The study explored the narratives of three adoptive couples. The participants were selected using criterion based convenience and snowball sampling. The adoptive couples’ data was captured through written narratives and/or individual or joint semi-structured interviews. The data was then analysed by means of thematic analysis conducted from the perspective of second order cybernetics. The results note the participants’ experiences of their infertility threatened their functioning as a couple. However, this threat to the couples’ functioning was limited by the adoptions through two means. First, the adoptions limited the couples’ communication about their infertility. Second, the adoptions allowed the couples to continue functioning as a couple dedicated to the goal of becoming parents. Differences between the participant couples’ experiences surrounded their interactions with social workers; their selection of support structures; their interaction with external systems; as well as their anxiety towards the individuation of the adopted child. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study explored the experiences of members of an OCD support group, utilising a qualitative design, social constructionist approach, and a systemic framework. Participants were obtained through purposive sampling; data was collected via faceto- face semi-structured interviews with four participants. It emerged that these participants attended two OCD support groups (initial support group and sub-support group). The participants’ experiences were analysed using thematic analysis. Major findings: the participants’ motivation to attend both support groups was to reduce their OCD symptoms and improve functioning. The initial support group was a professional-led psychoeducational support group while the sub-support group was a self-help psychotherapeutic group. The groups also complemented each other with information from the initial support group being implemented in the sub-support group. The participants reported to have benefitted from participation in both support groups as their OCD symptoms reduced and their daily functioning improved. Recommendations for future research were discussed. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Föreliggande arbete inriktar sig på att utifrån ett genusperspektiv undersöka hur sånglärares elevbemötande påverkas av elevens biologiska kön. Med hjälp av videoobservationer av lärarnas sångundervisning i kombination med semistrukturerade intervjuer med de observerade lärarna har olika teman framkommit i analysarbetet av lärarnas elevbemötande och uttalade uppfattningar kring kön och genus. Resultatet visar att den mest markanta skillnaden i lärarnas bemötande är hur mycket lärarna skrattar eller skämtar med eleverna. Lärarnas förhållningssätt till sångarens roll presenteras samt hur det påverkar lärarnas lektionsupplägg. Vidare behandlar resultatet hur det sociala samspelet mellan lärare och elev fungerar, hur uppmuntran och beröm ges samt hur lärarnas uppfattningar kring känslomässiga skillnader mellan pojkar och flickor tycks påverka sångundervisningen och lärarnas elevbemötande. I diskussionen behandlas bland annat hur genusordningen styrks genom såväl lärarnas elevbemötande som elevernas bemötande av lärarna samt hur normer och förväntningar färgar deras sociala interaktioner. / The purpose of the study is to, from a gender perspective, investigate how vocal teachers treatment of the student is affected by the student’s biological sex. With the help of video observations of the teachers vocal tutoring in combination with semi-structured interviews certain themes have emerged from the analysis of the teachers treatment of the students and stated views on sex and gender. The result shows that the most significant difference in the teacher’s attitude towards the students is the amount of teachers joke and laughter. The teachers approach towards the singers function is presented along with how that seems to affect the teachers approach towards vocal tutoring. The result also display how the social interaction appears between the teacher and students, how encouragement and praise is given and how the teachers perceptions on emotional distinctions between boys and girls are effecting the vocal tutoring and the teachers treatment of the students. In the chapter on discussion I present, among other things, how both teachers and students due to their attitude towards each other confirm the gender order and lastly how social structures and expectations affects their social interactions.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att erhålla en djupare kunskap om ungdomars användning av cannabis. För att göra detta utgår denna studie från en kvalitativ intervjumetod där vi har intervjuat fyra socialarbetare samt en polisman. Samtliga informanter har erfarenhet av arbete med ungdomar som brukat cannabis. För att analysera resultaten som uppkommit under intervjuer har vi valt att använda oss av de teoretiska perspektiven social konstruktionism samt utvecklingspsykopatologi. Vidare har vi i studien använt risk och skyddsfaktorer för att analysera vilka faktorer som kan påverka att en ungdom använder sig av cannabis. Resultaten pekar på att bakomliggande faktorer vid bruket är psykisk ohälsa, neuropsykiatrisk diagnos såsom ADHD eller ADD och en problematisk hemmiljö. I resultatet diskuteras vidare om riskfaktorer såsom en bristande skolgång samt huruvida könet har någon betydelse eller skillnad bland de som använder sig av cannabis som berusningsmedel. Ett av de viktigaste resultaten som framkommer är att psykisk ohälsa är den vanligaste gemensamma riskfaktorn hos de ungdomar som använder sig av cannabis och som blir aktuella på socialtjänsten. Nyckelord: cannabis, socialarbetare, social kontruktionism, socialtjänst, ungdomar / The aim of this study was to obtain a deeper understanding of young people's use of cannabis. To do that is this study made out of a qualitative interview method where we have interviewed four social workers and one policeman. All informants have experience of working with young people who used cannabis. To analyse the findings raised during the interviews, we have chosen to use the theoretical perspectives of social constructionism and the development of psychopathology. Furthermore, we have in the study used the risk and protective factors to analyse the factors that can influence a young person use of cannabis. The result indicates that the factors behind the use of cannabis are mental illness, neuropsychiatric diagnosis as ADHD or ADD and a problematic home. This result further discussion of risk factors such as a lack of schooling and whether sex has any significance or difference among those who use cannabis as an intoxicant. One of the main results that emerge is that mental illness is the most common risk factor for young people who use cannabis, and who is current to the social services. Keywords: cannabis, social constructionism, social service, social worker, young people

This thesis applies concepts from Vladimir Propp’s model of the narrative structure of fairy tales (Propp’s morphology) to a story authoring tool for children. A computer story authoring application based on Propp’s morphology is developed and evaluated through empirical studies with children. Propp’s morphology is a promising model of narrative for a children’s story authoring tool, with the potential to give children a powerful mental model with which to construct stories. Recent research has argued for the use of computer-based interactive narrative authoring tools (which enable the construction of interactive narrative computer games in which the player can affect or change the plot) to support children’s narrative development, and a number of interactive narrative systems use Propp’s morphology as their underlying model of narrative. These interactive narrative tools have many potential learning benefits and a powerful motivational effect for children, who enjoy using them to create narrative games. The potential of an interactive narrative system based on Propp’s morphology to support children’s construction of narratives seems great, combining Propp’s rich narrative model with the motivational benefits of interactive narrative. Before the application of Propp’s morphology in an interactive narrative game creation tool to support children’s writing could be pursued, it was necessary to study children’s story writing with Propp’s morphology. How can Propp’s morphology be represented in a story authoring tool for children? Can children apply Propp’s abstract narrative concepts to the task of creating their own original stories? How does using Propp’s morphology affect the stories written by children? Using the Propp-based authoring tool that is presented in this thesis children were able to grasp Propp’s abstract concepts and apply them to their own story writing. The use of a story authoring tool based on Propp’s morphology improved some aspects of the narrative structure of the stories written by children, and children reported that they enjoyed using the tool and felt it was helpful to their story writing. This thesis lays the foundation and identifies the methods for further study of children’s appropriation of narrative structure by constructing stories using a story authoring tool based on Propp’s morphology.

Disertacijoje analizuojama psichikos sutrikimų kaip socialinių konstruktų samprata ir žiniasklaidos vaidmuo tokių konstruktų kūrimo procese. Pagrindinis darbo tikslas: išanalizuoti Lietuvos dienraščių bei interneto naujienų tinklalapių konstruojamus sutrikusios psichikos asmenų vaizdinius bei šių vaizdinių atspindžius visuomenės nuomonėje. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, keturios pagrindinės dalys, darbo išvados, literatūros sąrašas ir priedai. Pirmojoje darbo dalyje pristatomos teorinės metodologinės disertacijos prielaidos: P. L. Bergerio ir T. Lukmano socialinio konstrukcionizmo teorijos pagrindinės teorinės įžvalgos ir jų taikymas analizuojant psichikos sutrikimų fenomeną. Antrojoje darbo dalyje analizuojama žiniasklaidos reikšmė ir poveikis konstruojant socialinio pasaulio fenomenų vaizdinius. Trečiojoje dalyje išsamiai pristatoma tyrimo metodika. Ketvirtojoje darbo dalyje pateikiama empirinio tyrimo duomenų analizė ir interpretacijos. Darbo pabaigoje formuluojamos darbo išvados. Siekiant pagrindinio darbo tikslo, trijų etapų empirinio tyrimo metu derinant kokybinius ir kiekybinius metodus buvo atlikta žiniasklaidos publikacijų analizė naudojant diskurso analizės ir turinio analizės metodus, anketavimo būdu atlikta reprezentatyvi visuomenės nuomonės apklausa, naudojant fokus grupės metodą atskleista sutrikusios psichikos asmenų nuomonė. Darbe konstatuojama, jog Lietuvos žiniasklaida sutrikusios psichikos asmenis vaizduoja remdamasi stereotipais, vyraujančiu medicininiu šio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The object of this work is the concepts of mental disorders as a social constructs and the role of the mass media in the process of their construction. The main aim of the dissertation is to analyze the representations of people with mental disorders in the Lithuanian newspapers and news websites and to examine manifestations of these depictions in the public opinion. The dissertation consists of an introduction, four main parts, conclusions and the list of references. In the first part of the dissertation the theoretical methodological presumptions of P. L. Berger’s and T. Luckmann’s theory of social constructionism are presented and the phenomenon of the social construction of mental disorders is analyzed using this theoretical framework. In the second part the influence and importance of the mass media in the process of constructing representations of social phenomena, including mental disorders is presented. The methods of the empirical research are presented in the third part of the work. Analysis and interpretations of the empirical research data are presented in the fourth part of the dissertation. At the end of the work conclusions are stated. The main aim of the dissertation was reached by conducting a three staged empirical research combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. The research methods were: the analysis of the mass media publications using methods of Discourse analysis and Content analysis; the investigation of public opinion by... [to full text]

MySpace is a social network site (SNS) that forms an essential part of modern online communication. The creation of a personal profile in MySpace allows a user to connect with a global network of friends and communicate in a number of different ways. This thesis sets out to explore the experience of MySpace in terms of the self, identity and community. MySpace will be studied from a constructionist form of social psychology that benefits from new dialects of movement, performance and process. MySpace is conceptualised as a mediated community where users shape and are shaped by their experience of using the site. This study uses empirical data taken from the natural use of MySpace. A total of 100 open-access profiles are explored for the myriad ways that users constitute the self and identity in MySpace. The analysis identifies a number of functions of mediating the self including: the brand me, the hoped-for self and the self in potential. The brand me describes the reflective ability to realise other normative capacities through the practice of blogging in MySpace. This focuses on the ability to create new forms of subjectivity in MySpace interactions. In a similar vein, the hoped-for self explains the modification of the self through the act of profile changing and focuses on the actual, everyday practices of the self. Each of these analytic themes demonstrates the importance of the relational connections in MySpace. Finally, the self is defined as in potential as the analysis demonstrates an ongoing need for a narrative construction to the profile that is performed in both the visual and the textual aspects of the page.

This is a qualitative study that explores the thoughts and experiences of honour culture of young men who have previously been living in a residential care home for unaccompanied children. The data was collected through four semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The social constructionist theory was used together with previous research in order to analyse the results. The results of this study show that the informants highly associate honour culture with women, and therefore feel burdened with the fact that they are expected to guard females both in and outside their own families. Results also show that males are subjected to honour based oppression in different forms. Furthermore, it was found that honour culture is connected to shame and a fear of being ostracized from the family or the community.

The aim of this study is to explore discourses that emerge in texts in pre-school quality reports from 2011-2015 and how pre-school practitioners talk about quality in pre-school. Because of the complexity of the concept of "quality" the study is limited to focus on and explore discourses about quality in preschool that emerge in texts where preschools make a comprehensive analysis and assessment of their educational activity and quality. Five texts from different pre-schools and three transcribed interviews/conversations with pre-schoolteachers (one of these teachers has previous experience of being a preschool director) and one preschool director/teacher are analyzed. Three of the texts originate from communal pre-school units in a larger city in Sweden and the other two are from smaller community pre-schools throughout the country. The texts and the statements in the interviews are analyzed from a social constructional perspective and with discourse analytical tools inspired by Norman Fairclough (2010). Two different dimensions are analysed; the texts and the discursive practice but mainly the focus is on the analysis of the texts. The result of the analysis of the texts and the statements from the interviews, shows two emerging discourses of quality; “measurability” and “meaning making”. These two perspectives about quality in pre-school stand side by side in the texts and dialogs which results in a “field of tension” between the discourses. The first discourse, measurability, can be related to a political agenda of management, financial interests and controllability where pre-school quality is connected to accomplishments and results. In this perspective, knowledge and learning connect to an idea that all children develop and learn in a predetermined and predictable manner and therefore becomes measurable. The second discourse, meaning making, has its roots in a social constructional perspective were learning and knowledge are socially constructed by language when people interact, and therefore knowledge and understanding are undergoing constant transformations by reflection and negotiation.

Magister Artium - MA / This research is a discourse analysis of a Christian ‗coloured‘ youth group, from the area of Mitchell‘s Plain, Cape Town. The aim of the analysis is to explore the ways in which the interlocutors construct their identities and gender positions and how they are able to affirm, challenge and perpetuate dominant discourses. The role of this context, namely the social and religious context is pivotal to shaping this interaction.The analysis of the data uses the Appraisal framework particularly the attitudinal and engagement systems to analyse how the interlocutors strategically communicate their attitudes,evaluations, feelings and judgements. Ultimately, this research shows how the males and females use language to negotiate identities and socially position themselves.In addition, the research indicates that the male interlocutors in most instances exert a strong influence on the discussions, which result in females showing tendencies to allow for the male ideologies to dictate, thus perpetuating the dominant ideologies about male and female behaviour.