<div>Large datasets related to Indiana’s Education and Workforce development are used by various demographics such as stakeholders and decision makers in education and government, parents, teachers and employees of various companies to find trends and patterns in the data to better guide decision-making through statistical analysis. However, most of this data is scattered, textual and available in the form of excel sheets which makes it harder to look at the data from different perspectives, drill down and roll up the data and find trends and patterns in the data. Such data representation does not take into account the inherent characteristics of the user which can affect how well the user understands, perceives and interprets the data.</div><div>Information dashboards used to view and navigate between visualizations of different datasets, provide a coherent, central access to all data, and make it easy to view different aspects of the system. The purpose of this research is to create a new data visualization dashboard for visualizing education and workforce data and find which design principles are applicable while designing such a dashboard for the target demographic in the education and workforce domain. This study also aims at assessing how the introduction of such a data dashboard affects the work processes and decision making of stakeholders involved in education and workforce development in the state of Indiana.</div><div>User studies consisting of usability testing and semi-structured interviews with the stakeholders in education and workforce development in the state of Indiana is conducted to test the effectiveness of the dashboard. Finally, this research proposes how a regional map-based dashboard can be used as an effective method to design a data dashboard for education and workforce data for other states and other domains as well.</div>

The purpose of this research was to explore employees’ experiences of performance management appraisals. There is an increasing need to ensure that performance appraisals realise performance improvement and professional development goals while safeguarding the dignity of employees. This study followed a qualitative research design and was conducted in a South African banking organisation with five participants at varying employment levels. Purposive, non-probability sampling was used to select the participants and a semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant. The interviews were transcribed and the data was analysed using the discourse analysis method in keeping with social constructivism. Various insights about the employees’ experiences of performance management appraisals can be drawn from the overall research findings, which are likely to benefit the field of industrial and organisational psychology and managers in various organisations in conducting more effective performance appraisals by ensuring that they are fair and ethical, and can facilitate professional growth. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

A qualitative, descriptive, contextual study design was used to describe the role of antenatal services in supporting teenage pregnant girls in Leribe district of Lesotho. The study population consisted of all teenage pregnant girls between 13-19 years of age. Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to identify potential participants. Data was collected by means of tape-recorded in-depth individual, semistructured interviews and analysed using Tesch’s descriptive method of qualitative data analysis (Creswell 2009:186). The findings of this study revealed that teenage pregnant girls require comprehensive antenatal services that are sensitive to the needs related to their age. Strategies in which antenatal services can be strengthened to support teenage pregnant girls better were described / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

Getinge AB is a global medical technology company. This master’s thesis is based on the outflow of capital equipments from Getinge’s factory in Växjö to four different sales and service units. The purpose of this thesis is to give Getinge a deeper insight of why the customers and the own organization do not know when they can expect their products. This makes most requests urgent and thus prohibits them from using the best environmental and cost efficient modes of transportation. Two sub-problems have been created in order to investigate this. Sub-problem 1 originates from an organizational perspective. The aim of this problem is to examine the possibilities to achieve less urgent transportations by improving the communication between sales and service units, factories and logistics services. This is evaluated based on semi-structured interviews containing both qualitative and quantitative questions with employees rep- resenting the different functions at the company. It appeared that different phrases, explaining the same thing, were used internally leading to confu- sion. Further, the different functions have harmonized follow-up sessions but do not share the information between each other. The resulting information vacuum creates trust issues and unnecessary time margins and buffers. Sub-problem 2 concerns the trade-off between the economic and environmen- tal impacts in relation to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 3. This trade- off is evaluated by a multi-objective optimization model, where emissions are priced based on the EU ETS market valuation. Current research argues that the choice of transportation mode is the simplest emissions abatement option in terms of implementation. This study indicates that it is possible for Getinge, in the short-term, to decrease costs and emissions by just chang- ing between current transportation modes. However, a long-term strategy should include evaluation of consolidations, alternative fuels and electrified vehicles since the cost of decreasing one kilogram of emissions by changing between current transportation modes will increase. Finally, increased transparency and communication between sales and ser- vice units, factory and logistics services could be achieved via a one point of contact solution. This could avoid unnecessary time margins and buffers and hence open up the possibility of better over all lead time utilization. This could make it easier to use more environmental friendly transportation modes and thus lower emissions and costs, while still satisfying the customers.

This study aimed to examine the norms and cultures that are formed in the social interaction between students in need of special support placed in special education classes or equivalent by interviewing educators about their reflections. This study used special education theories as well as theories of language, power and culture. The method used was semi-structured interviews with six educators. The interviews were analyzed with thematic coding, which gave six themes: vocabulary, needs that could not be met, emotional states, the educators’ role and the relation between educator and student, social interactions, and the difficulty of making general statements. A conclusion that emerged was that the vocabulary that clashes with the schools’ core values was one of many factors in deciding that the student is in need of special education. Students’ norms of expressions are influenced by their environments, and at school they learn about social consequences. The educators try to give corrections when the students make a mistake, however this is not possible when the students are in a strong emotional state. To avoid strong emotional states the educators make the students feel safe in school and build relationships with them. To do their job, the educators need to build a relational capital with the students. All their labor is done to make the students become socially competent citizens. It was however difficult for the educators to make general expressions as they had a diversity of students. Some educators also expressed that there was no difference between students in special education classes and students in regular classes. This study contributes with knowledge of how the social processes such as different environments, power and educators’ guidance influence the norms of communication that are created in social interaction, which is a little studied research field. / Denna studie syftade till att undersöka de normer och kulturer som skapas i det sociala samspelet mellan elever som är placerade i resursklasser eller motsvarande genom att ta del av pedagogers reflektioner. Studien utgick från teorier grundade i specialpedagogik samt teorier om makt, språk och kultur. Den metod som användes var semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex pedagoger. Intervjuerna analyserades med tematisk kodning, vilket resulterade i sex teman: språkbruket, behov som inte har gått att bemöta, affektlägen, pedagogens roll och relationen mellan pedagog och elev, det sociala samspelet och till sist svårigheten med att uttrycka sig generellt. Slutsatsen var att språkbruk som går emot skolans värdegrund är en av flera faktorer som gör att eleverna bedöms behöva särskilt stöd. Elevers normer påverkas av andra miljöer de vistas i, och på skolan får de stöd med att lära sig de sociala konsekvenserna av språkbruk. Pedagogerna beskrev att eleverna inte klarar av det sociala samspelet i de större klasserna, och att klassrummen inte är anpassade för elevernas svårigheter. Pedagogerna försöker ge tillrättavisningar när eleverna gör fel, dock går det inte när eleverna är i höga affektlägen. För att undvika affekthöjningar jobbar pedagogerna med att få eleverna att känna sig trygga i skolan och med att bygga relationer med eleven. För att kunna göra det måste pedagogerna först bygga ett relationellt kapital med eleverna. Arbetet är för elevernas vinst, då det ska leda till att eleverna kan klara sig som socialt kompetenta medborgare. Det var dock svårt för pedagogerna som deltog att uttala sig generellt om eleverna, då det var en mångfald av elever. Vissa pedagoger ansåg även att det egentligen inte är någon skillnad mellan elever i resursklasser och elever i större klasser.  Denna studie bidrar med kunskap om hur sociala processer som uppväxtmiljö, makt och pedagogers vägledning kan påverka vilket sätt att uttrycka sig och tilltala varandra som skapas i sociala samspel, vilket är ett sällan belyst forskningsområde.

This thesis is concerned with a research project conducted with a Swedish company to provide recommendations for developing a prototypical information system for the company. The system’s goal was to consolidate data regarding the company’s supply chain and packaging conditions in order to find improvements in packaging development. The thesis employed the use of Soft Systems Methodology to aid with the system development process. A qualitative explorative study was designed for this purpose. Soft Systems Methodology was used after exploring alternative methodologies. This was chosen as the researchers found it important to engage the case company in the system development process. Four semi-structured interviews and two workshops with the relevant officials were the main methods of collecting data. Models such as a rich picture, CATWOE and PQR formula were utilized during the research to visualize important aspects of the system development process. As a result of the research, the researchers were able to provide the company with recommendations for how to further proceed with the development process. Another result of the study was that Soft Systems Methodology was able to unlock tacit information. The methodology also allowed for a consideration of the implementation of an iterative process to support the development. The results of this research suggest that introducing and making use of Soft Systems Methodology is very stimulating in an environment not already using it. The research provided insights needed for progress towards a successful implementation of a new information system, and contributes a real-world SSM case in a corporate environment. The researchers also suggest future opportunities for research that could further build on the work presented in the thesis.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of organisational change on the lived experiences of employees’ well-being. A sample of six employees participated in the study. The requisite data was obtained using semi-structured interviews. The literature review aimed to conceptualise organisational change and its related constructs, to explore employee well-being and its related constructs, and to understand the impact of organisational change on employees’ well-being in organisational contexts. The specific aims of the empirical study were to explore the impact of organisational change on employee well-being, to provide a basic framework that may assist organisations in managing change initiatives directed at enhancing employee well-being, and to formulate recommendations for possible future research on the impact of organisational change on employee well-being. The findings of this study indicated that the impact of organisational change on employees’ well-being is generally negative owing to the uncertainty of moving from the known to the unknown. All employees are impacted by organisational changes. The findings further indicated that the adverse impacts of organisational change may be moderated by communication, participation in the organisational change process and support. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com (Industrial and Organizational Psychology)

Language teachers’ accounts regarding grammatical assessment have changed over the years. Researchers have presented conflicting approaches, methods and different materials language teachers can use when assessing pupils’ L2 grammar. In addition, different researchers, within the applied linguistic field, have presented and discussed what possibly can affect teachers’ accounts of underlying reasonings for certain practices. This study aims to investigate English teachers’ accounts concerning grammatical assessment and reveal what methods English teachers use, further, what underlying reasonings the teachers have for their choices. To accomplish this investigation, three semi-structured interviews with English teachers from lower secondary schools in Sweden were conducted. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed through thematic analysis and table-coding. The results showed that the English teachers relied on four different methods when assessing their pupils L2 grammar. Grammatical assessment methods that emphasized both a traditional- and alternative assessment approach. Furthermore, all of the English teachers had several underlying reasonings for their grammatical assessment methods. The teachers considered learners’ need, personal experiences, school system guidelines and time constraints. This study provides further insight to the grammatical assessment discussion within teaching English as a second language, and contributes with a perspective of how Swedish lower secondary English teachers work with grammatical assessment.

Le test génomique prénatal non invasif (TGPNI) est un test présentement offert au Canada, dans le cadre de programmes provinciaux de dépistage prénatal des aneuploïdies, comme test de seconde intention. Il est également disponible au privé comme test de 1ère intention et/ou pour un nombre étendu de conditions génétiques. Ce projet visait à d’identifier les enjeux soulevés par l’offre du TGPNI en 1ère intention et du TGPNI pour un nombre étendu de conditions, selon des associations canadiennes représentant des gens avec des conditions génétiques ciblées par le TGPNI. Des entrevues semi-structurées ont été réalisées avec des représentants de douze associations régionales, provinciales et nationales. Les entrevues furent transcrites puis analysées par analyse thématique. Les associations ont relevé tant des éléments positifs que négatifs. D’un côté, elles perçoivent comme problématique l’accès privé au TGPNI en 1ère intention ou étendu, puisqu’il entraîne une inégalité d’accès à l’information sur le foetus. Par contre, les associations craignent que l’offre du TGPNI, mais surtout une possible routinisation de l’offre tu test, puisse avoir un impact sur la vision sociétale des conditions ciblées. Elles soulignent qu’il est important de considérer les impacts potentiels du TGPNI, dont le risque de discrimination. Les associations sont critiques de l’information véhiculée lors de la discussion des tests et pensent pouvoir jouer un rôle pour améliorer l’information donnée aux personnes enceintes. Ces résultats réitérent l’importance de prendre en considération les perspectives des différentes parties prenantes lors de la prise de décisions de politiques de santé. / Non-invasive prenatal genomic testing (NIPT) is a test that is currently available in Canada as a second-tier test in provincial prenatal aneuploidy screening programs. It is also available privately as a first-tier test and/or offered for a wide range of genetic conditions. The purpose of this project was to identify the issues raised by the availability of NIPT as a first-tier test and NIPT for a wide range of conditions, according to Canadian associations representing people with genetic conditions targeted by NIPT. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from twelve regional, provincial and national associations. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed by thematic analysis. The associations identified both positive and negative elements. They perceived private first-tier and expanded access to NIPT as problematic, as it results in unequal access to fetal information. On the other hand, the associations were concerned about a possible routinization of NIPT and about the message sent by the offer of NIPT regarding the societal perception of the targeted conditions. They stressed the importance of considering the potential impacts of NIPT, including the risk of discrimination. The associations are uncertain regarding what type of information ought to be communicated during the discussion of the tests and believe they can play a role in improving the information provided to pregnant people. These results highlight the importance of considering the perspectives of different stakeholders when making health policy decisions.

This thesis aims to study if descriptive representation, i.e. the social likeness between representatives and population, is considered important and if it changes when a national parliament is prevented from convening in full-format during a crisis. A maintained descriptive representation is important as it reflects that representatives have equal opportunities to execute their representational duties during a crisis (fairness argument), and because the interests of underrepresented groups otherwise risk being represented to a lesser degree (interest argument). By adopting a mixed-methods approach, semi-structured interviews are used to study how representatives were selected to participate in the reduced voting procedures in the Swedish parliament during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if descriptive representation (gender, age, geographical) was considered in this process. Results show that while descriptive representation was considered by five out of eight party groups – most prominently gender representation motivated by the fairness argument – it was not as influential as other more practical factors in the selection process, such as proximity to parliament or the need of being present for other reasons. Furthermore, changes in the descriptive representation in the Swedish parliament are studied by voting data using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Results show that the share of women increased slightly during votes during the pandemic, contrary to developments in many other parliaments. Representatives over 65 years old decreased, as did representatives from constituencies far from parliament. Significant differences in average voting participation rate arose for the different age and geographical groups, indicating unequal opportunities to execute their representational duties during the crisis.