Magister Scientiae (Occupational Therapy) - MSc(OT) / The aim of this study was to explore the use of play with toddlers who are HIV positive to facilitate play, playfulness and sensory-motor development. The objectives were to explore how the therapist facilitated play, to explore how the child responded to the intervention, to explore how playfulness manifested as a facilitatory strategy and to explore how playfulness manifested as a response. A qualitative approach framed the case study research method with three participants between the ages of twelve months and three years. The main source of data was a record of the play-based intervention with the three participants. Additional data was obtained from participant observation of the children's responses to the play-based intervention, and hospital and occupational therapy record notes. A theory analytical strategy was used by coding data using theoretic propositions inductively. Each case was first analyzed individually, and then an analysis was made across the cases. Qualitative analysis of the data was done manually by coding, seeking categories and eliciting emergent themes by using an analytical strategy of theoretical propositions and an analytical technique of explanation building. Coding was done inductively, using theoretical constructs from the occupation by design, namely the elements of appeal, intactness and accuracy. Signs of playfulness were coded according to evidence of the elements of playfulness, namely perception of control, intrinsic motivation, suspension of reality or framing were evident in the data. Findings of the study were reported under two themes: Playful enablement - the therapist and Engaging, playing and developing - the child. / South Africa

Research on the adoption of innovation is largely limited to factors affecting immediate change with few studies focusing on enduring or lasting change. The purpose of the study was to examine the personality characteristics of cognitive playfulness, innovativeness, and essentialness beliefs in educators who were able to make an enduring change in pedagogy based on the use of technology in the curriculum within their assigned classroom settings. The study utilized teachers from 33 school districts and one private school in Texas who were first-year participants in the Intel® Teach to the Future program. The research design focused on how cognitive playfulness, innovativeness, and essentialness beliefs relate to a sustained high level of information technology use in the classroom. The research questions were: 1) Are individuals who are highly playful more likely to continue to demonstrate an ability to integrate technology use in the classroom at a high level than those who are less playful? 2) Are individuals who are highly innovative more likely to continue to demonstrate an ability to integrate technology use in the classroom at a high level than those who are less innovative? 3) Are individuals who believe information technology use is critical and indispensable to their teaching more likely to continue to demonstrate an ability to integrate technology use in the classroom at a high level than those who believe it is supplemental and not essential? The findings of the current study indicated that playfulness, innovativeness, and essentialness scores as defined by the scales used were significantly correlated to an individual's sustained ability to use technology at a high level. Playfulness was related to the educator's level of innovativeness, as well. Also, educators who believed the use of technology was critical and indispensable to their instruction were more likely to be able to demonstrate a sustained high level of technology integration. Further research is recommended to investigate numerous personality traits, such as playfulness, innovativeness, creativity, and risk-taking that might relate to technology adoption. Doing so may lead to modifications of professional development, assisting individuals in adapting better and faster to systemic change.

Information privacy is a major concern for consumers adopting emerging technologies dependent on location-based services. This study sought to determine whether a relationship exists among factors of personalization, locatability, perceived playfulness, privacy concern and behavioral intention to disclose personal information for individuals using location-based, geosocial networking applications. Questionnaire responses from undergraduate students at a 4-year university provide insight into these relationships. Multiple regression results indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between the four significant predictor variables and the dependent variable. Analysis of beta weights, structure coefficients, and commonality analysis shed light on the variance attributable to the predictor variables of the study. Findings provide understanding of the specific factors examined in the study and have implications for consumers, businesses, application designers, and policymakers. The results from this study contribute to an understanding of technology acceptance theory and offer insight into competing beliefs that may affect an individual’s behavioral intention to disclose personal information. Knowledge gained form the study may be useful for overcoming challenges related to consumer adoption of location-based services that require disclosure of personal information.

Denna uppsats undersöker hur förskolepedagoger ser på lek i egenskap som observatör och som aktiv deltagare med barnen. Därtill undersöks det hur intersubjektivitet och ett autentiskt lekfullt förhållningssätt kan påverka relationen mellan barn och vuxen, samt hur detta kan ha en inverkan på barnets sociala utveckling och känsla av välbefinnande.  Studien är genomförd med en kvalitativ metod där jag har intervjuat fyra förskollärare i ett förskole-område söder om Stockholm. Analysens teoretiska utgångspunkt är det relationella perspektivet som fokuserar på det mellan- mänskliga och subjektiva i samvaro och samverkan med varandra. Ett av flera fokusområden är att se hur det subjektiva utbytet sker mellan parter, både känslomässigt inom sig men också till andra, via “mellanrummet”. Resultatet visar ett intranät av relationer och åverkansfaktorer som påverkar en pedagogs lekfullhet och hur lek och relation mellan pedagog och barn kan utvecklas och visa sig. Resultatet utifrån pedagogernas perspektiv talar för att barn vill ha och önskar sig lekfulla pedagoger att kunna leka med utöver sina kamrater. Vinningarna blir många för både vuxna och barn. Vuxna får en mer givande arbetsdag och med goda relationer och barnen likaså. Utöver det får barnen en trygg och rolig vistelse på förskolan som i sin tur gynnar barnets sociala och akademiska utveckling. / This essay examines how preschool educators view play as an observer and as an active participant with the children. In addition, the essay investigates how intersubjectivity and an authentic playful approach can affect the relationship between child and adult, and how this can have an impact on the child's social development and sense of well-being. The study was carried out with a qualitative method where I interviewed four preschool teachers at a preschool area south of Stockholm. The theoretical starting point of the analysis is the relational perspective that focuses on the interpersonal and subjective in togetherness and interaction with each other. One of several focus areas is to see how the subjective exchange takes place between parties, both emotionally within themselves but also to others, via the "gap". The results show an intranet of relationships and factors that affect an educator's playfulness and how play and relationship between educator and children can be developed and shown. The results from the educator’s perspective indicate that children want and wish for a playful educators to be able to play with in addition to their peers. The winnings will be many for both adults and children. Adults get a more rewarding working day and good relationships and the children as well. In addition, the children get a secure and fun stay at the preschool, which in turn benefits the child's social and academic development.

Kids are spontaneous and creative. They are imaginative and honest. They are playful. Kids can be assigned many positive traits, and in many ways they are exemplary as they engage in the world without prejudice or a particular goal in mind, allowing for that unique openness and present-oriented approach to life that characterizes most children. Fortunately, a lot of these traits follow us into adulthood and help shape how we experience life. But when an adult is being playful, that person has the playfulness of a child, or similarly, when adults are being referred to as carefree it’s often suggestive of immaturity or a childlike behavior rather than an association with light-hearted playfulness. When and why did this attitude become exclusively reserved for children, especially seeing as the benefits of playfulness are arguably just as significant, or even greater, for adults.  This project is an exploration of how design can help adults rediscover and rekindle this fundamental and universally applicable attitude. Derived from extensive user involvement the result is three experiments that each manifests key aspects of adult playfulness, to help facilitate individual exploration and reflection of playfulness in adulthood.

I have during my master been looking into finding a “greater presence” in a text based theatre rehearsal and workshop context. I have tried to look at things how they appear in front of me. A dilemma is, that when I afterwards try and look at presence, it has already gone. Therefore I used different tasks that can be recreated in order to try and catch presence again. When exploring presence in a rehearsal and workshop context, I found a few clues how to find “presence” and doing tasks in order to find a “greater presence”. These are all helpful for us actors in order to make the rehearsal and workshop space more creative. Could also be helpful in teaching acting. I did this research because in teaching acting, I believe that presence is a major component and it is important to find ways to teach it. This essay will give some clues to how one can do this.. / <p>This is work in progress. When doing artistic research, things are in constant motion. This is a glimpse of a work , captured here annd now, tomorrow it will have moved furter. This will be continued.</p>

Introduction: Children experience responses and expectations from those around them concerning their gender in relation to what is and what is not acceptable in their play choices. Stereotypically gendered play opportunities may create boundaries in children’s play choices and lead to gender-related occupational injustices. There is a limited amount of studies regarding occupational therapists’ perception of gender and how it impacts the practice of play in occupational therapy. Aim: To explore how occupational therapists perceive gender when encountering children in play interventions. Method: A qualitative study was conducted consisting of ten semi-structured interviews. A content analysis was performed by Giorgi`s method of analysis with a deductive approach. Results: Two main categories gender awareness and equal play were obtained from six concepts: client-centered and occupation focused encountering’s, gender role stereotypes in play, the influence of gender in play, play interventions and roles, environment and toys, and occupational therapy offering opportunities to feel accepted and to learn new things.  Conclusions: The six concepts found can be related to the occupational outcomes of justice. Significance: The study findings could provide avenues to explore how gender-related occupational injustices can be prevented and how an awareness of gender can contribute to equal play opportunities.

This thesis aims to contribute to the field of interaction design practice by exploring how posters might offer playful interaction through augmented reality (AR). The project uses an experimental design process involving prototyping, user testing, and analysis to investigate playful interaction together with pop art posters and AR as a technology. This project respects posters as an artistic medium in traditional static form but also further explores the notion of the poster. The aim of this project is to explore how to offer playful interactions with pop art posters through AR to offer a new innovative, engaging, and immersive experience for users in public spaces. The results highlight the importance of appropriate context to engage users through playful interactions and exploring this new virtual space using AR, which contributes to playful interaction through depth, movement, exploration, and unexpected outcomes. To conclude, this thesis project generates a foundation of knowledge for the field of interaction design practice about how posters can offer playful interactions with AR that future designers can act on.

This project places itself in the area of Textile Design, relief patterns and weaving. The project drives from an interest of not taking design so seriously, letting it be playful and maybe slightly meaningless, in terms of functionality. This design is not something that is needed, neither a problem-solving design. Rather, the intention is to investigate how the design would be saturated in a context where it would be something unpractical and extra. Extra as something that is not necessary. With the aim of the project is to explore texture and volume by designing tactile relief patterns through the combination of Jacquard weaving and hand painting. The process consists of experimenting in the Jacquard: weaving in undyed yarns to create form through bindings and material. The woven textiles are then painted with a mix of pigment and water to highlight or distort the form of the weave. The outcome of the study is a collection of several pieces, where volume, texture, and tactile patterns are explored. This work contributes to the field of textile design by displaying a possibility to use a hands-on step in the Jaquard process, as well as the appearance of the hand: aquarelle look and a clear hand brush that is not possible using dyed yarns.

I denna artikel undersöker författarna hur lekfullhet och humor kan användas i en animation för att uppmärksamma miljöfrågor, med syftet att uppmuntra publiken till engagemang och diskussion. Teman som tas upp i artikeln är symbolism och hur det kan användas för att skapa en djupare mening med gestaltningar, olika metoder som uppmuntrar till kreativt arbete, samt de olika källor som undersökningen har baserats på. Undersökningen fokuserar på miljöförstöring i Östersjön, och hur försurning av havet kan gestaltas. Den resulterande gestaltningen som gjorts i samband med undersökningen är en stop-motion inspirerad animation målad i akvarell. / In this article, the authors explore how playfulness and humour can be used in animation to draw attention to environmental issues, with the aim of encouraging audience engagement and discussion. Themes addressed in the paper include symbolism and how it can be used to create deeper meaning in illustrations, different methods that encourage creative work, and the different sources on which the research was based. The research focuses on environmental degradation in the Baltic Sea, and how the acidification of the sea can be portrayed. The resulting artwork made in connection with the research is a stop-motion inspired animation painted in watercolour.