The purpose and aim of this study are to examine a hitherto poorly understood aspect of the influence of relative age in the school environment – the correlation between relative age and the students’ likelihood to become active participants in societies democratic processes. This correlation is also checked for gender-based differences. The material used for the empirical study is the Swedish dataset from IEA’s CIVED research project. The study applies a theoretical framework inspired by the theory of cumulative (dis)advantages, coupled with existing research findings related to relative age and schooling, which tends to focus on cognitive, academic, psychological, and socioemotional aspects. Building on this framework, two hypotheses regarding the correlation between relative age and Swedish 8:th graders’ likelihood of becoming active participants in societies democratic processes, with potential gender differences in mind, are formed. The hypotheses are tested using crosstabulations and analyses of variance (ANOVA) to determine the type of correlation, its statistical significance and strength. In stark contrast with the formed hypotheses no significant correlations of any noteworthy strength are found for relative age and Swedish 8:th graders’ likelihood of becoming active participants in societies democratic processes. The study also fails to identify any gender differences in these correlations. The findings could be taken as evidence for the fine workings of the levelling aspect of the Swedish school system. Another conclusion could be that the ability of schools to influence students’ likelihood of becoming active participants in societies democratic processes is so limited that differences in relative age simply does not matter since no student, regardless of relative age, is impacted by the school in this regard. Although unexpected, the findings are in line with parts of the previous research regarding relative age and schooling. The findings are also in keeping with some aspects of the theoretical foundations, suggesting the effect of relative age to be dependent upon the institutional framework and specific conditions of different countries and school systems. The didactic implications of the study are limited. However, based on previous research, an awareness of the potential relative age effects in different aspects of education is suggested. Further research seems to be needed to properly understand the effects of relative age on the students’ likelihood to become active participants in societies democratic processes, as well as on the effects of relative age in the Swedish school system.

Datum: [2024-05-29]  Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi, 15 hp  Institution: Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalens Universitet  Författare: Kevin Strömvall, Kokob Fissahaye, Adib Albandakji Titel: Digitaliseringens utveckling inom den kommunala revisionen - En studie om de förtroendevalda revisorerna i Norrköping kommun och Stockholm stad.  Handledare: Angelina Sundström  Nyckelord: Digitala utvecklingen, Kommunal revision, för- och nackdelar med digitala utvecklingen, förtroendevalda revisorer.  Forskningsfråga/or: - Hur uppfattas digitaliseringen av de förtroendevalda revisorerna i Stockholm Stad och Norrköpings kommun? - Vilka konsekvenser finns på grund av digitaliseringen för de förtroendevalda revisorerna? Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur revisorernas arbete i kommunerna Stockholm och Norrköpings påverkas av digitaliseringen.  Metod: Denna studie genomfördes genom en kvalitativ undersökning i form av semi-strukturerade intervjuer med förtroendevalda revisorer i Stockholms Stad och Norrköpings kommun med totalt nio respondenter; fem från Stockholm och fyra från Norrköping.  Slutsats: Studien visar att de förtroendevalda revisorerna har en positiv uppfattning för digitalisering då den underlättar deras arbete genom att exempelvis få handlingar, möteskallelser och underlag skickat till sig via mejl eller via en digital plattform istället för via pappersform. Digitalisering har också gjort att de förtroendevalda revisorer kan hantera  större mängder information. Trots dessa förändringar har dock digitalisering inte påverkat de förtroendevaldas arbetet nämnvärt då större delen av arbetet sker på plats och genom olika möten. Detta arbetssätt föredras dels av den mänskliga aspekten och dels för att det är enklare att föra diskussioner. / Date: 2024-05-29 Level: Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr  Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Malardalens University  Authors: Kevin Strömvall, Kokob Fissahaye, Adib Albandakji  Title: The evolution of digitalization within municipal auditing - A study of elected auditors in the municipalities of Norrköping and Stockholm Supervisor: Angelina Sundström Keywords: Digital developments, Municipal audit, pros and cons of digital developments, elected auditors. Research questions -How is digitalization perceived by the elected auditors in Stockholm City and Norrköping Municipality? -What are the consequences of digitalization for the elected auditors?  Purpose: The purpose of the study is to study how the elected auditors in Norrköping and Stockholm affected by digitalization.  Method: This study was conducted through a qualitative survey in the form of semi-structured interviews with elected auditors in Stockholm City and Norrköping municipality with a total of nine respondents; from Stockholm and four from Norrköping.  Conclusion: The study shows that the elected auditors have a positive perception of digitalization as it simplifies their work by, for example, having documents, meeting notices, and supporting documents sent to them via email or via a digital platform instead of via paper. Digitalization has also enabled elected auditors to handle larger amounts of information. Despite these changes, however, digitalization has not had a significant impact on the work of elected representatives, as most of the work is done on-site and through various meetings. This way of working is preferred partly because of the human aspect and partly because it is easier to hold discussions.