The purpose of this degree project is to examine to what extent certain groups in society are represented in the teaching material in upper secondary schools in Sweden. Through the scrutinizing of a selected number of English textbooks, the intention is to analyse texts and images to see whether representation of individuals on the basis of ethnicity, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation occur in the material. Another aspect of the essay is to identify possible stereotypes regarding the mentioned categories. The analyses draw on a number of theories: postcolonial, feminist and gender, as well as queer theories, in order to relate possible non-representation in the teaching material to the key concept of otherness. Furthermore, the concepts of hegemony and heteronormativity serve an important role in the analyses of the material as they expose dominant structures in society which tend to give certain groups authority over others.

This Master thesis describes possibilities of instrumental tuition in the United Kingdom. It focuses on curricular documents as A Common Approach and The Importance of Music - A National Plan for Music Education, further on music services - organizations which mediate music tuition and also on the system of musical examinations, which is very different than way musical exams in the Czech Republic. The thesis outlines also the topic of El Sistema, a music-educational project founded in Venezuela, in the last decade gaining considerable popularity also in Europe - especially in the United Kingdom. The thesis pays attention also to ABRSM (The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and its activities - creating syllables and other publications, publishing music scores, organization of music examinations and providing diplomas. In the field of music examinations the thesis focuses on Violin and Music theory. The last chapter if this thesis focuses on comparing some aspects of the instrumental tuition in the United Kingdom and a system of music schools in the Czech Republic. The conclusion brings a suggestion, how could the Czech curriculum for music schools improve.

The thesis investigated the social and symbolic significance of acquiring a 'music education' through the taking of piano tuition and external public music examinations. It aimed to discover why the learning of the piano and the certification of musical attainment are so prevalent and revered among Malaysian music students. Its purpose was to unravel the socio-cultural raison d'etre of this approach to music education through the creation of a metatheoretical schema, which is premised upon the theories of symbolic interactionist, George Herbert Mead, music analyst, Heinrich Schenker and social theorist, George Ritzer. Central to the argument in this instance is the symbolic significance associated with the act of playing the piano. The investigation attempted to determine if this 'act' conveyed a symbolic meaning that is peculiar to a specific cultural vista. It further examined the degree to which this practice represented both a validation and a sense of conformity to social norms in the continuity and stability of an expanding middle class society in Malaysia. The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) is the largest of the five main external public music examination boards that operate in Malaysia. Since 1948, over one million candidates have enrolled for ABRSM examinations in Malaysia and a team of approximately thirty ABRSM examiners visit Malaysia for three months every year. The majority of the candidates are pianists. Given such large numbers of piano candidates, one might expect a healthy development of musical talent in the country with aspiring pianists eager to demonstrate their musical prowess. However, this does not seem to be the case. On the contrary, there appears to be a curious lacuna between the growing number of students who enrol for external public music examinations and the seemingly lack of interest in public music making and the honing of general musicianship skills. The thesis hence examined the symbolic meaning of this socio-rausicological phenomena.

The thesis investigated the social and symbolic significance of acquiring a 'music education' through the taking of piano tuition and external public music examinations. It aimed to discover why the learning of the piano and the certification of musical attainment are so prevalent and revered among Malaysian music students. Its purpose was to unravel the socio-cultural raison d'etre of this approach to music education through the creation of a metatheoretical schema, which is premised upon the theories of symbolic interactionist, George Herbert Mead, music analyst, Heinrich Schenker and social theorist, George Ritzer. Central to the argument in this instance is the symbolic significance associated with the act of playing the piano. The investigation attempted to determine if this 'act' conveyed a symbolic meaning that is peculiar to a specific cultural vista. It further examined the degree to which this practice represented both a validation and a sense of conformity to social norms in the continuity and stability of an expanding middle class society in Malaysia. The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) is the largest of the five main external public music examination boards that operate in Malaysia. Since 1948, over one million candidates have enrolled for ABRSM examinations in Malaysia and a team of approximately thirty ABRSM examiners visit Malaysia for three months every year. The majority of the candidates are pianists. Given such large numbers of piano candidates, one might expect a healthy development of musical talent in the country with aspiring pianists eager to demonstrate their musical prowess. However, this does not seem to be the case. On the contrary, there appears to be a curious lacuna between the growing number of students who enrol for external public music examinations and the seemingly lack of interest in public music making and the honing of general musicianship skills. The thesis hence examined the symbolic meaning of this socio-musicological phenomena.

The paper describes the exchange program in between the University of Wisconsin/ Milwaukee and the University of Potsdam in the field of economics. It discusses in detail the development of the program, including the problems and challenges. Additionally a brief description of the curriculum is presented. Then the future possibilities of the Transatlantic Degree Program (TDP) are discussed and the influences and problems of the Bologna process analysed.

Studiens syfte har varit att öka förståelsen för röstliga uttryck i jazzmusik, med fokus på hur samspelet mellan ord och musik verkar i skivinspelningar med utvalda sångerskor. Utifrån en hermeneutisk ansats har fem skivinspelningar med fem svenska kvinnliga jazzsångerskor, samtliga utsedda till Jazz i Sverige-artister, beskrivits och tolkats ur ett vokalpedagogiskt perspektiv. I förhållande till jazzsångtraditionen visade sig två av studiens sångerskor på olika vis utmana vokala konventioner. Studiens resultat indikerar att utbildning stärkt jazzsångerskor så att de kan agera i flera roller i ensembler, också genom vokal improvisation och som kompositörer. Det framgick att samtliga sångerskor i studien framfört engelskspråkiga texter som främst behandlat kärleksmotiv. I detaljstudier av sångerskornas interpretation av texter, både egnas och andras, framstod komplexiteten i deras vokala framställning. Resultaten visar att texter kan fylla olika funktion i musikaliskt samspel, samt pekar på att studiet av inspelade röster kan vara ett redskap i undervisningen, både för jazzsånglärare och ensemblelärare. / The aim of the study is to enhance the understanding of voice expression in jazz music, focusing on the interplay between words and music in recordings of selected singers. From a hermeneutic approach five recordings of different Swedish female jazz singers, all selected as Jazz in Sweden- artists, has been described and interpreted from a vocal pedagogical perspective. In relation to the jazz vocal tradition it turned out that two of the singers in different ways challenged the conventions of jazz singing. Study findings indicate that education strengthened female jazz singers to find different roles in their interaction with other musicians in the ensemble, also through vocal improvisation and as composers. All singers in the study expressed themselves through lyrics in English that mainly dealt with love motifs. In detailed analysis of the songs and the singers interpretations of lyrics the complexity of the singers vocal production was shown. The study shows how lyrics for the singer can fulfill different functions in the musical interplay, and also implies that studies of recorded voices can be an educational tool, for both jazz vocal teachers as well as for ensemble teachers.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur elgitarrlärare går tillväga när de undervisar i elgitarrspel med plektrum och vilka de största tekniska utmaningarna är som uppkommer för studenten. Datainsamlingen har genomförts genom kvalitativa intervjuer med tre erfarna elgitarrpedagoger. Studien utgår från ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv. Resultatet visar att de tre pedagogerna till stor del låter eleverna själva välja hur de ska spela. Pedagogerna nämner några vanliga fel som eleverna gör, till exempel: de förankrar inte fingrarna eller handen i gitarren, plektrumet trycks för långt in mellan strängarna och att de håller plektrumet för hårt eller för löst. / The purpose of this study was to investigate how electric guitar teachers go about teaching plectrum techniques and what the greatest challenges are for the student. The data collection has been conducted through qualitative interviews with three experienced electric guitar teachers. The study is based on a hermeneutic perspective. The result shows that the three educators largely allow students to choose how to play. The pedagogues mention some common mistakes that the students do, for example: they do not anchor their fingers or hand to the guitar, the plectrum is pushed too far in between the strings and that the plectrum is held either to firm or to soft.

En god taluppfattning är grundläggande för förståelse i matematik. Forskning (Lundberg & Sterner, 2009; Sayers, Andrews & Björklund Boistrup, 2016) visar på hur viktig barns tidiga matematiska kunnande är för goda skolframgångar i matematik i grundskolan samt att tidiga insatser i matematikundervisningen verkar främjande för elevers matematiska utveckling. Med utgångspunkt i detta har denna studie undersökt i vilken mån förskoleklasselever, med påvisad bristfällig taluppfattning, kan utveckla förståelse av antal och talraden. Detta med en tidsbegränsad och strukturerad undervisningsinsats med fokus på dessa två delar inom taluppfattningen. Som kartläggningsmaterial för att undersöka elevernas kunskap i taluppfattning användes Elevintervju vid skolstarten (McIntosh, 2008). Utformandet av undervisningen i interventionen tog sin utgångspunkt dels från resultatet av kartläggningen, dels från boken Tänka, resonera och räkna i förskoleklass (Sterner, Helenius & Wallby, 2014) och genomsyrades av ett sociokulturellt perspektiv på lärande där det är i det matematiska samtalet i gruppen som elevernas förmågor och kunskaper utvecklas. Under interventionen användes olika representationer för tal, exempelvis konkret och visuellt material för att stödja elevernas matematiska förståelse. Resultatet av studien visar på att en strukturerad undervisningsinsats gav positiv utveckling för den aktuella elevgruppen i denna studie, vilket är i linje med tidigare forskningsresultat (Sterner, 2015; Vennberg, 2015). / A strong number sense is foundational for mathematical understanding. Research (Lundberg & Sterner, 2009; Sayers, Andrews & Björklund Boistrup, 2016) has shown strong evidence of the relationship between student’s mathematical abilities when starting school entry and their later performance in mathematics. An early intervention in mathematics has significant positive effects on the student’s mathematical development through elementary school. As a continuation from this prior research the present study examined how preschool-students, with inadequate number sense, can develop an understanding of quantity and number sequence using the support of a structured and time specific intervention with focus on those two parts within number sense. Student interview at school entry (McIntosh, 2008) was the basis for examining the student’s number sense. The structure of the intervention lessons was based on the results from the survey and from the pedagogical literature Tänka, resonera och räkna i förskoleklass (Sterner, Helenius & Wallby, 2014). A sociocultural perspective pervaded where it is assumed the students’ abilities and knowledge develop from mathematical collective reasoning. During the intervention different representations where used, for example concrete and visual material to support the students mathematical understanding. The result demonstrated that a structured intervention in this study had significant effect on the group of preschool-students, which supports research (Sterner, 2015; Vennberg, 2015).

Most colleges and universities invest substantial resources in an effort to strategically plan for a sound financial base. The revenue for the financial base is dependent on student enrollment that must be effectively managed. Increases in the price of tuition and fees can lead to decreased enrollment and negatively impact the revenue of an institution. The increases can also impact the enrollment of certain student populations such as minority students and high school graduates enrolling in college for the first time. Many studies have analyzed the price elasticity and student price response models that have been developed over time by reviewing historical price increases and enrollment across institutions. Few studies have used the models to predict changes in the enrollment of students for one college or university after the increases in the cost of attendance are imposed on students. This study sought to analyze the effectiveness of the most commonly reviewed student price response and price elasticity models in predicting changes in undergraduate enrollment at one metropolitan academic university. The three models introduced by Leslie and Brinkman, St. John and Heller were used to analyze the tuition and fee increases and to identify the likely percentage of increase or decrease in student enrollment at the University of North Texas for the fall 2004 semester. The study predicted the change in undergraduate enrollment among Caucasian, Hispanic, African American and Asian student populations. The price elasticity among full-time students, part-time students, undergraduate transfer students and new from high school students entering the University of North Texas were also analyzed in the research study. The results of the study found the student price response developed by Heller accurately predicted decreases in enrollment among first-time undergraduate students, continuing undergraduate students and undergraduate Caucasian students. The model introduced by Heller accurately predicted increases in enrollment among first-time Asian undergraduate students, first-time African American undergraduate students, continuing Asian undergraduate students and continuing African American undergraduate students. The study found an inelastic demand to price elasticity among full-time and part-time students and undergraduate transfer students. New from high school students were found to have an elastic demand to price elasticity.

Universities are losing expected tuition revenues due to attrition of international undergraduate students. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that university leaders use to increase tuition fee revenues from international undergraduate students. The participants in this study were 3 former leaders of the European division of Laureate International Universities, a global university group with university locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Cyprus. The conceptual framework of this study was institutional theory as part of the change management of universities. Data collection included semistructured interviews of 3 former leaders of the European division of Laureate International Universities and a review of background and demographic information. Data analysis revealed 5 themes: business strategies, leadership, politics and governmental practice, social mobility, and attrition. These themes aligned with the institutional theory and change management conceptual framework. Recommendations for action include further research in the application of university business models to adopt or enhance a process for retaining international undergraduate students. The results of this study may contribute to social change by indicating how universities can be financially sustainable by providing international students access to an international education. University leaders may implement some of my recommendations and suggested strategies to avoid losing expected tuition revenues due to attrition of international undergraduate students. International undergraduate students may enroll in better prepared universities and therefore, succeed in completing and graduating from their selected studies.