This thesis presents a grounded theory of the flow experiences of Web users engaged in information-seeking activities. The term flow refers to a state of consciousness that is sometimes experienced by individuals who are deeply involved in an enjoyable activity. The experience is characterised by some common elements: a balance between the challenges of an activity and the skills required to meet those challenges; clear goals and feedback; concentration on the task at hand; a sense of control; a merging of action and awareness; a loss of self-consciousness; a distorted sense of time; and the autotelic experience.¶ Researchers have recently proposed Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory as a useful framework for understanding the enjoyment experienced by Web users, but they have struggled to operationalise key constructs such as flow and challenge in their quantitative models. This study aimed to address that problem by providing a better understanding of the nature of flow as experienced by Web users engaged in information-seeking activities. The theory that was developed during this study encompasses the following topics:¶ - the role that curiosity and time urgency play in the formation of a Web user's information-seeking goals and subsequent navigation behaviour;¶ - the challenges that Web users face when seeking information, the skills they use in meeting those challenges, and the relationship that exists between challenges and skills;¶ - the important role that focused attention plays in the flow experiences of Web users, elements that help to focus a user's attention, and elements that are distracting; and¶ - various dimensions of the flow experiences of Web users, which include a joy of discovery, a reduced awareness of factors that are irrelevant to the task at hand, a distorted sense of time, a merging of action and awareness, a sense of control, mental alertness, and telepresence.¶ The grounded theory research method that was employed in this study is a primarily inductive investigative process in which the researcher formulates a theory about a phenomenon by systematically gathering and analysing relevant data. The purpose of this research method is building theory, not testing theory. The data that was gathered for this study primarily consisted of semi-structured in-depth interviews with informants of varying gender, age, educational attainments, occupations and Web experience who could recall experiencing flow while using the Web.¶ An important distinction between this study and other investigations into the flow experiences of Web users is the way it goes beyond sheer associations to propose explanations for how and why certain events occur - explanations that are grounded in the data rather than deduced from the literature. This study is the first of its type on this subject, and as such, it provides a useful counterpoint to previous quantitative studies.

<p>In the last three decades, complexity theory has gained a lot of importance in several scientific disciplines like astronomy, geology, chemistry etc. It has slowly extended its usage in the field of project management. While trying to understand the managerial demands of modern day projects and the different situations faced in projects, the term ‘complexity’ is progressively becoming a benchmark term. In the recent past some of the challenging projects that have been completed are the Heathrow Terminal 5 and the construction of venues for the Beijing Olympics. But can we call these projects complex?It is probably too simplistic to classify projects as complex or non-complex. What is particularly important is to identify the source of the complexity, the level and also the implications of the complexity. Several academicians have studied the different dimensions and established different classifications of complexity. These are put together into models of complexity.But is this classification well-grounded in reality? This is what we aim to explore through this research. The specific questions that we wish to explore by conducting this research are:</p><ul><li>How does the understanding of project complexity in actuality conform to the theoretical complexity models?</li></ul><p>In an effort to answer the primary question, our study will also throw some light on factors of complexity across different sectors. We hope that this distinction will pave way for further research within these sectors. This now brings us to our sub-question:- How do the factors that contribute to complexity compare across different sectors?At the outset of this research, the literature on complexity was reviewed. An attempt was made to understand what complexity means with a focus on the field of project management.It was observed that there is a new wave of thinking in this field and a camp which believes that regular project management tools and techniques cannot be used for complex projects.</p><p>This has drawn several academicians to generate models of complexity based on various factors. In this research we have focused on some important models like that of Turner and Cochrane, Ralph Stacey, Terry Williams, Kahane and Remington and Pollack. We have tried to see if any of these models fit in with how practitioners understand complexity.To find out how practitioners comprehend complexity, we followed a grounded theory approach and also used quantitative methods to supplement the results in accordance in a mixed methodology. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine project managers from different sectors and different  geographical locations. The interviews were analyzed and the data was broken down to different categories referred to as open coding where labelling was done. This was followed by Axial coding where we describe the properties and build relations between these categories. The final stage is selective coding where the emerged theory is integrated and refined.Quantitative data was collected through a short questionnaire which listed out some factors which could cause or lead to complexity in projects. A total of 29 responses were obtained for the questionnaires. By analyzing this data we were able to determine the factors that project managers thought caused complexity in projects. A new dimension was also added by analyzing it sector-wise. Since we collected data from two different sources, via interviews and through questionnaires, it gave us the opportunity to triangulate the findings. Wesincerely hope that this piece of work will pave way for future research on similar areas like models of complexity and perception of complexity in project management</p>

<p>This is a case study influenced by Grounded Theory and Symbolic Interactionism. Its focus is on a small group of pupils isolated both geographically and socially from the ordinary school. The composition is written from the children’s perspective. Observations and interviews have made it possible to study both the interaction between the children and also the adults, how the children are described by the adults working with them and what expectations they have on the children. </p><p>In the light of earlier research, our case study can be seen as an example how the school is dealing with the children’s problems. The children’s school day seems to be characterized by frames that differ from between tight to and wide. Tight, in the sense that thesepupils are located in a restricted part of the school, together with just a few other pupils and adults. Wide in the sense that these pupils behaviour are all the same whether it is break or lesson. The social interaction between the children and the adults aims to be directed to show the pupils what they <i>are</i>, instead of what they can <i>become</i>. This attempt indicates that the teacher thinks that the children’s problems are caused by the individual child. The children’s individual biographical schemes are seen as the cause of the problem. Even if the children not have been moved from their originally classes only because of this problem, it is still mentioned as a strong argument for not letting the children return to their original classes. The school thinks that these children have bad influence on so called “normal children”, they even speak in terms as "risk of infection".</p>

<p>The welfare of the elderly population is one of the most important goals of the public health services. At macro level the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare state that the premier goal is for elderly people to have dignified and comfortable lives. They should have a life with a sense of value and feel confident. These ethical values which are expressed on macro level or as normative ethics are expected to prevail at micro level. In our study the micro level is the caring encounter between the elderly patient, next of kin and nurses. Ethical values and morals are important aspects that influence the quality of care, videlicet in empiric ethics.</p><p>The aim of study (I) was to identify and describe the ethical values experienced by the older person in the daily interaction with nurses in a ward for older people during caring encounters. In study (II) the aim was to identify and describe the governing ethical values that next of kin experience in interaction with nurses who care for elderly patients at a geriatric clinic. Study (I) which was an empirical observational study included follow-up interviews. Twenty-two older people participated voluntarily. In study (II) interviews with fourteen next of kin were conducted. In both studies Constant comparative analysis, the core foundation of grounded theory was used.</p><p>Five categories; Being addressed, receiving respect, desiring to participate, increasing self-determination and gaining self-confidence formed the basis for the core category in study (I): Approaching. Approaching concerns the way people become closer to each other in a physical space .It also includes how people become closer to each other in a dialogue, which involves verbal or bodily communication. Approaching indicates the ethical values that guide nurses in their caring encounters with older people. This ethical value is noted by the older person and has an individual value, as well as leading to improved quality of their care. The older person will be confident and satisfied with the caring encounter if the desired components in the nurse’s approaching are exhibited.</p><p>Four categories were identified in study (II): Receiving, showing respect, facilitating participation and showing professionalism. These categories formed the basis of the core category: “Being amenable”, a concept identified in the next of kin’s description of the ethical values that they and the elderly patients perceive in the caring encounter. Being amenable means that the nurses are guided by ethical values; taking into account the elderly patient and next of kin. Nurses who focus on elderly patients’ well-being as a final principle will affect next of kin and their experience of this fundamental situation.</p>

<p>Syftet med denna studie är att ge en insikt i hur elever med kombinerade läs- och skriv och matematiksvårigheter tänker och resonerar vid problemlösning.</p><p>Tre elever i år 8, som alla ingår i samma specialundervisningsgrupp i matematik, har arbetat med olika typer av matematisk problemlösning, såväl individuellt som i grupp. Med utgångspunkt i deras arbete skapas början till en grundad teori.</p><p>I forskningssammanhang behandlas ofta denna kategori elever (med kombinerade problem) som en enhetlig kategori som jämförs med t ex elever med enbart matematiksvårigheter, normalpresterande elever osv. Denna undersökning visar dock att de svårigheter eleverna uppvisar är av mycket olika karaktär.</p><p>Studien omfattar tre delar: en presentation av fältstudien och resultaten från denna, en metoddel innefattande en pilotstudie som koncentreras på datainsamlingsmetoden samt en omfattande litteraturstudie som behandlar problemlösning och inlärningssvårigheter.</p>

<p>Different Perspectives is a study of detainees' and guards' experiences of the remand prison. The result of the study shows that the remand prison brings forth the individuals anxiety, stress and fear. The individual detained in remand prison have a great need for contact with their families, but also with the guards. In the remand prison there is always a great level of control and always some kind of power practised. It is the guards who have the power and the competences to make the individuals detained in remand prison follow the rules and do what they have been told. The society possesses biases and a great curiosity about remand prisons and the people being there. This can lead to stigmatization among both the detained individuals as well as the guards.</p>

<p>The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the knowledge of, attitudes toward, and experiences of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP), sexual behaviour, and pornography consumption among high school students and young people. Data were obtained by questionnaires (studies I, II, and III), and by qualitative in-depth interviews (study IV). </p><p>A majority of 16-year old high-school students were aware that ECP existed, and knew where to obtain it. Attitudes toward using ECP were generally positive, but more girls than boys were hesitant as to whether ECP should be available without a prescription. Of those having experienced sexual intercourse, more than one fourth stated that they themselves or their partner had ever used ECP (I). </p><p>Almost half of the 16-year old high-school students surveyed (46%) had had sexual intercourse, a number similar in studies conducted 10 and 20 years earlier. Use of contraceptives at first intercourse had increased (to 76%) and use of alcohol had decreased (to 23%). More students in practical rather than theoretical programs smoked, had sexual intercourse at an earlier age, had more partners, and used contraceptives at first intercourse less often (II).</p><p>Three out of four 18-year old students had had sexual intercourse, of which almost three quarters reported contraceptive use at first intercourse. Anal intercourse was reported by one sixth, with infrequent condom use. Males who consumed more pornography were more likely than males who consumed less pornography to engage in a variety of sexual activities, as were males with an early age at first sexual intercourse (III).</p><p>The core category that emerged in the interviews was “Living with the current sexual norm”, pornography created sexual expectations and demands. The interviewees expressed contradictory feelings towards pornography and felt that sexuality was separated from intimacy. In order to deal with the current sexual norm, participants had different individual handling strategies, including liberal-, normalization-, distance-, feminist- and conservative strategies (IV).</p><p>Overall, the studies highlight several differences between genders and between students attending practical- and theoretical study programs in questions concerning ECP, sexual behaviour and pornography. These differences should be addressed while planning for counselling and sex education. We suggest that health- and school personnel discuss how sexuality is portrayed in pornographic material with young people.</p>

Actualmente, la organización escolar se constituye en un elemento importante de las diversas reformas educativas y el espacio en donde se genera el cambio en educación. Ello nos hace volver la mirada a estudiar en profundidad a esta organización particular y compleja. Los estudios sobre las organizaciones escolares han girado en investigar sus dimensiones estructural, política o cultural, y muy pocos estudios han ayudado a comprender la dimensión ética de la organización escolar. Aspecto que hoy resulta de vital importancia ante la crisis de valoración, las situaciones de corrupción, injusticias o desigualdades ante las cuales la educación, y en particular, la escuela debe responder. En este trabajo de investigación nos propusimos levantar información que permitiera comprender y caracterizar la dimensión ética de la organización escolar y sus relaciones con las otras dimensiones. Es así que tres preguntas fueron el hilo conductor de nuestro trabajo: ¿desde qué orientación ética se construye cada una de las dimensiones de la organización escolar?, ¿qué caracteriza a la dimensión ética de la organización escolar?, ¿cómo la orientación ética de la escuela configura un tipo de organización escolar? La investigación se realizó desde un enfoque semi-inductivo, cualitativo e interpretativo pues nos interesó descubrir los significados que otorgan los sujetos a la escuela para construir una teoría sustantiva sobre la dimensión ética. Para ello utilizamos la grounded theory (Glaser y Strauss, 1967; Strauss y Corbin, 1990) como procedimiento metodológico para teorizar a partir de la palabra de los sujetos informantes. Desde las posturas éticas del debate liberalismo – comunitarismo en la filosofía política y particularmente en la educación, analizamos la realidad de tres escuelas ubicadas en un barrio popular de Lima Metropolitana (Perú). A partir de los discursos recogidos en las entrevistas semi-estructuradas y los focus groups realizados a los directivos, profesores, auxiliares, alumnos y padres de familia de cada escuela hemos descubierto las principales categorías que configuran la dimensión estudiada y sus relaciones con aspectos estructurales, culturales y políticos de la organización escolar. Además, abordar el estudio desde el debate del liberalismo – comunitarismo ha permitido identificar y comparar las diversas opciones éticas presentes y asumidas por cada escuela desde su particular posición de escuela confesional, escuela pública no confesional y escuela privada y proponer una tipología que nos revela la convivencia de escuelas que se configuran como comunidades de valores, con otras más orientadas a la ética liberal; pero con matices que nosotros llamamos escuela liberal estratégica y escuela liberal fragmentada. Sin embargo, en el estudio no hemos encontrado una escuela orientada a una ética deliberativa que constituya una escuela democrática en un sistema educativo como el peruano que señala en sus documentos oficiales la opción por la formación de ciudadanos en democracia.

Licentiatavhandlingens övergripande syfte var att studera konsekvenser av ökad akademisering och akademiskt lärande inom Svensk specialist-sjuksköterskeutbildning efter genomförande av ny utbildningsreform enligt Bologna. Bakgrund: Specialistsjuksköterskor förväntas i dagens hälso– och sjukvård att kunna bedriva en patientsäker och evidensbaserad vård, vilket kräver akademisk kompetens. Utbildningen till specialistsjuksköterska fördes i och med Bolognaprocessens införande i Sverige 2007 till avancerad utbildningsnivå. Både yrkesexamen och akademisk examen (magisterexamen) skulle inkluderas och integreras i samma utbildning. Detta medförde en förändring från en ämnesinriktad (samlingskodsinriktad) läroplan till en läroplan som syftar till att integrera ämnen (integrationskodsinriktad). Förutom ämnesintegrering skulle yrkesspecifika mål integreras med akademiska mål. Metod: Artikel I genomfördes i form av ett didaktiskt aktionsforskningsprojekt som pågick under 2½ år. En projektledningsgrupp (n=15-18) från fem lärosäten bildades. Denna grupp har aktivt deltagit i hela aktionsforskningsprocessen och vid projektmöten. Vid varje lärosäte utsågs en projektansvarig som ansvarade för den lokala aktionsforskningsprocessen. Dessa personer samlande in data i form av kursplaner, utbildningsplaner, studiehandledningar, minnesanteckningar från lärarmöten och möten med vårdverksamheter samt minnesanteckningar från forskargruppensmöten. Analys har gjorts med hjälp av konstant komparativ analysmetod. I artikel II användes konstruktivistisk Grounded Theory för att samla in och analysera data. Datainsamlingen påbörjades utifrån specialistsjuksköterskestudenters svar på en enkäts öppna fråga (n=120) i samband med utbildningens avslutning 2009 och 2010. Enkätsvaren reste frågor om specialistsjuksköterskans akademiska lärande. För att inhämta en djupare förståelse genomfördes intervjuer med specialistsjuksköterskor (n=12) som yrkesarbetat mellan 5 och 12 månader efter sin examen. Intervjuerna genomfördes från juni till oktober 2011. Avslutningsvis jämfördes svaren på den öppna enkätfrågan med analysen av intervjuerna. Resultat: Vid utbildningsreformens införande fanns pedagogiska motsättningar och didaktiska svårigheter som gav upphov till spänningsförhållanden mellan vårdutveckling, forskning, yrkesspecifika mål och akademiska mål. Spänningsförhållanden framkom också när specialistsjuksköterskorna inte erfor att deras akademiska kompetens tillvaratogs och värderades i vårdverksamheten. När stöd inte fanns för akademiskt lärande uppkom villrådighet och specialistsjuksköterskorna blev ambivalenta över om akademiskt lärande var meningsfullt. För att främja meningsfullt akademiskt lärande framhåller deltagarna betydelsen av samverkan och gemensamma arenor mellan lärosäten och vårdverksamhet där nyttoaspekten med akademiskt lärande tydliggörs. De spänningsförhållanden som framkommer var av både positiv och negativ karaktär.

The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the knowledge of, attitudes toward, and experiences of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP), sexual behaviour, and pornography consumption among high school students and young people. Data were obtained by questionnaires (studies I, II, and III), and by qualitative in-depth interviews (study IV). A majority of 16-year old high-school students were aware that ECP existed, and knew where to obtain it. Attitudes toward using ECP were generally positive, but more girls than boys were hesitant as to whether ECP should be available without a prescription. Of those having experienced sexual intercourse, more than one fourth stated that they themselves or their partner had ever used ECP (I). Almost half of the 16-year old high-school students surveyed (46%) had had sexual intercourse, a number similar in studies conducted 10 and 20 years earlier. Use of contraceptives at first intercourse had increased (to 76%) and use of alcohol had decreased (to 23%). More students in practical rather than theoretical programs smoked, had sexual intercourse at an earlier age, had more partners, and used contraceptives at first intercourse less often (II). Three out of four 18-year old students had had sexual intercourse, of which almost three quarters reported contraceptive use at first intercourse. Anal intercourse was reported by one sixth, with infrequent condom use. Males who consumed more pornography were more likely than males who consumed less pornography to engage in a variety of sexual activities, as were males with an early age at first sexual intercourse (III). The core category that emerged in the interviews was “Living with the current sexual norm”, pornography created sexual expectations and demands. The interviewees expressed contradictory feelings towards pornography and felt that sexuality was separated from intimacy. In order to deal with the current sexual norm, participants had different individual handling strategies, including liberal-, normalization-, distance-, feminist- and conservative strategies (IV). Overall, the studies highlight several differences between genders and between students attending practical- and theoretical study programs in questions concerning ECP, sexual behaviour and pornography. These differences should be addressed while planning for counselling and sex education. We suggest that health- and school personnel discuss how sexuality is portrayed in pornographic material with young people.