This qualitative case study, set within the sociocultural field of education, examined how intervention music lessons over the duration of one school year may have shaped the development of two seven and eight year old children presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The students in the context of this research were selected from mainstream classes due to the emotional and behavioural difficulties they had exhibited. Through analysis of field notes, student iPad diaries and formal and informal interviews, an exploration into the impact of active and collaborative music learning and teaching on the social, emotional and behavioural learning of these students took place. The music learning and teaching was based around Eun’s (2010, p.405) socioculturally informed instructional model, which offers eight interrelated principles for instruction, namely that they should be: mediated; discursive; collaborative; responsive; contextualized; activity-orientated; developmental; and integrated. In examining the social and emotional development of these children during the music lessons, the emergent findings suggested that the intervention classes positively benefitted the children’s development in three main thematic areas, namely in personal competence, task competence and social competence. Although both children responded to the intervention music lessons in strikingly different ways, key findings highlighted substantial increases for both children in their self-esteem, possibly due to their success and achievements in music. The second pertinent finding was that the duration of the intervention programme itself was an important factor, with substantial increases being made in their affective development by the late research phase. Overall, this study highlighted the prominence of achievement in student’s affective development and I suggest that utilizing music as a vehicle for accomplishment for children presenting with SEBD, is a potentially powerful and influential resource.

During the last decade, issues concerning ethics and values have been given much attention in debates on education as well as in society in general. The problems surrounding such issues are tied to current societal trends towards growing differentiation, individualisation, and increasingly fragmented value systems. Consequently, the core values of pre-schools and schools are currently stressed also as a basic ethical and democratic responsibility of teachers and other pedagogical personnel. The aim of this dissertation is to analytically reconstruct pedagogic discourses on issues related to core values and ethics. The research perspective includes a social-philosophical point of departure with a focus on Habermas’s theories of communicative action and discourse ethics. The methodology builds on critical discourse analysis. The results shed light on the ways in which teaching teams in pre-schools and schools at different levels discuss and attempt to reach agreement concerning a local document focussed on professional ethics. There are striking differences as to how ethically relevant concepts such as "starting from the childrens' / pupils' own capabilities," "sense of security," "responsibility," "respect," and "active participation" are talked about. In the theoretical reconstruction that follows, it is argued that the discussions can be understood as communication about and within particular types of contextual discourses. The five types of discourses formulated in the study are the following: "efficiency-oriented discourse," "normative tradition-oriented discourse," "care-oriented discourse," "communication-oriented discourse," and individual-oriented discourse," all of which are mutually related to each other. When the conversations are analysed from the perspective of critical discourse theory, a deeper understanding emerges of how childrens' learning about ethics and morals takes place in relation to the types of pedagogic discourse they encounter. Efficiency-oriented, normative tradition-oriented and individual-oriented discourse may lead to learning that counteracts the aims of schools as meeting-places for democracy. However, care-oriented discourse and communicative-oriented discourse both embody qualities that may increase the opportunities to work towards overarching educational goals such as democracy and solidarity. The results of the study show that the lofty ideals presented in educational directives and policy documents risk giving rise to exhaustion and feelings of guilt among pedagogues trying to live up to them when adequate resources are not available. The ability to make sound moral judgements may deteriorate due to increasingly stressful work situations where demands are not in line with the actual resources of everyday pedagogic contexts.

In my diploma thesis am focusing on a concept of novel sutdent housing, as current dormitories do not respect recuirements of young adults. That is why I have decided to bring up the issue, and to propose a possible solution.

In my diploma thesis am focusing on a concept of novel sutdent housing, as current dormitories do not respect recuirements of young adults. That is why I have decided to bring up the issue, and to propose a possible solution.