O presente trabalho na área de Psicologia e Educação delineou-se dentro de uma abordagem qualitativa, caracterizando-se como um estudo de casos múltiplos, tendo como objetivo compreender os motivos para a instalação de Brinquedotecas em instituições de Educação Infantil. O campo de pesquisa é constituído por três creches públicas situadas no município de Indaiatuba - SP. Os sujeitos da pesquisa são gestores da Secretaria Municipal de Educação, diretoras, coordenadoras pedagógicas, professoras, monitoras e auxiliares de desenvolvimento educacional que compõem o corpo de profissionais de cada uma das três creches. O tema nasceu da observação da carência de estudos e pesquisas a respeito de Brinquedotecas instaladas em instituições de Educação Infantil como creches e pré-escolas. No campo da metodologia, o texto recorre às contribuições de Yin (2001) a respeito de estudo de casos múltiplos. A pesquisa em três diferentes creches possibilitou a realização de estudos paralelos e a determinação de pontos singulares e pontos em comum entre as três Brinquedotecas. Já na composição da análise das evidências, o texto recorre à triangulação de fontes, consultando diferentes documentos (Projeto de Desenvolvimento da Escola; Proposta Pedagógica Global de Indaiatuba; atribuição de cargos para monitoras e Auxiliares de Desenvolvimento Educacional; e editais de concursos públicos), realizando entrevistas com diferentes profissionais, consultando registros de planejamento das idas até a Brinquedoteca, analisando o diário de campo e registros fotográficos. Os resultados mostraram que a instalação de Brinquedotecas em creches públicas de Indaiatuba está inter-relacionada com outros problemas enfrentados no cotidiano, como a existência de profissionais com baixa escolaridade ou sem formação, sem tempo e sem materiais; baixo nível de compreensão a respeito do brincar, da infância e do seu desenvolvimento; ausência de compreensão a respeito do que é uma Brinquedoteca, seus objetivos e função; ausência de gestão democrática (ausência de participação dos profissionais, das famílias e comunidade); desarticulação entre o discurso das equipes técnicas e as práticas das professoras, monitoras e Auxiliares de Desenvolvimento Educacional; baixo nível de compreensão a respeito da especificidade da educação da criança pequena; tensão entre a escolarização precoce e o modelo centrado no desenvolvimento integral da criança (preocupação em preparar a criança para etapas posteriores da educação). / The present wor in Psychology and Education area was delineated within a qualitative approach, characterizing itself as a multiple case study, aiming to understand the reasons for the installation of Toy Libraries in early childhood education institutions. The research field consists of three public day care centers located in the municipality of Indaiatuba - SP. The research subjects are Municipal Education Department managers, directors, pedagogical coordinators, teachers, monitors and Educational Development Assistants that ma e up the professional staff of each of the three day care centers. The theme was born of the lac of studies and research on Toy Libraries installed in Child Education institutions such as indergartens and pre-schools. In the field of methodology, the text draws on the contributions of Yin (2001) regarding multiple case studies. The research in three different day care centers allowed the realization of parallel studies and the determination of singular points and points in common among the three Toy libraries. In the composition of the evidence analysis, the text uses the triangulation of sources, consulting different documents (School Project Development, Global Pedagogical Proposal of Indaiatuba, role assignment for monitors and Auxiliary of Educational Development, and notices of public tenders), conducting interviews with different professionals, consulting records visits planned to the Toy Library, analyzing the field diary and photographic records. The results showed that the installation of Toy libraries in public nurseries in Indaiatuba is interrelated with other problems faced in the daily life, such as the existence of professionals with low schooling or without training, without time and without materials; low level of understanding about the playing, the childhood and its development; lac of understanding about what a toy library is, its objectives and function; absence of democratic management (lac of participation of professionals, families and community); dis- articulation between the discourse of technical teams and the teachers practices, supervisors and Auxiliary of Educational Development; low level of understanding about the specificity of young children\'s education; between early schooling and the model centered on the integral development of the child (concern to prepare the child for later stages of education).

O objetivo deste estudo é de-superficializar os sentidos sócio-historicamente constituídos acerca da criança, do brinquedo e da brincadeira que, acionados na publicidade de brinquedos ressoam, pela via da interpretação linguageira (imposta pela ideologia), nos processos de subjetivação. A partir desses sentidos, pretende-se contribuir para uma análise crítica da cultura contemporânea. Para atingir tal alvo, levou-se a efeito uma análise do slogan publicitário da ABRINQ (Associação dos fabricantes de brinquedos): \"Brinquedo faz criança feliz.\". Essa escolha justifica-se em virtude da posição enunciativa heterogênea que o slogan/enunciado assume, uma vez que representa tanto o lugar social ocupado pelos fabricantes de brinquedos, quanto o lugar social do sujeito coletivo, sendo que considerou-se que este último indicia como o imaginário social representa o universo infantil - considerando que a ABRINQ é legitimada socialmente como uma agência protetora e que tem voz ativa na regulamentação dos direitos da infância e da adolescência. Aposta-se nessa heterogeneidade, e tenciona-se ultrapassar o efeito de homogeneidade de sentido e o caráter de verdade universal que esse slogan procura instalar. Esse trabalho de análise se deu através do arcabouço teórico/metodológico da Análise do Discurso com filiação em Pêcheux, incluindo sua interlocução com a psicanálise, e também com as formulações de teóricos críticos da cultura e da sociedade contemporâneas, bem como teorias que tratam do universo infantil. A análise mostrou que em lugares discursivos como o slogan da ABRINQ (cujo funcionamento é genérico, o que produz o apagamento do processo sócio-histórico que o faz significar) estão condensadas formações discursivas específicas que, organizadas em torno de uma dominante (a saber, o sintoma fetichista), procuram impor um efeito de sentido ao sujeito que lê/ouve/interpreta: de que o brinquedo, a brincadeira e a criança não poderiam significar de outra maneira. No lugar da enunciação desse slogan, sedimentam-se aspectos da identidade e da subjetividade que correspondem a interpelação/identificação dos sujeitos com a posição ideológica que ocupam no contexto sócio-cultural atual, marcado pela hegemonia da cultura de consumo: a identidade de consumidor substantiva o sujeito que goza em uma posição ideológica definida e o slogan apela, justamente, a esse assujeitamento ideológico. Portanto, o slogan publicitário em seu funcionamento discursivo instaura, pela via da interpretação, processos de identificação, que correspondem a diversos mecanismos sociais atuantes na produção de subjetividade. No que concerne aos sentidos atribuídos à criança, ao brinquedo e à brincadeira pode-se observar através dos gestos de interpretação sobre o slogan da ABRINQ - gestos estes tecidos pelo acesso à memória discursiva e pela mobilização do arquivo textual - que o recalque do processo sócio-histórico e ideológico que faz o brinquedo significar como mercadoria está em consonância com os interesses de reprodução das relações de força no campo ideológico sob a égide da ideologia da classe dominante, ou seja, consoantes com a manutenção da coesão do imaginário social como sistema que é naturalizado pela ideologia como evidente e coerente. Em função disso, conclui-se que o brinquedo-mercadoria, enquanto bem simbólico atrelado à produção material, encarna as expectativas e as formações imaginárias que a sociedade de consumo constrói sobre a criança e revela-se como um instrumento de violência simbólica que procura repudiar, através da homogeneização de sentidos e sujeitos, a possibilidade sempre presente da irrupção do novo que pode significar resistência ou renovação dos sentidos que circulam no imaginário social. / The aim of this work is to analyze the social-historical meanings built upon the notion of child, toy, and play which, when put in action by the toy publicity, resounds in the process of subjectivation through the common sense interpretation (dictated by the ideology). A contribution to a critical analysis of contemporary culture is intended to be built upon these meanings. In order to reach this goal, a publicitary slogan of ABRINQ (Toy manufacturers association) was analyzed: \"Toys make children happy.\" This choice is justified by the heterogeneous enunciative position which this slogan/statement assumes, since it represents both the social place of the toy manufacturers and the social place of the collective subject, the latter being understood as an indication of how the social imagery represents the childish universe -- recalling that ABRINQ is socially legitimated as a protective agency and one which is active in the legislation of the children\'s and the teenagers\' rights. This heterogeneity is hoped to serve the aim of going beyond the homogeneity of meaning and the character of universal truth that the slogan tries to establish. This analysis was based on the theoretical and methodological framework of the Pêcheux\'s Discourse Analysis, including its interlocution with psychoanalysis, as well as the formulations of theoretical critics of contemporary culture and society, and on theories which deal with the childish universe. The analysis has showed that in discoursive places like the slogan of ABRINQ (whose functioning is generic, leading to the erasure of the social and historical process which makes it work) are condensed specific discoursive formations which, organized around a dominant (namely, the fetishist symptom), are intended to impose an effect of meaning on the subject which reads/listens/interprets: that the toy, the play and the child could not signify in a different manner. In the place of the enunciation of this slogan are crystalized aspects of identity and subjectivity which correspond to an interpellation/identification of the subjects with the ideological position occupied by them in the present-day social-cultural context, marked by the hegemony of the consumer society: the identity of consumer substantivates the subject which enjoys a definite ideological position, and the slogan appeals exactly to this ideological subjectivation. Therefore, the publicitary slogan in its discoursive functioning establishes, through the route of interpretation, processes of identification which correspond to varied social mechanisms active in the production of subjectivity. Concerning the meanings assigned to child, toy and play one can observe through the gestures of interpretation on the slogan of ABRINQ -- gestures which are woven through the access to the discoursive memory and the mobilization of the textual archive - that the repression of the social-historical and ideological process which makes the toy signify as a merchandise is in consonance with the interests of the reproduction of the force relations in the ideological field under the patronage of the dominant class ideology, that is, consonant with the maintenance of the cohesion of the social imagery as a system which is naturalized by the ideology as evident and coherent. In function of this, it is concluded that the toy-merchandise, as a symbolic good linked to the material production, incorporates the expectations and the imaginary formations that the consumer society builds upon the child and reveals itself as an instrument of symbolic violence which seeks to repudiate, through a process of homogeneity of meanings and subjects, the always present possibility of the irruption of the new which can signify resistance or renovation of meanings which circulate in the social imagery.

O brincar é uma forma pela qual a criança pode expressar seus desejos, construir situações e estabelecer relações entre os objetos, com os outros e com o mundo. É pelo brincar também que a criança se movimenta e explora suas capacidades motoras. O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a frequência de ações motoras, interação social e tipos de brincadeiras desempenhadas pelas crianças durante o brincar livre na brinquedoteca. Quarenta e duas crianças entre 4 e 5 anos foram observadas de forma individual, in loco, durante um período de tempo de 10 minutos, no brincar livre numa brinquedoteca. Foi verificado que as crianças realizam mais ações manipulativas (52,27%), seguidas por ações locomotoras (31,56%) e por fim ações de estabilidade (16,17%). As ações mais apresentadas pelos meninos sequencialmente foram: ações manipulativas finas, parados um momento sem ação, correr, andar e conduzir. As meninas apresentaram ações manipulativas finas, segurar, paradas, andar e engatinhar. Em relação aos brinquedos, as crianças utilizaram aproximadamente em metade do tempo e quando utilizaram foram: carrinhos, utensílios domésticos e bonecos(as). Os tipos de brincadeiras ocorreram com esses brinquedos, mas também permaneciam paradas, não apresentaram brincadeiras, seguido de miscelânea. Tanto os meninos quanto as meninas permaneceram na maioria do tempo sozinhos, sendo que as meninas permaneciam com uma menina e os meninos com um ou dois meninos. O teste estatístico Correlação de Spearman (rho) apresentou que a escolha do brinquedo influenciou no comportamento motor da criança e que a interação social influencia no tipo de brincadeira. Com as análises dessas variáveis, podemos inferir que a brincadeira é solitária, não há diversificação de brinquedos e que principalmente o contexto influencia na ação motora da criança / Play is the way in which a child can express his/her wishes, build situations and establish relationship among the objects, with the others and the world. Its because of the play that the child moves and explores his/her motor skills. The propose this present study was to analyze the frequency of motor actions, social interaction and types of plays performed by children during free play in the playroom. Forty-two children between 4 and 5 years old were observed individually, in loco, for a period of 10 minutes playing free in a playroom.It was verified that the children hold more manipulative actions (52.27%), followed by locomotors actions (31.56%) and finally actions of stability (16.17%). Major actions presented by the boys were sequentially: fine manipulative actions, stopped for a moment without action, running, walking and leading. The girls also presented fine manipulative actions, stopped, holding, walking and crawling. In relation to the toys, the children used approximately half time with: cars, household items and dolls (for boys and girls). The types of plays occurred with these toys, but remained standing, they did not present plays, followed by miscellaneous. Both boys and girls stayed most of the time alone, and the girls stayed with one girl and the boys with one or two boys.The statistical test Spearman Correlation (rho) showed that the choice of the toy influenced the child\'s motor behavior and that the social interaction influences the type of play. According to the analysis of these variables we can conclude that the play is solitary, there is no diversification of toys and mainly that the context influences the child\'s motor action

This thesis project uses various Industrial design methods to create a concept that will evolve a sandbox into a more versatile and interesting playing area. By using parts that can be attached to the frame of the sandbox many different versions can be built to suit different demands and needs. The concept also uses lights and decorated panels to make the sandbox more interesting and visible in today's colorful playgrounds. The project is based on the meaning different stakeholders could have in the product. Research has shown that products made with the help of stakeholders has a better chance to be realized. The findings from research by interviews, fieldtrips and library studies were used as reference when sketching and building sketch-models. Sketching is used both for ideation and for explanatory pictures and has been a big part of the project. Many of the sketches and photos can be seen in the report and in the attachments.

Abstract The project "Sound and Play" have been implemented in collaboration with the toy company BRIO in Malmo. The purpose of the project was to examine whether and how BRIO in the future could develop toys around sound for Toddlers. The problem formulations that would be answered after completion of the project was "How could BRIO broaden its product range with the help of audio toys?", "How can you combine toys and sounds in an interesting way for children?", "How do you create a toy with sound that is fun for the child, but not annoying for parents?". Currently BRIO only has two toys with sound in this age group. The expression of the toy was going to be a mix of classic and cool and the overall feeling of the toy was going to be explorative and arouse curiosity in the child. This feeling would be communicated through simplicity and joy. The project began with an extensive research, including a visit to one of the world's largest toy fair in Nürnberg, Germany, and a comprehensive survey of parents' attitude to sound toys. Based on the first sketching phase three concepts where chosen; Module Cars, Beat Box and Record Player. Module Cars was a concept where you could replace parts of the car and in that way get different sounds. Beat Box was a box of three cylindrical blocks which consisted of various surfaces and materials. While they were spinning in the box they would hit different materials and in that way create different sound and rhythms. The construction of the idea meant that over a thousand different sounds and rhythms could be created. Record Player was a similar concept in which the child could change the discs and in that way create different rhythms and sounds. Together with the product development department, I decided to keep working with the Modul Car concept. Within this concept, I chose to work on two different tracks, different fronts and figures. By changing the front of the car it would get a new sound or by changing the driver in the car it would also get a new sound. After several weeks of shaping digital 3D models and many ideas and thoughts later I finally reached a solution that was built as a prototype. The result is a vehicle where the front can be replaced by two other fronts. Depending on which, the system will give you different sounds. This is because each front has a plastic flap placed underneath that hits a piece of plastic stuck to the wheel axle. Nine children play tested the toy and their parents were responding to questions about the outcome. The play tests went well and it turned out to be a suitable toy from one year and up to about five years. The play takes various forms in different ages which is good since this means that the toy may last longer. The response among the parents was also very positive. I am very pleased with the outcome and hope to see it in store shelves one day and also that it becomes played with in homes. / Sammanfattning Projektet "Sound and Play" har genomförts i samarbete med leksaksföretaget BRIO i Malmö. Syftet med projektet var att undersöka hur BRIO i framtiden skulle kunna utveckla leksaker kring ljud i ålderskategorin 12-36 månader. De problemformuleringar som skulle besvaras efter slutfört projekt var "På vilket sätt skulle BRIO kunna bredda sitt sortiment med hjälp av ljudleksaker?", "Hur kan man kombinera leksaker och ljud på ett intressant sätt för barn?", "Hur skapar man en leksak med ljud som är rolig för barnet, men samtidigt inte är irriterande för föräldrar?". BRIO har i dagsläget endast två leksaker med ljud i denna ålderskategori. Leksakens uttryck skulle vara en mix av klassiskt och coolt och den övergripande känslan skulle vara upptäckande samt väcka nyfikenhet. Känslan skulle förmedlas genom enkelhet och glädje. Projektet inleddes med en omfattande research med bland annat ett besök på en av världens största leksaksmässor i Nürnberg, Tyskland samt en omfattande enkätundersökning av föräldrars attityd till ljudleksaker. Utifrån en första idégenereringsfas valdes tre koncept ut; Modul Cars, Beat Box och Record Player. Modul Cars byggde på att man skulle kunna byta ut en del på bilen och på så sätt få olika ljud, t.ex. att man skulle kunna byta hjul eller underrede. Beat Box var en låda med tre cylinderformade klossar i. Dessa bestod av olika ytor och material som i lådan slog emot tre olika material. Konstruktionen av idé innebar att över tusen olika ljud och rytmer skulle kunna skapas. Record Player var ett liknande koncept där barnet skulle kunna byta "skivor" och på så sätt skapa olika rytmer och ljud. Tillsammans med produktutvecklingsavdelningen bestämde jag mig för att arbete vidare med modul cars. Inom detta koncept valde jag att arbeta vidare med två olika spår; olika fronter och gubbar. Antingen skulle man genom att byta fronten på bilen få olika ljud eller att man istället hade en bil med gubbar och där den som var föraren bestämde ljudet. Efter flera veckors caddande och många idéer och tankar senare så hade jag till slut tagit fram ett koncept med tre fordon som jag skulle bygga modell på. Resultatet är ett fordon som är bussliknande och där fronten går att byta ut. Beroende på vilken front man använder så låter leksaken olika. Detta beror på att varje front har en plastflärp undertill som träffar var sin plastbit som sitter fast på hjulaxeln. Modellen lektestades på nio barn och deras föräldrar fick även vara med och svara på frågor kring resultatet. Lektesterna gick bra och det visar sig vara en passande leksak från ett år och upp till cirka fem år. Leken tar sig olika uttryck i de olika åldrarna vilket är positivt då detta gör att leksaken får en längre livslängd. Mottagandet av leksaken bland föräldrarna var också mycket positivt. Jag är mycket nöjd över resultatet och hoppas att den någon dag i framtiden står i butikshyllor runt om i Sverige och även att den blir nött och vällekt med i hemmen.

In this work, patterns in the behavior of different classes and types of thermoelectric materials are observed, and an alchemy that could help engineer a highly efficient thermoelectric is proposed. A method based on cross-correlation of Seebeck waveforms is also presented in order to capture physics of magnetic transition. The method is used to compute Curie temperature of LaCoO3 with an accuracy of 10K. In total, over 26 systems are analyzed, and 19 presented: Chalcogenides (PbSe, PbTe, Sb2Te3, Ag2Se), Skutterudites and Clathrates (CoSb3, SrFe4Sb12, Cd (CN)2, CdC, Ba8Ga16Si30*), Perovskites (SrTiO3, BaTiO3, LaCoO3, CaSiO3, Ce3InN*, YCoO3*), Half-Heuslers (ZrNiSn, NbFeSb, LiAlSi, CoSbTi, ScPtSb*, CaMgSi*), and an assorted class of thermoelectric materials (FeSi, FeSi2, ZnO, Ag QDSL*). Relaxation time is estimated from experimental conductance curve fits. A maximum upper bound of zT is evaluated for systems that have no experimental backing. In general, thermoelectric parameters (power factor, Seebeck coefficient and zT) are estimated for the aforementioned crystal structures. Strongly correlated systems are treated using LDAU and GGAU approximations. LDA/GGA/L(S)DA+U/GGA+U approach specific errors have also been highlighted. Densities of experimental results are estimated.

Abstract Taiwan corporations must maintain sustainable competitive advantage in the competitive global market to cope with the deteriorated industry environment in Taiwan. This research concentrates on exploring toy industry¡¦s investing process, and operating strategy in mainland China. All multinational enterprises entering China must be aware that even with cheaper labor and land cost, from 1986 to 2004, less then twenty years of rapid changes in China¡¦s toy industry, China is still a fast changing and competitive area for industry development. Based on the study of Company A¡¦s operation, one of the major purpose of this research is to provide corporate strategies for those industries that are interested in entering China, as well as toy industries that are currently in operation. Furthermore, as far as China investment, existing studies only focused on the entry mode; however, the results of these studies did not provide enough experience since most industry¡¦s investment in China is only at the introduction stage. However, since toy industry requires massive labor and is more competitive with Hong Kong¡¦s factories, both Taiwan and Hong Kong enterprises obtain complete operating experiences; and therefore provide valuable studies. The study of Company A has achieved the following conclusions: 1. Industry¡¦s moving outward is due to inconsistency of corporate value and society value in the economic region. Enterprises¡¦ operating strategy is to achieve society value, create customer value, and satisfy employee value in order to accomplish corporate value. 2. Time-based competitive advantage is to apply the concept of competitive advantage into dynamic operation strategy. Efficiency is the success factor of achieving competitive advantage. 3. Acknowledging industry mind-set, meaning to realize, to assume, and to expect specific industry in order to decide how corporate could increase value and to compete with others. 4. Local advantage is more important than core competencies. 5. Taiwan¡¦s industry should merge with area economic, for example, Taiwan-Shanghai, Taiwan-Shenzhen, Taiwan-Xiamen, to avoid Taiwan¡¦s industry become isolated from clusters.

In this study, semi-structured interviews adopted from repertory grid studies are conducted with ten 5-year-old preschool children, during which children are asked to evaluate four types of construction play materials and four types of metallophones.In the study, the important design attributes of these two types of play materials preferred by preschool children are analyzed by gathering their own evaluation criteria. Based on the interview data, children&rsquo / s preferences, evaluation criteria and the reasons behind their preferences are tried to be identified. The results of the study show that, children evaluated construction play materials considering method of construction, form of the pieces, color, size, types of pieces, types of constructions, ease of construction and material. Children evaluated metallophones considering color, placement of the keys, sound, being in the openbeing closed, form, size, storage of the mallets, weight, size of the mallets, form of the keys, coding, number of mallets, number of keys, height and material. The study also includes the analysis of the relationships between children&rsquo / s evaluation criteria for each product group and comparison of the evaluation criteria related to construction play materials and metallophones.

Early musical experiences are very important for social, cognitive and physical development of children, as well as their future musical competences. Preschools present this environment with various musical materials. However, suitability of these materials in terms of developmental needs of children and educational goals is questionable. The purpose of this study is to transfer knowledge from relevant literature to design considerations of musical toys for preschool children. Literature review was conducted to determine various aspects to be considered while designing musical toys by compiling knowledge from developmental psychology and pedagogy literature / governments

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of learning gender and age labels on toddlers' toy preferences. Many researchers (e.g., Arthur, Bigler, Liben, Ruble, & Gelman, 2008; Martin & Halverson, 1981) have suggested that the acquisition of such labels should cause increased in-group preferences, and thus, increased interest in same-category toy preferences. In this study, we used feminine and masculine toys (e.g., a purse, a hammer) to test gender typed preferences and adult and child objects (e.g., toy keys, real keys) to test age typed preferences. Forty 18-20 month old children (M = 19.1 months) from primarily upper-middle class families participated in the study. After taking pre-test measures of their children's social label understanding and toy preferences, parents were randomly assigned with their children, to one of two conditions: the age condition (in which they were asked to practice "grown-up" and "kid") and the gender condition (in which they were asked to practice "boy" and "girl"). Parents practiced the labels with their children for approximately two weeks and returned to the lab. In the post-test session, children's social label understanding and toy preferences were again assessed. Additionally, parents were asked about their attitudes about other-gender toys and behaviors and about the toys their children had at home. The results indicated an interaction between test time and comprehension of the gender and age labels. Children in the age condition's performance on the age labels in the target word comprehension task improved from pre- to post-test. Children in the gender condition's performance on the gender labels also improved from pre- to post-test. However, there were no main effects of condition at post-test. As predicted, comprehension of labels was related to toy play in the age condition. Children who were more successful on the age labels on the word comprehension task also played more with toy items than real items at post-test. Comprehension of labels was not related to toy play in the gender condition. However, at pre-test, girls in the gender condition already exhibited strong sex typed behavior, so it is possible that the manipulation was not enough to change these extant preferences. These data partially support Bigler and Liben's (2006) Developmental Intergroup Theory and work by Martin and Halverson (1981) on role of cognitive processes in the formation of social stereotypes, preferences, and prejudice. / text