The usage of technology is increasing in our society, and the schools are adapting ICT into education, and the use of mobile devises is increasing in the classrooms. However, there are no clear guidelines for the schools on how these devices should be used nor when and why. Therefore, the aim of this study is to ascertain if mobile devices are being used in the English language classroom to develop the pupils’ different language skills, such as writing, reading, speaking and listening. In the background, the study compares previous research with interviews. The method that was chosen are two semi- structured interviews, the first one was with a teacher in primary school, and the second one was with a former primary teacher who now works in a university to teach future teachers. The results of comparing previous research with interviews showed that mobile device can be used as a tool to develop the different language skills in K-3. The implication that were found are that the mobile devices should be used to an extent in the different lessons because they exist in the pupils’ everyday life, and the educators should take advantage of it to motivate the pupils’, still, these devices should be used for the right purpose; they are tools that the teachers should use to take learning forward.

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This dissertation explores virtual storytelling for conveying cultural stories effectively. We set out to investigate: (1) the strengths and/or weaknesses of VR as a storytelling medium; (2) the use of a culturally familiar introductory VE to preface a VE presenting traditional storytelling; (3) the relationship between presence and story experience. We conducted two studies to pursue these aims. Our aims were stated in terms of effective story experience, in the realm of cultural heritage. This was conceptualised as a story experience where story comprehension, interest in the story’s cultural context and story enjoyment were achieved, and where boredom and confusion in the story were low. This conceptualisation was empirically validated by our studies. Three storytelling scenarios were created to tell a traditional San story: text (T); a storytelling VE with no introductory VE (VR+NI); a storytelling VE with a hip-hop themed introductory VE (VR+I). These scenarios comprised our experimental conditions. Questionnaires, measuring interest in hip-hop and the story experience aspects identified above, were developed and psychometrically validated. Study 1 was conducted with a sample of 44 high-school learners and Study 2 with 98 university students. Both studies used a between-subjects design. Study 2 was a refined version of Study 1, improving Study 1’s questionnaires for use in Study 2 and considering two additional variables: attention to the story and perceived strangeness of the story. For our first aim, story experience in the text and VR storytelling scenarios were compared. In Study 1 and 2, comprehension was significantly higher in the T condition than in the two VR conditions combined and attention was higher in Study 2’s T condition. Therefore, we conclude that text is better for achieving story comprehension. In Study 1, interest and enjoyment were significantly higher in the VR condition, while boredom was higher in the T condition. But, no significant differences between text and VR were noted for these variables in Study 2. Comparisons of the T and VR conditions across Study 1 and 2 showed a particularly poor story experience in Study 1’s T group; we speculate that this was due to differences in Study 1 and 2’s samples and procedures. Barring this, there were no interest, enjoyment or boredom differences between T and VR across Study 1 and 2. Thus, we conclude, conservatively, that text and VR are equally good in terms of interest enjoyment and boredom. Confusion was higher in Study 1’s T condition, but this result was counter-intuitive since this condition had also shown higher comprehension. In contrast, Study 2’s VR condition showed significantly higher confusion and lower strangeness. We conclude that Study 1’s participants had reported strangeness rather than confusion and, while virtual storytelling resulted in more confusion, it also resulted in less perceived strangeness of the story. Presence and story experience in the VR+NI and VR+I storytelling scenarios were compared for our second aim. The introductory VE only had an effect for participants who showed a pre-existing interest in hip-hop. In Study 1’s VR+I condition, hip-hop interest was a significant predictor of enjoyment. In Study 2’s VR+I condition, those who identified hip-hop as a favourite music genre showed significantly higher presence than those who identified other genres as a favourite. This suggests that strongly themed introductory VE’s do not benefit virtual storytelling, and that content familiarity and preference interact with VE content to influence virtual experiences. Regarding our third aim; we did not find strong evidence of a relationship between presence and story experience since presence only correlated significantly with interest in Study 1.

Intermediaries are necessary to overcome challenges of Internet use for many users in the developing world. However the need for co-presence with intermediaries can be inconvenient for beneficiaries, and the process is time consuming for intermediaries. We work with an NGO programme called Link which wanted to expose high school students from low income urban communities of Cape Town to Internet career guidance content, but did not have the staff power for regular in-person meetings with all of the students they wanted to reach. We present Internet-supported intermediation, in which intermediaries create a source of content that is tailored to beneficiaries and is accessible using the most appropriate Internet technologies for the context. We discuss the use of two technologies, the web as accessed by conventional computers (preferred by the NGO), and the mobile Internet accessed through low end feature phones. In the target demographic the mobile Internet is very popular for entertainment, especially because of low cost for communication via instant messaging, but the web is more frequently used for tasks outside of entertainment. Using an Action Research approach we implement two Internet systems to support Link intermediation, one a conventional website and the other a text interface suitable for access through mobile instant messaging. We evaluate the systems to determine whether they increase the impact of Link intermediation, and compare the usage of each to determine relative adoption of the technologies for a task outside of entertainment. Students demonstrated capable but slow website use in controlled evaluations, but almost no use occurred outside of our presence. Most students were experienced mobile Internet users, and some began unsolicited use of the mobile system and demonstrated it to their peers. In eight months of simultaneous deployment website users demonstrated minimal engagement, while mobile system users made repeated visits at all hours of the day from varied locations such as homes spread across the city. Students’ most frequent use of computers took place at venues where many users competed, and they prioritised other activities over the website during that access. Mobile use could take place when these restrictions did not apply. The mobile system demonstrated the benefit of Internet support for intermediation: the number of students who viewed career guidance content through it no longer affected the Link team’s effort, while students no longer had to travel to a single meeting place to access content. The consistent higher use of the mobile system than the website shows that the mobile Internet is suitable for non-entertainment use cases by low income urban youth.

Public school principals who provide and sustain music in elementary programs are often confronted with budgetary cuts and reduced funding for music education. There is a dearth of research regarding music as an essential element in K-3 education in low-income rural schools. The purpose of this generic qualitative inquiry was to explore and describe leadership practices of principals, who despite fiscal challenges, include and sustain music in the K-3 curriculum in a low-income rural area of a small county in North Carolina. Elliott and Silverman’s concept of praxial music education and Leithwood and Riehl’s philosophy of instructional leadership practices were used for the conceptual framework. Through individual interviews with principals (n = 4) and 3 focus groups with parents (n = 8) from Parent Teacher Organizations of elementary public schools in a low-income rural district, data were collected from a total of 12 participants involved with music education. Participants described the importance of and the criteria for including music in the K-3 program regardless of economic challenges emphasizing the significance of school principals’ leadership practices. Data were analyzed using open coding to find emergent themes. Results suggested that commitment to sustaining music education in the K-3 program comes from evidence of children’s development of creative and critical thinking. Providing opportunities for an enhanced education may create perspectives that lead students to become engaged citizens for a more equitable society. The findings may also encourage educational leaders to find ways to sustain music in educational programs as a contribution to positive social change.

This study has a fourfold focus. Firstly, the study aims to fill a gap in research regarding teachers and principals’ perceptions on transition work and collaboration in school years K-3 and 4-6 in the subject of English. Secondly, the study explores how these views affect students' academic achievement in the subject. Thirdly, the gathered data is compared to previous research and Swedish national governing documents and guidelines on the matter. Lastly, the study collected suggestions for improvements with regards to transition work and collaboration based on previous research and our respondents’ views.    The basis for the study is data collected from 42 teacher and 10 school principal respondents who answered qualitative and quantitative questions regarding the issue. The findings indicate that teachers and principals' views do not always align regarding transition work. The study shows a great discrepancy in how Swedish schools collaborate around transition, where some Swedish teachers report well-functioning transition work and collaboration and some report the complete opposite. Furthermore, the findings indicate that students' academic performance is affected by the quality of teachers transition and collaboration work. Lastly, the study identifies some key factors that are necessary for well-functioning transition and collaboration work to transpire. / Denna studie har ett fyrfaldigt fokus. Först ämnar den att fylla ett hål i forskning som behandlar lärares och rektorers uppfattningar om övergångsarbete och samarbete mellan skolåren F-3 och 4-6 i Engelskämnet. Sedan utforskar studien hur dessa uppfattningar påverkar elevers akademiska prestationer i ämnet. I tredje hand jämförs den samlade datan med vad tidigare forskning, Svenska styrdokument och riktlinjer säger i frågan. Till sist sammanställer studien förslag på förbättringar på övergångsarbetet och samarbetet baserat på respondenternas bidrag och tidigare forskning. Forskningsunderlaget utgörs av data som samlats från 42 lärare och 10 rektorer som svarat på kvalitativa så väl som kvantitativa frågor om ämnet. Fynden indikerar att lärares och rektorers syn på övergångsarbete inte alltid överensstämmer. Studien visar vidare en grav diskrepans mellan svenska skolor i hur de samarbetar kring elevers övergång mellan låg- och mellanstadiet, där några av lärarna rapporterar ett väl fungerande samarbete och andra det helt motsatta. Fynden indikerar även att elevers akademiska prestationer kan påverkas av kvalitén på lärarnas samarbete och övergångsarbete. Slutligen identifierar studien några nyckelfaktorer som är nödvändiga för att skapa ett väl fungerande övergångsarbete och sammarbete.

Denna studie syftar till att belysa faktorer som bidrager till att soldater avslutar sin värnplikt i förtid. Det finns faktorer som kan justeras/förfinas redan innan mönstring. Studien visar att soldaten är en komplex helhet.  Rubbas någon av de förutsättningar som beskrivs i studien ökar sannolikheten att soldaten blir en avgång. Felaktig uttagning eller för lågt satta uttagningskriterier ökar sannolikheten för att soldaterna slutar i förtid.  Soldaterna behöver tydlig information om vad som förväntas av dem samt information till anhöriga. Få har genomfört värnplikt under den period som soldaterna har växt upp i och därmed har inte kunskap spridits i tillräcklig mån i samhället om vad värnplikt innebär. De som inte hinner med att göra en mental omställning till den militära kulturen i den takt som krävs, hamnar lätt i utanförskap. Likaså hamnar de individer som varit sjuka eller skadade och därmed varit frånvarande i den militära utbildningen utanför den kollektiva gemenskapen. I militär kultur är gruppen central och den sociala samhörigheten en av de viktigaste krafterna.  Starkt präglade individualister får det svårare att ta sig in gemenskapen. Olyckor, skador och sjukdomar samt oförutsedda händelser i privatlivet kan leda till att soldater slutar i förtid.

No / Potential protective effects of the flavonoids quercetin and luteolin have been examined against the oxidative stress of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast-like cells. Although hydrogen peroxide and menadione reduced cell viability, the toxicity was prevented by desferrioxamine or catalase but not superoxide dismutase, suggesting the involvement of hydrogen peroxide in both cases. Quercetin and luteolin reduced the oxidative damage, especially that caused by hydrogen peroxide. When cultures were pre-incubated with quercetin or luteolin, protection was reduced or lost. Protection was also reduced when a 24 h pre-incubation with the flavonoids was followed by exposure to menadione alone. Pretreating cultures with luteolin impaired protection by quercetin, whereas quercetin pretreatment did not affect protection by luteolin. It is concluded that quercetin and luteolin suppress oxidative damage to MC3T3-E1 cells, especially caused by peroxide. The reduction in protection by pretreatment implies a down-regulation of part of the toxic transduction pathway.

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