This study examines senior education officers' (SEOs) perceptions of the meanings and characteristics of the term 'leadership' both from their traditional PNG and Western perspectives. Data were drawn from questionnaires returned by 20 SEOs, 2 recorded interviews and a focus-group methodology. The purposes of the study are to: (i) define the meaning of leadership from the senior education officers' perspectives and through the review of the literature; and (ii) identify key characteristics and skills of the leadership role of senior education officers in PNG today, as a basis for improving practice and informing knowledge about leadership. Respondents were asked to define the meaning of the term leadership, and to describe their most memorable leadership experiences which may have helped to shape their understanding of leadership. They were also asked to identify and to list the key leadership functions, qualities and skills/abilities which they perceive to be most important in their roles today, and for the foreseeable future. Literature on leadership is complex and wide ranging. Those which provided data of particular significance in specific areas directly related to this study include: Rost (1991) on the definitions of leadership; Kouzes and Posner (1993 and 1987) in relation to characteristics of leadership; on educational leadership (Sergiovanni et al 1987, Turney et al 1992, and Fullan 1991 and 1992) in relation to the functions, qualities and related skills/abilities of educational leaders; on culture and cross-cultural studies (Hallinger and Leithwood 1996, Heck 1996, Bates 1992); and various ethnographic sources on PNG and Melanesian traditional and contemporary leadership. A number of significant findings have emerged through this research study. The first, relates to a firm view of traditional PNG/Melanesian leadership as a 'shared leadership', defined in this study as a shared influence relationship among members of a social unit through a mutual quest for their existence. The notion of shared leadership emphasises the importance of reciprocal generosity, cooperation and competition for Melanesians in their daily quest for their needs and aspirations based on mutual concern, care and devotion for one another. The great diversity of people and cultures of Melanesians also enriches the view of 'leadership as cultural practice' (Gerstner and O'Day 1995, Heck 1996, Bates 1992) and the interplay of 'education as cultural construction'. These insepearable concepts provide logical and promising framework both towards transcending knowledge, cultures and poeple, and an interest to engage in more cross-cultural research. This study identifies among the most pressing problems of contemporary leadership in PNG relates to the inability of leaders to transcend traditional knowledge and customary practices with the new Western knowledge and practices. In other words, the problems of transcending the notion of 'shared leadership' with Western leadership characterised by public accountability, credibility and integrity normally associated with leadership in public office cannot easily be matched and transferred. This study suggests a 'transcendent leadership model' as a potential solution toward achieving this end. Extending beyond one's own limits, to do something extraordinary and admirable for the common good is what transcendent leadership model suggests every leader must be able to do. The foundations of transcendent behaviour the literature suggests include: moral and ethical living (Starratt 1996); ambition, competence, and integrity (Bennis and Goldsmith 1994); and honesty, forward-outlook and inspiration (Kouzes and Posner 1993). The literature indicates that these qualities and skills require proper 'intellectual conditioning' (Ramoi 1987, Narakobi 1991), to produce 'educated persons' (Starratt 1996) who are able to understand, appreciate, critique, and participate in their cultures, traditions, and history. This study therefore investigates and defines the meanings, roles and functions of the concepts of leadership, culture and education in relation to the cross-cultural conditions of the work of SEOs in PNG.

The aim of this qualitative respondent investigation is to delve into the various views that teachers have concerning the “One-to-One project”, as well as the use of computers as an aid in teaching. One-to-One means that teachers and students will be equipped with a laptop they can use at home and at school.This essay looks at how several factors have changed as a result of this. These factors are threefold: the role of the teacher, the teaching experience, and the student´s learning process. In order to answer the mentioned questions, four interviews have been conducted at two different high schools in southern Norrland. The theory used is the socio-cultural perspective. One result has been that computers can simplify teaching in various ways. Students have faster access to information, and there exists a platform for further communication between the teacher and student outside the classroom. However, there are also several negative aspects. One of these is that the students spend time doing non-school related activities, such as interacting using social mediums. Results also show that the role of the teacher has due to the "One-to-One project" gone from being structural to being interactional. The conclusions reached by the investigation are that today’s schools are experiencing a paradigm shift. Old teaching methods are being replaced by new methods and an altered teaching practice has developed as a result of the presence of the computer in the classroom.

The aim of this thesis was to use qualitative approaches to show how teachers in primary school reason on their way to meet and communicate with children who have ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). Research questions of the study were as follows: How does teachers in primary school reason about their way to communicate with children with ADHD? Do the teachers use some specific methods or means of communication with students who have ADHD? Do the teachers reason about their way how to handle conflicts with students who have ADHD? I collected my empirical material through a qualitative interview method. My theoretical starting points were interaction theory and the socio-cultural perspective. I have used these theories to analyze my material. The material has also been analyzed and set against previous research on children with ADHD, and against the background. The results show that all of the informants believe that communication and to build relationships with children who have ADHD have a significant role in these children to get a good education. The result shows that work with children who have ADHD are complex and constantly need to be evaluated and developed for the individual.

Despite the globalization and cultures’ convergence, it is scholarly recognized that cross-cultural issues are important in a business context, especially for companies extending their activities internationally. However, existing theory does not provide an explicit answer of how cultural differences between countries influence customers’ perception of different aspects of marketing communication mix. That is why the underlying task of the current paper is to investigate if cross-cultural differences within the same geographic region are big enough to affect customers’ perception of marketing communication mix used. To facilitate a data collection, Central and Eastern European region represented by Ukraine and Czech Republic were chosen. As a reference tourism industry was used, due to its’ current significance, scale and global nature. Data was collected by conducting secondary and primary research, both having quantitative nature. Secondary data was collected through statistical offices and official on-line sources. For the primary research purposes a questionnaire survey was conducted among pre-defined target audience in Czech Republic and Ukraine. 300 responses obtained provided a solid basis for the further analysis.  Based on the relevant theory and secondary research findings four hypotheses were developed to address the research question “Does cross-cultural differences within Central and Eastern Europe affect the marketing communication mix in a specific industry?”. The study results provided that cultural differences exist not only between different regions, but also found within the same geographic region. When considered from marketing perspective, they are significant enough to influence customers’ preferences and perceptions of different aspects of marketing communication mix. The results obtained are specific for a particular case, so they can not be applied to some other countries. However, when it comes to marketing communication perceptions, the results can be used as guidelines by other industries then tourism

The purpose of my study is to determine students’ attitudes to the Natural Science subject. I want to contribute to scientific discourse about different learning styles that can respond to childrens’ requirements in teaching as well as to determine the student’s experience of learning styles. The studies were carried out at an upper secondary school in Stockholm (spring term 2011) for three different classes. I have used qualitative interviews to determine student's experiences and quantitative analysis of student's evaluations of science subjects they have been taught. In my research I concluded that pupils’ attitudes to science are quite common. I also suggest that students with negative attitudes to science have a basis in the student's difficulties with science learning. I also found that the students have different ways of learning. By making the students aware of their best way to learn they can develop individual strategies for attaining new information. The traditional teaching methods that exist in today's education system impart knowledge in the form of finished facts. This can lead to pupils having difficulties in learning. Therefore teachers must adapt their teaching styles and methods to a way that fits all of the students’ different ways of processing information and learning. Schools need to find different approaches to the teaching of its pupils. My conclusion is that if teachers adjust their methods of teaching the Natural science subjects to suit each student learning - styles, this can increase their ability to learn and therefore increase their comprehension of the subjects.

Syftet med studien är att få en fördjupad kunskap om innebörden av Time som begrepp samt att ge en bild av hur erfarna lärare hanterar ämnet i sin undervisning. Denna studie har sin teoretiska utgångspunkt i det sociokulturella perspektivet och hur medierande redskap används i undervisningen. Den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun användes som metod för att få svar på mina frågor. De fem informanterna arbetar i antingen Värmlands eller Örebro Län. De är alla verksamma pedagoger på nivåerna från gymnasium upp till musikhögskola och de undervisar i olika musikämnen. Resultatet visar att ämnet handlar om hur man, som musiker, placerar sina toner i förhållande till en given puls samt att alla informanter understryker att Time är viktigt och bör undervisas i. Flera redskap används för att lära ut ämnet Time, och i de fall val av redskap sammanfaller mellan informanterna, är det ändå uppenbart att de används på olika sätt. / The purpose of this study is to acquire a deeper knowledge of the concept, Musical Time, and to show how experienced teachers apply this in their teaching. This study has its theoretical base in how the sociocultural perspective tools are used in teaching. The method used to attain the results is the qualitative research interview. All of the five informants work in either Värmlands Län or Örebro Län. They are active teachers who teach in different levels from high school up to music academy. The results show that Time is about how musicians place their rhythms in relation to the pulse and that all of my informants view the topic as being important and should be taught in all forms of musical education. The tools applied are many and it is not uncommon, in cases where only one tool is used, that the teachers use it in several different ways.

The purpose of my report was to find out how music can benefit the language development of children, whilst getting a glimpse of how the educators in preschools use music as a tool for the language development of children. During the course of the report I’ve used the sociocultural perspective theory as a foundation to stand on, this is most of all visible in my analysis and discussion of the result.   In the result we can see that the educators possess insight in the importance of music in childrens development, and that they therefore give music a lot of room in their work. Songs where rhyme and language play are allowed are common elements at the preschool that attracts the children and makes them want to partake. Songs sung with movement is a commonly used combination which also serves to further lift the childrens language development when they, through movement, give meaning to the lyrics.   It does however take a devoted educator to make music with the preschool children and to support them and making them want to do it. The educator must be aware of the importance of the social interaction to make use of music seem important to the children. When music is made that moment has to be a harmonic and safe moment to create room for the children to learn and grow, not least in a linguistic manner. Educators who aren’t aware of how they present themselves to the children, and how doesn’t show any interest or curiosity in what’s being done will rub off their emotions onto the children increasing the risk of no learning or development taking place.

Skolkören har länge funnits som en naturlig del av skolans verksamhet, men den har haft olika betydelse genom läroplanerna det senaste århundradet. Tidigare studier kring skolkörens funktion visar att den sociala aspekten är den som är mest framträdande. Studien har hämtat inspiration från Juvas Liljas (2001). Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka skolkörens funktion och förutsättningar i årskurs 1-6 så som den uppfattas av rektorer och körledare. Följande frågeställningar har använts för att ta reda på detta: 1. Hur uppfattar rektorer och körledare skolkörens funktion i årskurs 1-6? 2. Framträder det ett socialt och/eller pedagogiskt perspektiv i rektorers och körledares syn på skolkörens funktion? 3. Vad är förutsättningarna för en fungerande skolkör i årskurs 1-6, enligt rektorer och körledare? För att få svar på detta har en kvalitativ studie genomförts genom intervjuer på fyra skolor. Rektorerna och körledarna på dessa skolor har svarat på frågor som var strukturerade, och av låg standardiserad art. De förberedda frågorna var formulerade i olika frågeområden. Av resultatet framkommer att skolkörens funktion är att främja en social gemenskap som i sin tur leder till en ökad självkänsla. Skolkören ska även fungera som reklam för skolan. Den agerar som skolans identitet i samband med skolavslutningar, FN-dagen och vid lucia, för att nämna några exempel. Skolkören kan även agera som verktyg vid språkinlärning. En vilja till att bryta ner de sociala och identitetsutvecklande funktionerna och att kunna använda dessa i skolans övriga verksamhet är något som också framkommer i resultatet. / The school choir has long existed as a natural part of the school's activities, but it has had different meanings by curriculum in the last century. Previous studies on the function of the school choir show that the social aspect is the most prominent. The study was inspired by Juvas Liljas (2001). The purpose of this study was to examine school choir’s performance and prospects in grades 1-6 as perceived by head teachers and choir leaders. The following questions have been used to study this: 1. How do head teachers and choir leaders perceive the function of the school choir in grades 1-6? 2. Does a social and/or educational perspective of head teachers and choir leaders on the function of the school choir emerge? 3. What are the prerequisites for a functional school choir in grades 1-6, according to the head teachers and choir leaders? To get answers to this, a qualitative study was conducted through interviews in four schools’. Head teachers and choir leaders in those schools’ answered questions that were structured, and of a low standardized type. The prepared questions were phrased in different question areas. The result proves that the function of the school choir is to promote a social community which in turn leads to increased self-esteem. School choir will also serve as PR for the school. It acts as the school's identity in connection with graduation day, U.N. day and lucia, to name a few. School choir can also act as a tool for language learning. A willingness to transfer the social and identity development and to be able to use these in the school's other business is something that also emerge from the study.

This study aims to give an account of five teachers’ views and understandings of second language (L2) learners’ previous knowledge, as well as, their linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This is carried out by the means of qualitative interviews, where the sampling consists of five primary school teachers at various schools. The findings are presented and analyzed using a thematic analysis. Furthermore, the study indicates that teachers in general have a positive attitude to learning more about their L2 learners’ prior knowledge and backgrounds, both for the pupils, as well as, their own sake. However, they know very little about it, and there are shortcomings in the knowledge of what the appropriate approach might look like in order to find out about this. Lastly, the study also shows that teachers strive to become better at identifying the L2 learners’ backgrounds and previous knowledge.

Syftet med detta arbete är att ta reda på gitarrlärares uppfattningar om konsekvenserna av hur olika digitala verktyg och sociala medier används i gitarrundervisningen på musikutbildningar på olika nivåer. För att uppnå detta syfte har jag intervjuat fyra verksamma gitarrlärare. Studien utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv och i resultatet visas att lärare, med hjälp av digitala verktyg och sociala medier, får fler källor att inhämta lektionsmaterial ifrån och att informationen är mer lättillgänglig nu än förr. Det framkommer också av resultatet att lättillgängligheten kan vara någonting negativt och kan lämna en frustration hos eleverna. En av de viktigaste slutsatserna är att lärare anser att undervisningen blir bättre med hjälp av digitala verktyg och sociala medier, om de används på rätt sätt. / The purpose of this study is to find out guitar teachers' perceptions of the consequences of the various digital tools and social media used in guitar teaching in music education at different levels. In order to achieve this purpose, I interviewed four practicing guitar teachers. The study is based on a socio-cultural perspective and the result shows that the teachers, with the help of digital tools and social media, get supplementary sources to gather lesson materials from and that the information is more readily available now than before. It also appears from the results that the ease of access can be something negative and can leave a frustration among the students. One of the main conclusions is that teachers believe that teaching is getting better with the help of digital tools and social media, if used in the right way.