Misinterpretations of William James' pragmatic account of truth are due to three main factors. First, the failure to see the connection between James' account of truth and his account of reality (that is, the connection between pragmatism and radical empiricism). Second, the failure to see James' philosophical project as essentially involving the reinterpretation of traditional philosophical concepts. Third, the mistaken belief that pragmatism provides a formula or rule for determining the truth or falsity of beliefs. In this thesis, these three factors provided a framework for my own interpretation of James' account of truth. In the introduction, I briefly discuss the connection between pragmatism and radical empiricism. In the first chapter, I show that philosophical notions like 'consciousness', 'perception', 'subjectivity' and 'objectivity' are reinterpreted in James' account of reality. In the second chapter, I show how his reinterpretations of 'correspondence', 'coherence', and 'utility' lead to what is better called an 'account' of truth instead of a 'theory' of truth. The third chapter provides further elaboration on his account of truth by examining conceptual systems and 'necessary' truths. In the conclusion, I examine the emphasis which separates James' pragmatic account of truth from other versions, namely, the emphasis on individual experience in determining and constituting truth. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka projektledares upplevelse av kommunikationen i virtuella projekt inom IT-branschen. Datainsamling genomfördes genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med totalt nio projektledare. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats genom tematisk analys. Av resultatet framgår att projekten inom IT-branschen till stor del är virtuella och att kommunikationen mellan projektdeltagarna och även mot beställare till stor del sker virtuellt. Den formen av kommunikation har både för- och nackdelar, men för att för att underlätta det för deltagarna att kommunicera virtuellt är ett fysiskt första möte essentiellt för en effektiv kommunikationsmiljö. Ett sådant möte har inte bara fördelen av att deltagarna lär känna varandra, och därför får det lättare att sedan kommunicera virtuellt, utan det är också ett bra tillfälle att se till att alla deltagare får en gemensam målbild och för att skapa en känsla av grupptillhörighet (s.k. teambuilding). Medan virtuella möten har fördelen att de ofta är mer effektiva och tar mindre resurser i anspråk, har de nackdelen av att kommunikationen många gånger begränsas till text och tal, medan det är svårare att läsa av ansiktsuttryck och kroppsspråk. Samtidigt är text och tal de viktigaste kommunikationsformerna, men det finns med språket alltid en risk för misstag vid tolkningar. Studiens främsta upptäckt är att dålig kommunikation har sin orsak i misstolkningar av information. För att råda bot på detta finns tekniker med kontroll av att informationen nått fram, vilka bör användas för att säkerställa en effektiv kommunikation. / The purpose of the study has been to investigate project managers' experiences of communication in virtual projects in the IT industry. Data collection was conducted through qualitative semi-structured interviews with a total of nine project managers. The collected material has been analyzed using thematic analysis. The results show that projects in the IT industry are largely virtual and that communication between the project members and also towards clients is largely virtual. This form of communication has both advantages and disadvantages, but in order to facilitate virtual communication, a physical first meeting is essential for an effective communication environment. A physical meeting has not only the benefit of the participants getting to know each other, and therefore makes it easier to communicate virtually, but it is also a good opportunity to ensure that all participants share a common goal and to create a sense of group belonging (socalled team building). While virtual meetings often have the advantage of being more efficient and consume less resources, they have the disadvantage of difficulties to read facial expressions and body language. The communication is often limited to text and speech. On the other hand, text and speech are the most important forms of communication, but with textual and oral language there is always a risk of misinterpretation. The study's main finding is that poor communication has its cause in misinterpretation of information. In order to counteract this, there are techniques to verify that the information has been obtained, which should be used to ensure effective communication.

The study aimed at addressing the contribution adult distance learning in as far as personal growth and economic development is concerned through the acquisition of new skills. More so, the study addressed challenges that affected the adult learners in their learning process. By and large the teachers who were respondents undertook their training from various institutions across the country and beyond, thus having a broad spectrum of challenges. The study was largely qualitative in nature and used a case study design. However, some of the data were interpreted quantitatively, effectively making this a mixed-methods study. It centred on how teachers in adult distance learning and learners are impacted and the challenges which affect adult distance learning in general. Katete Day Secondary School was chosen as a site from where interviews were carried out. The target sample included eight teachers, the head of the institution and one official from the District Education Office. The sample size was determined based on the fact that a rich source of information from the informants was available at the main site selected, making it easier and cost-effective for the researcher and the informants. The target sample of 8 teachers was selected by using snow ball sampling. The technique was ideal because it avoided naturally linked bondages amongst respondents. The head of the institution (01) and the District Education Standards Officer (01) were selected using purposive technique. The technique was employed because data collected was more specific and could only be provided by strategically positioned respondents. The semi-structured interview schedule was used for all the categories of participants. Qualitative data was analysed thematically through identification of themes which prominently emerged from the data collected. The other form of data collection used was through the analysis of documents collected from the school which aimed at assessing the performance of learners in the grade twelve general certificate examination for three consecutive years basing. The data were important to ascertain whether the performance of teachers who studied through distance learning had any impact on the performance of school-going learners. The study revealed that respondents had challenges in adult distance education because of the misinterpretations surrounding the meaning of the concept ‘adult education’. The study also revealed that adult distance students encountered many challenges during the course of their studies. The challenges ranged mainly from lack of financial support, lack of adequate and timeous feedback to demanding work schedules. However, participants highlighted how they mitigated the challenges they encountered. Among the mitigations cited were accessibility to loan facilities, working extra hours and as well as being in constant contacts with other students. All the participants were, however, in full support on the relevance of adult education because of the role it plays in development; provision of opportunities for individual growth and acquisition of knowledge and skills. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Adult Education)