Literature on lifelong learning indicates that major life transitions lead to significant learning. However, compared to learning in paid jobs, learning in and through household work has received little attention, given the unpaid nature and the private sphere where the learning occurs. The current study examined the changes and the learning involved in three aspects of household work: food work, childcare/parenting, and emotion work among recent Chinese immigrants in Canada. This study draws on data from a Canadian Survey on Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL), 20 individual interviews, a focus group, and a discussion group with new Chinese professional immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area. The results indicate that food work and childcare increased dramatically after immigration due to a sudden decline of economic resources and the lack of social support network for childcare. Emotion work intensified due to the challenges in paid jobs and the absence of extended families in the new homeland. To adapt to the changes in their social and economic situations, and to integrate into the Canadian society, Chinese immigrants learned new beliefs and practices about food and childrearing, developed new knowledge and skills in cooking and grocery shopping, in childcare and disciplining, in solving conflicts with children and spouses, and in transnational kin maintenance. In addition, the Chinese immigrants also developed new views about family, paid and unpaid work, meaning of life, and new gender and ethnic identities. However, these dramatic changes did not shatter the gendered division of household work. Both the qualitative and the quantitative data suggest that women not only do more but also different types of household tasks. As a result, it is not surprising that both the content and the ways of learning associated with household work varied by gender, class, and ethnicity. By exploring learning involved in the four dimensions of household work: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, this dissertation demonstrates that learning is both lifelong and lifewide. By making household work visible, this research helps make visible the value of the unpaid work and the learning involved in it.

Literature on lifelong learning indicates that major life transitions lead to significant learning. However, compared to learning in paid jobs, learning in and through household work has received little attention, given the unpaid nature and the private sphere where the learning occurs. The current study examined the changes and the learning involved in three aspects of household work: food work, childcare/parenting, and emotion work among recent Chinese immigrants in Canada. This study draws on data from a Canadian Survey on Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL), 20 individual interviews, a focus group, and a discussion group with new Chinese professional immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area. The results indicate that food work and childcare increased dramatically after immigration due to a sudden decline of economic resources and the lack of social support network for childcare. Emotion work intensified due to the challenges in paid jobs and the absence of extended families in the new homeland. To adapt to the changes in their social and economic situations, and to integrate into the Canadian society, Chinese immigrants learned new beliefs and practices about food and childrearing, developed new knowledge and skills in cooking and grocery shopping, in childcare and disciplining, in solving conflicts with children and spouses, and in transnational kin maintenance. In addition, the Chinese immigrants also developed new views about family, paid and unpaid work, meaning of life, and new gender and ethnic identities. However, these dramatic changes did not shatter the gendered division of household work. Both the qualitative and the quantitative data suggest that women not only do more but also different types of household tasks. As a result, it is not surprising that both the content and the ways of learning associated with household work varied by gender, class, and ethnicity. By exploring learning involved in the four dimensions of household work: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, this dissertation demonstrates that learning is both lifelong and lifewide. By making household work visible, this research helps make visible the value of the unpaid work and the learning involved in it.

This thesis explores the pedagogical potential of images shared during intra-professional conversations held on the social media platform, Twitter. Twitter chats are loosely synchronous exchanges of tweets sharing a unique, identifying keyword or hashtag. They are increasingly being used among professionals to create professional networks in which practice-knowledge and opinion might be shared and where communal connections may be created. As such, they may serve as sites in which professional learning unfolds, both in relation to workplace practices and in relation to the development of new forms of professional practice around social media use. Because the exchanges and broadcasts on Twitter are, for the most part, public, and the conversations are ongoing, they also provide open, freely-accessible, and constantly renewing resources for use in pre-service learning contexts. The research focused on two example chats, one held among midwives and the other among teachers. Inspired by the increasing use of images in new forms of digital communication, the research used images tweeted during the chats as starting points from which to explore flows of knowledge and affect. Data were generated from observations of the two Twitter chats over extended periods, together with interviews with practising professionals, student professionals and their educators in which images were used as elicitation devices. The research combined an approach to reading and “being with” data inspired by ideas drawn from the work of Deleuze (1994; Williams 2013) and Deleuze and Guattari (1988; Massumi 1992), with approaches to reading images drawn from visual social semiotics (Kress and van Leeuwen 1996). The findings suggest that Twitter chats such as those studied here can provide rich opportunities for professional learning. Practice knowledge can flow from one participant to many others, and flows of affect can be used to remoralize individuals and communities. Both chats seemed to serve as sites in which professionals could experience a positivity and affirmation that was not always available in the workplace. However, the forces and intensities at play in these spaces influence both what is said and what is not said, creating new norms of online interaction that generally seemed to avoid negative comments or open disagreement. Educators saw potential to use images such as those shared in the chats in a variety of ways. For example, images could be used as prompts for examination and critique of practices. The educators I interviewed also suggested that the images could be used to help student professionals develop their sensitivity to the forces and intensities that produce particular practices. Group interviews with student professionals suggested that the former happened spontaneously when students encountered and discussed such images, but that the latter might need deliberate facilitation or prompting. The thesis concludes with some recommendations for: (i) educators considering using such images in pre-service professional learning; (ii) professional developers considering using Twitter chats; and (iii) policy-makers involved in drafting guidelines for professionals’ use of social media.

Canada’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis includes a unique program where private citizens can raise funds to sponsor a refugee family. This private refugee sponsorship program tasks citizens with both the financial and social aspects of a refugee’s integration for their first year in Canada. The success of the program has led many other countries, particularly in Europe, to consider adopting a similar approach. Although there has been an increased interest in the program, there is a lack of research into the sponsorship experience. This study aims to provide further insight into the sponsorship experience by studying whether it includes an element of learning for the sponsors. This was done by conducting in-depth interviews and analyzing them based on situated learning theory and placing the results in the context of previous research done on sponsors in Canada during the Kosovo crisis. The principle findings of this study show that private refugee sponsorship groups are indeed sites of adult learning for the sponsors. However, the degree to which this is the case differs depending on how sponsorship groups are positioned vis-à-vis the refugee family and the professional settlement community.

Con el aumento en el uso de las TIC para el aprendizaje en distintos campos, resalta el crecimiento de las comunidades en línea, sobre todo de aquellas enfocadas al aprendizaje de lenguas, que plantean nuevos intereses de investigación en relación con el aprendizaje informal. Existen, pues, distintas investigaciones en el campo que han logrado estudiar aquellas comunidades online que se centran en el aprendizaje informal colaborativo de idiomas con el objetivo de aportar en el área de educación abriendo discusiones acerca de la creación de nuevos métodos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Es por ello que la presente investigación busca analizar el aprendizaje informal en función de las interacciones entre los usuarios de la comunidad Aprende Coreano Amino la cual se caracteriza por ser una comunidad de aprendizaje de coreano en la que los participantes aportan y consumen contenido con el fin de aprender la lengua coreana mediante sus interacciones dentro de la plataforma. Con tal fin, se indagará sobre la motivación de los miembros para participar en la comunidad, y sobre sus prácticas y espacios de afinidad que se desarrollan dentro de la misma. Para lograrlo, se empleará el método netnográfico. Asimismo, se contactará a un grupo de participantes de la misma comunidad y se obtendrá el consentimiento para realizar entrevistas y observar su actividad en la plataforma durante un período determinado de tiempo. Por último, los datos recogidos por estas técnicas se analizarán mediante el análisis de contenido. / Along with the growing use of ICT on learning, the growth of online communities stands out, especially those focused on learning foreign languages. This has raised interest in doing research on informal learning. There are various studies that have focused on those online communities around collaborative informal language learning, aiming to improve theory on education studies by starting discussions on the creation of new studying and learning methods. This study also aims to analyze informal learning through the interactions of the users of the community Aprende Coreano Amino. This community is one of Korean language learning and members are supposed to build knowledge through their interactions. To reach our goals, the motivations of the members will be studied, as well as their practices and the affinity spaces within the platform. In order to do so, the netnographic approach will be used. In addition, a group of users will be contacted and asked for their consent to be interviewed and observed on the platform for a period of time. Finally, the collected data will be analyzed through the content analysis. / Trabajo de investigación

Le propos contenu dans cette recherche concerne les plateformes interactives et réticulaires peuplant désormais notre quotidien, et qui se présentent d’abord à nous sous la forme d'objets techniques, mais dont les usages construisent des représentations sociales. Des médiations informationnelles s’y développent que nous avons voulu étudier en capturant celle du français dans le contexte de ses apprenants thaïlandais à l’Université, pour une langue réputée difficile, non apparentée et distante. Une double analyse quantitative et qualitative menée en partie avec le logiciel NVivo nous a permis de mettre à jour le fait que, sous certains aspects et dans certains environnements, un réseau socio-numérique comme Facebook pouvait faciliter un apprentissage informel participant à une économie de la connaissance. Nous avons identifié des usages et des pratiques spécifiques qui ne sont pas ceux d’une plateforme d’enseignement à distance conçue comme telle. Ainsi, une certaine créativité s’y exercerait dans la construction de documents scripto-audio-visuels sur des dispositifs techniques médiateurs et multiplateformes où l’autonomie de l’usager y serait culturellement et socialement située par les identités, appartenances, perceptions, habitus et autres dispositions qui structurent sa relation au monde et vont conditionner son envie, sa manière ainsi que sa capacité pratique à s’approprier des éléments d’apprentissage de la langue. / The subject of this research concerns the interactive and reticulated pattern platforms that now populate our daily lives, and which first appear to us in the form of technical objects, but whose uses build social representations. We studied Informational mediations developed there by focusing on French in the context of its Thai students at the University, since French is a language deemed difficult, unrelated and distant. A double quantitative and qualitative analysis conducted in part with the NVivo software allowed us to update the fact that, in certain aspects and in certain environments, a digital social network like Facebook could facilitate informal apprenticeship participating in an economy of knowledge. We have identified specific uses and practices that are not those of a distance education platform designed as such. Thus, a certain creativity would be exercised in the construction of scripted audio-visual documents on mediating and multiplatform technical operational systems where the autonomy of the user would be culturally and socially situated according to identities, group memberships, perceptions, habits and other factors that structure its relationship to the world and will condition its desire, its manner and its practical ability to appropriate elements of language learning.

Uppdraget som låg till grund för detta examensarbete var att utveckla Vattenfall Science Centers utställning och verksamhet. Uppdraget formulerades i ett syfte att studera hur sciencecentret som koncept kan utvecklas genom att pröva hur ett sociokulturellt perspektiv pålärande yttrar sig i skapandet av en interaktiv installation. Målet med arbetet är att föreslå hurett science center kan formas och utvecklas för att skapa förutsättningar för lärande.Arbetet delades upp i tre delar. Första delen består av en studie av litteratur med syfteatt få en övergripande bild av den forskning som berör lärande på museer. Målet var att belysaviktiga aspekter för lärande på museer. Andra delen består av arbetet med att formulera endidaktisk modell som svarar för vad, varför och hur ett ämne eller ämnesområde skapresenteras, samt att tillämpa den didaktiska modellen i skapandet av en interaktivinstallation. Tredje delen av arbetet består av en utvärdering av mötet mellan den skapadeinstallationen och dess användare.I denna rapport presenteras arbetets tre delar för att avslutningsvis leda till endiskussion kring examensarbetets huvudfråga: Hur kan förutsättningar för lärande möjliggörasi utformandet av en interaktiv utställning?Att skapa förutsättningar för lärande handlar om att skapa förutsättningar föraktiviteter som möjliggör lärande. Genom utformning och val av innehåll i en utställningfinns möjlighet att skapa mer eller mindre goda förutsättning för lärande. Därför är det viktigtatt från början ha en klar bild av vilken typ av aktivitet som det är önskvärt att utställningeninbjuder besökaren till, exempelvis samarbete, samtal och besökarens egen påverkan.Det traditionella science centret är ofta kritiserat för att framställa naturvetenskap ochteknik som något färdigt och opåverkbart. För att skapa intresse och engagemang för dessaämnen och för områdena energi och miljö betonas från flera håll vikten av att iställetframställa dem nyanserat och från flera perspektiv. Därför är det viktigt att i arbetet med attutveckla en interaktiv utställning eller en science center verksamhet diskutera hur det tänktaämnet ska presenteras för att uppnå detta.Att skapa och utveckla en utställning och en verksamhet är en arbetsprocess sominvolverar många människor. Här liksom i alla situationer där många människor ärinvolverade i ett och samma projekt behövs en tydlig ambition och tydliga mål medverksamheten som kan styra och leda arbetsprocessens alla delar. I arbetet har det betonats attdenna ambition kan utvecklas från att intressera besökaren för naturvetenskap och teknik, idetta fall med fokus på energi- och miljöfrågor, till att också skapa engagemang. Engagemangsom exempelvis kan skapas genom att erbjuda besökaren verktyg för att själv kunna agera ochpåverka framtiden i relation energi- och miljöfrågor. / This study illuminates how the science center as a concept can be developed and how asociocultural perspective on learning influences the design of an interactive exhibit. The aimof the study is to propose ideas on how a science center can be designed and developed withthe purpose of creating good conditions for learning.The work was divided in three parts. In the first part literature was studied with theaim of highlighting aspects important for learning from a sociocultural perspective. In thesecond part an educational model was formulated based on the result from the literature study,interviews and study visits. The educational model was then used to guide the design of aninteractive exhibit on hydro power. The third part consists of an evaluation of the exhibitbased on observation of the visitors’ interaction with the exhibit.In this thesis the work and the result of the three parts are presented leading to a finaldiscussion about the key question of the study: How can learning possibilities be createdthrough the design of an interactive exhibition?Creating possibilities for learning is about creating possibilities for activities thatmakes learning possible. Through the design and in the choice of content of an exhibition it ispossible to create more or less good conditions for learning. Therefore it is important to havea clear picture of what type of activities it is desirable that an exhibition invite the visitor to,for example cooperation and conversation and the visitors’ possibility to influence the resultof the activity.The traditional science center is often criticized for presenting science and technologyas something static and finished. To create interest and engagement for the subject area it isinstead needed to be presented from a wide range of perspectives. Therefore throughout thework of developing an interactive exhibition or a science center it is important to discuss howthe subject area can be presented to fulfil this aim.Creating and developing an exhibition is a work that involves a number of people withdifferent backgrounds, knowledge and ideas. Just as in any other project that involves manypeople a clear ambition with clear goals is needed and makes a shared vision possible that canlead and steer all parts of the work.

Syftet med studien är att öka förståelse kring studenters uppfattningar om vad de utvecklat och lärt sig under deras utbytestermin på universitetet, för att sedan skapa kunskap och förståelse för hur användbart det de lärt sig varit ute i arbetslivet, samt att analysera vilken sorts lärande som är relevant i relation till utbytesstudier och arbetslivet. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten var livslångt och livsvitt lärande (Jackson, 2011; Jarvis, 2007) där fokus ligger på att lärande kan ske i olika miljöer och olika åldrar. Kopplat till det tas Jarvis (2004; 2007) syn på formellt, icke-formellt och informellt lärande upp. Även Säljös (2000) syn på sociokulturellt lärande nämns där fokus ligger på lärande i sociala samspel. En kvalitativ studie har genomförts som bestod av tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med tidigare svenska utbytes-studenter som nu befinner sig i arbetslivet. Studien har använt sig av Braun och Clarkes (2006) tematiska analys för att presentera ett resultat på de två första frågeställningarna och för att besvara sista frågeställningen om vilken sorts lärande, används den ovannämnda teorin. Studiens resultat visar att de tidigare utbytesstudenterna upplever att de lär sig mycket under en termin utomlands i form av personlig utveckling. Utvecklingen av språk och akademiska kunskaper har varierat i omfattning vilket delvis skiljer sig från tidigare forskning. I arbetslivet upplever deltagarna att de främst haft användning av sitt ökade självförtroende i form av att anta nya utmaningar på jobbet och inte ta någon skit. De upplever även att de haft nytta av lärdomen i att acceptera alla i form av att vara bra i bemötandet och kommunikationen med människor i arbetet. Användningen av språk och akademiska kunskaper i arbetslivet har varierat. Slutligen visar studien att det informella lärandet varit mer relevant än det formella lärandet i relation till det som deltagarna upplever att det lärt sig på utbytesterminen och sedan kunnat nyttja i arbetslivet. / The purpose of this master thesis is to gain knowledge and understanding concerning what exchange students learn during their exchange studies, in which way it has been useful in their work afterwards, and to analyze which kind of learning that has been most relevant in relation to exchange studies and working life. The theoretical framework included theories of lifelong and life wide learning (Jackson, 2011; Jarvis, 2007) which focuses on learning in different environments and ages and Jarvis (2004, 2007) view on formal, non-formal and informal learning. Sociocultural learning according to Säljö (2000) is also presented with focus on social and cultural interaction. The design of the study was qualitative and consisted of ten semi-structed interviews with former exchange students that are now working. Thematic analyze was used to present results for the two first questions and the theory mentioned above was used to analyze the last question regarding which sort of learning. The findings showed that students learn a lot by going abroad in terms of personal development. Related to language and academic learning outcome results variated between the participants. The former exchange students described confidence, meeting and communicating with colleagues as useful learning outcomes from studying abroad that they can now use in working life. The usage of language and academic knowledge in work were mixed. The results also showed that informal learning has been more relevant than formal learning in relation to what exchange students have learnt and found useful in their working life.

The learning environment is one of our most important workplaces. It is mainly a workplace for students, but also teachers and other staff. It is the environment that these people are surrounded by every day, which makes the physical environment and physical products really important. The educational methods have changed over time, and the physical environment needs to be adapted to today’s learning methods to support and improve learning, and meet the new needs that arise. This Master Thesis is the final part of the Master Programme in Industrial Design Engineering at Luleå University of Technology. The work was carried out in spring 2020, in collaboration with the Swedish furniture company Kinnarps AB, based on their concept Next Education. Next Education is one of Kinnarps three concepts, where they offer interior design solutions focusing on the future learning environments. The work has aimed to develop a furniture concept proposal for the informal learning environments, focusing on secondary and upper secondary school, to enhance the learning experience and utilize these areas more efficiently.  The project has been divided into three phases, Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation, a user-centered design process with inspiration from IDEO (2015). The work had an open starting point, where the first phase aimed to visit different schools, from elementary school to upper secondary school, to explore needs and development potential. Observations at the various schools, combined with interviews, survey, and benchmarking were significant parts of the first phase. After that, the work could be directed to a more defined goal and Mission Statement. The Mission Statement was:“Design an inclusive furniture that encourages movement and variation for the secondary and upper secondary school spaces in-between.” The second phase involved developing ideas through creative methods and resulted in three concepts. After feedback and discussions, the final concept could be selected and was progressed to the final Implementation phase, where the concept was further developed. The final concept proposal was then modeled in CAD and visualized through renderings. The work resulted in a modular concept that is both environmentally friendly and inclusive (considering cognitive disabilities), which also contributes to informal learning and improved behavior. The concept, named LeanPod, is a wall-mounted furniture that offers both a screened study place and a support to lean against during short breaks or while waiting. It also has good sound-absorbing properties. Besides, it encourages more standing, which contributes to more variety and better ergonomics. The concept, which is designed with a focus on informal learning environments, contributes to a new way of seeing and using the learning environment. The concept leads to informal learning, that can be used for both self-study as well as an extension of the classroom. It contributes to an approach that learning happens in different areas and utilizes the spaces more efficiently. / Lärmiljön är en oerhört viktig arbetsplats. Det är en arbetsplats för framför allt elever, men även lärare och annan personal. Det är den miljö som dessa personer omges av varje dag, vilket gör att den fysiska miljön och de fysiska produkterna är oerhört viktiga. De pedagogiska metoderna har förändrats över tid och den fysiska miljön behöver vara anpassad för dagens lärandemetoder, för att stödja och förbättra inlärningen, samt möta de nya behov som uppstår. Denna rapport redogör för examensarbetet inom civilingenjör Teknisk Design, med inriktning produktutveckling vid Luleå tekniska universitet. Arbetet har utförts under våren 2020, i samarbete med det svenska möbelföretaget Kinnarps AB, och med utgångspunkt deras koncept, Next Education. Next Education är ett av Kinnarps tre koncept där de erbjuder inredningslösningar med fokus på framtidens lärmiljöer. Målet med arbetet har varit att ta fram ett möbelkoncept för de informella lärmiljöerna med fokus på högstadiet och gymnasiet, med syfte att förbättra inlärningsupplevelsen och utnyttja dessa ytor på ett mer effektivt sätt. Projektet har varit indelat i tre faser, Inspiration, Ideation och Implementation, en användarcentrerad designprocess med inspiration från IDEO (2015). Arbetet utgick från ett öppet perspektiv, där första fasen gick ut på att besöka ett antal olika skolor, från lågstadiet upp till gymnasiet, för att utforska behov och utvecklingspotential. Observationer på de olika skolorna, i kombination med intervjuer, enkät och benchmarking var en stor del av den första fasen. Därefter riktades arbetet till ett mer definierat mål och Mission Statement. Projektets Mission Statement var: ”Designa en inkluderande möbel som uppmuntrar till rörelse och variation för högstadiets och gymnasiets mellanrumsytor.” Den andra fasen innebar att ta fram idéer genom kreativa metoder och resulterade i tre koncept. Efter feedback och diskussioner kunde det slutliga konceptet väljas ut, som sedan togs vidare till den sista Implementeringsfasen, där konceptet utvecklades vidare. Det slutliga konceptförslaget modellerades sedan i CAD och visualiserades genom renderingar. Arbetet resulterade i ett modulärt koncept som är både miljövänligt och inkluderande (med fokus på kognitiva funktionsnedsättningar), samt bidrar till informellt lärande och förbättrat beteende. Konceptet, döpt till LeanPod, är en väggfast möbel som erbjuder både en avskild studieplats, samt ett stöd att luta mot under korta pauser eller under väntan. Det har även har mycket goda ljudabsorberande egenskaper. Dessutom uppmuntrar det till att stå upp mer, vilket bidrar till mer variation och bättre ergonomi. Konceptet, som är designat med fokus på de informella lärmiljöerna, bidrar till ett nytt sätt att se och använda lärmiljön på. Konceptet bidrar till ett informellt lärande, som kan användas såväl för självstudier och som en förlängning av klassrummen. Det bidrar till ett synsätt av att lärande kan ske på fler ställen och utnyttjar ytor på ett mer effektivt sätt.

Abstract This empirical study investigates how students in secondary school 7-9 learn the English language outside of school, in an informal setting, and how they can benefit from it in a formal setting in school. The usage of digital technology is more common nowadays amongst youngsters than it used to be before. Digital technology has become a part of young people’s daily lives, whether it is for social media, schoolwork, gaming or blogging. Most students in Swedish secondary schools have their own computers, mobile phones, and have the opportunity to borrow an iPad from school, if needed. For this reason, it is relevant and interesting to investigate how students use their informal knowledge of English in a school setting, and how teachers take advantage of that knowledge. The research focused primarily on how the incorporation of extramural English can be used as a motivating factor for students to develop their English language in a formal setting. The results showed that students who are given the opportunity to use their previous knowledge in the classroom, appeared to be more encouraged to engage in classroom activities. They were also more motivated to work with the assignments handed to them. Teachers who involved students’ interests and previous knowledge in the classroom were experienced in the use of different media in the classroom and had good knowledge about students’ daily lives and experiences, something that helped them establish a positive teacher-student relationship. Keywords: extramural English, out-of-school English, teaching materials, motivation, informal- and formal settings, students’ perceptions.