The purpose of this study was to identify the beliefs of the participants with regards to emergent literacy. Another purpose was to identify literacy practices employed by the participants while teaching preschool children. An additional purpose was to determine if participation in the course entitled ?Emergent Literacy? changed any beliefs of the participants regarding emergent literacy and subsequent literacy practices employed while teaching preschool children. The final purpose of this study was to determine the beliefs of the participants regarding emergent literacy and subsequent literacy practices employed while teaching preschool children, three years after completing the course entitled ?Emergent Literacy.? The results indicated that the initial beliefs of the participants with regard to emergent literacy were not well defined. Moreover, their experience with literacy practices was limited prior to taking the emergent literacy course. Their responses to the Final Guided Questions indicated positive changes in the beliefs of the participants with regard to emergent literacy and the literacy practices employed while teaching preschool children. Further the responses of the participants on the Follow-Up Survey indicated they still employed the literacy practices while teaching preschool, 3 years after completing the emergent literacy course.

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The purpose of this study is to gain an insight into what the most common conflicts are between pupils in the leisure-time center according to leisure-time teachers, how the leisuretime teachers handle these and how the leisure-time teachers prevent conflicts. The previous research done in our study is based on previous thesis and research on conflicts and conflict management. The theoretical perspectives of the study are based on Johan Galtung's ABC model, Cohen's conflict pyramid and Arne Maltén's conflict strategies. The empirical evidence was collected through a qualitative method with interviews of four leisure time educators and an assistant principal. In addition, two observations were made on two different occasions in a school located in the Stockholm area. We analyzed our empirical evidence with help of Andrzej Szklarski's four categories for various reasons for the emergence of conflicts, Johan Galtung's ABC model, Cohen's conflict pyramid and Arne Maltén's conflict strategies. In our study we have found that the reason why conflicts arise between pupils can, for example, be due to a lack of occupation among pupils, envy in friends' relationships but also in disagreement on game and play rules. Another reason may be verbal comments where students disturb the play of other students but also conflicts that occur through social media where the students take the conflicts from home when they come to school. Based on interviews and observation we have seen that the leisure-time teachers usually handle conflicts by letting the ones involved in the conflict tell their experience of the conflict situation without being interrupted to then resolve the conflict together. It also emerged in our empirical evidence report that in conflict situations where the parties do not find a solution to a conflict it is possible that the leisure-time teachers may make a decision, especially if the conflicts have been going on for a long time between the parties. Good leadership and competent, present and educated staff are of great importance in order to prevent conflicts in the leisure-time center.

This research seeks to investigate the influence of lesson study on preservice secondary mathematics teachers' view of self as mathematics expert. The study acknowledges the commonly held belief that prospective mathematics teachers have that they know and understand secondary mathematics. The purpose in engaging the preservice teachers in lesson study is to dislodge this belief. In particular, this research report focuses on one preservice teacher and her experiences during lesson study. Using the data collected, the researcher reports on the baseline beliefs that the preservice teacher held toward her knowledge of secondary mathematics, her mathematical experiences during the actual lesson study phase of the research and the final status of her beliefs in relation to her secondary mathematics understanding. After assessing the preservice teacher's beliefs, the report focuses on the moves the preservice teacher makes to protect her identity as a knower of mathematics. The report details how the researcher probed the subject's views through a follow-up interview. The researcher discovered during the follow-up interview that the subject was finally able to admit her lack of mathematical knowledge and her desire to not be seen as 'dumb' in front of the interviewer. The implications of the study suggest that teacher educators should be sensitive to preservice secondary teachers' perceptions of their mathematical knowledge and teacher educators should watch for the moves preservice teachers make to shift conversation away from mathematics topics.