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Organizations carry an important role in transforming sustainable systems, not least their leaders as they can influence the well-being of employees. Implementing Mindfulness Practices (MPs) within organizations could therefore have a positive influence on several levels throughout the organization for making sustainable change.  As meetings are the playing field for decision-making in organizations, mindfulness is a way to engage people in meetings, to help participants rise to the opportunity of making sustainable decisions. Building on the existing research on organizations and mindfulness, this study aims to provide a descriptive account of the perceptions and experiences of individuals within a team when a short MP is incorporated at the beginning of meetings, resulting in a Mindfulness Meeting (MM). The research took a multi-method qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observations on two teams from different organizations. Two interviews were conducted, on both leaders and followers, one focusing on general meeting perceptions, and a second focusing on the perceptions of the MMs. The findings of the research indicate that a MP, when conducted in the right format, helps cultivate and strengthen the cognitive processes critical for work environments. In particular the factors perceived as positive for achieving meeting goals were a sense of being present, aware, having clarity of thought, and regulating interactions with others. However, this study is just a starting place for the future of MM within organizations and the work they must do to transition towards sustainable systems.

The purpose of this study is to examine the dimensions and intercultural approach that abound on the teachers workingplace and  as affect the work of the subject teachers and their didactics approach in the subject of religious studies at the Swedish and Scandinavian schools abroad. The survey is based on religion teachers' thoughts and experience of these phenomena at work in schools located in different countries in Europe with students and various professionals from different nationalities and cultural backgrounds. The methods used in the study is based on a qualitative approach as written interviews. The study results show that the intercultural approach and dimensions that are created and realized in foreign schools can be seen in relation to several aspects such as school composition of cultural diversity as well as the school's cultural relationship with the community of which the school is located in. The opportunities for an intercultural approach are obvious to the teachers and all teachers are unanimous that foreign schools is attributed to pursue a different school culture and a completely different approach to both knowledge and learning.

A study was conducted to determine the preferences for the design of distributed meeting rooms used for video enhanced electronic meeting systems (VEMS). Although there is a significant body of literature in the group communication domain, the research in this multidisciplinary area has paid minimal attention to users' environmental preferences in the design of a meeting space. A basic science approach through three studies was used to explore the variables that defined the design of a distributed meeting space from the user's perspective. Twenty-five inexperienced college-enrolled participants and twenty-five experienced Naval professionals used foam-core pieces to create a design of their ideal distributed meeting space. Thirty-seven variables were used to categorize qualitative attributes of the designs. Three types of designs emerged from the sample population: v-shaped, conference (u-shaped or oval), and theater (auditorium) style. A nonexperimental design was used to measure the impact of the heuristics on the users' physical design of their distributed meeting spaces. Post-meeting evaluation results were promising and indicated that the heuristics were usable and that participating in the design could have a positive impact on user's subjective rating of their meeting experience. Overall, inexperienced users did not believe that the heuristics were necessary to determine the best room design for their team's needs. In the third study, six experts conducted an expert evaluation of a distributed meeting room site. Most experts were not able to identify context-specific design issues such as camera angle and lighting with the static information that they were provided. The experts subjective ratings indicated that the heuristics were usable and were useful for room designers. The overall findings indicated that experience level had a significant impact on user's perception of important equipment in a distributed meeting room. Naïve users were more concerned with visual communication and assigned more importance to public displays (p=.035). Experienced users were more concerned with audio communication and assigned more importance to microphone control (p=.024). In addition, general findings from this research include a new methodology for generating participatory ergonomic tools. / Ph. D.

The goal of this research project was to determine the content of the discourse occurring in grade-level meetings and coaching sessions and participants' perceptions of how the conversations in these two venues impacted learning and practice for individual teachers. Learning Forward's Standard for Professional Learning (2001) recommended that teachers organize into learning communities providing continuous learning opportunities to enhance adult learning and collaboration. Little (2003a) found that research was lacking that described the dynamics of communities of practice that promote teacher learning. It was in the content of the discourse that a proxy for evidence was found that the actions of the instructional coaches and grade-level meetings impact teacher growth. A case study was utilized to examine these structures and processes for job-embedded professional development at a school located in the eastern United States. Research questions focused on the nature of the discourse among teachers and coaches in the grade-level meetings and in individual coaching conversations. Teachers reported what they felt that they learned in the grade-level meetings and the coaching discussions. Additionally, teachers stated what they did differently as a result of this method of professional learning occurring in grade-level meetings and coaching discussions. Finally, the school's improvement plans were compared with the conversations in the grade-level meetings and coaching sessions. Verbatim transcriptions of recordings of grade-level meetings and coaching sessions provided data which revealed categories of content, coaching roles, and patterns of discourse. The goals of the meetings and coaching were to ensure communication about school district policies and to set expectations for teacher performance and student learning. Assertions generated provided patterns of discourse that identified roles of the principal, coaches, and teachers. This investigation utilized a descriptive content discourse analysis and found support for the finding that the actions of this emerging community of practice were directed by federal, state, and local polices for teacher performance and student learning. Patterns of discourse revealed roles of administration, coaches, and teachers as they collaborated to negotiate meaning through the building of a shared repertoire. Interview data revealed that these dynamics enhanced teacher growth in many cases; however, lack of teacher input may have limited some potential opportunities. / Ed. D.

Swedish agencies are obligated to collaborate in order to fulfil their respective missions. One of the largest agencies, The Social Insurance Agency, collaborates with several agencies, employers and care providers. Collaboration that needs synchronous dialogues andexchange of information, requires people to coordinate calendars, but since the organizations’ technical systems are separated, problems occur. The meeting organizers have to face the time-wasting problem of searching for suitable meeting occasions, without access to the calendars of their external meeting participants. Meetings across organizational borders are, therefore, difficult to arrange. This study has enlightened this problem, using methods for deeper understanding of the user’s point of view, searching for alternative solutions and with an experimental approach evaluated four different alternatives, all with their own unique pros and cons. One solution based on a WebDAV/CalDAV concept is recommended, due to its potentials. It is superior to the other alternatives, because of its strength in functionality. Moreover, it has great potential to develop into a broader collaboration service, offering a digital work space with functions for document sharing, discussion boards etc. / Svenska myndigheter är skyldiga att samarbeta med varandra, inom ramen för sina respektive uppdrag. Ett exempel är Försäkringskassan, som samarbetar med flera andra myndigheter, arbetsgivare och vårdgivare. Samarbete som kräver synkrona dialoger och informationsutbyte försvåras av att de olika organisationernas tekniska system är separerade. Utan tillgång till deltagarnas kalendrar tvingas mötesarrangören lägga ner mycket tid i sökandet efter passande tider, och mötesdeltagarna behöver manuellt koordinera sina kalendrar. Möten över organisationsgränser blir därmed svåra att boka. I denna studie fördjupas förståelsen för problemet utifrån ett användarperspektiv, för att därefter söka efter på marknaden tillgängliga lösningar. Med ett experimentellt angreppssätt har fyra alternativ studerats, alla med sina respektive för- och nackdelar. Resultatet blir en rekommendation om att gå vidare med WebDAV/CalDAV som med sin funktionella styrka är det mest kraftfulla alternativet. Detta koncept kan, utöver mötesbokningsfunktionaliteten, utvecklas till en bredare samarbetstjänst för Försäkringskassan och dess externa parter, med potential att erbjuda digitala arbetsytor och funktioner för dokumentdelning, diskussionstavlor mm.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

<p>Denna uppsats är en C-uppsats i socialt arbete. Syftet med uppsatsen är att förstå och beskriva hörselskadades situation avseende högskolestudier. Fyra specifika frågeställningar har formulerats: - Hur ser tillgängligheten ut, hur ser de formella mötena ut, hur ser de informella mötena ut och på vad sätt inverkar hörselskadan?</p><p>Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med hermeneutiska inslag. Intervjuer har gjorts med sex hörselskadade som berättat om sina upplevelser kring sin egen studiesituation. Intervjuguiden var halvstrukturerad, och urvalet strategiskt.</p><p>Resultatet visar att tillgängligheten på universitet får sägas vara avgörande, beroende på vilken aspekt av tillgängligheten som det är fråga om. Studenterna tycker det är av vikt att det finns möjlighet att ta sin lärare eller föreläsares tid i anspråk vid de formella mötena. I de informella mötena lägger studenterna fokus på att berätta om två specifika möten och tre specifika aspekter. Resultatet från på vilket sätt hörselskadan inverkar, visar att det beror på situation till situation om hörselskadan inverkar på ett negativt sätt, eller om den nästan inte inverkar alls. Ett genomgående drag från alla sex studenternas utsagor är att det ”hänger” mycket på studenten själv om studenten ska lyckas eller inte i sina studier. Envishet, vilja, att våga tro på sig själv, vara modig och att inte ge sig är egenskaper som studenterna själva upplever att det är bra att ha som hörselskadad student i högskolestudier.</p><p>Två slutsatser har dragits. Den ena är att de hörselskadade studenterna har ett visst inflytande i möten med tolkar, samt i möten med personal som jobbar med teknisk service. Däremot saknar studenterna inflytande för att själva kunna ha makt och kontroll kring sin egen studiesituation, i mötet med universitetet som organisation. De studenter som har lättast att lyckas i sina studier är de som innehar egenskaperna envishet, vilja, att våga tro på sig själva, vara modiga och inte ge sig.</p><p>Den andra slutsatsen är att fortfarande, sju år efter det att Antonson (1998) i en avhandling om hörselskadade i högskolestudier, gav förslag på betydelsefulla åtgärder (se bilaga 1 i denna uppsats), tycks ingen märkbar förändring ha skett.</p><p>Nyckelord: Integration, inkluderad, hörselskada, studiesituation, högskola, högskolestudier. Ytterligare nyckelord är tillgänglighet, informella möten, formella möten och hörselskadans inverkan.</p> / <p>This study is a study in social work. The comprehensive aim with this study is to understand och describe hearing-impairment´s situation reference to university studies. Four specific questions have been formulated, these are; - How does the accessibility look like? How does the formal meetings look like? How does the informal meetings look like, and what kind of way the hearing-impairment influence?</p><p>The study has a qualitative attempt with hermeneutic touch. Interviews have been permormed with six hearing-impairment students, that had explain about their experiences about their own study situation.The interview guide was half-structured, and the selection was strategic.</p><p>The result shows that the accessibility on the university is decisive on, which aspect of the accessibility that presents. The students point out that it is possible to lay claim to their teacher or lecture´s time in the formal meetings. In the informal meetings, the students focus is to tell about two specific meetings and three specific aspects. The result from on what kind of way the hearing-impairment influence, shows that it depends from situation to situation if the hearing-impairment influence negative or if it does not influence at all. A constant touch from all the six student is that it is much up to the student itself to succeed or not, reference to the studies. Stubborness, good will, believe in itself, be brave and not give up, is qualities that the students experience that it is good to have as a hearing-impairment student in university studies.</p><p>One conclusion is that hearing-impairment students have some influence reference to the meetings with the intepreters, and the meetings with personal from the technical service. On the other hand, the students missing influence to themself, to have power and control, reference to their own study situation, in the meeting with the university as a organization. The students whom have easiest to success in their studies is the students who have the qualities stubborness, good will, believe in themself, be brave and not give up.</p><p>An other conclusion is that still, seven years since Antonson (1998) in a study about hearing-impairment in university studies, gave proposal to important measures (see enclosure 1 in this study), it seems to no noticeable change have been done.</p><p>Keywords: integration, inclusion, hearing-impairment, studysituation, university and universitystudies, accessibility, informal meetings, formal meetings and the hearing-impairment´s influence.</p>

Denna uppsats är en C-uppsats i socialt arbete. Syftet med uppsatsen är att förstå och beskriva hörselskadades situation avseende högskolestudier. Fyra specifika frågeställningar har formulerats: - Hur ser tillgängligheten ut, hur ser de formella mötena ut, hur ser de informella mötena ut och på vad sätt inverkar hörselskadan? Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med hermeneutiska inslag. Intervjuer har gjorts med sex hörselskadade som berättat om sina upplevelser kring sin egen studiesituation. Intervjuguiden var halvstrukturerad, och urvalet strategiskt. Resultatet visar att tillgängligheten på universitet får sägas vara avgörande, beroende på vilken aspekt av tillgängligheten som det är fråga om. Studenterna tycker det är av vikt att det finns möjlighet att ta sin lärare eller föreläsares tid i anspråk vid de formella mötena. I de informella mötena lägger studenterna fokus på att berätta om två specifika möten och tre specifika aspekter. Resultatet från på vilket sätt hörselskadan inverkar, visar att det beror på situation till situation om hörselskadan inverkar på ett negativt sätt, eller om den nästan inte inverkar alls. Ett genomgående drag från alla sex studenternas utsagor är att det ”hänger” mycket på studenten själv om studenten ska lyckas eller inte i sina studier. Envishet, vilja, att våga tro på sig själv, vara modig och att inte ge sig är egenskaper som studenterna själva upplever att det är bra att ha som hörselskadad student i högskolestudier. Två slutsatser har dragits. Den ena är att de hörselskadade studenterna har ett visst inflytande i möten med tolkar, samt i möten med personal som jobbar med teknisk service. Däremot saknar studenterna inflytande för att själva kunna ha makt och kontroll kring sin egen studiesituation, i mötet med universitetet som organisation. De studenter som har lättast att lyckas i sina studier är de som innehar egenskaperna envishet, vilja, att våga tro på sig själva, vara modiga och inte ge sig. Den andra slutsatsen är att fortfarande, sju år efter det att Antonson (1998) i en avhandling om hörselskadade i högskolestudier, gav förslag på betydelsefulla åtgärder (se bilaga 1 i denna uppsats), tycks ingen märkbar förändring ha skett. Nyckelord: Integration, inkluderad, hörselskada, studiesituation, högskola, högskolestudier. Ytterligare nyckelord är tillgänglighet, informella möten, formella möten och hörselskadans inverkan. / This study is a study in social work. The comprehensive aim with this study is to understand och describe hearing-impairment´s situation reference to university studies. Four specific questions have been formulated, these are; - How does the accessibility look like? How does the formal meetings look like? How does the informal meetings look like, and what kind of way the hearing-impairment influence? The study has a qualitative attempt with hermeneutic touch. Interviews have been permormed with six hearing-impairment students, that had explain about their experiences about their own study situation.The interview guide was half-structured, and the selection was strategic. The result shows that the accessibility on the university is decisive on, which aspect of the accessibility that presents. The students point out that it is possible to lay claim to their teacher or lecture´s time in the formal meetings. In the informal meetings, the students focus is to tell about two specific meetings and three specific aspects. The result from on what kind of way the hearing-impairment influence, shows that it depends from situation to situation if the hearing-impairment influence negative or if it does not influence at all. A constant touch from all the six student is that it is much up to the student itself to succeed or not, reference to the studies. Stubborness, good will, believe in itself, be brave and not give up, is qualities that the students experience that it is good to have as a hearing-impairment student in university studies. One conclusion is that hearing-impairment students have some influence reference to the meetings with the intepreters, and the meetings with personal from the technical service. On the other hand, the students missing influence to themself, to have power and control, reference to their own study situation, in the meeting with the university as a organization. The students whom have easiest to success in their studies is the students who have the qualities stubborness, good will, believe in themself, be brave and not give up. An other conclusion is that still, seven years since Antonson (1998) in a study about hearing-impairment in university studies, gave proposal to important measures (see enclosure 1 in this study), it seems to no noticeable change have been done. Keywords: integration, inclusion, hearing-impairment, studysituation, university and universitystudies, accessibility, informal meetings, formal meetings and the hearing-impairment´s influence.