There are relatively few preschools in Sweden that have an animal profile. Previous research on the interaction between children and animals has mostly focused on how adults explain the relationship between children and animals. The purpose of this study is to explore how children express the way in which they experience preschools that focus on work with animals. I then take this data and compare it to earlier research. Vygotskij’s thoughts give the theoretical framework for the study. A sociocultural perspective lifts the notion that all learning occurs in social relationships. The conception of mediation through language and the zone of proximal development are two relevant characteristics of the study. I visited a preschool with an animal profile and used qualitative interviews and observations in order to gather data. The children express that they experience happiness when working with the animals. In their words, dogs are playmates and comforters. The children enjoy playing, riding and caring for the animals. Occasionally children express fear around the animals. Research shows that children receive unconditional love and learn the social rules of relationships with animals. Children learn to read the animal’s body language. This leads to a better understanding of relationships with people. Friendly petting of the animals along with the animal’s non-judgmental presence stimulates oxytocin production. This leads to contentment and relaxation. The interaction between children and animals promotes self-esteem, empathy, responsibility and gross-motor skills development. This study shows that in situations where fear is experienced, the outcome can lead to increased bravery and sense of responsibility. At all times during the interaction between children and animals learning is taking place. An interesting conclusion of this study is that it is possible to achieve all of the goals outlined in the Curriculum for the Preschool by working together with children and animals.

Denna studie har som syfte att undersöka musiklärares definitioner gällande musikalitetsbegreppet. Studien undersöker också hur musiklärare resonerar kring sin egen, samt sina elevers musikalitet. Tidigare forskning presenteras i studien där musikalitet utifrån denna kan ses utifrån tre olika perspektiv: absolut, relativ och relationell musikalitetsuppfattning. Det sociokulturella perspektivet, med fokus på det kulturella sammanhangets betydelse för användning av begreppet musikalitet, är denna studies teoretiska utgångspunkt. Den forskningsmetod som valts för att undersöka ämnet är kvalitativa intervjuer, vilka fördes med sex musiklärare uppdelade i tre olika musikgenrer: klassisk musik, afroamerikansk musik och folkmusik. I resultatet framkommer det att musikalitet är ett svårdefinierat begrepp, det vill säga att det kan tolkas på många olika sätt. De definitioner som dock framkommer är att en musikalisk person har gott gehör och goda förmågor att kommunicera i samspel med andra musiker. Dessa förmågor kan både vara förvärvade redan från födseln eller vara utvecklingsbara. Musikalitetsbegreppet kan dessutom definieras som en företeelse som skiftar i värde beroende på i vilken situation och miljö det används i. Vad gäller resonemang gällande elevens musikalitet menar musiklärarna att det finns en osäkerhet kring att använda musikalitetsbegreppet i undervisningen. Lärarnas resonemang kring sin egen musikalitet är att de alla ser sig själva som musikaliska om de får utgå från sin egen definition av begreppet. Slutligen förs en diskussion kring de olika definitionerna på musikalitet som behandlas i resultatet utifrån det sociokulturella perspektivet och tidigare presenterad litteratur. / This study focuses on exploring how music teachers define the term musicality. The study also explores how music teachers discuss their own musicality and the musicality of their students. Previous research is presented in the study where musicality can be seen from three different perspectives: Definite-, relative- and relational perception of musicality. The sociocultural perspective, focusing on the meaning of the cultural context using the term musicality, is the theoretical premise of this study. The chosen research method to explore this subject is interviews, which were executed with six music teachers from three different music genres: classical music, improvised music and traditional folk music. The result shows that musicality is difficult to define, meaning that there are many different ways to interpret the concept. The definitions that do appear are that a person with musicality has advanced hearing and is able to communicate in interplay with other musicians. These abilities can be both acquired at birth or developed through life. The term musicality can also be defined as a phenomenon that changes in value depending on in what situation and environment it is used. In arguments about musicality in students the teachers find that they are hesitant about using the term in educational situations. Based on their own definition of the term the music teachers view themselves as musically talented. In conclusion a discussion is formed around the different definitions of musicality processed in the result using the sociocultural learning perspective and previously presented literature.

The purpose of this study is to find out how five-year-old children describe air and its properties from a sociocultural perspective. Semi-structured group interviews with children two and two were performed with artifacts to give the children something to discuss around. As artifacts were a plastic bag, balloon pump, balloon, scale, pinwheel and soap bubbles used. The children show ability to use air and other concepts related to air, an example being blow, to describe the activities connected to the artifacts. The children can describe the properties of air with the help of artifacts and each other and the properties described were air exists, take up space, can be captured, be moved, weigh, is invisible, can be used as a force and is everywhere. The children did not relate the contents of soap bubbles to air. / Syftet med undersökningen är att ta reda på hur femåringar beskriver luft och dess egenskaper utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer med barn två och två genomfördes där artefakter valdes för att barnen skulle ha något att diskutera kring. Som arte-fakter användes en påse, ballong, ballongpump, våg, vindsnurra och såpbubblor. Barnen visar att de kunde använda begreppet luft och andra begrepp kopplade till luft så som exempelvis blåsa, för att beskriva aktiviteterna kopplade till artefakterna. Barnen visade även att de kan förklara luftens egenskaper med hjälp av artefakterna samt varandra och egenskaperna som förklarades var: luft finns, tar plats, kan avgränsas, förflyttas, väger, är osynligt, kan verka med en kraft och finns överallt. Barnen visade ingen koppling att såpbubblor innehåller luft.

The aim of this research is to provide insight into how middle school learners experience an inclusive multicultural learning environment. Increasing diversity is challenging European educational systems, which have the arduous task to foster inclusion of learners with diverse educational needs. In order to explore the participants’ descriptions, a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with six learners was employed. Learners’ positions in the educational scenery are central and unique; they are the main experts on their own situations and therefore precious contributors to educational research. Results have been discussed according to a sociocultural perspective. The analysis of my data suggests that the learners perceive their inclusive environment as beneficial. Moreover, they perceive their cultural diversity as strength, reckon social interaction and teamwork with peers as favorable conditions for learning, feel competent in multicultural communication and believe that respect and acceptance towards others are necessary common values. Some implications of multiculturalism in special education are discussed according to the results of a recent European study, which shows that in all the participating European countries, Sweden included, there is a consistent discrepancy in the proportions of learners with immigrant background within special education. Assessment methods developed for mono-cultural learners appear to be a valid reason why multicultural learners are over-or under-represented in special education. Research also shows that inclusion of diversity in educational environment enables the development of social skills in all learners.

Syftet med studien är att belysa och diskutera hur vila och återhämtning betraktas och ges utrymme i förskolan. Detta genomförs genom att undersöka verksamma förskollärares syn på vila och återhämtning i förskolans vardag. Metoden som används är kvalitativa intervjuer med fem stycken förskollärare. Resultatet visar att förskollärarna i studien betraktar vila och återhämtning som en viktig del av förskolans uppdrag. Det framkommer att vilan ses som en del av helheten i förskolans uppdrag och integreras i den dagliga verksamheten. Förskollärarnas förhållningssätt och förmåga till såväl flexibilitet som individanpassning framstår som viktiga delar för att tillgodose barns behov av vila och återhämtning. / The purpose of this study is to illuminate and discuss how rest and recovery are considered and given space in preschool. This is done by examining active preschool teachers views of rest and recovery in the everyday life of preschools. The method which is used are qualitative interviews with five preschool teachers. The result shows that preschool teachers in the study consider the rest and recovery as an important part of preschool assignments. It appears that rest and recovery is seen as a part of the whole of preschool assignments and integrated into daily operations. The preschool teachers approach and ability for both flexibility and personalization appears as important parts to meet the childrens need for rest and recuperation.

Ungdomar lever inom en social kontext vilken direkt samt indirekt påverkar deras ställningstaganden gentemot cannabis. För att motverka att bruket ska öka i framtiden bör man se över vilka risk- samt skyddsfaktorer som påverkar deras attityder samt bruk av drogen. Idag råder en oro över att legaliseringsdebatten runt om i världen kan resultera i en negativ följd i form av allt mer liberala attityder bland den yngre generationen. Syftet med denna studie är därav att undersöka relationen mellan ungdomars attityder, eventuella bruk och de risk- samt skyddsfaktorer vilka finns i deras sociala omvärld. Resultatet från föreliggande studie visar att ungdomarna i den berörda kommunen har en restriktiv inställning gentemot cannabis dock visas en liberalare attityd bland de som testat substansen. Tillgången bör däremot ses som ett existerande problem då en stor del av respondenterna idag kan få tag på cannabis och problematiken kan ligga i den höga frekvensen av vänner som testat. Respondenternas alkohol- och tobaksbruk bör även ses som en betydande riskfaktor.

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The purpose of this study is toget an understanding of howpreschool teachers think about and work with pedagogical documentation and how they visualizeparticipation of the children. As a theoretical frame,we have used the sociocultural perspective of learning and education that is about progress and learning, which is achieved by interaction and cooperation in a social context. This survey is based on interviews and observations which has been compared in order for us to come to conclusions to see if the pedagogical thoughts is equivalent to the practice. The result of the study shows that all of the preschool teachers agree that the pedagogical documentation is an important way to work in order for the children to declare their thoughts and wonders in the environment of the preschool. The thoughts of the children are important in order to develop the organization. The teachers organize the education in a way to create conditions for the children to be able to affect and change thepreschool. The teachers are well aware of their own way to think and act which affects the children’s ability to participate. / I denna studie har vi undersökt förskollärares arbetssätt i den pedagogiska dokumentationenoch strävat efter att få en inblick i pedagogernas tankar kringhur de arbetar för att synliggöra barns delaktighet.Studienutgår från det sociokulturellaperspektivet. Vihar genomfört intervjuer och observationer och jämfört dessa med varandra för att kunna dra slutsatser kring hur de pedagogiska tankarna stämmer överens med praktiken. Studiens resultat visar hur de undersökta pedagogerna arbetar med den pedagogiska dokumentationen.Pedagogernaanser att barnens uttryck är viktiga för innehållet i verksamheten, och de skapar förutsättningar för att barnen ska kunna påverka och förändraarbetssättetoch verksamheten. Studienvisar att pedagogerna har stor medvetenhet kring sitt eget förhållningssätt och hur detta spelar roll för vilkenmöjlighetdet har för barns delaktighet, samt hur de rent praktiskt arbetar med den pedagogiska dokumentationen.

Studiens syfte är att utveckla vårt arbetssätt i musik och hem- och konsumentkunskap samt öka förutsättningarna för elevers förmåga att kombinera teori och praktik. Forskning om lärande i utbildningssammanhang visar stort intresse för begrepp som teori och praktik, vilket vi tar fasta på i föreliggande studie. Studien har en aktionsforskande ansats där vi för in aktioner i både musik- och hem- och konsumentkunskapsundervisning. Aktionerna har genomförts i årskurs åtta och nio. De valda aktionerna gick ut på att synliggöra hur eleverna utifrån valda aktioner arbetade med och kombinerade teori och praktik i våra ämnen. Vi har genom att vi filmat eleverna under deras arbete och sedan analyserat materialet fått fram tre huvudteman: elever visar, elever använder begrepp och elever visar och använder begrepp. Eleverna uttryckte sig i vissa situationer enbart teoretiskt och i andra situationer enbart praktiskt. I resultatet tycker vi oss se att om eleverna använder sig av begrepp de är vana vid i ämnet samt får möjlighet att använda redskap för att förtydliga vad de menar, bidrar det till att lärandet går djupare. Samlärande, vilket aktionerna uppmuntrade, tycks också fungera bättre när eleverna både visar praktiskt och beskriver vad de gör med kända begrepp. Implikationerna för vår fortsatta undervisning är att det behövs ett aktivt arbete både från lärarens och elevens sida för att kunna koppla samman det teoretiska med det praktiska arbetet. Det är även viktigt att eleverna känner till och kan använda ämnesspecifika begrepp. / The aim of this study is to develop our working methods regarding the subjects of Music and Domestic Science, as well as develop the necessary tools to enable pupils to combine both theory and practice. Research relating to learning for educational purposes shows great interest in terminology such as “theory and practice”, which we have focused on in our presented study. The study has an action research approach where we have applied teaching actions in both Music and Domestic Science. The actions have been carried out for school years eight and nine. The chosen actions were to make transparent how pupils work with, and combine theory and practice in our subjects. We have through filming the pupils during their work and subsequent analysis of the material come to three main themes: pupils show, pupils use terminology and pupils show and use terminology. The pupils expressed themselves in some situations purely theoretical and in other situations only practically. Our conclusion is that deeper learning was possible for pupils that expressed themselves in terms that they normally use in the subject and had the possibility to use utensils to explain what they were doing. Cooperative learning, which the actions encouraged, was considered to work well when the pupils showed both practical as well as described what they did with already known terminology. The implications for our continued lessons are that active work is needed both by teachers and pupils in order to combine the theoretical with the practical work, as well as the importance in that pupils know and can use subject-specific terminology.

This research study presents an investigation of interpreter trainees acquiring New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) as a second language (L2) outside their formal classroom learning. This study was motivated firstly by a concern that a considerable reduction in learner and lecturer contact hours within an NZSL interpreting programme would compromise graduate NZSL competency, necessitating a compensatory approach predominantly in the context of the Deaf community. Secondly, the study attempts to address a marked gap in research related to L2 sign language learning from a socio-cultural perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a bilingual context (NZSL and English) in order to gain the ‘inside’ perspectives of six NZSL learners who had just completed a two-year Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting. The interviews sought to uncover the informal NZSL language learning opportunities used by the participants, especially within the social context of the Deaf community, and the individual learner strategies utilised by ‘good learners’ of NZSL. Interview data were transcribed and were analysed by employing qualitative methods. Coding of the data revealed a number of categories which were subsequently examined for salient themes relating to the research questions. The main findings of the study revolved around the significance of L2 learner access to social and material resources, especially within the Deaf socio-cultural context. Of particular significance was the enhancement of learner motivation and confidence as was the frequency and depth of interaction with Deaf people and degree of mediated NZSL learning from NZSL mentors. Of key importance were the social relationships and networks developed with L1 users, which facilitated access to an array of NZSL learning opportunities. Material language learning resources, such as NZSL video samples and equipment were also useful, when interaction with Deaf people was not possible due to heavy study demands, especially in the second year of the programme. Learner involvement in the Deaf community, particularly within Deaf social networks, resulted in significantly improved linguistic, pragmatic and socio-cultural competency. The findings of the study raise two main implications. Firstly, the study highlights the need for NZSL interpreting curriculum enrichment and the resourcing of the programme to foster learner autonomy. Secondly, to date there has been little research on adult L2 sign language learning outside the classroom context and the study may stimulate further studies of the acquisition of sign language as a second language. The study may also be of benefit to autonomous L2 sign language learners and stakeholders in sign language interpreting education around the world.