<p>The number of students in the program for pupils with intellectual disabilities has drastically increased over the last decades. Most of those pupils, but far from all, are attending special classes. Today approximately 22 % are attending classes in compulsory school. </p><p> The purpose of this paper is, from a social psychological perspective, to increase the knowledge and understanding of how pupils with intellectual disabilities, partly or fully attending the compulsory main-stream school, experience their school-days. </p><p> This paper is composed of two case studies for which the empiric material has been collected through interviews and observations. Except for Patrik and Oskar, who are the lead characters, have their mothers, school staff and other pupils been interviewed. To reach a deeper understanding of the pupils experiences, the empiric material has been interpreted using hermeneutics. </p><p> The result shows that Patrik and Oskar are mainly satisfied with their schools. Conclusive for their experiences are; personal qualities, attitude and roles, organization and group belonging and finally clarification and requirements. That homes and schools respectively have adopted a common approach to their disabilities gives an increased confidence while developing their identity. Well thought out strategies for adaptation of the organization and the content of the lessons facilitates and promotes teamwork and participation.</p>

Objectives.The general objectives of this dissertationwere to examine the effects of acute exposure to meaningfulirrelevant speech and road traffic noise on memory performance,and to explore annoyance responses to noise exposure in theschool environment for pupils and teachers in different agegroups. Methods. The thesis comprises seven papers, representingdifferent methodological approaches: experiments, surveystudies and interviews. In the experiments, reported in PapersI-V, 288 pupils and teachers participated in the age groups,13-14 years (n=96), 18-20 years (n=96), 35-45 years (n=48) and55-65 years (n=48). The subjects were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: (a) meaningful irrelevant speech, (b) roadtraffic noise, and (c) silence. The equivalent sound level inthe noise conditions was set to 66 dB(A). A test batteryreflecting episodic and semantic memory were used. The surveystudies, reported in Paper VI and VII, included 207 pupils(M=13.5) and 166 teachers (M=45.9). Two separate questionnairesmainly comprising items about annoyance, noise sensitivity andstress symptoms were administered. Paper VI presents results offocus group interviews (n=16) treating the main topics:disturbing sounds, emotions, ongoing activity, and suggestionsconcerning future changes. Results. The overall findings showedthat both noise sources affected episodic and semantic memoryto the same degree for all age groups. The results indicatedthat the similarity of semantic content between noise and thetask at hand was not the only suitable explanation model, sincea non-speech noise impaired memory as much as speech. Resultsalso indicated that attention effects did notmediate the obtained noise effects and that the noise effectsdid not differ between age groups. Therefore, it seemedunlikely that different memory and attentional capacities stoodout as explanatory factors of the memory effects. Sinceperformances of both episodic and semantic memory tasks wereimpaired, the explanation based on level of access to long-termmemory was also ruled out. However, the episodic memory task,reading comprehension, stood out to be most impaired by noise,suggesting that complexity of the task to perform was ofimportance. For reading comprehension there was also adifferent noise pattern obtained. Participants performance wasin this task, more impaired by meaningful irrelevant speechthan by road traffic noise. This effect indicated thatmeaningful irrelevant speech might reduce the availablecognitive resources necessary for learning the text. Theannoyance models derived from the survey studies indicated thatsensitivity acted as a mediator between hearing status andannoyance, with stress symptoms as an outcome. Whetherannoyance arises or not was also determined by control andpredictability of the noise. In the interviews a differentannoyance pattern was found, in that stress symptoms appearedto be a determinant of annoyance. To be involved, respected,take own responsibility and respect others were suggestions onhow to change the environment to become more silent. Conclusions.For both pupils and teachers acute exposureto meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noiseinfluenced both the achieving and providing of knowledge. Acommon annoyance pattern was also found for pupils andteachers, where individual and situational factors were ofimportance. To achieve a more silent school environment in thefuture, the pupils pointed out that the interaction betweenthemselves and their teachers was of importance. Key words:Noise, meaningful irrelevant speech, roadtraffic noise, memory, age groups, school environment, pupils,teachers

Objectives.The general objectives of this dissertationwere to examine the effects of acute exposure to meaningfulirrelevant speech and road traffic noise on memory performance,and to explore annoyance responses to noise exposure in theschool environment for pupils and teachers in different agegroups. Methods. The thesis comprises seven papers, representingdifferent methodological approaches: experiments, surveystudies and interviews. In the experiments, reported in PapersI-V, 288 pupils and teachers participated in the age groups,13-14 years (n=96), 18-20 years (n=96), 35-45 years (n=48) and55-65 years (n=48). The subjects were randomly assigned to oneof three conditions: (a) meaningful irrelevant speech, (b) roadtraffic noise, and (c) silence. The equivalent sound level inthe noise conditions was set to 66 dB(A). A test batteryreflecting episodic and semantic memory were used. The surveystudies, reported in Paper VI and VII, included 207 pupils(M=13.5) and 166 teachers (M=45.9). Two separate questionnairesmainly comprising items about annoyance, noise sensitivity andstress symptoms were administered. Paper VI presents results offocus group interviews (n=16) treating the main topics:disturbing sounds, emotions, ongoing activity, and suggestionsconcerning future changes. Results. The overall findings showedthat both noise sources affected episodic and semantic memoryto the same degree for all age groups. The results indicatedthat the similarity of semantic content between noise and thetask at hand was not the only suitable explanation model, sincea non-speech noise impaired memory as much as speech. Resultsalso indicated that attention effects did notmediate the obtained noise effects and that the noise effectsdid not differ between age groups. Therefore, it seemedunlikely that different memory and attentional capacities stoodout as explanatory factors of the memory effects. Sinceperformances of both episodic and semantic memory tasks wereimpaired, the explanation based on level of access to long-termmemory was also ruled out. However, the episodic memory task,reading comprehension, stood out to be most impaired by noise,suggesting that complexity of the task to perform was ofimportance. For reading comprehension there was also adifferent noise pattern obtained. Participants performance wasin this task, more impaired by meaningful irrelevant speechthan by road traffic noise. This effect indicated thatmeaningful irrelevant speech might reduce the availablecognitive resources necessary for learning the text. Theannoyance models derived from the survey studies indicated thatsensitivity acted as a mediator between hearing status andannoyance, with stress symptoms as an outcome. Whetherannoyance arises or not was also determined by control andpredictability of the noise. In the interviews a differentannoyance pattern was found, in that stress symptoms appearedto be a determinant of annoyance. To be involved, respected,take own responsibility and respect others were suggestions onhow to change the environment to become more silent. Conclusions.For both pupils and teachers acute exposureto meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noiseinfluenced both the achieving and providing of knowledge. Acommon annoyance pattern was also found for pupils andteachers, where individual and situational factors were ofimportance. To achieve a more silent school environment in thefuture, the pupils pointed out that the interaction betweenthemselves and their teachers was of importance. Key words:Noise, meaningful irrelevant speech, roadtraffic noise, memory, age groups, school environment, pupils,teachers

The problem focused in the thesis has its ground in the crossroads between a manifold school-time and shared as well as individual rhythms of pupils. The thesis builds on a theoretical assumption that cultural structures in time are of meaning for an understanding of ourselves and of others, and works as a frame for contemporary values and constraints, especially in school. The aim is to understand and create a thick description of the phenomenon time as a condition for positioning, as young high school pupils see and deal with it. The contexts for their descriptions are three specific schools, challenging traditional ways of studying in time by offer independency, one by distance education, one by mobility between independency and timed lessons, and one by an independent project in an otherwise ordinary timetable. The empirical material is mainly based on interviews, letters and drawings, collected from thirty pupils, ten from each school. The study is conducted and analysed in means of an abductive methodology, and use senzitising concepts to withdraw units of meaning, relating the descriptions of pupils to theoretical assumptions. Time as a condition for positioning is a way of balancing between structure and individual acts. Time in school is created and dealt with in the crossroads between feelings of freedom to, of being in control of and/or close to, and their opposites, feelings of freedom from, or being controlled by and/or on distance. Dreams of spontaneity, closeness and intensity give way to certain temporal dilemmas in a school-time with contradictory values. The rhythms outlined by some of the pupils support the dreams described, as well as they underline the pupils’ need for temporal frames that see and confirm their performances here and now, as well as in the future. Time as an analytical filter reveals a meaning of time as enclosing lines and circles, present moments and stretched lives, school-time and other times.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att, genom intervjuer med tolv elever ur år fem, undersöka deras uppfattningar om matematik. För att studera detta har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ metod med inspiration av den fenomenografiska ansatsen. Utifrån studiens syfte och frågeställningar har tre temaområden framtagits inom vilka elevernas uppfattningar analyserats och därefter kategoriserats. Ur resultatet framkommer en relativt snäv syn på matematiken där läroboken är dominerande i elevernas uppfattningar. Boken fungerar som utgångspunkt både i definitionen av matematikämnet och vid beskrivningen av hur ämnet upplevs. Detta kan ha sin grund i, vilket framgår i elevernas beskrivning av matematiklektionerna, att undervisningen till stor del kännetecknas av räknande i läroboken. Ett stort antal av eleverna uppfattar undervisning i matematik som mer eller mindre lustfyllt beroende på hur långt de kommit i läroboken. Att ligga långt fram och att räkna fort framstår som betydande för hur duktiga eleverna upplever sig vara. Flertalet elever uttrycker dessutom en önskan om variation i undervisningen med förslag såsom miljöombyte, nyttjande av konkret material eller möjlighet till arbete närmare det egna intresseområdet. Samtliga elever beskriver dock matematikämnet som viktigt där de flesta argumenten är av funktionell karaktär. Den praktiska användbarheten av matematiken framkommer i liten utsträckning, då främst i anknytning till handel och pengahantering. / The aim of the present study is, through interviews with 12 students in year five, to investigate their views on mathematics. In order to study this, we have used a qualitative approach inspired by the phenomenographic methodology. Based on the study’s aims, three areas have been identified, in which the pupils’ views were analyzed and then categorized. The results showed a somewhat limited view of mathematics, where the course textbook heavily influenced pupils’ perceptions of the subject. The study shows that the textbook largely forms the basis both for how the subject is defined and perceived. This could be based on teaching being largely based on arithmetic exercises in the textbook itself, as is shown in students’ description of mathematics lessons. A large number of pupils correlate their enjoyment of mathematics with how far they have come in the courseware.  To be a long way into the book and to be able to calculate quickly are both key indicators of how mathematically able students consider themselves to be. In addition a majority of pupils express a desire for more variation in teaching methods, with proposals such as a change of scenery, the use of real world examples, or the possibility to concentrate on an area in which they were particularly interested. However, all pupils consider the subject of mathematics to be important, where the most common arguments are of a functional nature. The practical usefulness of mathematics was considered to be limited, mainly confined to shopping and managing money.

Två studier undersökte hur self-efficacy, individens tro på sin förmåga, inverkar på prosocialt beteende i skolmiljö. I Studie 1 besvarade 121 gymnasieelever en enkät, som mätte akademisk och emotionell self-efficacy samt prosocialt beteende. I Studie 2 besvarade 48 gymnasieelever en enkät, som mätte emotionell self-efficacy och prosocialt beteende. Studie 1 visade att akademisk men inte emotionell self-efficacy korrelerade positivt med prosocialt beteende. I begreppet emotionell self-efficacy finns två känsloreaktioner: själv- och andraorienterade. Studie 1 tog hänsyn enbart till självorienterade reaktioner. Eftersom andraorienterade reaktioner saknades, kan det förklara bristen på samband. I Studie 2 korrelerade emotionell self-efficacy positivt med prosocialt beteende, och andraorienterade känsloreaktioner visade sig ha störst betydelse. Andraorienterad emotionell self-efficacy kan antas vara en kraftfull källa till prosocialt beteende i skolmiljö.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att ta reda på vilka attityder elever i grundskolans senare år har gentemot den praktiska undervisningen i de naturorienterande ämnena sett ur ett genusperspektiv. För att studera elevernas attityder har enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer valts som metod. Semistrukturerade intervjuer ger intervjuaren möjlighet att följa upp respondenternas svar med olika följdfrågor, som kan varieras relativt fritt vilket bidrar till att intervjuaren kan bilda sig en uppfattning om respondenternas attityder. De attityder gällande praktisk undervisning i de naturorienterande ämnena som påträffats var främst positiva och samtliga respondenter var eniga om att den praktiska undervisningen hjälper till att öka förståelsen. Undersökningen visade att flickorna föredrog biologi eftersom detta inte ansågs vara lika svårt som fysik och kemi, medan pojkarna i undersökningen fann mer intresse i fysik och teknik. Meningarna huruvida den praktiska undervisningen examineras gick isär. Slutsatsen som kan dras från uppsatsens undersökning blir således att pedagoger bör försöka att utveckla en praktisk undervisning som passar alla dagens ungdomar, oavsett kön, samt att tydliggöra syftet och målet innan det praktiska arbetet inleds. / The aim of this dissertation is to study the attitudes that exist among secondary-school pupils, to practical education in natural science, through a gender perspective. Semi-structured interviews were chosen as method of studying the pupils’ attitudes. A semi- structured interview gives the interviewer a possibility to follow up the answers given by the respondent with varied attendant questions. For the interviewer this contributes to develop an insight of the attitudes. The interviews reveal that most of the pupils have a positive attitude towards practical education in natural science and all of the respondents agreed on the fact that practical education helps to improve their understanding. The research showed that girls prefer biology since they find it less difficult than physics and chemistry, while boys on the other hand prefer physics and technology. There is a disagreement among the respondents on whether or not examinations exist in practical education. The conclusion of the dissertation is that pedagogues need to develop a practical education suited for all youths irrespective of gender, as well as stating the aim and purpose before the practical education starts.

The aim of this thesis is to examine how the history of mathematics can be used in teaching and whether pupils’ attitudes to mathematics can be affected by this. In order to do this a school project about the history of mathematics is planned, implemented and analysed. The following questions are addressed: ▪ Why use the history of mathematics in teaching? ▪ How can the history of mathematics be used in teaching? ▪ Can a historical perspective in teaching affect pupils’ views on mathematics? The school curriculum emphasizes the importance of history in teaching. Literature, scientific articles and government inquiries call attention to the positive effects of including a historical perspective in teaching. The school project, which underlies this thesis, is put to practice by 25 pupils in a mathematics science profile class. The outcome is one written and one oral report. A first questionnaire is completed by the pupils before the history project is introduced and a second one after the project work is entirely finished. The result shows positive effects of using the history of mathematics in teaching.

The number of students in the program for pupils with intellectual disabilities has drastically increased over the last decades. Most of those pupils, but far from all, are attending special classes. Today approximately 22 % are attending classes in compulsory school. The purpose of this paper is, from a social psychological perspective, to increase the knowledge and understanding of how pupils with intellectual disabilities, partly or fully attending the compulsory main-stream school, experience their school-days. This paper is composed of two case studies for which the empiric material has been collected through interviews and observations. Except for Patrik and Oskar, who are the lead characters, have their mothers, school staff and other pupils been interviewed. To reach a deeper understanding of the pupils experiences, the empiric material has been interpreted using hermeneutics. The result shows that Patrik and Oskar are mainly satisfied with their schools. Conclusive for their experiences are; personal qualities, attitude and roles, organization and group belonging and finally clarification and requirements. That homes and schools respectively have adopted a common approach to their disabilities gives an increased confidence while developing their identity. Well thought out strategies for adaptation of the organization and the content of the lessons facilitates and promotes teamwork and participation.

This thesis examines two aspects of the shaping of school pupils and has its theoretical base in Foucault's concepts of governmentality and conduct of conduct. The initial study deals with the construction of the ideal pupil in two curricula texts from 1969 and 1994. The second focuses on how pupils are constructed and construct themselves in the school context. The method of inquiry is text analysis and group interviews. The curricula study describes pupils' desired competencies in curricula texts today and forty years ago. The study notes that during the last four decades the honest, helpful, patient and considerate subject has been replaced by a responsible, reflective, active and critical subject. A subject with dichotomous competencies is elaborated to show the antithesis to the democratic pupil/member of society. The discussion deals with how the desired competencies may effect schoolwork and the interaction between teachers and pupils, and vice versa.  The second study deals with what a group of pupil talk about, how they do it and who is allowed to talk when. The subject matter is how nine-year-old pupils argue with each other about coming off well in school or failing as a pupil. The results indicate that relations with peers is central for nine-year-old pupils during the school day, and that traditional school work - such as reading and writing, maths and so on -  is not something the pupils pay particularly much attention to. The pupils must learn to master a number of implicit rules about the conduct of a school girl or a school boy. Most pupils learn the prevailing criteria without difficulty, but those who fail in this matter are in one way or another excluded from other children's activities. To position oneself and others is a basic part of the interaction with others and is always in progress. Positioning in this sense is not to be mixed up with social positions and status in more traditional terms. You position yourself and the other as soon as you catch sight of each other by asking yourself: Who am I and who is he/she? This question is strictly tied to here and now in a special context, and continues as long as any kind of interaction exists between two or more people. The children have different techniques for positioning themselves and each other, and use them more or less frequently. Some pupils are more competitive than others and express a more hierarchic idea in their relations to other pupils. Other boys and girls seem to have very little interest in such competition and manage to position themselves without comparing or competing.