South Africa has adopted the international trend towards inclusive education. The result is an increasing number of learners with barriers to learning accommodated in mainstream schools. Alternative assessment programmes make provision to address the barriers to learning of these learners during formal assessments. Alternative assessment programmes are a good start to afford learners with barriers to learning a fair chance to impart their knowledge. However, the programmes are adult driven and, as the users of these programmes, we need to consider the learners’ views also. Knowledge of their experience will increase understanding of their needs, which in turn will help to refine the programmes and adjust the programmes to these needs. General aim of the study: to explore the lived experience of learners with barriers to learning, who participated in an alternative assessment programme in a mainstream high school in the Western Cape, in a qualitative way, through a phenomenological design. The phenomenological design provided a deeper understanding of the learners’ experience of the alternative assessment programme from the learners’ viewpoint. We held unstructured, individual interviews with the eight participants who consented to participate in the study. As requested, the participants made collages of their experiences of the alternative assessment programme in a group setting, prior to the interviews. Section B presents the findings of this qualitative study and relates the learners’ experience of the alternative assessment programme during test- and formal examination series. The findings highlight the importance of considering the opinions of learners with barriers, participating in an alternative assessment programme. / MSc (Master of Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Aim: The overall aim was to create knowledge about what it means to live with bipolar disorder from an existential perspective, both for individuals with the diagnosis and for their close relatives.Method: An existential perspective in this context entails that it is explored and described from a lifeworld perspective of individuals who in various ways experience that which is termed as bipolar disorder. The lifeworld phenomenological approach Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) was used in the four empirical studies. Meaning-oriented interviews and analysis were conducted following the leading methodological principles of the chosen scientific approach. A synthesis, based on lifeworld hermeneutic existential philosophy, then presents how it is possible to understand the perspective of individuals with bipolar disorder and their close relatives as a coherent whole.Findings and conclusions: A magnitude and complexity of experiencing, which means that life with bipolar disorder is characterized by extra dimensions, specific tension and contradictions, has been elucidated. Knowledge of the meaning of these aspects enables for the persons with the illness and for their close relatives to understand, to put words to, and to communicate how their life is and what they need, which in turn enhances their ability to influence their lives. It also increases the opportunities for professional caregivers to develop care, both in content and organization, so that it can meet the actual needs of those concerned in an adequate way.Living with bipolar disorder means so much more than the usual description with changes between episodes of depression and mania. The diagnosis “bipolar disorder” thus appears to be an inadequate label that only reflects the more obvious and visible dimensions of the illness, while those that characterize life in its entirety remain hidden.The thesis also shows that the importance of the common everyday life of persons with bipolar disorder and their close relatives should be highlighted as the most important factor in a liveable existence. A change in the view of mental health care is thus needed; a change that is characterized by consensus, collaboration and transparent communication between the person with the illness, their close relatives and mental health care. The common goal should be about meeting actual needs, and to strengthen a profound connectedness in order to make everyday life more liveable. / Disputationen sker den 2012-11-16, Sal Myrdal, Hus K, Växjö, kl. 10:30.

The idea for this paper resulted out of a curiosity for minimalist lifestyle concepts, namely capsule closets and the missing research about this topic as well as the importance of this concept for the society, the environment and the future of the fashion and textile industry. The study describes a phenomenological study in which the researcher explored participants’ lived experiences with capsule closets in order to provide a better understanding of the capsule closet experience. Fixed-interval diaries and semi-structured in-depth interviews with five women were conducted. Using descriptive phenomenological analysis, the researcher identified seven essential themes representing the lived experiences found in participants’ experience with capsule closets: 1) Feeling excited, enthusiastic and determined; 2) Feeling relived and satisfied; 3) Experiencing struggles and challenges; 4) Feelings of guilt and regret; 5) Feeling limited, bored and less creative; 6) Feelings of accomplishment and proudness; 7) Learning experience. These findings both support and contribute to existing literature related to this topic and provide new insights and add new aspects to the knowledge of the capsule closet experience.

Aim: The overall aim is to examine how a patient perspective, grounded in caring science, can be preserved and developed in the context of hospital care.   Methods: The first study examines attitudes towards caring science in a clinical practice. Data were collected through focus group interviews with seven nurses, three head nurses and four senior preceptors. An interpretive approach guided the study. The results called for collaboration between clinical praxis and the academy, according to how caring science can be preserved and developed. Study II–III functioned in accordance with this goal and were conducted in collaboration with a hospital ward for people over seventy-five years of age. In an attempt to develop care the patients were invited to attend a team meeting. The data in these studies were collected using interviews and observations. Fifteen patients (study II) and nine nurses (study III) who had experienced patient participation in a team meeting participated. In these studies, a reflective lifeworld approach guided the research process. Study IV is presented as a general structure and philosophical examination in the light of Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty’s philosophies.   Main Findings: To preserve and develop a patient perspective is strongly connected to existential issues, such as lived time, intersubjectivity and a meaningful existence. For the patients, vulnerability is exposed and increased when the need for hospital care arises. The team meeting is experienced as an emotional situation where existential dimensions need to be recognized. The nurses desire to develop caring is challenged by organizational and economic demands. Time presents both a possibility for an encounter as well as a threat to excellent care.   Conclusions: There is a need to challenge narrow processes in modern health care that value the staffs’ work and the patients’ vulnerability in quantifiable measures of efficiency. The challenge is to take into account something that is invaluable - human existence.

The objectives of this research were to investigate the lived experiences of parents who are suffering from the HIV/AIDS disease, investigate the lived experiences of children whose parents are suffering from the HIV/AIDS disease and propose an ecosystemic intervention programme for supporting children whose parents are suffering from the HIV/AIDS disease. The literature research investigation revealed that part of the burden that learners whose parents suffer from HIV/AIDS carry comes in the form of mental stress and experiences caused by, merely staying with a sick loved one whose condition deteriorates where hope of improvement was expected, prolonged sickness of a loved one, and witnessing the slow painful death of a loved one especially at home. These children often take on additional domestic tasks or care for sick relatives or younger siblings. The children's attendance can be compromised during this time. Their incentive to protect themselves against infection can be low when HIV is only one of many threats to health and life. Poverty may also breed low levels of respect for self and others, and thus a lack of incentive to value and protect lives. The mediating mechanisms act in ways which reduce the impact of risks, reduce negative chain reactions, maintain self-esteem and self-efficacy through relationships and task achievement and open opportunities for positive development. Findings from the empirical research reveal that parents who are HIV-positive are unemployable because of their ill-health, a situation which makes their families to leave in dire poverty. The parents often blame each other for their HIV-positive status sometimes as a way of relieving stress, but when these parents blame each other their children are caught in the cross-fire. Children of parents who suffer from HIV/AIDS are discriminated against and stigmatised by other children, friends and people from their communities. This situation affects these children both psychologically and emotionally. These children assume adult responsibilities at a very tender age, usually lack basic needs such as food, clothing, school uniform, school necessities etc. Their scholastic performance gets negatively affected because of lack concentration, not having enough time to do homework and being frequently absent from school. The children become vulnerable to verbal, emotional and physical abuse, do not get the necessary support they need from their family members, community, government institutions such as the Department of Health and in schools where they attend. These children do not seem to be coping with the circumstances they find themselves in especially if they are also HIV-positive. There is no communication between children of parents who suffer from HIV/AIDS and their parents concerning their experiences about the disease, how they feel and the future expectations. There is also no clear plan on what should these children do, in the case of their parents' death. At schools where these children attend there are no clear strategies to assist them to catch-up with their school work after a long absence and the children do not receive any work from school while they are at home sick or recuperating from illness as per the National Policy on HIV/AIDS. An ecosystemic programme is proposed in this research. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

Aim: The overall aim was to create knowledge about what it means to live with bipolar disorder from an existential perspective, both for individuals with the diagnosis and for their close relatives. Method: An existential perspective in this context entails that it is explored and described from a lifeworld perspective of individuals who in various ways experience that which is termed as bipolar disorder. The lifeworld phenomenological approach Reflective Lifeworld Research (RLR) was used in the four empirical studies. Meaning-oriented interviews and analysis were conducted following the leading methodological principles of the chosen scientific approach. A synthesis, based on lifeworld hermeneutic existential philosophy, then presents how it is possible to understand the perspective of individuals with bipolar disorder and their close relatives as a coherent whole. Findings and conclusions: A magnitude and complexity of experiencing, which means that life with bipolar disorder is characterized by extra dimensions, specific tension and contradictions, has been elucidated. Knowledge of the meaning of these aspects enables for the persons with the illness and for their close relatives to understand, to put words to, and to communicate how their life is and what they need, which in turn enhances their ability to influence their lives. It also increases the opportunities for professional caregivers to develop care, both in content and organization, so that it can meet the actual needs of those concerned in an adequate way. Living with bipolar disorder means so much more than the usual description with changes between episodes of depression and mania. The diagnosis “bipolar disorder” thus appears to be an inadequate label that only reflects the more obvious and visible dimensions of the illness, while those that characterize life in its entirety remain hidden. The thesis also shows that the importance of the common everyday life of persons with bipolar disorder and their close relatives should be highlighted as the most important factor in a liveable existence. A change in the view of mental health care is thus needed; a change that is characterized by consensus, collaboration and transparent communication between the person with the illness, their close relatives and mental health care. The common goal should be about meeting actual needs, and to strengthen a profound connectedness in order to make everyday life more liveable.

Aim: The overall aim of the thesis was to illuminate the meanings of intensive care units’ patient rooms as a place of care for critically ill patients and their loved ones. Moreover, it was aimed to develop photovoice as a data collection method for research in ICU context. Methods and materials: Data has been collected using photovoice methodology in combination with research interviews for all three empirical studies. In total 37 people participated. Nine patients, fourteen loved ones and fourteen nurses from three ICU settings. Study I examined the perspective of loved ones, for this purpose a phenomenological hermeneutic method rooted in the philosophy of Ricoeur was chosen. Study II and III examined patients’ respectively nurses’ perspective. Both studies are phenomenologically orientated guided by a reflective lifeworld approach rooted in continental philosophy. Study IV is a theoretical paper focusing on employing photovoice as a data collection method in ICU context. Main findings: The tone and touch of caring is vital for how ICU patient room is materialized for patients. The interior design and furnishing has a great impact on the wellbeing of the loved ones and also the support they can offer the critically ill patient. One major finding is that the ICU patient room is a taken for granted place for health care providers and the impact of it upon caring, patients’ and loved ones wellbeing is not reflected over. It also seems unclear who is responsible for the environment of ICU once it has been built. The environment of ICU affects nurses’ ability to care for the patients and their family in a genuine way and to promote their wellbeing during a fragile time in life. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to translate research findings into clinical practice in order to improve the environment of ICU patient rooms. There is also need of further research and policies for transforming the hostile environment of the patient rooms to a healing environment more conductive to people’s recovering process. / <p>Akademisk avhandling som för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen vid Linnéuniversitetet försvaras vid offentlig disputation, 13 juni 2014, klockan 14.00 i sal Wicksell, Hus K, Växjö</p>

Effective teacher development is significant for any educational system to remain competitive in the global arena (Bayar, 2014). However, science teachers’ professional development activities have often been found to be ineffective (Opfer & Pedder, 2011). Science teachers also minimally participate in such activities due to their ineffective experiences (Chval, Abell, Pareja, Musikul & Ritzka, 2007). Understanding how science teachers’ experiences are constructed is also crucial to create programs to meet their needs (Schneider & Plasman, 2011). It is essential in the construction of professional development experiences to recognize who is being served in professional development (Saka, 2013). But rigorous methods are required to understand the outcomes of professional development (Koomen, Blair, Young-Isebrand & Oberhauser, 2014). The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to study how secondary school science teachers describe their lived experiences of professional development in Punjab (Pakistan). How do these teachers understand, make sense, and use of those intended goals of professional development opportunities and change their practices through the implementation of learned knowledge of professional development? This study used purposive sampling to collect the qualitative data from fifteen secondary school science teachers of Punjab (Pakistan). The data collection was done through conducting semi-structured in-depth phenomenological interviews with these science teachers (Seidman, 2013). The data were analyzed using three-stage coding methods, and thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged from the analysis of data. The first theme of sense making is about their understanding and description of intended meaning of professional development activities. The second theme of meaningful experiences captured the participants perceived benefits from the PD activities. The third theme of contextual and cultural factors is focused on the understanding the impact of these factors in imparting of professional development experiences. The findings of the study communicate the significance of science teachers’ role in professional development activities. Science teachers’ voices, needs and active involvement must be taken into consideration in the designing and implementation of such activities.

Bakgrund: Inflammatorisk tarmsjukdom (IBD) innefattar sjukdomarna Ulcerös kolit och Morbus Crohn. Miljöfaktorer och förändrade kostvanor tros vara anledningar till att IBD-fallen ökat i USA och västra Europa på kort tid. I Sverige drabbas cirka 500 personer av Morbus Crohn varje år och Ulcerös kolit drabbar ca 900 personer per år. Sjukdomen yttrar sig i fysiska symtom som diarré, smärta och viktnedgång men påverkar även individen psykosocialt. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva människors upplevelser av att leva med inflammatorisk tarmsjukdom samt att presentera vilken undersökningsgrupp som beskrivits i de inkluderade vetenskapliga artiklarna. Metod: Studien är en beskrivande litteraturstudie där 11 kvalitativa artiklar användes. Databaserna PubMed och Cinahl användes för att söka artiklar. Sökorden som användes var: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Qualitative, Everyday life och Lived experiences. Huvudresultat: IBD är en kronisk sjukdom. Fysiska symtom som illamående, viktnedgång, smärta och trötthet vilket även ses som ett psykiskt symtom. Oro, depression och dålig självkänsla upplevdes också. Sjukdomen visade sig påverka individens vardagsliv, kostvanor, familjeliv, och sociala relationer. Alla inkluderade artiklar presenterade undersökningsgruppen. Slutsats: IBD blir allt vanligare i världen. Symtomen är både fysiska och psykosociala och påverkar den drabbades vardagsliv, sociala liv och kosthållning. Sjuksköterskan möter en stor utmaning i att kunna bemöta och vårda dessa patienter då varje enskild individ har olika upplevelser av samma diagnos. / Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes the diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Morbus Crohn. Environmental factors and changing diets are thought to be reasons for IBD cases has increased in the US and Western Europe in a short time. It is in Sweden about 500 people affected of Morbus Crohn every year and Ulcerative colitis affects about 900 people per year. The disease has physical symptoms such as diarrhea, pain and weight loss, but also affects an individual psychosocial. Aim: The aim was to describe people's experiences of living with inflammatory bowel disease, and to present the study group as described in the included articles. Methods: This study is a descriptive literature study and 11 qualitative articles were used. PubMed and Cinahl were used to search for articles. Keywords used were: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Qualitative, Everyday Life and Lived Experiences. Main results: IBD is a chronic disease. Physical symptoms such as nausea, pain and fatigue which is also seen as a mental symptoms. The disease was found to influence the individual's daily life, eating habits, family life, and social relationships. All included articles presented the study group. Conclusion: IBD are becoming more common in the world. The symptoms are both physical and psychosocial and affects the afflicted person everyday life, social life and diet. Nurses face a big challenge in being able to confronting and care for these patients, since each individual has different perceptions of the same diagnosis.

Abstract According to McAuliffe and Lovell (2006), regardless of the training received in skills classes, master’s level counseling students continue to be rote in their approach to clients and their use of counseling skills as opposed to understanding how skills fit into the helping process. Students also experience confusion manifested by fear, anxiety, self-doubt, and questioning of abilities to perform the required skills (Skovholt & Jennings, 2005). The purpose of this research study was to explore the lived experiences of master’s level counseling students in a beginning counseling skills class. I used Perry’s (1970) scheme of cognitive and intellectual development as a framework for my study. Participants were nine students from three counseling programs in the southern part of the United States, selected by criterion sampling. I used a psychological phenomenological design to gain insights into the nine counseling students’ skills-learning experiences. Data collection methods included student interviews, weekly journals, and course syllabi. To analyze the data, I used a modified version of Moustakas’ (1994) six-step method of data analysis. Four themes resulted from my data analysis: (1) developmental progression, (2) instructional methodology, (3) personal reactions, and (4) pre-defined structures. These themes were used to answer my three research sub-questions and the central research question. Based on the results of my study, students believed that class format, teaching interventions, personality traits, experiences outside of class, peers, time and class schedules influenced their learning of beginning counseling skills. Keywords: Counseling Students, Developmental Model, Pedagogy, Perry’s Scheme