SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Fysisk aktivitet främjar hälsan och medför positiva effekter för kroppen. Barns och ungdomars fysiska aktivitet påverkas av olika faktorer på individ- och omgivningsnivå. Faktorerna interagerar med varandra och påverkar den fysiska aktiviteten på olika sätt och i varierande grad, faktorerna kan delas in i olika system i den Ekologiska systemteorin. Det kan exempelvis handla om föräldrars och vänners attityder och hur den fysiska miljön är utformad. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att utifrån ett Ekologiskt systemteoretiskt perspektiv undersöka 20-åringars upplevelse av vilka faktorer som har haft betydelse för hur fysiskt aktiva de har varit från 11-års ålder fram till idag. Metod: Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ design med induktiv ansats. Fem deltagare intervjuades utifrån en intervjuguide innehållande semistrukturerade frågor. Kvalitativ innehållsanalys användes för att analysera och tolka materialet. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i 4 kategorier med 14 underkategorier. Kategorierna blev: ”Engagemang i idrotten påverkas av inre känslor och yttre krav”, ”Att vara en del av gemenskapen”, ”Den fysiska miljön och de socioekonomiska förutsättningarnas inverkan” och ”Andra möjliga påverkande faktorer på utövande”. Slutsats: Resultatet visade att de faktorer som har störst påverkan finns inom micro- och exosystemen. Faktorerna varierar med åldern och innefattar främst föräldrar, vänner och tillgänglighet. / ABSTRACT Background: Physical activity promotes health, and will have positive effects for the body. Children and adolescents physical activity is influenced by different factors at individual and environmental level. The factors integrate with each other and affect the physical activity in different ways and can be divided into different systems according to the ecological systems theory. It could for example involve the attitudes of parents and friends and how the physical environment is designed. Aim: Based on Ecological systems theory the purpose of this study is to examine 20-yearolds experience of which factors that have had an impact on their physical activity from 11 years old until today. Method: The study was conducted with a qualitative design with inductive approach. Five participants were interviewed based on an interview guide containing semi-structured questions. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze and interpret the material. Result: The analysis resulted in 4 categories with 14 subcategories. The categories were: "Involvement in sport is affected by internal feelings and external demands", "Being a part of the community", "The impact of physical environment and socioeconomic conditions" and "Other possible factors affecting the activity". Conclusion: The result showed that the factors with the greatest impact is within the micro and exosystems. The factors varies over time and focuses on parents, friends and availability.

This thesis presents a new perspective on the study of past farm success and failure; it builds on the concepts of resilience and vulnerability to construct a theoretical framework which integrates environmental, historical and ethnographical data. The basic framework establishes that the resilience or vulnerability of a social-ecological system is a function of three factors: i) the exposure of the system to external (environmental) stresses, ii) the sensitivity of the system to these stresses and iii) the ability of the human component of the system to respond to them. The research focused on the component of human capacity of response (the sum of coping and adaptive capacity) within this framework. The temporal scale of the study was the 18th century, although reference is made to earlier periods for comparison. The location of the study area was Mývatnssveit, a livestock-based farming community in northern Iceland, while the spatial scale of the study is that of individual farms in the area. The results showed that successful farms had a higher capacity of response than failed farms, and that this was conferred by a greater availability and quality of resources, including human resources, natural resources and productive resources (those directly involved in agriculture). Human resources were assessed by records of number of servants per farm and by evidence of learning/knowledge transfer obtained via micromorphological analyses of home-field soils. Natural resources considered to be of particular importance were fish and eggs. Indicators of productive resources included tax value, land rent, livestock numbers and phosphorus content in home-fields. The latter revealed that the soil condition pre-settlement was linked to its post-settlement quality. An analysis of present day perceptions of historical farm abandonment in the area corresponds with the conclusions reached through the data integration in placing the human factor above the environmental one in influencing success and failure. The thesis concludes by highlighting the individuality of the study farms and the historical resilience of the livestock-based farming system. Additionally, areas of potential for future research are identified.

Though many studies have been conducted on bullying and ways to prevent it, there is still little evidence that bullying has been reduced (Bauman, 2008). Since bullying behaviors have become prevalent, incidences of negative outcomes for students who are bullies and victims have increased, hence more discussion of the topic is taking place at school, home, and in the media (Bauman, 2008; Kaiser & Raminsky, 2001; Salmon, James, & Smith, 1998). This study proposes to learn how students make sense of these multiple messages. Through an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith & Osborn, 2003), 8-10 year old students were interviewed through semi-structured interviews, in addition to student drawings and elaborations from the draw-and write-technique (Williams, Wetton, & Moon, 1989). These methods were used to explore student bullying experiences and the process in which they make sense of the education provided to them. The study is framed through Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1994) ecological systems theory considering the multiple influences that individuals face through systems and their interactions. Data from the semi-structured interviews and the draw-and-write technique were analyzed through coding according to IPA guidelines, compared, and converged. Results showed that students confuse conflict with bullying, and receive conflicting messages about how bullying should be handled. Students are confused by what is the best reaction to a bullying situation due to conflicting messages from school and home, and the possibility of disappointment or trouble if they do not follow suggestions from one or the other. The media had minimal influence on children of this age in regards to bullying.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on students of two coastal Louisiana secondary schools. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory was used as a framework to understand how exposure, gender, socioeconomic status, and resilience interact to influence the impact of the spill on students. Cross-sectional questionnaires were administered to 155 high school students in May 2012 and 225 middle school students in January 2013 out of 1247 possible for a return rate of about 30%. Results showed that exposure groups differed significantly on students’ Impact of Event Scale (IES; Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979) scores. Students with high exposure to the oil spill had significantly higher IES scores than those with no exposure and low exposure. Logistic regression results indicated that exposure was a significant predictor of higher IES scores and as exposure increased by 1, students were 1.46 times more likely to experience higher impact. Males were found to have significantly higher IES scores than females, with a low effect size. Students did not differ significantly across resilience levels. In the entire sample, lower-SES students did not score significantly different on IES scores than higher-SES students. However, in the high school significant differences were found between SES groups and SES was a significant predictor of higher IES scores. Implications are provided for counselor educators interested in disaster mental health. Conclusions include suggestions for counselors servicing areas affected by the oil spill and how individual and environmental characteristics of students can influence risk factors. Keywords: Disaster mental health, crisis intervention counseling, ecological systems theory, BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, secondary school students, resilience, risk factors

Circular economy has emerged as a new economic paradigm to solve problems of natural resource scarcity and environmental pollution by using resources more efficiently and designing products to minimize waste. This study examines the potential of circular economy to enable the achievement of sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals in Europe. This thesis, through a qualitative content analysis of four overarching European reports related to circular economy strategies, uses a social-ecological systems perspective to: (a) analyze how the three aspects of sustainable development are addressed in the reports and (b) pointing out at missing elements in the European circular economy project that could hinder the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals. Circular economy is a good start to change habits in terms of recycling, reusing and repairing but it also raises awareness about the link between our level of consumption and production and its impact on the environment. However, the results of this study show that the link between Sustainable Development Goals and circular economy is weak and that the economic aspects are highlighted in all the reports to the detriment of environmental and social aspects. As a consequence, the current application of circular economy in Europe does not provide systemic and structural changes, fails to address the root of the problem and reflects a weak vision of sustainability.

A literatura que descreve os efeitos locais de empreendimentos hidrelétricos tem recebido contribuições importantes nos últimos anos. Esses trabalhos, contudo, lançam perspectivas disciplinares sobre essa problemática. O presente estudo busca compreender tais efeitos de maneira integrada, partindo de uma perspectiva sistêmica associada à teoria da resiliência em sistemas socioecológicos. Para tal, adota o caso da usina hidrelétrica de Barra Grande, analisando de que forma a dinâmica do sistema socioecológico local diretamente afetado pela barragem transformou-se na época de sua implantação. Assim, o sistema socioecológico local fora conceitualmente modelado e caracterizado para todo o ciclo de implantação da usina de Barra Grande, por meio da coleta de dados e informações primários e secundários. Como principais resultados, estão a concentração de alterações mais significativas nas proximidades do eixo da barragem, a criação de novos atratores para o sistema econômico local, a profunda alteração de aspectos do sistema social e a depleção da resiliência dos ecossistemas afetados pela barragem. / The literature that describes the local effects of undertaking hydropower plants has received important contributions in the past few years. These efforts, however, are based on disciplinary approaches. His study aims to understand the local effects of undertaking hydropower plants in an integrated way, following a systemic approach related to the theory of social-ecological systems resilience. O accomplish that, it is adopted the case of the Barra Grande dam, analyzing the changes in the dynamics of the local social-ecological system directly affected by the dam. The local social-ecological system was conceptualy modeled and designed for the entire projects lifecycle. It was made through collecting primary and secondary data. As maisn results, there are the concentration of significant alterations in the surroundings of the dams axis, the creation of new attractors for the economic system, a deep change in the social systems aspects and the depletion of the resilience of the ecosystems directly affected by the dam.

Magister Artium - MA (Child and Family Studies) / Early childhood centres play a profound role in shaping the behaviour of children. Research indicates that early childhood centres contribute to the holistic development of children, encompassing their motor, congnitive and behavioural skills. Research has further shown that the South African authorities have an early childhood policy which spans various aspects of childhood development. To establish the nexus between early childhood centres and the behaviour of children, this study explored the role of practitioners in early childhood development centres in shaping the behaviour of children. The study uses the Ecological Systems Theory to interrogate its tenets of the theory and the research findings. The study engaged a qualitative approach to explore this phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews, field notes and observations were used to obtain data from parents, principals and practitioners at early childhood centres. Data was analysed thematically and as such, three main themes emerged from the research: the behaviour of children in early childhood development centres; practitioners' perceptions of their own roles in early childhood development centres; and the attitudes of practitioners towards their roles in early development centres.

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abstract: Students may be situated within complex systems that are nested within each other. This complexity may also envelope institutional structures that lead to the socio-economic reification of student post-secondary opportunities by obscuring positive goals. This may be confounded by community misunderstandings about the changed world that students are entering. These changes include social and economic factors that impact personal and economic freedoms, our ability to live at peace, and the continuing trend of students graduating high school underprepared. Building on previous cycles of action research, this multi-strand mixed-methods study examined the effects of the innovation of the I am College and Career Ready Student Support Program (iCCR). The innovation was collaboratively developed and implemented over a 16-week period using a participatory action research approach. The situated context of this study was a new high school in the urban center of San Diego, California. The innovation included a student program administered during an advisory period and a parent education program. Qualitative research used a critical ethnographic design that analyzed data from artifacts, journals, notes, and the interviews of students (*n* = 8), parents (*n* = 6), and teachers (*n* = 5). Quantitative research included the analysis of data from surveys administered to inform the development of the innovation (*n* = 112), to measure learning of parent workshop participants (*n =* 10), and to measure learning, hope, and attitudinal disposition of student participants (*n* = 49). Triangulation was used to answer the studies’ four research questions. Triangulated findings were subjected to the method of crystallization to search for hidden meanings and multiple truths. Findings included the importance of parent involvement, the influence of positive goals, relational implications of goal setting and pathway knowledge on agentic thinking, and that teacher implementation of the innovation may have influenced student hope levels. This study argued for a grounded theory situated within a theoretical framework based upon Snyder’s Hope Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Theory. This argument asserted that influence on pathway and agency occurred at levels of high proximal process with the influence of goal setting occurring at levels of lower proximal process. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2018

Vi står inför en mängd osäkerheter, utmaningar och risker, kända och okända, många av vilka är kopplade till globala förändringar. Ny bebyggelse måste planeras att bli långsiktigt hållbar trots framtida förändringar och för att lyckas måste planeringen hantera osäkerheter. Den rådande synen av hållbarhet har resulterat i ett planeringsideal som strävat efter hållbarhet som en vision av en ideal utformning. Forskningen om resiliens ifrågasätter däremot hur något statiskt kan vara hållbart inför osäkerheter och framtida förändringar. För att möta framtida förändringar måste arbetet för hållbarhet fokusera på att öka städers kapacitet att vara resilienta. Städer som är resilienta har kapacitet att anpassa sig till framtida förändringar och samtidigt behålla samma funktion, struktur och identitet. Näringen är ett befintligt verksamhetsområde i Gävle vilket blivit utpekat som lämpligt för en större samlad exploatering. Genom att jämföra Gävle kommuns intention och ambition för Näringen kontra teoretiska principer för ökad resiliens i stadsmiljö syftar studien att undersöka i vilken utsträckning resiliens införlivas i planerings- och utvecklingsprocessen. Intentionerna och ambitionerna jämfördes med teoretiska resiliensprinciper genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av styrdokument och intervjuer med två tjänstemän. Av studiens resultat framgår det att kommunens intentioner och ambitioner i vissa avseenden ligger i linje med principerna för ökad resiliens i städer, men missar viktiga aspekter inom principerna. Kommunen eftersöker nya innovativa sätt att planera på, vilket principerna för resiliens kan bidra med. En problematik som kunde utläsas var att socio-ekonomiska förutsättningar och faktorer prioriteras över naturgeografiska faktorer och förutsättningar vilket kan leda till minskad hållbarhet och resiliens. Implementering av principerna i den kommunala planeringen anses inte i alla lägen vara enkelt till följd av att principerna i vissa aspekter överlappar varandra, beroende på vilken skala som planeras. Gävle kommuns rådande syn av hållbarhet ligger inte heller i linje med synsättet forskningen av resiliens förespråkar, att vi alla lever och verkar i komplexa social-ekologiska system. Resiliens behandlar komplexa teorier och försök till implementering av resiliensprinciper utan förståelse för systems komplexitet kan leda till att utfallet inte blir lyckat. Resiliensprincipen adaptiv planering innehåller potential för kontinuerligt lärande om social-ekologiska system och anses vara den princip som bör prioriteras i praktiken för hållbarhet genom resiliens. / We face a number of uncertainties, challenges and risks, known and unknown, many of which are linked to global changes. Urban development must be planned to become sustainable in the long term despite future changes and to succeed, planning must handle uncertainties. The current view of sustainability has resulted in a planning ideal that strives for sustainability as a vision of an ideal structure and design. The research on resilience question this by asking how something static can be sustainable in the face of uncertainties and future changes. The work towards sustainability must focus on increasing the capacity of cities to be resilient. Cities which are resilient have the capacity to adapt to future changes while retaining the same function, structure and identity. Näringen is an existing industrial area in Gävle which has been designated suitable for a larger urban development exploitation project. The study aims to investigate how resilience is incorporated into the planning and development process of Näringen. The study compared Gävle municipality's intentions and ambitions for the development of Näringen in relation to theoretical principles for increased resilience in urban environment. The comparison between theory and practice was done through a qualitative content analysis of policy documents and interviews with two officials. The findings show that the intentions and ambitions of Gävle municipality in some ways are in line with the principles for increased resilience in cities but miss important aspects within the principles. The municipality strives for novel and innovative ways of planning which the principles for resilience can contribute with. One problem which can lead to reduced sustainability and resilience is that socio-economic prerequisites and conditions are prioritized over natural geographical ones. Implementation of the principles in municipal planning is not easily achieved in all situations because the principles in some respects overlap depending on the scale. Gävle Municipality's view of sustainability is also not in line with the approach that the research of resilience advocates, that we all live and operate in complex social-ecological systems. Resilience deals with complex theories and attempts to implement resilience principles without an understanding for the complexity of systems can lead to an unsuccessful outcome. The resilience principle adaptive planning holds the potential for continuous learning about social-ecological systems and is considered the principle that should be prioritized in planning for sustainability through resilience.