Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur nio elever i årskurs 5 erfar subtraktionstecknet. Studien kommer också presentera och synliggöra elevernas olika uppfattningar och svårigheter kring subtraktionstecknet. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av  kvalitativa intervjuer där nio elever beskriver hur de erfar subtraktionstecknet utifrån olika sammanhang. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien är livsvärldsfenomenologin. Vid analys av studiens datamaterial har teman formats som sedan behandlas i studiens resultatkapitel. Resultatet är att eleverna betraktar subtraktionstecknet som att något ska tas bort eller minskar ett annat tal. Studiens resultat visar också att eleverna anser att subtraktion är svårt, och att fel ofta begås för att det är flera steg vid genomförandet av beräkningarna. Resultatet synliggör också att eleverna inte reflekterar kring sina val av metoder och strategier i samband med beräkningar av subtraktion. / The aim of this study is to investigate how nine pupils in schoolyear 5 experiences the subtraction sign. The study will present and reveal the pupils’ different perceptions and difficulties regarding the subtraction sign. This study has been performed through qualitative interviews by nine pupils describing how they comprehend the subtraction sign in different contexts. The theoretical point of view in this study is life-world phenomenology. When analyzing the study’s datasets, a number of themes has been formed that later are addressed in the result. The result of this study shows that the pupils considers the subtraction sign as to take something away or to decrease a number. The result also shows that the pupils considers subtraction to be difficult, and errors often occurs because of multiple steps during the calculations. Furthermore, the result reveal that the pupils are not aware of their choice regarding methods and strategies when making calculations in subtraction.

This thesis investigates the activities of two secondary schools in relation to their duty to promote community cohesion (intercultural understanding and cohesion within communities) and their engagement in global educational partnerships and international activities. In particular this study seeks to ascertain if there is a relationship between community cohesion and global educational partnerships –whether the activities and outcomes from one could inform the other in relation to intercultural understanding. There is little research on the relationship between these two initiatives. The research explores the understanding and experiences of staff involved in these initiatives in the two schools and that of pupils in Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 (11-18 years). Data is generated through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, providing a rich description of participants’ understanding and whole-school activities. What has emerged from the findings is a complex and subtle picture of two schools and their interpretations of their duty to promote community cohesion, engage in international activities, and the relationship between the two. Effective practice is identified such as developing inclusive perspectives through pupil peer-led teaching. However, barriers to effective practice have also been identified and include how cultural diversity is understood and presented through binary perceptions of ‘Other’. Such perspectives, alongside complex paternal power relations evident in educational partnerships with schools in the global South, are identified as problematic in the promotion of intercultural understanding and cohesion. The dominant political discourse, guidance for schools and the role of the schools’ inspection framework (Ofsted) are also influencing factors. Postcolonial Theory is used to interrogate policy and practice and presents alternative perspectives, and these, it is contended, can offer new ways forward in creating a ‘third’ space for intercultural understanding through global educational partnerships and community cohesion.

This thesis considers statistical modelling of natural image data. Obtaining advances in this field can have significant impact for both engineering applications, and for the understanding of the human visual system. Several recent advances in natural image modelling have been obtained with the use of unsupervised feature learning. We consider a class of such models, restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs), used in many recent state-of-the-art image models. We develop extensions of these stochastic artificial neural networks, and use them as a basis for building more effective image models, and tools for computational vision. We first develop a novel framework for obtaining Boltzmann machines, in which the hidden unit activations co-transform with transformed input stimuli in a stable and predictable way throughout the network. We define such models to be transformation equivariant. Such properties have been shown useful for computer vision systems, and have been motivational for example in the development of steerable filters, a widely used classical feature extraction technique. Translation equivariant feature sharing has been the standard method for scaling image models beyond patch-sized data to large images. In our framework we extend shallow and deep models to account for other kinds of transformations as well, focusing on in-plane rotations. Motivated by the unsatisfactory results of current generative natural image models, we take a step back, and evaluate whether they are able to model a subclass of the data, natural image textures. This is a necessary subcomponent of any credible model for visual scenes. We assess the performance of a state- of-the-art model of natural images for texture generation, using a dataset and evaluation techniques from in prior work. We also perform a dissection of the model architecture, uncovering the properties important for good performance. Building on this, we develop structured extensions for more complicated data comprised of textures from multiple classes, using the single-texture model architecture as a basis. These models are shown to be able to produce state-of-the-art texture synthesis results quantitatively, and are also effective qualitatively. It is demonstrated empirically that the developed multiple-texture framework provides a means to generate images of differently textured regions, more generic globally varying textures, and can also be used for texture interpolation, where the approach is radically dfferent from the others in the area. Finally we consider visual boundary prediction from natural images. The work aims to improve understanding of Boltzmann machines in the generation of image segment boundaries, and to investigate deep neural network architectures for learning the boundary detection problem. The developed networks (which avoid several hand-crafted model and feature designs commonly used for the problem), produce the fastest reported inference times in the literature, combined with state-of-the-art performance.

This dissertation utilizes three independent research projects to examine one overarching theoretical question: How do people understand, contest, negotiate, and / or rationalize the ways in which bodies-human, animal, and microbial - are socially constructed as commensurate, or not, in science? Using three unique projects focusing on either the human, animal, or microbial body, this dissertation broadly explores the social processes inherent in the construction of "bodies" for scientific research. This dissertation explores the complexity of how bodies are used in science, how this is understood by individuals, and the impacts this has not only on science but also the intertwined lives of animals, humans, and their microbes. Each paper explores a key set of questions drawing from a shared set of theoretical lenses, including local biology and biolooping, commensuration, the biovalue of bodies, and the microbiome. Specifically this dissertation presentation will explore these questions: 1) How are Japanese bodies socially constructed as different from other bodies in ethnobridging clinical trials?; 2) How is local biology employed as a technique of commensuration at the site of the Japanese body, by the government, and the global pharmaceutical industry and what does this mean for scientific studies utilizing it in this way?; 3) How do scientists construct nonhuman primates as appropriate proxies for humans in biomedical research experiments?; 4) How do individuals understand themselves and their health in relation to pet dogs and microbes?; and 5) How do humans understand the ways in which humans, animals, and microbes co-create their biological and social worlds? This dissertation shows how the construction of the body as an object of scientific study is negotiated, contested, and taken up in daily life, and how this is flexible, malleable, and not at all uniform. It explores the ways in which biomedical knowledge of the body is socially constructed and how it co-creates the animal, microbial, environmental, and cultural worlds in which it circulates. Through doing so and using techniques and lenses grounded in biosocial anthropology, this dissertation adds to the literature on the body in both medical and multispecies anthropology.

This study is a systematic literature review on the role of models and representations in the teaching, learning and understanding of the atom and atomic concepts. The aim of the study is to investigate the role of different visual representations, what models and representations are used in the science classroom, how learners interpret different external representations of the atom, what mental models students construct, and how the representations can be used and designed for meaningful learning and teaching of the atom and atomic concepts.   In this systematic literature review, a combination of different databases was used to search for literature, namely ERIC, Scopus and Google Scholar. Some limiters were used to narrow down the returned results: the articles should be peer-reviewed and be published 1990-01-01 or later. Ten of the returned articles were included for individual analysis in the study.   The results of the study show that students often find concepts of atomic structure difficult and confusing. The abstract microscopic world of atoms cannot be seen with the naked eye, and models are therefore necessary and crucial educational tools for teaching atomic concepts in school. However, when using a model, it is important for the teacher to explain the rules of the model, and the advantages and limitations of the representation must be discussed. Analysis of the included articles revealed three types of representations used to represent atomic phenomena: two-dimensional static diagrams or pictures (e.g. a picture of the atom), three-dimensional videos or simulations (e.g. virtual reality simulations), and visual analogies (e.g. the Bohr planetary model of the atom). The use of simulations and interactive learning environments seem to have a positive effect on students’ learning. One of the studies, described in the articles included for analysis, showed that students appreciated the use of virtual reality simulations, since it made abstract concepts easier to understand when they could be visualized.

In many ways, higher educational systems in the United States are the most extraordinary in the world. Students come from all over to study in our institutes of higher learning. As our search for an explanation of how to facilitate student learning continues, the goal of this dissertation was to examine the heavily under-researched area of teacherstudent relationships as they relate to student understanding. Using the existing body of instructional communication research, the Student Understanding Model (SUM) is proposed and tested. Data collected from 302 undergraduate students was used to test the SUM. Results provide empirical support that relational messages account for approximately 26% of the variance in student understanding. Conclusions and implications from the current study were discussed.

<p>Cracks in the Spirit of Community is a study of a Swedishtrade union in a period of change. Increasingly, traditionaltrade unions´ work based on collective solutions has comeinto question, and the customer perspective of trade unionactivities is becoming more prominent. At the same time, ageneration of mainstay trade union supporters at ourcountry´s workplaces are approaching retirement age. Howdo these - now ageing - children of Sweden´s"people´s home" hand over our society´s institutionsand pass on its traditions to a new generation? Is there a riskthat knowledge will be lost? And is anyone in the newgeneration ready to receive this knowledge?</p><p>A systematic and structured dialogue with participants fromSif, Sweden´s leading white collar union, helped developthis complex of problems. The work focused on the interactionbetween people to build up a community of understanding, whichwas at the core of earlier trade union tradition. Broadeningthe present pattern of action allows more long-term trends tobe traced. A disregard for matters of common concern, andunstated dissension, cause cracks in the spirit of community,cracks that undermine the power of collective action inpolitical matters. This dissertation poses complex questionsabout democracy, participation and common responsibility.</p><p>The case study was carried out as a series of dialogueseminars with a carefully-selected group of people from Sif.The dialogue seminar method was developed to bring to the foretacit knowledge in skills research. By focussing onvalue-based, shared human knowledge, the dissertation puts tothe test a new application of the dialogue seminar method. Thisstudy illustrates a shift from common interests to individualinterests. It points out general trends in the development ofour society - a trade union member, an employee and a citizenis often one and the same person.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: Strategic Communication within franchising, a case study of Gallerix</p><p>Number of pages: 60 (65 with enclosures)</p><p>Author: Charlotta Babington Thorszelius</p><p>Course: Media and Communication D</p><p>Period: Spring 2008</p><p>University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University, Sweden</p><p>Purpose/Aim: To find out, by doing a case study, how communication between the two parties in a franchising relationship works, and how communication can strengthen the concept and brand. By analysing the communication, identify strengths and weaknesses and make suggestions for improvement.</p><p>Material/Method: Qualitative method by using interviews</p><p>Main results: The understanding of the concept and the relationship between franchiser and franchisees are vital for the success of the franchising chain. The main internal communication channel today is the Intranet, and more personal contacts and meetings are requested. The yearly meetings are appreciated by the franchisees, but the content of the meetings are of varied quality. The chains value words, which are important for how the brand is perceived by the customer, are slightly different from how the franchiser and the franchisees sees them. One reason for this can be that the franchiser feels that it is difficult to have common goals and visions for a franchising chain, as the two parties have their own differing goals and visions. Not all franchisees follow the concept to 100%, and this has an impact on the chain and the brand, as a whole.</p><p>Key words: Understanding, relationship, brand, franchising, communication, information</p>

<p>In this essay, I intent to examine history as a school subject in Swedish compulsory school (for children aged 7-16), it contains mostly an analysis of the syllabus for history in the three latest curriculums Lgr 69, Lgr 80 and Lpo 94. The main purpose of the essay is to illuminate the development and the change history as a subject has gone through during this specific time, and my will is also to illustrate the view on knowledge and learning that is revealed in the syllabus for history in today’s curriculum (Lpo 94).</p><p>The survey shows that in Swedish compulsory school, history as a subject has changed significantly. During the examined years, the contents have been exceptionally broadened and that has lead to increasing demands on the students as it has gone from being directed to the individual and its contiguous history with shorter outlooks on the rest of the world, to requiring the individual to be able to see and understand other parts of the world and different time, on the basis of it’s own history and culture. According to my survey, this has lead to problems in the students learning ability. The curriculum as it is presented today demands a deeper kind of knowledge than one can expect from all students since far from all have the capacity to reach this sort of deeper knowledge.</p> / <p>Den här uppsatsen handlar om skolämnet historia för grundskolan och innefattar framförallt en analys av kursplanerna för historia i Lgr 69, Lgr 80 och Lpo 94. Huvudsyftet med uppsatsen är att belysa historieämnets utveckling och förändring under ovan nämnda tid, men min vilja är också att undersöka den syn på kunskap och inlärning som framställs i dagens kursplan (Lpo 94).</p><p>Genomgången visar att historieämnets innehåll i synnerhet har breddats och kraven på eleven har således ökat enormt under de undersökta åren. Ämnet har gått från att riktas till individen och dess närliggande historia med kortare inblickar i andra delar av världen till att individen, utifrån sig själv, ska söka sig utåt i världen och därigenom få förståelse för olika historiska epoker och händelser. Detta innebär enligt min mening en problematik när det gäller elevens inlärning och förståelse för ämnet då långt ifrån alla har den kapacitet eller vilja som krävs för att se utanför sin egen historia och nå denna djupare förståelse för händelser långt utanför deras fysiska värld.</p>

Eco-labels impact consumers‟ likelihood to buy eco-labelled products and serve as a tool during the decision-making process that helps consumers make informed purchase choices. The textile industry is responsible for a large amount of pollution, but has started to follow a more holistic, eco-friendly approach. Information about their eco-friendliness is communicated to consumers via eco-labels. Consumers can influence the textile industry to include more eco-labelled textile products in their desired range of products, by buying and demanding eco-labelled textile products. However, international studies indicate that consumers do not understand textile eco-labels and the information that is found on these labels. A lack of understanding prevents consumers from including such products in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Yet some consumers, from developed and developing countries, are willing to buy eco-labelled products and pay more for such products. Limited research in this regard, within a South African context, is available hence, more research was required in this study field. Therefore, this study aimed to explore consumers‟ understanding and utilisation of textile eco-labels during pre-purchase decision-making. The research for the study was done using a convenience and purposive sampling method with a quantitative structured online questionnaire for data collection purposes. Findings suggest that respondents were environmentally conscious, but only to some extent. Most respondents objectively understood textile eco-labelled products, but not textile eco-labels or organic label information regarding cotton production processes. Respondents indicated that they do not use textile eco-labels when making a pre-purchase decision, yet they somewhat recognised the need to buy eco-friendly textile products, because they are aware of environmental implications. Regarding the information on eco-labels, respondents searched for information surrounding the quality of eco-labelled textile products, followed by the care instructions and the credibility of the eco-label on the product. Finally, there was a segment of respondents who buy and utilise textile eco-labelled products, and are willing to pay a higher price for these products. The higher price was the main factor that prevented other respondents from buying eco-labelled textile products. Consumers can benefit from education regarding environmental issues and how their purchasing choices can make a difference in protecting the environment. Furthermore, educating consumers about eco-labelled textile products might increase their awareness and utilisation of these products. In turn, this awareness about eco-labels might encourage consumers to include these kinds of products in their pre-purchase decision-making process. Additionally the industry can strive towards keeping eco-labelled products‟ prices relatively equal to regular product‟s prices to make it easier for consumers to choose between the different products, based on their environmental attributes and not price. Finally, the textile industry and manufacturers can focus on making textile eco-labels more attractive and attention-grabbing in order to focus consumers‟ attention on these labels. Furthermore, on these labels, symbols and words should be used together and all elements should correspond to enhance consumers‟ understanding. If all of these elements of an eco-label convey the same message, consumers might be able to understand the intended message by manufacturers and the industry better. / M Consumer Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014