Interpretation has the potential to play an important role in involving the general public in the dialogue about sustainability, and what this may mean for the future of humans on the earth. Yet interpreters often fail to address this issue. In fact, it can be argued that much interpretation fails to truly engage its audiences or provoke serious thought about our relationship with the rest of nature or our future lifestyles. How can interpretation be made more engaging and provocative, and contribute to the dialogue about sustainability? How can it reach this potential? Some educators and interpreters advocate the use of drama to help people connect with natural and cultural heritage. Powerful dramatic experiences can become embedded in the emotions and leave enduring impressions. Drama is used as an educational tool around the world. Can it be used by interpreters to expand visitors’ conceptions of the human-nature culture milieu? This study addresses the paucity of empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of dramatized interpretation. Ten practitioners of dramatized interpretation were interviewed to explore the current use of drama in interpretation in Queensland, Australia, and in particular, the practitioners’ perceptions of these practices and their effectiveness. Current practice was evaluated according to the drama, interpretation and education literature, particularly recent theoretical developments. Practitioners displayed a strong understanding of the importance of engagement in interpretation, using a variety of drama forms and strategies to create resonant experiences and strengthen visitors’ connections with natural, historic and cultural heritage. In addition, they designed their programs to provoke thought and foster deep understanding of environmental and conservation issues, and obtained evidence of provocation and conceptual enhancement. Notwithstanding this, it is concluded that dramatized interpretation could have a greater impact on conceptual enhancement if practitioners designed their programs according to constructivist, group learning and sociocultural perspectives. Practitioners could also make a greater contribution to general environmental education if they explicitly addressed the issue of sustainability, using drama to tell stories that encapsulate the concept of sustainability and provide a vision of sustainable living. A checklist is provided to assist practitioners in the design and evaluation of dramatized programs. Recommendations are also given for interpreters wishing to explore the application of drama to their interpretive setting.

The aim of this thesis has been to study boundary-making in addiction care practitioner’s perceptions of substance use and treatment. The four papers are based on three data collections in Swedish outpatient addiction care: a) a survey conducted in 2006 (n=655), b) a factorial survey using randomly constructed vignettes conducted in 2011 (n=474), and c) a focus group interview study from 2013 (n=30) with a sample of the respondents from the factorial survey. The analyses show that practitioners tend to draw boundaries between various forms of substance use, with alcohol use being perceived as a less severe problem than narcotics use and requiring less extensive treatment measures. There are also partially varying perceptions in different parts of addiction care. By comparison with social services staff, regional healthcare staff generally see a greater need for treatment, recommend medical treatment to a greater extent, and display less confidence in the possibility of handling problematic use without professional treatment. Despite an ongoing medicalization at the policy level, psychosocial treatment interventions appear to have legitimacy in both regional healthcare and social services settings. Boundary-making processes are also found in relation to the specific user’s age, family situation, socio-economic status and in some cases gender, with young women’s drinking being seen as more severe than young men’s drinking for example. The boundary-making between different substance users may be interpreted as a sign of an approach based on a professional consideration of the person’s socially exposed situation, which might require more comprehensive support. At the same time, it may be an expression of a stereotyped approach, involving a normative evaluation of women’s behaviour as being more deviant than men’s, thereby having a limiting effect on the conduct norms that regulate women’s behaviour and making the problems of men invisible. To avoid disparities in addiction care delivery, it is of major importance that practitioners are given room to reflect upon the assumptions and values that underlie the assessments they make in practice. Combining a factorial survey with focus group interviews is proposed as one means of facilitating this type of reflection. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted.</p>