Human Resources (en benämning för personalarbetet) är ett yrke som idag blir allt populärare. Trots detta visar statistik att en majoritet av kvinnor både studerar och arbetar med personalfrågor. Studien har därför som syfte att undersöka varför Human Resources branschen har en ojämn könsfördelning. Detta görs genom en historisk inblick i branschens utveckling i relation till samhällets förändringar, där en analys av texter ger en bild av dagens personalarbete. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna består dels av socialkonstruktivism och dels av begreppen mjuk och hård Human Resources Management. Det mjuka begreppet förknippas med kvinnlighet, medan det hårda begreppet framhäver en manlig bild av yrket. Undersökningen kommer fram till att historiskt har främst det mjuka begreppet varit i fokus, men det hårda perspektivet har gjort framsteg de senast årtiondena och framhävs idag lika mycket som det mjuka. Utöver detta visar även studien på att könsfördelningen kan komma att förändras i framtiden om den utvecklingstendens som finns idag fortsätter. Yrket får allt mer status, inflytande och makt samtidigt som den hårda bilden av yrket framhävs allt mer. Dessa aspekter förknippas, enligt forskning, oftast med män. Dessvärre visar inte högskoleutbildningarna inom personalvetenskap på samma förändring, utan dessa domineras fortfarande av kvinnor. Det behövs därför ett aktivt arbete med könsfördelningen om en jämn könsfördelning ska uppnås.

Research indicates that the number of individuals diagnosed with neurological, learning and psychiatric disorders has shown a sharp increase in recent years. An increasing acknowledgement of the importance of narratives and discourses in constructing social reality has stimulated much debate on the consequences of diagnosing individuals with such diagnostic labels. The aim of this study was to explore the ways in which such individuals construct meaning from their experiences of adapting to their diagnostic labels by reframing them as interpersonal metaphors. In service of this aim, a social constructionist epistemology was adopted and discourse analysis was used to analyse the results from three participants’ interview data. The results indicate that participants managed to construct meaning from their experiences with their diagnostic labels through a reframing process that serve to promote positive perceptions of self in relation to others. Furthermore, this meaning-construction process appears to be a reflective and interactional one, in that it relies on a negotiation of meanings between people in a retrospective fashion. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in Afrikaans / In hierdie navorsing word die interpersoonlike proses waardeur betekenissisteme deur dialoog in die terapeutiese konteks geko-konstrueer word, beskryf en gelllustreer, aan die hand van 'n gevallestudie. Hierdie navorsing is gegrond in 'n kubemetiese epistemologie wat impliseer dat probleme, oplossings en realiteite nie as 'n objektiewe realiteit beskryf kan word nie, maar eerder as 'n konstruksie van die observeerder. Terapie word beskryf as 'n dialektiese proses tussen die terapeut en die klient waarin betekenissisteme geko-konstrueer word. Die proses waardeur realiteite deur vertelling in terapie geko-konstrueer word, word gepunktueer in terme van 'n dialektiese beskrywingsproses tussen die sensoriese ervaring (dit sluit in kognitiewe verstandsprosesse wat deur konstruktivistiese teoriee verklaar word), en die beskrywing daarvan in taal (wat deur sosiale konstruktivisme verklaar word). In hierdie rekursiewe proses word betekenissisteme as intersubjektiewe fenomeen geskep en ervaar deur die individu betrokke in dialogiese en interaksionele prosesse. / This research illustrates and describes, through the use of a case study, the interpersonal process through which meaning systems are co-constructed by means of dialogue in the therapeutic context. The research is founded on the cybernetic epistemology which implies that problems, solutions and realities cannot be described as an objective reality, but rather as a construction ofthe observer. Therapy is described as a dialectic process between the therapist and the client in which new meaning systems are being co-constructed. The process in which realities are co-constructed through narratives, are punctuated in terms of a dialectic process of description between the sensory experience (that includes cognitive mental processes which are explained through constructivism), and the description thereof in language (which is explained through social constructivism). In this recursive process meaning systems as an intersubjective phenomena are created and experienced by the individual in dialogical and interactional processes. / Psychology / M.A. (Kliniese Sielkunde)

Svensk barnavård och tvångsvård av barn och unga har diskuterats och problematiserats av flertalet forskare och har även varit lagstadgat sedan början av 1900-talet. Lagen och hur samhället ser på problembeteende och skyddsbehov har sedan dess förändrats. Exempelvis så var den dominerande synen, innan 1900-talet, att samhället hade en viss skyldighet att skydda och hjälpa barn och unga i nöd men präglades snarare av ett samhällsskyddande synsätt. Även vad som anses vara ett problem har förändrats över tid och korrigerats inom lagstiftningen. Hur vi människor kommer överens om vad som är normalt eller normbrytande görs dels genom sociala processer men också genom språk där vi konstruerar en gemensam verklighet som vi förhåller oss till. Lagstiftningen som sådan är en, av människan skapad, konstruktion av vad vi gemensamt anser är de normer som vi ska förhålla oss till. Därav anser vi att det är intressant att se hur barn och ungdomars normbrytande beteende skrivs fram, framställs eller konkretiseras i domar som berör tvångsvård av barn. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur ett barns skyddsbehov och problembeteenden konstrueras i domar rörande 3 § lagen (1990:52) med särskilda bestämmelser om vård av unga (LVU). För att besvara studiens syfte har följande frågeställning varit vägledande; vilka problembeteenden och skyddsbehov framställs i domar som avser vård enligt 3 § LVU? Ett kvalitativt angreppssätt har använts för att svara på studiens syfte och frågeställning. Studiens empiri består av 33 förvaltningsrättsdomar mellan åren 2012 och 2017 från en, för studien, specifik kommun. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är socialkonstruktionism och tematisk analys används som analysverktyg. Studien analyseras med stöd av socialkonstruktivistisk teori och med stöd av tankar från bland andra Johanna Schiratzki, Anna Hollander, Astrid Schlytter, Lina Ponnert, Pernilla Leviner och Titti Mattsson, för att nämna några. Resultatet presenteras med stöd av fem huvudteman; brottslig verksamhet, missbruk av beroendeframkallande medel, något annat socialt nedbrytande beteende, påtaglig risk och samtycke. Samt fem subteman utifrån rekvisitet socialt nedbrytande beteende; olämpliga miljöer, missbruk, bristande skolgång, kriminalitet och sist neuropsykiatriska diagnoser och/eller annan psykisk variation. Studiens resultat visar på att de ungas skyddsbehov och problembeteende skrivs fram genom rekvisiten inom LVU lagstiftningen och att konstruktionen av dessa börjar i och med socialsekreterarens LVU-utredning och socialnämndens ansökan om vård med stöd av LVU. Resultatet visar även på att förvaltningsrätten som oftast bifaller socialnämndens ansökan om vård och i studiens empiriska material avslås endast två ansökningar. I studiens avslutande kapitel förs en diskussion om studiens slutsatser men också om vidare forskning kring konstruktionen gällande barn och ungdomars skyddsbehov och problembeteende. / Swedish child welfare and compulsory care for children and adolescents has been discussed and problematized by most researchers and been statutory since the beginning of the 20th century. The law and the way Swedish society views problem behavior, child and adolescent delinquency and the need to care and protect the children with such needs has changed over time. For example, the dominant view, before the 20th century, was that society had a certain obligation to protect and help children and young in need, but rather was characterized by a community-protection approach. What society considers to be a problem behavior has changed over time and been corrected multiple times within the law. How people agree on what is a normal or problematic behavior, when it comes to children and adolescents, is through social processes and language. Through our common social processes and languages we construct a common reality to which we can relate. Legislation as such is a man-made construction of what we commonly consider to be the norms that we should follow. Therefore, we find it interesting to understand how children and adolescents problem behavior is expressed, produced or concretized in judgments relating to compulsory care.  The purpose of the study is to investigate how a child’s or young person’s problem behaviors and protection needs are constructed in judgments relating to 3 § of the care of young people (special provision) act (LVU). In order to answer the purpose of the study the following questions should be asked; what problem behaviors and protection needs are constructed in judgments relating to care under 3 § of the LVU? A qualitative approach has been used to answer the study’s purpose and questions. The empirical study consists of 33 court judgments between 2012 and 2017 from one specific municipality. The theoretical basis of the study is social constructionism and thematic analysis is used as an analytical tool. The study is analyzed on the basis of social constructivist theory and supported by research from, to name a few, Johanna Schiratzki, Anna Hollander, Astrid Schlytter, Lina Ponnert, Pernilla Leviner and Titti Mattsson.  The results of the study indicate that the problem behavior and protection needs of children and young people are constructed through the LVU-legislation process and that the social construction begins with the Social Welfare Committee's LVU investigation and application for care with the support of LVU. The result also shows that law most often approves of the Social Welfare Committee's application compulsory care. In the empirical material of the study, only two applications were rejected. The study's final chapter discusses the conclusions of the study, but also on further research on the construction of children and young people's problem behavior and protection needs.

The purpose of this study was to research Socialstyrelsens constructions of mental illness with young people. With chosen documents from Socialstyrelsens website, the study has been performed as a perspectiveanalysis and has contributed to problematise and reflect on how problems such as mental illness appear. Socialstyrelsen mean that mental illness is a big and growing public health problem which, in one way or another, will affect the society as a whole in the future. The results have shown how a problem can be seen from other perspectives, apart from the ones mentioned by Socialstyrelsen, such as the impact of individualisation and how demands affect young people’s mood. The results have also questioned the way Socialstyrelsen measure mental illness, through the amount of care. According to Socialstyrelsens results from the research, which is divided into gender categories, the study has also given an account of an absence of how gender norms may have effect the outcomes.

Nessa pesquisa planejamos, aplicamos e analisamos uma sequência didática sobre a estrutura e transformação da matéria baseada em elementos da modelagem no ensino de ciências. Os principais objetivos foram o de descrever os principais suportes oferecidos aos estudantes e analisar como estes foram utilizados, além de investigar as principais dinâmicas de interação social concretizadas na intervenção, que os permitissem participar ativamente do processo de construção e expressão de modelos. A questão central é a de compreender como os indivíduos são capazes de se apropriarem de uma determinada ferramenta cultural, em outras palavras, quais dinâmicas e ajudas são necessárias para uma ferramenta existente em plano social ser dominada em plano individual; em nosso caso, os modelos científicos sobre a estrutura e transformação da matéria. Focamos nossa análise em três aulas de modelagem nas quais a dinâmica principal tratou-se justamente da construção e representação de modelos em nível submicro e simbólico de diversos sistemas, após a experiência prévia com cinco transformações em situação de aula experimental. Os sistemas modelados trataram-se da matéria em repouso e de transformações físicas e químicas, somando um total de 09 atividades. Realizamos um estudo piloto e uma intervenção final, sendo esta última aplicada com três turmas de 1º ano do ensino médio de uma escola particular da cidade de São Paulo no ano de 2016 (n=84), no qual o pesquisador era o próprio professor das turmas. Recorremos à análise dos dados o referencial de pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter interpretativo, na qual dispomos de diferentes instrumentos de coletas de dados com o propósito de realizar a triangulação entre os mesmos, sendo estes as produções dos estudantes, as observações diretas da intervenção e entrevista com onze alunos. A sequência do conteúdo; as orientações do professor para a execução das atividades; a interação direta do professor com os estudantes; a importância da socialização das atividades em grupos de diferentes tamanhos, sobretudo às interações entre as duplas formadas pelos pares; as dinâmicas de interação social e negociação de significados promovida e potencializada pela proposta de modelagem; as negociações de significados realizadas a partir das produções dos estudantes e a visualização dos vídeos de experimentos realizados previamente foram identificados como os suportes e dinâmicas mais importantes para a proposta de modelagem e, portanto, são apresentados e discutidos nessa pesquisa. As produções dos estudantes foram, entretanto, consideradas tanto o produto como mediadores centrais que possibilitaram a construção e reconstrução do conhecimento. Pudemos, assim, sistematizar elementos que possibilitem e encorajem trazer ao espaço comum da sala de aula as atividades de modelagem, caracterizadas por promover o protagonismo dos alunos e incentivar a exposição e negociações de significados em plano social. / In this study, we planned, applied and analysed a matters structure and transformation didactic sequence supported by modelling elements. The main goals were to describe the main supports offered to students and analyse how they were used. We also investigated the fundamental social interaction dynamics implicated on this intervention. The central issue is to understand how individuals are capable to internalize one specific cultural tool, in the others words, what dynamics and supports are necessary to a cultural tool existing in social plan to be mastered in individual plan, in our case, matters structure and transformation scientific models. We focused our analysis into three classes with the main dynamic of model construction and representation in submicro and symbolic level. These activities were carried out after five previously experiences with the students. The modelled systems were matter in resting state and chemistry and physic transformations, totalling 9 activities. We carried out pilot study in 2015 and a final study in 2016 with three high-school (freshman year) classes, 15 year-old students in average (n=84), in a private institution localized in São Paulo, Brazil. The researcher was also the teacher were in both studies. We used the qualitative research reference, with an interpretative character and different data instruments with the purpose of triangulation between them. These data were student representations, the direct observation and an interview carried out with 11 students. We concluded that the content sequence, the teacher\'s guidelines for the execution of activities, a direct interaction between teacher and students, the socialization in different size groups, especially interactions between pairs, the dynamics of social interaction and meanings negotiation promoted and potentialized by model proposal; the meaning negotiations started by the individual representations and the visualization of videos with experiment content were the main mediators. The students activities were considered both the product as the central mediators that made possible the construction and reconstruction of knowledge. Thus, we could systematize elements that will allow and encourage bringing to the classroom common space modelling activities, characterized by promoting students to be protagonist and encouraging the exposition and negotiations of meanings in a social plan.

Denna uppsats behandlar frågan kring fördomar, muslimer och interaktion. Undersökningen sker genom en intervjuundersökning där respondenterna får svara på frågor som berör deras syn på muslimer utifrån deras interaktionsnivå. Tidigare forskning säger att den socialt konstruerade bilden av muslimer är negativ, och att den upprätthålls av samhället, däribland filmindustrin. Som ramverk för att undersöka detta används socialkonstruktivismen och kontaktteorin. Kontaktteorin, som introduceras av Gordon Allport, säger att interaktion mellan grupper minskar fördomar genom att grupperna interagerar som jämbördiga och med gemensamma mål. Dessa grupper beskrivs som ingroup och outgroup. Uppsatsen behandlar således om interaktionen hos respondenterna påverkar perceptionen de har av muslimer i Sverige. Slutsatsen är att interaktionen hos respondenterna påverkar uppfattningen de har av muslimer. De respondenter som hade regelbunden kontakt med muslimer, uppfattade inte gruppen i negativa termer.

This thesis discusses the recent change in EU’s immigration policy. EU’s restrictive policies may be changed by the two proposals, COM(2007)637 and COM(2007)638, presented in October 2007. These proposals were formed during a process in which representatives from the African Union (AU) were present in discussions about migration. Using official documents from EU and AU, we study this inter-regional interaction process with the English School theories of “international society” and with a Social Constructivist ontological model describing the relationship between agents, structure and institutions/regimes. We find that the proposal changes the trans-regional migration regime, and by extension the structure and the trans-regional world order. This will probably lead to an increase in the number of African labour immigrants in the EU, which may enlarge the trans-regional “world society” and, in turn, the inter-regional “international society”.

In 2011 pre-schools began reporting to the Education Department and were then subject to the school law. Pre-school’s entry into the school system meant that the concept of education became part of the pre-school’s activities. This is also to be implemented into the preschool curriculum. This study has examined how pre-school teachers, pre-school managers and heads of operations interpret the concept of "teaching" in the pre-school context. Respondents that were interviewed were familiar with the subject, due to the fact that they are part of a nationwide teaching project and they themselves work on implementing the concept of teaching in their operations. The aim has been to establish how the three professions interpret the concept and work with it in practice. The study is based on a social constructivist perspective where we chose to focus on how the concept of teaching is constructed and reconstructed using the social linguistic interaction and the interaction between respondents. As a research method, we have used qualitative group interviews. The empirical data has been analysed using the theoretical lens of social constructivism. The results showed that the term "teaching" was unclear when it is referred to pre-schools and did not have a specific definition in the pre-school context. The concept was understood differently by the three professions. The respondents argued that the implementation of the concept in the pre-schools took place in diverse ways. They confirmed that it is a long-term process that will take time to fully implement. Another conclusion that the authors drew was 2 that there was a gap between practice and theory. This was because the heads of operations and pre-school managers had a theoretical view of "teaching" while the pre-school teachers had a practical view.

The study aims to analyze conceptions of death and dying at a clinic for palliative care, using a constructivist perspective and a discourse analytical approach. The empirical material consists of interviews with staff members, documents and photographs of the environment, taking both space and materiality into account. I conclude that the studied practice is mainly characterized by a tension between a caring discourse and a medical discourse.