Few studies have focused on how learning takes place in physical education and health (PEH) practices, and even more so in relation to artifact use. Dance is a core content in the Swedish curriculum, but according to previous research it nevertheless rarely occurs in practice due to many teachers’ lack of knowledge. Movement qualities are something that students are supposed to develop in the subject, where dance can be used as a form of activity. The aim of the licentiate thesis is to examine students’ use and development of different movement qualities in a learning process where dance exergames are used as teaching aids in the PEH practice in upper secondary school. The research questions in the study are: (1) what kind of movement qualities do students use when they interact with each other and with dance exergames, and (2) how does the learning of movement qualities occur when dance exergames are used as teaching aids? A series of seven PEH-lessons were designed. Four of the lesson had a spe-cific purpose, such as working with rhythm and coordination where the exergames Nintendo Wii Just Dance 3 and 4 were used as teaching aids. In two other lessons the students worked in groups to create their own dances, and as a final goal, at lesson seven, the groups presented their dances. All the lessons were video recorded. A framework inspired by Laban’s movement analysis was used to analyze the students’ movement qualities, based on four aspects: body, space, effort and relationship. To be able to analyze the students, the dance exergames and the context as a whole, the study involved a socio-cultural ap-proach to learning. Learning situations in the ongoing practice were also ana-lyzed, where learning was investigated as something that occurs through inter-actions between students and between students and artifacts. The results show a way to describe students’ movement qualities, which con-tribute to PEH-teachers language of knowledge in movement. The results also demonstrate that learning occurred through imitation, repetition, communica-tion, negotiation, practice, modeling, instruction and using metaphors. A con-clusion is that students’ use and development of movement qualities do not depend on the use of the dance exergames per se, instead it depends on how the dance exergames are used in PEH practice. / Forskningslinjen Utbildning

In this study the aim was to describe and understand how meanings emerge from the context in which the food practices of the peoples of Mmotla were construed. South African society is multi-cultural and black South Africans, upon contact with Western-oriented societies, seem to have gradually or partially adopted the Western lifestyle including eating patterns, leading to changing traditional food practices that can be mostly attributed to the effect of acculturation, urbanisation and modernisation processes. The current knowledge base of food practices of the South African population as a whole is fragmentary, with limited information on what some sectors of certain population groups eat. Inadequate attention is paid to the reasons why specific food items are chosen or excluded. To facilitate meaningful consumer education and to recommend sound nutrition interventions, a thorough understanding of why as well as what South Africans eat is urgently needed. Moreover, cognisance should be taken of the factors that contribute to the development of typical food practices within specific communities. As confirmed in various studies in other countries, the reasons for human food choices require an appreciation of the fact that food practices are embedded in the food choice processes which, in turn are guided by numerous interrelated and interdependent factors that are context-specific. A holistic and contextual approach with knowledge of the socio-cultural, psychological, historical and demographic factors that contribute to food practices should be uncovered when attempting to understand and describe these practices and their underlying meanings. The human ecological perspective, as overarching theoretical perspective, is supported by cultural and symbolic interactionism perspectives and other theoretical models, and combined with a qualitative research design to uncover, describe and interpret all the environmental levels, the physical, politico-economic, socio-cultural and the micro-world of the individual, and their embedded factors. Data was obtained from focus group discussions and interviews, supported by participant observation and unobtrusive measures. Purposive sampling was used to select female participants for the focus groups and theoretical sampling for the individual interviews. Gathered data was systematically analysed according to the grounded theory approach throughout the data collection phase. From the findings it became apparent that the food practices of the peoples in Mmotla continue to develop and change. A distinct move towards the modern Western-oriented food practices emerged. Although acculturation of food practices was evident, traditional food practices were not discarded, and both traditional and modern food practices were embraced and regarded as important. Meanings linked to the socio-cultural and socio-psychological environments were used to define the context in which food items were used as symbols, signs or codes to define a specific situation and/or communicate the associated meanings. This resulted in dynamic movement between the two poles, the modern and the traditional, depending on the context. Thus the acculturation response is consequently seen to be fluid, context-specific and driven by various interacting factors from the different environmental levels. This valuable and noteworthy contribution augments existing theories and models on food choice within the South African context. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

The study examines the factors that cause school absenteeism and how the high school/upper secondary can work to prevent school absenteeism and promote school attendance. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate what the high school/upper secondary school students describe as absenteeism prevention and promote attendance. The theoretical framework for the study consists of a socio-cultural perspective, a relational perspective, and the theory of KASAM. The study approach is qualitative and the study data were collected through mixed methods where semi-structured interviews were supplemented with a survey of the high school/upper secondary school students in grades 2 and 3. Based on the students' descriptions, the school's work on preventing absence and promoting attendance can be seen as complex. The students show, as in previous research, that many different factors influence the students' attendance and absence and that the causal factors can vary from student to student. The result further shows that there are a variety of factors related to the school's learning environments that can prevent absenteeism and promote attendance. The conclusion of the study highlights the importance of high school/upper secondary school working to strengthen students' motivation, participation, security, health, wellness and well-being. Highschool/upper secondary school should also work actively to ensure that the learning environment in the school is varied and that the teaching is adapted to the diversity of pupils' needs and conditions. Based on the results, it is determined that a broad repertoire of strategies and methods is needed in the school's absence prevention and attendance promotion work. The special pedagogical relevance of the study is made visible by the study showing that the school's attendance promotion and absence prevention work is strengthened by the school working to identify and map obstacles and opportunities in the school's educational, social and physical learning environments and based on the development of the school's learning environments at both individual and organizational levels.

The purpose of the study is to shed light on and increase understanding of children's language development with a focus on multilingualism in preschool / kindergarten. I also investigate the working methods used by preschool teachers to support language development in multilingual children. The questions I have asked are: How do preschool teachers relate to the language development of multilingual children in preschool?  What working methods are used by preschool teachers in work with children's language development in preschool? To find answers for my questions, I use qualitative interviews with five preschool teachers from three different preschools in the same municipality in Stockholm. This study is based on Lev Vygotsky's theory of the sociocultural perspective and the proximal developmental zone. The reason I use the sociocultural perspective on language development is because I am of the belief that language is learned and developed mainly through social interaction between an individual and its environment. Results in the study showed that preschool teachers are aware that support, repetition, and appreciation provide a positive stimulus to multilingual children's language development. However, the interviewed preschool teachers point out that they have no specific knowledge about working with multilingual children. The study has also concluded that preschool teachers believe that multilingualism is an asset for both the individual and for the society. What also emerged in the study is that preschool teachers take the parents and other educators at the preschool as resources. Methods used by preschool teachers are digital books in several languages (pollyglutt), concrete material and pictures, reading aloud, storytelling, rhymes and jingles, Memory games that increase children's language development.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the preschool teacher’s attitude and attitude towards working with children who have Swedish as a second language. We are also investigating what working methods and materials preschool teachers use to promote multilingual children's language development with regards to the Swedish language and the child's mother tongue. Issues that we have used are: What attitude do preschool teachers have in working with multilingualism? What working methods and materials do preschool teachers use to promote multilingual children's language development with regards to the Swedish language and the child's mother tongue? To get answers to our purpose, we used qualitative interviews with six preschool teachers from four different preschools in three different municipalities in Stockholm. We have analyzed data collection from a socio-cultural perspective. The result showed that interviewed preschool teachers see the work of multilingualism as an asset. Preschool teachers are aware that it is a resource to know more than one language, as the children can switch between both languages. In our result, it was found that the educator’s main way of working for language development is to work consciously in smaller groups of children. To have a conversation while reading is the most important factor in promoting multilingual children's language development. The educators use books in different languages, concrete materials, and pictures in planned activities such as gatherings and fairy tales. All preschool teachers also believe that rhymes and language-developing games such as memory increase children's language development.

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Syftet med denna studie är att belysa arbetet med genrebreddning inom sångundervisning på kulturskola och identifiera vilken betydelse sånglärares utbildning och musikaliska bakgrund har för elevers möjligheter att få sjunga olika genrer. Forskningsfrågorna är följande: Vilka möjliga mönster finns mellan lärares undervisning och deras egna genreintresse, musikaliska identitet och utbildning? Hur talar sånglärare på kulturskolan om sitt arbete med genrebreddning? Tidigare forskning om ämnet visar starka kopplingar mellan genre och identitet, samt att undervisningen påverkas av lärarens musikaliska bakgrund. Studien är av kvalitativ art och fyra sånglärare på kulturskolan har intervjuats i semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna har transkriberats och analyserats med tematisk analys och utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Resultatet lyfter två huvudteman: Genre och identitet och Undervisning utifrån genre. Resultatet pekar på samband och skillnader mellan informanternas svar och visar att informanterna själva drar starka kopplingar mellan deras egna genreintressen och den undervisning de erbjuder. De delar åsikten att genrebreddning är givande för undervisningen och att det är viktigt att inte lägga värdering i vilka genrer eller sångsätt som är bra eller dåliga. De har dock olika bild av hur arbetet med genrebreddning kan gå till. I diskussionen lyfts resultatet till en mer generell nivå och kopplas till tidigare forskning om ämnet. Exempel på ämnen som lyfts är möjligheten att undervisa genrefritt, och hur informanternas utbildning påverkat deras undervisning och genreval. / The aim of this study is to enlighten the work with genre breadth in teaching singing at the municipal school of arts and to identify the way the education and musical background of the singing teacher affects pupils’ possibilities to sing a variety of genres. The research questions are: What possible connections are there between the teachers’ instruction and their own interests, identity and education in different genres? How do the singing teachers at the municipal school of arts talk about their work with genre breadth? Previous research about the subject shows strong connections between genre and identity, and that instruction is affected by teachers’ background in music. The study is qualitative and four singing teachers at the municipal school of arts have been interviewed in semi-structured interviews. The interviews have been transcribed and analysed with thematic analysis based on a socio-cultural perspective. The result reveals two main themes: Genre and identity and Instruction based on genre. The result points to connections and differences between the informants' answers and shows that the informants themselves see strong connections between their own interests in genre and the instruction they offer. They share the opinion that genre breadth is rewarding for their interaction and that it is important not to value which genres and singing styles that are good or bad. They do however differentiate their view on how they work with genre breadth.  The discussion lifts the results to a more general level and connect the themes to previous research about the subject. Examples of themes that are illuminated are the possibilities to teach free from genre, and how the informants’ education have affected their instruction and choices in genre.

Samhället är väldigt digitaliserat och digitala lärresurser har fått ett stort utrymme på skolan i nästan alla årskurser. Syftet med att använda digitala lärresurser är för att stötta eleverna i deras lärande och utveckling. Digitala lärresurser har ytterligare ett syfte som är att underlätta lärarens arbete. I denna studie kommer en systematiskt litteraturstudie att göras för att undersöka vad tidigare forskning som har fokuserat på digitala lärresurser i matematikundervisning kommer sammanställas. digitala lärresurser inom matematikundervisningen. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att undersöka användningen av digitala lärresurser under matematikundervisningen samt hur den kan främja elevers lärande. Studien kommer även att ta del av användningen av digitala lärresurser utifrån sociokulturella perspektivet. Resultaten av de sammanställda forskningarna visade att digitala lärresurser av olika slag kan främja elevernas lärande på olika sätt. Det främjar bland annat motivation till lärande, engagemang, problemlösningsförmåga, algebraiska tänkande, tal beräkningar, mönsterigenkänning m.m. Resultatet har även visat att en stor del av bakomliggande aspekter som kan hindra att elevers lärande främjas genom digitala lärresurser är lärarnas brist på kunskap gällande användning av materialet. / Society is highly digitalized and digital learning resources have been given a large space at school in almost all grades. The purpose of using digital learning resources is to support students in their learning and development. Digital learning resources have another purpose, which is to facilitate the teacher's work. In this study, a systematic literature study will be done to investigate what previous research that has focused on digital learning resources in mathematics education will be compiled. digital learning resources in mathematics teaching. The purpose of this literature study is to investigate the use of digital learning resources during mathematics teaching and how it can promote student learning. The study will also considerthe use of digital learning resources based on the socio-cultural perspective. The results of the compiled research showed that digital learning resources of various kinds can promote students' learning in different ways. Among other things, it promotes motivation for learning, commitment, problem-solving skills, algebraic thinking, number calculations and pattern recognition. The results also show that a large part of the underlying aspects that can prevent students' learning from being promoted through digital learning resources is the teachers' lack of knowledge regarding the use of the material

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Syftet med denna studie är att få större insikt i vad det innebär att utveckla en ny sångteknik. För att undersöka detta har jag under en fyraveckorsperiod övat edge tio minuter per dag, fem dagar i veckan. Tre av dessa övningstillfällen har videofilmats. Jag har också använt mig av loggbok för att dokumentera mina olika upplevelser under processens gång. Som teoretisk utgångspunkt har jag utgått utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. I resultatet redovisas vilka redskap som användes och hur dessa hanterades samt hur processen gällande lärandet har utvecklats. Resultatet visar att de mest centrala redskap som användes var kroppen, metodboken, pianostol, vägg och en låt. Flera av redskapen användes för att få bättre luftkontroll. I diskussionen beskriver jag utifrån det sociokulturella perspektivet vilka förutsättningar som har funnits samt vilka redskap som användes vid lärandet. / The purpose of the study is to get a deeper insight of what it means to develop a new singing technique. To study this I have practiced edge ten minutes per day during a period of four weeks, five times a week. Three of these exercices have been videotaped. I have also used a logbook to document new experiences during the process. I have a socio-cultural perspective as a theoretical base in this study. In the result the different tools that were selected show how these were handled and how the process in learning has developed. The results show that the most central tools that were used were the body, the method book, the piano chair, the wall and a song. In the discussion I describe, from a socio-cultural perspective, what the conditions have been, and which tools I have used.