Poor nutrition and impaired dietary intakes are associated with certain chronic disease states such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There have been a number of school-based, nutrition-focused interventions which have been used to measure and determine healthy eating behaviours in UK school children but with varying degrees of success. The main aim of this thesis was to develop, pilot and evaluate the Children’s Health, Activity and Nutrition: Get Educated! (CHANGE!), a healthy eating curriculum for year 6 children. A formative study, unique in this type of intervention study, was carried out to investigate the behaviours, habits and attitudes to food of the children and the data collected used to inform the design of the intervention teaching curriculum. It revealed the diversity of the food and eating environments to which the children were exposed. Some of their perceptions about health and food, food choices and eating behaviours were inter-related. The key health messages included in the teaching curriculum were developed from these findings. At baseline, the participants’ food intakes, knowledge about food and nutrition and their attitudes to eating were measured using questionnaires. Additionally anthropometric measurements were taken and the children’s postcodes used to assess the socio-economic status of the children. The results showed that the control and intervention groups were alike at baseline. At post-intervention, the results indicated that there were some positive changes to food intakes, with a slight decrease in the consumption of negative marker foods. There was an increase in the total mean food knowledge scores, with children from the areas of lower deprivation scoring highest. There was no significant difference between control and intervention groups. The children’s eating attitudes displayed some trends with cues to eating. There was a significant increase in height in all children but this did not alter the body mass index status of the overweight or obese children. The importance of the use of CHANGE! as an intervention at the school-level is demonstrated by some of the more important findings from the study, such as the increased self-assessed ability to make certain foods, and that there was an increase in total food knowledge scores from the children who lived in areas of lower deprivation. These results could potentially be the starting point for some children to start questioning the types of food they are habitually eating and maybe looking to make some adjustments to their behaviours, as even small changes can be nutritionally significant in the longer-term for the future health of the children. Furthermore, the sustainability and long-term effects of CHANGE! need additional assessment and evaluation.

In 1980, the A.C.T. Schools' Authority through the curriculum development section together with its curriculum consultants, helped to initiate and develop a pilot programme In relation to Year 6 students about to proceed to Year 7. This programme was made possible by the co-operative participation of both primary and secondary schools, their principals and staffs. The programme aimed at building bridges between primary and secondary schools, between primary and secondary teachers and between the curriculum of primary and secondary schools. This study began, as has been said,.where a Pilot Programme introduced by the A.C.T. Schools' Authority, by its Curriculum Development Section, left off. It aimed to explore further the nature of the 'day to day' reality experienced by some Year 6 students in the Australian Capital Territory. In addition, it aimed to explore and gain insights into the process of transition by following up those students who had been part of the sample in Year 6. It includes individual perceptions of the process. In designing research instruments and investigating the process of transition, certain theoretical concepts drawn from both psychology and sociology were used to crystallise the observations made. In addition, earlier studies concerning transition were assessed as well as those in related areas. In the process of this field study, many observations were made, some contradictory, and generally the field study seems to have raised as many questions as it has answered. As might have been expected, any study dealing with human reaction is complex-more so when there are different types of institutions to be considered. Nonetheless it is only apparently inconclusive enquiries like this which will add to the store of knowledge and allow assumptions to be replaced by more precise data.

The purpose of this study was to identify any changes in attainment, self-esteem, self-motivation and attitudes to physical education between the end of year 6 and the beginning of year 8 (during the transfer from primary to secondary school), and to establish the extent of any differences between gender, age of transfer and school attended. Consideration was also given to the ways in which continuity and promotion was promoted between schools involved in the study. Data was collected on four occasions over a 20-month period. Data pertaining to attainment was collected using observation techniques and teacher assessment, whilst self-esteem and self-motivation was collected using questionnaires. Attitudinal data, information relating to physical education, and continuity and progression data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Results showed significant increases in attainment, self-esteem and self-motivation between the end of year 6 and the beginning of year 8. Significant differences were evident in relation to gender, age of transfer and secondary school attended. Significant positive relationships were found between attainment and self-esteem, attainment and self-motivation, and self-esteem and self-motivation, allowing a tentative relationship model to be proposed. Changes in attitudes towards physical education were also found. Whilst teachers acknowledged the importance of continuity and progression, links between schools focused on social / pastoral rather than curricular issues. Time, staffing issues and finance were identified as the main constraints to the establishment of links. What emerges is a complicated picture of inter-related factors, with no universal solution. Each teacher must consider this broad range of factors within the context they teach. In order to do this there is perhaps a need to raise awareness amongst teachers of the impact of the transfer between primary and secondary phases of education on pupils across curriculum subjects, and that this should be explicitly considered and planned for.

Abstract Målet med denna studie är att undersöka hur motivation, och motivationshöjande faktorer påverkar utfallet i en specifik interventionsmetod, inom ämnet matematik. Interventionsmetoden är utvecklad och modifierad på resursskolan som ingår i undersökningen. Personalen på skolan kan se tydlig progression i matematik hos eleverna, och det har funnits ett intresse att utvärdera interventionsmetod gentemot tidigare forskning och även via empirisk undersökning. Eleverna går i åk 6, och är efter i kunskapsnivån, samt har NPF. Finns det en vetenskaplig förankring för interventionsmetoden?Frågeställningarna i studien är följande: 1. Vilka av de motivationshöjande insatserna i matematik har fungerat, i den undersökta målgruppen? 2. Vilka motivationshöjande åtgärder finns som är applicerbara på merparten av målgruppen? 3. Vilka vetenskapliga belägg finns för att interventionsmetoden fungerar? (teoretiska/empiriska) Det empiriska materialet samlades in via en kvalitativ studie på skolan. Studien är baserad på grundad teori. Den tidigare forskningen har kommit fram till att motivation är ett viktigt begrepp i skolan, men också svårt att definiera som begrepp. Examensarbetet kommer fram till att det finns empiriska belägg och en del vetenskapliga belägg för att interventionsmetoden fungerar.

Dagens samhälle blir mer digitaliserat för varje år som går och skolan följer den utvecklingen; därmed ökar digitaliseringen och användandet av digitala läromedel även i skolan. Därför är undersökningen relevant för den nutida skolans utveckling. Digitala läromedel är något som används frekvent i matematikundervisning, vilket är något vi har observe- rat under våra VFU-perioder. Dessutom uppmärksammade vi att många yrkesverksamma lärare är mindre insatta i innehållet i digitala läromedel, till skillnad från innehållet i de analoga läromedlen som används. Vi såg att det fanns studier kring digitala läromedel, men att det verkade vara brist på studier med fokus på hur algebra behandlas i elevuppgifter i digitala läromedel. Matematikområdet algebra är i sig ett område där tidigare forskning lyfter behovet av vidare forskning. Därav valde vi att specificera vår undersökning om hur algebra behandlas i elevuppgifter i digitala läromedel. Analysen i undersökningen grundar sig i ett analysschema med kategorier och kriterier utformade efter teorier från Sjödén (2014), Choppin m.fl. (2014), Blanton m.fl. (2015) samt Madej (2021). Teorierna har hjälpt oss att analysera det digitala och algebraiska innehållet i elevuppgifterna och Blantons m.fl. (2015) Big ideas framhäver väsentliga delar av algebraundervisning. Syftet med undersökningen är att belysa vilka potentiella mervärden som skapas genom olika digitala läro- medel inom området algebra för årskurs 6. Det görs genom insamling av data för en kvantitativ innehålls- analys av elevuppgifter innehållande algebra i tre digitala läromedel som används i grundskolan. Valet av läromedel gjordes utifrån vilka digitala läromedel vi har sett används av yrkesverksamma lärare i mellan- stadiet. Resultatet som kan utläsas av analysen är att digitala läromedel erbjuder olika möjligheter som inte erbjuds i analoga läromedel, samt att det algebraiska innehållet varierar i de olika digitala läromedlen. / Today's society is becoming more digitized every year and school follows that evolution; therefore the digitization and the use of digital curriculum materials increases in school as well. This study is relevant for today’s school development. Digital curriculum materials are frequently used in mathematics teaching, which we have noticed during our work-based education (VFU). We also noticed that teachers have less insight about the digital curricu- lum materials than in the books that are used. We found studies about digital curriculum materials, but there seemed to be a lack of research with focus on how algebra is processed in pupil tasks in digital curriculum materials. The mathematical field of algebra is an area where previous research requires further research. Hence, we chose to specify our investigation about how algebra is processed in pupil tasks in digital cur- riculum materials. The analysis in our inquiry is based on an analysis schedule with categories and criteria designed from theories from Sjödén (2014), Choppin et.al. (2014), Blanton et.al. (2015) and Madej (2021). The theories were helpful when we analyzed the digital and algebraic content in the pupil tasks and Blantons et.al. (2015) Big ideas highlights essential parts concerning algebra teaching. The study aims to highlight potential values created through various digital curriculum materials in the area of algebra for grade 6. It is done by collecting data for a content analysis of pupil tasks containing algebra in three digital curriculum materials used in primary school. The choice of resources was made based on which digital curriculum materials we have seen been used by professional teachers in middle school. The result that can be deduced from the analysis is that digital curriculum materials offer different potential values that are not offered in analog curriculum materials, and that the algebraic content where digital values occur varies depending on the digital curriculum materials.