Grammar is an essential part of language learning. Thus, it is important that teachers know how to efficiently teach grammar to students, and with what approach - explicitly orimplicitly as well as through Focus on Forms (FoFs), Focus on Form (FoF) or Focus onMeaning (FoM). Furthermore, the common use of textbooks in English education in Sweden makes it essential to explore how these present grammar. Therefore, to make teachers aware of what grammar teaching approach a textbook has, this degree project intends to examine how and to what degree English textbooks used in Swedish upper secondary schools can be seen to exhibit an overall explicit or implicit approach to grammar teaching. The aim is to analyze three English 5 textbooks that are currently used in classrooms in Sweden, through the use of relevant research regarding grammar teaching as well as the steering documents for English 5 in Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis was carried out with the help of a framework developed by means of research on explicit and implicit grammar teaching as well as the three grammar teaching approaches FoFs, FoF and FoM. Thus, through the textbook analysis, we set out to investigate whether the textbooks present grammar instruction explicitly or implicitly and through FoFs, FoF or FoM. After having collected research on the topic of how to teach grammar, it became apparent that researchers on grammar teaching agree that FoF is the most beneficial out of the three above mentioned approaches, and thus, we decided to take a stand for this approach throughout the project. The results of this study showed that two out of three textbooks used overall implicit grammar teaching through FoM. Moreover, one out of the three textbooks used overall explicit grammar teaching through an FoF approach.

本論文は，個人の目標志向性を2種類—予防焦点 (prevention focus) と促進焦点 (promotion focus)—に大別する制御焦点理論 (Regulatory focus theory) を基礎に，制御焦点の差異と課題に対する粘り強さの関係性について明らかにすることを目的とした。研究1から研究6までの各研究をとおして制御焦点理論に関する先行研究の追試可能性，制御焦点理論の視座に立って研究を行うことの意義，そして制御焦点の差異が創造性課題や自由再生課題に対する粘り強さに与える影響について検討を行った。 / 博士(心理学) / Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

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The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine how gender is produced in a contemporary technological sphere. I am examining a department called MST within the School of Electrical Engineering at The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) primarily by focus group interviews and in depth interviews with a doing gender perspective. I also carry out participant observations for additional background information. I argue from a gender studies perspective that KTH as a technological institution and workplace is reproducing ideals that confirms men as norm. Furthermore, I suggest that the technical sphere and historically traditional (male) gendered environment that which KTH represents, embodies and reproduces, makes it more challenging for female PhD-students to compete against their male counterparts when it comes to gaining recognition than it is vice versa. I am studying the awareness of gender norms in a technical milieu as well as thoughts about the daily negotiations and biased representations of gender on postgraduate/research level among the female PhD-students at MST. Moreover, I suggest that there are certain connotations with and cultural conceptions of what it means to be and to work as an engineer.

Despite their long trajectory in the social sciences, few systematic works analyze how often and for what purposes focus groups appear in published works. This study fills this gap by undertaking a meta-analysis of focus group use over the last 10 years. It makes several contributions to our understanding of when and why focus groups are used in the social sciences. First, the study explains that focus groups generate data at three units of analysis, namely, the individual, the group, and the interaction. Although most researchers rely upon the individual unit of analysis, the method’s comparative advantage lies in the group and interactive units. Second, it reveals strong affinities between each unit of analysis and the primary motivation for using focus groups as a data collection method. The individual unit of analysis is appropriate for triangulation; the group unit is appropriate as a pretest; and the interactive unit is appropriate for exploration. Finally, it offers a set of guidelines that researchers should adopt when presenting focus groups as part of their research design. Researchers should, first, state the main purpose of the focus group in a research design; second, identify the primary unit of analysis exploited; and finally, list the questions used to collect data in the focus group.

Nowadays a new businesses form, online business occurred, which helps companies to improve their working efficiency in managing risks and allocating resources. Relationship and network are essential for understanding online business, which can help firms to reduce costs by outsourcing, and to increase efficiency by sharing information with cooperators. That leads to the purpose of this study, is to investigate how do the relationship and network between firms influence the cooperation of product developing and server operating companies within online business. In order to study this topic, the concepts from IMP group of characteristics of relationship, relationship development stages and the model of managing in networks are applied. Furthermore qualitative research method was employed for interviewing five companies in two types: 1) product developing companies 2) server operating companies.     The relationship and network are perceived by interviewed companies are dynamic, fast changing and high technology focused. To cope with this phenomenon, most of companies choose to put their efforts on developing products and advancing technology rather than communicating with partners. In conclusion, the cooperation between firms in online business is influenced by fast changing and short-term relationships, high competition and the risk of plagiarism, which leads to competition focus in their business.

Through the use of focus groups and interviews, this research aims to increase understanding of the ways in which the public in Adelaide, South Australia draw on well documented rape myths and the influence of this process on their understandings of consent to sexual intercourse. This research explores how individual attitudes and opinions about rape are shaped through social interaction, including comparing the attitudes of men and women. Equal numbers of men and women were drawn from one geographical location by snowball sampling and vignettes were used to facilitate discussion in focus groups. Findings showed that rape myths remain influential amongst the public and are often used to attribute responsibility to women in acquaintance rape scenarios. However, analysis of the public’s engagement with rape myths revealed a complex process. People did not simply adhere to or challenge rape myths but rather these myths were engaged with in different ways at different times and in different circumstances. Findings also highlighted the complexity of the notion of consent and revealed contradictions in the ways in which consent was understood. Moreover, in many cases despite being willing to label an incident as rape, participants were still reluctant to say that they would find the man guilty of the crime of rape. Overall, this study suggests that the public struggle with issues concerning how rape is defined and that this has widespread implications both for rape victims and for the Australian legal system. Findings also suggest that radical attitude change is required before any real improvement will be seen in rape conviction rates.

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the attentional focus strategies used by triathletes during the three stages of an Olympic distance triathlon, (b) if level of experience influences the attentional focus strategies used by triathletes, and (c) whether there is a relationship between athletes finishing times and the attentional strategies used in each stage of the race. Triathletes (N = 160) completed the Triathlon Attentional Focus Inventory, which measured association and dissociation during the swim, bike, and run. One-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences between the athletes' level of experience and the attentional strategies used, as well as differences between the athletes overall race time and the attentional strategies used during each stage of the triathlon. Athletes with more experience associated more during the race, whereas athletes with less experience dissociated more throughout the race.

Class of 2010 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To determine what information and clinical skill sets current student pharmacists, recent graduates, and current preceptors felt should be incorporated in designing the Advanced Patient Care course at The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy (UACOP). METHODS: This was a prospective, descriptive study using focus groups. Subjects included students in the fourth year of a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy program at the UACOP currently on rotations, recent UACOP graduates practicing in residency programs, and current preceptors for the UACOP who work closely with the students. Participants verbally consented and completed a demographic questionnaire. The three focus group sessions (each lasting 1.5 hours) were audiotaped, and the data was coded into categories and subcategories based on frequencies of topics that were discussed. RESULTS: A total of 14 subjects, separated into three focus groups of students, residents, and preceptors were held with 5, 4, and 5 subjects respectively. Both men and women were included in the study, with only females in the resident group. The student, resident, and preceptor groups had mean ages of 29±5.4, 28±3.7, and 47±12 years respectively. Overall the most commonly discussed topics included various learning techniques, specific drug or disease state focuses, and the importance of professionalism. CONCLUSIONS: Many insightful ideas for the Advanced Patient Care course soon to be implemented at the UACOP were generated by the three focus groups. Focus groups including pharmacy students, residents and preceptors are a useful tool for designing new courses and determining information and skill sets to be added to college of pharmacy curriculums.

The application of auto focus, using an optical beam deflection technique, to existing live cell interferometry measurements was developed and examined. The benefit to relevant experiments, currently being performed, is shown as well as its performance across various magnifications. Enough information is given so that the system can be reproduced to fit any end users needs.