Following a growing concern among education stakeholders about the lack of a reading culture and low literacy levels among Rwandans in general and university students in particular, the aim of this thesis is to increase the awareness of Rwandans about the development of a reading culture and early literacy. To achieve this aim, four studies with participants representing different experiences related to reading culture were performed. These qualitative studies draw on different perspectives on the development of a reading culture and emergent literacy by using open-ended questionnaires and interviews. The thesis takes sociocultural and emergent literacy theories as points of departure. The first study investigates students’ reflections on their previous reading experiences, and discuss ways to develop literacy and a reading culture in Rwanda. The next one sheds light on parents’ involvement in literacy practices at home and the third study concerns what literacy knowledge teachers expect from their pupils when they start nursery and lower primary school. An example of a literacy event (storytelling) is given in the fourth study where children’s narratives of fairy tales are followed by their discussions on gender issues, which in turn can develop the children’s interest in reading. This can also help them relate texts to their life and teach them to think critically. In sum, the studies show that there is a limited reading culture in Rwanda. That is attributed to the colonial and post-colonial education system, reliance on verbal communication, limited access to reading materials, and ultimately the low status of the mother tongue Kinyarwanda within the sociolinguistic configuration of Rwanda. Also, the participating students and teachers point out the necessity of involving parents more in the creation of an environment that nurtures children’s emergent literacy development so that it becomes a shared responsibility translated into a teacherparent partnership for children’s success at school. Hence, the findings inform the use of this thesis which is to promote literacy and a reading culture in Rwanda by engaging the whole nation in a national effort to build a sustainable culture of reading. To paraphrase the old African saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, I want to conclude by saying that it takes a nation to develop a culture of reading.

The aim of this study was to examine which norms are applicable and how they are reproduced in two sports organisations. More specifically the aim was to find out how the leaders worked with gender roles and what message the organisations give out to young people. And at the same time, find out if there are similarities and differences between two different organisations, regarding norms and gender roles.  The study was based on observations and interviews. The observations were made during and after training in an ice hockey team and two gymnastic teams for girls nine to thirteen years old. The interviews were conducted with seven leaders and one senior ice-hockey player. The results have been presented and analyzed based on four key theoretical points, gender theory, gender stereotypes, the other sex, and deviate from the norm. The results showed the presence of existing gender norms and values. And both similarities and differences between the organisations. The leaders and the organisation's work with gender roles have also been presented as a part of the result. The results also show that the leaders and the organisations aren’t working with gender roles in sport.

Abstrakt Examinationsnivå: Examensarbete, 15 högskolepoäng, inom lärarprogrammet Högskolan i Gävle Titel: Barns mångkulturella formningar genom barnlitteraturen: Utifrån kvalitativ textanalys utförda på ett urval av Astrid Lindgrens verk Författare: Edlund, Nadja                                                                                                         Termin och år: Ht 2008                                                                                                           Institution: Institutionen för Pedagogik, didaktik och psykologi. Handledare: Daniel Pettersson                                                                                    Nyckelord: Mångkultur, litteratur perspektiv, barns formning, Astrid Lindgren   Syftet med uppsatsen är undersöka vilka värderingar som ingår i benämningen mångkultur samt hur barns mångkulturella uppfattningar formas genom barnlitteratur representerad av utvalda verk författade av Astrid Lindgren. . Frågeställningen i denna C-uppsats lyder: Vilka mångkulturella uppfattningar formas barn av genom barnlitteraturen? Metod som använts för att ta reda på frågeställningen är kvalitativ textanalys. Genom denna metod kom det relevanta fram som behövdes för att sammanställa ett urval av mångkulturella uppfattningar och tänkanden de olika figurerna i Astrid Lindgrens böcker förmedlar i texten. Det faktum att pedagoger och föräldrar läser det som andra läst för dem när de själva var barn kan ha en påverkan i varför böckerna följer med i dagens samhälle. Uppsatsen belyser mångkulturens innehåll i de utvalda verk av Astrid Lindgren som valts och hur barns uppfattningar och formning ser ut utifrån det litterära perspektivet. Med mångkultur menas etnicitet, religion, bakgrunder, förhållningsätt, klasskillnader samt förutfattade meningar. Med formning menas barns uppfattningspräglingar och värderingsskapande som sker i barnens utveckling. Uppsatsens statistik och listor är utdragna från året 2006. Med anledning av att det med beslut från regeringen var mångkulturens år. Det kändes också aktuellt att kort nämna nuvarande statistik samt äldre statistik för att visa ett brett tidsperspektiv på Astrid Lindgrens böckers existens på topplistorna. Resultatet redovisar det som genom en kvalitativ textanalys upptäckts och innefattar det som ingår i begreppet mångkultur. Detta redovisas i utdrag, citat och genom ord som förekommer i Astrid Lindgrens böcker. I diskussionen framkommer det faktum att barns formning till stora delar sker genom litteraturen och att Astrid Lindgren fyller en stor del av den litteraturen som läses av barn och det automatiskt påverkas deras formning och uppfattningar. Mångkultur presenteras och framställs både ur positiva och negativa aspekter i Astrids böcker. Det är därför viktigt att det existerar en medvetenhet hos pedagoger för vad för slags värderingar vi förmedlar genom exempelvis litteratur som läses för barnen. / The purpose with this essay is to illuminate how children’s perceptions about multi cultural and its values are created trough literature for children. And to examine what child literature and its value stands for. By multi cultural the aspects of ethnicity, religion, tradition, culture, class is included. In this essay the literature who is being granted is one of Sweden’s most read authors Astrid Lindgren. The essays method is text analysis and seven of Astrid Lindgrens most read characters are being used in the result area. The choice of Astrid Lindgren is being motivated by her importance in child literature true generations and the fact that her book Pippi Långstrump still is the most borrowed book in library’s according to Svff (the association of Swedish authors). The results are containing extracts from the books where seven of her most famous characters exist. The results present examples of multi cultural aspects that are presented in these books. The discussion will contribute in what ways children can be formed true these results. These results show both positive and negative aspects of Astrid Lindgrens books vied from the multi-cultural perspective.

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This essay discusses children’s rights and control and system of rules in HVB-homes that provide treatment for adolescences with drug abuse prob­lems or criminal behavior. The results of this study are based on interviews with four persons working in managerial positions on different HVB-homes and shows the difficulties of having a children’s rights perspective in a con­text where a higher level of control is necessary to protect the best interest of the child. The study suggests that the question of balance between children’s right and the need for controlling system of rules needs to be fur­ther dis­cussed to improve, and as far as possible guarantee that these adoles­cence receive best possible care and do not suffer unfair restrictions on liber­ties.

Using a Millian framework, this thesis examines whether or not children are victims of child abuse when they are inculcated with racist belief systems. The conclusion is that children are not harmed and so not the victims of child abuse, but instead are badly parented.

Syftet med min studie är att belysa hur pedagoger i förskolan ser på sin roll att stimulera och utveckla barns språk. Undersökningen bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med fem verksamma förskollärare. Resultat av studien visar på att det utförs ett medvetet arbete för att utveckla och stimulera barns språk på förskolan. Detta görs främst genom att pedagogerna tar tillvara på de tillfällen och stunder som ges i vardagen. Därigenom stimuleras barnen till att själva använda sig av språket, och att de i förskolan omges av ett rikt och nyanserat språk både i tal och skrift. Genom att barnen möter vuxna som aktivt lyssnar och tar sig tid för barnet så ökar barnets lust att uttrycka sig. Resultatet visar också på att högläsning, rim, ramsor, sång och andra språk- och sånglekar används dagligen, för att på olika sätt utveckla barnets språk. För att barnet ska träna sig i att använda språket på ett mer nyanserat sätt, övar pedagogerna tillsammans med barnen på att berätta och återberätta utifrån böcker och upplevelser. Det handlar också om att utveckla ordförrådet och begreppsförståelsen hos barnet genom att hjälpa barnet att sätta ord på det som de upplever och gör. Språket utvecklas genom kommunikationen som uppstår i gruppen med barn och vuxna. Det sociala samspelet mellan individerna i gruppen är mycket betydelsefullt för språkutvecklingen. Därigenom stimuleras barnet till kommunikation som för dem är både meningsfull och viktig. Pedagogerna menar att det är barnens intresse och erfarenheter som ska vara utgångspunkten för utvecklandet av både tal- och skriftspråk.    Det kommer också till uttryck i min studie att det är viktigt att skapa en miljö som bidrar till att locka och möjliggöra samspel mellan barnen på förskolan. Pedagogerna ska dessutom erbjuda material som både intresserar och stimulerar barnets språk. Materialet bidrar också till att det finns saker att samtala om. Det viktiga är att barnen upplever det lustfyllt att använda sig av språket på olika sätt och att de med hjälp av språket kan förmedla sig med sin omgivning. / The purpose with this study is to point out how pre-school pedagogues look at their part to stimulate and enrich children language. The survey is based on qualitative interviews with five active pre-school pedagogues. The result of the study shows that an active and deliberate work is done to stimulate and enrich children’s language in pre-school. The pedagogue’s cherishes this work in everyday life at pre-school, thereby stimulating the children to use the language themselves. Secondly the children are indirectly stimulated in the overall pre-school environment by a rich and varied language in both spoken and written language. Children at pre-school communicate with engaged pre-school pedagogues that listen actively and thereby increase the children’s desire to express themselves. The results also show that loud reading, rime, jingles, sing and other language- and song games are used daily in different ways to enrich the children’s language. In order to train the child to use the language in a more varied way, pedagogues and children works together to tell and re-tell books and experiences. In many ways it’s about to enrich the children’s vocabulary by helping them to put words on things they do and experience. The language is evolving when children and pedagogues together communicate within the group. The social interaction between the individuals in the group is very important to evolve and enrich the language and thereby stimulating the child to communicate in a meaningful way. The pedagogues mean that the children’s interests and experiences are the foundation to enrich and evolve a rich spoken- and written language. The study also shows that it is of high importance to create an environment that encourages collaboration between children in pre-school. The pedagogues should also provide material that stimulates and increases children’s interest to learn the language. The material also contributes to subjects to talk about. It’s absolutely vital that children experience language as a fun and great resource to use when communicating and interacting with their surroundings.

The purpose of my study was to find out how staff in after-school activities thinks they work with norms and values, we may call this values education, and how this in turn may influence children's norms and values. By extension, how children are socialized with each other and develop socially. In my research, I have interviewed five of the after-school activities staff who work with children aged 6-9 years at a school in the neighbourhood Rinkeby-Kista in northwestern Stockholm.The results show that after-school activity according to the staff can play a very important and sometimes crucial role in children's social development. Staff believes that if they do not learn the social rules by participating in playing and games in early childhood, when growing up they are outside and cannot participate. By their pedagogical approaches, in terms of values and norms, the adults in after-school activities can help children to become socialized into a community of solidarity and eventually as adults become responsible citizens able to function and participate in society.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how male and female is produced in the literary children’s literature that is found in a Municipal preschool. My issues are the following: Which sex dominates as a main character in the preschools literary books? What type of properties is attributed to the characters? What type of clothes is portrayed on the books characters? I performed a quantitative study of 136 children’s books. I used Maria Nikolajevas perceptions of stereotypical male and female properties to analyze my empirical data. My conclusions are that male characters dominates as main characters, most of the male characters in the children’s books presents stereotypical male properties while the female characters statistics presents almost equal results regarding gender-neutral properties, gender-stereotypical properties and stereotypical male properties and that both gender-stereotypical and gender-neutral clothes appears in the books.

Detta examensarbete handlar om hur pedagoger ser på utevistelse och dess lärande samt hur de använder utevistelse i sitt pedagogiska arbete. Frågeställningarna som ställdes var: Hur ser pedagoger på utevistelse och lärande? Hur använder de utevistelse i sitt pedagogiska arbete? Begreppen arbetet utgick ifrån för att kunna svara på frågeställningarna var barns rörelseglädje och miljödidaktik. För att ta reda på detta användes enkätundersökning som metod. Enkätundersökningarna skickades ut till de förskolor i en viss kommun, som förskolecheferna godkände. Resultatet från enkäterna som skickades ut visade på att det var en blandning mellan de båda begreppen som användes i denna undersökning.  De flesta gångerna förskolorna gick till lekparken eller skogen var både planerade och oplanerade, då pedagogerna ansåg att barnen behöver båda. / The purpose with this study was to see how preschool-teachers see on the time outdoors and the learning it leads to, and also how they use the time outdoors in their educational work. The questions were as following: How do preschool-teachers look upon the time outdoors and learning? How do preschool-teachers use the time outdoors in their educational work? The concepts of children’s joy of movement and environmental didactics were assumed to answer the questions in this study. To answer these questions survey were used as a method. The survey was sent out to most of the preschools in a municipality. The results of the surveys that came back showed that it’s a mixture of the both concepts that were used in this study and that the most times at the playground or in the woods were both planned and unplanned, because the teacher’s assumes that the children needs both.