No description available.

Problematisk skolfrånvaro är ett aktuellt socialt problem som ökar i omfattning. Detta examensarbete syftar därför till att undersöka skolans, socialtjänstens samt barn- och ungdomspsykiatrins arbete med att främja skolnärvaro samt återintegrera grundskoleelever i undervisningen. Vidare syftar arbetet till att undersöka hur samverkan ser ut mellan dessa aktörer. Denna kvalitativa studie baseras på sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med yrkesverksamma inom skola, socialtjänst samt barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin. Datamaterialet har analyserats utifrån handlingsutrymme, samverkan, ekologisk systemteori samt tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visar att skolnärvaro utgör en friskfaktor för barns välbefinnande och utveckling. Av resultatet framgår även att neuropsykiatriska funktionsnedsättningar är den främsta orsaken till problematisk skolfrånvaro, detta eftersom stödinsatserna är bristfälliga. Likväl påvisar samtliga intervjupersoner att arbetet med problematisk skolfrånvaro upplevs som en utmaning. Studien redogör även att en välfungerande samverkan är avgörande vid arbetet med problematisk skolfrånvaro. Våra resultat synliggör däremot att både den interna och externa samverkan gällande problematisk skolfrånvaro är bristfällig. Studien belyser således vikten av att finna fungerande arbetssätt för att främja skolnärvaro och kunna återintegrera elever i undervisningen. / Problematic school absenteeism is a current and increasing societal problem. The purpose of this master thesis is to create an understanding for the school, social services, and the children and youth psychiatry’s work to promote school attendance and reintegrate elementary school students into the education system. The thesis also aims to portray the cooperation between these actors. This qualitative study is based upon seven semi-structured interviews with professionals within the school, social services, and the children and youth psychiatry. Room of action, cooperation, ecological system theory as well as prior research has been used to analyze the data. What the study concludes is that school attendance contributes to children’s wellbeing, and development. Furthermore, the results showed that neuropsychiatric disabilities is the primary cause of problematic school absenteeism due to a lack of sufficient support. In addition, we learn that problematic school absenteeism is perceived by all interviewees as a challenge. The thesis also unveils that effective cooperation is essential when facing the issue. However, our results prove that both internal, and external cooperation is lacking in relation to problematic school absenteeism. Thus, the study displays the importance of finding functioning work methods to combat problematic school absenteeism and reintegrate students back into the education system.

Students are coming to school with myriad issues that teachers and schools cannot address alone. ecological systems theory posits that the environments with which a child comes into contact, either directly or indirectly, can impact her or his development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). With the support of community partner organizations in the local community, community schools can effectively respond to students’ needs and help them navigate the interconnected web of environments. Through interviews, focus groups, and a document review, this cross-site case study explored the practices that are employed by community school leaders (school staff and employees of community partner organizations) at two pilot high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to implement six guiding principles of community schools. The study also captured impacts of these practices through participants’ perceptions, documents, and the application of transformative leadership theory. The findings revealed that the pilot school model is a natural avenue for the community schools strategy, and that intentional practices and a shared vision by all stakeholders can result in transformative impacts on students and the school as a whole. District and school leaders could consider developing processes and systems for implementing a community schools strategy district-wide by providing funding for community school coordinators for school sites, working with school leaders to develop their shared decision-making skills, and leveraging the assets and resources of community partners.

The aim of the study was to examine the association between different life areas and youth’s engagement in gambling. The life areas focused in the study were relationships with parents, school, friends and mental health. The study used cross-sectional data from the Stockholm Survey collected in 2020 among students in the ninth grade in elementary school and in the second grade of upper secondary school in Stockholm (n=4495). The results were analyzed using Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. The results showed that youth whose parents had more insight into their child’s life were less likely to have engaged in gambling during the past 12 months. Parental permission to gamble showed positive correlations to youth having gambled within the last 12 months. Having a more negative school environment and more experiences of psychosomatic symptoms also showed positive correlations to youth gambling within the last 12 months. The study concludes that (1) increased parental presence and restrictions regarding parent’s acceptance of gambling can reduce the risk of youth gambling, (2) creating a positive school environment could reduce youth gambling, (3) adults, such as parents and teachers, could have a key role in detecting youth gambling since gambling may manifest as psychosomatic symptoms.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Supervisor: Nina Lindén Åkerlund Examiner: Staffan Bengtsson This study aims to investigate the impact of screen use on children and young adults. Previous research regarding screen use among children and young adults is compiled in a literature review in the form of a scoping review. The results have been thematically analyzed with the help of the SOC-theory (sense of coherence) and ecological systems theory. The results show that screen use has both positive and negative aspects that can be understood through factors of risk and protection which are prevalent on individual, group and societal levels. The study contributes to the understanding of the impact that screen use has on children and young adults and is particularly relevant in relation to social work.

This dissertation explores how student support services (SSS) within the K-12 ecosystem's relationship with technology, or cyberpsychology, has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic grounded in the ecological systems theory (EST) framework. The first article investigated professional school counselors' use of technology for communication to meet student needs while upholding the American School Counseling Association's (ASCA) high ethical standards. The study examined how professional school counselors navigated using technology for communication amidst school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second article explored the learning experiences of emergent bilingual (EB) educators in virtual settings. This study gained insight into the unique experiences of EB educators during and after COVID-19 working with students in virtual learning environments. The third article took a more personal approach by conducting individual interviews to gain insight into the challenges in technology use by the K-12 student support services (SSS) ecosystem throughout the pandemic. Participants shared their celebrations and their struggles of their personal experiences with technology during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. A story is found in these works as the three manuscripts come together to illustrate the impact of the pandemic on the cyberpsychology of the K-12 SSS ecosystem, nested in the overarching K-12 ecosystem.

Included in the challenges possibly faced by those with dyslexia, is the acquisition of literacy skills. Despite 21st century advancements made in technology, literacy skills remain central to education and day-to-day living. Therefore, it is essential to meet the learning needs of those with dyslexia, as failure herein could impact negatively on their lived experiences and on the attainment of their needs. The main aim of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore, and describe the first-hand lifelong experiences of adults living with dyslexia. The study utilised the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Following a multistage procedure, a criterion-based sampling strategy was used to select study participants, comprising of eight South African adults between the ages of 18 and 40, who were formally diagnosed with dyslexia. Data collection included semi-structured one-on-one in-depth interviews and the researcher’s reflective journal. Data analysis, following the principles of phenomenology, resulted in the formation of five themes. Findings reveal that dyslexia is viewed positively by adults diagnosed with it, and used as a driving force to succeed and obtain set goals. Various professionals were consulted with the aim of obtaining a diagnosis; however, obtaining a diagnosis and hence an explanation for their learning challenges, was a stressful experience for both the participants and their parents. Families provide much assistance with school work, although all participants revealed negative schooling experiences caused by schools not acknowledging dyslexia and not meeting their specific learning needs. Although living with dyslexia presents challenges, coping mechanisms are in place for overcoming anticipated challenges. Whilst self-confidence is not negatively affected, dyslexia appears to negatively affect the self-esteem of some. This study found that the dyslexia label is preferred to that of having additional learning needs, as the dyslexia label is viewed as referring to specific challenges and not to entire learning abilities. Finally, this study hopes to provide a deeper understanding of the experiences of those living with dyslexia and fill the existing gap in South African literature. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)