Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-06-22T16:13:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Renata Garcia Marques.pdf: 9926147 bytes, checksum: 3317a7d6d58a0acd606533ec13414aee (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-22T16:13:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Renata Garcia Marques.pdf: 9926147 bytes, checksum: 3317a7d6d58a0acd606533ec13414aee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-18 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as possibilidades de ensino da língua materna por meio de gêneros textuais ancorados na proposta metodológica de Projeto Didático de Gênero (PDG) e refletir sobre elas. Por meio da pesquisa ação, conforme definições de Pimenta (2005) e Wells (2009), em que o professor assume o papel de pesquisador, desenvolveu-se a base metodológica adotada para esta pesquisa e para a geração de dados apresentados. O foco de estudo dessa pesquisa encontra-se dividido em dois momentos. Primeiro, centra-se em analisar como, a partir do gênero textual notícia, as capacidades de linguagem de alunos multirrepentes do Projeto Seguindo em Frente, séries finais, de uma escola de Ensino Fundamental da rede pública, RS, podem ser acionadas por meio das atividades propostas no PDG “Profissão Repórter na Comunidade”, desenvolvido e aplicado pela professora/pesquisadora. No segundo, depois de aplicado o projeto, analisa-se como efetivamente as capacidades de linguagem foram acionadas durante o processo de produção do gênero notícia dos textos (produção inicial, produção final e reescrita) de uma mesma aluna, evidenciando a relação entre a proposta de PDG e as capacidades de linguagem da aluna acionadas durante o desenvolvimento do projeto. Além disso, essa pesquisa também aponta para a importância do letramento digital (por meio do uso das redes sociais) voltado para o ensino da língua materna. Como âncora teórica, embasamo-nos em alguns princípios do Interacionismo Sociodiscursivo (ISD) de Bronckart (199/2006/2007/2009), o conceito de gêneros textuais por meio das sequências didáticas, com os estudos de Schneuwly e Dolz (2011) e o conceito de capacidades de linguagem (DOLZ, PASQUIER, BRONCKART, 1993; SCHNEUWLY E DOLZ, 2011; CRISTÓVÃO, 2011/2013). O estudo se fundamenta também na proposta metodológica de Projeto Didático de Gênero (PDG), defendida por Guimarães e Kersch (2012), nos estudos de letramento (STREET, 2010; BARTON; HAMILTON, 1998; KLEIMAN, 1995/2008) e nos estudos de letramento digital (BUZATTO, 2009; ROJO, 2012; SOARES 2002; XAVIER, 2009). Todos esses construtos teóricos embasam esta pesquisa para apontar novos caminhos para o ensino da Língua Materna. Os resultados mostram que a proposta de Projeto Didático de Gênero, desenvolvida com alunos multirrepetentes, conduz o professor a desenvolver atividades que exploraram o gênero (notícia) como objeto de ensino vinculado à prática social dos aprendizes, promovendo a mobilização das capacidades de linguagem desses alunos significativamente. / The present work aims to analyze new teaching possibilities for mother tongue through textual genders anchored in the methodological proposal of Gender Didactic Project (GDP) and reflect about them. Through action research, as definitions of Pepper (2005) and Wells (2009), in which the teacher assumes the researcher role, it was developed the methodological basis adopted for this research and for generation of the presented data. The studying focus of this research is divided in two moments. First, it focuses on analyzing how, from the news gender textual, the language capabilities of school failure students from the Project Moving Forward, final grades, from a public elementary school, RS, can be activated by means of activities proposed in the GDP "Profession Reporter in the Community", developed and applied by the teacher/researcher. And second, after application of the project, it is analyzed how the language capabilities were effectively actuated during the production process of the news gender of texts (initial production, final production and rewriting) of the same student, evidencing the relationship between the proposed GDP and the student’s language capabilities during the project development. Furthermore, this research also points out the digital literacy’s (social networks use) importance for teaching the mother tongue. As a theoretical anchor, in some principles of the Socio-Discursive Interactionism (SDI) from Bronckart and the textual genders study through didactic sequences, with studies from Schneuwly and Dolz. As well as the methodological proposal of Gender Didactic Project (GDP), defended by Guimarães and Kersch (2012), the literacy’s studies importance (STREET, 2010; BARTON, HAMILTON, 1998; KLEIMAN 2005/2007) and the relevance of digital literacy’s studies (Buzatto, 2009; ROJO, 2012; SOARES 2002; XAVIER, 2009;). All these theoretical constructs underlie this research to point new paths for the Mother Tongue’s teaching. The results show that the proposed Gender Didactic Project developed with school failure students students, leads the teacher to develop activities that explore the gender (news) as an object of education linked to a social practice of learners, promoting significantly the mobilization of language skills of these students.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:31:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Cristina Meirelles.pdf: 648226 bytes, checksum: 9ab56b1d7a34c4512f08c422eb61bfde (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The purpose of this work is to ponder on the issue of knowledge production stemming from social practices and particularly from the contributions arising from the systematization of experiences for such a theme. Its goal is to assess and inspect the experiences put forward by persons participating in NGO s (Non-Governmental Organizations) up to the paths that lead to the learning arising from practice to systematization of experiences and to methodologies and knowledge generation. This research initiates from the determination of the current social contexts in which NGO s are inserted, from the establishment of conceptual references useful for such pondering and also from a brief revision of the available literature on systematizing experiences, mainly Latin-American ones. Then six individuals belonging to three NGO s acting nationwide are interviewed. The results show that such lessons stemming from social practices either their own or from other actors have been considered as sources of knowledge by their executive agents. Practical knowledge plays roles on several dimensions of social practice on strenghtening organizational identities, on building references that support social changes, and on permanently shaping the subjects that participate in them, among other things. The ways for building up such knowledge, mutually dissimilar ones, include several assumptions for systematizing experiences, though these do not make up however, within the universe studied, a systematization of experiences exactly as conceived by Latin-American ponderings. On the other hand, the dialogue between the different ways of knowledge production opens up a new set of issues to be dealt with, especially in the education field / Este trabalho tem o propósito de refletir a questão da produção do conhecimento a partir da prática social e, particularmente, as contribuições da sistematização de experiências para o tema. Seu objetivo é levantar e analisar os sentidos atribuídos por indivíduos participantes de ONGs Organizações Não Governamentais - aos caminhos que levam da aprendizagem advinda da prática à sistematização das experiências e à geração de metodologias e de conhecimento. A pesquisa parte da delimitação do atual contexto social no qual as ONGs estão inseridas, do estabelecimento de referências conceituais úteis para essa reflexão e de uma breve revisão da literatura disponível sobre a sistematização de experiências, majoritariamente latino-americana. Em seguida são entrevistados seis indivíduos pertencentes a três ONGs com atuação nacional. Os resultados indicam que as aprendizagens derivadas da prática social - sejam as próprias ou de outros atores - têm sido consideradas pelos seus executores como fontes de conhecimento. Um conhecimento prático, que tem um papel a cumprir em várias dimensões da prática social: no fortalecimento das identidades organizacionais, na construção de referências que apóiem a transformação social, na formação permanente dos sujeitos que delas participam, entre outros. Os modos de construção deste conhecimento, diversos entre si, incluem vários pressupostos da sistematização de experiências, embora não se constituam, no conjunto estudado, em sistematização de experiências exatamente como concebida pelas reflexões latino-americanas. Por outro lado, o diálogo entre as diferentes maneiras de produção de conhecimento abre um novo leque de questões a serem tratadas, especialmente no campo da educação

De acordo com Frosi e Mioranza (1983), a realização de vibrante simples em lugar de múltipla é um fenômeno passível de ocorrer no português quando este está em contato com o italiano. No Rio Grande do Sul, a população de descendentes de imigrantes italianos se faz fortemente presente, principalmente nas cidades da antiga RCI-RS (Região de Colonização Italiana do Rio Grande do Sul). Os estudos realizados por Rossi (2000), Spessatto (2003), Bovo (2004) e Battisti e Martins (2011) nessas comunidades revelam que o emprego variável da vibrante simples em lugar da múltipla é uma prática predominantemente masculina, rural e realizada pelos falantes de faixa etária mais elevada. O objetivo do presente trabalho é verificar, com base na Teoria da Variação (LABOV, 1972), a proporção de aplicação da regra variável de uso de vibrante simples em lugar de múltipla, tanto em posição intervocálica (arroz) quanto em início de palavra (rua) em Antônio Prado – RS, e os condicionadores linguísticos e sociais do processo, na hipótese de que as variáveis sociais sejam mais relevantes para a aplicação da regra, como atestam estudos realizados em outras comunidades de fala. Partimos também da hipótese de que os homens de mais idade, moradores da zona rural, aparecerão como favorecedores da realização da vibrante simples, conforme indica a literatura. A amostra é composta por 32 informantes de Antônio Prado (RS), do Banco de Dados da Serra Gaúcha (BDSer), da Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS), considerando as seguintes características: 2 gêneros, 2 locais de residência (urbano e rural), 4 grupos etários (15-30; 31-50; 51-70; 71 ou mais anos), 2 níveis de escolaridade (primário a fundamental e médio a superior). A análise estatística dos dados é feita através do Goldvarb e os resultados revelam que a faixa etária mais elevada não favorece a aplicação de vibrante simples em Antônio Prado, contrariando uma de nossas hipóteses. Realizam-se registros etnográficos (SPRADLEY, 1979) com o intuito de compreender e explicar os resultados da análise de regra variável, através das informações obtidas sobre as práticas sociais (ECKERT, 2000) dos informantes. Os registros incluem três entrevistas etnográficas, além de observações e anotações realizadas em eventos na comunidade. / According to Frosi e Mioranza (1983), the occurrence of flap where a trill is expected is a common phenomenon in Brazilian Portuguese when it is in contact with the Italian language. In Rio Grande do Sul, the population of immigrants and their descendants is strongly present, mainly in the old RCI-RS (Região de Colonização Italiana, Italian Sattlement Region) cities. The studies by Rossi (2000), Spessatto (2003), Bovo (2004) and Battisti and Martins (2011) reveal that the use of flap instead of trill is a predominantly male and rural practice, mostly performed by older speakers. This study aims to verify, based on the Language Variation Theory (LABOV, 1972), (i) the frequency of use of flap instead of trill, both in intervocalic position (arroz) and at the beginning of the word (rua), in Antonio Prado - RS; and (ii) the social and linguistic conditioning variables of rule application, in the hypothesis that the social variables are indeed more relevant for the application of the rule, as revealed by prior studies.We also hypothesize that older men, residents of the countryside, condition rule application. The interviews of 32 informants from Antônio Prado (RS) used in the research were taken from Serra Gaúcha Database (BDSer), from University of Caxias do Sul (UCS), considering the following characteristics: 2 genders (male, female), 2 places of residence (urban and rural), 4 age groups (15-30; 31-50; 51-70; 71 or older), 2 educational levels (from 1 to 8 years of education, and 9 or more years of education). The statistical analysis was done with Goldvarb software, and the results show that the older age group does not condition the use of flap in Antônio Prado, contradicting our hypothesis. We use ethnographic records (SPRADLEY, 1979) in order to comprehend and explain the quantitative results in the perspective of social practices (ECKERT, 2000). The records include 3 ethnographic interviews, as well as observations and notes recorded in community events.

Alors que la sociologie dominante soutient que, d’une part, la mondialisation du sport entraîne dans son sillage un processus d’uniformisation des cultures sportives et que,d’autre part, les sociétés postmodernes vouent un culte au loisir libre et désintéressé, l’idéeque défend cette thèse est que l’application d’une pareille lecture n’est pas inéluctable enAfrique en général et au Cameroun en particulier et ce, pour deux raisons au moins.Premièrement, même si l’impact du système mondial sur le champ ludosportif camerounaisest indéniable, l’étude des activités sportives dans leur spécificité nationale et leurssingularités pratiques montre que le sport, en tant que fait social, porte toujours les marquesde la société qui l’abrite. Deuxièmement, dans des pays moins avancés comme c’est le cas duCameroun, le loisir sportif, dans la mesure où il occasionne la rencontre d’une pluralitéd’acteurs aux statuts différents, ne peut pas être détaché des problèmes que vivent auquotidien les acteurs qu’il implique. Il est plutôt une ressource sociale et ne se comprendtotalement que lorsqu’on examine ce sur quoi il débouche en termes de relations, de réseaux,d’échanges de capitaux, etc. Sur la base d’une problématique s’insérant dans la perspectiveinteractionniste, et s’appuyant méthodologiquement sur une approche à la fois qualitative etquantitative, nos observations ont permis de constater que la pratique du sport collectif,notamment le football, le basketball et la course du week-end, ne repose pas simplement surdes besoins de loisir et de divertissement. Il s’agit aussi d’une arène (au sens militaire et sociologique) où s’affrontent des acteurs aux rationalités calculatrices protéiformes. / Meanwhile the dominant sociology assumes that globalization generates astandardization process of sports cultures, in one hand, and that postmodern societies are onlypracticing leisure in a free and disinterested spirit in another hand, this thesis is structuredaround the main idea that such an analytical trends are not adequate in Africa globally and inCameroon in particular for two reasons at least. Firstly, even if the globalization’s effects onCameroonian sports is not to be denied, the study of sports activities in their nationalspecificities and given the singularities of the practices displays the fact that, as a total socialphenomenon, sport always carries the brand of the society where it takes place. Secondly, inless developed countries as in Cameroon case, sport leisure, in the extend that it generates thecontact between numerous actors with different social statuses, can’t be separated from thedaily problems experienced by individuals involved. It is moreover a social resource andcould be totally understood only if it is examined in it outcomes in terms of relations, socialnetworks, exchange of capitals, etc. Taking root in an interactionist perspective, andexploiting both a quantitative and qualitative methodology, observing the Cameroonian sportleisure led to notice that the practice of collective sport, as football, basketball and theweekend race, is not motivated by the mere needs of leisure and entertainment. It is also anarena (in the military and sociological extend) where actors endowed with calculatingrationalities are confronting themselves

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ariane Mieco Sugayama.pdf: 16216932 bytes, checksum: 8edecb5b9d4c8f34d8d0313290c3f50a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-21 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This work, which is within the area of Applied Linguistics, aims at: 1. investigating social practices of reading, that is, the reading mediation as cultural action (TEIXEIRA COELHO, 1989) and the group think-aloud (ZANOTTO, 1995; 2008), intending to search for theoretical-methodological convergences, in order to contribute to a paradigmatic change in teaching the reading of literary texts in the classroom, as well as to the reader s training; and 2. analyzing my own practice, through research-action (KINCHELOE, 1997), something which was carried out during the interaction with my female students, i.e., how I answered them and how they answered me. The questions I tried to answer were: 1. what are the theoretical-methodological differences and similarities between the reading mediation as social action and the group thinkaloud?; 1.1. in which aspects each of these practices contributes to a paradigmatic change in teaching the reading of literary texts in the classroom?; 1.2. in which sense these social practices of reading (BLOOME, 1983; STREET, 1984; 1993) can complete each other and enrich the mediator and students performance, based on the knowledge on how the questions emerge in my interaction with the students?; 1.3. in which sense these social practices of reading can contribute to training the reader of literary texts? This research has a qualitative design (BORTONI-RICARDO, 2008), a critical interpretive approach (MOITA LOPES, 2006; FIDALGO, 2006), and the data were analyzed through the interpretation of these reading practices, considering the meanings developed by the social subjects. The theoretical framework is related to reading, literacy, literature, metaphor, teaching-learning, and inquiry theories. The instruments for data generation were: 1. the group think-aloud; 2. reading diaries (MACHADO, 1998); and 3. group interview (FLICK, 2009). The subjects involved were the female students from the Project Reading Mediators Training, having the researcher as mediator. The results obtained revealed: 1. reading practices investigated favor the leading role of students in the development of readings; 2. the questions as important elements in the development of readings; and 3. the literary genre, when approached without interference of school tasks, can be a source of: critical reflections, aesthetical enjoyment, and sensitizing of the reader with regard to its humanizing character / Este trabalho, que se insere na área da Linguística Aplicada, tem por objetivo: 1. investigar práticas sociais de leitura, isto é, a mediação de leitura como ação cultural (TEIXEIRA COELHO, 1989) e o pensar alto em grupo (ZANOTTO, 1995; 2008), no intuito de buscar confluências teórico-metodológicas, a fim de contribuir para uma mudança paradigmática no ensino de leitura de textos literários em sala de aula, bem como para a formação do leitor; e 2. analisar minha prática, por meio da pesquisa-ação (KINCHELOE, 1997), que ocorreu na interação com as alunas, ou seja, como eu respondi a elas e como elas responderam a mim. As perguntas que busquei responder foram: 1. quais são as diferenças e semelhanças teórico-metodológicas entre a mediação de leitura como ação cultural e o pensar alto em grupo?; 1.1. em quais aspectos cada uma dessas práticas contribui para uma mudança paradigmática do ensino de leitura de textos literários em sala de aula?; 1.2. em quais termos essas práticas sociais de leitura (BLOOME, 1983; STREET, 1984; 1993) podem complementar-se enriquecendo a atuação do mediador e dos alunos, a partir do conhecimento de como ocorrem as perguntas na interação entre mim e os alunos?; 1.3. em qual sentido essas práticas sociais de leitura podem contribuir para a formação do leitor de textos literários? Esta pesquisa é de natureza qualitativa (BORTONI-RICARDO, 2008), de orientação interpretativista crítica (MOITA LOPES, 2006; FIDALGO, 2006), e os dados foram analisados a partir da interpretação dessas práticas de leitura, com interesse nos significados construídos pelos sujeitos sociais. A fundamentação teórica está relacionada a teorias de leitura, de letramento, de literatura, de metáfora, de ensino-aprendizagem e de perguntas. Os instrumentos de geração de dados foram: 1. o pensar alto em grupo; 2. diários de leitura (MACHADO, 1998); e 3. entrevista em grupo (FLICK, 2009). Os sujeitos envolvidos foram as alunas do Projeto Formação de Mediadores de Leitura, tendo a pesquisadora na condição de mediadora. Os resultados obtidos revelaram: 1. práticas de leitura investigadas favorecem o protagonismo dos alunos na construção das leituras; 2. as perguntas como elementos importantes na construção das leituras; e 3. o gênero literário, quando abordado sem a interferência de tarefas escolares, pode ser fonte de: reflexões críticas, fruição estética e sensibilização do leitor quanto ao seu caráter humanizador

The enormous amount of household food waste in developed countries is a global environmental and climate threat. To reduce household food waste, various behavior change campaigns and interventions are conducted. Most conventional behavior change interventions designed to reduce household food waste are based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and are information heavy. These have shown, however, to not be effective enough to result in a fast and sizable enough decrease of household food waste in developed countries, thus reducing climate and environmental impact in a timely and sizeable enough way. The more systemic, holistic and practically oriented Social Practice Theory (SPT) theoretical framework is proposed by different authors as an alternative to the conventionally used TPB theoretical framework to design (behavior) change interventions. SPT is thought to lead to greater and faster reduction of food waste at the household level and to a general change in the food supply system. Nevertheless, interventions are oftennot created according to their proposed theoretical framework and no “direct” comparison between both theoreticalframeworks at the intervention level has been conducted. This thesis compares two case studies describing food waste reduction interventions, one with a TPB theoretical framework and the other with a SPT theoretical framework. The results show that when considering food waste reduction interventions at the household levels in developed countries the SPT might be a more effective theoretical framework for an intervention design compared to a TPB theoretical framework. Specifically, the SPT theoretical framework includes more relevant system stakeholders in the intervention creation leading to a more context specific design. Additionally, the emphasis of actual “doing” in an intervention based on an SPT theoretical framework createsa potential for more long-term change, compared to a TPB theoretical framework. However, this thesis also suggests that merging of the two theories should be further research and discussed, because of the potential greater effectiveness in actual food waste reduction.

Este artículo describe una de las prácticas letradas poco estudiadas por los sociolingüistas, etnógrafos y los estudiosos de la literacidad: la escritura generada por los comerciantes de los mercados. Esta ma-nera de usar la escritura es una práctica común en muchos pues-tos comerciales peruanos, no solo el comprador elabora su listado de compras, sino que también el vendedor suele hacer registros del negocio y otras anotaciones peculiares, características que los iden-tifican y que junto con otros patrones sociales de conducta y otras condiciones materiales que los rodean la convierten en una práctica social. Por tanto, es importante conocer los eventos letrados de los compradores y vendedores en los mercados como una forma de co-nocer situaciones letradas más allá de la escuela o la universidad; de esta manera, este trabajo buscar explicar qué y cómo se escribe, y con qué finalidades se escribe. Para ello, nos basaremos en los Nuevos Estudios de Literacidad (NEL). Con este trabajo, se concluye que la escritura sirve como herramienta cognitiva y social en un espacio social determinado con objetivos específicos: para los compradores y vendedores permite organizar y memorizar datos, y facilita las tran-sacciones. / This survey describes one of the literacy practices little studied by the sociolinguists, ethnographers and the researchers of the litera-cies: the writing generated by the merchants in the markets. This way of using the writing is a common literacy practice in many Peruvian commercial markets, not only the buyer elaborates his purchases list, but also the seller usually makes business records and other pecu-liar annotations, that identify them as social agent, and together with other behavior social patterns and other material conditions that su-rround them make it a social practice. Therefore, it is important to know the literacy events of buyers and sellers in the markets as a way to know literacy situations beyond school or university; in this way, this paper seeks to explain what and how it is written, and for what purposes it is written. For this, we will be based on the New Literacy Studies (NLS). The survey concludes that writing serves as a cogni-tive and social tool in a specific social space with specific objectives: to buyers and sellers it allows organizing and memorizing data, and facilitates transactions. / Revisión por pares

<p>In this dissertation, I examine the correspondence of an upper middle-class family from the early part of the nineteenth century. My aim is to answer questions about correspondence and letter-writing as an everyday event and as a social activity. My principal theoretical framework has been ethnograpy of communication. </p><p>My main source is the Eurén-Snellman manuscript collection at Uppsala University Library (UUB, G65). The central figure of this collection is Axel Eurén (1803−1879), who was a clergyman in Dalarna and also a member of the Swedish parliament. The material expands over three generations and includes Axel, his mother, his sister, his wife and Axel’s and his wife Sophie’s three children. In each generation the letter-writing is reciprocal in nearly all relations.</p><p>By creating a database of the 2,267 letters that remain from the family correspondence and by extracting meta-commentary about letter-writing I have studied how the family organized their correspondence. From the total collection I have chosen 293 letters during the period 1825−1858. These letters constitute a digitalized corpus that consists of approximately 160,000 words. With this corpus as my principal source, I have examined two different aspects of language use: a structural analysis of each writer’s total sum of letters and a study on address. </p><p>Certain findings confirm that letter-writing was based on routine. Traits of orality appear less often in the latter part of the material, a result that is in line with earlier investigations.The dimension of formal−informal language has been interesting to examine in relation to gender. Whereas the women’s writing at a lexico-grammatical level is more informal and natural in style, their need to portray themselves in a virtuous Christian manner seems at the same time to promote a certain kind of formality in expression. The opposite seems to be true for the men. </p>

In this dissertation, I examine the correspondence of an upper middle-class family from the early part of the nineteenth century. My aim is to answer questions about correspondence and letter-writing as an everyday event and as a social activity. My principal theoretical framework has been ethnograpy of communication. My main source is the Eurén-Snellman manuscript collection at Uppsala University Library (UUB, G65). The central figure of this collection is Axel Eurén (1803−1879), who was a clergyman in Dalarna and also a member of the Swedish parliament. The material expands over three generations and includes Axel, his mother, his sister, his wife and Axel’s and his wife Sophie’s three children. In each generation the letter-writing is reciprocal in nearly all relations. By creating a database of the 2,267 letters that remain from the family correspondence and by extracting meta-commentary about letter-writing I have studied how the family organized their correspondence. From the total collection I have chosen 293 letters during the period 1825−1858. These letters constitute a digitalized corpus that consists of approximately 160,000 words. With this corpus as my principal source, I have examined two different aspects of language use: a structural analysis of each writer’s total sum of letters and a study on address. Certain findings confirm that letter-writing was based on routine. Traits of orality appear less often in the latter part of the material, a result that is in line with earlier investigations.The dimension of formal−informal language has been interesting to examine in relation to gender. Whereas the women’s writing at a lexico-grammatical level is more informal and natural in style, their need to portray themselves in a virtuous Christian manner seems at the same time to promote a certain kind of formality in expression. The opposite seems to be true for the men.

This thesis is an ethnographic exploration of institutions for small children, i.e. the pre-school institution.The overall aim of the study is to investigate what is characteristic for some Swedish preschoois,and how childhood is formulated and realized within those institutions. Of centralimportance are questions. which concern how pre-schools are constructed, negotiated andmaintained by the actors within the pre-school settings. Another aim is to explore contemporarymeanings of pre-school and pre-school children as they appear in interviews and everyday talk. Thedata were collected by participant observations for almost one year in two pre-schools. Data consistof audio- recordings of everyday life and parental talks, interviews with children, pre-schoolteachers and parents. Points of departure are ideas from interactionism and social constructionism.The analyses draw upon concepts from integrative theories; agency-structure, social practice, socialorder and normality in relation to the institution. The results show that pre-school is takcn for granted and is almost considercd as compulsory andpart of normal childhood. Pre-school is legitimated as an interest of and a question for society,families and parents, but also in the best interest of children here and now and for the future. Inaddition, pre-school is also understood as a social and a social pedagogical question for individualsand for society. Moreover, the study shows howeveryday life in pre-school is zoned andpedagogized in time and space. The institution is characterized by schedules, routines and predefinedrooms and artifacts, as weil as by planned activities and unplanned, occasional and situatedactivities, respectively. Children and adults have to deal with the social order of the institution, andthis study shows that the actors constantly break and negotiate the social order - they are doing preschool.The institutions and the interactions are characterized by complexitics and hybridities andthere are different activitics and discourses in action at the same time. This also concerns theintermediate domain between private and public and the relations between parents and pedagogues.None of them are in controi of children's everyday life, and they have to share information. viewsand sometimes also decisions. Parents have to contribute to the construction of a pre-school chiid,by delivering a child ready for prc-school, a chiId with certain competences. In everyday activitiesand in parental talks, the adults articulate and negotiate the picture of a "normal" pre-school chiId,i.c. demands related to a situated institutionaI normality . The study shows how children act indifferent ways in relation to social context and social order in different situations. They act as "normal pre-schoolchildren" but they also construct their own social order in relation to theinstitution, alone or together with other children and adults.