The concepts of self-gifting and goal setting are combined in the context of physical activity, in order to investigate their impact on the likelihood to self-gift when setting physical goals. Mick and DeMoss’ original work on self-gifting is explored further in this investigation, with the utilisation of an exploratory, qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women setting physical goals related to running, with findings from thematic analysis showing support for new concepts in this area. This includes the provision of new themes, namely ‘Pre-gifting’ (gifts purchased before goal outcome) and ‘Tools of the Trade’ (related to how items differ in significance between individuals). Seemingly, physical activities relate strongly to reward orientation in self-gifting behaviour, thus a conceptual model of self-gifting likelihood in a reward context in relation to the goal setting process is contributed. This is inclusive of the themes that emerge as influential on this process, showing the times at which self-gifting opportunities arise as individuals move through the goal setting process to eventual goal success, and the factors that influence this outcome. Consequently, areas are outlined that require further investigation, and a discussion of this concludes the chapters.

This study aims to deepen our understanding of both how men are affected by taking longer periods of parental leave, and the factors behind the decision of some men to take at least six consecutive months of leave. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five men living in Umeå, Sweden, who had been on parental leave for periods ranging from 6-15 months. Thematic analysis of these interviews revealed four themes: The female as the norm, gender-equal masculinity, the significance of paid work, and understanding provided by practical experience. The men in the study appeared to embody/perform a gender-equal masculinity, which differs from traditional masculinities. This deviant group challenges normative beliefs about how parenting should be done. Based on the four themes, above, a number of problem areas were identified: Firstly, even though a majority of the men seemed to pay less interest to their career than to their child, the paid-work norms affected the choices and possibilities for the men to take parental leave. The men feel that women, as the parent who carries the baby, are the major focus of parental education programs, and that different expectations exist formale and female parents. They experienced difficulty relating to other men in parental education  programs, and one man clearly expressed the discomfort of discussing parenting issues with other men. Breastfeeding also appeared to be problematic. This was partly because some of the men felt uncomfortable with the assumption of parental education programs that the woman would be the one to feed the baby, through breastfeeding, and partly because some of the men felt a sense of alienation from the fact that they themselves were incapable of breastfeeding. They felt a certain sadness that their children formed links to their mothers in this manner, which they were unable to. Finally, some of the men experienced difficulty in finding social groups, with the exception of the open preschools (öppna förskolan), while on parental leave. The paper discusses, and proposes suggestions to, the aforementioned problem areas, with the aim of contributing to regional development in Västerbotten,  Sweden.

This study explored adolescent girls‟ subjective experiences of being young mothers in school, focusing on their personal and interpersonal relationships within their social contexts. Participants included 15 young black mothers aged between 16 and 19 years from three high schools in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Conducted within a feminist social constructionist framework, the study adopted an exploratory qualitative structure. Data were collected through life histories that were analysed within a thematic narrative framework. The narratives revealed that the young mothers found motherhood challenging and overly disruptive of school. Although contexts of childcare emerged as pivotal in how young mothers balanced motherhood and schoolwork, these were also presented as characterised by notions of power and control. Because of the gendered nature of care work, the women who supported the young mothers with childcare dominated the mothering spheres. The schools were also experienced as controlled and regulated by authorities in ways that constrained the young mothers‟ balancing of school and parenting. Equally constraining to a number of adolescent mothers were structural challenges, for example, parenting in spaces that lacked resources. These challenges were compounded by the immense stigma attached to adolescent motherhood. The study recommended that the Department of Education work closely with all the parties concerned in ensuring that pregnant learners benefit from the policy. It is necessary that educators are encouraged to shift attitudes so that communication with adolescent mothers is improved.

<p>During Apartheid, South African education policies were largely based on a system of&nbsp / racial segregation, resulting in unequal educational opportunities between black and white students.&nbsp / Current education policies centred on Access and Equity have been ratified to address the education issues of the past. However, there still remains a concern about the poor performance and&nbsp / consequently, the high drop out rate, particularly amongst black South African university students. The findings of various studies have shown that the factors that contribute to poor academic performance range from inadequate pre-university schooling and financial issues to poor language proficiency, inadequate social support and insufficient social integration. The present study employed a qualitative approach to explore first-year students&rsquo / perceptions of the influence of social integration on academic performance. Tinto&rsquo / s Student Integration Model provided the conceptual basis for the conduction of the study. Three focus groups were used to collect the data which were analysed according to thematic analysis procedures. The main finding of the study&nbsp / was that academic and social experiences were intrinsically linked in the first year of study. Moreover, the findings indicate that friends, belonging to nonacademic organisations and lecturer-student interaction (as three indicators of social integration) influenced first-year students&rsquo / academic performance. South African contextual factors such as socio-economic status and language&nbsp / were found to be a potential hindrance to good academic performance. The implications of these findings are discussed.</p>

Encouraging good nutrition is particularly important in the early years of life for the development of appropriate food habits and healthy adults in later life. These are governed by many contending and conflicting influences. Objective: This research examines the food choice influences for mothers of young children in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire (UK). Participants were recruited from a large community food intervention (clients) and were compared with those not involved in the initiative (non-clients). This enabled the reflection of the broader socio-cultural experiences of food and the influence of 'structure' and 'agency' on food choices. The research adopted a phenomenological approach using ethnographic recording techniques (interview and observation). The research findings are presented as ethnographic fictions. These short fictional stories provide a 'thick' description of the participant's lifeworld. They locate these choices in the person and the place. A hierarchy of food choice influences emerged from the data, with three main findings. Most prominently, the influence of individual capacity on the food choices made. Secondly, the influence of place, town planning and the geography of an area on food choices. Thirdly, the influence of gender, relationships and social networks. Central to the thesis of this research is the use of ethnographic fiction to enable a better understanding of the complexity involved in food choice and community development approaches to nutritional change. The use of ethnographic fiction conveyed a better understanding of people and of the role and impact of an intervention upon the wider processes involved in food choice. Ethnographic fiction was used here for the first time in public health nutrition to explain the complex picture of food choice for mothers of young children in Skelmersdale, and to convey new insight on food choice and the complexity of food choice influence.

Denna uppsats undersöker hur tematiken i Nils Ferlins lyrik gestaltas i samtliga diktsamlingar utifrån några valda teman. Först undersöks dödstematiken som på grund av sitt omfång delas in i två kapitel, ett där döden ses som en räddare undan livsångest och ett där döden skildras som skrämmande. Vidare undersöks den religiösa kontext som är förknippad med dödstematiken. Därefter behandlas kärleksmotivet och tematiken kring detta. Slutligen undersöks dikterna där samtiden skildras utifrån Ferlins syn på människan och sin samtid. Till undersökningen används ett biografiskt material för berika analysen. Det är främst i analysen av dikterna med en tydlig dödstematik som den biografiska aspekten är viktig men paralleller till författarens eget liv dras även vid diskussionen av övriga teman. Undersökningen är en tematisk studie men även motiven undersöks då de varierar i förhållande till tematiken. Definitioner för motiv och tema härleds till Lyrikens liv (Janss, Melberg &amp; Refsum, 1999). Döden är det vanligaste motivet respektive temat men andra motiv och teman är viktiga att belysa för en djupare förståelse för Ferlins lyrik. Exempelvis finns en tydlig koppling mellan den religiösa kontexten och dödstematiken. / This paper examines how the themes in Nils Ferlin's poetry are portrayed in all poetry collections based on some selected themes. First the thematics of death is examined, and as a result of its extent it is divided into two chapters; one where death is seen as a savior from anxiety and one where death is portrayed as frightening. Furthermore the religious context associated with the thematics of death is examined. Thenceforth love motive and its thematics are treated. Lastly the poems where Ferlin depicture his vision on man and his contemporaries are examined. The survey uses a biographical material to enrich the analysis. It is primarily the analysis of the poems with a clear death thematic where the biographical aspect is important, but the parallels to the author's own life is used in the discussion of the other themes. The study is a thematic study but also the motives are examined as they vary in proportion to the thematic. Definitions of motive and theme are derived from Lyrikens liv (Janss, Melberg &amp; Refsum, 1999). Death is the most common motive respectively theme however the other motives and themes are important to highlight for a deeper understanding of Ferlin's poetry.

This thesis paper explores barefoot and minimalist running in Ottawa, Ontario and Boulder, Colorado. The objective has been to answer the following questions: how can we understand barefoot and minimalist style running as cultures, how are barefoot and minimalist style running being done in different ways, how do the senses play out and create nuances between barefoot and minimalist style runners. I argue barefoot and minimalist running are distinct cultural forms. I applied an Ingoldian notion of culture that contends cultures are generative, relational, temporal and improvisational. I conducted a multi-site study and I interviewed participants, as well as conducted participant observation. My findings reveal that the different sensations experienced by the two styles of running make them meaningful in different ways. These different sensations and ways of meaning create nuances between barefoot and minimalist running and differentiate them and as a result, there are found to become different cultural forms.

I ett flertal teorier inom fältet vuxnas lärande, liksom i dokument i specifika skolformer inom svensk vuxenutbildning, ges begreppet reflektion en frontposition i relation till lärande. Begreppet är dock problematiskt i att det har flera olika innebörder som inte nödvändigtvis harmonierar med varandra. Vidare saknar skolformer i utbildningssystemet didaktiska riktlinjer för utformningen av undervisning. Ett spänningsfält kan skönjas här, mellan å ena sidan explicita krav på reflektion i dokument med bäring på specifika skolformers verksamhet, och å andra sidan teoretisk och didaktisk oklarhet kring begreppet reflektion.     Syftet med uppsatsen är att identifiera folkhögskollärares beskrivningar av hur de utformar undervisning för deltagares reflektion. Den kvalitativa metodansatsen är tematisk analys och det empiriska datamaterialet består av intervjuer med sex folkhögskollärare.     Resultaten av analysen gestaltas i fem övergripande teman av beskrivningar: samtal utformas som perspektivvidgning och återkoppling både i det fysiska och virtuella klassrummet; skrivande utformas via chatt eller för hand genom dikt- och brevskrivande eller som textframställningar i linje med olika skrivgenrer. Dessutom som formuleringar i punkt- eller verbform, som skrivstafett eller som reflektion utifrån givna frågor och uppgifter; frågor utformas dels med öppna frågor som inleds med Vad, Hur, Varför, Vilka och Var och dels som ja/nej-frågor; samspel utformas i helgrupp, i smågrupper eller enskilt med läraren; intryck utformas med textbaserade och visuellt baserade material, auditivt och audiovisuellt material, dofter och gemensamma upplevelser. / In several theories within the field of Adult learning, as well as in specific documents in Swedish Adult education, reflection is given a front position in relation to students’ learning. However, the concept of reflection is problematic in that it has various meanings that do not necessarily harmonize. Furthermore, school forms in the educational system lack guidelines for the design of teaching. A conflict can be discerned here. A conflict between, on the one hand, explicit demands on reflection in documents relevant to specific school forms, and, on the other hand, a lack of clarity concerning the theory and design of reflection in teaching. The aim of this paper is to identify Folk High School teachers’ descriptions of how they design teaching to facilitate their students’ reflection. The qualitative method is thematic analysis and the empirical material consists of interviews with six Folk High School teachers. The results of the analysis are illustrated in five overall themes of descriptions; discussion is designed as broadening of perspectives and feedback in the virtual, as well as physical class room; writing is designed as online chat or by hand, with poetry and letter writing or as texts of various genres. In addition/moreover, as expressions in point- or verb form, as “writing relay” or as reflection based on given questions or assignments; questions are partly designed open-ended, beginning with What, How, Why, Who, and Where, and partly as yes-no questions; interaction is designed plenary, in small groups, or individually with the teacher; impressions are designed with text-based and visually-based materials, auditory and audiovisual materials, fragrances, and shared experiences.

Tidigare studier av kvinnoblivandet är få till antalet, utdaterade eller primärt kvantitativa och har framförallt fokuserat på marginaliserade kvinnogrupper eller studerat kvinnoblivandet med en patologisk ansats. Till min vetskap saknas kunskap om upplevelsen av kvinnoblivandet i normalgruppen. Studien syftade därför till att undersöka den upplevda erfarenheten av kvinnoblivandet idag i normalgruppen unga kvinnor i Sverige. Tio individuella, halvstrukturerade intervjuer med kvinnor (nio med kvinnligt biologiskt kön, en med manligt biologiskt kön) i åldrarna 19-22 (medel = 19,8 år), genomfördes och analyserades genom tematisk innehållsanalys med fenomenologisk ansats. Analysen resulterade i fyra teman: Blivandet, Kroppen, Känslorna och Kvinnligheten. I resultatet redogjordes för kvinnoblivandet som en komplex, aktiv process bestående av flera överlappande utvecklingsspår: psykologiskt, biologiskt, emotionellt och socialt. Individuella förutsättningar och erfarenheter (ex. biologiskt kön och uppväxtförhållanden), såväl som sociokulturella faktorer (ex. genusnormer), är av betydelse för kvinnoblivandets innehåll och för hur det upplevs. Vidare kunde konstateras att den nuvarande samhällsuppfattningen om likavärde, nedtonande av könets betydelse och förstärkande av egenvärdet har en särskilt betydande inverkan på upplevelsen av kvinnoblivandet. Kvinnoblivandet handlar främst om att utifrån egna behov och intressen forma sin tillvaro och identitet. I studien visades även att socialt stöd och könsmässig frihet bidrar till psykiskt välmående under kvinnoblivandet. / Previous studies of the transition to womanhood are few, outdated or primarily quantitative, mainly focused on marginalized groups or studied with a pathological approach. To my knowledge, the transition to womanhood in Swedish women of the majority culture has not yet been investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the lived experience of the transition to womanhood of the majority culture in Sweden. Ten individual, semi-structured interviews with women (nine with female sex, one with male sex) between the ages of 19-22 (mean = 19.8 years) were conducted and analyzed by thematic content analysis with a phenomenological approach. The analysis resulted in four themes: The transition, The body, The feelings and The womanhood. The findings revealed the transition to womanhood as a complex, active process consisting of several interacting developmental areas. Individual conditions, background experiences and sociocultural factors are of importance for what the transition contains, and how it is perceived. The current social perception of equality, gender-neutrality and the importance of self-worth, have a major impact on the experience of the transition to womanhood. The transition is primarily about shaping life and identity according to one's own needs and interests. This study also showed that social support and gender freedom contributes to well-being during the transition to womanhood.

This study focuses on analysing Mexican children’s representations of death inasmuch as children are perceived as social actors that have an active role in constructing and giving meaning to social reality. The importance of analysing children’s representations about death is that it provides an opportunity to know how children give meaning to a notion that intersects with personal experiences, emotions, religious beliefs, and a sociocultural context. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse, visually and verbally, the ways in which children - from 8 to 9 years of age - in a Mexican primary school represent their understanding of death through their drawings and their oral descriptions of them, which may unveil their opinions on the subject. The research material consists of the drawings and interviews of primary school children in Mexico. The girls and boys, who were in third grade, were selected from a school population based on a convenience sampling (Bryman 2016, p.187). The method of analysis is a combination of thematic analysis and Rose’s visual discourse analysis I. The main findings are that the participants represented their understanding of death in terms of realistic, fantastic and afterlife narratives according to their experiences. Most of the participants’ visions of death were represented with archetypal symbols of death, such as death personified. Contrary, the representations of the few participants who had a personal loss were realistic, except for one of them. In this sense, children’s representations of death draw on discourses imbued in visual media, religion, morality, and culture. Children's emotions about death varied according to their experiences, although most participants said that they do not fear death. Regarding life after death, most participants recognize a duality between body and soul. While the body dies, the soul lives and the place where the soul goes was perceived mainly in moralistic terms.