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Background: For indeterminate reasons, there have been major variations in sick leave in Sweden, and many physicians have perceived sick leave assignments as burdensome. Aim: To gain more knowledge and understanding, from a perspective of primary health care, about factors in health care and patients that affect sick leave. Thereby help patients in the best way, facilitate the work of physicians and other health professionals involved in the rehabilitation process, and use the health care resources optimally. Methods: This thesis is based on a randomised controlled trial (RCT) in a primary health care centre with participants on short-term sick leave, due to pain and/or mental illness, who received a multidisciplinary assessment. Qualitative focus-group discussions with physicians in primary health care centres. A cohort of women on very long-term sick leave due to pain and/or mental illness, who lost sickness benefits due to a new time limit on sickness insurance, were randomised to multidisciplinary assessment and multimodal intervention (TEAM), or to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In an extended cohort, including some men on very long-term sick leave due to pain and/or mental illness, the importance of the motivation for return to work (RTW) was investigated. Results. Very early multidisciplinary assessment increased days on sick leave in the first three month period. Physicians at primary health care centres perceived sick leave assignments as burdensome, but clearer rules and cooperation with other professionals have made sick leave assignments less burdensome. TEAM intervention resulted in an increase in working hours per week as well as an increase in work-related engagements, compared to control in the RCT. Motivation for RTW was associated with RTW or increased employability in the rehabilitation of patients Conclusions: Continued studies are needed to find those who are at risk of long-term sick leave, the time when rehabilitation efforts should be started, and the content of rehabilitation. Collaboration in teams facilitates sick leave assignments for physicians at primary care health centres. Motivation for RTW might be a factor of importance for the effect of rehabilitation and needs to be studied further.

The aim of the study is to investigate how theories of close reading and literature conversations can be used in the practice of teaching. As a way to achieve insight into this, I have applied the method of action research to study different strategies for reading comprehension. Action research is a suitable method to acquire knowledge about one’s own work for purposes of development. The result indicates that a classroom where more than one voice can be heard and where different forms of conversation can be represented can further the pupils’ experience of and engagement in the teaching. The pupils’ evaluations allow me to draw the conclusion that the methods by which I worked – close reading, whole-class discussions and group discussions, and individual writing – appear to have had a positive effect on the development of the pupils’ reading comprehension.

Die Liebe ist in die Soziologie zurückgekehrt. Während die Liebe bei den Klassikern – nicht nur bei Georg Simmel – durchaus ein Thema war, wurde sie lange Zeit vernachlässigt, sogar in der Familiensoziologie. Auch heute wird Liebe nicht in der Elter(n)-Kind-Beziehung aufgegriffen, sondern auf die Paarbeziehung bezogen. Zur Wiederentdeckung hat sicherlich beigetragen, dass sich in und neben der Familienforschung eine Paarforschung hat herausbilden können, die zum Teil unter dieser Flagge segelt, zum Teil ohne eigenes Etikett diese praktiziert. Nachhaltig angeschoben wurde die Wiederentdeckung zudem durch die viel gelesenen und breit rezipierten Bücher von Niklas Luhmann („Liebe als Passion“, orig. 1982), Anthony Giddens („The Transformation of Intimacy“, orig. 1992) sowie Ulrich Beck und Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim („Das ganz normale Chaos der Liebe“, orig. 1990). Auf die mittlerweile erfolgte Wiederentdeckung der Liebe als soziologisches Thema kann das Buch von Stefanie Bethmann aufbauen und die Autorin versteht es – wie zu zeigen sein wird –, den vorhandenen Forschungsstand substantiell zu bereichern.

This survey-based study aimed to find out how to reduce speaking anxiety amongst second-language students attending two different upper secondary schools in Halmstad, Sweden. The survey participants were in their first and second years of upper secondary school and attending English 5 and 6 courses. The survey participants were asked to complete two online-surveys. The first survey dealt with measuring if the participants felt anxious while speaking English in class and what they considered was the most conducive way to alleviate anxiety when working with communicative exercises. After compiling the data from the first survey, it was found that the survey participants thought that working in groups would alleviate speaking anxiety the most. Following this, lessons were created where the classroom furniture was rearranged in order to promote group discussions. Subsequently, the survey participants completed the second survey, the purpose of which was to measure how they felt the group discussions went, and if they thought it helped them reduce their speaking anxiety. The results showed that the majority of the survey participants felt that group discussions made them less apprehensive about how their peers would perceive their speaking abilities. Interestingly, the results also showed that even though most of the survey participants felt that they had good English skills, they were still concerned about not being able to perform communicative tasks without inhibition. The results demonstrated that when the furniture was rearranged to suit classroom group-work, students were less worried about how they were being perceived as English speakers, leading them to feel more secure. Additionally, they became more motivated to speak English.

La présente étude vise à décrire les représentations sociales que des jeunes francophones en santé au Nouveau-Brunswick ont à l’égard du diabète. Cette étude découle d’un partenariat, initié entre l’Université de Moncton et divers organismes et collèges communautaires du Nouveau-Brunswick, qui ont identifié l’importance d’intervenir auprès des jeunes francophones en milieu scolaire pour prévenir le diabète. La théorie des représentations sociales est le cadre théorique utilisé pour décrire la vision que les jeunes ont du diabète, de son origine et des facteurs associés à sa prévention. À notre connaissance, cette étude est la première à examiner le concept du diabète chez des adolescents non atteints de diabète. Hypothèse principale: étant donné que l’expérience que les adolescents ont du diabète est limitée à leur environnement social et qu’ils ont de la difficulté à définir les concepts de santé et de maladie, ils ne seront pas capables de décrire le diabète en profondeur. Pour ce faire, des groupes de discussion, incluant une technique d’association libre, ont été réalisés, entre novembre et décembre 2005, auprès d’adolescents de 5e, 8e et 10e année recrutés dans quatre écoles francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (Districts 1 et 11). Les réponses des élèves aux groupes de discussion et à l’association libre ont été classées dans des catégories et sous-catégories (analyse de contenu), et des tests de Khi-deux et de «Fisher» ont permis de déterminer les différences entre les sexes et les niveaux scolaires. Cent-trente adolescents (70 filles et 60 garçons) de 5e (n=44), 8e (n=46) et 10e année (n=40) ont participé à 19 groupes de discussion. Lors de l’activité d’association libre, les catégories les plus fréquemment mentionnées étaient : sucre (cité par 66% des participants), traitement (48%), nature du diabète (45%), nutrition (41%), sang (38%), complications (18%), manifestations physiologiques (11%), obésité (6%) et activité physique (6%). Aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre les sexes mais les élèves de 10e année ont cité plus fréquemment les catégories «traitement», «sang» et «obésité». Lors des groupes de discussion, les adolescents ont décrit le diabète comme une maladie (13/19 groupes) reliée au sucre (15/19 groupes) et au sang (13/19 groupes). Cependant, seulement quelques groupes ont discuté en profondeur de la nature du diabète (ex.: rôle de l’insuline et pancréas), des types de diabète (types 1 et 2) et des symptômes et des complications. Ils ont aussi cité ce que les gens atteints de diabète devaient faire pour traiter leur diabète (ex.: manger bien: 18 groupes; se piquer: 17 groupes; prendre des pilules: 5 groupes; et faire de l’activité physique: 5 groupes), mais ils n’ont pas discuté des stratégies à entreprendre pour y arriver. Les représentations de l’origine du diabète incluaient l’hérédité et l’âge (13/19 groupes), l’obésité et l’alimentation (12/19 groupes) et l’activité physique (13/19 groupes). Dans la moitié des groupes, les adolescents ont mentionné se sentir à risque de diabète; les filles plus que les garçons. Treize groupes ont fait référence aux comportements observés chez des diabétiques connus, ce qui démontre l’importance de l’environnement social sur les représentations. Les résultats de cette étude appuient l’hypothèse que les adolescents sont limités dans leur description du diabète en matière de définitions, origines et prévention du diabète. Ces résultats fournissent des pistes de réflexion aux professionnels de la santé pour identifier le contenu et les stratégies que devraient contenir les programmes éducatifs en matière de prévention du diabète chez les jeunes. / The purpose of this study is to describe healthy francophone adolescents’ social representations of diabetes. This study stems from a partnership, initiated between the University of Moncton and various college and community organizations in New Brunswick, which identified the importance of intervening among young francophone students to prevent diabetes. The theory of social representations is the conceptual framework used to describe adolescents’ vision about diabetes, its origin and factors associated with its prevention. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the concept of diabetes among adolescents without diabetes. Principal hypothesis: given that the experience adolescents have with diabetes is limited to their social environment and given that they have difficulty in defining the concepts of health and disease, they will not be able to describe diabetes in an in depth fashion. Focus groups, which included an activity using the Free Association technique, were conducted, between November and December 2005, with adolescents in grade 5, 8 and 10, recruited in four francophone schools in New Brunswick (Districts 1 and 11). Students’ responses, obtained during the focus groups and the Free Association activity, were classified into categories and sub-categories (content analysis); Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests were used to determine differences between sex and grade levels. One hundred and thirty adolescents (70 girls and 60 boys) in grade 5 (n=44), 8 (n=46) and 10 (n=40) participated in 19 focus group discussions. During the Free Association activity, the categories most frequently mentioned were: sugar (cited by 66% of participants), treatment (48%), nature of diabetes (45%), nutrition (41%), blood (38%), complications (18%), physiological manifestations (11%), obesity (6%), and physical activity (6%). No significant differences were observed between boys and girls but students in grade 10 were more likely to cite the categories of ‘treatment’, ‘blood’ and ‘obesity’. During the focus group discussions, adolescents described diabetes as a disease (13/19 groups) related to sugar (15/19 groups) and blood (13/19 groups). However, only a few groups discussed, in detail, the nature of diabetes (e.g.: role of insulin and pancreas), the types of diabetes (type 1 and 2), and the symptoms and complications of diabetes. They also cited what individuals with diabetes should do to treat their disease (e.g.: eat well: 18 groups; have injections: 17 groups; take pills: 5 groups; and be physically active: 5 groups), but they did not discuss the strategies to manage these behaviours. Representations of diabetes related to the origin of the disease included heredity and age (13/19 groups), obesity and nutrition (12/19 groups) and physical activity (13/19 groups). In half of the groups, adolescents mentioned feeling at risk for diabetes; girls more likely than boys. Thirteen groups referred to behaviours which they had observed among diabetics they knew, demonstrating the importance of the social environment in their representations. The results of this study support the hypothesis that adolescents are limited in their description of diabetes with respect to its definition, origins and prevention. These results provide direction for health professionals in identifying the content and strategies that should be included in diabetes prevention programs for youth.

<p>The thesis studies one method, focus group discussions, for public participation in the starting of implementing the European Community Water Framework Directive at a catchment level. Focus group discussions can be used as a method for bringing relevant stakeholder-groups into the discussion and evaluation of different possible solutions to problems of managing local waters in order to lower nutrient emissions and stop eutrophication. Of special interest in the study is the participants’ development of collaboration and collaborative learning in the focus groups. Also of interest is their change in attitudes during the focus group process and their will to participate in similar settings. The thesis assesses the results of three questionnaires responded by focus group participants in a study carried out by the Swedish Water Management Research Programme, VASTRA. The participants represent stakeholders in Rönne å catchment in Skåne, and also the results from ten focus group discussions with the same participants.</p>

La présente étude vise à décrire les représentations sociales que des jeunes francophones en santé au Nouveau-Brunswick ont à l’égard du diabète. Cette étude découle d’un partenariat, initié entre l’Université de Moncton et divers organismes et collèges communautaires du Nouveau-Brunswick, qui ont identifié l’importance d’intervenir auprès des jeunes francophones en milieu scolaire pour prévenir le diabète. La théorie des représentations sociales est le cadre théorique utilisé pour décrire la vision que les jeunes ont du diabète, de son origine et des facteurs associés à sa prévention. À notre connaissance, cette étude est la première à examiner le concept du diabète chez des adolescents non atteints de diabète. Hypothèse principale: étant donné que l’expérience que les adolescents ont du diabète est limitée à leur environnement social et qu’ils ont de la difficulté à définir les concepts de santé et de maladie, ils ne seront pas capables de décrire le diabète en profondeur. Pour ce faire, des groupes de discussion, incluant une technique d’association libre, ont été réalisés, entre novembre et décembre 2005, auprès d’adolescents de 5e, 8e et 10e année recrutés dans quatre écoles francophones du Nouveau-Brunswick (Districts 1 et 11). Les réponses des élèves aux groupes de discussion et à l’association libre ont été classées dans des catégories et sous-catégories (analyse de contenu), et des tests de Khi-deux et de «Fisher» ont permis de déterminer les différences entre les sexes et les niveaux scolaires. Cent-trente adolescents (70 filles et 60 garçons) de 5e (n=44), 8e (n=46) et 10e année (n=40) ont participé à 19 groupes de discussion. Lors de l’activité d’association libre, les catégories les plus fréquemment mentionnées étaient : sucre (cité par 66% des participants), traitement (48%), nature du diabète (45%), nutrition (41%), sang (38%), complications (18%), manifestations physiologiques (11%), obésité (6%) et activité physique (6%). Aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre les sexes mais les élèves de 10e année ont cité plus fréquemment les catégories «traitement», «sang» et «obésité». Lors des groupes de discussion, les adolescents ont décrit le diabète comme une maladie (13/19 groupes) reliée au sucre (15/19 groupes) et au sang (13/19 groupes). Cependant, seulement quelques groupes ont discuté en profondeur de la nature du diabète (ex.: rôle de l’insuline et pancréas), des types de diabète (types 1 et 2) et des symptômes et des complications. Ils ont aussi cité ce que les gens atteints de diabète devaient faire pour traiter leur diabète (ex.: manger bien: 18 groupes; se piquer: 17 groupes; prendre des pilules: 5 groupes; et faire de l’activité physique: 5 groupes), mais ils n’ont pas discuté des stratégies à entreprendre pour y arriver. Les représentations de l’origine du diabète incluaient l’hérédité et l’âge (13/19 groupes), l’obésité et l’alimentation (12/19 groupes) et l’activité physique (13/19 groupes). Dans la moitié des groupes, les adolescents ont mentionné se sentir à risque de diabète; les filles plus que les garçons. Treize groupes ont fait référence aux comportements observés chez des diabétiques connus, ce qui démontre l’importance de l’environnement social sur les représentations. Les résultats de cette étude appuient l’hypothèse que les adolescents sont limités dans leur description du diabète en matière de définitions, origines et prévention du diabète. Ces résultats fournissent des pistes de réflexion aux professionnels de la santé pour identifier le contenu et les stratégies que devraient contenir les programmes éducatifs en matière de prévention du diabète chez les jeunes. / The purpose of this study is to describe healthy francophone adolescents’ social representations of diabetes. This study stems from a partnership, initiated between the University of Moncton and various college and community organizations in New Brunswick, which identified the importance of intervening among young francophone students to prevent diabetes. The theory of social representations is the conceptual framework used to describe adolescents’ vision about diabetes, its origin and factors associated with its prevention. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the concept of diabetes among adolescents without diabetes. Principal hypothesis: given that the experience adolescents have with diabetes is limited to their social environment and given that they have difficulty in defining the concepts of health and disease, they will not be able to describe diabetes in an in depth fashion. Focus groups, which included an activity using the Free Association technique, were conducted, between November and December 2005, with adolescents in grade 5, 8 and 10, recruited in four francophone schools in New Brunswick (Districts 1 and 11). Students’ responses, obtained during the focus groups and the Free Association activity, were classified into categories and sub-categories (content analysis); Chi-square and Fisher Exact tests were used to determine differences between sex and grade levels. One hundred and thirty adolescents (70 girls and 60 boys) in grade 5 (n=44), 8 (n=46) and 10 (n=40) participated in 19 focus group discussions. During the Free Association activity, the categories most frequently mentioned were: sugar (cited by 66% of participants), treatment (48%), nature of diabetes (45%), nutrition (41%), blood (38%), complications (18%), physiological manifestations (11%), obesity (6%), and physical activity (6%). No significant differences were observed between boys and girls but students in grade 10 were more likely to cite the categories of ‘treatment’, ‘blood’ and ‘obesity’. During the focus group discussions, adolescents described diabetes as a disease (13/19 groups) related to sugar (15/19 groups) and blood (13/19 groups). However, only a few groups discussed, in detail, the nature of diabetes (e.g.: role of insulin and pancreas), the types of diabetes (type 1 and 2), and the symptoms and complications of diabetes. They also cited what individuals with diabetes should do to treat their disease (e.g.: eat well: 18 groups; have injections: 17 groups; take pills: 5 groups; and be physically active: 5 groups), but they did not discuss the strategies to manage these behaviours. Representations of diabetes related to the origin of the disease included heredity and age (13/19 groups), obesity and nutrition (12/19 groups) and physical activity (13/19 groups). In half of the groups, adolescents mentioned feeling at risk for diabetes; girls more likely than boys. Thirteen groups referred to behaviours which they had observed among diabetics they knew, demonstrating the importance of the social environment in their representations. The results of this study support the hypothesis that adolescents are limited in their description of diabetes with respect to its definition, origins and prevention. These results provide direction for health professionals in identifying the content and strategies that should be included in diabetes prevention programs for youth.

The thesis studies one method, focus group discussions, for public participation in the starting of implementing the European Community Water Framework Directive at a catchment level. Focus group discussions can be used as a method for bringing relevant stakeholder-groups into the discussion and evaluation of different possible solutions to problems of managing local waters in order to lower nutrient emissions and stop eutrophication. Of special interest in the study is the participants’ development of collaboration and collaborative learning in the focus groups. Also of interest is their change in attitudes during the focus group process and their will to participate in similar settings. The thesis assesses the results of three questionnaires responded by focus group participants in a study carried out by the Swedish Water Management Research Programme, VASTRA. The participants represent stakeholders in Rönne å catchment in Skåne, and also the results from ten focus group discussions with the same participants.

This chapter presents a grounded-theory-oriented analysis of central discussions of the ICMLV symposium which tries to clarify which tertia comparationis the participants referred upon. In total, nine implicitly and seven explicitly used T.C. are presented. An additional analysis yields that a meaning-oriented understanding of culture was in majority used throughout the symposium.