, analytic, and psychometric statistics.Main findings: According to women’s self-reports, 23% of women with a spontaneous onset of labour had a prolonged latent phase (>18 hours), which was associated with more obstetrical interventions and instrumental births (II). These women preferred individualised care (I), rated the quality of their intrapartum care lower, were less content with the birth experience, and had more negative feelings during labour and birth than women with a shorter latent phase (III). The ELEQ was translated and adapted to Swedish and resulted in two questionnaires, one for primiparous women, SWE-ELEQ-PP, and one for multiparous women, SWE-ELEQ-MP. Both are valid and reliable and can be used to evaluate early labour care in Sweden (IV).Conclusions: A prolonged latent phase of labour can be regarded as a risk factor. It can result in more obstetrical interventions, more instrumental births, a lower perceived quality of care, and a more negative birth experience regardless of parity. Differences in parity must be considered when evaluating early labour care during the latent phase of labour, with special focus to primiparous women.
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| 9. |
- Öberg, Joakim
(författare)
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Samhällskunskap från styrdokument till undervisning : Tjugo lärare ramar in vad som påverkar deras praktik
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Syftet med denna samhällskunskapsdidaktiska avhandling är att undersöka vad samhällskunskapslärare själva upplever som de viktigaste påverkansfaktorerna för transformeringen av samhällskunskapsämnet utifrån intentionerna i styrdokumenten (formuleringsarenan) till samhällskunskap som undervisning (realiseringsarenan), samt hur detta upplevs ha förändrats över tid. Det är således vad som händer mellan formuleringsarenan och realiseringsarenan, det vill säga tranformeringsarenan, som är i fokus. Studien bygger på hermeneutisk-fenomenologisk livsvärldsansats där fenomenologisk beskrivning och hermeneutisk tolkning är centralt. Empirin utgörs av intervjuer med tjugo samhällskunskapslärare för grundskolans år 7–9 och gymnasiet; tio med lång yrkeserfarenhet, tio tämligen nyexaminerade.Resultatet tematiseras utifrån inspiration från ramfaktorteoretiskt perspektiv i fyra dimensioner av påverkansfaktorer, vilka är Den personliga dimensionen, Den didaktiska dimensionen, Den styrande dimensionen och Den samhälleliga dimensionen. Var och en av dessa dimensioner delas upp i ett antal variationer. Dimensionerna är konstruerade utifrån principen om det personligt nära till det samhälleligt distanserade. Utöver dessa dimensioner har en aspekt på dessa lagts till, Den elevnära aspekten vars innehåll utgörs av eleverna som påverkansfaktor. Lärarna i studien pratar i princip aldrig om eleverna som påverkansfaktor utan att koppla till någon av de fyra dimensionerna. Slutsatser som dras i studien är att de tjugo lärarna alla har mycket olika berättelser om vad de uppfattar som viktigaste påverkansfaktorer. Några lägger fokus på personlig bakgrund eller personliga intressen. Andra fokuserar på didaktiska idéer, styrdokument eller organisatoriska och ekonomiska ramar. Studien visar också att lärarna alla anger en eller ett par dominerande dimensioner, vilka också påverkar hur de talar om de andra dimensionerna. Lärarnas berättelser visar även att de upplever att undervisningen och vad som påverkar denna påtagligt förändras över tid. Utifrån en del aspekter skiljer sig de båda respondentgrupperna åt på kollektiv nivå, emedan en del aspekter skär rakt igenom intervjumaterialet med likheter på individnivå, oavsett om de arbetat fyrtio år eller är nyexaminerade.Studiens kanske viktigaste bidrag är att den exemplifierar teoretiska perspektiv, inte minst genom att belysa att vad som påverkar undervisningen i ett ämne är så komplext att den ramfaktorteoretiska byggnadsställningen måste anpassas efter den specifika undersökningen med dess frågeställningar och undersökningsmaterial.
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| 10. |
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