The focus of this dissertation is on how communication regarding work environment and work related risks can be understood from an organizational communication perspective. Based on a case study of communication about work environment and work related risks in the Swedish forest industry, the present study discusses institutional influences on organizational sense making processes. A central question has been how to understand the organizational field as a cultural and communicative arena where concepts and ideas connected with issues in the field are communicated between different actors. The empirical data was gathered using different methods. A questionnaire aiming at screening media habits and information gathering strategies of forest machine contractors was used. Based on information from that screening, mass media content was analysed, such as daily newspapers, trade press and advertisements for forest machines. Also, interviews with actors in the field were analysed thematically with respect to how to unveil hidden key symbols and cultural valuations of forest machine work, the work environment and how to handle work related risks in forest work. The key symbols that were identified to organise conceptions about forest work and occupational risks connected with it contained information about different attitudes towards how to handle risks and other problems in the work environment. Two main types of conceptions were identified, technologically oriented conceptions and person oriented conceptions. The analysis revealed a fragmented picture of forest work. Yet, the picture was more or less common to the organizational field as a whole. Building on institutional theory and theories of sense making, the study results in a deeper understanding of sense making in relation to work environmental issues by applying an organizational dimension to risk communication in an organizational field.

Il lavoro si è proposto di indagare le relazioni esistenti tra la metacognizione e la multimedialità, focalizzandosi in particolare sul ruolo che tali elementi possono avere sul processamento cognitivo. Partendo da un'analisi della teoria di Mayer relativa all'apprendimento multimediale, e da un'attenta disamina della letteratura recente riguardante il rapporto tra metacognizione e multimedialità, sono stati progettati tre percorsi di ricerca. Il primo consiste in un'analisi di dell'uso delle illustrazione nei testi scolastici italiani analisi volta a far emergere modelli impliciti dell'utilizzo della multimedialità. Questo primo progetto di ricerca comprende anche una seconda parte, strutturata sotto forma di interviste, volta a studiare più direttamente le concezioni ingenue di diversi sottocampioni di soggetti. Le seconda ricerca è volta a verificare il livello di accordo spontaneo che studenti universitari possono dimostrare rispetto ai principi multimediali ipotizzati da Mayer. La terza parte sperimentale, invece, si è soffermata sull'analisi del ruolo e degli effetti della metacognizione e delle differenze individuali nella fruizione di presentazioni multimediali. I risultati delle ricerche sono stati discussi anche confrontandoli con i dati della più recente letteratura di settore. / The present work was aimed at exploring relations between metacognition (declined in metacogntion knowledge, monitoring and control) and multimedia, focusing particularly on the role that those elements have on cognitive processing. Starting from a theoretical analysis of Mayer's model of multimedia learning, and from a detailed examine of the recent literature concerning metacognition and multimedia, we devised 3 experimental projects. The first one was an analysis of instructional illustrated books, intended to discover embedded beliefs about multimedia. This project included also an interview study to directly investigate people naïve conceptions. The second research was aimed to investigate if cognitive principles underlying multimedia learning are counterintuitive asking students to rate the effectiveness of Mayer's own experimental materials. The third part was focused on the role of active metacognition and individual differences in the fruition of a multimedia presentation. Results from the three studies were discussed and compared with existing literature.

This study is about conception in the evaluation of financial assistance within the social services. The aim of this study is to describe and understand how social workers reason about variation, conception and local norms and its significance in the evaluation process. To reach this purpose we have conducted semi-structured interviews with eight social workers in which different themes were discussed and reasoned about. In order to understand and analyze our results we have studied/used the knowledge about tacit knowledge and street-level bureaucracy. Our results showed, as previous research states, that social workers do have conceptions about clients. Beyond that it also showed that they were well aware of the presence of the conception and that it is consistently processed with the help of colleagues. In addition to the help of colleagues the use of self-reflection was valuable to increase the awareness about conception. Furthermore the study showed that social workers believe that the conceptions are established through ones qualities and experiences. Social workers also suggest that these two variables contribute to their gut feeling, which they mean to be inevitable in the evaluation process. The study concluded that there is an ongoing reasoning about conception in the evaluation process of financial assistance among social workers and that social workers found it to be important to continuously discuss and deal with this issue.

Récemment, l'algorithme a pris une place plus importante dans l'enseignement secondaire en France et à l'étranger. Ce concept, lié à l'informatique mais aussi aux mathématiques et à la preuve, soulève de nombreuses questions didactiques. Cette thèse propose une analyse épistémologique du concept dans le but d'étudier sa transposition et de construire des situations didactiques. Dans un premier temps, nous présentons une analyse épistémologique détaillée du concept en mettant en avant ses aspects fondamentaux. Cela permet de proposer un modèle de conceptions pour l'algorithme du point de vue du savoir savant (en mathématiques et informatique) et tenant compte l'ensemble des formes que peut prendre l'algorithme. Ces résultats, validés expérimentalement par les analyses d'entretiens avec des chercheurs, permettent de mener une étude de la transposition en jeu dans l'enseignement au lycée en France. Au travers de l'étude des instructions officielles, de manuels scolaires et de ressources en ligne, nous mettons en évidence une transposition partielle du concept principalement orientée vers la programmation et l'usage de l'algorithme comme un outil. La dernière partie propose une caractérisation des problèmes fondamentaux pour l'algorithme et des perspectives pour la construction et l'étude de situations didactiques en algorithmique.

L'objet de notre recherche est d'étudier la dynamique subjective du parcours universitaire des enseignants en vue de la construction d'une identité professionnelle et de leur préparation à l'enseignement. Nous analysons les expériences, les représentations et les méthodes de travail des futurs professeurs de l'enseignement secondaire en milieu universitaire ainsi que la transition de l'expérience universitaire à la formation. Notre enquête porte sur un échantillon de 170étudiants (et professeurs stagiaires) préparant les concours de recrutement (CAPES, CAPEPS, Agrégation), futurs enseignants du second degré dans trois disciplines : Lettres, EPS et Sciences physiques. Nous avons utilisé pour le recueil des données un questionnaire qui nous a permis de collecter les données nécessaires (données quantitatives)puis nous avons conduit 35 entretiens complémentaires afin de collecter des données qualitatives. Nous dégageons ainsi sur la base des résultats obtenus les particularités de leurs représentations par rapport à leur discipline d'appartenance.Nous nous intéressons plus spécifiquement aux méthodes de travail des futurs enseignants selon certains concepts pédagogiques (l'efficacité des enseignants, l'évaluation des élèves, le comportement en classe et dans différents contextes, la préparation des cours, les connaissances relatives aux disciplines, les compétences pédagogiques). Il es tégalement intéressant d'examiner la question du choix du métier des enseignants candidats ainsi que d'étudier la position culturelle des nouveaux enseignants entre la culture académique-scolaire et la culture des jeunes. En outre,nous envisageons les modalités actuelles de la professionnalisation et des nouvelles contraintes du métier ainsi que les stratégies possibles en vue de la construction d'une culture professionnelle commune des enseignants du secondaire

An examination of leadership and ethics literature demonstrates that, given the theoretical and practical links between the two subjects, they should also be linked within the context of adult post-secondary education. However, very little documented information exists with regard to the ways in which such integration of subject areas is achieved, and there is scant documentation indicating the kinds of pedagogical approaches that are employed for such a purpose. This study examined how the subject areas of leadership and ethics are conceptualized and integrated within the context of undergraduate credit courses at the University of Saskatchewan. The methods used to collect original data for this study were content analysis and qualitative interviews. The data collected in this study demonstrated that the integration of leadership and ethics subject areas is occurring, both implicitly and explicitly, in a variety of undergraduate courses offered through professional colleges at the University of Saskatchewan. The subjects of leadership and ethics are conceptualized in many different ways by course instructors; however, instructors perceive links between the two subject areas and expect their students to demonstrate an understanding of those links. The findings of this study will serve as a program planning resource for instructors who practice, or who wish to practice, the integration of leadership and ethics subject areas in their post-secondary classroom settings. In addition, the researcher concluded with some broad-based recommendations for further study, and suggestions regarding approaches to integration of leadership and ethics education at the University of Saskatchewan.

Resumen: Esta tesis tiene como objetivo general conocer la contribución de la materia de Historia en la formación ciudadana de los jóvenes. La creciente necesidad de formar a la juventud en el conocimiento del sistema democrático en el que viven y del que deben participar activamente está constituyendo un nuevo contexto de enseñanza y aprendizaje. En esta coyuntura, la enseñanza de la Historia de España en segundo curso de Bachillerato, se presenta como una importante materia para el desarrollo de la formación personal y social de la juventud, tal y como queda reflejado en sus finalidades y objetivos, donde la adquisición de competencias que fomenten su formación ciudadana y democrática aparece como una de sus finalidades principales. Para llevar a cabo esta investigación hemos contado con la participación de cincuenta alumnos de primero de grado de una representación de todas las ramas de conocimiento (Artes y Humanidades, Ciencias, Ciencias de la Salud, Ciencias Sociales e Ingenierías) de siete universidades españolas (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Universidad de Alicante, Universidad de Murcia, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Universidad de Almería, Universidad de Sevilla y Universidad Pablo Olavide). El instrumento de recogida de datos ha sido una entrevista semiestructurada donde se hace referencia tanto al conocimiento de Historia de España y su vinculación con el desarrollo ciudadano, como a una metareflexión sobre su aprendizaje. El análisis de la información se ha realizado a partir de un sistema de categorías, con cinco variables divididas en tres niveles que actúan como hipótesis de progresión del conocimiento. La codificación y el tratamiento informático de las 1690 unidades de información se ha realizado con el programa Atlas.ti. Hemos podido concluir que los estudiantes presentan dificultades para extrapolar el conocimiento histórico aprendido en las aulas de Historia a situaciones reales que les afectan como ciudadanos. Dos de las teorías que barajamos residen en la presentación fragmentada que se hace del contenido histórico y la desconexión de esta enseñanza con los problemas que actualmente vive la sociedad y de la que son partícipes nuestros alumnos. Proponemos, ante estos resultados, algunas estrategias didácticas referidas a la organización curricular de la materia en torno a problemas relevantes, fomentar la participación de los estudiantes en el aula, tomar como base las concepciones previas del alumnado y formar a un docente comprometido con su labor de educador de ciudadanos activos, participativos y democráticos.

An examination of leadership and ethics literature demonstrates that, given the theoretical and practical links between the two subjects, they should also be linked within the context of adult post-secondary education. However, very little documented information exists with regard to the ways in which such integration of subject areas is achieved, and there is scant documentation indicating the kinds of pedagogical approaches that are employed for such a purpose. This study examined how the subject areas of leadership and ethics are conceptualized and integrated within the context of undergraduate credit courses at the University of Saskatchewan. The methods used to collect original data for this study were content analysis and qualitative interviews. The data collected in this study demonstrated that the integration of leadership and ethics subject areas is occurring, both implicitly and explicitly, in a variety of undergraduate courses offered through professional colleges at the University of Saskatchewan. The subjects of leadership and ethics are conceptualized in many different ways by course instructors; however, instructors perceive links between the two subject areas and expect their students to demonstrate an understanding of those links. The findings of this study will serve as a program planning resource for instructors who practice, or who wish to practice, the integration of leadership and ethics subject areas in their post-secondary classroom settings. In addition, the researcher concluded with some broad-based recommendations for further study, and suggestions regarding approaches to integration of leadership and ethics education at the University of Saskatchewan.

The purpose of the thesis is to analyze the role of the EU as a foreign and security policy actor in the post-9/11 international security environment. The thesis investigates the congruity between the role that the EU aspires to play as a foreign and security actor (role conception) and its actual foreign and security policy actions and decisions (role performance) in a specific case of the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) in the post-9/11 era. The role conceptions of the EU are identified by analyzing the content of the general foreign policy speeches delivered by the principal EU foreign policy officials and the EU official documents concerning foreign and security policy of the EU. The congruity between EU&rsquo / s self-defined role conceptions and its actual role performance is tested in the case-study of the MEPP. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that although the EU encountered some constraints when performing some of its self-proclaimed roles, this moderately weakened its effectiveness and international credibility as a foreign and security policy actor in the post-9/11 era, all in all, as observed in the case of the MEPP, the decisions and actions carried out by the EU while enacting its self-identified roles outweighed its deficiencies in its role performance. Despite some inconsistency problems the EU has encountered while performing its self-identified roles, its overall balance sheet as a foreign and security policy actor in the post-9/11 era is fairly positive.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheters skilda sätt att uppfatta användandet av talsyntes. Kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med nio elever i grundskolans årskurs tre till nio. Studien har utgått från en fenomenografisk ansats. I resultatet framkommer sex skilda uppfattningar om användandet av talsyntes. De sex kategorierna är: talsyntesen i användning, viktiga andra, autonomi och självständighet, lärande, delaktighet och förändring samt engagemang och attityd. Majoriteten av eleverna upplever användandet av talsyntes positivt. Studien pekar på att talsyntesen ökar elevernas lärande, motivation och delaktighet hos de allra flesta av eleverna. Elever med läs- och skrivsvårigheter är en heterogen grupp med olika behov beroende av vad som orsakar deras svårigheter och talsyntesens betydelse och användningsområden kan därför variera.  Studien visar att det är viktigt att införandet av talsyntes sker i dialog med eleven och att hon eller han har stora möjligheter att själv bestämma över när, hur och var den ska användas. Resultatet visar också att det är viktigt att det finns en god stöttning i början av användandet. / The aim of the study is to examine students with reading and writing difficulties different ways of perceiving the use of text-to speech. Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine students in the primary grades three to nine. The study was based on a phenomenographic approach. The result shows six different views on the use of text-to-speech. The six description categories are: text-to-speech  in use, significant others, autonomy and independence,  learning, participation and change and commitment and attitude. The majority of students experience the use of text-to-speech positively. The study indicates that text-to-speech increases student learning, motivation and participation of the vast majority of students. Students with reading and writing difficulties are a heterogeneous group with different needs depending on what is causing their difficulties and the importance and use of text-to-speech may therefore vary. It is important that the introduction of text-to-speech through discussion with the student and that she or he has great opportunity to decide when, how and where to use it. The result also shows that it is important with scaffolding at the beginning of use.