<p>In what ways can outdoor education be used when teaching immigrants the language of their new country? There is aneed to both concretise grammar teaching and diversify teaching methods to bring language acquisition closer to reallife situations. By using action research a collaborative study was made with four Finnish teachers in four immigrantlanguage classes by implementing a series of lessons using outdoor education. Focussing on the teacher’s experiencequalitative interviews were conducted both before and after the collaborative outdoor lessons. This was supported byobservation and student verbal and written evaluation.</p><p>Both positive and negative aspects of outdoor education were explored in relation to how effective it is as a teachingmethod and as a method of cultural assimilation and group socialisation.</p><p>Outdoor education was found to support a sense of group inclusion and strengthen collective group experience.Difficult concepts were dealt with in a more tangible manner which specifically benefited weaker students. Byexploring the unfamiliar as a group in a supportive environment constructive outcomes were gained. Being outdoorsand using natural materials democratised the cultural meeting. Peer collaboration was demanding but fruitful andshould be used more as a developmental tool in education.</p>

<p>Background: Tanzania is a country which faces several development challenges. The villages in this essay are located in a rural part of central Tanzania. The area experiences severe environmental conditions in addition to poverty and other related problems. Therefore, there are attempts to improve the situation by forming groups on local level. The two projects studied aim to improve the environment and the members’ economy by planting and selling trees. The participants are women only, except the supervisors who are men in both projects.</p><p>Purpose and Question at Issue: The purpose is to examine if the project which the women participate in is affected by their sense of place. This is perceived through the examination of problems and possibilities faced by the women in their daily lives as well as in the project, and how these are managed and dealt with. The aim is to see if there is a correspondence between how different situations are dealt with by the individual and if this too can be related to the sense of place.</p><p>Method: The majority of the material was gathered through field studies but additional information was achieved through literature studies, earlier research, observations in field and informal conversations. Interviews were carried out with participating women in the studied projects. The method followed the guidelines of grounded theory and the interviews were designed with Dolbeare’s and Schuman’s three-interview series in mind. A minor quantitative study was also carried out by handing out a questionnaire to the women in the projects.</p><p>Theory: The theoretical framework builds on Tuan’s development of the meaning of sense of place, which is made up of people’s feelings, experiences and relations to a certain place. Closely related to sense of place is Bourdieu’s structural theory of habitus, why this is also considered a part of the theoretical framework.</p><p>Analysis: The material gathered through the field studies is analyzed in relation to the purpose and question at issue. Sense of place is defined by using various categories of the concept, which aim to encompass several aspects and therefore give a more nuanced picture of the meaning of place for the individual. The women were found to relate the place first and foremost to their family, social bonds and daily chores and to a lesser extent with the environment.</p>

Urban forest management is being increasingly recognized as a viable policy vehicle for improving the overall quality of life in urban regions, promoting economic well-being as well as mitigating some of the environmental impacts of urbanization. As a complex system of ecological merit, the urban forest is ultimately dependent upon community-directed efforts to protect and maintain its health, largely through tree ordinances. An understanding of how values and other social factors trigger public concern for and management of the local urban forest is important because of ramifications of community urban forestry policy on regional ecosystem functional capacity. This dissertation investigates the influence of individual experience with trees, knowledge about trees, and tree-related attitudes and beliefs on public support for management strategies to protect the urban forest. Attitude theory forms the foundation of the empirical approach used in this study. Drawing from place theory, attitudes representing Sense of Place were hypothesized to also play a role in explaining variation in homeowners’ support of urban forest protection strategies. Data were obtained from a public opinion survey of 800 homeowners living in a major urban area in Southern Appalachia and joined with measurements of tree canopy density. Geographic information systems software was used to create measures of tree canopy density from Light Detection and Ranging data for varying aerial extents around the survey respondents’ properties. Theoretical constructs were formulated and deployed in structural equation models to test the validity of the hypothesized relationships among the constructs, representing predictors of public support for urban forest protection policy. The modeling results showed that place-based contexts are significant in the prediction of community willingness to support higher levels of urban forest protection. Findings from this study suggest that although the presence of urban trees in one’s neighborhood leads a homeowner to place greater importance on various attributes of trees, this does not automatically lead to support for strong tree ordinances. One also must have a basis of attachment to tree places, which is predicted by tree knowledge and experience with caring for trees around one’s home. In conclusion, limitations and suggestions for future research are provided.

This thesis examines the link between landscape and identity among the Sami in HandölsdalensSame village (sameby), one of the 51 administrative units that regulate traditional resourceuse in Sami areas in Sweden. Handölsdalen is situated in the Åre area in the southernpart of the Swedish mountain range. By tradition, the area is inhabited by South Sami, butother Sami groups have migrated into the area, partly as a result of government re-localizationpolicies. The study focuses on the period from around 1900 to the present. Thus study concentrateson the role of landscape in processes of identity formation, relating these processes alsoto various external influences, such as government policies concerning Sami culture and landuse, as well as the general modernization of society. Focusing on landscape and territoriality,the thesis traces the ways in which the Sami respond to, and perceive, the forces of change.The study is based on interviews with Sami who have access to the Sami village, on fieldobservations, as well as on a survey of literature and documents related to the area’s history.Thus, the study is an attempt to approach processes of identity formation from, as it were, theperspective of local Sami as well as the state. The thesis demonstrates, firstly, that the landscapeis an important part of Sami identity, on the individual and collective level. This landscape-based identity is affected, however, by state policies and what many Sami perceive asencroachments by the non-Sami society, as well as the modernization ways of life. Secondly,the thesis demonstrates that there are differences concerning the relationship between landscapeand identity. The dividing line seems to run between Sami who practice reindeerherdingand those who do not, but also between South and North Sami. / Forskarskolan i Geografi

In what ways can outdoor education be used when teaching immigrants the language of their new country? There is a need to both concretise grammar teaching and diversify teaching methods to bring language acquisition closer to real life situations. By using action research a collaborative study was made with four Finnish teachers in four immigrant language classes by implementing a series of lessons using outdoor education. Focussing on the teacher’s experience qualitative interviews were conducted both before and after the collaborative outdoor lessons. This was supported by observation and student verbal and written evaluation. Both positive and negative aspects of outdoor education were explored in relation to how effective it is as a teaching method and as a method of cultural assimilation and group socialisation. Outdoor education was found to support a sense of group inclusion and strengthen collective group experience. Difficult concepts were dealt with in a more tangible manner which specifically benefited weaker students. By exploring the unfamiliar as a group in a supportive environment constructive outcomes were gained. Being outdoors and using natural materials democratised the cultural meeting. Peer collaboration was demanding but fruitful and should be used more as a developmental tool in education.

Background: Tanzania is a country which faces several development challenges. The villages in this essay are located in a rural part of central Tanzania. The area experiences severe environmental conditions in addition to poverty and other related problems. Therefore, there are attempts to improve the situation by forming groups on local level. The two projects studied aim to improve the environment and the members’ economy by planting and selling trees. The participants are women only, except the supervisors who are men in both projects. Purpose and Question at Issue: The purpose is to examine if the project which the women participate in is affected by their sense of place. This is perceived through the examination of problems and possibilities faced by the women in their daily lives as well as in the project, and how these are managed and dealt with. The aim is to see if there is a correspondence between how different situations are dealt with by the individual and if this too can be related to the sense of place. Method: The majority of the material was gathered through field studies but additional information was achieved through literature studies, earlier research, observations in field and informal conversations. Interviews were carried out with participating women in the studied projects. The method followed the guidelines of grounded theory and the interviews were designed with Dolbeare’s and Schuman’s three-interview series in mind. A minor quantitative study was also carried out by handing out a questionnaire to the women in the projects. Theory: The theoretical framework builds on Tuan’s development of the meaning of sense of place, which is made up of people’s feelings, experiences and relations to a certain place. Closely related to sense of place is Bourdieu’s structural theory of habitus, why this is also considered a part of the theoretical framework. Analysis: The material gathered through the field studies is analyzed in relation to the purpose and question at issue. Sense of place is defined by using various categories of the concept, which aim to encompass several aspects and therefore give a more nuanced picture of the meaning of place for the individual. The women were found to relate the place first and foremost to their family, social bonds and daily chores and to a lesser extent with the environment.

This thesis examines the everyday experiences of Anglophone communities in three different regions of Quebec – the Gaspésie, Gatineau and Eastern Townships – with the aim to understand their sense of place. Specifically, the focus is on the role of different geographic contexts on everyday access to social services, particularly healthcare, and how these experiences contribute to Anglophones’ place attachment. Data collection involved semi-structured personal interviews with ten participants in each region. Comparative analysis yielded three main findings: (1) issues with accessing healthcare in English reinforces Anglophones’ minority status; (2) in spite of the challenges faced as a linguistic minority, Anglophones demonstrate a strong sense of place to their region; and (3) feelings of home, heritage, and rootedness constitute elements in Anglophones’ place attachment and contribute to their sense of place in Quebec. The study also concludes that age, mobility, and location are important variables in influencing everyday experiences in each of the three regions.

This thesis examines the everyday experiences of Anglophone communities in three different regions of Quebec – the Gaspésie, Gatineau and Eastern Townships – with the aim to understand their sense of place. Specifically, the focus is on the role of different geographic contexts on everyday access to social services, particularly healthcare, and how these experiences contribute to Anglophones’ place attachment. Data collection involved semi-structured personal interviews with ten participants in each region. Comparative analysis yielded three main findings: (1) issues with accessing healthcare in English reinforces Anglophones’ minority status; (2) in spite of the challenges faced as a linguistic minority, Anglophones demonstrate a strong sense of place to their region; and (3) feelings of home, heritage, and rootedness constitute elements in Anglophones’ place attachment and contribute to their sense of place in Quebec. The study also concludes that age, mobility, and location are important variables in influencing everyday experiences in each of the three regions.

In what ways can outdoor education be used when teaching immigrants the language of their new country? There is aneed to both concretise grammar teaching and diversify teaching methods to bring language acquisition closer to reallife situations. By using action research a collaborative study was made with four Finnish teachers in four immigrantlanguage classes by implementing a series of lessons using outdoor education. Focussing on the teacher’s experiencequalitative interviews were conducted both before and after the collaborative outdoor lessons. This was supported byobservation and student verbal and written evaluation. Both positive and negative aspects of outdoor education were explored in relation to how effective it is as a teachingmethod and as a method of cultural assimilation and group socialisation. Outdoor education was found to support a sense of group inclusion and strengthen collective group experience.Difficult concepts were dealt with in a more tangible manner which specifically benefited weaker students. Byexploring the unfamiliar as a group in a supportive environment constructive outcomes were gained. Being outdoorsand using natural materials democratised the cultural meeting. Peer collaboration was demanding but fruitful andshould be used more as a developmental tool in education.

<p>In what ways can outdoor education be used when teaching immigrants the language of their new country? There is a need to both concretise grammar teaching and diversify teaching methods to bring language acquisition closer to real life situations. By using action research a collaborative study was made with four Finnish teachers in four immigrant language classes by implementing a series of lessons using outdoor education. Focussing on the teacher’s experience qualitative interviews were conducted both before and after the collaborative outdoor lessons. This was supported by observation and student verbal and written evaluation.</p><p>Both positive and negative aspects of outdoor education were explored in relation to how effective it is as a teaching method and as a method of cultural assimilation and group socialisation.</p><p>Outdoor education was found to support a sense of group inclusion and strengthen collective group experience. Difficult concepts were dealt with in a more tangible manner which specifically benefited weaker students. By exploring the unfamiliar as a group in a supportive environment constructive outcomes were gained. Being outdoors and using natural materials democratised the cultural meeting. Peer collaboration was demanding but fruitful and should be used more as a developmental tool in education.</p>