| 1. |
- Abdulla, Afrah, 1975-
(författare)
-
Readiness or resistance? : Newly arrived adult migrants' experiences, meaning making, and learning in Sweden
- 2017
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is about newly arrived adult migrants’ meaning making and learning in Swedish society during the two years’ introduction period, after they have received the residence permit. I have specifically studied Arabic speaking adults’ meaning making and learning, by carrying out observations and individual in-depth interviews with 12 migrants. The introduction period consists mainly of three so called introduction measures; the civic orientation course, Swedish for immigrants (SFI), and different work related activities, such as internship at different work places.The results show that etablering is about shaping the newly arrived adult migrants into ”good” citizens, through the introduction measures, among other things in the civic orientation course, which is regulated through the policy documents, and which so to say provides meaning to the newly arrived. The “good” citizen has some specific characteristics, which, roughly, are that he or she is independent (and advocates individuality), free, equality thinking, secularized, law-abiding (which includes being honest), responsible, and a “good” parent. These characteristics are expressed in different ways in the civic orientation course, for instance through the course material. The Swedish society is described as something desirable, and different from what is implied to be ”Arabic” values and ways of thinking. The idea of the “good” citizen appears to aim at constructing the adult migrants’ (and their families’) identity, something which many of the study’s respondents make a resistance to.As concerns the migrant’s new experiences, it is, for example, those which the migrant get through the contact with the Swedish Public Employment Service (SPES) that affect the meaning making in the new society. The meaning which most of the respondents have made of the SPES’s measures for them is that this authority only offers “prepackaged” solutions, and does not provide the help or support that they need. Also the experiences which the migrant has in the civic orientation course, and the meaning which ”old” migrants give to him or her, play a role when he or she makes meaning of Sweden and Swedes, and of his or her new life situation. Further, it has been shown that it is those experiences that the adult individual has been socialized through, and those which he or she has gained through work or education in his or her country of origin, which affect his or her meaning making in Sweden. It is mostly values which concern child upbringing and religion that lead to a certain understanding and construction of one’s new life. These values, when related to the values which are included in the ”good” citizen idea, also lead to either a resistance or a readiness towards the meaning giving that is embedded in the ”good” citizen notion.
|
|
| 2. |
- Aman, Robert, 1982-
(författare)
-
Impossible Interculturality? : Education and the Colonial Difference in a Multicultural World
- 2014
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- An increasing number of educational policies, academic studies, and university courses today propagate ‘interculturality’ as a method for approaching ‘the Other’ and reconciling universal values and cultural specificities. Based on a thorough discussion of Europe’s colonial past and the hierarchies of knowledge that colonialism established, this dissertation interrogates the definitions of intercultural knowledge put forth by EU policy discourse, academic textbooks on interculturality, and students who have completed a university course on the subject. Taking a decolonial approach that makes its central concern the ways in which differences are formed and sustained through references to cultural identities, this study shows that interculturality, as defined in these texts, runs the risk of affirming a singular European outlook on the world, and of elevating this outlook into a universal law. Contrary to its selfproclaimed goal of learning from the Other, interculturality may in fact contribute to the repression of the Other by silencing those who are already muted. The dissertation suggests an alternative definition of interculturality, which is not framed in terms of cultural differences but in terms of colonial difference. This argument is substantiated by an analysis of the Latin American concept of interculturalidad, which derives from the struggles for public and political recognition among indigenous social movements in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. By bringing interculturalidad into the picture, with its roots in the particular and with strong reverberations of the historical experience of colonialism, this study explores the possibility of decentring the discourse of interculturality and its Eurocentric outlook. In this way, the dissertation argues that an emancipation from colonial legacies requires that we start seeing interculturality as inter-epistemic rather than simply inter-cultural.
|
|
| 3. |
- Andersson, Per A, 1986-
(författare)
-
Norms in Prosocial Decisions : The Role of Observability, Avoidance, and Conditionality
- 2022
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Prosocial behaviors benefit other people and range from donations to charity to behavior limiting the spread of disease, such as masking and vaccination. The overarching purpose of this thesis was to contribute to our understanding of how social norms and conformity affect prosocial behavior. Here, three norm-related factors that affect such prosocial behavior were investigated: observability, avoidance and conditionality. Observability concerns whether a person is being observed during prosocial decisions, which can typically increase conformity to norms. Avoidance concerns whether a person avoids or seeks out knowledge about prosocial norms. Conditionality concerns the conditional nature of when behavior shifts occur in relation to others behavior. For instance, a person may want to follow a prosocial norm only if a very large majority adheres to it, or only if the goal of the norm is realistic to attain. Paper I focused on observability of prosocial decisions. Making decisions while knowing they would be shown to others increased prosocial behavior in the form of cooperation in a Public Goods Game, and preferences for deontological choices in moral dilemmas, but not donations given to charity. Paper II examined the existence of avoidance behavior regarding social norm about donations. Such norm avoiders appeared to be comprised of both prosocial and less prosocial individuals. Paper III investigated the interplay between descriptive (what people do) and injunctive (what one should do) norms in regards to masking during COVID-19. Paper IV then explored how varying the goal set for a prosocial norm affects willingness to try to achieve the goal, in the context of thresholds for herd immunity and vaccines for COVID-19. Some individuals were demotivated by seeing a higher goal as harder to achieve and others were motivated by believing a higher goal to lead to more people getting vaccinated. Taken together, these papers point to the inherent complexity of how norms relate to prosocial behavior, and suggest relevant aspects to consider when wanting to promote prosocial behavior.
|
|
| 4. |
- Arriaza Hult, Maria, 1990-
(författare)
-
Party Education as Mobilisation : Framing education in Swedish and Spanish political parties of the left
- 2022
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation aims to contribute knowledge of how five movement-related left parties in Sweden and Spain formulate education for their members. By analysing (i) the Swedish Social Democratic Workers’ Party, (ii) the Swedish Left Party, (iii) the Spanish Social Democratic Workers’ Party, (iv) the Spanish United Left and (v) the Spanish Podemos, the study interprets how organised educational activities are formulated and motivated with the aim to instigate member engagement. The analysis builds on interviews with leading party representatives and study leaders, study and course materials, and other official documents, which steer how the parties organise their education. With a framing perspective as a theoretical itinerary, the study emphasises parties' education as a setting where meaning is formulated to initiate collective action. The four included papers stress and discuss how educational material is formulated and how the parties perceive and motivate organised party education. Papers 1 and 2 analyse text materials and shows how educational materials establish narratives that invites the members to become active in the parties. Even though the educational narrative is welcoming, the study materials also reinforce frames of how to be schooled into becoming an ideal party member. Papers 3 and 4 study interview materials and suggest that member education is interpreted as something that strengthens parties’ movement relations, provides useful training, opens up a space for political reflection, and constructs a feeling of community within the parties. The dissertation emphasises that these five movement-related left parties perceive their educational activities as settings that create relations between the party and its members. Applying the framing perspective to the understudied educational practices that transpire in parties contributes to deepening the theoretical understanding of how education can be formulated in relation to its bearing on creating collective identities.
|
|
| 5. |
- Avby, Gunilla
(författare)
-
Evidence in practice : On knowledge use and learning in social work
- 2015
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Against the backdrop of the transformations in the entire framing of professional work, social work has come under close scrutiny in many countries, including Sweden. Doubts have been raised about practitioners’ existing knowledge base, and the importance of practitioners engaging in learning and the renewal and extension of professional capacities has been emphasized.The present thesis concerns knowledge use and learning in the daily practices of child investigation work. The aim is to explore processes of knowledge use and learning in practice. The study is based on a mix of qualitative approaches, basically from ethnography, comprising methods such as participant observations, interviews, reflective dialogues and documentary analysis of case data.The main findings demonstrate that investigation work is characterized mainly by the use of practice-based knowledge. Research-based knowledge is predominantly used as a means of explaining a client’s situation or to underpin and legitimize one’s own beliefs and decisions made on other grounds. Professional learning is largely adaptive in character, as the social workers learn to handle tasks in a fairly routinized way on the basis of rules or procedures that draw on existing knowledge in the practice setting.Two conclusions are drawn: First, the use of knowledge in child investigation work bears little resemblance to principles of evidence-based practice. Second, the reproduction of professional knowledge is largely implicit and taken for granted. The study offers insight into the much-discussed topic of putting knowledge into practice, which is of importance to strategies for organizing profes sional learning and knowledgeable practice.
|
|
| 6. |
- Ayton, Katarina, 1957-
(författare)
-
An Ordinary School Child : Agency and Authority in Children’s Schooling
- 2008
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this doctoral thesis is to explore the position, and the restrictions and possibilities for action available to children in a Swedish mainstream school class. With focus on everyday activities the questions generated were: whether being a member of a specific school class has significance; how the children position themselves in negotiations of time and space; in what manner the children can claim, and be granted, command over their school day activities; and what happens when the adults’ right to control becomes visible.The main data are fieldnotes generated through participant observation where the researcher was positioned as a student participating in the children’s activities. Two theoretical discussions underpin this study, the concept of generation which is used to explore the relationship between children and adults in school at a general level, and positioning theory which is used to understand the multiplicity and fluidity of this relationship on the individual and specific level.It was found that the children’s positioning in relation to the adults in school occurs within two relationships, generational and institutional, and that the two merge and reinforce one another. While the institutional relationship orders the staff–student positioning in school activities the participants are producing and reproducing the generational categories of children and adults, linking this to a generational order.It is further shown that in relation to this the children may be positioned both as vulnerable and incomplete children and as professional pupils. The positioning as professional pupil indicates that although the children are positioned as subordinate within both relationships, this subordination does not exclude children agency. In the study class the teacher encourages agency and the children are found to be active in their positioning, in their participation and in their schooling.
|
|
| 7. |
- Berg, Matilda, 1989-
(författare)
-
Just know it : The role of explicit knowledge in internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy for adolescents
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The role of explicit, declarative knowledge in general health care and in psychotherapy is a growing field of research. In many areas of healthcare, knowledge is regarded as an important factor for successful interventions. Participants within mental-health interventions should ideally gain knowledge about their specific conditions and strategies to improve, in order to manage their problems in more helpful ways. In Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), explicit knowledge is a core feature when treating clients and educating them about their symptoms, problems and potential solutions. Still, the role of knowledge and its relation to treatment outcome within CBT treatments is unclear. CBT administered over the internet (ICBT), is mainly based on psychoeducative texts and thus provides a suitable format for an initial evaluation of explicit knowledge within a clinical research context. The role of explicit knowledge could be of particular importance in the study of younger target groups, who probably have their first treatment experience. Their knowledge gain and its use could be of importance both as separate constructs but also in relation to symptom reduction following treatment.The overarching aim of this thesis was to explore the role of explicit knowledge in internet-delivered CBT for adolescents with depression and anxiety.Study I explored the role of explicit knowledge in a randomised controlled trial with adolescents suffering from primary depression. A knowledge test was constructed and administered at pre- and post-treatment. Results showed that explicit knowledge and certainty of knowledge about depression, anxiety and CBT increased during treatment, but that these variables were unrelated to treatment outcome. Lower pre-treatment knowledge levels (certainty) however predicted greater improvement in depressive symptoms.Study II describes the procedure of developing a new knowledge test in the context of ICBT for adolescents with depression and anxiety. An explorative factor analysis was performed and resulted in a three-factor solution with the following factors: Act in aversive states, Using positive reinforcement, and Shifting attention. The procedure presented could illustrate one way of creating a test for knowledge evaluation in ICBT, but its clinical use needs to be evaluated further.In Study III, participants from a randomised controlled trial of ICBT for adolescent depression were asked about their acquired knowledge and knowledge use six months later. Qualitative methodology (thematic analysis) was used. The results showed two overarching ways that clients can remember and relate to CBT-principles after treatment; one more explicit way related to the active application of CBT principles, and another vague way of recalling treatment content and the passive usage of CBT. Both ways of recalling CBT principles were related to experiencing the treatment as helpful.Study IV evaluated the role of learning strategies and chat-sessions in ICBT for adolescents with anxiety and depression. A total of 120 adolescents were randomised to one of four treatment groups, in a 2x2 factorial design with the two factors: with or without learning support and/or chat-sessions. Overall, the results showed general reductions of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and increased knowledge levels. Participants receiving learning strategies during treatment obtained more immediate benefits in treatment outcome and knowledge levels, but at six months follow-up participants without learning support had reached equal amounts of knowledge and symptom reduction. Chat-sessions did not add any effect on treatment outcome or knowledge levels.In conclusion, this thesis suggests that explicit knowledge is a construct that is independent of symptom reduction and increases during ICBT treatments for adolescents with depression and anxiety. Increased knowledge, and increased certainty of knowledge, are valuable outcomes since CBT emphasises educating clients about symptoms, therapeutic principles, and strategies that they can remember and use later on. The lack of association between explicit knowledge gain and symptom reduction could indicate that explicit knowledge is a necessary but insufficient factor for symptom reduction. Adding learning strategies within a treatment programme could be of importance for enhancing short-term treatment effects.There is a continued need for more research on the role of knowledge in ICBT, both as an outcome and as a way to improve treatment effects. The findings in this thesis however suggest that research on explicit knowledge is important to understand what makes ICBT work.
|
|
| 8. |
- Bergman Nordgren, Lise, 1983-
(författare)
-
Individually tailored internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders
- 2013
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Fear is an innate emotion and an adaptive response to provide protection from potential harm. When fear is excessive and out of proportion in relation to the confronted situation, it can lead to the development of an anxiety disorder. Many individuals feel anxious at some point, but not all experience clinical anxiety or meet the diagnostic criteria of an anxiety disorder. Still, anxiety disorders are the most prevalent form of psychiatric disorder in the general population. More often than not people suffering from one anxiety disorder also present other psychiatric conditions. As of today, cognitive and behavioural treatments have been tested and found to positively affect anxiety disorders, making them the treatment of choice. Nevertheless, many patients do not seek or receive adequate treatment.One common critique of the research trials from which the recommendations for treatments stem is the use of a single protocol targeting only one diagnosis. This is because many people suffer from comorbidities. Another problem connected to the recommendation that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) should be the treatment of choice for anxiety disorders is the lack of therapists with adequate training. One possible way of dealing both with the shortcoming of therapists and making CBT more accessible is the use of the Internet. Internet-based CBT (ICBT) has been tested in numerous trials during the last 15 years, showing positive outcomes for a large variety of disorders. Many ICBT trials also make use of a single protocol. Another way of dealing with comorbidities might be to tailor the treatment to let characteristics and preferences of the patient guide the design of the protocol. Little is known about possible effects of tailoring the ICBT, the effects of therapeutic relationships in ICBT, and the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these treatments. This thesis is based on three studies on two separate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using the same set of modules accessible for the tailored protocol.Study I was an RCT investigating treatment effects up to two-year after completion, showing favourable outcomes of the treatment in a self-recruited sample at all measure points. Study II was a secondary analysis exploring possible relations between working alliance and treatment outcome for participants in the treatment group recruited for Study I indicating that working alliance predict outcome in this tailored treatment. The second RCT was an effectiveness trial (Study III) analysing treatment effects and cost-effectiveness of the treatment up to one year post treatment in a primary-care population. This study showed positive treatment effects both regarding symptom reduction and cost-effectiveness, and that effects were sustained at one year post treatment. Conclusions drawn from these studies are that individually tailored ICBT seems to be a feasible approach for patients with anxiety disorders regardless of comorbidities, and a responsible choice in terms of societal costs.
|
|
| 9. |
- Birberg Thornberg, Ulrika
(författare)
-
Fats in Mind : Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cognition and Behaviour in Childhood
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this thesis was to examine possible effects of omega-3 fatty acids on children’s cognition and behavior. Longitudinal as well as cross-sectional comparisons were made among children with typical development and children with ADHD /at risk developing ADHD.The specific purposes were to examine (1) breast-feeding in relation to cognition; (2) relation between long chain poly unsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in mothers breast-milk and children´s cognition; (3) effects of EPA supplementation on cognition and behavior in children with ADHD; (4) if LCPUFAs have differential effects on working memory, inhibition, problem-solving and theory of mind (ToM).The main conclusions were as follows; (1) duration of breast-feeding was positively correlated to children levels of intelligence (IQ); (2) LCPUFAs in breast-milk was related to children’s ToM and IQ, the quotient DHA/AA, together with length of breastfeeding and gestation week explained 76% of the variance of total IQ; (3) subtypes of children with ADHD responded to EPA supplementation with significant reductions in symptoms, but there were no effects in the whole group with ADHD; (4) ToM ability was related to LCPUFAs, but not to any other cognitive measures as working memory, inhibition and problem-solving.To conclude, these results indicate that fatty acid status in breast-milk at birth affect general cognitive function in children at 6.5 years of age, including ToM. Short-term intervention with omega-3 fatty acids does not affect cognition in children with ADHD, but improves clinical symptoms as assessed by means of teacher ratings. These results further indicate that hot executive function and social cognition may be an area of interest for future research.
|
|
| 10. |
- Bjärehed, Marlene, 1981-
(författare)
-
The association between moral disengagement and bullying in early adolescence
- 2021
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- School bullying occurs when a student is repeatedly exposed to negative actions by other students. The victim is often at some form of a disadvantage. Bullying can take many forms, such as physical, verbal, and relational. It can also occur online. With social cognitive theory as a theoretical framework, this dissertation examined some of the (individual and collective) moral processes that underlie bullying. More specifically, the aim was to enhance the understanding of the association between moral disengagement (MD) and bullying in early adolescence. Self-reported survey data was collected and analyzed using various statistical methods, such as multivariate regression and multilevel analysis. The results show that MD (individual and collective) is associated with bullying perpetration, both in a school context and online. The results also show that individual MD varies over time, and that changes are related to changes in bullying perpetration. The results also indicate that the mechanisms of MD are differentially associated with different forms of bullying. For instance, diffusion of responsibility is (positively) associated with assisting and reinforcing bullying, while moral justification is (positively) associated with indirect bullying. Overall, the results point to the importance of taking into account and analyzing both individual and contextual factors when examining the role that moral disengagement plays in bullying.
|
|
