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School counsellors are individuals with specialized training in social-emotional support for children and adolescents. In fact, school counsellors are the front-line school personnel who recognize and respond to various student mental health concerns. Despite the important role of school counsellors, there is little research that explores the experiences and perceptions of school counsellors who support students with mental health concerns. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, this study is based on a set of interviews conducted with four school counsellors who work with students ranging from kindergarten to grade 12. School counsellors were interviewed individually and asked about their views, experiences, approaches, outcomes, and challenges in relation to supporting students with mental health concerns. Data analysis explored the lived experience and essential themes of school counsellors working as mental health professionals.

Deliberate self-harm are a growing problem among young people in Sweden. It's not only the child that suffers from the behaviour, even the whole family. Parent´s need the right support from the healthcare staff for their own wellbeing, but also to be able to give good support for their child. Par-ent´s experiences are of importance for the nurse in the healthcare of the child and their families. The aim of this study was to describe parent´s experiences of living with a child with a deliberate self-harm behavior. In this literature study ten qualitative articles were analyzed using the method of Friberg (2012). Eight articles were found by a systematic search and two articles were found in an unsystematic search. This study showed four main themes and ten subthemes. Main themes were parent´s experience of support, parent´s experience of different feelings, parent´s experience of fam-ily relations and parent´s experience of parenting. Subthemes were to experience lack of support from healthcare staff, to need support from the environment, to feel guilt and shame, to feel concern and fear, to experience chock, to communicate with their child, to experience a different relation-ship in the family, to maintain trust in the relationship between parent and child, wanting to protect their child, to feel unsecure in their parenting. Conclusion were that parent´s need better support from the healthcare staff and from others in their environment. Nurses need more knowledge about parent´s experiences to be able to understand their needs and to be able to support them.

Background Anorexia nervosa is a growing problem in society and it is most common among women. It is a complex disease that affects both the mental and the physical health. The disease expresses itself differently from person to person, therefore, treatment should be individualized. Nurses need to gain insight into how patients feel about the treatment in order to understand their experience. Previous studies use statistical research to evaluate treatment. This study focuses on describing patients' concrete experiences during care and treatment for anorexia nervosa. Aim The aim is to highlight women's experiences of care and treatment for anorexia nervosa at hospital wards. Method The study was based on qualitative articles containing interviews. Nine articles were analysed according to Friberg's (2012) qualitative content analyse for literature-based studies. Results Four themes and twelve subthemes emerged from the analyse. The findings of the results are characterized by feeling isolated, not being seen, feeling trust and taking one step at the time. The quality of care affects the outcome of the treatment. Conclusion Nursing patients with anorexia nervosa is a complex task and skilled staff is required. The whole patient should be treated, both physically and mentally. When treating only the physical the underlying problem still exist and relapse is inevitable. Every individual is different and everyone has different problems. Individualized care is therefore required for the best treatment results.

Technology has changed the way we communicate, teach, and learn. Today’s generation of college students has never known what it is like to be without a cell phone or a computer. Social media is an integral part of their lives. As technology evolves, so do students’ expectations for a learning experience. This experience goes beyond the traditional classroom boundaries’ constrains. Understanding how to take advantage of the pedagogical potential of new technologies is therefore essential for language educators. Broadly speaking, there is much discussion about the integration of social media in language education. However, little is known about how these technologies may work in the language classroom. While many studies focus on the pedagogical benefits, few studies have explored the experiences of language educators who use social media to enhance and transform the traditional learning environment. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore language educators’ perspectives on their use of social media for pedagogical purposes. To gain a better understanding of language educators’ experiences in the use of social media, I interviewed a language educator at a large, public, research university, located in the Southeast of the United States. The primary data sources for this qualitative study consists of a semi-structured survey questionnaire, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews, and a researcher reflective journal. Throughout the study, I analyzed the data to build on the respondents’ comments. To ensure the trustworthiness of the study, I employed several techniques, including data triangulation, peer debriefing, member checking, reflexive journaling, and creating an audit trail. Study findings reveal that participants perceived social media as an instructional medium to blend informal learning into formal learning online, face-to-face, and blended environments, to facilitate a participatory culture, and to provide opportunities for students’ self-expression, self-reflection, and social interaction. Based on the findings, I offer recommendations for instructors, instructional designers, and policy developers. Finally, I address possible future research directions.

When shopping for apparel, many consumers seek advice from friends and family or store personnel. In-store kiosk systems might serve as an alternative decision support system. In the present study we address the key question of how such kiosk systems are evaluated by consumers. We conducted three focus group discussions with regular apparel shoppers aged between 23 and 39 years. In sum, qualitative information from 15 participants was subject to a qualitative content analysis with the aim of gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how apparel shoppers experience the shopping process. Getting a more in-depth understanding of the needs and wishes associated with the apparel shopping process gives a basis for evaluating the potential acceptance of electronic decision support systems in apparel shopping. Although our study is exploratory in nature, we are able to draw an initial picture of how kiosk systems could be used in apparel shopping. (authors' abstract)

Background: Elderly patients have shown to have difficulties to adhere to a continuous independent exercising after a rehabilitation period. Therefore, there is a need for increased understanding among physiotherapists about how to prepare these patients to be independent. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe which factors elderly Arabic immigrants who has completed a clinical physiotherapy intervention, been advised to exercise on their own and then returned to physiotherapy again perceive as important factors for them to continue physical exercising on their own. Method: Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients aged 65 years and more with Arabic background. The interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis and were presented in themes and categories with illustrating quotes. Results: The result showed one theme "Factors influencing continued physical exercising "with four categories and sixteen subcategories that emerged from the analysis. The four categories were: Individual-related factors, Psychosocial-related factors, Physiotherapeutic factors, and Authority-supporting factors. All these factors varied in adherence to exercise among the participants, but were all common among all participants. Conclusion: Adherence to exercising in elderly Arabic immigrants individuals appeared to be multifactorial. The result of the study showed that the informants are aware of and acknowledge the influence of the individual-related factors that appeared to be the major motivators/inhibitors for them, such as: pain, mood, limited income, coldness and lack of discipline. Nevertheless the result of the study showed that the informants' views on the training are positive. The training gave them every day routines, to being a part of social life. Moreover getting support from physiotherapists was contributing factor to adherence to exercising. A large number of informants also indicated that they couldn’t continue their training because of the shortage in availability and affordability of training facilities which should be the responsibility of the authorities. Language barrier was expressed as an important factor that could contribute to misunderstanding and therefore non-adherence to exercising. / Bakgrund: Äldre patienter har visat sig ha svårigheter att följa en kontinuerlig självständig träning efter en rehabiliteringsperiod. Därför finns det ökat behov av förståelse bland fysioterapeuter om hur man förbereder dessa patienter för att vara självständiga. Syftet med studien var att beskriva vilka viktiga faktorer som äldre arabiska immigranter som har genomgått en färdig klinisk fysioterapeutisk behandling och har blivit rekommenderat att träna på egen hand uppfattar som viktiga faktorer för att de ska vara självständiga vid träning. Metod: Tio halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med patienter i åldern 65 år och mer med arabisk bakgrund. Intervjuerna analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys och presenterades i teman och kategorier med illustrerande citat. Resultatet visade ett tema "Faktorer som påverkar fortsatt fysisk träning" med fyra kategorier och sexton subkategorier som framkom av analysen. kategorierna var: Individrelaterade faktorer, psykosociala faktorer, fysioterapeutiska faktorer och myndighetsstödande faktorer. Alla dessa faktorer varierade bland deltagarna, men var alla vanliga bland alla deltagare. Slutsats: Att hålla sig till fysiska övningar hos äldre arabiska immigranter tycktes vara multifaktoriella. Resultatet av studien visade att informanterna är medvetna om och bekräftar påverkan av de enskildrelaterade faktorer som verkade vara de främsta motivatorerna och hämmarna för dem, såsom: smärta, humör, begränsad inkomst, kyla och brist på disciplin. Resultatet av studien visade likväl att informatörernas syn på träning är positiva. Träningen gav dem dagliga rutiner och känsla av att vara en del av det sociala livet. Stödet från fysioterapeuterna var även motiverande faktor för försätta träning. Majoriteten av informanterna betonade också att de inte kunde fortsätta sin utbildning på grund av bristen på tillgänglighet och överkomliga kostnader för träningsanläggningar som borde vara myndigheternas ansvar. Språkbarriären uttrycktes som en viktig faktor som skulle kunna bidra till missförstånd och därmed inte överensstämma med träning.

This study sought to explore the perceptions of social loafing held by post-graduate university students within a group work context. The study aimed to advance understanding of how such perceptions can impact group work endeavours. Specifically, the key tenets that guided the study were whether or not the participants had experienced the phenomenon of social loafing through the duration of their university careers; how prevalent it was; how the encounter had shaped their views on group work; how it impacted their motivational levels; whether they had personally engaged in social loafing or not; as well as how they dealt with social loafers within their groups. This purely qualitative study employed a phenomenological lens in deriving exploratory information from a purposive sample (eight post-graduate students enrolled in the University of Pretoria's Human Resource Management Department). The findings from the research illustrate that the whole sample had experienced social loafing within a group work context. What differed, were the subjective interpretations of the phenomenon held by the students. Students were readily able to provide specific examples and instances where they had been exposed to loafing by a peer or where they, themselves, had loafed. Students' applied various mechanisms to deal with loafers within their work groups, namely, direct confrontation; eliminating perceived loafers from in-group selection from the onset; peer review or evaluations/appraisals; as well complete conflict avoidance through no action at all. The presence of a loafer created feelings of frustration amongst most of the students. The phenomenon itself was more likely to occur when there was a lack of incentive or evaluation, disinterest in the topic or limited knowledge of the work content. Further, the larger the group size, the greater the likelihood of a loafer being present. From these findings it is evident that social loafing is common and leaves a lasting impression on those that have been exposed or engaged in the phenomenon. Recommendations include: the optimal size for a group work task be ideally set at 4 to 5 people; group work activities should have clearly defined goals and objectives; clear means of evaluation must exist to ensure that each group member's contribution can be appraised; prior exposure to the content of the task is important and group work should not take place before modular assessment; lecturers need to take on an active role in mitigating against loafing; realistic time frames for group task completion must be present; and increased focus on educating students on how to be constructive group members should be considered as part of a best practice group work approach. / Mini Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Human Resource Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Today, Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects more than 46.8 million people worldwide. Caring for people with AD is stressful and emotionally draining for both family members and healthcare providers and would be exacerbated by the breakdown in communication. While communication challenges can take many forms, one understudied area in AD patient-provider communication is how gender role might affect the outcomes and perceived feelings during interaction. Without knowledge and attentiveness of how gender may affect patient-provider communication, healthcare providers may become more frustrated in their attempts to apply unadjusted skills, which can cause further breakdown and stress. This study is to explore how gender might be a role affecting caregiving communication within the context of Alzheimer’s. Eleven participants were recruited to have a semi-structured interview through online flyers. The findings from this study yield broad suggestions for future work within the field of Alzheimer’s communication research and specific suggestions for designing the communication training.

This paper aims to investigate how the content of sports editorial newspapers has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic and the government’s decision to cancel all events concerning more people than 500 in Sweden on the 11th of March. The theory used in this paper is agenda setting and new values of written articles. This paper will also investigate how sports editorial newspapers experiences working under new conditions. The procedure of this investigation involved analysing the local newspaper “Upsala Nya Tidning” (UNT) and the public service format “Sveriges Television” (SVT) covering nationwide sports news. The newspaper UNT and the public service format SVT was analyzed by a thematical analysis of their covered sports news. one week before and two weeks after the government’s decision. To supplement the thematic analysis, two qualitative interviews with the head of sports (SVT) and the sports manager (UNT) was conducted.  The results showed a significant shift in the covered sports content written by the newspapers and the experience of sports journalists.