The purpose of this study is to investigate whether large groups of preschool children means lower quality of child development and learning. From six preschool teachers perspective we also wanted to find out the large groups of children positive and negative sides. The reason behind our choice of purposes is both our own experiences of mostly negative opinions of large groups of children among preschool teachers, as well as the news reports about the negative consequences that large groups of preschoolers may cause. The study draws on a approach of the term constructionism in the understanding of the teachers’ perceptions of larger groups of preschoolers. We applied a qualitative method based on interviews with six preschool teachers working on two different preschools. The result of our study shows that the interviewed preschool teachers sees mostly advantages rather than disadvantages with large groups of preschoolers. The preschool teachers describe that to be able to work with large groups of preschoolers there has to be a good structure and organization guaranteeing that the pedagogues have the right competence and that the preschools environment is well designed. The conclusion we have been able to draw is that the preschool teachers in our study is not sharing the same negative view that previous research and media reports have shown. Instead the preschool teachers in our study sees more positive than negative aspects of large groups of preschoolers, as long as there is a good structure and organization.

<p>Purpose: The purpose with this study is to analyze if the Swedish authorities and media had different ways of discussing the new influenza, in connection with the pandemic classification June 11, 2009. This is the first time an influenza has been classified as a pandemic since the Hongkong-influenza in1968. Methodology: The method used for the study is discourse analysis, aqualitative method that gives the opportunity to study not only what is said, but how things are said. In this thesis, the aim is to study how the image ofthe new influenza is transmitted via the texts. The texts have been analysed based on:- General and underlying themes- Words and concepts used- Persons/sources quoted or referred to- Historical connections/historical backgroundTheoretical perspectives: The study is based on theories about socialconstructionism and discourse analysis. Conclusions: the conclusions drawn from the study show that the media textsare more dramatic and sensational when it comes to describing the newinfluenza. The Swedish authorities have a more fact-based and calming tone towards the public. Within the analyzed material, it is possible to seedifferences between the discourses, also when describing the same themes. Within some themes, resemblances have been identified between the mediadiscourse and the authorithy discourse.</p>

Sammanfattning Eftersom det blev förbjudet att köpa sexuella tjänster i Sverige har denna uppsats, med hjälp av diskursanalys, undersökt hur rätten framställer sexköp som fenomen, sexköpare och även säljare av sexuella tjänster. Domar från olika svenska tingsrätter har analyserats, avseende vilka ord som används i framställningen av fenomenet. Socialkonstruktivistiska teorier har använts för att förstå hur konstruktionen sker av kön, prostitution som fenomen och hur offer samt gärningsman konstrueras. Då prostitution kan sägas vara en del i hur genus konstrueras i samhället idag har dikotomin mellan könen, samt mannen som norm, blivit en central del i uppsatsen. De gråzoner som finns i genuskontraktet kan tänkas utnyttjas av både män och kvinnor, där män låter sig köpa kvinnor, men kvinnor också med mer eller mindre frivillighet låter sig köpas. Detta bidrar till hur samhället ser på dem som säljer sex, de prostituerade blir medbrottslingar och delvis själva ansvariga för brottet. Detta leder i sin tur till att både gärningsmän och offer osynliggörs i samhället, och kan bidra till att brottet förringas. Om brottet inte uppmärksammas i tillräckligt hög grad kan staten vinna på det, speciellt med tanke på att den dolda prostitutionen inte är fullt så möjligt att komma åt och lagen framstår som ett misslyckande. Den verkligt viktiga frågan att ställa för en långsiktig förändring av attityder kring fenomenet, är varför män har ett behov av att köpa kvinnors kroppar för sexuellt bruk. Genussystemet möjliggör prostitution samtidigt som prostitution också i förlängningen är med och reproducerar genussystemet och kvinnans underordning i förhållande till mannen. / Abstract Since it became illegal to buy sexual services in Sweden, this essay examines, using discourse analysis, how the courts produces buying sex as a phenomenon, sex buyers and also sellers of sexual services. Judgments from various Swedish district courts have been analyzed in relation to which words used to describe the phenomenon. Social constructivist theories have been used to understand how the construction is done by sex, prostitution as a phenomenon and how victims and perpetrators are constructed. Since prostitution can be said to be a part of how gender is constructed in society today has the dichotomy between the sexes, and the man as the norm, become a central part of the essay. The gray areas of the gender contract may be used by both men and women, where men allow themselves to buy women, but women are also more or less free will allow themselves to be bought. This contributes to societies view those who sell sex, the prostitutes become accomplices and partly themselves responsible for the crime. This in turn leads to both offenders and victims are rendered invisible in society and can contribute to the offense belittled. If the crime is not addressed sufficiently the state can gain from it, especially given that the hidden prostitution is not quite as possible to access and the law appears to be a failure. The really important question to ask for a long-term change in attitudes towards the phenomenon, is why men have a need to buy women's bodies for sexual use. The gender system allows prostitution, while prostitution also, by extension, is part of and reproduces the gender system and the subordination of women in relation to man.

This thesis explores the lives of a group of fifteen exceptional women who were dedicated to the cause of advancing girls and women in sport and physical activity. Over several decades, they worked in a voluntary capacity to transform women in sport through practice and policy development. Moreover, they aligned such unpaid work with personal and local experiences of volunteering that eventually led to their participation in international sport circles and policies. The key settings for their voluntary service came from their roles in the emergence and maintenance of two international women‘s sport organisations – International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW) and WomenSport International (WSI). In addition, their voluntary roles were so substantial that they were inextricably interwoven within all aspects of their lives. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore the participants‘ relationships with sport volunteering, in the particular settings of IAPESGW and WSI, whilst analysing the role of volunteering in their lives. The study utilised a holistic framework to gain an in-depth understanding about the women‘s commitment to the cause and how volunteering fits into their lifestyle. As there were no models from the sport volunteering field that were appropriate for this study, the research drew upon and developed Hustinx and Lammertyn‘s (2003) non-sport model called the Collective and Reflexive Styles of Volunteering (SOV). The SOV was valuable because it offered a multi-dimensional approach to explain how, why, and when the participants got involved with advancing women‘s sport and physical activity, and how their involvement related to and influenced their wider lifestyles. A critical realist and social constructionist philosophy was employed to have a greater understanding of the women‘s realities, and life history interviews were conducted to gain a greater understanding about how they constructed their knowledge about themselves, sport, and the world around them. The study illustrated the complexity of the women‘s volunteer participation. The findings suggested that their sport passion and identity guided many of their actions and activities throughout their life, such as choices for higher education and within professional work. In addition, the findings showed that it was their personal experiences and gained knowledge about gender disadvantages in sport that initially stimulated and then repeatedly reinforced their interests and commitment. Although these had strong impacts on the women‘s entrance into and commitment to the cause, the findings highlighted that the women had to identify the conditions of their relationships, family, and types of paid work to be compatible with levels of volunteering. The study concluded that sport researchers can benefit from examining volunteers from a holistic perspective to gain a better understanding of the conditions under which individuals make such an extreme, voluntary contribution to sport.

Endometriosis is a pervasive, widespread disease that affects millions of women worldwide. The number of women affected by endometriosis is increasing at a staggering rate. Endometriosis impacts women in a variety of ways; it often gradually strips away their resistance to pain, their emotional strength, their concept of femininity and their ability to cope with challenges. This study aimed to provide a voice for women diagnosed with endometriosis. The study allowed the participants to share their experiences from diagnosis through to treatment and to explain the ways in which endometriosis influences their daily lives. In this research report the psychological impact of this disease is discussed, and factors that are not currently addressed by medical professionals treating women with endometriosis are highlighted. Social constructionism provided the theoretical framework for the study. One-on-one, in-depth interviews were conducted with five women who have been diagnosed with endometriosis by a gynaecologist through means of laparoscopic surgery. The method of analysis involved thematic network analysis. The participants’ narratives were converted into interview transcripts. These transcripts were analysed by the researchers and themes were identified. Themes that repeated were elaborated and were linked to available literature. The researcher hopes that this dissertation will contribute to existing knowledge regarding the psychological effects of endometriosis. It is hoped that it will help both the medical community and future and existing patients understand this disease and the effect that it has on the lives of women around the world, but particularly the lives of women in South Africa. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

Denna studie sker med bakgrund av den flyktingsituation som uppstod i världen under 2015 och som kom att kallas den värsta flyktingkatastrofen sedan andra världskriget. Många länder i Europa, Sverige inkluderat, upplevde ett ökat antal asylsökande under denna period och detta blev föremål för en intensiv mediabevakning och en rad politiska åtgärder. Syftet med denna uppsats är att kritiskt granska hur flyktingar och flyktingmigrationen till Sverige under hösten 2015 konstrueras genom den offentliga diskursen som förekommer i svensk nyhetsrapportering. Syftet är även att undersöka hur dessa konstruktioner kan komma att skapa en bild av människor på flykt som ”den andre”. Detta kommer göras genom att undersöka på vilket sätt flyktingmigrationen framställs i Aftonbladet med utgångspunkt i två av de politiska beslut som togs 2015, nämligen införandet av ID-och gränskontroller. Detta har gjorts genom en kvalitativ textanalys med hjälp av en perspektivanalys. Två perspektiv kunde identifieras i de undersökta artiklarna, Hot-perspektivet, där flyktingmigrationen till Sverige framsälldes som ett hot mot Sverige och den svenska välfärden, och Humanitetperspektivet, som fungerade som ett motperspektiv till Hot-perspektivet där Hot-perspektivets problemformulering ifrågasätts och den problematiska situationen anses vara att i och med de politiska besluten om att begränsa antalet asylsökande hotas flyktingars grundläggande mänskliga rättigheter. Studien kom fram till att Hot-perspektivet präglas starkt av en nationalstatlig uppfattning med spår av en rasistisk diskurs som bidrar till att sprida en uppdelning mellan ”vi” och ”dem” som i sin tur kan leda till spridandet av en exkluderande inställning gentemot asylsökande. Genom att beskriva flyktingmigrationen som ett hot mot det svenska samhället bidrar perspektivet till att legitimera en mer restriktiv hållning då dessa beslut framstår som rimliga och möjliga. Humanitetperspektivet präglas av en mer global syn som erbjuder en mer inkluderande uppfattning av flyktingar och asylsökande. Genom att lyfta problemformuleringen och placera den problematiska situationen både i och utanför Sverige bidrar Humanitetperspektivet med men mer global syn på flyktingmigrationen som sammanfogar världen till ett mer sammansatt samhälle istället för att se den som uppdelad i nationer.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka pressens rapportering gällande sexuellt våld. Särskilt fokus lades på hur pressen beskrev könstillhörighet, etnicitet och rättsväsendet. Vi undersökte även pressens rapportering i relation till Nils Christies teori om ideala offer. Detta studerades genom en kritisk diskursanalys och i studien har vi analyserat 100 artiklar om sexuellt våld från fyra rikstäckande svenska tidningar under perioden 1 april 2009 till 1 april 2016. Analysen resulterade i att tre övergripande diskurser identifierades. Dessa diskurser valde vi att benämna gärningspersonen som kalkylerande och manipulativ, brottsoffrens utsatthet och rättsväsendets brister. Resultaten visade att såväl gärningspersoner som offer beskrevs stereotypt i största delen av materialet och att könstillhörighet ofta var centralt i dessa beskrivningar. Vi fann också att rättsväsendet ifrågasattes och ofta framställdes på ett negativt sätt. De viktigaste slutsatserna var att stereotypa framställningar, makt och nyhetsvärde var närvarande i pressens rapporteringar. / Title: Sexual violence – as described in the Swedish press The purpose of this study was to examine the press coverage concerning sexual violence. Particular focus was placed upon the descriptions of gender, ethnicity and the justice system. Furthermore we did also examine the press coverage in relation to Nils Christies theory of ideal victims. This was examined by the use of critical discourse-analysis and in the study we analyzed 100 articles concerning sexual violence taken from four swedish nationwide issued magazines during a period dating from 1st of April 2009 until 1st of April 2016. The analysis resulted in the identification of three overall discourses which we chose to name the calculating and manipulative perpetrator, the vulnerable victim and judicial shortcomings. The results showed that both perpetrators and victims were described in a stereotypical way throughout most of the material and that gender often were a central part of these descriptions. We also found that the justice system were questioned and often portrayed in a negative way. The most important conclusions were that stereotypical portraying, power and newsworthiness were present in the press coverage.

This research focused primarily on exploring the talk of mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa, paying specific attention to their emic perceptions of the underlying causes of Anorexia Nervosa. The research sought to reveal the discourses underpinning participants talk. Further, the way in which these discourses serve to construct Anorexia Nervosa in particular ways as well as the function these discourses serve were explored. This study is qualitative and exploratory in design and provides a unique understanding of Anorexia Nervosa in the form of emic accounts gleaned from mothers' own experiences. The findings of this research suggest that mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa primarily reproduce a discourse on the causality of Anorexia Nervosa that is family or biomedically focused. Through analysis of the discourses embedded in participants’ talk, it became evident that participants reproduce discourses of gender and femininity and are influenced by societal pressure as well as the constructions of womanhood and motherhood. Insight into a side of the mother of the Anorectic, often concealed in the literature, was revealed through a semi-structured interview process with nine urban, middle-class, white South African mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa. Interviews were then transcribed and analysed according to Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Incorporating the silenced voices of mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa appears to have allowed for the emergence of a more generous view of the mother and has contributed to a larger set of discursive repertoires through which to understand Anorexia Nervosa. This research further gave rise to the realisation of a need for a critical education program whereby taken for granted notions can be revealed and actively engaged. This program would ideally seek to free the anorexic woman as well as the mother from the constraints of the uncritically constructed conceptualisations of Anorexia Nervosa and femininity.

The democratic elections in 1994 marked the formal end of apartheid. During apartheid 'race' was, for the most part, a somewhat rigid construct which, despite many nuances and complexities, typically seemed to frame whiteness as dominant, normative and largely invisible, and blackness as subordinate and marginalised. The transformations brought about in post-apartheid South Africa have heralded many positive reformations, such as macrolevel institutional changes. However, many of apartheid's racialised patterns of privilege and deprivation persist and 'race' continues to influence the identities of South Africans. Furthermore, an inherent tension exists in South Africa's social fabric, where ‘race’ and racism are often juxtaposed against narratives of the Rainbow Nation and colourblindness. This study, which is framed by critical 'race' theory and social constructionism, aims to explore the extent of the fluidity and rigidity of 'race', racialisation and racialised identities in post-apartheid South Africa by exploring the narratives of black and white first year students. This study collected the narratives of seven black and seven white first year South African university students. It was found that South African youth identities can be seen to be functioning in relation to and reaction against both South Africa’s racialised past as well as its present socio-cultural context. It was found that the racialised patterns which characterised apartheid still impact on black and white youth identity in contemporary South Africa. For instance, despite the many disruptions to whiteness post-1994, it was noted as still being a normative and dominant construct to some extent. Similarly, despite attempts to rectify power imbalances in the new South Africa, blackness is still constructed as being somewhat other and inferior. However, many alternative voices emerged which subverted these narratives, suggesting that identity is in a state of flux. Thus, despite the continued influence of apartheid’s racialised patterns of identity, shifts and schisms are appearing in post-apartheid racialised identity, where issues of racialised dominance and power relations are no longer as clear cut as they once were.

O cuidado às famílias das/os usuárias/os dos serviços de saúde mental é aspecto valorizado pelo modelo de atenção biopsicossocial e importante para efetivação da Reforma Psiquiátrica brasileira. Apesar disso, ainda é um desafio no cotidiano dos serviços. Para atender a esta necessidade, a literatura aponta a Educação Permanente em Saúde (EPS) como um recurso para o desenvolvimento desse cuidado, junto às/aos profissionais de saúde. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral entender como o processo conversacional contribui para o desenvolvimento da proposta da EPS e para a formação profissional para o cuidado às famílias de usuários/as de serviços de saúde mental. Para tanto, foram realizados dois processos formativos, com base na proposta da EPS, com dois grupos de profissionais de dois serviços públicos de saúde mental de um município de médio porte do estado de São Paulo. Ao todo, 18 profissionais participaram da pesquisa. A partir desses encontros, as conversas foram gravadas, transcritas e analisadas, utilizando a perspectiva construcionista social como guia teórico-epistemológico. A análise foi realizada com os seguintes objetivos específicos: identificar momentos críticos na interação, como marcos do processo conversacional, que indicam a ocorrência de reflexões e transformação de sentidos com relação à prática com famílias em saúde mental; analisar o uso de Registros Reflexivos como recursos conversacionais para a promoção de reflexões e transformação de sentidos. Com isso, cada um dos processos de EPS realizados foi nomeado a partir de características do seu processo conversacional e, para cada um deles, momentos críticos foram delimitados. No processo Caixa de marimbondo as conversas do grupo em torno das dificuldades do trabalho com famílias provocaram na facilitadora um sentimento de paralisação que, quando explicitado, gerou um momento crítico que permitiu ao grupo refletir sobre os espaços de reunião e seus efeitos. Já no processo Primavera entre os dentes as conversas sobre diferentes questões relacionadas ao cuidado às famílias promoveram transformações de sentido relacionadas à importância do trabalho desenvolvido pelas profissionais, à possibilidade de participação das famílias, à prática interdisciplinar e à importância do processo de EPS desenvolvido. Com isso, é destacada a centralidade do processo conversacional para que a EPS ocorra, sustentando a tese de que a facilitação pautada na responsividade fornece a base para construção de contextos de formação para o trabalho com famílias em saúde mental. / The Brazilian Psychiatric Reform predicts family care as a central aspect for treatment of people who suffers with psychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, it is still a challenge in everyday services in Brazil. To meet this need, literature and health policy point to Permanent Healthcare Education (PHE) as a way to promote this care. This research aimed to understand how conversational process contributes to develop the PHE proposal and to promote professional formation for taking care of family members in mental health services. To do so, two educational processes were carried out, based on the PHE policy and proposal, with two groups of professionals from two public mental health services in a medium-sized municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 18 professionals participated in the research. The conversations were, then, recorded, transcribed and analyzed, using the social constructionist perspective as a theoreticalepistemological guide. The analysis was performed with the following specific aims: identify critical moments in the interaction, considered as landmarks of the conversational process, which indicate the occurrence of reflections and transformation of meanings regarding the practice with family members in mental health care; analyze the use of Reflexive Records as conversational resources to promote reflections and transformation of meanings. Thus, each of the PHE-processes was named from the characteristics of its conversational process and, for each of them, critical moments were delimited. In the \"Hornet\'s nest process the group\'s conversations about the difficulties of working with family members provoked a feeling of paralysis in the facilitator which, when expressed, generated a critical moment which led the group to reflect on meeting spaces and their effects. In the \"Holding the spring\" process, conversations about different issues related to care practices with family members promoted changes in meanings related to the importance of care practices developed by professionals, to the possibility of participation of family members, to interdisciplinary practices and to the importance of the PHE process developed. With this, the centrality of the conversational process in order to PHE to occur is highlighted, supporting the thesis that facilitation based on responsiveness provides the ground for building educational contexts for working with family members in mental health services.