The purpose of this study is to investigate how Swedish newspapers chose to portray the mass-suicide of the new religious movement Heaven’s Gate in 1997. The study aims to gain insight into how the Swedish mass-media portrayed the religious leader Marshall Applewhites' actions, and the rest of the members and discuss what patterns of the reporting can be related to other depictions of “sects” investigated in previous research.    Laycock's theory of how the media portrays new religious movements is used to categorize the use of Heaven's Gate in the articles.   By searching the Swedish Royal library’s (KB) newspaper database, 496 articles are found that mention “Heaven’s Gate* and 99 articles that mention Applewhite*. Of these, 89 are considered relevant articles that are included in the source material. The material will be analyzed using a qualitative text analytical method. With the help of previous research about how new religious movements are portrayed in the media, a context is established which is also linked back to strengthen the result and is discussed in the final discussion of the study.  The results indicate that all concepts in Laycock's theory appear in the media portrayal of Heaven's Gate. Moreover, most of the responsibility for the suicides is attributed to Applewhite in the source material. Finally, a couple of concluding reflections on the content are presented.

For a successful marketer, it is essential to be adaptable in a changing environment. To be competitive in the labor market as a professional marketer, they must understand how to reach their customers in the most efficient way, which often happens digitally on the customers phone or through other digital platforms. This study aims to investigate how marketers consider their education relevant, in relation to the digital age we find ourselves in today. The study is based on a constructivist approach where reality is subjective. To answer the research question, a qualitative study consisting of interviews was accomplished. The study is based on organizational learning theories which highlights that individual learning is essential for an organization's survival. The study also emphasizes the importance of an in-depth understanding of how today’s knowledge-based society works where education is fundamental for social development and economic growth. The study also highlights the importance of possessing alternative competencies that are required to be successful in the 21st century. The material was analyzed through a thematic analysis where the results are divided in 3 main themes. The result shows that in today’s knowledge society, education is fundamental rather than meritorious. There is also some lack of digital practical applications and digital marketing theory during their education. Perhaps the most prominent result was that marketers witnessed themselves as never fully learned. A successful marketer needs to continuously develop one's knowledge and skills in order to remain an attractive candidate in this changing world.

Heft 10 der Zeitschrift Coils of the Serpent

Heft 11 der Zeitschrift Coils of the Serpent

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Flow theory explains the conditions for optimal engagement (enjoyment, interest, and concentration). There are three types of engagement: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. When these are combined and present at their peak, flow takes place. In the era of information, media, and technology, current concerns in education include an increasing student disengagement and disaffection. Recently, educational organizations have focused on 21st century skills and the importance of developing these in order to better engage with society. This mixed study explores the relationship between the inclusion of 21st century skills in an L2 task and the level of engagement of students, and whether it reaches flow. Participants came from two sections of intermediate-low Spanish FL classrooms. Findings show there is a positive relationship between 21st century skills and all three types of engagement. 21st century skills are also related to authentic work. Sense of control, clear goals, high challenges matched with high skills in a contextualized setting lead to increased engagement. Flow did not take place, but different levels and intensity of engagement in all areas did.

In an ever increasingly competitive global marketplace, a concern exists that American students are not being adequately prepared with the skills needed for the 21st century. As a remedy, improving quality of teacher instruction is a current national focus. Stakeholders are questioning current infrequent and inefficient methods of evaluating teacher performance. Many states are looking at using a 360 model of evaluating through multiple perspectives including the students themselves as key stakeholders. One method of accessing student voice and adding another perspective to teacher evaluations would be to include student evaluations in the rating of teacher performance, Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET). While using student evaluations of teacher performance is wide spread in higher education, the practice has been limited in public school settings until brought to light by the publication of the recent Gates Foundation MET (Measures of Effective Teaching) Project (2010). Currently, states across the nation are considering adding a student input component to teacher evaluations. With the validity and reliability of student evaluations in the university settings still under debate by professors, public school teachers also fear punitive measures and public judgment based on the verdicts of adolescents. This research examined the archival data from a program study of one high school's student evaluation implementation process, accessing teacher feedback from the initial evaluation process and then an adjusted implementation of student evaluations according to teacher feedback the following year. Based on mixed method design using both qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze teacher questionnaires, focus group open-ended responses and statistical analysis of close-ended agree/disagree statements from teacher questionnaires, this study used triangulation to explore teacher reflections on their anxiety levels created by the student evaluation implementation process, the value they found in student evaluations, and the degree to which student evaluations facilitated change in their teaching instruction. Exploring possibilities through the eyes of teachers to reduce their anxiety and increase their value of student input, this study suggests ways to tap into the potential but underutilized resource in schools that could come from developing a mutually beneficial partnership between students and teachers to improve teacher instruction and increase student learning.

For my thesis, I plan to research the sexuality and the process of courtship, and the differences between 19th century Vienna and modern America, specifically as to how it relates to my characters in Romance, Romance. My interest in the topic springs directly from the script. What I mean is, my initial idea of sexuality of the 19th century is very Victorian and straight-laced, where as I think of modern day as very sexually liberated. However, in the script, the first act, set in Vienna, is much more sexually explicit and active. In fact, the second act is all building up to an affair that does not even occur. Working as these characters, I believe that a historical view of what sexuality was actually like outside of Victorian England will lead me to a much better understanding of my character, and his particular past and desires for both sexual partners and potential mates. I also believe this research will assist me in constructing the modern character of Sam who can all at once love his wife, desperately want an affair, and cower away from said affair when the opportunity finally arises. Another interesting impact this research will create for my work is the juxtaposition of these two time periods and their individual codes of etiquette for behavior in this play. While the play is divided into two separate one-acts, they are presented together as one collective work, so the combination of each piece clearly leads to comparisons and further understanding of the other play. I believe this research will not only enlighten me about these two eras but also enlighten my performance, and assist me in effectively carrying out this complex pair of roles with a richer character developed. It also will provide me with a better understanding of the juxtaposition of these two plays, why they are paired together in the way they have been, and how this juxtaposition is effective in this particular work of musical theatre.

The evolving nature of education emphasizes the importance of fostering 21st-century skills. To align with the requirements of the contemporary era, Uzbekistan introduced its new competency based National Curriculum, highlighting the development of 21st century skills. Despite the National Curriculum's emphasis on contemporary skills, a gap persists due to the exam-focused education system in Uzbekistan, with university entrance exams largely dictating classroom practices. This qualitative study, through students’ lenses and experiences, aims to explore how preparation for these exams, particularly in English, aligns with the goals of National Curriculum. Washback, defined as the influence of tests on teaching and learning, has been utilized as the study’s conceptual framework. Reflexive thematic analysis has been employed as the method for data analysis. The participants include first-year public university students in Uzbekistan. The findings revealed a multifaceted, complex and context-specific nature of washback. Key observations include a negative washback effect of high stakes public university entrance exams, leading to the prioritization of exam subjects at the expense of holistic education, a misalignment between English instruction and the curriculum, high-stakes entrance exam induced stress, and broader educational context factors, such as lack of teacher qualification and competence, low teacher salary, contributing to poor quality education. The study also highlights the crucial role of private tutoring in preparing for higher education and the emergence of unethical practices in schools. While the exams fostered certain 21st-century skills in students, an overemphasis on rote memorization limits deeper cognitive competencies. Positive washback is observed in lyceum education and among students preparing for the IELTS exam - an alternative pathway to fulfill the English language requirement for public HE, advocating for measurement-driven instruction and comprehensive language skill development. The study concludes that positive changes in Uzbekistan’s public university admission system could be achieved through a more holistic assessment of students’ skills and competencies and measurement-driven approach to education. The study recommends incorporating students' school performance as an admission criterion, offering a more comprehensive assessment of their abilities and knowledge.

Curriculum integration is a unique approach to teaching. Twenty-first century skill approaches to curriculum integration train teachers in the process of curriculum integration, such that they are able to integrate various subject combinations in their teaching that produce new skills and dispositions in their students. Yet no scale to measure teachers' beliefs about the value of and efficacy beliefs towards implementing curriculum integration exists that is universal in the sense that it can be used any time any subject combination is integrated. Using a sample of 196 teachers at a professional development meeting in a mid-sized suburban school district in the Mountain West, this dissertation tests a scale that measures teachers' beliefs about the value of and efficacy beliefs towards curriculum integration and assesses its psychometric properties. The UCI21-T scale loaded as a bifactor model with one general factor and two specific factors. Conceptually and practically, however, the scale is best scored and reported as a two-correlated factor model. The scale demonstrated evidence of validity and reliability and shows promise for use by administrators and professional developers when assessing teachers' beliefs about the value of and efficacy beliefs towards 21st century curriculum integration.