Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The use of technology in mathematics education has many potentially positive outcomes. There is, however, little evidence to show where the use of technology has made a significant impact on mathematics education in South Africa. This study aims to address the issue of how computer tablets are currently used in the mathematics classroom. The researcher drew a comparison between learners who were taught with computer tablets and learners who were taught in the traditional way by evaluating the learners' progress after being taught on the topic of 3D images. This assessment was done in the form of a pre-test and a post-test that were administered to both classes on a topic of 3D images that was taught during this allocated time. The research is located in the third-generation activity theory. It is based on the socio-cultural theory of Lev Vygotsky, but it is blended with modern western theories as described by Engeström. The researcher made use of a mixed methods approach starting with a qualitative survey, followed by a pre-test, observations and concluding with a post-test. The pre-test and post-test determined whether cognitive knowledge was gained. The participants in the study were a group of 15-year-old learners at a private school where the one class was taught using computer tablets in the mathematics classroom, and the other class was taught the same content without computer tablets. A qualitative survey was sent to 27 schools within a particular school group where teachers indicated the popular Apps that were used in the mathematics classroom in this school group. Teachers also gave reasons why these were the Apps of choice and elaborated on how they were using these Apps. The quantitative part of this research was guided by the results of the survey and the 5 most popular Applications (Apps) were used in the teaching experiment. The quantitative part focused on two classrooms within the same school where the one class were taught with computer tablets and the other class were taught without the use of computer tablets. The t-test for this research showed that the group of learners who were taught with computer tablets achieved significantly better results than the class of learners who were taught using hard copy textbooks with traditional methods of teaching. This study showed that having computer tablets in schools can be effective in the mathematics classroom. The recommendations emanating from this study indicates that school who are planning to use computer tablets in the mathematics classroom should first plan their wi-fi capabilities with enough access points and internet access. These schools also need to decide on a type of computer tablet and what operating system to use. This decision has implications to the accessibility of quality Apps, battery life and storage space of the computer tablet. Schools are recommended to have a plan for training teachers in the use of this computer tablets especially regarding the pedagogical practice when interacting with learners. A last recommendation is to nurture a culture of computer tablet use amongst the learners to discipline themselves to charge and maintain their computer tablets and apply it to educational use. This study includes a pedagogical framework in respect of the effective use of computer tablets in the mathematics classroom.

In recent studies of Scandinavian Populist Radical Right (PRR) parties, a convergence of their socioeconomic and sociocultural politics have been emphasized. This evidence points towards them having tempered their more radical agenda as they have moved towards the mainstream. But the description of the Sweden Democrats, the Progress Party and the Danish People’s Party as a homogenous entity doesn’t fit their own perception. Across different channels, like printed media and debates, the Scandinavian parties have made clear statements about how they should not be equated with one another. Through comparative method this study wants to shed light on the Scandinavian PRR-parties dividing and uniting ideological features to discuss if they should be described as homogenous - or can we find divergence? Drawing on Cas Muddes theory of populism as a thin ideology, together with Benedict Anderson's theory of nationalism as an ‘imagined community’, this study demonstrates how we can cover the full range of ideas that PRR-parties represent, and thereby present a more nuanced description of them.

Denna studie undersöker och diskuterar möjligheterna som finns för att tala om ett icke-verbalt visuellt identitetsspråk för kammaterial från perioden ca 700–900 e.v.t. Studien utgår från och analyserar arkeologisk forskning som utförts i olika miljöer. Syftet är att se till potentialen som finns för vidare forskning gällande kammar, råmaterial och ornamentiks delaktighet i identitetsprocesser. Genom att studera vardagliga föremål som kammar med nya metoder och teknologi ökar möjligheterna att studera subtila sociala och kulturella fenomen. Undersökningen ämnar därför att även belysa hur nya frågor kan tillkomma och ställas till äldre väl undersökt material. / The aim of this study is to discuss and explore the possibility of a non-verbal language based on visuality in comb material dating to c. 700-900 C.E. The study analyses different archaeological research done in different locales within and outside of Scandinavia. The aim is to understand the potential of further research into identity studies based on previously made associations and interpretations regarding combs, raw material and decoration. Through new technologies, the study of everyday objects of the past can be given new context and meaning. This study aims to bring forth the potential in old well documented material.

This bachelor thesis covers the subject of the impressionist painter Nils Kreuger and aselective five works of art he produced during the industrialization. The aim of the study is toexamine how Kreuger expressed his oppositional position to the industrialization through therepresentation of horses and their relation to the landscapes in which they are depicted. Withthe use of the viewer's reflective perception the study takes interest in aesthetic dimensionsand meanings and if or how they can mediate the concept of freedom in visual arts. And if so,how is it expressed in the works of Kreuger? The result shows that there is reason to believehis paintings express and mediate the concept of freedom through the analysis of hisaesthetics and the intrinsic meaning in his work.

This study seeks to examine whether the language in The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien could potentially lead Swedish readers to emotional experiences of wonder while reading these stories. This is achieved by conducting an analysis of metaphors on select excerpts from these books – more specifically from the translated Swedish edition of 1992. The result of this analysis is then interpreted and discussed using the emotional state of wonder as a theoretical framework. The study shows that the writing language of Tolkien does feature several metaphors that could possibly relate to both reader emotions and experiences related to wonder. The findings also suggest that Tolkien’s language displays a mythical quality, possibly influenced by his personal interests and life experiences. The study therefore also suggests that this mythical quality could potentially play into the emotional experiences of Swedish readers.

This licentiate-thesis, Stories About a red Cottage, is an attempt to combine cultural theory with a didactic method applied to Swedish as a field of study. With the two notions intertextuality and the foreign as a starting point, I discuss the importance of how an idyllic view of Sweden affects students studying Swedish as a foreign language as part of their studies in Scandinavistics. The students are familiar with the German culture and well aware of the legends and the myths about Sweden which are distributed via German media. At the same time they are shaping new images of Sweden in the didactic interaction with the teachers. The study indicates that the encounter with a foreign culture requires preparation to question even what seems to be self-evident. Hence, the study proposes an intertextual approach when using texts for studies in foreign languages. The result also demonstrates that even if it is important that we critically analyze the stories we hear and our interpretations of them, it is as important that we demand the right to get lost in dreams, because this is where we find a part of the secret of the esthetical experience.

Denne opgave omhandler et almindeligt familiehus lokaliseret i Everöd, Sverige. I opgaven belyses detsbaggrund, nutid og fremtid. Husets byggetekniske historie og baggrund var under købet i November 2020mere eller mindre ukendt for køberen, men åbnede under den begyndende renovering straks op for et havaf spørgsmål. Huset viste sig at være ældre end antaget og bygget af et andet materiale end hvad ejendomsmægleren havde informeret om. Projektet udviklede sig til en kamp mellem konservering, renovering ellerombygning, tre koncepter som umiddelbart kan lede til 3 vidt forskellige resultater. Gennem mine valgtemetoder indenfor arkivforskning, bygningstekniske - og bygningsantikvariske undersøgelser samt medarkitektoniske teorier om bevaring og forandring, vurderer jeg i denne opgave husets historiske, kulturelle ogbevaringsværdige værdi. Med disse metoder tegner jeg et billede af husets historie, samt dets relevans til byenomkring det og menneskene som har boet i det og i fremtiden vil bo i det. Opgaven tager altså form som etmultidimensionelt projekt, hvor huset som fokuspunkt eksisterer i flere mulige versioner på samme tid, oghvor hver version har et unikt tilknytningspunkt som skal tages højde for og nænsomt analyseres. Opgaventager rede for hvordan vores umiddelbare statiske bygninger eksisterer i konstant forandring, fordi vi sommennesker også gør, og hvordan et hus som dette nemt kan ende på den forkerte side af debatten ombevaring af gamle huse. Sidst men ikke mindst, vil visualiseringer af både husets fortid og fremtid, skabe etbillede af hvordan arkitekturen er i konstant forandring, men trods det hensysnfuldt kan skabe en plads forlivet. / This Thesis deals with an ordinary house located in Everöd, Sweden. The thesis sheds light on its past, presentand future. The house’s construction and background during the purchase in November 2020 was more orless unknown to the buyer, but during the initial renovation, findings immediately opened up a sea ofquestions. The house turned out to be older than assumed and built of a different material than what the realestate agent had informed about. The project became a battle between conservation, renovation orremodeling, three concepts that can lead to three very different results. Through my chosen methods withinarchival research, construction technical - and construction antiquarian studies as well as with architecturaltheories of preservation and change, I assess the house’s historical, cultural and conservational value. Withthese methods, I paint a picture of the history of the house, as well as its relevance to the village around it andthe people who have lived in it and in the future will live in it. This thesis thus takes the form of a multidimensional project, where the house as a focal point exists in several possible versions at the same time, andwhere each version has a unique connection to its history, that must be taken into account and carefully analyzed. The thesis explains how our immediate static buildings exist in constant change because we as humansalso do, and how a house like this can easily end up on the wrong side of the debate over the preservation ofold houses. Last but not least, visualizations of both the house’s past and future will paint a picture of how thearchitecture is constantly changing, but despite that can thoughtfully create a place for life.

Climate change is no novelty – we witness its disastrous impact more and more by each day. Although we already started envisaging a future where the vitality of our societies is derived not from conventional fossil fuels, but from a sophisticated, clean, and steadfast energy source – the latest benchmarks tracked by leading global energy agencies show grim performance, thereby calling for an intervention. The exploration into Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) could present a stable and likely journey towards this vision – offering a glimpse into a future where energy is not only abundant, but also conscientiously generated. SMRs are compact versions of traditional nuclear power plants, yet they bring additional advantages such as potential cost-effectiveness and adaptability to diverse locations and environments. These reactors promise to cater to our escalating energy demands while simultaneously upholding environmental integrity. However, as this research reveals, their implementation – particularly in Finland and Sweden – isn't without challenges. While SMRs offer potential benefits, the regulatory landscapes in both countries present formidable obstacles. Finland's regulatory body, known for its stringent oversight, ensures adherence to the highest safety standards. Yet, this rigor can sometimes be a double-edged sword – especially when navigating the dynamic realm of SMRs. In contrast, Sweden grapples with pronounced regulatory uncertainties and ambiguity, further complicated by historical public skepticism towards the nuclear sector. Safety perceptions in the nuclear industry often deviate towards feelings rather than quantifiable metrics. This underlines an ongoing debate: should we define an acceptable safety threshold or aim for absolute safety? Moreover, the intertwined nature of politics and large-scale nuclear projects necessitates well-considered, stable strategies to harness SMRs' potential. Focused on Finland and Sweden – countries with rich nuclear histories – this research offers a deep dive into the complex narrative of risks, opportunities, and strategic challenges surrounding SMRs in the Nordic context. It underscores the need for a nuanced approach that combines technological innovation with socio-political considerations.

The Scandinavian Joint Expedition to Sudanese Nubia (SJE) was one of the substantial contributions of crucial salvage archaeology within the International Nubian Campaign which was pursued in conjunction with the building of the High Dam at Aswan in the early 1960’s. A large quantity of archaeological data was collected by the SJE in a continuous area of northernmost Sudan and published during the subsequent decades. The present study aimed at transferring the geographical aspects of that data into a digital format thus enabling spatial enquires on the archaeological information to be performed in a computerised manner within a geographical information system (GIS). The landscape of the concession area, which is now completely submerged by the water masses of Lake Nasser, was digitally reconstructed in order to approximate the physical environment which the human societies of ancient Nubia inhabited. Information on the nearly 500 indexed archaeological sites of the SJE was classified and imported into the GIS. The potential of the system thereby established, validated against modern remote sensing data and aerial photography, was then demonstrated by a number of spatial analyses at an inter-site level. The resuls of those analyses contribute to discussions on various topics already raised within the SJE publication or elsewhere and includes issues on Nile palaeochannel reconstructions, seasonal habitation patterns and dedicatory orientation of elite tombs. The system hereby developed is intended to be used in further studies of the relevant and information-rich research fields of ancient Nubia for applications similar to those demonstrated in the present project or for educational and research purposes hitherto unpredicted. / Den Samnordiska Expeditionen till Sudanska Nubien (SJE) var en av de omfattande insatser av avgörande räddningsarkeologi inom den Internationella Nubienkampanjen som bedrevs i samband med byggandet av Höga Dammen i Aswan i början av 1960-talet. En stor mängd arkeologisk data samlades in av SJE i ett kontinuerligt område i nordligaste Sudan och publicerades under de efterföljande årtiondena. Denna studie ämnade överföra de geografiska aspekterna av den datan till ett digitalt format och därmed möjliggöra att rumsliga förfrågningar på den arkeologiska information kan utföras på ett datoriserat tillvägagångssätt i ett geografiskt informationssystem (GIS). Landskapet i koncessions-området, vilket nu är helt översvämmat av Nassersjöns vattenmassor, återskapades digitalt med syfte att approximera den fysiska omgivningen vilken de mänskliga samhällena i det forna Nubien bebodde. Information om de nära 500 indexerade fyndplatserna tillhörande SJE klassificerades och importerades in i detta GIS. Potentialen av det system som därmed skapats, validerat mot modern fjärranalysdata och flygfotografi, demonstrerades genom ett antal rumsliga analyser på en mellan-fyndplats-nivå. Resultaten av dessa analyser bidrar till diskussioner om diverse ämnen som redan tagits upp inom SJE-publikationen eller annorstädes och inkluderar frågor kring Nilens äldre dragningar, säsongsmässiga bosättningsmönster och avsiktlig orientering av elitgravar. Systemet som härvid har utvecklats är ämnat att användas i vidare studier av de relevanta och informationsrika forskningsområden som rör det forna Nubien för tillämpningar liknande de som demonstrerats i detta projekt eller för undervisnings- och forsknings-syften som hittills ej förutsetts.

Cette thèse vise à répondre à la question L’entreprise d’ameublement IKEA peut-elle être envisagée comme les prémices de réalisation d’une œuvre d’art totale ? La réflexion est menée en deux grandes parties distinctes. La première se concentre sur le concept wagnérien d’œuvre d’art totale. Grâce à la littérature scientifique sur le sujet, il est montré l’importance du wagnérisme pour la culture occidentale du XXe siècle et l’intérêt du concept au sein du champ des études intermédiales. Puis, l’exposition des origines du concept et de plusieurs applications ou réappropriations, telle que celle du Bauhaus, permet d’en souligner la nature socioesthétique et d’en distinguer deux dimensions : une purement idéaliste, celle de l’utopie sociétale en devenir (l’œuvre d’art totale accomplie) ; et une dimension plus concrète, visant l’atteinte de cet idéal grâce aux arts, ce que je nomme les amorces partielles de l’œuvre d’art totale (outil de mise en place de l’œuvre d’art totale). Enfin, en vue de l’étude d’IKEA, l’attention se concentre sur la dimension concrète du concept et est ainsi proposée une liste de caractéristiques propres aux amorces partielles permettant d’évaluer l’objet d’étude. Celle-ci concerne : l’impact massif des actions de l’objet étudié, l’expression d’ambitions sociales, voire utopiques, par celui-ci, et sa capacité à représenter un « commun » du peuple. La seconde partie entièrement dédiée à IKEA vise à vérifier la correspondance entre l’entreprise (les actions de ses acteurs, ses produits et ses effets) et les trois caractéristiques identifiées des amorces partielles de l’œuvre d’art totale. Ceci est réalisé à partir de trois recherches différentes : une étude stylistique comparative entre certaines icônes du design du Bauhaus et du design scandinave avec les produits IKEA ; l’exposition du storytelling mis en place par l’enseigne et l’observation des déclarations de son fondateur, Ingvar Kamprad ; une étude des mises en scène d’aménagements intérieurs au sein des catalogues et des showrooms de la marque. Les résultats de l’ensemble semblent indiquer qu’IKEA est un élément socioculturellement structurant de notre rapport aux objets du quotidien et de notre domesticité . Et que, sous condition d’une authenticité des valeurs exprimées par l’entreprise et d’une correspondance de celles-ci avec les actions mises en place par ses acteurs, elle pourrait peut-être atteindre ses ambitions de créer « a better everyday life for the many people ». En ce sens, IKEA pourrait être considérée comme une manifestation d’une amorce partielle, tout en étant porteuse d’une évolution conceptuelle bien plus fondamentale qu’il n’y paraît. / This thesis aims to answer the question Can the IKEA furniture company be seen as the beginnings of a total work of art? The reflection is carried out in two main parts. The first part focuses on the Wagnerian concept of the total work of art. Through the scientific literature on the subject, the importance of Wagnerism for twentieth-century Western culture and the interest of the concept within the field of intermedial studies are shown. Then, the exposition of the origins of the concept and of several applications or reappropriations, such as that of the Bauhaus, allows us to underline its socio-aesthetic character and to distinguish two dimensions: a purely idealistic one, that of the societal utopia to become (the accomplished total work of art); and a more concrete one, aiming at the attainment of this ideal thanks to the arts, what we call the amorces partielles (partial triggers) of the total work of art (a tool for fulfillment of the total work of art). Finally, in view of the study of IKEA, attention is focused on the concrete dimension of the concept and a list of characteristics of the amorces partielles is proposed to evaluate the object of study. This concerns: the massive impact of the actions of the object studied, its expression of social, even utopian, ambitions, and its capacity to represent a "commun" (common) of the many people. The second part, entirely dedicated to IKEA, aims to verify the correspondence between the company (the actions of its agents, its products and its effects) and the three characteristics identified as amorces partielles of the total work of art. This is achieved through three different research projects: a comparative stylistic study between certain Bauhaus and Scandinavian iconic design objects and IKEA products; the exposition of the storytelling set up by the brand and the observation of the statements of its founder, Ingvar Kamprad; a study of the staging of interior design in the brand's catalogues and showrooms. The results of all these studies seem to indicate that IKEA is a socio-cultural element shaping our relationship with everyday objects and our domesticity. And that, provided that the values expressed by the company are authentic and correspond with the practices adopted by its agents, it could perhaps achieve its ambitions to create "a better everyday life for the many people". In this sense, IKEA could be seen as a manifestation of an amorces partielles, yet at the same time as the bearer of a much more fundamental conceptual shift than it appears.