Project Thesis (D. Min.)--Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 249-267).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 255-257).

From metaphors to mathematized models, the complexity sciences are changing the ways disciplines view their worlds, and ideas borrowed from complexity are increasingly being used to structure conversations and guide research on teaching and learning. The purpose of this corpus of research is to further those conversations and to extend complex systems ideas, theories, and modeling to curricula and to research on learning and teaching. A review of the literatures of learning and of complexity science and a discussion of the intersections between those disciplines are provided. The work reported represents an evolving model of learning qua complex system and that evolution is the result of iterative cycles of design research. One of the signatures of complex systems is the presence of scale invariance and this line of research furnishes empirical evidence of scale invariant behaviors in the activity of learners engaged in participatory simulations. The offered discussion of possible causes for these behaviors and chaotic phase transitions in human learning favors real-time optimization of decision-making as the means for producing such behaviors. Beyond theoretical development and modeling, this work includes the development of teaching activities intended to introduce pre-service mathematics and science teachers to complex systems. While some of the learning goals for this activity focused on the introduction of complex systems as a content area, we also used complex systems to frame perspectives on learning. Results of scoring rubrics and interview responses from students illustrate attributes of the proposed model of complex systems learning and also how these preservice teachers made sense of the ideas. Correlations between established theories of learning and a complex adaptive systems model of learning are established and made explicit, and a means for using complex systems ideas for designing instruction is offered. It is a fundamental assumption of this research and researcher that complex systems ideas and understandings can be appropriated from more complexity-developed disciplines and put to use modeling and building increasingly productive understandings of learning and teaching.

Während die Zahl journalistischer Veröffentlichungen zu Umweltthemen immer weiter steigt, sind wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zu ihren Verfassern in Deutschland immer noch Mangelware. Die Diplomarbeit geht mithilfe einer Online-Befragung der Frage nach, wie die Arbeitsbedingungen von Tageszeitungsjournalisten aussehen. Außerdem wird mit einigen narrativen Interviews exploriert, welchen Rollenselbstbildern sich Journalisten zugehörig fühlen, die sich mit Umweltthemen befassen und ob dieses Selbstverständnis sich auch in den Arbeiten der Journalisten zeigt.

I vår vetenskapliga essä har vi valt att skriva om planeringstiden på förskolan. Anledningen till att vi har undersökt skillnaderna kring disponerandet av planeringstiden är den att vi sett sådana skillnader trots att vi arbetar i samma kommun. Att skriva i par har gett oss möjlighet att på ett mer objektivt sätt belysa våra frågeställningar genom både dialog och reflektion. Med våra enskilda berättelser som utgångspunkt har vi reflekterat över begrepp och teorier som berör hur planeringstiden används i praktiken. Vi har reflekterat över hur vi som blivande förskollärare ska räcka till för barngruppen samt kunna leva upp till läroplanens strävansmål, med den pedagogiska dokumentationen och reflektionen som det innebär. Begrepp som vi fördjupar oss i är praktiskt kunskap, systemteori, kommunikation och samarbete i arbetslagen. / In our scientific essay, we have chosen to write about the disposition of planning time at preschool. The reason we have investigated the differences regarding disposition of the planning time is that we have seen such differences, even though we work in the same municipality. Writing together in pair has given us the ability to provide a more objective or at least multi-perspectival way to highlight our issues through both dialogue and reflection. With our individual stories as a starting point, we have reflected on different concepts and theories that affect how planning time is used in practice. We have reflected on how we as prospective pre-school teachers should be sufficient for the children's group and be able to live up to the curriculum strut goals, with the pedagogical documentation and reflection that it brings. Concepts that we immerse ourselves in is practical knowledge, systems theory, communication and collaboration in teams.

Title: Collaboration in BoDa-units. A qualitative study about collaboration regarding people with disabilities. The purpose of this thesis was to internally examine the cooperation between different professions in municipal BoDa-units. By doing a qualitative study using focus-group-interviews in three municipalities, we were able to examine the personnel’s experience of cooperation issues and opportunities in BoDa-units. We have also examined why municipals have introduced BoDa-units and how they work. Those BoDa-units we have examined addresses persons who are severely mentally disabled and with multiple disabilities but also to persons with autism and disruptive behaviour. The personnel working with the users of these services works both at the home with special services and at the daily activity. The unit operations managers are responsible for the whole BoDa-unit. The results have been analysed through the theoretical starting points of actor network theory and system theory, but also via relevant literature and the LSS-legislation. The result showed that the creations of the BoDa-units are based on a comprehensive view on the individual users’ need of safety, environmental adaptation and a structured way of work. The conclusion of this study is that the co-operation benefits exceed the disadvantages and that the prospects for the BoDa-units are both positive and negative depending on which target group it addresses.    Keywords: BoDa, Co-operation, LSS, Actor Network Theory, System Theory / Syftet med uppsatsen var att studera intern samverkan mellan olika professioner i kommunala BoDa-enheter. Vi har med hjälp av kvalitativa fokusgruppintervjuer i tre kommuner undersökt personalens erfarenheter av samverkansproblem och -möjligheter i BoDa-enheterna Vi har också undersökt varför kommunerna infört BoDa-enheter och hur de fungerar. De BoDa-enheter där vi studerat intern samverkan riktar sig mot personer med svåra funktionsnedsättningar och mulithandikapp samt personer med autism och utagerande beteenden. De brukarnära medarbetarna arbetar både i brukarnas boende och deras dagliga verksamhet.  Enhetscheferna är ansvariga för hela BoDa-enheten. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av de teoretiska utgångspunkterna aktörsnätverk och systemteori, relevant litteratur samt centrala begrepp och lagstiftning. Resultatet visade att BoDa-enheterna införts utifrån en helhetssyn på enskilda brukares behov av trygghet, miljöanpassning och strukturerat arbetssätt. Slutsatsen var att samverkansfördelarna i dessa enheter med gränsöverskridande arbete överväger samverkansproblemen samt att framtidsutsikterna för BoDa-enheterna är både positiva och negativa beroende på vilken målgrupp verksamheten vänder sig mot.  Nyckelord: BoDa, Samverkan, LSS, Aktörsnätverk, Systemteori

This study is about the coordination of complex systems’ development. A Framework has been designed and deployed by the author in the development practice of Ericsson, a major supplier of telecommunication systems on the global market. The main purpose of the study is to investigate the impacts on coordination from the Framework. The development projects are very large and subject to turbulent market conditions. Moreover, they have many participants (often several thousand), have tight time constraints and are distributed to many design centres all over the world. In these projects, coordination of the development is of crucial importance. The Framework is grounded in a tentative theory called the Activity Domain Theory, which in turn is based on the praxis philosophy. In this theory the interaction between the individual and her environment is mediated by signs. Coordination is conceived as a particular activity domain which provides coordination to the development projects. The coordination domain is gradually constructed by the actors in this domain by iteratively refining a conceptual model, a process model, a transition model, a stabilizing core and information system support. In this process individual knowledge, shared meaning and organizational artefacts evolve in a dialectical manner. The Framework has been introduced in the Ericsson development practice over a period of more than ten years. Between 1999 and 2002 approximately 140 main projects and sub-projects at Ericsson have been impacted by the Framework. These projects were distributed to more than 20 different development units around the world and were carried out in a fiercely turbulent environment. The findings indicate that the Framework has had a profound impact on the coordination of the development of the most complex nodes in the 3rd generation of mobile systems. The knowledge contributions include an account for the history of the Framework at Ericsson and an identification of elements which contribute to successful outcomes of development projects. / The electronic version of the printed dissertation is a corrected version where all spelling and grammatical errors are corrected. Errors in tables has been corrected as in the errata above.

Zugl.: Jena, Universiẗat, Diss., 2003.

Thesis (M. Div.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-63).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Concordia Seminary, 1995. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-215).