Abstract The purpose of this research was to collect information on the meaning of thesis-related peer situations for expertise development of students, and to develop the pedagogical foundations of the thesis process. The holistic concept of man and the integrated didactic pedagogic perspective provided the approach to study peer action. The objective was to describe, interpret and understand students’ experiences of thesis-related peer situations from the perspective of expertise development. In addition, the objective was to understand the meaning of peer situations to students’ learning by analysing their study orientations. The research data was provided by 96 students (N=116) in the School of Health and Sports at Kajaani University of Applied Sciences. The data on study orientations were collected using questionnaires (the response percentage 83) and the data on peer situations in the form of essays. The data on study orientations were processed through explorative factor and cluster analysis. The essay-based data were processed first through inductive-deductive content analysis. Then the themes were presented as meanings and finally, networks of meanings describing expertise development, i.e. competences. The orientation to learning was described through ten study orientation factors. Central outcomes of this research were the heterogeneity of the students’ study orientation and the differences between young and adult students. Five clusters describing the students were formulated: adaptive learner; social, deep-oriented learner; self-confident high-flyer; uncommitted yet hard working student, and conscientious burning-out student. Learning in peer situations showed that the students developed their expertise through internal understanding and awareness. First the students created a personal meaning relationship to the peer situation and to themselves, after which they experienced participation in the peer situations. The results also showed that expertise development emerged as competences of collective dialogue and trust, development of self-regulation learning processes and documentation supporting superficial learning. The students emphasized particularly the confidentiality of peer relations, the significance of empathic listening in peer situations. The students’ deep-oriented learning was supported by successful peer situations. The superficial learner enhanced his superficial learning in the end of peer situations focusing. A peer situation, at its best, evolved into a learning environment, where students felt that through a trust relation they were able to relate to the expertise that working life. This research shows that special attention must be paid to related to the pedagogical development of the thesis process: 1) Reflective development of students’ internal understanding and awareness, 2) Awareness of the complex of goals, learning and peer situations, 3) Significance of collectivity and dialogue, 4) Deep-orientation of students’ learning, and 5) Support for optimism development. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli saada tietoa opinnäytetyöprosessiin liittyvien vertaistilanteiden merkityksestä opiskelijoiden asiantuntijuuden kehittymiselle ja kehittää opinnäytetyöprosessia ammattikorkeakoulun pedagogiikan suuntaisesti. Vertaistoimintaa lähestyttiin holistisen ihmiskäsityksen sekä pedagogisen ja didaktisen suhteen integroidusta näkökulmasta. Tavoitteina oli kuvata, tulkita ja ymmärtää opiskelijoiden kokemuksia opinnäytetyöhön liittyvistä vertaistilanteista asiantuntijuuden kehittymisen näkökulmasta. Lisäksi tavoitteena oli ymmärtää vertaistilanteiden merkityksiä oppimisen osalta selvittämällä opiskelijan opiskeluorientaatiot. Tutkimusaineiston tuottivat Kajaanin ammattikorkeakoulun terveys- ja liikunta-alan 96 (N=116) opiskelijaa. Aineisto kerättiin opiskeluorientaatioiden osalta kyselylomakkeella (vastausprosentti 83) ja vertaistilanteiden osalta kirjoitelmien avulla. Opiskeluorientaatioita koskeva aineisto käsiteltiin eksploratiivisen faktori- ja klusterianalyysin avulla. Kirjoitelmilla tuotetun aineiston käsittely aloitettiin induktiivis-deduktiivisella sisällönanalyysillä. Saaduista teemoista muodostettiin merkityskokonaisuudet ja lopuksi asiantuntijuuden kehittymistä kuvaavat merkitysverkostot, kompetenssit. Oppimisen suuntautumista kuvasi kymmenen opiskeluorientaatiofaktoria. Keskeisenä tuloksena voidaan pitää opiskelijoiden opiskeluorientoitumisen heterogeenisuutta ja sen jakautumista nuorten ja aikuiskoulutuksessa opiskelevien kesken. Opiskelijoita kuvaavia klustereita muodostui viisi: sopeutettava oppija, sosiaalinen syväoppija, itseensä luottava menestyjä, omistautumaton pänttääjä ja tunnollinen pinkouupuja. Vertaistilanteissa opiskelija saavutti asiantuntijuuttaan kehittymällä oman sisäisen ymmärryksen ja tietoisuuden avulla. Opiskelija loi ensin henkilökohtaisen merkityssuhteen vertaistilanteeseen ja itseensä, minkä jälkeen hän koki vertaistilanteeseen osallisuuden. Asiantuntijuuden kehittyminen ilmeni myös yhteisöllisen dialogi- ja luottamusosaamisen, oppimisen itsesäätelyprosessien kehittymisosaamisen ja pintaoppimista tukevan dokumenttiosaamisen kompetensseina. Opiskelijat korostivat erityisesti vertaissuhteen luottamuksellisuutta ja vertaistilanteiden vuorokuuntelukohtaamisen tärkeyttä. Onnistuneet vertaistilanteet tukivat opiskelijan syväsuuntautuvaa ja yhteisöllistä oppimista. Pintaoppimiseen suuntautuneella opiskelijalla pintaoppiminen vahvistui vertaistilanteiden edetessä. Vertaistilanne kehittyi parhaimmillaan yhteisöllisyyttä tukevaksi oppimisympäristöksi, jossa opiskelijat kokivat saavansa kosketuspintaa työelämässä tarvittavaan asiantuntijuuteen. Tutkimus nosti esille tarpeen kiinnittää opinnäytetyön pedagogisessa kehittämisessä huomiota: 1) opiskelijan sisäisen ymmärryksen ja tietoisuuden reflektoivaan kehittymiseen, 2) tavoitteiden, oppimisen ja vertaistilanteen kokonaisuuden tiedostamiseen, 3) yhteisöllisyyden ja dialogisuuden merkitykseen, 4) oppimisen syväsuuntaamiseen ja 5) optimismin kehittymisen tukemiseen.

The aim of the present thesis was twofold, first to map the semantic memory decline in Alzheimer patients over time, second to take the patient’s perspective and create a multifaceted picture of the individual with Alzheimer’s disease through the study of memory, awareness, central coherence and emotions. Further issues concerned how Alzheimer individuals handled their cognitive erosion in everyday life and if they were well calibrated with their spouse in disease related matters. Two studies were performed, the first involved a longitudinal study of sematic deterioration, the second had a mixed methods design involving both quantitative and qualitative measures as in neuropsychological assessment and interviews. Through the longitudinal study it could be concluded that the nature of semantic deterioration is best described as loss of memory information rather than problems in accessing the information. It was further concluded that semantic concepts gradually lose their specific features during course of illness. The results from the second study revealed that the Alzheimer individuals were aware of their disease although they could not foresee the implications of their cognitive shortcomings in their everyday life. They evidenced weak central coherence, in that they were unable to infer details into a meaningful whole. This implies that they perceive their surrounding world in a fragmented way as consisting of separate objects rather than a comprehensible context. Concerning emotions it was found that they responded to negatively valenced words in the same way as normal ageing individuals, although being impaired in their response to positively and neutral words. Finally, the Alzheimer individuals and their spouses were not well calibrated regarding disease related issues. The findings of the present thesis have important clinical implications and gives valuable input to the understanding of the individual with Alzheimer’s disease. / Föreliggande avhandling hade två huvudsyften; dels att kartlägga försämringen av semantiskt minne hos Alzheimerpatienter över tid; dels att ta patientens perspektiv och skapa en mångfacetterad bild av individen med Alzheimers sjukdom. Fyra begrepp studerades i relation till detta, nämligen minne, medvetande, central koherens och emotioner. Ytterligare aspekter som studerades var hur Alzheimerindivider hanterar sina kognitiva tillkortakommanden i sin vardag samt hur väl kalibrerade de är med sin make/maka angående sjukdomsrelaterade frågor. Två studier genomfördes varav den första var en longitudinell studie av semantisk minnesförsämring och den andra hade en ’mixed methods’ design, inkluderande både kvantitativa (neuropsykologiska tester) och kvalitativa (intervjuer) metoder. Resultaten från den longitudinella studien avslöjade att semantiska begrepp som inte längre är välrepresenterade hos individen har gått förlorade snarare än att det skulle vara från om att individerna inte kan plocka fram informationen. Vidare kunde konstateras att semantiska begrepp gradvis tappar sina nyanser i takt med att sjukdomen fortskrider. Den andra studien visade att Alzheimerindividerna var medvetna om sin sjukdom och sina minnesproblem men att de inte kunde förutsäga vilka problem deras kognitiva tillkortakommanden skapade i deras vardag. De konstaterades ha svag central koherens vilket innebär att de ser sin omgivning på ett fragmentariskt sätt utan att kunna få ihop de olika objekten runt omkring sig till en meningsfull kontext. Vad gäller emotioner så kunde konstateras att Alzheimerindivider reagerar likadant som normalt åldrande individer på negativt laddade ord men att de är signifikant försämrade i förmågan att känna igen positiva och neutrala ord. Alzheimerindividerna och deras make/maka var inte väl kalibrerade vad gäller sjukdomsrelaterade frågor. Avhandlingens resultat har viktiga kliniska implikationer och ger ett värdefullt bidrag till förståelsen av en individ med Alzheimers sjukdom.

The purpose of the current sequential mixed-methods study is to bring further knowledge to the field of psychology of religion concerning the role of religion for Assyrians/Syrians in Sweden. Guiding the current study are theories concerning enculturation, acculturation, ego-identity, ritualization and communitas. The central research question is: What role does religiosity have for Assyrians/Syrians in Sweden, concerning the development of ego-identity and the practice of ritualization, within a process of enculturation and acculturation? The quantitative phase of the sequential mixed-methods study uses a sample of 244 participants that were part of a previously conducted study. Descriptive statistics, comparing means, correlations, t-tests, and ANOVA are applied to analyze the data retrieved from the questionnaires. The qualitative phase uses a sample of 12 informants collected by a purposive and snowball sampling technique. The methods of data collection are semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. The data collected are analyzed by qualitative content analysis. The results of the quantitative phase show that there is no statistically significant relationship between religiosity and self-perception of ethnicity or self- perception of being a part of the Swedish society. The results, however, show several significant correlations and differences between males and females as well as between generations. Among others, the results show a medium, positive correlation between self-perception of being Assyrian/Syrian and degrees of using the language Suryoyo with friends and family, where a greater degree of self-perception as Assyrian/Syrian is associated with a greater frequency in using the language Suryoyo with friends and family. The results show that there is a negative, medium correlation between perceived discrimination and the perception of being a part of the Swedish society as well as the perceptions concerning the degree that Swedes perceive the participants as being a part of the Swedish society where greater degrees of perceived discrimination are associated with lesser degrees of perception of being a part of the Swedish society. The results show that there is a statistically significant difference between the age groups concerning Mass attendance as well as the degree of self-perception of being religious/spiritual. The results show a statistically significant difference between males and females concerning Mass attendance, frequency of fasting, and self-perception as religious/spiritual; where females have a higher mean score than males on all measures. The results of the data analysis in the qualitative phase indicate that religiosity helps the individual to create and maintain a feeling of being a unique and separate individual either by providing a context for the individual’s identity or by being an object from which the informant differentiates. Religiosity provides the individual with the means of learning his or her first culture. The analysis identifies language to be an important component of ego-identity, enculturation, and acculturation. Discrimination, whether within the group Assyrian/Syrian or from outside the group, is seen as an involuntarily differentiation where the informant experiences attempts by others to differentiate him- or herself from the Swedish population. Indications of ritual components and certain life stages are highlighted among the informants. The implications of the study are discussed. / Syftet med följande sekventiella mixed-methods studie är att bidra med ytterligare kunskap till det religionspsykologiska fältet angående religionens betydelse för assyrier/syrianer i Sverige. Studien vägleds av teorier om ackulturation, enkulturation, ego-identitet, ritualisering och communitas. Den centrala forskningsfrågan lyder: Vilken roll har religiositet för assyrier/syrianer i Sverige i en process av enkulturation och ackulturation? Den kvantitativa fasen i studien använder sig av ett urval av 244 deltagare från en tidigare genomförd studie. Deskriptiv statistik, jämförelse av medelvärde, korrelation, t-test och ANOVA används för att analysera data i den kvantitativa fasen. Den kvalitativa fasen i studien använder sig av ett urval av tolv deltagare. Deltagarna rekryteras genom ändamålsenlig insamling och snöbollsinsamling. Deltagarna intervjuas med semi-strukturerade intervjuer och en fokusgruppintervju. Insamlat material från intervjuerna analyseras med kvalitativa innehållsanalys. Resultat från den kvantitativa fasen visar att det inte fanns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan religiositet, självbild etnicitet och självbild av att vara en del av det svenska samhället. Den kvantitativa fasen visar statistiska signifikanta förhållanden mellan självbild etnicitet och grad av suryoyoanvändning där större grad av självbild etnicitet är associerat med större grad av suryoyoanvändning. Ett statistiskt negativt samband visar sig mellan upplevd diskriminering och självbilden av att vara en del av det svenska samhället där större grad av upplevd diskriminering är associerat med mindre grad av självbild av att vara en del av det svenska samhället. En statistiskt signifikant relation hittas mellan åldersgrupper angående grad av deltagande i gudstjänster och självbild av att vara religiös eller andlig. En statistisk signifikant relation hittas även mellan kvinnor och män angående att delta i gudstjänster, frekvens av att fasta och självbild av att vara religiös eller andlig. Kvinnor visar sig ha ett högre medelvärde än män på dessa mått. Resultat från den kvalitativa fasen indikerar att religiositet hjälper individen att skapa och bibehålla en känsla av att vara en unik och separat individ antingen genom att erbjuda en kontext för individens identitet eller genom att vara ett objekt som individen kan differentiera sig ifrån. Religiositet förser individen med medel att lära sig sin första kultur. Den kvalitativa analysen visar även att språk är en viktig komponent av ego-identitet, enkulturation och ackulturation. Diskriminering ses som en ofrivillig differentiering av individen från den svenska befolkningen. Rituella komponenter och utvecklingsstadier identifieras bland deltagarna i den kvalitativa fasen. Studiens inverkan diskuteras. Föräldrarna rekommenderas även att sträva efter en mångfaldig uppväxt som dels inkluderar assyrisk/syrianska, dels svenska traditioner. Föräldrar bör även sträva efter att introducera sitt modersmål för barnen i syfte att premiera flerspråkighet. Flerspråkighet underlättar integration i kulturer. Föräldrar bör också stödja sina barns erfarenheter som etniska minoriteter, t.ex. diskriminering, fördomar, men även barnets vilja att vistas och integreras i det svenska samhället. Institutioner, t.ex. den svenska skolan och den syrisk ortodoxa kyrkan, bör underlätta individens integration i dess etniska och svenska traditioner. Utbildningsmässigt innebär detta att erbjuda språkkurser is individens modersmål, eller första språk. Det svenska språket bör läras ut tillsammans med svenskar för att undvika en åtskillnad. Skolor måste vara öppna för möjligheten att individer kan identifiera sig utifrån etniciteter i jämförelse med nationaliteter.

Sports supplements include nutritional supplements and ergogenic aids and are widely used in the gym culture. Previous research has examined predictors for supplement use, but lacks an insight into why these patterns appear. The objective was to examine predictors for sports supplement use among people exercising at gyms and explore how sports supplements are used, perceived and viewed upon among a group of regular gym users. A mixed methods explanatory sequential design was used. In phase 1, an online cross-sectional survey was conducted. Phase 2 consisted of six semi-structured interviews exploring why sports supplements are used and not used, as well as expectations and beliefs regarding sports supplements among training individuals. 85 individuals participated in the survey. 68 percent used sports supplements regularly, but no predictors from previous research could be confirmed. The interviews showed that supplements were used for convenience and to ensure a sufficient nutrition intake, while non-users expressed a lack of knowledge and believed supplements to be inefficient and unnecessary. No predictors for use of sports supplements were confirmed, but both users and non-users highly value health responsibility in their decision of supplement use. To users, sports supplements are efficient and convenient dietary complements and replacements. Non-supplement users regard sports supplements to be unnecessary, inefficient and less enjoyable than food. Due to the small sample size, more studies are needed within the field in order to fully understand the role of sports supplements in the target group. / Träningstillskott inkluderar tillskott av enskilda näringsämnen och prestationshöjande medel och används flitigt i gymvärlden. Tidigare forskning har undersökt vilka faktorer som spelar roll för användning av tillskott, men saknar en djupare insikt om varför dessa mönster uppstår.Syftet var att undersöka avgörande faktorer för användning av träningstillskott bland individer som tränar på gym samt undersöka hur en grupp gymtränande individer använder, uppfattar och ser på träningstillskott. En mixed methods explanatory sequential design användes. Fas 1 bestod av en onlineenkät. Fas 2 utgjordes av sex semistrukturerade intervjuer som undersökte varför träningstillskott används respektive inte används samt förväntningar och uppfattningar gällande träningstillskott bland tränande individer. 85 individer deltog i enkäten. 68 procent använde träningstillskott regelbundet, men inga av de faktorer för användning som identifierats i tidigare forskning kunde bekräftas. Intervjuerna visade att tillskott användes av bekvämlighetsskäl och för att försäkra individen om ett tillräckligt näringsintag, medan icke-användare uttryckte otillräcklig kunskap och uppfattade tillskott som ineffektiva och onödiga. Inga prediktorer för användning av träningstillskott kunde bekräftas, men både användare och icke-användare värderar hälsoansvar högt i sitt beslut gällande användning av träningstillskott. Användare anser tillskott vara effektiva och bekväma komplement och ersättare i kosten. Icke-tillskottsanvändare uppfattar tillskott som onödiga, ineffektiva och mindre njutningsfulla än mat. På grund av ett litet urval behövs fler studier inom området för att få en tydligare bild av hur träningstillskott används av målgruppen.

Abstract This study explores the degree of preparedness for studying at Universities of Applied Sciences that is provided by the content of mathematics curricula in upper secondary schools from the viewpoint of engineering students. The theoretical framework is based on learning objectives and a view of mathematics. I categorized mathematical contents in upper secondary school from the point of view of engineering studies. Students defined important knowledge and skills as learning objectives and evaluated how well they were achieved in upper secondary schools from the standpoint of engineering studies. The view of mathematics is based on students’ descriptions of their experiences with mathematics and of themselves as students of mathematics in upper secondary school with respect to engineering studies. The empirical data consist of surveys (N = 222), initial mapping of attitudes (N = 65) and thematic interviews (N = 14). The research problem was approached through mixed research methods. The quantitative data were analyzed with basic statistical methods and students’ accounts of their experiences were examined using a qualitative narrative research method. The narratives were analyzed holistically and categorically focusing on content. According to the engineering students, they felt they should learn how to apply basic algebra and geometry, differential calculus and also equations - the so-called key components of upper secondary school syllabi. These learning objectives were accomplished well in compulsory mathematics courses in the advanced syllabus, but not as well in the basic syllabus. Students experienced mathematics in upper secondary school as instrumentalist and formal. The advanced mathematics syllabus demanded more work with numerous procedures, whereas the basic syllabus required a better understanding of word problems. Even a portion of advanced mathematics provided a good foundation for engineering studies. Supplementing compulsory courses in the basic syllabus with specialized or applied courses created an opportunity to succeed. By combining the advanced and basic syllabi and adding more practical problems, upper secondary school mathematics could provide an even better base for engineering studies. This study can be used for expanding the curricula, designing students’ high school learning paths and supporting teachers’ pedagogical work. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan, millaista osaamista lukion matematiikan oppisisältöjen pohjalta rakentuu ammattikorkeakoulujen insinööriopiskelijoille. Teoreettinen viitekehys muodostuu oppimistavoitteista ja matematiikkakuvasta. Luokittelin lukion matematiikan oppisisältöjä ammattikorkeakoulujen tekniikan ja liikenteen alan matematiikan opetussuunnitelmien kautta. Insinööriopiskelijat määrittivät kokemustensa perusteella ammattikorkeakouluopintojen kannalta tärkeitä matematiikan tietoja ja taitoja – oppimistavoitteita – sekä arvioivat niiden toteutumista lukiossa. Insinööriopiskelijat kertoivat lukion matematiikkakokemuksistaan sekä arvioivat itseään matematiikan oppijana lukiossa ja osaajana ammattikorkeakoulussa. Näiden pohjalta rakentui insinööriopiskelijan matematiikkakuva. Empiirinen aineisto koostuu insinööriopiskelijoille suunnatusta survey-tutkimuksesta (N = 222), asenteiden alkukartoituksesta (N = 65) sekä teemahaastatteluista (N = 14). Sovelsin mixed methods -tutkimusta. Analysoin kvantitatiivisen aineiston tilastollisten perusmenetelmien avulla. Sovelsin opiskelijoiden kokemuksiin liittyvien kertomusten tarkastelussa narratiivista tutkimusmetodia. Tarkastelin narratiiveja holistisesti sekä kategorisesti keskittymällä sisältöön. Insinööriopiskelijoiden mukaan lukion matematiikassa pitäisi oppia soveltamaan avainsisältöjä (perusalgebra ja -geometria, differentiaalilaskenta sekä yhtälöoppi). Lukion matematiikassa tunnistettiin instrumentalistis-formaalin oppiaineen piirteitä. Pitkä oppimäärä koettiin työläänä proseduurien muistamisena. Lyhyessä oppimäärässä tarvittiin paljon sanallisten tehtävien ratkaisemista, mistä oli hyötyä insinööriopinnoissa. Pitkän oppimäärän osittainenkin suorittaminen näytti muodostavan hyvän pohjan insinööriopintoihin, mutta myös täydentämällä lyhyen oppimäärän pakollisia kursseja syventävillä tai soveltavilla kursseilla oli mahdollista onnistua. Käytännönläheisyyttä lisäämällä ja molempia oppimääriä yhdistämällä oppisisällöistä muodostuisi vieläkin parempi pohja insinööriopintoihin. Tutkimuksen tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää opetussuunnitelmia kehitettäessä, opiskelijan matemaattisen lukiopolun suunnittelussa sekä opettajan pedagogisen työn tukena.

Most research on Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988) has uncovered many instructional design considerations for learning complex tasks. Additionally, the Community of Inquiry (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) framework describes many of the learning experiences in online education. A gap existed in the literature for investigating cognitive load over the duration of a college algebra course and for investigating the relationship between cognitive load and cognitive presence. This research study has addressed this gap by investigating cognitive load and cognitive presence in an online and face-to-face college algebra course. The results of this study revealed that face-to-face students earned statistically significant higher final course grades and homework grades than the online students. The face-to-face math course was slightly more efficient because it produced learners who exerted similar cognitive load as learners in the online course but the learners in the face-to-face earned higher performance score. Online discussion prompts that ask student to apply their solution or defend their solution engaged students in cognitive presence differently. When students were prompted to apply their solution to a real world scenario, most students reached resolution in their initial posts, but they were often not cognitively present in their follow-up posts. When students were prompted to provide a defense of their solution, most of the posts demonstrated cognitive presence, but not as many individual students reached resolution. Additionally, students progressed through the stages of cognitive presence when an instructor asked them a specific question about their math problem or real life scenario in a timely manner. When instructors post questions to their students that directly ask for an application of their hypothesis or an explanation how they arrived at their hypothesis, students can reach the highest stage of cognitive presence. When instructors post messages that reach the highest stage of cognitive presence, students do not post messages that reach the highest stage of cognitive presence. Lastly, this study did not find a strong linear relationship between cognitive presence and cognitive load.

Digital inequalities continue to concern researchers across highly technologised countries. In recent years, however, most research on digital inequalities has focused on distinguishing different patterns of Internet use rather than examining Internet non-users. The few quantitative studies of non-use and reasons for non-use often stay on a descriptive level, while qualitative studies mostly investigate subpopulations, such as those living in specific neighbourhoods. Although there are a number of studies of digital inequalities among young people and the elderly, a systematic literature search finds no research focusing on middle-aged individuals, who might face specific problems with being offline, as they are of working age and more likely than other age groups to have children living in the household. On the basis of a mixed-methods research design that compares non-users in Great Britain and Sweden, the overarching research question for this study sheds light on the mechanisms contributing to Internet non-use, as it examines the socio-economic backgrounds, attitudes, perceptions, and everyday life experiences of non-users with a focus on 25 to 55 year-olds. It applies advanced statistical analyses of secondary nationally representative survey data as well as in-depth analysis of qualitative interviews with 10 middle-aged non-users from each country. The analysis of these combined data shows that while socio-economic variables still play an important role in influencing who is on- and offline, general attitudes towards technologies are even more influential. The study finds that there is a lack of life-fit (Selwyn 2006) of ICTs for a number of non-users and a potentially negative impact of warm experts (Bakardjeva 2005) who have previously been regarded as a positive influence. Moreover, vulnerable groups (e.g. immigrants) are facing more substantial problems, such as issues with literacy and language, which need to be tackled first. The deliberation of similarities and differences between Britain and Sweden against the backdrop of policy interventions and cultural values shows that being offline is not problematic for all Internet non-users; some of them thrive in highly technologised societies. The conclusion offers proposals for both future research and policy interventions for those, currently offline mainly due to socio-economic reasons, who would like to go online in the future.

This thesis is concerned with student understanding of key concepts in electrical engineering teaching within higher education. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many students struggle to understand threshold concepts and therefore encounter difficulties in learning theoretical models which are underpinned by such theoretical concepts. This research utilised a mixed methods approach to investigate the factors that influence student understanding of key theoretical concepts within electrical engineering. The initial study used a questionnaire to evaluate student understanding of concepts which were identified by teaching staff as being core to a particular module. The study identified that students commenced the module with poor understanding and that instruction on the module ELC040 Electrical Machines and Systems did not lead to improved understanding of core concepts. This suggests that the roots of student misunderstanding lay elsewhere. Desk research was subsequently employed to explore the sources of student misunderstandings. Performance data was analysed and demonstrated that the roots of the student misunderstanding of Electrical Machine Theory lay in the pre-requisite module Electrical Power B. Students routinely failed to achieve high levels of understanding in this module and as a result were unable to successfully build upon it in the third year module. Semi-structured interviews were then undertaken with Part C students who were undertaking the Electrical Machines and Systems module. In addition, structured interviews were administered with the Part B students. The interviews aimed to establish the study practices adopted by students across both years. The study showed that students found the ELA001 module difficult, and the majority believe that most other students felt the same way as they did. Students provided evidence of poor study techniques, by reporting last minute sessions to complete coursework and last minute revision for exams. This research informed the development of an interactive learning tool which was piloted on a small cohort of students. The research has also established that there are many influences on the development of student understanding of threshold concepts within electrical engineering and argues for a more active style of teaching in order to address student misunderstanding.

Violence is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality amongst young people. Public health approaches are now being increasingly utilised to reduce the risk of young peoples' involvement in violence. One such programme is Medics Against Violence (MAV), which aims to reduce pro-violent attitudes and enhance empathy in secondary school pupils. This thesis aims to investigate whether this approach can be effective in tackling youth violence in secondary school pupils. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to conduct both an outcome and process evaluation of MAV. Four schools took part in the outcome evaluation, which examined whether there was a change in attitudes towards violence or empathy in pupils receiving the MAV programme. The process evaluation consisted of focus groups with school pupils, and open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with MAV volunteers. There was a small but significant reduction in pro-violent attitudes immediately post-intervention. However, this was not sustained at three months and there was no significant increase in empathy scores. Pupils generally demonstrated anti-violent attitudes, although were more likely to support the use of reactive violence. The pupils appeared to enjoy and generally engage well with the programme. In particular, the use of real footage, interviews with those affected by violence and the Glasgow setting provided a sense of realism for the pupils. Moreover, pupils valued the opportunity to discuss the issues raised by MAV with the volunteers. Volunteers felt engagement was occasionally an issue in the most affluent areas. However, some volunteers adapted the programme to focus on victimisation prevention in the most affluent schools. Further development is therefore needed in terms of establishing who the programme is aimed at (i.e. potential victims or perpetrators), focusing on reactive violence and increasing the sustainability of its effects.

The communication of anthropogenic climate change presents many challenges, for communicators, scientists, policymakers and publics alike. Particularly difficult is the issue of uncertainty, which can include ambiguity around the phenomenon of climate change, the possible impacts of this, and the timeframe within which such impacts will be seen. Previous research has established that audiences are often averse to uncertainty, and will disregard or ignore messages that contain it. This raises a theoretical and practical question of how best to manage uncertainty in climate change communication in order to maintain audience engagement. This question was the focus of this PhD research. Specifically, the aim of this thesis was to explore the process of climate change communication from the perspectives of the scientists, communicators, and the recipient. I achieved this research goal by utilising a mixed methods design. I firstly interviewed the originators (i.e., scientists) and professional communicators of climate change information to explore the process from their side (Chapter 2). This revealed a number of themes connecting to the different ways scientists and communicators understand the process of communication (e.g., as information exchange versus relationship building), the challenges of climate change communication and uncertainty in particular, and the (appropriate) role of scientists when communicating with the public about climate change. Next, in a series of studies I experimentally explored how audiences respond to variations in the informational content of climate change messages (such as the level of uncertainty) and the role of different communicative styles in further shaping audience engagement (Chapter 3). Broadly, the results of these studies suggest that while uncertainty can undermine audience engagement with climate change communications, the negative effects of uncertainty are buffered when the communicator is perceived to be high in morality and/ or when they use an open communication style. Interestingly, these effects of communication style were particularly evident among women, whereas men tended to react against this. Together, these studies show how relational factors (e.g., communication styles and perceptions of communication sources) can moderate the impact of informational content on audience responses. Finally, I ended this programme of research by looking in more detail at how audiences perceive a real scientific organisation engaged in climate change communication and the bases of their beliefs about organisation competence and morality (Chapter 4). This study combined qualitative and quantitative data to delve deeper into some of the insights gained in the experimental work, and to reconnect this to the real-world organisation context I began with. This study again showed how perceptions of communicator morality moderate responses to uncertainty, but also provide useful insights into the different origins of perceptions of morality and competence. Chapter 5 concludes by summarising the research presented in this thesis, discussing its strengths, limitations and ways forward. Here, I also consider the theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the thesis’ research findings. Briefly, it is argued that addressing the scientific uncertainties of climate change may not necessarily mean altering the form of information itself. Rather, modifying the language peripheral to the information that contains uncertainty, attending to the ways in which audiences perceive the sources of uncertainty, and considering variations amongst publics, may help to engage in effective communication around the complex issue of climate change.