The purpose of the present study is to investigate similarities and differences in the listening behaviors of native speakers and learners of Japanese, focusing on the production of aizuchi and head nods. The term aizuchi is often interchangeably used with the word backchannel, and these are characterized as the listener's use of short utterances such as oh or uh huh in English or hai, un, or aa in Japanese. In this study, aizuchi is defined as a short verbal utterance that is produced in response to the primary speaker's speech in Japanese. A total of 14 NS--NS or 14 NS--NNS dyads were formed to elicit native speakers' and learners' aizuchi and head nods. With the exception of a few participants in their late twenties, most of the participants were female native speakers and learners of Japanese who were of college age. The learners of Japanese were native speakers of American English who had been labeled as intermediate/high-intermediate level learners of Japanese. Each interaction included a semi-free conversation and a narrative story-telling task, both of which were recorded and transcribed for analysis. The findings indicate that the differences in the use of aizuchi and head nods produced by native speakers and learners lie not mainly in their frequency, but in the types and functions. The results show that when the frequency of aizuchi and head nods was measured with a time-based scale, which was the frequency per 60 seconds, differences were found in the frequency of head nods and total frequency of aizuchi and head nods. However, no significant difference was found in the frequency of aizuchi and head nods based on the amount of speech the speakers produced. Aizuchi were categorized into 16 groups to investigate differences in their types. The results show that the learners were using less aa-group, hee-group, iya-group aizuchi but more soo-group aizuchi compared to the native speakers. The number of different aizuchi each participant used was also measured to examine the variety of aizuchi, and it was found that both the native speakers and the learners were producing a similar number of different aizuchi. Head nods were analyzed based on nodding count, and it was revealed that more multiple head nods were observed in the learner's behaviors. The functions of aizuchi and head nods were categorized into seven groups, and the distribution of the functions was analyzed. The results indicate that learners tend to use more aizuchi to express their understanding and reaction to their interlocutors' response solicitation, while the use of aizuchi that do not show their attitude was more frequent with native speakers. The distribution of the functions of head nods was similar between the two groups. By further examining the types and the function of aizuchi and head nods, the study sheds light on which types of aizuchi learners may be lacking or overusing. Pedagogical implications are drawn from the results.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur pedagoger på förskolor ser potträning och hur arbetet med potträning går till ute på svenska förskolor. I potträningen involveras flera aktörer, barnen, pedagoger och föräldrar, därför behandlar denna studie även på vilka roller barnen får i potträningsprocessen. Studien är skapad utifrån intervjuer med pedagoger.  En analys har gjorts med hjälp av begrepp från barndonssociologin och Noddings omsorgsetik. Inom barndomssociologin användes begreppen, det kompetenta barnet, Normer om ålder och aktörskap. Inom Noddings omsorgsetik användes tre principer, modellering, dialog och bekräftelse. Som underlag har semistrukturerade intervjuer gjorts av pedagoger på två förskolor som ligger i olika kommuner. Fem förskollärare och en barnskötare har intervjuats.   En respondent tyckte att det är ett dilemma att bemöta föräldrar i normer om ålder när det gäller potträning. En annan respondent beskrev att normerna på en äldre barns avdelning hjälpte barnen att bli blöjfria. Trygghet beskrevs som viktigt i förhållande till potträning, och om barnen kände sig trygga kommer de själva leda vägen mot blöjfrihet. Hur de strukturella förutsättningarna ser ut på förskolan har i denna studie visat ha betydelse för hur väl pedagoger upplever att potträningen kan genomföras. När barnet gjorde motstånd mot potträning fanns det flera som förespråkade uppmuntran och tid. En respondent förespråkade att ta bort barnets aktörskap i frågan och ta bort blöjan.

Tidigare forskning visar att goda relationer mellan lärare-elev och elev-elev har stor betydelse för elevers lärande, motivation och välmående i skolan (Aspelin 2015). Denna studies syfte var att undersöka idrott och hälsa lärares syn på relationsskapande i ämnet idrott och hälsa och dess betydelse för lärande inom ämnet samt hur lärarna beskriver att de arbetar med relationsskapande i undervisningen av idrott och hälsa. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ ansats i form av en semistrukturerad intervjustudie med sex verksamma lärare i idrott och hälsa på gymnasiet. Empirin analyserades med hjälp av Nel Noddings (2015) teori om omsorgsfulla relationer samt begreppen modellering, dialog, praktik och bekräftelse. Studiens resultat visar att samtliga lärare är överens om att relationer är oerhört betydelsefulla i ämnet idrott och hälsa och har stor betydelse för elevernas deltagande och kunskapsutveckling.  Lärarna möjliggör relationsskapande mellan sig själva och elever genom samtal, engagemang och omsorg samt genom att intressera sig av eleverna och deras intressen. Gruppindelningar, samarbetsövningar och organiserande av aktiviteter identifierades som strategier för att bygga relationer mellan eleverna sinsemellan i undervisningen. Slutsatser som kan dras av studien är att relationsskapande är en ständigt pågående process som också visar komplexiteten kring relationsskapande och dess utmaningar i skolans värld.

Classical biocontrol systems are sometimes treated as an exercise in community assembly. As such, they include multiple species interactions. This thesis explores multi-species aspects in classical weed biocontrol, using thistles as a case study. The abundance, phenology and impact of three biocontrol agents were followed on their target host, Carduus nutans L. and are described, for the first time in New Zealand for two of them (Urophora solstitialis L. and Trichosirocalus horridus sensu (Panzer)). Composition in New Zealand of the recently revised Trichosirocalus weevil species complex was surveyed nation-wide. One species only was found, albeit exhibiting a wider host range than anticipated from the published revision. Interspecific interactions and individual and combined effect of multiple biocontrol agents on C. nutans were tested in cage setups; the effect on the weed population was then estimated by manipulations of an existing matrix population model for this weed in New Zealand. The potentially better seed predator (U. solstitialis) was outcompeted by the worse seed predator (Rhinocyllus conicus (Froehlich)) which has similar niche preference. Urophora solstitialis was also adversely impacted by the crown-root feeder (T. horridus). Trichosirocalus horridus affected C. nutans survival, even at the medium density used, and significantly reduced potential seed production by 33%; in field densities, T. horridus is likely to affect C. nutans even more. Urophora solstitialis was estimated to destroy about 28% of the remaining seed in the absence of the other agents, and about 17% in the presence of T. horridus. The estimated combined effect of T. horridus and U. solstitalis on C. nutans population growth rate was greater than the effect of either agent alone. In the face of growing weed invasions, multiple thistle species were used to test ‘multi-targeting’ as a novel approach to target groups of ‘sleeper weeds’. Both in a field experiment and in a field survey, the seed predator R. conicus was found to attack and damage some ‘non-target’ thistle species more in the presence of the target species (C. nutans) than in its absence; however, levels of attack on non-target species were always modest. The ultimate goal of biocontrol is to reduce weed populations. A field survey revealed that current population densities of multiple thistle species in Canterbury are not obviously lower than in the mid 1980s, when only R. conicus was present. This may be because successful biocontrol has reduced the management input required to maintain the same thistle density.

Classical biocontrol systems are sometimes treated as an exercise in community assembly. As such, they include multiple species interactions. This thesis explores multi-species aspects in classical weed biocontrol, using thistles as a case study. The abundance, phenology and impact of three biocontrol agents were followed on their target host, Carduus nutans L. and are described, for the first time in New Zealand for two of them (Urophora solstitialis L. and Trichosirocalus horridus sensu (Panzer)). Composition in New Zealand of the recently revised Trichosirocalus weevil species complex was surveyed nation-wide. One species only was found, albeit exhibiting a wider host range than anticipated from the published revision. Interspecific interactions and individual and combined effect of multiple biocontrol agents on C. nutans were tested in cage setups; the effect on the weed population was then estimated by manipulations of an existing matrix population model for this weed in New Zealand. The potentially better seed predator (U. solstitialis) was outcompeted by the worse seed predator (Rhinocyllus conicus (Froehlich)) which has similar niche preference. Urophora solstitialis was also adversely impacted by the crown-root feeder (T. horridus). Trichosirocalus horridus affected C. nutans survival, even at the medium density used, and significantly reduced potential seed production by 33%; in field densities, T. horridus is likely to affect C. nutans even more. Urophora solstitialis was estimated to destroy about 28% of the remaining seed in the absence of the other agents, and about 17% in the presence of T. horridus. The estimated combined effect of T. horridus and U. solstitalis on C. nutans population growth rate was greater than the effect of either agent alone. In the face of growing weed invasions, multiple thistle species were used to test ‘multi-targeting’ as a novel approach to target groups of ‘sleeper weeds’. Both in a field experiment and in a field survey, the seed predator R. conicus was found to attack and damage some ‘non-target’ thistle species more in the presence of the target species (C. nutans) than in its absence; however, levels of attack on non-target species were always modest. The ultimate goal of biocontrol is to reduce weed populations. A field survey revealed that current population densities of multiple thistle species in Canterbury are not obviously lower than in the mid 1980s, when only R. conicus was present. This may be because successful biocontrol has reduced the management input required to maintain the same thistle density.