<p>The studies in the present thesis focus on post-decision processes using the theoretical framework of Differentiation and Consolidation Theory. This thesis consists of three studies. In all these studies, pre-decision evaluations are compared with post-decision evaluations in order to explore differences in evaluations of decision alternatives before and after a decision. The main aim of the studies was to describe and gain a clearer and better understanding of how people re-evaluate information, following a decision for which they have experienced the decision and outcome. The studies examine how the attractiveness evaluations of important attributes are restructured from the pre-decision to the post-decision phase; particularly restructuring processes of value conflicts. Value conflict attributes are those in which information speaks against the chosen alternative in a decision. The first study investigates an important real-life decision and illustrates different post-decision (consolidation) processes following the decision. The second study tests whether decisions with value conflicts follow the same consolidation (post-decision restructuring) processes when the conflict is controlled experimentally, as in earlier studies of less controlled real-life decisions. The third study investigates consolidation and value conflicts in decisions in which the consequences are controlled and of different magnitudes. </p><p>The studies in the present thesis have shown how attractiveness restructuring of attributes in conflict occurs in the post-decision phase. Results from the three studies indicated that attractiveness restructuring of attributes in conflict was stronger for important real-life decisions (Study 1) and in situations in which real consequences followed a decision (Study 3) than in more controlled, hypothetical decision situations (Study 2). </p><p>Finally, some proposals for future research are suggested, including studies of the effects of outcomes and consequences on consolidation of prior decisions and how a decision maker’s involvement affects his or her pre- and post-decision processes.</p>

The studies in the present thesis focus on post-decision processes using the theoretical framework of Differentiation and Consolidation Theory. This thesis consists of three studies. In all these studies, pre-decision evaluations are compared with post-decision evaluations in order to explore differences in evaluations of decision alternatives before and after a decision. The main aim of the studies was to describe and gain a clearer and better understanding of how people re-evaluate information, following a decision for which they have experienced the decision and outcome. The studies examine how the attractiveness evaluations of important attributes are restructured from the pre-decision to the post-decision phase; particularly restructuring processes of value conflicts. Value conflict attributes are those in which information speaks against the chosen alternative in a decision. The first study investigates an important real-life decision and illustrates different post-decision (consolidation) processes following the decision. The second study tests whether decisions with value conflicts follow the same consolidation (post-decision restructuring) processes when the conflict is controlled experimentally, as in earlier studies of less controlled real-life decisions. The third study investigates consolidation and value conflicts in decisions in which the consequences are controlled and of different magnitudes. The studies in the present thesis have shown how attractiveness restructuring of attributes in conflict occurs in the post-decision phase. Results from the three studies indicated that attractiveness restructuring of attributes in conflict was stronger for important real-life decisions (Study 1) and in situations in which real consequences followed a decision (Study 3) than in more controlled, hypothetical decision situations (Study 2). Finally, some proposals for future research are suggested, including studies of the effects of outcomes and consequences on consolidation of prior decisions and how a decision maker’s involvement affects his or her pre- and post-decision processes.

<p dir="ltr">This dissertation explores intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts that result from differing axiological stances. A stance is one’s orientation towards a subject and one’s axiological stance is one’s orientation towards what they take to be valuable. An axiological stance also influences how one responds to practical reasons. Stances currently enjoy some attention in epistemology and the philosophy of science, but I provide a novel treatment of stances in the practical domain. Comprised of three chapters, this dissertation explores the psychological and normative contributions of one’s stances in normative ethics, then extends this work to the philosophy of religion. In chapter one, I unpack the psychological contribution of axiological stances. I introduce the concept of an axiological stance in the context of the debate surrounding “hard choices,” arguing that an intrapersonal conflict of axiological stances explains the characteristic difficulty of hard choices. In chapter two, I explore the normative side of axiological stances, drawing from Peter Winch. While Winch has been associated with various forms of relativism, I suggest that he is better understood as defending a moral analog to epistemic permissivism. In this chapter, I suggest that a plausible version of his view is an axiological stance permissivism where an axiological stance can modify the weights of one’s normative reasons. Lastly, in chapter three, I address aspects of God’s practical life that may comprise an axiological stance. The normative import of these aspects, I argue, provide a model of God’s practical life that is not objectionably robotic. On such a model, God has some control over what his weightiest reasons are.</p>

Although psychotherapy has been viewed historically as value-neutral, developments over the last half-century have led to the generally accepted position that values are inescapable in therapy. However, many questions remain as to how values should be managed in psychotherapy in order to protect client autonomy. These issues are of particular concern to training programs, which bear the responsibility of instructing new psychologists in ethical values management and of helping trainees manage personal values when those values are in conflict with those of their clients or with the values of the field in general. One aspect that has not previously been investigated is the perceptions of trainees around value-related issues. This study used qualitative research methods to investigate the perceptions of recent psychology graduates regarding the role of values, value management strategies, training in value-related areas, and the resolution of value-related dilemmas. Seventeen recent graduates from Counseling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, or Professional Psychology doctoral programs were interviewed. Their responses led to following nine themes: 1. Psychology graduates disagreed about appropriate roles for therapist values. 2. Value differences between therapist and client were seen as both potentially harmful and potentially helpful. 3. Participants reported using different strategies to manage value differences. 4. Most participants felt it might be acceptable to influence a client to change their values in certain situations. 5. Participants did not report preferences regarding the value similarity of their clients and reported varying reactions to value differences. 6. Participants disagreed on whether trainees should be required to see clients with very different values. 7. Participants generally felt positive about their training experiences, but recommended more practical instruction in values management. 8. Participants' experiences with race and religion suggested unique training concerns. 9. Value-related decisions were seen as contextually grounded and based primarily on perceptions of beneficence. It is hoped that these findings further the dialogue on appropriate value management strategies in therapy and assist training programs in evaluating the training they provide students in areas of value differences and value conflicts.

The Swedish society has quite rapidly undergone a change from a more homogenic population to a more multicultural one. This leads to questions about how teachers handle the recent change. This study aims to investigate if upper-secondary school teachers in biology experience challenges when teaching about the evolutionary theory in a multicultural society, and if biology teachers consider teachers resources to be supportive enough to conduct evolutionary education according to the national curriculum. This study uses interviews as the data collection method and the respondents are situated in different contexts in the Swedish school to provide a width to the sample even though few respondents are included. The results of the study show that biology teachers experience challenges connected to multiculturality and evolution teaching. The teachers mentioned three prominent categories where the challenges were most noticeable: misunderstandings, resistance, and lack of previous knowledge. The multicultural aspect occurred in all the categories. The results also showed that teachers believed that the teacher resources covered the needs for planning the content of evolutionary teaching but not how to face the value conflicts that emerge due to a collision between students’ faith and the evolutionary theory. The conclusion of the study is that all respondents experience challenges connected to their teaching of the evolutionary theory in the context of multiculturality, but the occurrence and severity of the problems are unique. The problems are mostly connected to the emotional disruptions that students´s experience when their beliefs and the evolutionary theory collides. The challenges result in a request for more resources for teachers to be able to face the students’ internal conflicts and to make the school more welcoming to students with different believes. Examples of resources that teachers might find helpful could be informative seminars and the development of simulations. / Sverige har under en relativt kort tidsperiod gått från ett land med en mer homogen befolkning till en mer multikulturell. Frågor uppstår då hur lärare hanterar denna förändring. Denna studie ämnar undersöka om gymnasielärare i biologi upplever utmaningar i samband med evolutionsundervisning i ett mångkulturellt samhälle samt om biologilärarna upplever att det finns nog med lärarresurser till stöd för att genomföra en evolutionsundervisning enligt de nationella läroplanerna. Studien använder sig av intervju som metod och alla respondenter kommer från olika geografiska platser samt skolsituationer inom den svenska skolan för att bidra med en bredd till urvalet trots ett lågt deltagarantal. Resultatet av studien visar att biologilärare på gymnasiet upplever utmaningar kring mångkulturalitet och undervisning av evolutionsteorin med varierande utsträckning och allvarlighetsgrad. Lärarna i studien nämnde tre kategorier som mest utmanande inom evolutionsundervisningen: missförstånd, motstånd och förkunskaper, där den mångkulturella aspekten förekom inom alla tre kategorier. Resultatet visade också att lärare upplever att de lärarresurser som finns idag är tillräckliga för behovet av upplevt stöd för innehållsplanering av evolutionsteoriundervisning men att det saknas resurser för hur lärare ska inkludera alla elever och möta värdekonflikter som uppstår till följd av en krock mellan elevers tro och evolutionsteorin. Studiens slutsats är att alla lärare upplever utmaningar inom evolutionsundervisning kopplat till mångkulturalitet men i olika utsträckning och komplexitet. Utmaningarna grundar sig främst i det emotionella dilemmat som elever upplever när tro och evolutionsteori krockar. I och med detta efterfrågas fler resurser för att kunna möta elevers inre konflikter och för att göra skolan mer välkomnande för elever med olika trosuppfattningar. Resurser som efterfrågas kan innebära allt från informativa seminarium till utveckling av simuleringsverktyg.

The purpose of this study is based on a implementation theoretical perspective, to understand, want, and be able to study the conditions for social studies and science teachers at the upper secondary school level to implement the content of The Instrument of Government on freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and discrimination. The study is based on the political scientist Lennart Lundqvist’s implementation theory of understanding, will and ability. To fulfill this purpose, we have conducted eight semi-structured interviews, which consists of four social studies teachers and four science teachers. Based on the material we received through the eight interviews, we can conclude that not all teachers that participated in this study understand the content on freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and discrimination. All teachers described through their self- image a will to implement the content of The Instrument of Government on freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and discrimination when they handle value conflicts. Even though many teachers haven’t experienced discrimination in value conflicts it is still important to work with it. The teachers had the knowledge in common as the main factor which enabled them to implement.

At the best of times, education policy implementation is a difficult and uncertain process. Taking this as a point of departure, the researcher advanced the hypothesis that education policy implementation in a society in transition: is accompanied by a fragmentation of the pre-transition coherence in interpersonal relations among policy actors; is affected by a heightening of value conflicts and the emergence of competing interpretive schemes; is influenced by the perceived self-interest of policy actors; is affected by changing power relationships and structural adjustments; and reflects a general weakening of interpersonal, cultural, and structural linkages that had evolved in pre-transition years. The Indian education system in South Africa was studied as an exemplar of a system located in a society in transition. The data collated by means of three research strategies - historical report, questionnaire, and structured interview - gave strong support to the hypothesis. In addition, they pointed to the significance of variables such as policy content and policy quality, political interference and pressure, bias and favouritism among senior officials, religious, sectional, and language loyalties of participants, and loss of job satisfaction and morale among policy actors. These findings were discussed against the background of relevant literature. This concluded in the development_gf a theoretical model to explain education policy implementation in a society in transition. Basically, the model suggests that socio-political struggles in the larger society tend. to be replicated in the micro-contexts of the education system, producing fundamental alterations in the interpersonal, cultural, and structural aspects of the system, a general weakening of system linkages, and a progressive de-coupling of system components. All these changes recursively impact on and are impacted on by policymaking and policy implementation processes and outcomes. These impacts, however, tend to occur in a non-standard, nonlinear manner. The theoretical underpinnings of the model emerge from general systems theory, modern social systems theory, chaos/ complexity theory, conflict theory, structuration theory, organisation change theory, and loosely coupled systems theory. Finally, the study concludes with general propositions relating to education policy implementation in a society in transition and a set of research and management-oriented recommendations. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Educational Management)

At the best of times, education policy implementation is a difficult and uncertain process. Taking this as a point of departure, the researcher advanced the hypothesis that education policy implementation in a society in transition: is accompanied by a fragmentation of the pre-transition coherence in interpersonal relations among policy actors; is affected by a heightening of value conflicts and the emergence of competing interpretive schemes; is influenced by the perceived self-interest of policy actors; is affected by changing power relationships and structural adjustments; and reflects a general weakening of interpersonal, cultural, and structural linkages that had evolved in pre-transition years. The Indian education system in South Africa was studied as an exemplar of a system located in a society in transition. The data collated by means of three research strategies - historical report, questionnaire, and structured interview - gave strong support to the hypothesis. In addition, they pointed to the significance of variables such as policy content and policy quality, political interference and pressure, bias and favouritism among senior officials, religious, sectional, and language loyalties of participants, and loss of job satisfaction and morale among policy actors. These findings were discussed against the background of relevant literature. This concluded in the development_gf a theoretical model to explain education policy implementation in a society in transition. Basically, the model suggests that socio-political struggles in the larger society tend. to be replicated in the micro-contexts of the education system, producing fundamental alterations in the interpersonal, cultural, and structural aspects of the system, a general weakening of system linkages, and a progressive de-coupling of system components. All these changes recursively impact on and are impacted on by policymaking and policy implementation processes and outcomes. These impacts, however, tend to occur in a non-standard, nonlinear manner. The theoretical underpinnings of the model emerge from general systems theory, modern social systems theory, chaos/ complexity theory, conflict theory, structuration theory, organisation change theory, and loosely coupled systems theory. Finally, the study concludes with general propositions relating to education policy implementation in a society in transition and a set of research and management-oriented recommendations. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Educational Management)