This mini-dissertation examines how an African woman – as an individual – makes meaning of her life amidst her HIV positive status. Her search for meaning was explored through semi-structured interviews. The case study is situated within a South African context where HIV/AIDS has become a pandemic. The methodology used in this research is explorative and qualitative in nature, thus facilitating a process of interpretation resulting in thick description drawing on existential concepts. Relevant information from the participant’s counselling therapeutic process, prior to the research, is incorporated in the thick description of her living with and making meaning of HIV/AIDS. An Existential perspective on the participant’s psychological experiences concerning meaningfulness and being is discussed in terms of themes drawn on in semi-structured interviews. Special emphasis is also placed on the concept of an “existential vacuum” that an individual might experience when affected by something as life changing as HIV/AIDS. Notions of anxiety and non-being are also key concepts in this particular case study. Spirituality and the sense of a Higher Being are explored as fundamental in the domain of this individual’s life, and therefore also in her production of meaning, as well as self-contemplation. A constructionist epistemological approach is taken according to which the aims of the research are examined and interpreted. Attention is given to the participant’s experiences of the impact of both African and Western worldviews on her sense of being within the South-African context. Her perceptions and beliefs, as a Tswana woman, concerning traditional customs and significant figures are discussed, for example: sangomas, witchdoctors, ancestors, forefathers, HIV/AIDS, etc. These, often opposing, points of view are explored in detail when the biological, psychosocial, cultural and political contexts are taken into account. These are, in turn, coupled with an analysis of gender relations and their associated power relations within societal structures. Further examination reveals the expected physical and psychological phases associated with the HIV/AIDS disease. The woman used in this case study relays her thoughts and experiences directly to the researcher and reader, as transcripts of semi-structured interviews with her are used in the text. Ethical considerations pertaining to both the participant and the researcher are also conveyed exhaustively. Issues in the interviews that are touched upon, include: How multiculturalism is perceived and experienced, the effects of stigmatisation, self-awareness and the conscience, traditional rituals and values associated with HIV/AIDS, transcendence and the responsibility for a sense of self. Arrays of emotions that are experienced under the circumstances include anger, depression, despair, defiance, hope and alienation. There is also a strong focus on the interaction between people, and especially on what is deemed as “meaningful relationships”. Copyright 2006, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bezuidenhout, MD 2006, An existential perspective on a woman's search for meaningfulness while living with HIV/AIDS , MA dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04052007-125746 / > / Dissertation (MA (Counseling Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Skolverkets statistik visar att matematik är det kärnämne där svenska elever presterar lägst. Denna studie undersöker om intensivundervisning av fem elever i matematiksvårigheter i årskurs 7 kan stärka deras känsla av sammanhang (KASAM) inom matematiken enligt Antonovskys teori. Enligt Antonovsky skapas KASAM om begreppen begriplighet, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet uppfylls. Begriplighet innebär att elevens kunskaper inom ämnet är höga, hanterbarhet betyder att elevens tilltro till sina förmågor är höga och meningsfullhet innebär att eleven ser nyttan med matematiken. Intensivundervisningen bedrevs under sex veckor med tre halvtimmeslektioner per vecka och eleverna deltog i par. Inför intensivundervisningen undersöktes elevernas kunskapsnivåer och uppfattningar om matematikämnet genom en kartläggning baserad på Magnes diagnoser och en intervju, dessa följdes upp efter insatsen med en ny diagnos och intervju. De inledande och avslutande resultaten jämfördes och analyserades utifrån begriplighet, vilket syntes i resultaten på kartläggningen och diagnosen, hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet som analyserades utifrån elevernas svar på intervjuerna. Genom den nya lärmiljön, den konstanta kommunikationen med positiv feedback och det praktiska material som med fördel används stärks två av begreppen inom KASAM tydligt. Detta visade studiens resultat vad gäller hanterbarhet och meningsfullhet som förbättrades för samtliga elever, den data som samlades in gällande begriplighet blev för svårtolkat för att ge ett tydligt resultat. En längre insats förespråkas då det hade gett en större möjlighet för eleverna att befästa kunskaperna och det framförallt gällande elever med stora kunskapsluckor. / According to the Swedish National Agency for Education’s statistics, mathematics is the core subject in which the Swedish students perform the lowest. This study examines if interventions in mathematics can help five students in year seven, which experience mathematic difficulties, feel a sense of coherence (SOC) within the subject as per Antonovsky’s theory. According to Antonovsky SOC is created if the concepts of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness are fulfilled. Comprehensibility means that the student’s knowledge of the subject is good, if the manageability is high the student is confident in their abilities, and meaningful means that the student sees the benefit of mathematics. The intervention was conducted over six weeks, with three half-hour long lessons per week where the students participated in pairs. Prior to the intervention the students’ levels of knowledge and their perception of mathematics were examined through a survey based on Magne’s diagnosis and an interview, after the intervention they were followed up with a new diagnosis and interview. The initial and the final results were compared and analysed based on comprehensibility, which was shown in the result of the survey and the diagnosis, manageability and meaningfulness, which were analysed based on the interviews. With the help of the new learning environment, the continuous communication with positive feedback and the concrete material, which is beneficial to the teaching, two of the concepts of SOC are clearly strengthened. The result of the study shows this when it comes to manageability and meaningfulness for all the participating students, the data collected concerning the concept of comprehensibility was too difficult to interpret to give a distinct result. A lengthier effort is advocated to give the students a better opportunity to consolidate the new knowledge, this in particularly when it comes to students with large gaps in knowledge.

Meaningfulness – a matter of student´s participation and influence in activities in the schoolyard? According to the compulsory school curriculum Lgr 11 (Skolverket 2019), leisure – time centers must conduct teaching that is based on the student´s own interests and needs, to give them a meaningful leisure time. The school´s governing document also states that students have the right to participate and have influence over their stay in its various activities, and that students must be educated to be able to become democratic citizens. In cases where the leisure – time center doesn´t translate the theory into practice, where the intentions of the curriculum do not become at real influence and participation for the students, a gap i created between the educator´s child perspective and the child´s (student´s) own perspective. This can have consequences when it comes to what the various parties regards as meaningful, but can also create the image of sham democracy. Our study wants to shed light on the significance of the gap between the different perspectives, in relation to the concepts of meaningfulness and participation in the leisure activities that take place on the schoolyard. The intention is to examine student´s own experiences as well as which other factors on the yard that can also affect them.Previous research shows that the design of schoolyards and what is available in its environment, can affect student´s experiences of their stay there. At the same time, students are rarely given any opportunity to be involved to influence the design through participation in decisions. This is confirmed in our study. The research also highlights how continuously and actively implementation of democratic values in leisure – time center is of importance for students to fully understand their rights. In our empirical study, we chose the Walk &amp; talk method to bring light to the children´s perspectives and also a small survey with relevant educators to be able to compare the results from their child perspectives. The answer and conclusions we have reached confirm previous research and show the importance of safeguarding student´s rights in the form of participation and influence and that these are complied with in practice. / Meningsfullhet – en fråga om elevers delaktighet och inflytande i aktiviteter på gården? Enligt grundskolans läroplan ska fritidshemmen bedriva en undervisning som utgår från elevernas egna intressen och behov för att ge en meningsfull fritid (Skolverket 2019). Skolans styrdokument säger också att eleverna besitter rättigheter att själva vara delaktiga och ha inflytande över sin vistelse i dess olika verksamheter, samt att eleverna ska fostras till demokratiska medborgare. I de fall där verksamheterna inte omsätter teorin i praktik, där läroplanens intentioner inte blir till reellt inflytande och delaktighet för eleverna, skapas ett glapp mellan pedagogers barnperspektiv och barns (elevers) perspektiv. Detta kan ge konsekvenser när det kommer till vad de olika parterna anser meningsfullt men kan också skapa bilden av skendemokrati. Studien vill belysa vilken betydelse glappet mellan de olika perspektiven har, i relation till begreppen meningsfullhet och delaktighet i de fritidsverksamheter som sker på skolgården. Avsikten är att undersöka elevernas egna upplevelser och erfarenheter tillika vilka övriga faktorer på (skol)gården som också kan påverka dem.Tidigare forskning visar att utformningen av gårdarna och vilka erbjudanden som finns i dess miljö, kan påverka elevernas upplevelse av sin vistelse där. Samtidigt ges sällan eleverna någon möjlighet att vara med och påverka utformningen av dem genom delaktighet i besluten, Detta bekräftas i vår empiriska studie. Forskningen lyfter också fram vikten av att fritidshemmens verksamhet kontinuerligt och aktivt implementerar de demokratiska värderingarna i praktiken för att de ska ha reell betydelse för eleverna. I studien valde vi walk and talk- metoden för att på så sätt lyfta fram barnens perspektiv och en mindre enkät med berörda pedagoger för att kunna jämföra resultaten ur deras barnperspektiv. De svar och slutsatser vi kommit fram till bekräftar tidigare forskning samt visar på vikten av att värna elevers rättigheter i form av delaktighet och inflytande och att dessa efterlevs i praktiken.

During the year of 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic entailed restrictions that affected Sweden and the world in general. At the request of the Swedish Public Health Agency, Swedish universities were asked to conduct digital distance education. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the attitude to the change from traditional education to distance education among full-time students at Örebro University, can be understood in relation to factors linked to learning. The study also intends to examine whether and how the students experience that their social interaction and sense of coherence has been affected as a result of the change. The results of this qualitative study are based on qualitative interviews with full-time students at Örebro University, who have been involved in the change from traditional education to distance education. Previous research in these subject areas highlight, among other things, the prerequisites for successful distance education, as well as factors that have been found to have an impact on students’ experience of social interaction and sense of coherence. In addition to previous research, the study’s theoretical framework is based on Erving Goffman’s (2014 [1974]) dramaturgical perspective on social interaction and Aaron Antonovsky’s (2005) theory of sense of coherence.The result indicates that the students were predominantly negative about the change, mainly due to the lack of social interaction. The study also shows that the students experienced difficulties within the social interaction during distance education, in terms of impression management, maintenance of traditional norms and the separation between study time and free time. In conclusion, the study shows that the students’ sense of coherence has been affected in various degrees, depending on how they perceive that their sense of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness is met in distance education. / Under år 2020 medförde Covid-19-pandemin restriktioner som påverkade Sverige och världen i stort. På begäran av Folkhälsomyndigheten uppmanades svenska universitet att bedriva digital distansundervisning. Syftet med detta självständiga arbete är att undersöka hur inställningen till förändringen från traditionell undervisning till distansundervisning hos heltidsstudenter vid Örebro Universitet, kan förstås i relation till faktorer kopplat till lärande. Fokus ligger därtill på om och i sådana fall hur studenterna upplever att deras sociala interaktion och känsla av sammanhang har påverkats till följd av förändringen. Denna kvalitativa studie baserar sitt resultat på kvalitativa intervjuer med heltidsstudenter vid Örebro Universitet, som varit med om förändringen från traditionell undervisning till distansundervisning. Tidigare forskning inom dessa ämnesområden belyser bland annat förutsättningar för en lyckad distansundervisning, samt faktorer som har visat sig ha en inverkan på studenters upplevelse av social interaktion och känsla av sammanhang. Utöver tidigare forskning grundas studiens teoretiska ramverk i Erving Goffmans (2014 [1974]) dramaturgiska perspektiv gällande social interaktion samt Aaron Antonovskys (2005) teori om känsla av sammanhang.Resultatet från studien tyder på att studenterna var övervägande negativt inställda till förändringen, främst på grund av avsaknaden av socialt umgänge. Studien visar även att studenterna upplevde svårigheter i den sociala interaktionen vid distansundervisning vad gäller intrycksstyrning, upprätthållning av traditionella normer samt avgränsningen mellan studietid och fritid. Avslutningsvis visar studien att studenternas känsla av sammanhang påverkats i varierande grad, beroende på hur de uppfattar att deras känsla av begriplighet, hanterbarhet samt meningsfullhet tillgodoses vid distansundervisningen.

Inflytande på arbetsplatsen har visat sig vara relaterat till medarbetares hälsa. Känslan av inflytande över sina arbetsuppgifter kan leda till ökad arbetstrivsel, meningsfullhet och engagemang. För medarbetare med känsla av kontroll och inflytande minskar risken att drabbas av stress. Syftet var att undersöka inflytande och dess relationer till arbetstrivsel, meningsfullhet, engagemang och stress inom privat och offentlig sektor. Ett delsyfte var att undersöka hur mycket kön, ålder och sektor kan förklara upplevt inflytandet. Undersökningen genomfördes utifrån tre frågeställningar med tillhörande hypoteser. Enkäten, där 151 deltagare svarade, utgick från Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version II och Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Svarsunderlaget undersöktes med korrelationer, tvåvägs variansanalys och regressionsanalyser. Studien visade att inflytande har positiv relation med arbetstrivsel, meningsfullhet, engagemang och negativ relation med stress. Inflytandet hos kvinnor och män inom offentlig sektor visade sig vara signifikant lägre än inom privat sektor. I övrigt påvisades inga skillnader beroende på kön eller ålder.

Work meaningfulness is fundamental to how employees approach, enact, and experience tasks and interpersonal relationships, and to maintain mental well-being in the workplace. However, research on the antecedents of work meaningfulness is unbalanced, i.e., the heavy emphasis on the supplies (or sources) of work meaningfulness and the insufficient attention on the individuals’ survival and psychological needs. This paper aims to address this research gap of work meaningfulness by incorporating the person-environment fit framework with a special focus on needs-supplies fit type. Drawing on research concerning needs for survival and three basic psychological needs from self-determination theory, a set of needs-based antecedents of work meaningfulness were examined, viz., needs-supplies fit for survival, autonomy, belongingness, and competence (S-ABC needs-supplies fit). Additionally, the interaction effects of S-ABC needs-supplies fit and work orientation (work as jobs, careers, or callings) on work meaningfulness were investigated. The current study applied the two-phased explanatory sequential mixed methods research design (QUAN --> qual = Explain). Results from the phase 1 quantitative survey (N = 363) suggest that work meaningfulness increased as autonomy supplies approached the needed levels and decreased when supplies exceeded the needed levels. Meanwhile, work meaningfulness increased as survival, belongingness, and competence supplies approached the needed levels and remained high or continued increasing (as opposed to an expected decrease) when supplies exceeded the needed levels. Further, the study found interaction effects between work orientation and autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit on work meaningfulness, while no interaction was found between work orientation and survival and competence needs-supplies fit on work meaningfulness. Contrary to expectations, the results suggest that individuals who view work as jobs were more susceptible to autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit/misfit; while work as callings or careers acted as a buffer and mitigated the otherwise negative effects of autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit/misfit on work meaningfulness. Specifically, for people who viewed work as jobs, work meaningfulness increased as autonomy supplies approached the needed levels but decreased when supplies exceeded the needed levels; and work meaningfulness increased as belongingness supplies approached the needed levels and continued increasing as belongingness exceeded the needed levels. When people viewed work as careers or callings, autonomy and belongingness needs-supplies fit/misfit did not significantly influence work meaningfulness. The phase 2 qualitative interview (N = 23) results generally corroborated with the quantitative results and provided empirical evidences that were explanatory to the quantitative results. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

The purpose of this essay is that by interviewing experienced history teachers and analyzing their statements, make practical history-didactic insights visible about how history teaching can be conducted to initiate meaning-creating processes, and thus make the subject of history meaningful to students. The survey presented that history teachers primarily perceive that meaningful history teaching lies in being able to see and explain change processes. The importance of emphasizing change processes seems to be largely linked to the teachers' private perception of what can be perceived as meaningful. By creating meaning-creating processes for students, increased interest often emerges and thus lead to deeper knowledge of how something can be or be explained. Meaningfulness seems to be an emotional component. New questions are therefore raised about how much the history teacher's participation, the student base's epistemological perception of the subject of history, and the degree of freedom of interpretation regarding the curriculum can contribute to creating meaning for students, and whether it is possible to achieve equivalent history teaching depending on this context.

In my thesis I deal with the concept of meaningful work in a platform economy. Meaningful work is a theoretical as well as a practical problem that exists across various fields of study. Meaningful work is increasingly important topic, which corresponds with actual problems that workers face in their workplace. The main goal of the thesis is to inquire if and how is this concept useful to describe the working conditions of emerging platform economy, which strengthens the class conflict at the workplace. I research this problem on the case of Viennese food delivery service Mjam with application of the method of the phenomenological analysis, which enabled me to study dailiness and experiencing of meaningfulness of work of the couriers. For the analysis, I conducted semi-structured interviews with the riders. Even though the couriers experience occasionally meaningfulness as well as meaninglessness at the workplace, the thesis shows that this concept is rather used to rephrase their crucial problems of the workplace. The researched literature partially ignores the real problems of workers in their workplace as well as the complexity and heterogeneity of the problem of meaningful work.

Involuntary loneliness has become a societal challenge and might be developed into mental illness. Social inclusion is believed to be a key factor of mental wellness. It is important for decision makers to put in intersectoral efforts to enhance social interaction and create social belongingness which would be beneficial to the well-being of community members. This study seeks to understand how we can design digital-physical meeting places to enhance social interaction in community settings. A pre-study was conducted to understand the current social interaction experiences. Three ideas of potential solutions were generated based on the results of pre-study. A final prototype following the idea of Interactive Band was made to evaluate through user tests and semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that it could be supportive for enhancing social interaction through instant feedback and variation of play. This article further discussed what design choices could facilitate interaction with the designed object and interaction with other people and what should be considered when designing for a community.

Arbetsterapeuters professionella resonemang om äldre personer i risk för suicid Abstrakt Introduktion: Suicid ökar med stigande ålder och har högst prevalens bland äldre personer. För att minska äldres suicidalitet är det viktigt att identifiera riskfaktorer, samt utveckla effektiva insatser.  Arbetsterapeutens roll beskrivs vara att stödja den äldre personen i att finna hopp om framtiden och att skapa en tillvaro med meningsfulla aktiviteter. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att belysa arbetsterapeuters professionella resonemang om äldre personer i risk för suicid Metod: En kvalitativ intervjustudie där tio arbetsterapeuter rekryterades genom snöbollsurval och strategiskt urval genomfördes. Arbetsterapeuterna var verksamma inom olika organisationer och träffade regelbundet äldre personer.   Resultat: Resultaten presenteras i tre kategorier: Arbetsterapeutens resonemang om teoretisk kunskap, Arbetsterapeutens resonemang om praktisk erfarenhet samt Resonemang kring organisatoriska förutsättningar. Arbetsterapeuters resonemang om teoretisk kunskap sågs som en grund för att kunna arbeta suicidpreventivt mot äldre personer. Arbetsterapeuterna upplevde att de hade begränsade erfarenheter av att bemöta äldre personer med suicidala tankar, och det fanns begränsat med rutiner kring hur man bemöter dessa personer. Samverkan inom organisationen sågs som en förutsättning för att kunna ge adekvat vård.   Slutsats: Mer kunskap om hur arbetsterapi kan användas i suicidpreventivt arbete behövs, och rutinerna i verksamheterna behöver stärkas. / Occupational therapists’ professional reasoning about older people at risk of suicide. Abstract Introduction: Suicide increases with age and has the highest prevalence among older people. To reduce the suicidality of older people, it is important to identify risk factors, but also to develop effective interventions. The role of the occupational therapist is described as supporting the older person in finding hope for the future and to create an existence with meaningful activities. Aim: The purpose of the study was to shed light on occupational therapists' professional reasoning about older people at risk of suicide. Method: A qualitative interview study where ten occupational therapists were recruited through snowball selection and strategic selection was conducted. The occupational therapists were active in various organizations and regularly met older people. Results:  The results are presented in three categories:  The occupational therapist's reasoning about theoretical knowledge, The occupational therapist’s reasoning about practical experience and Reasoning about organizational conditions. Occupational therapists' reasoning about theoretical knowledge was seen as a basis for being able to work suicide prevention against older people. The occupational therapists felt that they had limited experience of dealing with older people with suicidal thoughts, and there were limited routines for how to respond to these people. Collaboration with other professions and activities was seen as a prerequisite for being able to provide adequate care. Conclusions: More knowledge about how occupational therapy can be used in suicide prevention is needed, and the routines in the activities need to be strengthened.