The purpose of this master thesis is to increase knowledge of facilitators´ and participants´ learning experiences in online drama. Semi-structured interviews with 14 informants were conducted. After that an analyzation based on Mezirow´s transformative learning theory was carried out. By using an abductive approach and a thematic analysis, the results show that the informants have experienced both opportunities and obstacles in learning. The opportunities that are being mentioned are around individual-, team-, and collective learning, methodology and technical developments. The obstacles that are being mentioned are within methodology and technical developments. Some examples that come up as both learning opportunities and learning obstacles are around time, amount of people and attention span, how to use the camera, accessibility and connection, bodily aspects, safety, security and confidentiality, knowledge, and possible bias around technical developments. To create learning opportunities in online drama, facilitators need to have instrumental learning around the methodology, setting, and what artefacts-, technical applications- and other technical features to use. Traumatic and embodied learning can create further learning opportunities that can lead to a transformation in online drama. Online drama can be viewed as an emancipatory education and a sustainable transformative pedagogy where mind, body and spirit can connect. The results are reasonably consistent with previous research. The discussion problematizes the need for further research to develop the domain of online drama further. / Syftet med detta examensarbete är att öka kunskapen om lärares och deltagares lärandeupplevelser inom online drama. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med 14 informanter genomfördes. Därefter analyserades resultaten utifrån Mezirow´s transformativa lärandeteori. Genom att använda ett abduktivt förhållningssätt och en tematisk analys visar resultaten att informanterna har upplevt både möjligheter och hinder i lärandet. De möjligheter som nämns handlar om individuellt, team- och kollektivt lärande, metodik och teknisk utveckling. De hinder som nämns finns inom metodik och teknisk utveckling. Några exempel som dyker upp som både lärandemöjligheter och lärande hinder är kring tid, antal människor som deltar och uppmärksamhetsförmåga, hur man använder kameran, uppkoppling, kroppsliga aspekter, säkerhet och konfidentialitet, kunskap och eventuell bias kring teknisk utveckling. För att skapa lärandemöjligheter i online drama bör lärare ha instrumentell kunskap kring metodiken, miljön, artefakter samt tekniska applikationer och funktioner. Traumatiskt och förkroppsligat lärande kan skapa ytterligare lärandemöjligheter som kan leda till en transformation av online drama. Online drama kan ses som en emancipatorisk utbildning och en hållbar transformativ pedagogik där sinne, kropp och själ sammankopplas. Resultaten överensstämmer relativt väl med tidigare forskning. Diskussionen problematiserar behovet av ytterligare forskning för att utveckla domänen online drama ytterligare.

Denna studie syftar till att bidra med kunskap om de förändringsprocesser som kontorsarbetande medarbetare fått erfarenhet av och upplevt vid distansarbete och vid återgång till den fysiska arbetsplatsen i samband med Covid-19 pandemin. Mezirows teori om transformativt lärande användes som teoretiskt perspektiv för studien och användes som tolkningsredskap för att besvara vilka faktorer som påverkat distansarbete och återgång till den fysiska arbetsplatsen och vilka erfarenheter medarbetare upplevt vid dessa förändringsprocesser i samband med Covid-19 pandemin. Studien baseras på åtta intervjuer med kontorsarbetande medarbetare där samtliga har erfarenhet av att till största del arbetat på distans under Covid-19 pandemin. Studien visade att det upplevda distansarbetet och återgången till den fysiska arbetsplatsen bidragit med erfarenheter. Resultatet visade att flexibiliteten vid distansarbete upplevs som den mest fördelaktiga faktorn samtidigt som tekniken är den faktor som ställer till mest problem. Dessutom framkommer saknaden av kollegorna och upplevd isolering som en av de främst utmanande faktorerna vid distansarbete och att få träffa sina kollegor igen upplevs vara den mest positiva faktorn vid återgången till den fysiska arbetsplatsen. De främsta utmaningarna med att komma tillbaka till den fysiska arbetsplatsen är både de störningsmoment som kontorsmiljön innebar och att behöva mötas i verkligheten och inte längre sitta trygg bakom en skärm. Slutligen visar studiens resultat att erfarenheterna från de upplevda förändringsprocesserna gällande arbetssituationen under Covid-19 pandemin resulterat i ett önskemål om att i framtiden arbeta utifrån en hybrid arbetsmodell som inkluderar både distansarbete och att arbeta på den fysiska arbetsplatsen. / This study aims to contribute with knowledge about the transformation process experienced by office working employees both during teleworking and returning to the physical workplace due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on Mezirow's theory of transformative learning, this study aims to answer what influencing factors and experiences employees experienced in transformation processes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The study is based on eight interviews with office working employees who were mostly teleworking during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study shows that both teleworking and the return to the physical workplace contributed with experiences and the results show that the perceived flexibility in teleworking was the main positive factor, while technology was the most problematic. In addition, the lack of colleagues and perceived isolation emerges as the main challenges in teleworking and meeting their colleagues again was considered the best thing about returning to the physical workplace. The main challenges in returning to the physical workplace were both the disturbances that the office environment entailed and the challenge of now facing people in real life. Finally, the results of the study show that the experience from the perceived transformation processes regarding the work situation during the Covid-19 pandemic, has resulted in a desire for a hybrid working model in the future that includes both teleworking and working in the physical workplace.

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Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie har varit att utveckla kunskaper om hur filosofiska frågor i det naturvetenskapliga klassrummet påverkar elevers kommunikativa förmåga att argumentera och ta ställning. Frågeställningarna som använts för att möjliggöra studien är: På vilka sätt argumenterar elever i mötet med filosofiska frågor av naturvetenskaplig karaktär? Hur kan filosofiska frågor användas som resurs i det naturvetenskapliga klassrummet för att gynna elevers kommunikativa förmåga att argumentera och ta ställning inom naturvetenskap? Studien genomfördes vid en skola i norra Sverige och bestod av 13 deltagare från årskurserna 3-6 som deltog vid fyra undervisningstillfällen. Undervisningstillfällena bestod av utredning av filosofiska frågor med naturvetenskaplig karaktär i samtalsgrupper där en filosofisk samtalsstruktur följdes. Tillfällena observerades och data samlades in med hjälp av video– och ljudinspelning samt loggboksanteckningar. Resultatet visade att eleverna argumenterade utifrån följande kategorier i mötet med lektionsinnehållet: Nyttoargument, etiska argument, estetiska argument, hållbarhetsargument och relevansargument. Vidare visade studiens resultat att faktorer som struktur, lärarstöd, elevstöd och metaforer var viktiga för eleverna i mötet med filosofiska frågor av naturvetenskaplig karaktär. Sammanfattningsvis visade denna studie att elevernas argumentationer och ställningstagande kan påverkas i positiv bemärkelse vid arbete med filosofiska frågor av naturvetenskaplig karaktär. / The purpose of this qualitative study was to develop knowledge about how philosophical questions in the science classroom affects students' communicative ability to argue and to take positioning in a dilemma. The issues this study used to enable the study was: In what ways do students argue in the encounter with philosophical questions of a scientific nature? How can philosophical questions be used as a resource in the science classroom to benefit students' communicative ability to argue and take positioning in science? The study was implemented at a school in northern Sweden and consisted of 13 participants from the grades 3-6 who participated in four teaching opportunities. The teaching opportunities consisted of a philosophical inquiry of science questions in conversation groups where a philosophical conversation structure was followed. The teaching opportunities were observed and data was collected with the aid of video– and sound recording and logbook notes. Results show that students argued from the following categories: Utility argument, ethical arguments, aesthetic arguments, sustain arguments and relevance arguments. The result further showed that factors like: structure, teacher support, student support and metaphors were of importance to the students in their meeting with philosophical questions of a scientific nature. In summary, this study showed that students' arguments and positioning can be affected in positive meaning by using philosophical questions with scientific nature.

This project aims to explore the beliefs of international teachers regarding the students with whom they work, and the change in those beliefs over time. Participant observation, interviews, and questionnaires were used as tools of collection to address the following research questions: How did teachers' beliefs about students change over time? What variables were significantly associated with the rate of change in teacher beliefs about students? What types of challenges did teaches face while living and working in Thailand? Over the course of four months, I shadowed twenty-two U.S. teachers in thirteen different locations throughout Thailand. Participants were enrolled in an international teaching program in Thailand that provided a cultural orientation and teacher training. Participants were then assigned to teaching jobs throughout the country. Qualitative and quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS and NVivo software. This project contributes to the scholarship of teaching and learning, and anthropological and education research dedicated to exploring teachers' beliefs about students. Results of the study provide vital information about what variables or experiences may influence a critical analysis of beliefs among teachers working with students who they perceive as different from themselves. Due to some of the parallels between this study population and that of teachers in public schools within the United States, findings may also be applicable to preservice teacher training contexts that consider ways to help teachers critically reflect on their beliefs and worldviews in preparation for working with students whom they may perceive as different from themselves.

Oro för klimatet är något som blir allt vanligare hos både barn och vuxna. Majoriteten av de studier som genomförts inom området klimatoro har undersökt äldre barn och vuxnas mående kopplat till klimatkrisen. Fokus för denna studie ligger därför på de yngre barnen, i årskurs två och tre, för att undersöka vad de känner inför klimatförändringarna. Tidigare forskning har visat att transformativa och deliberativa arbetsmetoder är fördelaktiga att använda vid undervisning om komplexa ämnesområden som klimatförändringar. Därför undersöker denna studie även om lärare använder dessa arbetssätt under sin geografiundervisning. Studien är genomförd med semistrukturerade intervjuer av två lärare och tre elevgrupper med fem elever vardera. Förutom intervjuer genomfördes även mer kreativa inslag som rankningsövningar och teckningsmoment. Resultatet visade att de intervjuade lärarna, till viss del, använde transformativa och deliberativa arbetsmetoder när de hade möjlighet att dela upp klassen i mindre grupper. De intervjuade lärarna ansåg att dagens elever var väl insatta i miljörelaterade frågor, jämfört med tidigare årskullar och gärna deltog i diskussioner inom ämnet. Samma lärare ansåg däremot inte att undervisningen bidragit till att förändra elevernas inställning till klimatet. Det framgår dessutom av resultatet att klimatförändringar är ett komplext ämnesområde som är svårt för ett flertal elever att samtala om. Det kan bero på elevernas unga ålder, då de på grund av detta ännu inte haft så omfattande undervisning inom området samt att eleverna ännu inte nåtts av stora mängder information om klimatförändringar. Resultatet för teckningsmomentet, som genomfördes med eleverna, visade att drygt hälften av eleverna kände oro för klimatförändringar vilket är en lägre andel än vad tidigare forskning visat. Det bedöms bero på att eleverna i denna studie är yngre än de barn och unga vuxna som deltagit i tidigare forskning. På grund av studiens begränsade storlek kan den dock inte anses vara representativ för alla lågstadielärare och unga elevers åsikter. / Concern about the climate is something that is becoming increasingly common among children. Most of the studies that have been done around this subject have investigated older childrens feelings about to the climate crisis. This studie will therefore focus on the younger children, in class two and three, to see how they feel about climate change. Previous research has shown that transformative and deliberative methods are beneficial to use when teaching about complex areas such as climate change. Therefore, our study examines whether the interviewed teachers use these working methods during their geography teaching. The study3 av 52is carried out with semi-structured interviews of two teachers and three student groups with five students each. In addition to the interview, we also used more creative elements such as ranking exercises and a drawing session. The results showed that the interviewed teachers used transformative and deliberative learning when they had the opportunity to divide the class into smaller groups. The teachers also considered that today's students were well versed in environment-related issues compared to previous students and that they are happy to participate in discussions on the subject. Based on the results the teachers did not consider that the teaching contributed to changing the students attitude towards the climate. It also appears from the results that climate change is a complex subject and that it was difficult for several students to answer the questions during the interview. This may be due to the young age of the students, as they have not yet been taught a lot in the field and have not yet been reached by any large amounts of information about climate change. The results for the drawing session, which was carried out with the students, showed that just over half of the students felt concerned about the climate change, which is a lower percentage than previous research has shown. It is judged to be due to the fact that the students in this study are younger than the children and young adults who participated in previous research. However, due to the limited size of the study, the results cannot be considered representative of the views of all primary school teachers and young students. / <p>2024-01-12</p>

Förnybar energi sägs vara en stor bidragande faktor till att lösa klimatproblem med global uppvärmning och den svenska regeringen har som mål att Sverige ska vara 100% fossilfritt år 2045. Ett förslag från Energimyndigheten är att cirka 5-10% av den svenska elkonsumtionen ska komma från solceller. Utvecklingen med solceller går framåt och allt fler privatpersoner och företag väljer att investera i det. Denna rapport ämnar att undersöka hur solceller kan dimensioneras för större kommersiella företag, samt även att kartlägga hur nyckelpersoner i koppling till företaget Dahl Sverige AB resonerar om hållbarhet och solceller. Dahl har valt att utvärdera möjligheten med solceller och används därför som ett studieobjekt i denna rapport. Efter insamling av av data kunde programmet System Advisor Model användas för att dimensionera solcellssystemet. Utifrån resultaten av simuleringarna togs tre olika storleksalternativ på solcellssystemet fram för att kunna fungera som beslutsunderlag vid beslutsfattande från Dahl; ett alternativ för att undvika energiskatten och främja det ekonomiska, ett för att undvika överproduktion och slutligen ett för maximal miljönytta. Dock kan en avvägning göras utifrån vad företaget själva accepterar för tröskelränta, eftersom att solcellssystemet blev mer miljövänligt men krävde en större investering allt eftersom storleken ökade. För att undersöka resonemang beträffande solceller och hållbarhet har intervjuer genomförts med fem nyckelpersoner i logistikprojektet där Dahl bygger ett nytt centrallager. Intervjuerna kategoriserades i sex olika teman. Dessa jämfördes sedan utifrån ett teoretiskt ramverk om olika paradigm: ett transformativt ekocentriskt paradigm samt ett dominant kulturellt paradigm. Resultatet synliggjorde att informanterna resonerade på olika sätt. Det fanns inslag av båda paradigmen men informanterna resonerade främst utifrån det dominanta kulturella paradigmet som motsvarar dagens marknadsdrivna konkurrensbaserade samhälle. Ett alternativ för att utveckla företaget i en mer hållbar riktning blir således att införa mer internutbildning för att främja en transformativ ekocentrisk världssyn. Denna slutsats uppskattas vara applicerbar även inom andra företag utanför Dahl. / Renewable energy is said to be a contributing factor in solving the environmental problems with global warming, which is why the Swedish Government has decided that Sweden will be 100% fossil free by 2045. A proposition from the Swedish Energy Agency is that around 5-10% of the Swedish consumption should come from solar energy. The development of solar PVs are going forward, and the number of private households and organisations that are choosing to invest are growing. This report aims to investigate how a solar PV system can be dimensioned for bigger commercial companies. It also seeks to map how stakeholders at Dahl Sverige AB, a large trading company in the plumbing industry, reason about solar cells and sustainability. Dahl is evaluating the possibilities with solar PVs, and will be used as a case in this report. After collecting data, the System Advisor Model program could be used to dimension the solar cell system. Based on the results of the simulations, three different size alternatives on the solar cell system were developed in order to be able to function as a basis for a decision for the study object; one option to avoid the energy tax and promote the economy, one to avoid overproduction and one for maximum environmental benefit. However, a trade-off could be made depending on what hurdle rate the company deems acceptable, as the solarsystem becomes more environmentally friendly but requires a larger investment as the size increases.To investigate reasoning regarding solar cells and sustainability, five interviews were conducted with five stakeholders with a connection to the logistics project to build a new central warehouse. The interviews went through a thematic analysis and the answers were characterized as six different themes. These were analysed on the basis of a theoretical framework that distinguishes between a dominant cultural paradigm and a transformative ecocentric paradigm. The result showed that the informants reasoned differently. There were elements from both paradigms, but the informants largely expressed opinions that could be characterized as the dominant cultural paradigm. An alternative for Dahl to become more sustainable was thus to introduce more internal training to promote a transformative ecocentric worldview. This conclusion is assessed to be applicable for other companies outside the Dahl case as well.

Many successful professionals, recognized for their experience, knowledge, competence and commitment to their field, experience a contradiction when they realize that their contributions are no longer valued by decision-makers in their organizations. Professionals, regardless of gender, position, education, race or profession, who experience workplace devaluation agree that this experience devalues their contributions and demeans their sense of self. This study illuminates the professionals' perspective of workplace devaluation through their experience. Within the framework of grounded theory methodology, this research examined three research questions: (a) What is the experience of professionals' workplace devaluation? (b) How did professionals learn from the experience? (c) What did professionals learn from the experience? The unit of analysis is the professional within an organization. Four participants were selected who (a) had several years experience with their organization; (b) were previously valued by the organization; (c) were current in their field; (d) had experienced workplace devaluation; and (e) were able to articulate insights, thoughts, and emotions on their experience. Multiple interviews with each participant provided the data. A comparative, iterative analysis of the data yielded: (a) a seven-phase process of the experience; (b) six constructs embedded in the process, and (c) four categories of learning. The dialogic interview method facilitated the participants' apperception, reflection, and progress through the process. Three emotions--fear, powerlessness, anger--and their interaction with the other constructs (autonomy, communication, personalization, authority, and recognition) influenced coping strategies and actions taken by each participant. The four narratives explicate the interrelationships of the findings. Three major conclusions are: (a) A rich description of the workplace devaluation experience offers a glimpse into the complexity of this topic and into the professionals' "lived world." (b) The learning process, grounded in the data, depicts how these four professionals used the power of their emotions to create balance within themselves as they attempted to explicate their situation of workplace devaluation. (c) The results indicate that greater learning occurred in organizational knowledge and intrapersonal knowledge for these professionals. Questions for further research are noted along with practical suggestions and recommendations for the praxis of adult educators, decision-makers, and professionals. / Ph. D.

Introduction: The first aim of this study is to gain more knowledge about why public libraries choose to organize reading groups for adults. The second aim is to shed light on the possible transformative potential of public libraries’reading groups for adults. Method: Semi-structured interviews with six librarians at Bibliotek Uppsala were conducted. Three of the librarians had an overall responsibility for the reading group activities within the organization. The other three librarians led reading groups themselves. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. Analysis: A thematic content analysis was conducted to interpret the transcripts of the interviews.  Results: The librarians’ thoughts regarding what participants can gain from reading groups were categorized within the following themes: They can inspire more or more extensive reading, they can promote democracy and participation, they can encourage people to meet and fulfill an important social function, they can promote health, personal growth, and can give the participants new perspectives. This is largely consistent with previous studies reagarding what participants themselves state reading groups contribute to their lives. The result further shows that there are many favorable conditions for transformative learning within the library’s reading groups. Conclusion: The librarians see that the reading groups can fulfill more functions than promoting reading. Among other things, they point out that the reading groups, for several different reasons, are in line with the library’s democratic mission. Based on the theory of transformative learning, it is possible to see the potential of reading grups to promote critical reflection. According to the theory of transformative learning, it is believed that it is of the utmost importance that citizens of democratic societies develop their critical thinking. Thus, reading groups that develop the participants' ability to reflect could therefore also be justified on the basis of the library's democracy mission.   This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

This thesis investigates how transformative learning experiences are fostered within sustainable development-centered university programs, with a focus on the Swedish academic landscape. The study aims to contribute to the knowledge of effective educational strategies in sustainability education. The central research question is: How do sustainable development-centered university degree programs foster transformative learning? The theoretical framework integrates Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory and Meyer and Land’s Threshold Concepts, providing a comprehensive understanding of how transformative learning can lead to profound shifts in students’ perspectives and behaviors. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative multi-method approach, including a comparative analysis of syllabi from sustainable development-centered programs and thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with educators and students. The empirical data reveals key themes such as critical reflection, interdisciplinary learning, ethical decision-making, and the role of disorienting dilemmas in fostering transformative learning. Key findings indicate that sustainable development-centered programs in Sweden effectively integrate transformative learning principles through diverse pedagogical approaches. These programs emphasize the importance of creating supportive learning environments, facilitating critical engagement with sustainability issues, and encouraging reflective practice. The study highlights that transformative learning is essential for developing agents of change to address complex sustainability challenges. The implications of this research are significant for higher education institutions aiming to enhance their sustainability curricula. The findings suggest that incorporating transformative learning frameworks into program design can significantly impact students’ ability to contribute to sustainable development. The study concludes with recommendations for future research, focusing on the need for ongoing support to maintain transformative changes in graduates’ perspectives and behaviors.