Purpose of this study was to illustrate the complexity of dyslexia among university students. The method was a web-based survey, which was sent out by email to 145 students. The selection was university students, whom all had assistance granted. Results: Most respondents used extended time at the exam and audio books. The majority considered that the aid worked well, and most considered themselves sufficiently informed about available support. 60% of respondents lacked something in their support. The computer software, educational support and information from the university about assistance, are fields where improvement was sought after. Support from students who were in the same situation where something they wanted to improve. The conclusion was that the students felt that they must get more participation in the management of supporting aids. A proposal was to establish an association, were student’s whit dyslexia could be involved. In the group, students can work together to develop sustainable solutions that can be discussed with the examiners and coordinators for support. An information channel should be developed so that students who have not yet applied for support have the opportunity to do so. / Syftet med studien var att åskådliggöra komplexiteten kring dyslexi hos högskolestudenter. Syftet var även att diskutera hur pass studenteters behov av stöd, för sin dyslexi, möts av tillgängliga resurser, på undersökta högskolan. Metoden var webbenkäter, där en länk till enkäten skickades ut via e-post till totalt 145 studenter, från samordnaren för studenter med funktionsnedsättning. Urvalet baserades på studenter som nyligen läst och läste på högskolan vid undersökningstillfället. Ett viktigt kriterium var att alla respondenter hade beviljat stöd för sin funktionsnedsättning. Data exporterades till SPSS formaterades till diagram i Word, version 14. 6. 4. Resultat: Utökad tid vid salstentamen, ljudböcker och anteckningsstöd var stöden som användes av flest respondenter. Majoriteten ansåg att stödet fungerade bra och de flesta ansåg sig vara tillräckligt informerade, om tillgängliga stödfunktioner. 60 % av respondenterna saknade något i sitt stöd från högskolan. Programstödet på datorerna, pedagogiskt stöd och information om högskolans stöd till studenter som ännu inte sökt stöd önskades förbättras. 25 % svarade att Stöd från studenter i samma situation är något de vill ska förbättras. Slutsatsen är att studenterna i behov av stöd ansåg att de måste få mer delaktighet i hanteringen av beslut om stöd. Ett förslag som framkom i studien är att inrätta en förening, för studenter med exempelvis läs- och skrivsvårigheter/dyslexi att vara delaktiga i. I gruppen kan studenterna tillsammans arbeta fram hållbara lösningar som kan diskuteras med examinatorer och samordnare för stöd. Bättre lyhördhet behövs gällande det studenter saknar i sitt stöd och anpassning bör ske därefter. En informationskanal bör byggas upp, så att alla studenter som ännu inte sökt stöd, får möjligheten till detta. Även tydligare riktlinjer, ur ett samhällsperspektiv, behövs för utredningar av dyslexi.

An ICT tool is not only used in healthcare as an aid for caregivers, but can also help enhance the care experience of care recipients as these tools can bring benefit to the recipient. The positive care experience can also have the opposite effect, depending on the quality of information conveyed to the recipient. This study deals with SMS reminders information related to the quality of the care experience. It examines whether SMS reminders within the health system contains sufficient quality information to influence recipients care experience to the positive. This study was conducted by a qualitative method of semi-structured interviews with both care recipients and caregivers. This is to get two different perspectives on the information and quality care experience – from a care recipients perspective as receiving the SMS reminder, and from a caregivers perspective that send out the SMS reminders. By conducting a literature review, we acquired material that formed the basis of our interview questions. The results of the study show that SMS reminders in the current situation does not contain sufficient high quality information in order to reach a positive care experience for patients. In addition to information quality, we have also identified communication as a major factor contributing to increasing health care experience. Besides these two factors, we could also deduce that health care consumers have different needs depending on the life situation they are in.

iv Abstract This research report compares what occupational therapists working at schools for learners with special educational needs (LSEN) think is important to record with what is recorded in the learners' occupational therapy files. Six clinical occupational therapists completed a questionnaire by grading items according to their level of importance in maintaining occupational therapy records. The researcher did an audit on 76 learners' occupational therapy files at four LSEN schools. The results indicated a vast discrepancy between what the occupational therapist viewed as important and what was actually recorded in the learners' files. The occupational therapists viewed most items as being very important to record (84.2%), yet the items were seldom recorded in the learners' files (33.3%). The researcher used the results to develop an adjusted checklist that could be used by occupational therapists at LSEN schools to audit their own records and as a guideline for record keeping.

In view of the unprecedented escalation in unplanned teenage pregnancies in South Africa, this research study sought to explore contributing factors, consequences, challenges, needs and coping strategies surrounding teenage pregnancy. The study was based on a qualitative research paradigm. The research used purposive sampling as a strategy to target three particular categories of individuals for investigations (i.e. parents/caregivers, teenagers and teachers). Semi-structured interview schedules were the instruments used to gather data during face-to-face interviews with the participants. The sample consisted of eight teenage mothers and one expectant teenage mother in Grade 9 to Grade 12; six parents who had children who had experienced teenage pregnancy and six teachers who were or are teaching teenagers. In order to analyze the qualitative data, a typical form of thematic content analysis was utilised. The main conclusion based on the research findings was that the challenges, needs and coping strategies perceived by the three groups of participants were similar and associated with one another. Although most of the most of the findings coming to the fore have also been apparent in previous research studies, it enhanced the knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy from a triangulation perspective, namely teenagers and primary role players in their lives. It is hoped that the recommendations made, based on the research findings, will lead to improved social work intervention strategies, and services offered by other people responsible for addressing this social problem in the South African context..

Student Number : 0110601M - MSc research report - Faculty of Science / Based on the perceived need for improved graphing skills of students at first-year university level, two lecturers wanted to produce a web-based computer programme to improve first-year university biology students’ ability to construct and interpret graphs. Prior to designing and developing the package, however, it was important to establish whether there was a need for such a programme, and what might need to be included. The investigation to establish this provided the research described in this research report. A situation analysis was conducted to establish the nature and extent of the problems of graphing skills discussed anecdotally in the staff room of biology departments at a number of institutes. The ultimate intention (beyond this study) was to determine whether the problems were extensive and serious enough to warrant developing supplementary teaching materials to teach graphing skills. All lecturers (n = 5) and teaching assistants (n = 4) involved in using or teaching graphing skills to first-year biology students at one university were identified and interviewed. The purpose of the interviews was to establish the problems they believed are exhibited by their first-year students (with reference to graphing skills), and the nature and extent of current teaching of such skills in their first-year courses. In order to triangulate the information on student’s problems an item analysis was conducted of all questions incorporating graphs in two mid-year examination papers (n = 478 and n = 65), and students were observed during a practical session (n = 43). Results revealed that students experienced fewer problems with interpreting graphs than with graph construction. Of the four categories of graph interpretation problems identified by the teaching staff, the most popular category was students inability to describe quantitatively what the graph is showing (4 teaching staff). This was confirmed in the question paper analysis when 58% of the medics students (n=478) were unable to answer correctly one question involving several interpretation skills. No specific skills for graph interpretation were observed as being a problem in the College of Science question paper (n=65). Observations showed interrelating graphs as the biggest problem (5 students out of 43). Five categories for problems with graph construction were identified by the teaching staff. The most commonly mentioned problem (4 teaching staff) was identifying or plotting variables, whereas class observation revealed scaling axes as the most problematic skill shown by students (15 out of 43). In the exams, 80% of the medics students could not correctly answer one question requiring multiple skills including identifying variables, and 56% could not correctly answer another question that required skills that also involved identifying variables. The College of Science question paper revealed that 85% of the students could not supply the units of measurement for the y axis. A needs analysis was conducted to establish how the lecturers thought graphing skills should be taught and who should teach the skills. This information was needed to provide suggestions (from education “experts”) about what could be included in the computer programme to be developed subsequent to the research study, and how the teaching could best be done. Four members of the teaching staff said it was important to give students a lot of exercises to practice the skills and five members of the teaching staff said it was the responsibility of the university tutors or lab staff to teach graphing skills.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Education, 1999. / This study examines parental attitudes towards mainstreaming/inclusion in South Africa, which was recently adopted as part of the new educational dispensation. The sample included parents of children in four different school types in Johannesburg, and the survey was conducted by means of a questionnaire with multiple-choice and open-ended sections. The respondents totaled 255 out of a possible 400 (64%). Statistical analyses used included factor analysis, analysis of variance and independent group t-tests. The results indicated an overall neutral or negative attitude towards mainstreaming by parents, with parents of children in special and remedial schools being more negative. Parents felt that gifted children or those with mild to moderate learning disabilities were the most suitable candidates for mainstreaming, whilst children with severe mental retardation, sensory impairments, or behavioural disorders were the least suited. Parents were concerned that teachers would not be able to cope with the demands of the mainstream classroom because of inadequate training or time. They were also concerned that classes would be too large, that children of differing abilities would not be able to cope with the academic and social demands placed on them, and that general educational standards would drop. Only 20% of parents felt that mainstreaming would be successful, and most parents were not clear about what measures could help to implement this educational approach in South Africa. The implications of these results were discussed, with a view to future research and interventions to allay parental fears about mainstreaming/inclusion

Syftet var att, ur de professionellas perspektiv, ta reda på hur kompetensen på grundsärskolan ser ut idag hos några informanter och vad som kan behöva förändras och eventuellt se annorlunda i denna verksamhet, för att möta och tillgodose elevernas stödbehov inom de kommande tio åren. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med åtta klasslärare i grundsärskolan. Pedagogerna fick ge uttryck för sin vision om hur en optimal organisation för verksamheten skulle kunna se ut, samt vilken sorts kompetens som skulle kunna gynna undervisningen och dess kvalitet. I resultatet framkom det att utmaning med arbetet med eleverna var att berika elevernas språk och kommunikationsförmåga. Andra svårigheter som belystes var åldersadekvat undervisningsmaterial och höga kunskapskrav. Klasslärarna ansåg att det fortfarande saknas professioner i verksamheterna såsom speciallärare, specialpedagog, IT-pedagog, samt även flerspråkiga pedagoger. Andra väsentliga faktorer som informanterna också påtalade i studien var pedagogiska lärverktyg, samt att grundsärskolans lärmiljö måste konstrueras och anpassas så att de blir mer tillgängliga för de elever som går där, både fysiskt och psykiskt. De konstaterade också att det fanns faktorer som påverkar möjligheten till en undervisning av god kvalitet, både pedagogernas kompetens, lokalernas utformning – omständigheter som tillsammans bildar undervisningskontexten.

[pt] O objetivo deste estudo é identificar as necessidades da situação de aprendizagem (necessidades dos alunos) da língua inglesa dos estudantes de um curso técnico em Turismo e Hotelaria em uma escola técnica estadual, e da situação-alvo (necessidade do mercado de trabalho), comparando-as com a proposta curricular existente. Para levantar os dados, foram utilizados como instrumento de coleta: questionários, entrevistas semi- estruturadas e documentos sobre o curso de Turismo e Hotelaria e sobre a disciplina Inglês Instrumental. O principal arcabouço teórico que norteou esta pesquisa está fundamentado nos trabalhos de Hutchinson e Waters (1987/1996), Dudley-Evans e St. John (1998/2005) e Robinson (1991), autores da linha de estudo de ensino de línguas denominado Inglês para Fins Específicos - ESP (English for Specific Purposes), ou Abordagem Instrumental, termo adotado no Brasil. A análise dos dados confirma a extrema necessidade da situação de aprendizagem e da situação-alvo da compreensão auditiva e da produção oral. No entanto, o ensino da habilidade de leitura de gêneros discursivos tais como sites, folhetos, regulamentos, entre outros, precisa ser redimensionado. Esta pesquisa pretende dar subsídios para uma adequação do curso de Inglês Instrumental atualmente implementado na escola técnica onde esta pesquisa foi realizada, tendo em vista as necessidades dos alunos desta unidade escolar e do mercado de trabalho. / [en] The aim of this study is to identify, first, the learning needs of students that study English as a foreign language in a technical course in Tourism and Hotel Management in a state school, and, second, the target needs for work in the market; in addition, the study compares the students` needs and market needs with the course syllabus followed in the school. The data were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and documents about the Tourism course and about the English course. The main theoretical framework of this study is based on Hutchinson & Waters (1987/1996), Dudley-Evans & St. John (1998/2005) and Robinson (1991), authors of the approach called ESP - English for Specific Purposes, or Inglês Instrumental, as it is known in Brazil. The analysis of the data confirms that, in both learning and target situations, speaking and listening skills are extremely important. However, the teaching of reading skills for genres such as web sites, brochures, and regulations must be reevaluated and adjusted to the reality of student and market needs. Suggestions are presented for new directions toward making the ESP course under study more suitable for both the learner and the market.

Today there is a shift from mass production to mass customisation due to changing customer needs in the global market. This thesis report analyses customisation in a modular system through a case study in the truck industry with focus on development of a new seat solution. The customer requests showed a demand for one to two additional seats in the cab. In order to answer to various customer needs, companies implement modular product development principals which enables them to produce in a rapid speed, minimize costs, increase performance and produce a high mix of products. The established RQ:s were: RQ1: How do companies improve competitiveness by translating customer needs into technical requirements? RQ2: What are the challenges and possibilities when making changes in a modular system? The thesis followed the first steps in the product development process due to delimitations in time, scope, and research quality. The data was collected through a literature study, interviews with customers and archival records and documentations at the case company. The study resulted in two final concepts, namely a seat solution and a bench solution which answered to the customer need of one to two additional seats in the cab. A conclusion was that it is crucial for companies to understand the in-depth customer needs to provide higher customer value, which in turn can contribute to strengthen the companies’ competitiveness. The correct translation of customer needs to technical requirements is essential for the development of a modular system. Challenges and possibilities when making changes in a modular system was found to be design complexity along with opportunity to reuse existing components. Both the translation of customer needs and design decisions regarding a modular system is achieved in the earlier stages of the product development process. It is thus of high importance to translate the customer needs correctly and make thoughtful decisions of the modules in the modular system to ensure company competitiveness.

Profissionais de saúde, atuantes em serviços que oferecem aconselhamento genético (AG), carecem de instrumentos objetivos para avaliar os desfechos do AG e para \"dar voz\" aos usuários desses serviços. O desconhecimento desses desfechos pode impactar diretamente na efetividade e nos benefícios do aconselhamento, na qualidade de vida, na promoção da saúde e no empoderamento dos aconselhados. Tais instrumentos são escassos na maioria dos países e inexistentes no Brasil. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo adaptar culturalmente e validar a Genetic Counseling Outcome Scale/GCOS-24, originalmente elaborada no idioma inglês britânico. Após aprovação pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa das instituições participantes, conduzimos uma investigação metodológica, que incluiu 204 usuários (pacientes, acometidos ou em risco para doenças genéticas, ou um de seus familiares/cuidadores) do Serviço de Genética Médica de um hospital universitário do interior paulista, durante o período de outubro de 2014 a dezembro de 2015. O processo de adaptação e validação da GCOS-24 compreendeu as fases de tradução e retrotradução, comitê de especialistas, validação semântica, estudo piloto e estudo de campo, por meio de análise estatística apropriada. A validação semântica demonstrou que a GCOS-24 é composta por itens considerados relevantes para a condição de saúde dos participantes do estudo, os quais foram facilmente compreendidos pelos mesmos. A versão adaptada apresentou confiabilidade satisfatória (?Cronbach=0,71) e estabilidade moderada (ICC=0,52), mensuradas, respectivamente, pelo Coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach e Coeficiente de Correlação Intraclasse. O processo de adaptação e validação da GCOS-24 para brasileiros foi finalizado. O produto final deste trabalho, a EDAG-24 (Escala de Desfechos do Aconselhamento Genético/EDAG-24), foi considerada válida e fidedigna à sua versão original, com potencial para mensurar os desfechos do aconselhamento genético, realizado em serviços de genética clínica / Health professionals working in services that offer genetic counseling (GC) lack objective instruments to measure the GC outcomes and to give voice to the users of these services. The unawareness of these outcomes can directly impact the effectiveness and benefits of counseling, life quality, health promotion and the empowerment of the patients. Such instruments are scarce in most countries and nonexistent in Brazil. In this context, this paper aimed to culturally adapt and validate the Genetic Counseling Outcome Scale /GCOS-24, originally made in British English. After the approval of the Research Ethics Committee of the participating institutions, we conducted a methodological investigation, which included 204 users (patients, affected or at risk for genetic diseases, or one of their relatives/caregivers) from the Medical Genetics Service of a university hospital in the countryside of the state of Sao Paulo, during the period from October 2014 to December 2015. The process of adaptation and validation of the GCOS-24 comprehended the phases of translation and back-translation, committee of experts, semantic validation, pilot test and field study, through appropriate statistical analysis. The semantic validation revealed that GCOS-24 consists of items that were considered relevant to the health condition of the study participants, which were easily understood by them. The adapted version presented satisfactory reliability (?Cronbach=0,71) and moderate stability (ICC=0,52), measured, respectively, by the Cronbach\'s Alpha Coefficient and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. The adaptation and validation process of the GCOS-24 to Brazilians was finalized. The final product of this paper, the EDAG-24 (Escala de Desfechos do Aconselhamento Genético/EDAG-24), was considered valid and reliable to its original version, with potential to measure the genetic counseling outcomes conducted in Clinical Genetics Services