Detta är en kvalitativ studie med syfte att analysera hur pedagoger samtalar med vårdnadshavare och elev kring utvärdering av åtgärdsprogram under uppföljningssamtal. För att tydliggöra den här studiens syfte har följande frågeställningar använts: Vad är innehållet i ett uppföljningssamtal? Hur samtalar deltagarna kring åtgärder och extra anpassningar? Hur ser elevens delaktighet i den muntliga kommunikationen ut? Metoden som används i studien är inspelade utvärderingssamtal med pedagoger, vårdnadshavare och elever i årskurs 7 och 9. Studien består av tre inspelade uppföljningssamtal kring åtgärdsprogram. Samtalen analyseras utifrån helhetsanalys, delanalys och samtalsanalys som metod. Som en teoretisk utgångspunkt har ett sociokulturellt perspektiv med inriktning på interaktion används. Resultatet av studien visar att samtalet har fokus på åtgärder och extra anpassningar som finns dokumenterade kring eleven. Specialpedagogen leder samtalet framåt och är den som håller samman deltagarna. I studien framgår att elevens möjlighet till delaktighet är stor. Dock innebär inte denna delaktighet att hänsyn tas till elevens tankar och åsikter i utvärderingen av åtgärder och extra anpassningar. I analysen framkommer även att i samtalet finns inget som visar på att åtgärderna och extra anpassningarna utvärderas utifrån hur väl de har fungerat för eleven. Under samtalet diskuteras de behov eleven har och vilken typ av stöd, åtgärder och extra anpassningar som finns, till viss del diskuteras hur de fungerar. Men inget tas bort eller läggs till i åtgärder eller extra anpassningar, trots att det är tydligt att en del av anpassningarna och åtgärderna inte alls är funktionella. / This is a qualitative study aimed at analyzing how educators talk with parents and pupils when evaluating Individual Educational Plans (IEP) during follow-up discussions. To clarify the purpose of this study, the following questions have been used: What is the content of an IEP follow-up meeting? How do the participants talk about accommodations and interventions? What does the pupil’s participation in the oral communication look like? The method used in the study is recorded evaluation discussions with educators, parents and pupils in grades 7 and 9. The study consists of three recorded IEP follow-up meetings. The conversation is analyzed based on overall analysis, part analysis and conversation analysis as a method. As a theoretical point of view, a socio-cultural perspective with a focus on interaction is used. The result of the study shows that the conversation focuses on accommodations and interventions that are documented in the IEP. The special pedagogue leads the conversation forward and is the one that brings the participants together. The study shows that the pupils have a major opportunity for participation. However, this participation does not mean that the pupils ́ thoughts and opinions are taken into account in the evaluation of accommodations and interventions. The analysis also shows that there is nothing in the conversation that shows that the accommodations and interventions are evaluated according to how well they have worked for the pupil. During the conversation, the needs of the pupil are discussed and also what types of support, accommodations and interventions there are in the IEP, although they are only partially evaluated. No changes are made to the IEPs, even though it is clear that some of the accommodations and interventions are not functional at all.

Over the past two decades, a growing body of literature within health economics has provided evidence of the impact of fetal conditions on individual’s health and economic outcomes over the entire life course. This dissertation contributes to the field of health economics by investigating the effects of two distinct types of public policies, antimalarial interventions in sub-Saharan Africa and medical marijuana laws in the United States, on early-life health. Chapter 1 adds to the increased understanding of the impact of in utero exposure to large-scale interventions to combat endemic diseases by examining the effects of antimalarial interventions aimed at preventing and controlling malaria in pregnancy on birth outcomes. Since the year 2000, a coordinated international effort against malaria has led to a significant scale-up of intervention coverage across sub-Saharan Africa. One of the objectives of this undertaking was to improve maternal and early-life health. This chapter investigates the effect of access to malaria prevention and control measures, including insecticide-treated nets, intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy, indoor residual spraying, and artemisinin-based combination therapy, on birth weight. I exploit the geographic and time variation in the rollout of antimalarial interventions in sub-Saharan Africa across regions with different levels of initial malaria prevalence to analyze 277,245 live births in 22 countries from 2000 to 2013 in a continuous difference-in-differences estimation framework and find that the diffusion of intermittent preventive treatment among pregnant women contributed to the reduction of low birth weight incidence in sub-Saharan Africa. I do not find other antimalarial interventions to be associated with significant improvements in birth outcomes. Chapter 2 provides an investigation focused on examining the impact of medical marijuana laws in the United States on birth outcomes. As of June 2017, medical marijuana laws which liberalize the cultivation, possession, and use of cannabis for allowable medical purposes have been adopted by 29 states and the District of Columbia. The expansion of state-level legislation allowing for medical marijuana use has fueled an ongoing debate regarding drug policy. Despite a growing interest in investigating and quantifying both direct and indirect effects of marijuana liberalization policies, little is known about how they affect early-life health. Using data on the entire universe of births in the U.S. between 1990 and 2013 and a difference-in-differences research design, I find no evidence to support the hypothesis that medical marijuana laws have a negative impact on birth weight and gestation, however I also find that medical marijuana laws are associated with reductions in Apgar scores.

Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) is an approach designed to improve the correct implementation, consistent use, and maintenance of evidence-based practices related to behavior, classroom management and school discipline systems. Check-in/Check-out (CICO) is often recognized as a successful intervention in SWPBIS. However, most of the research on the use of CICO has focused on the school setting. This study provided an extension to the literature by examining the effects of the CICO program with homeless children attending an afterschool program. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the CICO program effects. Students were exposed to a CICO intervention in which problem behaviors were targeted for reduction and task engagement was targeted for acquisition. Of the five participants selected for the study four participants were exposed to a CICO intervention. Results demonstrated a decrease in problem behaviors and an increase in task engagement for all four participants.

This thesis includes three empirical studies that have all aimed to increase the understanding of the interactions and connections between self-concepts, reading impairment, psychological health and Assistive Technology (AT). The use of applications in tablets as assistive technology to facilitate reading and compensate for reading impairment and its impact on the participants’ self-concepts and psychological health as well as on their reading abilities was also of interest. The first study included 67 pupils in school years 4-9. They were assessed by the Beck Youth Inventory (BYI) regarding self-image, anxiety and depression. The results showed no deviance from age-equivalent norm group scores. The second study included 35 pupils in school years 4-6. This study aimed at investigating the transfer effects on decoding and general reading ability after 20 intervention sessions where AT (applications in tablets) were used. Results showed that the decoding ability had progressed at the same rate as that of the norm group. The results also showed that using AT increased motivations to learn, as well as independence and improved family climate. The third study was a randomized control study (RCT) with 137 participants in school years 4, 8 and high school. The results showed that reading impaired children and adolescents to a great extent, but not completely unanimously, did not depict any different self-image or self-esteem than peers with an expected reading ability of the same age. Self-esteem was investigated by the Cultural Free Self Esteem Inventory (CFSEI-3). The CFSEI-3 scores showed no effect by interventions with AT. The results also showed that there were no signs of depression, assessed by BYI, in the investigated groups, but somewhat inconclusive results regarding anxiety where the school-year 4 group depicted higher levels of anxiety. The results generally showed a more positive depiction than what previous studies within the field have presented, which was interpreted as being due to the development of efficient pedagogical strategies and supportive attitudes in the school context, as well as among family members or peers.

Magister Public Health - MPH / In the era of AIDS, food and nutrition are becoming more of a priority for many households and communities. This is more so now that treatment is available for people infected with HIV and AIDS. Food and nutrition are fundamentally intertwined with HIV transmission and the impacts of AIDS. Evidence of the ways in which food insecurity and malnutrition may interfere with the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy is well documented. Aim: The purpose of the study was to inform improvements in food security interventions for PLWHA through an investigation of existing food security interventions in the Khomas Region, Namibia. / South Africa

Magister Artium - MA / After 15 years in the democratic dispensation of South Africa, having access, equity and redress in educational provision have not yet been achieved. Instead, the reality speaks of underperformance (schools with a less than 60% national matric pass rate) as well as dysfunctional schools (with a less than 20% pass rate) continue in the Western Cape amidst a 7% increase in the Matric pass rate nationally.The intention of the Western Cape Education Department (hereafter referred to as the WCED) to reduce the number of dysfunctional schools from 85 to 55 resulted in a decrease to 78 schools. The overall increase of the 2010 matric pass rate in the Western Cape from 75.7% to 76.8% does not reflect an increase of quality educational provision to children from less advantaged urban areas. The aim of this study is to determine how and why some formerly identified dysfunctional and underperforming schools in less advantaged urban areas improved their performance while others did not. Also looking at, the role played by the School Governing Body in improving performance as a stakeholder, especially the role of the parental entity. It is clear that there are particular challenges facing parents from disadvantaged communities that directly influence their involvement and contribution to the improvement of performance in dysfunctional and underperforming schools. This research project focuses entirely on education but it is done within the field of development studies, trying to address certain developmental issues that impact educational provision and performance The theory of Structuration is used in the theoretical framework to understand the relationship between the agent (learners, parents, educators) and the structure (education system, society). It is useful to understand and address the challenges that prevent/delay improvement in the performance and function of schools in certain less advantaged urban communities. The Humanistic paradigm is used as a theory to emphasise the importance of a grassroots/ bottom up approach to development and to bring better understanding of parental involvement in educational provision. The mixed method approach (using both qualitative and quantitative research methods) that is widely acceptable in the field of educational research and in the development milieu is applied to address the question at hand. The use of a literature study, semi-structured interviews with focus groups and questionnaires to participating schools provide useful data for the research. The findings from this research will benefit the participating schools, the WCED and the education system.

This study adopts the theory of planned behavior to understand and influence auditors’ knowledge-sharing behavior. Ajzen (1991) indicates that persuasive communications, such as belief-targeted messages, can be used as behavioral interventions to alter intentions and behaviors. Thus, this study develops and evaluates the effectiveness of behavioral interventions (belief-targeted messages) in encouraging auditors’ knowledge-sharing behavior. This study uses a 2×2 between-participants design. Arguments targeting behavioral beliefs and arguments targeting normative beliefs are manipulated. Consistent with expectations, the results of this study were that (1) auditors exposed to an intervention share more knowledge, compared to auditors not exposed to any interventions; (2) auditors share the most knowledge when exposed to an intervention that includes arguments targeting both behavioral and normative beliefs; (3) the effects of behavioral interventions on knowledge-sharing intention are mediated by auditors’ attitudes and perceived norms related to knowledge sharing; and (4) the influences of attitude and perceived norms on knowledge-sharing behavior are mediated by the intention to share knowledge. The findings of this study have implications for literature and practice. It extends the theory of planned behavior to the auditing setting and examines auditors’ knowledge-sharing behavior with the firm’s knowledge management systems (KMS). Knowledge sharing with the firm’s KMS could potentially mitigate knowledge loss for public accounting firms. The findings of this study provide guidelines to firms regarding how they can encourage knowledge sharing among auditors.

Bakgrund: Under det perioperativa vårdförloppet föreligger många riskfaktorer för patienten att utveckla oavsiktlig hypotermi. Detta kan leda till flertalet operativa och postoperativa komplikationer vilket kan skapa obehag och lidande för patienten, förlänga vårdtider och generera ökade kostnader för samhället. Den perioperativa specialistsjuksköterskans omvårdnadsansvar innefattar ett flertal värmebevarande omvårdnadsåtgärder för att förebygga och behandla hypotermi hos patienten. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva anestesi-, operations- och intensivvårdssjuksköterskors värmebevarande omvårdnadsåtgärder i det perioperativa vårdförloppet. Metod: En studie med deskriptiv analys utfördes. Data samlades in genom en strukturerad intervjuguide. Sammanlagt deltog 36 specialistsjuksköterskor i studien. Resultat: Specialistsjuksköterskornas värmebevarande omvårdnadsåtgärder bestod utav både passiva och aktiva åtgärder varav tre var utmärkande; att använda luftvärmetäcke, att ge varma infusions- och spolvätskor samt att undvika onödig exponering av patienten. Rutinmässig temperaturmätning av patienten saknades i det perioperativa vårdförloppet. Dokumentering av värmebevarande omvårdnadsåtgärder utfördes i hög grad inom det perioperativa specialistsjukskötersketeamet. Slutsats: Flertalet aktiva och passiva värmebevarande omvårdnadsåtgärder utfördes perioperativt trots avsaknad av skriftliga lokala arbetsrutiner och nationella riktlinjer. Förvärmning av patienten eller operationsbädden förekom däremot inte som aktiva förebyggande omvårdnadsåtgärder. Klinisk betydelse: Studien önskar lyfta fram ett viktigt omvårdnadsområde för specialistsjuksköterskor verksamma inom perioperativ vård. Studieresultatet skulle kunna ligga till grund för utbildningsinsatser och utformandet av lokala arbetsrutiner gällande värmebevarande omvårdnadsåtgärder. / Background: During perioperative care multiple risks exist for the patient to develop accidental hypothermia. This can cause increased morbidity, unnecessary patient suffering, prolonged recovery time and subsequently increased costs for the society. Perioperative nursing care involves several warmth preserving interventions to prevent inadvertent hypothermia. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the perioperative specialist nurses warmth preserving nursing interventions in perioperative care. Method: A study with descriptive analyses has been performed. Data was collected through a structured interview guide. A total of 36 specialist nurses participated in the study. Result: The specialist nurses’ warmth preserving interventions consisted of both passive and active interventions where three were more distinctive; to use forced air warming blankets, to give warm intravenous and/or irrigation fluid and to avoid unnecessary exposure of the patient. Warmth preserving nursing interventions was well documented within the perioperative nursing team. Temperature monitoring was not routinely performed. Conclusion:. Several active and passive warmth preserving interventions were carried out, even though local and national guidelines regarding warmth preserving interentions were missing. Prewarming of patient or operating table was not implemented as active preventative measures. Clinical significance: This study wishes to aid in the ongoing work of improving perioperative care by giving focus to an important area within nursing. The study result will hopefully encourage to further education and to the development of local guidelines regarding warmth preserving interventions.

There is a limited understanding of the practices provided by interventionists under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C, and there is no knowledge of how providers deliver services for children who have challenging behaviors. In particular, few studies have examined the extent to which Part C interventionists use evidence-based practices. Decreasing occurrences of challenging behaviors in early childhood is particularly important, as there are many negative ramifications associated with untreated challenging behaviors, including troubled peer and adult relationships, academic failure, and increased antisocial behaviors in adulthood. Research has shown that Positive Behavior Supports and the Pyramid Model are empirically supported frameworks for treatment of challenging behaviors among young children. Thus, interventionists should be utilizing PBS when serving young children with challenging behaviors. The purpose of this study was to gain a preliminary understanding of Part C interventionists’ knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practices for young children with challenging behaviors and to identify interventionists’ process of intervention identification and implementation. Also examined were the challenges associated with service-delivery and the role of Part C in alleviating such challenges. This understanding was gained through semi-structured interviews with a sample of 10 interventionists who served young children with challenging behaviors. A thematic analysis resulted in 15 themes and two subthemes. In addition, interventionists were evaluated using a 4-point rating scale, which provided additional insight regarding the level of evidence-based practice utilized by interventionists. Themes and ratings revealed interventionists have a limited understanding of best practice associated with identifying appropriate evidence-based interventions for young children with challenging behavior. Moreover, a number of barriers hindered consistent implementation of behavioral interventions. Results indicated a need for a wider scale study of Part C interventionists’ practices. In addition, results demonstrated a critical need for ongoing professional development for Florida Part C interventionists.

The high expenditure of healthcare in the United States (U.S.) does not translate into better quality of care. Indeed, the U.S. healthcare system is recognized by its lack of efficiency and waste (which represents about 20% of the country’s healthcare expenses). Lack of coordination is one of the most referenced causes of waste in the U.S. healthcare system, and preventable hospital readmissions have been acknowledged to be evidence of poor coordination of care. In fiscal year 2013, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established financial penalties for inpatient care reimbursements in hospitals with excessive readmissions. All the same, the preliminary results of this effort have yet to result in a consistent reduction of readmission rates. Research in healthcare policy is usually reported through case studies, which makes it difficult to apply that research to different spatiotemporal contexts. Additionally, relevant research can remain overlooked due to the challenge of translating it from other fields. Therefore, in order to create effective healthcare policies, a system that can provide the most accurate information to stakeholders about their decisions and the future impact of those decisions should be developed. This dissertation proposes a decision-based support system that could aid hospital administrators in the design of disease-specific interventions that target specific groups of patients who are at risk for readmission. First, the use of disease-specific interventions that were designed to reduce readmissions will be explored. Second, a variety of predictive tools for readmissions will be developed and compared to complete the search for the best tool. Finally, an optimization model bringing together the two ideas will be formulated so that hospitals can use it to design interventions. This model will target specific patients depending on their risk for readmission and minimize the cost of intervention while ensuring quality hospital performance. In sum, this work will help hospital administrators to better plan in the reduction of readmissions and in the implementation of interventions. In addition, it will deepen knowledge about the impacts of economic penalties on hospitals and facilitate the construction of stronger arguments for decisions about healthcare policy.