Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 193-204).

The purpose of this intervention study was to test the possibility and ability of using story book reading as intervention for children with autism by comparing the development outcome of children with autism with and with out using story book reading as language and social interaction intervention. This study is based on the hypothesis that storybook reading can develop the language and social interaction of children with autism. Method: The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was used to assess 10 children with autism who have the same level of severity and join the same special classroom in Yuwaprasart Waithayopatum Child Psychiatric Hospital Patron: HRH Princess Galayani Vadhana as pre and post intervention assessment. The result from ATEC was compared to find the answer for the research question, the data from the interviews with parents of children with autism were categorized as regards the score on language and social interaction development and several variables were also taken into account. Result: The result revealed better development outcome in the children with autism who joined the intervention, but the period of reading didn’t show any relation with the quality of development outcome. The story in the storybook play important role in the intervention because children participant paid attention only on the storybook which matched with their interest. The social interaction of participants in the intervention group was significantly developed, they all had better social interaction with their parents (adult participants) and also others such as sibling, but this also did not relate to the amounting of time they had read storybooks with their parents.

This thesis is about the every day life of children who suffer from economic hardship. The aim is, from the children's point of view, to create an understanding of the consequences that economic hardship has on their relationships with their parents and other children. A further aim is to gain an understanding of how children act in relation to the families' economic situation and how they experience their every day life and general living conditions. Parents have also been interviewed about the families' general living conditions and the interaction between children and parents in relation to the economic situation. The empirical data has been collected over a period of fourteen months. Fourteen children aged 7-19 years and eight parents in seven families have been interviewed on five occasions. A total of 44 interviews have been conducted. The theoretical foundation of the thesis is childhood sociology, symbolic interactionism and social identity. The conclusions of this thesis can be summarized in two major results. The first is that economic hardship is of importance in the relationship with other children and in the interaction between children and their parents. The children's possibilities of participating together with peers through possessions and activities are affected to a varying extent depending on the circumstances. The relationship with their parents is also affected by children having to take economic responsibility and by children cooperating with them. Economic hardship also causes a strain on the relationship. The second major result is that children are active in forming theirs and their families' every day life in relation to the economic limits. On the basis of their understanding and their definition of the situation they choose different strategies, the aims of which are either to live within the limitations of the situation, so-called reactive strategies, or to change their own situation and sometimes also the situation of their household. These are defined as proactive strategies in the thesis.

AbstractThis is an essay about Chambers book talk, how Chambers describes them and how they beenpracticed in reality, that´s my purpose. In Chamber´s book Tell me – Children, Reading andTalk, I look specific for Chambers arguments for this kind of literary education and comparethis with teacher’s description of book conversations. I finally compare this result withactually scientific arguments that supported Chambers arguments.Sten-Olof Ullström proclaims the meaning of social interactions as a prerequisite forreading and writing development. He says that the reading education must offer various formsof interaction for pupils to challenge each other. Ullström´s theoretical discussion is mytheoretical point of departure in this essay.I found out that book conversation is a reprehensible method to reach a literarycompetence. I also find out that the interviewed teacher work in an experienced based way,where their educations are founded from pupils experience and conditions.Keywords: book conversation, literary education, reading competence, social interaction

This study investigates the phenomenon of asymmetric interpersonal relationships—dyads in which one individual has greater knowledge of personal information about the other. Relationships usually benefit from self-disclosure when it is done in a reciprocal, personal manner; acquiring information through such means as Facebook can disrupt the process, offset information balance and negatively affect interrelationship factors. This study investigates the effect of information asymmetry on such factors as interpersonal attraction, subjective power, and social interaction anxiety. Participants were given Facebook profiles with varying amounts of information (high, low, or none) prior to interacting with a confederate. I predicted that participants in the high information condition would experience the greatest social interaction anxiety and the least interpersonal attraction. Increased anxiety would mediate a reduction in interpersonal attraction. Participants with no prior information were expected to exhibit opposite tendencies compared to the high information condition. A secondary effect on subjective power was also explored. Results did not reach statistical significance but were in the directions as hypothesized. Findings indicate that imbalance of interpersonal information has the potential to negatively impact relationship factors.

Uppsatsen syftar kartlägga den känsla av social tillhörighet som individer med utomsvensk bakgrund upplever i dagens Sverige. Hur Sverige och svenskhet erfars och utefter vilka villkor vardagen struktureras. Kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och den subjektiva verklighetsupplevelsen analyserades med hjälp av en abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet tolkades mot bakgrund av ett socialkonstruktionistiskt ramverk kombinerat med stigmabegreppet och behovet av tillhörighet för skapandet av identitet.   Resultaten visar att det i Sverige existerar en strukturell diskriminering baserad på etnicitet och ett andregörande av individer med utomsvenskt påbrå, ett andregörande vilket har sin grund i ett förgivettaget vitt tolkningsföreträde. Maktobalansen tvingar individen in i en avvikande roll som paradoxalt nog krävs för att integreras. Att vara svensk är därför ingenting lätt att bli då kategoriseringarna är starkt etablerade och svårförenliga med en blandad nationell bakgrund, något bristen på adekvat terminologi i det svenska språket belyser. Språkkunskaper, socialt engagemang och meningsfulla relationer visar sig ha en signifikant effekt på skapandet av sammanhang och tillhörighet. / This paper aims to identify the feeling of social belonging which individuals of non-swedish descent are experiencing in Sweden today. The relationship to Sweden and it’s citizens and which structural terms the individual is living after. To answer this qualitative semistructured interviews were performed and the subjective interpretation of reality was analyzed with an abductive method. The empirical material was viewed against a background made of social constructionism, stigmatization and the need of belonging for the creation of identity.   The results show that in Sweden there exists a structural discrimination based on ethnicity and an othering of individuals of non-swedish descent, an othering which has a ground in a preconception of a white definition of reality. This power imbalance forces the individual into a position as a deviant, which paradoxically is required for integration. To be swedish is therefore nothing which comes easy as the categories are tightly constructed and hard to integrate with a mixed national background, something the lack of adequate terminology in the swedish language portraits. Knowledge of language, commitment in various settings and meaningful relationships are shown to have a significant effect on the creation of context and belonging.

This study explored why individuals write personal blogs and the influences of blogging on their lives. Four structural equation models that specified the social and psychological process of blogging were tested in this study. The models included four major components: personal characteristics, blogging motives, blogging behaviors and blogging social outcomes. A total of 412 bloggers recruited online completed the survey questionnaire. A factor analysis revealed nine salient motives for writing personal blogs: self-documentation, information sharing, entertainment, emotion regulation, communication with existing friends, formation of new friendships, identity exploration, pass time and self-presentation. Significant associations between these motives and demographics, including gender, age and education, were also identified. The results of the structural equation modeling suggested that public self-consciousness was positively related to the self-presentation motive, which was in turn positively related to self-presentation in blogs. In the same vein, social anxiety was positively related to the motive to form new friendships, which in turn was positively related to the number of new friends made via blogs and the quality of new friendships. Social anxiety was found to be negatively associated with the number of new friends made, the number of existing friends communicated with, and the quality of existing friendships maintained through blogs, but positively related to the quality of new friendships established via blogs. Self-disclosure was positively related to the number of new friends made, the quality of new friendships and the quality of existing friendships. The mediation effects of blogging motivations and self-disclosure on the relationships between social anxiety and blogging social interaction outcomes were also tested. The content analysis of the responses to an open-ended question indicated that the majority of the respondents believed that blogging had positively influenced their lives. The major benefits of blogging reported by the respondents included keeping in touch with family and friends, making new friends, improved social interaction, writing and thinking ability, expanded vision, emotional relief and social support, identity exploration, and documentation of daily life. Interpretations of the findings, and implications for understanding the social use of the Internet, were discussed.

The use of digital technology in preschool has been a question about if it will be used. By the new curriculum for preschool, it now is a question about how it will be used. My experience shows that many pedagogues are still afraid that the children will miss the interaction whit other children when they are using digital technology. The aim of the study is to see if it is social for the children to use digital technology in preschool. This study is made by inquiry, qualitative interviews and observations. My result shows that children are social active with each other while using digital technology. Turn taking and time determines who will play and what the conditions are. The thesis concludes that children perform social interaction when using digital technology. The study also shows that the children see advantages by working together on the computers, smartboards or tablets. What the children mainly stress as positive is enhanced knowledge and learning while collaborating. The children also make different characters while using digital technology. The children occupy characters like leader, participator, spectator and mediator. / Användningen av digitalteknik är genom den nya läroplanen inte längre en fråga om det ska användas, utan hur och vad det genererar. Min erfarenhet säger att många pedagoger blir oroliga för att barnen inte får det sociala samspel med andra barn när de använder digitalteknik, som de annars får genom annan lek eller aktivitet på förskolan. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka om digitalteknik är en social sysselsättning för barnen i förskolan. Undersökningen är gjord med hjälp av enkäter, kvalitativa intervjuer och observationer. Resultatet undersökningen visar att barn utför mycket stort socialt samspel när de använder digitalteknik. De använder sig av turtagning och tid för att avgöra vem som spelar och på vilka villkor. Undersökningen har också visat att barnen själva ser fördelar med att vara flera vid de digitala verktygen. Det de främst framhåller som positivt är ökad kunskap och lärande, då de samarbetar. Barnen intar olika roller då de använder digitalteknik. Resultatet visar att barnen intar roller som ledare, deltagare och medlare.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD är en av de mest förekommande neuropsyki-atriska funktionsnedsättningarna bland svenska barn och drabbar pojkar i högre grad än flickor. Kunskapen om ADHD hos vuxna är inte lika omfattande, dock finns en kännedom att mer än hälften av de barn som diagnostiseras upplever delar av symtomen efter att de fyllt 20 år. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur personer med ADHD påverkas av omgivningens syn på diagnosen. Den utvalda metoden för studien är kvalitativ metod och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet baseras på intervjuer med sex individer som har diagnosen ADHD. Resultatet har sedan analyserats med hjälp av en tolkningsram bestående av begreppen Interaktion, Stigmatisering, Identitet och Rollövertagande. Resultatet visar att respondenterna upplever att det finns en betydandebristande kunskap om ADHD hos omgivningen, vilket skapar en stigmatisering av personer med ADHD. Stigmatiseringen speglar respondenternas identitet. I interaktion med omgivningen gör respondenterna ett medvetet och påtvingat rollövertagande för att bli accepterade, vilket är ett resultat av omgivningens krav på att följa normer. / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD is one of the most common neuropsychiatric impairments among Swedish children and is more common among boys than girls. Knowledge of ADHD in adults is not as extensive, however, more than half of the children who are diagnosed are experience parts of the symptoms after the age of 20 years. The study aims to examine how people with ADHD are affected by their environments perception of the diagnosis. The selected method for the study is qualitative approach and semistructured interviews. The results are based on interviews with six individuals diagnosed with ADHD. The results were analyzed using an interpretive framework consisting the concepts of Interaction, Stigma, Identity and Role taking. The results show that the respondents experience that there is a significant lack of knowledge of ADHD, in the environment which means that it creates a stigma associated with ADHD. Stigma reflects respondent’s identity. In interaction with the environment the respondents make a conscious and forced role taking to be accepted, which is a result of the environments demands of meeting standards.

The primary purpose of this research was to examine a group of fourteen chefs, half male and half female, to determine the differences in the way male and female chefs do their job. To get an understanding of the perceptions of the chefs I conducted in-depth interviews with seven male chefs and seven female chefs. Definite differences were found in the way the chefs perceived their roles in the kitchen as well as how they managed their kitchens as a whole. Female chefs tended to manage their kitchens more collaboratively, thus creating and fostering a less emotional environment. Lack of emotionality in the kitchen is valuable in order to keep the staff performing optimally and to reduce disruptions during service. Female chefs were also greatly interested in creating an overall emotional experience for both their employees and the diners at their restaurants. Women seemed to appreciate fundamental social interactions they experienced as part of being a chef. The women discussed working on their own emotions as a way to keep the kitchen on an even keel. Men, on the other hand, tended to expect employees to control their own emotions and discussed controlling their employees, which reflected a more hierarchical approach to their managerial style. Male chefs were more concerned with their image as chefs and how people perceived their food rather than cultivating a particular environment for the diners. Both male and female chefs believed their approaches were effective in managing the kitchen. In a male-dominated profession that is traditionally masculinized, female chefs did not have to run their kitchens in a fashion similar to men; rather they tended to work in collaborative terms congruent with the expectations of the female gender role. Because the women worked in a more communal fashion, they relied more heavily on emotional labor to support and motivate their employees. Male chefs expected their employees to be responsible for their own behavior and tended to suggest separation from their employees rather than exhibiting an empathetic approach to their managerial styles.