Problemområde och syfte: Åldrandet kan innebära såväl fysiska som psykiska utmaningar för den enskilde. Kroppen och tillvaron förändras och möjligheterna att delta i sociala nätverk som man gjort tidigare kan begränsas. Många upplever ensamhet vilket i tidigare forskning har visat sig få konsekvenser för såväl välbefinnande som fysisk och psykisk hälsa. Denna studie fokuserar på några av de faktorer som hänger samman med åldrandets livsvillkor; social aktivitet, socialt stöd, ekonomi samt rörelseförmåga och hur dessa kan sättas i samband med upplevelser av ensamhet hos äldre. I en tioårig jämförelse undersöks: (a) hur äldres sociala aktiviteter, socialt stöd, ekonomi och rörelseförmåga förändras över tid, (b) hur upplevelsen av ensamhet hos äldre förändras över tid och (c) hur förändringar gällande social aktivitet, socialt stöd, ekonomi och rörelseförmåga under denna tid påverkar upplevelsen av ensamhet. Material: Data från insamlingstillfällena 2004 och 2014 i den nationellt representativa Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD), en longitudinell undersökning utifrån urvalet i den svenska levnadsnivåundersökningen (LNU) användes (n = 466). Metod: Samband mellan ensamhet 2004 och 2014 och social aktivitet, socialt stöd, ekonomi samt rörelseförmåga undersöktes i bivariata analyser och logistiska regressioner. Samband mellan ensamhet 2014 och förändringar under 2004-2014 gällande social aktivitet, socialt stöd, ekonomi samt rörelseförmåga undersöktes i logistisk regression. Resultat: Socialt stöd, ekonomisk buffert och rörelseförmåga kunde associeras till känslor av ensamhet 2004 men endast socialt stöd kvarstod som signifikant associerat till ensamhet då man kontrollerat för kön, ålder och ensamboende. Social aktivitet, socialt stöd och rörelseförmåga kunde associeras till känslor av ensamhet 2014, sambanden kvarstod efter att ja kontrollerat för nämnda bakomliggande faktorer. Social aktivitet och rörelseförmåga minskade betydande under den undersökta tioårsperioden, men endast minskning i rörelseförmåga kunde tydligt associeras till ensamhet. Resultaten analyseras utifrån ett kapabilitetsteoretiskt perspektiv. Slutsatser: Att ha nära stödjande relationer, delta i social aktivitet och inte hämmas av fysisk funktionsnedsättning är viktiga aspekter för att undvika ensamhet. Studien framhåller vikten av det sociala arbetet och samhällets ansvar att möta upp med förmågor när den enskildes inre förmågor avtar, för att på så sätt bidra med möjligheter för den anskilde att leva ett värdigt och värdefullt liv. / Objectives: Aging process may include both physical and mental challenges for the individual. Body and life go through changes and limit the opportunities to participate in social networks in same extent as before. Many elderly experience loneliness, which in previous studies has been shown to have consequences for well-being as for physical and mental health. The objective of this study was to examine some of the factors associated with living conditions in old age (+70); social activity, social support, economy as well as mobility problems and how these can be associated with experiences of loneliness among the elderly. Examined in present ten year comparison is: (a) how the extent of social activities, social support, economy and mobility change over time, (b) how the experience of loneliness in old age change over time and (c) how changes in social activity, social support, economy and mobility during this ten year period affects the experience of loneliness. Material: Data from the 2004 and 2014 waves of the nationally representative Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD), a longitudinal study and database based on the sample of the Swedish level of living survey (LNU) was used (n = 466). Methods: Correlation between 2004 and 2014 loneliness and social activity, social support, economy and mobility was investigated in bivariate analyses and logistic regressions. Relation between loneliness 2014 and changes during 2004-2014 in social activity, social support, economy and mobility were investigated in logistic regression. Results: Social activity, social support and mobility problems were associated with feelings of loneliness in both 2004 and 2014. Social support and mobility were associated with loneliness 2004 but only social support remained significant associated with loneliness when adjusting for gender, age and living alone. Social activity, social support and mobility were significantly associated with loneliness 2014 even when adjusting for gender, age and living alone. Social activity and mobility decreased during the ten year period but only decrease in mobility was significantly associated with loneliness. The results were analyzed in the light of the capability theory. Conclusions: Supportive relationships, participation in social activity and not be hampered by physical disabilities are important aspects to avoid loneliness. The study stresses the importance of the social work and society's responsibility to meet up with capabilities when the individual's own capabilities are declining to provide opportunities to live a dignified and valuable life.

The purpose of this master thesis has been to investigate how private economics is taught in social studies teaching for grades 4-6 through teachers' descriptions of personal finance as part of the social studies subject's civic education assignment. The purpose has also been to investigate how and in what way teachers use teaching materials in their teaching of personal finance. The selected research and literature for the degree project deal with the subject social studies and the civic education assignment, the curriculum and syllabus, social science didactic research and teaching of economics in general and personal finance in particular. Furthermore, research and literature on teachers' difficulties with the subject of personal finance and the use of teaching aids in the subject of social studies are also presented. Little research can be found regarding the teaching of personal finance, especially for younger ages such as grades 4–6, which strengthens the relevance of investigating the purpose of this master thesis.  The theoretical perspectives used as a starting point for analyzing the empirical work of the master thesis are Dewey's pragmatic perspective and Vygotsky's socio-cultural perspective. The survey was conducted using qualitative semi-structured interviews as a method. The survey involved six respondents, all of whom are active social studies teachers in grades 4-6. The results show that the respondents see a clear and important purpose of the teaching to enable the students to become responsible adult citizens who can make wise financial decisions. Furthermore, it appears from the results that teaching materials are common in the teaching of personal finance. The respondents mainly link the concept of personal finance with household or an individual's financial planning.  A conclusion that can be drawn from the results of this master thesis and the previous research is that even though personal finance teaching is a relatively new social science didactic research area, its relevance increases when research emphasizes the importance of teaching being a part of schools’ mission to succeed in their civic education. In step with this, personal finance is given more space in the syllabus for social studies, which is an important factor in the work with a school where students are given the right conditions for adult life.

Financial literacy is a debated concept and field of knowledge. There are various interpretations regarding what the financial literacy education should contain and aim for. This study focuses on financial literacy and how it is presented in various teaching materials intended for Swedish upper secondary school and the subject of social studies. The purpose of the survey is to analyze what appears to be important financial knowledge and how the content is presented. The survey also aims to examine what kind of “ideal citizen”  that the materials seek to create. To examine this, I use the citizenship conceptions outlined by Westheimer and Kahne. The analysis shows that the teaching materials convey similar content despite being produced by different providers. There are, however, some differences in what aspects the various teaching materials highlight and choose to focus on. Income, expenses, budgeting, loans, savings and debts are recurring themes in all teaching materials. These can therefore be interpreted as important financial knowledge. The content is mainly presented in an explanatory and normative way. The analysis reveals that the three citizenship conceptions "the personally responsible citizen", "the participatory citizen", and "the justice-oriented citizen" are expressed in almost all teaching materials. However, the citizenship conception that predominates and is particularly evident is "the personally responsible citizen". The overarching goal appears to be to educate students to become responsible citizens who manage their finances, plan, budget, save, avoid unnecessary loans and debt, and make effective and responsible decisions. The content of the teaching materials largely mirrors the OECD's definition of financial literacy and has generally a strong focus on individual financial behavior, responsibility and choices.

BAKGRUND: Samtidigt som befolkningen blir äldre läggs ett större ansvar på individen att upprätta ett eget pensionssparande. Det blir således viktigare att påbörja sitt pensionssparande vid en yngre ålder. Det bör därför undersökas hur kognitiva motivationsfaktorer förändras över individens livscykel samt hur det interagerar med viljan och möjligheten att pensionsspara. SYFTE: Syftet med denna studie är att ur ett retroaktivt perspektiv låta individer reflektera över vad som påverkat deras beslut gällande det egna pensionssparandet. Detta med fokus på (a) självkontroll, (b) mental accounting samt (c) undvikande av information och beslut. Studien avser att analysera och värdera dessa kognitiva motivationsfaktorer i en livscykelkontext samt hur de interagerar med möjligheten och viljan för att pensionsspara. GENOMFÖRANDE: Studien har genomförts med ett kvalitativt angreppssätt genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med individer i åldrarna 40-65 år. Respondenterna har ställts inför frågor med fokus på studiens tre huvudfaktorer. Genom frågorna har respondenterna fått reflektera över hur dessa faktorer förändrats över tid och hur de varit kopplat till pensionssparandet. SLUTSATS: Individer tenderar att påverkas av specifika händelser i livet och låter dessa påverka deras pensionssparande. Pensionssparandet är lågt i början av det vuxna livet, när individen studerar och bildar familj, för att sedan öka och nå sin högsta nivå då barnen flyttar hemifrån. Dock finns det en personlighetstyp som har en hög grad av självkontroll genom hela livet och upprättar därmed ett pensionssparande vid ung ålder. / BACKGROUND: As people are getting older, the importance of establishing personal retirement savings increases. Therefore, it is more important to begin retirement savings at a younger age. Because of this it needs studying how cognitive motivational factors changes during the life cycle and how they interact with the ability and willingness to save for retirement. AIM: The aim of this thesis is to let individuals reflect on what has affected their decisions regarding retirement savings, in a retroactive perspective. This with a focus on (a) self-control, (b) mental accounting, and (c) information and decision avoidance. The aim of the thesis is to analyze and evaluate these cognitive motivational factors in a life cycle-context, and how they integrate with the ability and willingness to save for the retirement. COMPLETION: The thesis has been conducted using a qualitative approach, through semi-structured interviews with individuals aging from 40-65. The respondents have responded to questions focusing on the thesis’s three main factors. Through these questions, the respondents have reflected on how these factors have changed over time and how they have been connected to retirement savings. CONCLUSION: Individuals tend to be affected by different events in their life and let them affect their retirement savings. Retirement savings are lower in early adult life, when the individual studies and starts a family, and is at its peak when kids move from home. There is also a personality type that has a high level of self-control throughout life and therefore saves for retirement at an early age.