<p>The demands on the adult literacy-rate are very high in Sweden. People with reading and writing difficulties may find it hard to fit into the community and to succeed in school. To accommodate the needs of students with learning disabilities, Swedish schools provide easy-to-understand materials. The purpose of my thesis is to examine how easy-to-read textbooks for high school students are different from regular textbooks. The study was carried out using a content analysis and I examined the books according to criteria specified by the Swedish author Torbjörn Lundgren. The results showed that the adapted books do not follow the requirements for easy-to-read literature. However, there is a big difference between the easy-to-read textbooks and the regular textbooks. The easy-to-read books have been simplified and the content is explained in complete detail. There is also a big difference between the two adapted books that I examined. They seem to be based on different easy-to-read criteria.</p>

The purpose of this thesis is to increase the knowledge about the comprehensibility of the easy-to-read civic information. In the study I present my analysis of the content of four easy-to-read texts from four government authorities. The analysis constitutes the starting point for interviews with the target group – people with a minor mental retardation –, but it also reveals some possible difficulties for the intended readers. In the empirical study ten persons from the target group were asked to read a text and the comprehension was tested by oral questions about facts in the text. The empirical findings indicate that the main message was often understood. Still, the target group had some difficulties understanding the texts, although they are easy-to-read and intended for people with a minor mental retardation. The difficulties seem to be caused by the choice of words, abstract explanations and unclear content. Therefore I suggest further research to find out how to prevent such difficulties. / I dag ställs det krav på att myndigheter ska ge ut viss information på lättläst svenska till grupper som har svårt för att läsa och förstå annan information. En av de målgrupper som denna information riktar sig till är personer med en begåvningsnedsättning. Det ställer särskilt höga krav på att texten är enkelt skriven och skribenten kan t.ex. inte utgå från att läsaren har förkunskaper eller kan förstå bildspråk. Det övergripande syftet med denna studie är att öka kunskapen om hur myndigheternas lättlästa samhällsinformation kan göras begripligare för målgruppen personer med en begåvningsnedsättning. I studien undersöks fyra texter, med information som vi behöver i vardagslivet, från fyra statliga myndigheter. Studien försöker dels utröna hur begriplig den lättlästa samhällsinformationen är för målgruppen, dels vad det är som gör en text svår. Med utgångspunkt från svaren på dessa frågor förs en diskussion om hur texterna skulle kunna bli lättare att förstå för målgruppen. Undersökningen har en explorativ karaktär och forskningsansatsen är hermeneutisk. Studien utgår inte från någon vedertagen teori om lättläst samhällsinformation, men däremot utgör teorier inom språk-, kognitions- och handikappvetenskap en viktig bas. Studien består av en analys av innehållet i texterna. Textanalysen är framförallt avsedd att vara ett underlag för intervjuer och tolkningar av dessa. Analysen lyfter dock även fram tänkbara svårigheter i texterna. Studiens empiriska och viktigaste del består av intervjuer med tio personer ur texternas målgrupp. Samtliga personer hämtades från en skola för vuxna med en begåvningsnedsättning. Varje intervjuperson har fått läsa en text och därefter svarat på frågor om textens innehåll. Slutligen har jag jämfört om intervjupersonens svar stämmer överens med den tolkning jag gjort av textens budskap. Resultatet visar att texterna oftast lyckades förmedla sitt övergripande budskap, men att enstaka eller flera detaljer orsakade svårigheter för läsarna. Svårigheterna verkade bero på ordval, abstrakta förklaringar och innehållsliga otydligheter samt att texten krävde förkunskaper som läsaren inte hade. Att dessa faktorer kan leda till att förståelsen av en text försvåras är i sig inte nytt inom språkvetenskapen och kognitionsvetenskapen, men det intressanta är att svårigheter kvarstår även i texter som bearbetats till lättläst. Därför bör ytterligare forskning om lättläst samhällsinformation uppmuntras.

The demands on the adult literacy-rate are very high in Sweden. People with reading and writing difficulties may find it hard to fit into the community and to succeed in school. To accommodate the needs of students with learning disabilities, Swedish schools provide easy-to-understand materials. The purpose of my thesis is to examine how easy-to-read textbooks for high school students are different from regular textbooks. The study was carried out using a content analysis and I examined the books according to criteria specified by the Swedish author Torbjörn Lundgren. The results showed that the adapted books do not follow the requirements for easy-to-read literature. However, there is a big difference between the easy-to-read textbooks and the regular textbooks. The easy-to-read books have been simplified and the content is explained in complete detail. There is also a big difference between the two adapted books that I examined. They seem to be based on different easy-to-read criteria.

The paper describes a study on reading aloud to a group of four women with mild or moderate dementia living in a nursing home. The purpose of the study was to examine what reactions the reading aloud creates and if the reactions are different if the literature is written in common Swedish or in easy-to-read Swedish. Original and easy-to-read version of the book "The Lady with the Camelias" by Alexandre Dumas was chosen for reading aloud. The study was conducted in two separate parts with four reading sessions in each part. All sessions were filmed with two cameras, one of them focusing the group and the other focusing one individual. Reader was a caregiver at the womens nursing home.The videofilms have been transcribed and the data has been worked up with a qualitative content analysis. The result has thereafter been analysed on the basis of Erving Goffman´s theory of presentation of self together with relevant research. The study shows that the reading aloud awakened many different reactions, especially among the most verbal women. Three out of four women show a greater amount and more varied reactions during the reading ssions with easy-to-read literature. Alas, it is not possible to draw any certain conclusions about the importance of easy-to-read. One reason is the restricted size of group. Another reason is the difference in picture material between the texts which affected the reader´s activity. In spite of these limitations, the study shows that reading aloud can be stimulating for persons with dementia, even in moderate stage. The study also shows that the reader plays an important part in contributing to reactions in the group and especially in the more severely demential women.

A procedure has been developed for the preliminary selection of high-performance systems for office buildings in hot and humid climates. High-performance building systems and components were surveyed for buildings in the U.S., which were applicable for office buildings in hot and humid climates. This research developed a calibrated DOE-2.1e simulation model of a prototypical large office building. In addition, a Simplified Geometry DOE-2.1e (SGDOE-2.1e) model, was also developed, which used a simplified geometry to demonstrate the use of a proposed easy-to-use tool. The calibrated DOE-2.1e simulation model and the SGDOE-2.1e were compared and showed a good match with each. The SGDOE-2.1e model was then further modified based on the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999 commercial building energy code. A code-compliant (ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999) SGDOE-2.1e simulation model was then used as a baseline for the evaluation of the high-performance measures. A total of 14 high-performance measures were implemented including the energy savings, while the comfort level was maintained based on the ASHRAE comfort zone. In addition to the 14 high-performance measures, solar thermal and solar PV system analysis were integrated with the SGDOE-2.1e simulation model to further reduce the annual energy use. Finally, specifications of the proposed easy-to-use simulation tool were developed. This tool includes options to choose systems from the 14 high-performance measures and solar systems. The proposed easy-to-use systems selection tool can be used for new building practitioners and existing building owners as well to evaluate the performance of their new buildings compared to the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1999 code-compliant building, and to assess the feasibility of implementing high-performance measures to their existing buildings in terms of energy and cost savings.

Abstract The research model was evaluated police who use Knowledge of the Ministry of the Interior National Police Administration Police Intranet system. The survey data collected from 349 users. Then, TAM model was applied to conduct data analysis. The result supports our hypotheses and shows that female police perceived more bureaucracy than male. Female has more welling to use the system than male. The ages less than 35 years old are easier to learn how to use the system than age above 51. Hypotheses result shows that organizational culture has positive and significant influence on perceived useful, perceived easy of use, behavior intention, and performance. About organizational culture, police at high school education levels are more think their style is performance oriented than master education levels. Sum up, Knowledge of the Ministry of the Interior National Police Administration Police Intranet system is useful and helpful for the police.

<p>Speciallärarprogrammet med inriktning mot utvecklingsstörning</p>

This is a thesis on information design with a focus on text design. The purpose of this study is to gather knowledge about how information on the Easy-to-Read website, of the police, should be composed so that immigrants more easily will be able to read and understand the content. The goal of the study is to present a design proposal based on the knowledge that has been found through principles for readability, theoretical perspectives and literature, together with methods; readability analysis and interviews. The interviews were performed individually with the coordinator at polisen.se as well as four students from SFI (Swedish for immigrants).   The study showed that the content on the website of the police is not adequately adapted to the needs of the target group. It also exhibited that the website's disposition is unclear, and that complicated terms are not explained. This makes the understandability worse for immigrants as their difficulties with reading mostly have to do with vocabulary, background knowledge and textual proficiency is culturally limited. / Detta är ett examensarbete i Informationsdesign med inriktning mot textdesign. Syftet med denna studie är att få kunskap om hur information på polisens lättlästa webbplats ska utformas för att nyanlända svenskar lättare ska kunna läsa och förstå innehållet. Målet med studien är att presentera ett gestaltningsförslag grundat på den kunskap som framkommit genom principer för lättläst, teoretiska perspektiv och litteratur, samt metoder; läsbarhetsanalys och intervjuer. Intervjuerna skedde individuellt och genomfördes med samordnaren på polisen.se samt fyra elever från sfi.   Det framgick i studien att innehållet, på polisens lättlästa webbplats, inte är anpassat efter målgruppens behov. Det framkom bland annat att webbplatsens disposition är otydlig, och att komplicerade begrepp inte förklaras. Detta försvårar förståelsen för nyanlända svenskar då deras lässvårigheter framförallt har att göra med att deras ordförråd, bakgrundskunskaper och textkompetens, är kulturellt begränsade.

The aim of this study is to analyse how children’s literature for ages 6 – 8 is adapted to pupils with reading difficulties. The material used for analysis in this study is six children’s books, examining some of the criteria by which a text is classified as easy-to-read. The result of the analysis shows that there is a possibility for pupils with reading difficulties to read something other than easy-to-read literature if it is carefully selected. The result also shows that the different criteria for an easy-to-read text cannot alone indicate whether a book as a whole is easy-to-read or not.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:02:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4156.pdf: 3631906 bytes, checksum: bf30574504bf3edbe32d001686b535f4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-12 / The aim of this dissertation is to introduce a simulation tool called Easy Java Simulations (EJS), created by Francisco Esquembre, and also to provide guidelines to Physics teacher at the High School level in how it could be used by promoting differentiated learning activities for his students. An analysis of the strength of the tool EJS is performed and it is introduced the whole basic and necessary procedure for constructing a simulation, from the mathematical modeling of the evolution of the physical system until the elaboration of the interface that allows the visualization of the graphic elements. As a final product of the dissertation, it is presented an introductory guide to EJS for all teachers interested in learning and applying it within the classroom. It is intended that this work could motivate the teacher to improve his professional practice, breaking up with the actual classroom environment, based essentially on lectures and recitation classes, and through a continuous work of study and reflection, he could turn Physics teaching more efficient at the High School, since a significant portion of the students has shown little or none interest in studying Physics. Keywords: EJS. Easy Java Simulations. Physics Teaching. Teacher Preparation. Physics Simulation / O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar a ferramenta de simulação Easy Java Simulations (EJS), criada por Francisco Esquembre, e mostrar ao professor do Ensino Médio, através de alguns exemplos e de um guia básico sobre o EJS, como ele pode usá-la para preparar atividades de aprendizagem diferenciadas aos seus alunos. Faz-se uma análise da potencialidade da ferramenta EJS e apresenta-se todo o procedimento básico e necessário para a construção de uma simulação, desde o modelo matemático usado para modelar a evolução do sistema físico em estudo, até a preparação da interface gráfica que permite a visualização dos elementos gráficos. Como produto final da dissertação do Mestrado Profissional, apresenta-se um guia básico do EJS para aquele professor que estiver disposto e motivado em aprender os rudimentos do EJS e aplicá-los em sala de aula. Espera-se que este trabalho seja um convite para o professor melhorar a sua prática profissional, rompendo-se com uma formação ambiental, de caráter repetitivo, e que, a partir de um trabalho contínuo de estudo e de reflexão, ele possa tornar o Ensino de Física no Ensino Médio eficiente, já que uma parcela significativa dos alunos demonstra pouco, ou nenhum, interesse pelo estudo de Física.