Background: Evidence for the effectiveness of psychological treatments for sex offenders with learning disabilities is far from overwhelming. Qualitative studies can augment quantitative research by providing insight into the experiences of those who receive such treatment. There are a number of qualitative studies of the views of offenders but few that focus on the views of those with learning disabilities. Method: A systematic review was carried out of qualitative studies of the views of sex offenders, with and without learning disabilities, about their experiences of treatment. An empirical study, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, explored the views of men with mild learning disabilities about one particular group treatment. Results: The review identified that a supportive atmosphere, good therapeutic relationship, trust and positive peer interactions were highly valued. Some elements of treatment, such as offence disclosure, were seen as both difficult and helpful. In the empirical study, themes regarding offence disclosure and trust were also identified. In addition, treatment was characterised as being about giving and receiving advice. Participants struggled with some of the other concepts used in treatment but described gains including becoming a mentor and developing a sense of mastery. Most strikingly, participants described needing extensive time in treatment in order to gain benefit. Over time they moved from feeling anxious and angry about treatment to feeling positive, supported and trusting. Conclusion: Sex offenders with learning disabilities may need long-term treatment programmes in order to effect change. Treatment providers should be sensitive to offenders’ feelings of initial anxiety and anger.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2006 Aug 15.

This thesis describes an interpretative, qualitative study of one person centred planning, circle of support. The eight people in the circle support a person with a learning disability, to help plan the life the person would like, utilising person centred planning techniques and tools. This study uses an ontological foundation of phenomenology, existentialism, and social psychology to examine the authenticity of the process of person centred planning for the circle of support members, and the person they have all chosen to support (focused person). A variety of data collection methods are employed, particularly those utilising ethnographic characteristics, and participatory approaches. These include video of a circle of support meeting, informal interviews using a video elicitation technique with circle members, and the use of photographs of the person’s plan. The data analysis is interpretative, and uses a two stage thematic analysis. Findings focus on the key concepts of individual agency, social inclusion, rights, choice and social emancipation. In addition the study attempts to examine the individual’s “truth” of current service experiences, and of person centred planning as a method of life planning, for people with learning disabilities. This study adds to understandings of learning disability, and disability generally, by providing new insights into how people should be supported in the future. It emphasises recognising the importance of individual experience both as participants in circles of support, but also as people involved in, or using learning disability services in the United Kingdom. This includes appreciating that human experience is shaped not only by what can be observed and measured, but that individual agency, imagination, feelings and thought are just as important in how individuals view and experience their world.

The research contained within this PhD project forms part of the Pedagogical ElectroAcoustic Resource Site project of the Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre of De Montfort University Leicester. This thesis contributes to current research in music education and musicology related to electroacoustic music. The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of teaching on the change in inexperienced listeners’ appreciation of electroacoustic music. A curriculum was developed to introduce electroacoustic music to 11 to 14 year old students (Key Stage 3). The curriculum was based on concepts distinguishing between electroacoustic music using (mainly) real-world sounds and generated sounds. The curriculum is presented in an online learning environment with an accompanying teacher’s handbook. The learning environment represents the prototype for the pedagogical ElectroAcoustic Resource Site offering online learning, blended learning and classroom-based learning. The website was developed following user-centred design; the curriculum was tested in a large-scale study including four Key Stage 3 classes within three schools in Leicester. In five lessons music using real-world sounds (soundscape and musique concrète) was introduced, which included the delivery of a listening training, independent research and creative tasks (composition or devising a role-play). The teaching design followed the methods of active, collaborative and self-regulated learning. Data was collected by using questionnaires, direct responses to listening experiences before and after the teaching, and summaries of the teaching written by the participants. Following a Qualitative Content Analysis, the results of the study show that the participants’ appreciation of electroacoustic music changed during the course of these lessons. Learning success could be established as well as a declining alienation towards electroacoustic music. The principal conclusion is that the appreciation of electroacoustic music can be enhanced through the acquiring of conceptual knowledge, especially through the enhancing of listening skills following the structured listening training as well as the broadening of vocabulary to describe the listening experience.

In accordance with societal norms and values, consumers readily indicate their positive attitudes towards sustainability. However, they hardly take sustainability into account when engaging in exchange relationships with companies. To shed light on this paradox, this paper investigates whether defense mechanisms and the more specific concept of neutralization techniques can explain the discrepancy between societal norms and actual behavior. A multi-method qualitative research design provides rich insights into consumers' underlying cognitive processes and how they make sense of their attitude-behavior divergences. Drawing on the Ways Model of account-taking, which is advanced to a Cycle Model, the findings illustrate how neutralization strategies are used to legitimize inconsistencies between norm-conforming attitudes and actual behavior. Furthermore, the paper discusses how the repetitive reinforcement of neutralizing patterns and feedback loops between individuals and society are linked to the rise of anomic consumer behavior. (authors' abstract)

As past research has found benefits of outdoor education and the current global society is facing a decline in access to beneficial natural spaces due to urbanization (Keniger, Gaston, Irvine & Fuller 2013), the aim of this master thesis research project was to explore the idea of an Outdoor Primary School, a way to provide children the access to beneficial natural spaces. In order to explore this idea, Professional Outdoor Educators (n= 61) were interviewed and asked to fill out a survey about the following aspects: outdoor and indoor spaces, learning activities, curriculum and challenges related to an Outdoor Primary School. There was a wide range of results showing that an Outdoor Primary School is a way to incorporate beneficial ways of learning, such as project-based learning, experience-based and practical learning, social learning, play and student-centered learning in formal schooling. Including learning content and activities that can aid children’s development such as food, animals and sustainability is also possible in an Outdoor Primary School as shown below. Furthermore, an Outdoor Primary School is an institution that can be equipped with beneficial learning environments, such as natural environments, a vast space, spaces for cooking, growing food and keeping animals, quiet zones, play zones and opportunities for creating, building and crafts. These results go in line with previous research about Outdoor Education and related fields, suggesting that an Outdoor Primary School both holds challenges but also is a possible model to bring together many beneficial ways of learning that are already being practiced today.

I takt med coronaviruspandemin arbetade myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB) med att utveckla information om coronaviruset. En del av den nya informationen publicerades på krisinformation.se. Informationen som fanns på krisinformation.se var överlag textbaserad. I det här arbetet har jag utifrån ett kvalitativt förhållningssätt arbetat med att göra delar av den textbaserade informationen multimodal, men med särskild hänsyn till de med dyslexi. Syftet är att med en informationsvideo visualisera textbaserad information på ett multimodalt sätt. Målet med arbetet var att utforma ett gestaltningsförslag som informerar och engagerar betraktaren till att vilja bromsa takten som smittspridningen sprider sig på. I ett försök att uppnå syftet och målet utformades följande frågeställning: Hur tillgängliggörs information med illustrationer och animationer i en informationsvideo? Frågeställningen besvarades genom att samla empiri utifrån en ikonologisk analys av en befintlig informationsvideo. Vidare utformades ett gestaltningsförslag som testades vid två tillfällen via intervjuer. Vid det första tillfället testades en storyboard och vid det andra tillfället testades en informationsvideo. Vid utformandet av gestaltningsförslaget var kognitions- och retorik-teori av särskild stor betydelse.  Det främsta fyndet är att de med dyslexi inte verkar ha några större problem med att ta till sig information som kommuniceras med illustrationer, animationer och ljud i en informationsvideo. / In line with the coronavirus pandemic, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) worked to develop information about the coronavirus. Some of the new information was published on krisinformation.se. The information found on krisinformation.se was generally text-based. In this essay I have worked on making parts of the text-based information multimodal with a qualitative approach, but with a special attention to those with dyslexia. The purpose is to visualize text-based information in a multimodal way with an information video. The goal was to create a design proposal that can inform and engages the viewer to slow down the spread of infection. In order to achieve the purpose, the following question was designed: How is information made available with illustrations and animations in an information video? The question was answered by collecting empirical data based on an iconological analysis of an existing explainer video. Furthermore, I created a design proposal that was tested on two occasions via interviews. On the first occasion, a storyboard was tested and on the second occasion an information video was tested. When designing the design proposal, cognition- and rhetoric-theory was of particular importance.  The main finding is that those with dyslexia do not seem to have any major problems in acquiring information that is communicated with illustrations, animations and sounds in an information video.