The outputs that form the basis of this PhD submission include a web site that summarises a unique collection of over 200 Court Judgments in personal injury claims for work-related upper limb disorders heard in the UK, together with a number of more conventional publications. Individually, these outputs all address upper limb disorders associated with work although they each had slightly different objectives and the audiences for which they were produced significantly influenced the type of publication in which they appeared. Together, they help illustrate when, how and, to some extent, why upper limb disorders associated with keyboard use became the issue it did in the UK in the late 1980s and 1990s. While many might now regard keyboard or computer use as an innocuous task, in the late 1980s and 1990s upper limb disorders associated with keyboard use, particularly computer use, became the subject of litigation, legislation, industrial disputes and widespread publicity. The outputs on which this submission is based, together, suggest that following the importation of the concept of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) from Australia in the later 1980s, the activities of trades unions and journalists in the UK promoted work-relevant upper limb symptoms and disorders associated with keyboard use as work-induced injuries. Subsequently, a small number of successful, union-backed, personal injury claims, which involved contentious medical evidence and perhaps an element of iatrogenesis, were widely promoted as proof that computer use causes injury. Around the same time, the government chose to implement flawed Regulations relating to the design and use of computer workstations, which failed to distinguish between that which might give rise to discomfort, fatigue and frustration and that which might give rise to injury. The existence of these Regulations, which among other things require regular, individual risk assessments of computer users, unlike any other type of work, could be interpreted as further 'proof' that computer use causes injury. The approach to the prevention and management of musculoskeletal disorders advocated in current HSE guidance, including the risk assessment strategy, remain capable of generating distorted perceptions of the risks arising from keyboard and computer use.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of word processor use by foreign college writers and their attitudes toward writing, writing revision practices, writing quality, attitudes toward the use of computers, and time spent on computers. The results indicate that students' attitudes toward writing and their perceptions of computer usefulness significantly affected their writing quality. Students with more positive attitudes toward writing and the usefulness of computers tended to produce better quality writing. In addition, the findings indicate that students' writing revision practices significantly affected their attitudes toward writing. Students who revised their writing more frequently tended to have better attitudes toward writing than those who did not. In contrast, students' levels of computer anxiety, computer confidence, computer liking and their writing revision practices did not significantly affect the quality of their writing. Furthermore, the amount of time that students spent on computers did not significantly affect their attitudes toward using computers in writing.

<p>Syftet med studien är att undersöka och belysa synsätt på datoranvändandet som pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolan ur pedagog-, barn-, föräldra- samt skolledarperspektiv, det vill säga ur olika aktörers perspektiv. Forskning om datoranvändande i förskolan är marginell, varför ambitionen med studien är att i någon mån bidra till kunskap inom området. Ljung-Djärfs avhandling Spelet runt datorn - datoranvändande som meningsskapande praktik i förskolan har använts som inspirationskälla då delar av hennes resultat har legat till grund för våra frågeställningar: Vilken syn har aktörerna på datorn som ett pedagogiskt verktyg i relation till andra förekommande aktiviteter? Hur ser aktörerna på datorns tillgänglighet som val i förskolans verksamhet? Hur uppfattar aktörerna datorns relevans som pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? Studien har en kvalitativ ansats i form av en fallstudie och har genomförts på en förskola i Mellansverige med hjälp av intervjuer, enkäter samt observationer. Resultatet pekar på tre synsätt på datoranvändandet som pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolan – en kompletterande aktivitet, en konkurrerande valmöjlighet och ett verktyg i lärande. Det förefaller som att datorn inte anses vara högt prioriterad i förskolans verksamhet. Andra aktiviteter, värden och behov, såsom språkutveckling och utevistelse, värderas högre. En slutsats är att aktörernas synsätt präglas till stor del av en omsorgsrationalitet. Avslutningsvis diskuteras betydelsen av en gemensam grundsyn hos aktörerna gällande hur datorn som pedagogiskt verktyg kan användas i förskolans verksamhet.</p> / <p>The purpose of this study is to explore and illuminate opinions to computer use as educational tools in pre-school from pedagogues, children, parents and school principal perspective, ie from different participant perspectives. Research on computer use in pre-school is marginal, so the ambition of this study is to some extent contribute to knowledge in this area. Ljung-Djärfs (2004) dissertation has been used as a source of inspiration as part of her performance has been the basis for our questions: What opinion do participants have about the computer as a pedagogical tool related to other activities? What opinion do participants have about the computer as a free choice in the pre-school activities? What opinion do the participants have about the computers’ relevance as an educational tool in the pre-school activities? The study has a qualitative approach in the form of a case study and was conducted at a pre-school in central Sweden with the help of interviews, surveys and observations. The results suggest three approaches to computer use as educational tools in pre-school - a complementary activity, a competing option, and a tool of learning. It appears that the computer is not considered high priority in the pre-school activities. Other activities, values and needs, such as language development and outdoor activities, are valued higher. One conclusion is that the views are characterized largely by a caring rationality. Finally it discusses the importance of a common view among the pedagogues in how the computer as an educational tool can be used in the pre-school activities.</p>

Syftet med studien är att undersöka och belysa synsätt på datoranvändandet som pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolan ur pedagog-, barn-, föräldra- samt skolledarperspektiv, det vill säga ur olika aktörers perspektiv. Forskning om datoranvändande i förskolan är marginell, varför ambitionen med studien är att i någon mån bidra till kunskap inom området. Ljung-Djärfs avhandling Spelet runt datorn - datoranvändande som meningsskapande praktik i förskolan har använts som inspirationskälla då delar av hennes resultat har legat till grund för våra frågeställningar: Vilken syn har aktörerna på datorn som ett pedagogiskt verktyg i relation till andra förekommande aktiviteter? Hur ser aktörerna på datorns tillgänglighet som val i förskolans verksamhet? Hur uppfattar aktörerna datorns relevans som pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolans verksamhet? Studien har en kvalitativ ansats i form av en fallstudie och har genomförts på en förskola i Mellansverige med hjälp av intervjuer, enkäter samt observationer. Resultatet pekar på tre synsätt på datoranvändandet som pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolan – en kompletterande aktivitet, en konkurrerande valmöjlighet och ett verktyg i lärande. Det förefaller som att datorn inte anses vara högt prioriterad i förskolans verksamhet. Andra aktiviteter, värden och behov, såsom språkutveckling och utevistelse, värderas högre. En slutsats är att aktörernas synsätt präglas till stor del av en omsorgsrationalitet. Avslutningsvis diskuteras betydelsen av en gemensam grundsyn hos aktörerna gällande hur datorn som pedagogiskt verktyg kan användas i förskolans verksamhet. / The purpose of this study is to explore and illuminate opinions to computer use as educational tools in pre-school from pedagogues, children, parents and school principal perspective, ie from different participant perspectives. Research on computer use in pre-school is marginal, so the ambition of this study is to some extent contribute to knowledge in this area. Ljung-Djärfs (2004) dissertation has been used as a source of inspiration as part of her performance has been the basis for our questions: What opinion do participants have about the computer as a pedagogical tool related to other activities? What opinion do participants have about the computer as a free choice in the pre-school activities? What opinion do the participants have about the computers’ relevance as an educational tool in the pre-school activities? The study has a qualitative approach in the form of a case study and was conducted at a pre-school in central Sweden with the help of interviews, surveys and observations. The results suggest three approaches to computer use as educational tools in pre-school - a complementary activity, a competing option, and a tool of learning. It appears that the computer is not considered high priority in the pre-school activities. Other activities, values and needs, such as language development and outdoor activities, are valued higher. One conclusion is that the views are characterized largely by a caring rationality. Finally it discusses the importance of a common view among the pedagogues in how the computer as an educational tool can be used in the pre-school activities.

The purposes of this study were. to identify current uses of computers by university foodservice operations and to determine if there.are any differences in computer use among university foodservice operations. The twelve university foodservice directors who responded to the research questionnaire varied significantly in their computer usage and computer characteristics. Institutions serving more than 1,000 meals per day represented 91% of the sample using computers. Chi Square analysis found a significant use of menu-costing programs. The computers were used more than six hours a day by 75% of the sample. The.problems relating to hardware and software selection indicate a lack of assessment of operational needs for foodservice operations. Guidelines to assist foodservice directors in computerization are needed.

This study investigated the changes in attitudes of Japanese first and second grade children who were exposed to microcomputers in school. Eight hundred and three first-and second-grade children were selected from six Japanese public schools. Approximately half of the subjects were selected from urban, suburban, and rural schools using computers, while the remaining subjects were from schools not using computers. The Young Children's Computer Inventory was the instrument used for this study. It was derived from a questionnaire originally developed at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and contained four subscales: Attitudes Toward Computers, Motivation to Study, Empathy, and Creativity. A Japanese language version of the questionnaire was mailed to the principal of each school, where teachers distributed the questionnaires.for the subjects to complete with their parents at home. Ninety-one percent of the students returned completed questionnaires. Demographic information was also collected for each classroom.

Die vorliegende Arbeit hat ihre entstehungsgeschichtlichen Wurzeln in der öffentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Diskussion über die Risiken und Potentiale der Computernutzung. Hinzu kam neben der persönlichen Aufmerksamkeit für die metaphorische Zusammensetzung von Sprache auch die besondere Stellung dieser im Bezug auf die Computernutzung. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven wurden diese Phänomene näher betrachtet. Dabei stehen neben der öffentlichen Diskussion und der fachlichen Auseinandersetzung nach einem forschungsmethodischen Einschub schließlich die männlichen Nutzer zwischen dem 20. und 30. Lebensjahr und ihre metaphorischen Konzepte von Computernutzung im Fokus der Auseinandersetzung. Den theoretischen Hintergrund bilden gestalttheoretische Betrachtungen, Studien über Lebenswelt und Alltag und symbolisch-interaktionistische Auffassungen. Ergänzend wurden theoretische Ausführungen zur Indentitäts- und Rollenentwicklung in Verbindung mit Aspekten geschlechtertypischen Verhaltens herangezogen. Das Vorgehen bei der Erhebung des Inteviewmaterials stützt sich auf die Empfehlungen von Witzel und Schorn zum problem- bzw. themenzentrierten Interview. Nach der Transkription wurden die Gespräche metaphernanalytisch ausgewertet. Die Methode basiert auf dem von Lakoff und Johnson geprägten Metaphernbegriff. In Bezug auf den theoretischen Hintergrund konnten Anknüpfungspunkte bzw. Überschneidungen skizziert werden, die eine Kombination sinnvoll erscheinen lassen. In der Interpretation der dargestellten metaphorischen Konzepte konnte gezeigt werden, dass dem Computer weit mehr Bedeutungen zugeschrieben werden als nur die einer mikroelektronischen Maschine, wenngleich deren Eigenschaften als Auslöser für diese Zuschreibungen zu betrachten sind.

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an instructor-led and a self-managed computer training course. A sample of forty nine (n=49) previously disadvantaged South African adult learners was used. Half the sample was randomly assigned to the instructor-led course, while the other half was assigned to the self-managed course. Data dealing with the course content and design, subject demographics, previous computer experience, preferred learning style, and learning potential was collected prior to each course. After the course, the ability to create key outcomes using the learned software was assessed, as well as subject perceptions of the course and various support and performance system factors. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the performance on the competence assessment of the students from the two groups. The data did, however, indicate a stronger preference for the self-managed approach. A number of limitations to the study were also noted. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Este estudo teve como objetivo entender os modos de uso de computadores por diferentes membros das camadas sociais médias na cidade de São Paulo, em um momento histórico de aumento do consumo das classes menos privilegiadas. Levando-se em conta a teoria dos campos de Bourdieu, a hipótese central deste estudo é a de que os diferentes modos de uso dos computadores são originados a partir da distribuição desigual dos capitais econômico e cultural entre membros dos diferentes grupos sociais pesquisados. Através da etnografia dos usos, foi possível observar e comparar diversos modos de uso do computador e da internet que colaboram com a hipótese central. Esta pesquisa apresenta as barreiras que a desigualdade digital impõe às classes menos privilegiadas assim como também apresenta algumas estratégias de superação dessas barreiras que essas classes adotam. / This research aimed to understand the different ways in which members of the middle classes in Sao Paulo City have been using computers. The timing of this study is particularly special as it took place in a period when the consumption power of the unprivileged classes was gaining momentum. Based on the Bourdieus fields theory, the main hyphotesis of this dissertation is that the different ways in which computers have been used stem from the unequal distribution of both economic and cultural types of capital among the members of the social groups analyzed. Having the ethnography of use as the main approach for the data collection procedures, it was possible to identify and compare different ways to use computers and the internet that corroborate the main hyphotesis. This study features the barriers that the digital inequality imposes to the unprivileged classes and the strategies those classes use to overcome such barriers.

Este estudo teve como objetivo entender os modos de uso de computadores por diferentes membros das camadas sociais médias na cidade de São Paulo, em um momento histórico de aumento do consumo das classes menos privilegiadas. Levando-se em conta a teoria dos campos de Bourdieu, a hipótese central deste estudo é a de que os diferentes modos de uso dos computadores são originados a partir da distribuição desigual dos capitais econômico e cultural entre membros dos diferentes grupos sociais pesquisados. Através da etnografia dos usos, foi possível observar e comparar diversos modos de uso do computador e da internet que colaboram com a hipótese central. Esta pesquisa apresenta as barreiras que a desigualdade digital impõe às classes menos privilegiadas assim como também apresenta algumas estratégias de superação dessas barreiras que essas classes adotam. / This research aimed to understand the different ways in which members of the middle classes in Sao Paulo City have been using computers. The timing of this study is particularly special as it took place in a period when the consumption power of the unprivileged classes was gaining momentum. Based on the Bourdieus fields theory, the main hyphotesis of this dissertation is that the different ways in which computers have been used stem from the unequal distribution of both economic and cultural types of capital among the members of the social groups analyzed. Having the ethnography of use as the main approach for the data collection procedures, it was possible to identify and compare different ways to use computers and the internet that corroborate the main hyphotesis. This study features the barriers that the digital inequality imposes to the unprivileged classes and the strategies those classes use to overcome such barriers.