During our studies to becom special teachers in mathematics development, we have developed an interest in students who show resistance to the subject of matehmatics or mathematics teaching. The purpose of the study is to investigate teaching that promotes learning for pupils in mathematics anxiety, to distinguish any challenges that the teachers might encounter in teaching and to make visible future collaboration between the teachers and the special education teachers to support learning for pupils with mathematics anxiety. This has been done through semi-structured interviews and observations of primary and middle school teachers. The method used was inspired by grounded theory. The results were analyzed using sociocultural theory. The entire study rests on a relational perspective, which sees the student in difficulties and not with difficulties. The conclusion drawn from the study was that the teachers agreed with research in the field about which teaching methods are beneficial for students in mathematics anxiety. They also agreed with the research about the challenges that can arise in working with these students. Several different examples of collaboration between the teachers and the special education teachers emerged during the interviews. However, several challenges were identified which prevent teachers from implementing these methods in everyday teaching. A challenge in this may, for example, be that the special teachers in mathematics development are few in the schools. Another challenge can be that the teachers request pedagogical guidance where didactic issues can be raised, but that forum is missing in many schools.

This degree project is a study investigating the views Swedish upper secondary English teachers have towards the use of video games as a medium through which to teach. The aim of the study was to gain insight into teachers’ views and what aspects they believed could encourage and/or inhibit the use of video games in the English foreign language (EFL) classroom. To achieve this aim, a sociocultural perspective was used along with a mixed method consisting of a survey study and semi-structured interviews. The survey was used to gain an idea of how teachers who have used video games in their classroom view the medium and the interviews were used to further analyse these views. The results show that in general teachers have a positive attitude towards the use of video games in the EFL classroom. The aspects of motivation and engagement were found to be important factors for successful learning with video games and the participating teachers generally agreed that video games can help students reach the overarching aims of the English subject. One of the greatest inhibitors found among the teachers was the logistical aspect. This included costs, time, and technological difficulties, and was something the teachers found both made the use of video games in the classroom difficult and which at times could make it ineffective. The aspect of assessment was also investigated, where it was found that most teachers did not believe video games could constitute a valid form of assessment in and of itself, but rather as an aid towards other forms of assessment.

Denna studie strävar efter en djupare förståelse av förskollärares syn på kemi i förskolans vardag. Genom att tillämpa sociokulturella teorin som en teoretisk ram och genomföra kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med verksamma förskollärare, belyser resultatanalysen deras syn på att förhålla sig till naturvetenskapens alla delar, inklusive kemi.Studien bidrar med insikter i hur kemi uppfattas av förskollärare, och en ökad förståelse för de praktiska och pedagogiska strategier som används för att förhålla sig till naturvetenskapens olika aspekter, särskilt kemi. Utmaningarna som framkommer utgörs av hinder som påverkar integrationen av kemi i förskolan och betonar vikten av förskollärarkompetens i en dynamisk pedagogisk kontext. Vid diskussionen om långsiktiga fördelar och nackdelar betonar förskollärarna kemiintegrationens potential att främja barnens problemlösningsförmågor, nyfikenhet och kreativitet. Samtidigt erkänns utmaningar såsom tidsbegränsningar och förväntningar från olika håll. Dessa insikter pekar på förskollärarnas medvetenhet kring läroplanen, men faktorer som påverkar deras praktiska integrering av kemi i förskolan är begränsad kompetens. I sin helhet ger studien en bild av förskollärares syn och arbete med kemi i förskolan. Den lyfter fram insikter kring utmaningar och möjligheter som påverkar kemiintegrationen, och understryker behovet av stödstrukturer och kompetensutveckling för förskollärare i deras strävan efter att skapa en gynnsam lärandemiljö för barnen. / This study aims to achieve a deeper understanding of preschool teachers' views on chemistry in the daily life of preschool. By applying sociocultural theory as a theoretical framework and conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews with active preschool teachers, the results analysis illuminates their views in engaging with all aspects of natural sciences, including chemistry. The study contributes insights into how chemistry is perceived by preschool teachers and enhances understanding of the practical and pedagogical strategies used to address various aspects of natural sciences, particularly chemistry. The challenges that emerge consist of barriers affecting the integration of chemistry in preschool, emphasizing the importance of preschool teacher competence in a dynamic educational context. In discussing long-term benefits and drawbacks, preschool teachers highlight the potential of integrating chemistry to enhance children's problem-solving abilities, curiosity, and creativity. Simultaneously, challenges such as time constraints and expectations from various sources are acknowledged. These insights indicate preschool teachers' awareness of the curriculum, but factors influencing their practical integration of chemistry in preschool include limited competence. In its entirety, the study paints a picture of preschool teachers' views and work with chemistry in preschool. It brings forth insights into challenges and opportunities influencing the integration of chemistry and underscores the need for support structures and professional development for preschool teachers in their efforts to create a conducive learning environment for children.

This thesis describes three (3) action research (AR) cycles I conducted in collaboration with my co-participants in Ghana's colleges of education. The focus of our collaboration was to nurture creative and innovative teaching strategies for education on HIV/AIDS and other emerging health issues. It has become necessary to engineer this bottom-up approach to learning and research because we see the current way of teaching and learning in Ghanaian schools as mere regurgitating of information and reproducing same in examination without meaningful change in behavior. This assertion was reiterated by Ghana's minister of education, Dr. Yao Osei Adutwum when he addressed delegates at the just ended United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2022. He says, "[y]ou can't memorize your way out of poverty but you can critically think and innovate out of poverty." My co-participants and I are of the view that many people will continue to die from HIV/AIDS if teachers continue to teach by encouraging students to memorize factsheets to reproduce in examinations. The action research described in this thesis seeks to empower teacher-educators in Ghanaian colleges of education with useful pedagogical and research tools. The long-term goal - beyond the timeframe of this thesis - is for them to train new teachers to be confident, bold and assertive to push cultural and systemic boundaries, to nurture equally assertive students to deal with health challenges (pandemics) which they may be confronted with. Methods used to gather data included focus group interviews, observations of lesson presentations and reflective notes (journals). The design of this research was, partially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings, however, still proved to be interesting. Among those findings were strong teacher educator participation and a significant improvement in teacher educators' understanding and employment of SCT teaching strategies suited to their HIV/AIDS and Other Tropical Diseases in Africa classes.

Grounded in sociocultural theory, peer feedback can help students engage in interaction and negotiation of meaning, which serve as a basis for the construction of knowledge (Vygotsky, 1978). It can also contribute to the development of self-regulation, as well as of reflection on one's own learning (Doolittle & Hicks, 2003). Its strategic incorporation into foreign language instruction can help students use the language they are in the process of acquiring to mediate language acquisition (Shrum & Glisan, 2005). Research shows that peer feedback can help students develop and advance their Zone of Proximal Development through their engagement in collaborative interaction with their peers (De Guerrero & Villamil, 1994, 2000; Donato, 2004; Lantolf, 2004; Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Liu & Hansen, 2005). Peer feedback can also help students improve their writing proficiency, including organization of their texts and awareness of the mechanics of the language necessary for successful communication of the intended message (Kinsler, 1990; Hu, 2005; Williams, 2005). Framed within a sociocultural perspective on foreign language learning and development, and following a manuscript approach, this dissertation consists of a series of studies that aim to explore: (a) whether participation in a peer feedback experience has a positive impact on students’ foreign language writing proficiency; (b) whether guidelines plus training in how to provide meaningful feedback have a different impact on students’ foreign language writing proficiency than guidelines alone; (c) around what themes students focus the feedback they provide to their peers; and (d) what students’ perceptions of the peer feedback experience are. The results of the first the study, which consisted of a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design, showed that students significantly improved their writing proficiency after participating in a peer feedback experience, regardless of training. Further the results of this study indicated that, on average, trained and untrained students provided written peer feedback focused mainly on global aspects rather than local aspects. The results of the second study, which consisted of a mixed methods approach, showed that, on average, students had high perceptions of the peer feedback experience and that they perceived that their partner's feedback had helped them improve the global aspects of their composition more than the local aspects. Students expressed that what they liked the most about the experience was getting a different perspective on their writing, and what they liked the least was that they felt they were not proficient enough in the foreign language to provide meaningful feedback to their peers. / Ph. D.

This qualitative study examined seven Korean students' language and culture learning experiences in a study abroad context. The purpose of this study is to gain insight about the processes of students' social interactions and development of communicative competence outside the classroom. My understanding and learning was guided by the framework of various communicative competence models, interactional practices, sociocultural theory, and cultural learning processes. The findings of the study show that participation in outside-the-classroom interactions enhances students' language and culture learning in study abroad situations. However, living or working with native speakers did not necessarily mean that there were meaningful interactions. Social interaction with native speakers was challenging for language learners because of the cultural distances, discontinuity, and conflicts between them. Despite the difficulties in social and cultural interactions in the target culture, active participation in social interactions was still an important factor in language and culture learning. Verbalizing cultural issues such as cultural differences, misunderstandings, and observations of the target culture was an indication of the learners' cultural awareness and development. Students believed that knowledge of grammar was an important factor for successful communication. At the same time, students were anxious about misunderstandings and miscommunication. I found that students easily engaged in interactions with their international peers, and these were less stressful than interactions with native speakers. This peer interaction eventually created opportunities for language learning. Students expected native speakers to correct their errors and to take roles as teachers of the target language even outside the classroom, but they also learned to initiate self-repairs and to ask for help. Engagement is the key to making a good conversation. The underlying condition for engagement is negotiation between two interlocutors to understand meanings. / Ph. D.

The aim of this study is to reach profound knowledge about reading comprehension strategies that teachers in grade 1–3 use in their reading instruction classes. The relevance of the study is motivated due to Swedish students’ declining results at the latest PISA examination and the lack of Swedish studies regarding grade 1–3. With the qualitative research methods, observations and interviews, the study examines which reading comprehension strategies teachers use in their classroom and how they use them. Through a thematic analysis, two main themes are identified with three sub-themes respectively. The results are then analyzed through sociocultural theory. It is concluded that students should be able to interact with each other during reading comprehension strategy instruction and teachers should be more explicit. Reciprocal teaching of strategies can be implemented among younger students, although summarizing and questioning is more difficult. Note-taking strategy instruction could be implemented in grade 3. Concretization of strategies by the use of characters is favourable for younger students, although teachers must be aware of the risks. Concretization by the use of hand placements and movements should be implemented with younger students.Nyckelord:

Bakgrund: Det finns åtskilliga studier gjorda på kroppsbyggare och fitnessatleter där kroppens fysiologiska funktioner och nutritionens betydelse studerats. Kroppen står i fokus och blir det objekt som undersöks. En stor kunskapslucka inom forskningen är dock fitnessatleters upplevelser kring olika fenomen och företeelser som är en stor del av deras liv. Motivet till att genomföra denna studie, väcktes utifrån denna iakttagelse. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa kunskap om unga fitnessatleters upplevelser kring kroppsideal, självobjektifiering och psykosocial hälsa inom fitnesskulturen. Teoretisk referensram: Studien har sin utgångspunkt i den sociokulturella teorin, praktikgemenskaper, samt objektifierings- och självobjektifieringsteorin. De två förstnämnda teorierna innebär att individen lär sig och formas utifrån den sociokultur denne befinner sig i, med hjälp av artefakter och redskap. Den sistnämnda teorin bygger på att individens kropp betraktas likt ett objekt, vilket reduceras till något som är till för andra att uppskatta eller recensera. Metod: Den kvalitativa empiriinsamlingen bestod av intervjuer. Då data skulle analyseras, användes diskursanalys som verktyg för att filtrera transkriberad data från intervjuerna. Utifrån detta kunde diskurser identifieras, som sedan delades upp i olika kategorier/teman. Resultat: Av studien framkom det olika diskurser kring kroppsideal, självobjektifiering och psykosocial påverkan. Samtliga diskurser innefattade sociala medier som påverkan. ”Förväntningar som press”, ”det vältränade kroppsidealet” och ”kroppen som identitet” var diskurser som alla kopplades till sociala medier. Tydligt framkom att det finns en växelverkan i skapandet av kroppsideal, självobjektifiering och psykosocial påverkan, mellan fitnessatleters exponerade kroppar i sociala medier och omgivningens syn av dessa. Konklusion: Den diskurs som framkom tydligast var förväntningar som press kopplat till sociala medier. Exponering av den egna kroppen i sociala medier bidrar till förväntningar och en negativ press på den unga fitnessatleten. Framtida forskning skulle möjligen fokusera på att studera praktiska instanser baserade på mentala verktyg som tilldelas fitnessatleterna, för att på så vis få dessa att utveckla eller bibehålla en sund inställning till sporten och kulturen.

Com a atual crise ambiental, surgem diversos desafios para que a conservação dos ambientes naturais seja possível. Diante disso, a educação se torna uma importante aliada na promoção de um engajamento social para a solução dos problemas que a crise abrange. Nesse sentido, os zoológicos apresentam um grande potencial para se abordar a temática na tentativa de possibilitar hábitos e atitudes em prol da conservação da biodiversidade. Desta forma, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar o diálogo entre os significados atribuídos à conservação, a partir da perspectiva da instituição e de seus públicos. Para isso, procurou-se explicitar as percepções dos visitantes sobre o discurso expositivo quanto à conservação biológica, utilizando-se uma abordagem sociocultural baseada nos trabalhos de Vygotsky. Além disso, buscou-se identificar como a conservação da biodiversidade é abordada na exposição \"O Pulo do Sapo\" mantida pela Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo (FPZSP) a partir do discurso expositivo e de seus conceptores. Assim, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com quatro conceptores da exposição e oito grupos familiares que a visitaram no período da pesquisa, cujas conversas durante o percurso da visita foram registradas em áudio e vídeo. Para a análise, foram desenvolvidas categorias que permitissem identificar diferentes aspectos da conservação biológica passíveis de serem abordados pelos diferentes sujeitos. Com base nessas categorias, percebe-se que o discurso científico-naturalístico valorizado tanto pela exposição quanto por seus conceptores não é percebido pelos públicos na complexidade com que é abordado. Nesse aspecto, as conversas dos públicos foram basicamente de caráter empírico e pautadas na observação direta e fortemente associadas a uma experiência estética ao despertarem, principalmente, sentimentos de admiração e apreço pelos anfíbios. Além disso, tanto os visitantes como os profissionais relacionaram a conservação biológica ao valor intrínseco atribuído a todos os seres vivos. Por outro lado, embora os conceptores considerem múltiplas formas de se promover a conservação e estas sejam apresentadas na exposição, os visitantes se referiram apenas às ações cotidianas em nível individual, o que não foi abordado pela exposição. Com isso, pode-se considerar que a exposição apresenta certas limitações que podem ter implicações em suas intenções comunicativas. Por outro lado, ainda assim, trata-se de um espaço extremamente importante ao aproximar o público desse grupo de animais e, por isso, a iniciativa da FPZSP é imensamente válida ao permitir que seus visitantes possam \"perceber\" os anfíbios. Para uma complexificação das atribuições de sentidos, é possível que uma abordagem expositiva que polemize sobre os múltiplos aspectos envolvidos na conservação das espécies possa potencializar as elaborações conversacionais sobre o tema, além de ampliar os repertórios conceituais e culturais de seus diferentes públicos. No que se refere às categorias desenvolvidas, espera-se que possam ser utilizadas e aprimoradas como instrumentos de análise que auxiliem os setores educativos dessas instituições a avaliarem suas práticas, 10 procurando aperfeiçoá-las como ações para a conservação. Contudo, para que se possa averiguar o efetivo potencial dessas categorias, fazem-se necessários mais estudos a esse respeito. / There are many challenges for environmental conservation, considering current environmental crisis. Thus, education becomes an important ally to promote social engagement in creative and conative solutions for environmental crisis. In this sense, zoos have great potential to broach this issue in an attempt to promote habits and attitudes in favour of biodiversity conservation in their audiences. In this manner, this study aimed to analyze the meanings attributed to conservation from institution and audience perspective. We tried to explain visitors perceptions about exhibition discourse related to biological conservation, using a socio-cultural approach based on Vygotsky\'s work. In addition, it sought to identify how biodiversity conservation is addressed in the exhibition \"The Frog\'s Leap\" held by the Foundation Zoological Park of Sao Paulo (FPZSP), considering exhibition discourse and its designers. Thus, semi-structured interviews with four exhibition designers and eight visitor groups (families) were carried out. Audience conversations were also recorded during the visit. For the analysis, categories were developed that allowed identifying different aspects that can be considered in relation to biological conservation. Based on these categories, it is clear that the scientific-naturalistic speech valued by both the exhibition and by its designers is not perceived by the public in the complexity with which it is addressed. In this respect, audience talks were basically empirical and guided by direct observation. These interactions were strongly associated with aesthetic experience, which could promote admiration and appreciation related to amphibians. In addition, both visitors and professionals linked biological conservation to an intrinsic value assigned to all living beings. On the other hand, although designers consider multiple ways to promote conservation, which are presented in exhibition, visitors were relative to everyday individual actions. These actions are not covered by exhibition. Thus, it can be considered that exhibition presents certain limitations that may have implications on their communicative intentions. On the other hand, still, this is a very important educational action due its potential to approximate audience and amphibians. Therefore, FPZSP initiative is hugely valid by allowing visitors to \"notice\" this animal group. Furthermore, it is possible that an educational and communicational approach that engage visitors in polemics about many aspects involved environmental conservation can enhance conversational elaborations, in addition to expanding conceptual and cultural audience repertoires. With regard to new categories presented, it is expected that they can be used and refined as analytical tools that help educational sectors to assess their practices, seeking to improve actions for conservation, but more research is necessary in this regard.

Os museus são instituições intrinsecamente educativas e, nas últimas décadas, aumentou-se a preocupação sobre como acontece a aprendizagem nesses espaços. Sendo a visita ao museu geralmente realizada junto a outras pessoas, principalmente familiares, o olhar sobre as interações realizadas por estes grupos e os fatores que podem influenciar esse aprendizado pode fornecer informações importantes sobre como os sujeitos aprendem durante essa atividade. Um desses fatores, amplamente estudado no ensino de ciências, é a questão do gênero. Sob a perspectiva sociocultural, essa pesquisa investigou as interações familiares no público aqui chamado de \"espontâneo\" (não escolar) em visita ao Espaço Cultural Catavento (São Paulo), com o foco nas diferenças de gênero de pais e mães que podem surgir nessas relações. No Brasil, ainda são poucas as pesquisas realizadas em museus que tenham buscado conhecer os grupos familiares que visitam essas instituições e não há pesquisas sobre o papel do gênero dos pais nas interações que acontecem na situação de visita. Assim, foram analisadas as conversas e as atitudes de mães e pais com seus filhos em visita ao espaço. Os resultados mostram que mães tendem a utilizar mais falas afetivas e estratégicas, enquanto pais são mais conceituais. Quando apenas um adulto está acompanhando a(s) criança(s), é mais comum que as decisões de movimentação sejam tomadas pela(s) criança(s), ao contrário do que acontece quando pai e mãe estão presentes. Nestes casos, as mães foram mais direcionadoras do que os pais. Em geral, mães participam mais das interações com a(s) criança(s), tanto quando estão sozinhas quanto na companhia do pai. Porém, mães sozinhas participam mais do que mães acompanhadas de pais e pais sozinhos participam menos do que pais acompanhados de mães. Os achados abrem caminho para a discussão dos papéis culturais de homens e mulheres nas estruturas familiares, que diferem para cada contexto histórico-social. / Museums are intrinsically educational institutions and in the recent last decades, we have seen that the concern on how learning happens while in these areas is increased. Since the visit to the museum is typically performed in the company of other people, primarily family members, a look on the interactions of these groups, as well as the factors that can affect such learning, can provide important information on how the individuals do learn during this activity. One of these factors, widely studied in science education, is the matter of gender. Under the sociocultural approach, this research aimed the investigation of family interactions in what we here called \"spontaneous\" audience (non-educational) while in visit to the Espaço Cultural Catavento (museum, São Paulo), focusing on the gender differences of fathers and mothers that can arise in these relationships. In Brazil, we have only few researches made in museums with the purpose of knowing better the family groups that visit these institutions, and there are no written studies on the gender of parents in the interactions occurring in the visiting situation. Therefore, the conversations and attitudes of fathers and mothers with their children during visits to the space were analyzed. The results demonstrate that mothers tend to use more affective and strategic speaking, while fathers are more conceptual. When there is only one adult accompanying the child/children, it is more frequent that the decisions about moving around are taken by the child/children, which is the opposite of what happens when father and mother are present. In these cases, mothers tend to be more \"directional\" than fathers are. In general, mothers participate more in the interactions with the child/children, both when alone and when in the company of the father. However, mothers that are alone participate more than mothers in the company of fathers, and fathers that are alone participate less than fathers that are in the company of mothers. The findings here pave the way for the discussion on the cultural roles of men and women in the family frameworks, which are different for each social-historical context.