Uppsatsens syfte var att undersöka unga kvinnors syn på faktorer till välbefinnande och jämföra synen med självskattad KASAM. Åtta unga kvinnor från ett särskilt utsatt område deltog i kvalitativa intervjuer och svarade på ett KASAM-13 frågeformulär. Empirin från dessa analyserades utifrån teorierna salutogenes och systemteori. Resultatet visade på att de unga kvinnorna hade en medvetenhet om vilka faktorer i det särskilt utsatta området som var viktiga för deras välmående. De viktigaste identifierade faktorerna till välbefinnande var relationer, känslan av gemenskap, naturen och vikten av det egna ansvaret. Resultatet från KASAM-13 frågeformuläret var spritt, då tre intervjupersoner låg under det svenska medelvärdet, två intervjupersoner låg nära det svenska medelvärdet och tre intervjupersoner låg över det svenska medelvärdet. Studien visade inte på några entydiga resultat om hur synen på faktorer till välbefinnande och självskattad KASAM påverkar varandra. / The purpose of this study was to explore young women’s perception of factors of wellbeing and compare this perception to their SOC. Eight young women from a socioeconomically vulnerable area participated in interviews and answered a SOC-13 questionnaire. The empirical material was analysed with the Salutogenesis theory and the Systems theory. The results showed that the young women were aware of which factors in the socioeconomically vulnerable area were important for their wellbeing, which were: relationships, sense of companionship, nature and their own responsibility. The results from the SOC-13 questionnaire were mixed, three of the participants were below the Swedish average, two participants were near the Swedish average and three participants were above Swedish average. The study does not show any clear results on how the perception of factors of wellbeing and SOC-13 affects each other.

The South African population has been experiencing an unprecedented rate of urbanization that has left government bodies struggling to meet the qualitative and the infrastructural demands of the emergent sector in undeveloped areas. This dissertation aims to focus on the intensive networks found in these developing areas of vulnerability that display strong cohesion due to activities surrounding the production process. The premise presented is that in order to intervene architecturally with these networks, designers should critically engage these networks through participative processes of research, design and ideally construction. Through the author’s process of engagement, several key Architectural principles for an intervention emerge. Primarily the concept that a built intervention in a vulnerable settlement should first seek to associate itself with a network for its initial survival, and then aim to exist in a symbiotic relationship with this network through a mutually beneficial relationship. View <a href=" http://www.jhonobennett.com/">Jhono Bennett's blog</a>. Copyright 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bennett, J 2011, Platforms of engagement : a process of critical engagement with a developing context, MArch(Prof) dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11272011-161354 / > C12/4/36/gm / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

Gang-related crime and the increased deadly violence it has given rise to, is one of the most highlighted societal problems in our time. It is a recurring theme in public debates and it challenges the Swedish self-image as a successful welfare state. Considering that gang-related crime is a key voter issue of the upcoming 2022 elections, this study aims to explore Sweden's two largest parties', the Moderates and the Social Democrats, rhetoric ongang-related crime. This study focuses on central discourses by the parties and what effects these may have in vulnerable areas. Empirical data linked to gang-related crime has been collected from the parties' websites and social media, and Jönson's problem perspective has been applied to analyze and summarize the material. The results indicate that the parties' positions are based on preventive and punitive measures against gang members. The theoretical frame consists of critical discourse analysis and the concepts of labeling and territorial stigmatization, which in the study's analysis contribute with knowledge of how individuals, groups and neighborhoods are blamed for the causes of gang-related crime. The study's conclusion is that the political discourses reproduce and reinforce societal problems linked to gang-related crime. / Gängkriminalitet och det ökade dödliga våld det bidragit till är ett av de mest uppmärksammade samhällsproblem i vår tid. Det är ett återkommande tema i samhällsdebatter och utmanar den svenska självbilden som lyckad välfärdsstat. Då gängkriminalitet är en av de viktigaste väljarfrågorna inför det kommande valet 2022, syftar denna studie att undersöka Sveriges två största partier, Moderaternas och Socialdemokraternas, retorik kring gängkriminalitet. Denna studie fokuserar på partiernas centrala diskurser och vilka effekter dessa kan få för utsatta områden. Empiriskt material kopplat till gängkriminalitet har insamlats från partiernas hemsidor och sociala medier, och Jönsons problemperspektiv har använts för att analysera och summera materialet. Resultatet visar att partiernas ståndpunkter baseras på förebyggande och straffande åtgärder gentemot gängkriminella. Den teoretiska referensramen består av kritisk diskursanalys samt begreppen stämpling och territoriell stigmatisering som i studiens analys bidrar med kunskap om hur individer, grupper och bostadsområden blir skuldbelagda för gängkriminalitetens orsaker. Studiens slutsats är att de politiska diskurserna reproducerar samt förstärker sociala problem kopplat till gängkriminalitet.

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of Animal-Assisted Therapy in Educational Psychology. An empirical study of limited extent was undertaken, which was qualitative by nature and conducted from an interpretivist paradigm. I made use of a therapeutic case, which served as an in-depth case study. Visual data, creative expression, interviews, narrative expression and field notes were employed as data-gathering methods. Data were analysed by means of document analysis. A young boy of 14 years, with whom I have previously worked as a therapist, was the participant in the study. The findings of the study were, firstly that the use of AAT could enable the attainment of goals in therapy. Implementing AAT as a therapeutic tool provided motivation for participation in therapy from the participant. Secondly the use of an animal (dog) in the therapeutic process promoted the formation of a personal, caring, and emotional relationship with the primary participant. Thirdly, psychological benefits in the use of AAT were revealed by this study, namely the opportunity to promote socialisation, self-esteem, communication, interaction and participation in therapy. Fourthly AAT had a value in working with a socio-economically vulnerable child, addressing several of the needs identified in order to enhance the well-being of the child. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of three volunteer care workers in their role as facilitators of an intervention programme aimed at strengthening the resilience of pre-school children. The study forms part of a broad research project, the Kgolo-Mmogo project, involving a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Pretoria and Yale University in the United States of America. One of the objectives of the project is to investigate the possibility of strengthening the resilience, as well as the adaptive functioning of children affected by HIV and AIDS. These children are living in poor urban communities in South Africa and their vulnerability is related to their mothers being infected with HIV. The conceptual framework for my study was based on existing theory relating to care workers, focussing on their responsibilities and experiences, and the process of facilitation. In addition I explored the concepts ‘resilience’ and ‘vulnerable children’. I followed a qualitative research approach, guided by an interpretivist epistemology. I employed an instrumental case study design and conveniently selected three volunteer care workers fulfilling the role of facilitators in the Kgolo-Mmogo project, as participants. These volunteer care workers were responsible for facilitating an intervention programme with a small group of 3 to 5-year old children. I observed five of the intervention sessions, which were presented by the participating volunteer care workers. I conducted a focus group discussion with the participants in order to explore their experiences as facilitators of the intervention programme. I furthermore conducted a follow-up focus group discussion with the purpose of member checking. In addition, I relied on a reflective journal, field notes and audio-visual methods, for data collection and documentation purposes. Four main themes emerged as a result of the thematic data analysis and interpretation that I completed. Firstly, I found that the foreseen scenario of the facilitation of an intervention programme differed from the real scenario of what such a role would entail. The role of facilitators of an intervention programme implied more than what the volunteer care workers had anticipated and implied diverse responsibilities. Secondly, from my results I concluded that the participants encountered a variety of positive experiences, including experiences of being meaningful and self-development, as well as feelings of pride, excitement and joy. Thirdly, the participants encountered some challenges in their role as facilitators of an intervention programme. They were required to deal with negative emotions, handle conflict more effectively, become more flexible, and deal with stress appropriately. The last theme that emerged relates to the participants experience of the importance of continuous support. This was offered by means of training and a structured manual, regular debriefing sessions by the volunteer care workers’ supervisor and the research coordinator, as well as support by colleagues. Based on the findings of my study, I concluded that the experiences of the volunteer care workers facilitating the intervention programme with young vulnerable children were diverse and multifaceted. As such, the role of facilitator implied multiple responsibilities, and led to the experience of a variety of benefits and challenges. In addition, my study highlights the value of continuous support in order to assist volunteer care workers to successfully facilitate intervention programmes they present. Furthermore, in dealing with the challenges they faced, the volunteer care workers in my study developed valuable skills that could be applied during future facilitation tasks, as well as in their personal lives. As such, their involvement as facilitators in the Kgolo-Mmogo project seemed to have contributed to their professional and personal development. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore female teachers' experiences regarding their authority and legitimacy in socio-economically vulnerable areas in Stockholm. The research questions used were: 1. How do female teachers experience their authority regarding students, legal guardians, co-workers and executives? 2. How do female teachers experience that their physical attributes and gender affects their authority regarding students, legal guardians and co-workers? 3. How do female teachers experience that their legitimacy affects their authority in regards to students, legal guardians and co-workers?  Method: A qualitative hermeneutic approach was used. Eight female teachers working in two different schools in socio-economically vulnerable areas in and outside of Stockholm were interviewed. The interviews were executed digitally after requests of the respondents and they were audibly recorded in order to be able to transcribe them in direct connection to the interviews. Since the study has an inductive work procedure, the theoretical framework was not determined until after the interviews, which turned out to be hermeneutics. Hermeneutics lets our pre-understandings and interpretations reflect the result. We have tried to find connections between the experiences of the female teachers regarding their authority and legitimacy in relation to students, legal guardians, co-workers and executives. Result: Female teachers are struggling with/and maintaining authority in regards to students. Authority seems to grow as time passes, which is in line with previous research. The female teachers in our study experience a difference in who is given authority: white, Swedish men seem to be advantageous in regards to authority, over others. We can also determine that female teachers do not experience problems in regards to authority or legitimacy in relation to legal guardians, though it differs from students, co-workers and executives where the female teachers in some degree do experience questioning.  Conclusion: We interpret the results as some of the female teachers seem to struggle in order to keep their subject legitimized. Lastly, authority seems to be in parallel to personal characteristics where gender, ethnicity and physical attributes are crucial in order to experience authority and legitimacy. / Syfte och frågeställningar: Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur kvinnliga lärare upplever sin auktoritet och legitimitet i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden i Stockholm. Forskningsfrågorna som använts är: 1. Hur upplever kvinnliga lärare sin auktoritet gentemot elever, vårdnadshavare, kollegor och ledning på sin arbetsplats? 2. Hur upplever kvinnliga lärare att deras fysiska attribut och könstillhörighet påverkar auktoriteten gentemot elever, vårdnadshavare och kollegor? 3. Hur upplever kvinnliga lärare att deras legitimitet påverkar deras auktoritet i förhållande till elever, vårdnadshavare och kollegor?  Metod: Åtta kvinnliga lärare intervjuades för att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar vilka alla utfördes digitalt efter respondenternas önskemål. Intervjuerna spelades in efter respondenternas godkännande och transkriberades i direkt anslutning till intervjuerna. Eftersom studien har ett induktivt arbetssätt formulerades den teoretiska referensramen först efter intervjuerna var genomförda. Hermeneutiken, som var det teoretiska begrepp som ansågs mest användbart, grundar sig i att våra förståelser och uppfattningar har färgat resultatet. Vi har försökt hitta samband mellan de kvinnliga lärarnas upplevelser gällande auktoritet och legitimitet gentemot elever, vårdnadshavare, kollegor och ledning.  Resultat: Resultatet i studien visar att de kvinnliga lärarna har svårt att uppnå auktoritet och att hålla kvar auktoriteten i relation till elever. Auktoritet är något som verkar förstärkas ju längre tid en lärare är yrkesverksam, vilket även är i linje med tidigare forskning. De kvinnliga lärarna i vår studie ser en skillnad i vilka som får auktoritet, de menar att det är fördelaktigt att vara en vit svensk man. Vi har även sett att de kvinnliga lärarna i vår studie inte upplever en problematik gällande auktoritet och legitimitet gentemot vårdnadshavare. Däremot framgår det att några av lärarna upplever en viss begränsning i upplevd auktoritet gentemot både elever, kollegor och ledning.  Slutsats: Vi tolkar resultatet som att vissa av kvinnorna i vår studie upplever det svårt att hålla deras ämnen legitima. Slutligen verkar auktoritet ges i förhållande till personliga karaktärsdrag där framförallt kön, etnicitet och fysiska attribut är direkt avgörande för att uppleva auktoritet och legitimitet.

Land surface temperature (LST) and mean radiant temperature (MRT) are commonly used as proxies to evaluate urban heat environments. Many scholars use one of them to represent heat exposure when assessing the urban thermal environment. This research fills a research gap by analyzing two meteorological parameters simultaneously through correlation analysis, hotspot analysis, and the distinctive information they respectively express with the results of vulnerable population distribution based on the case of Linköping. Scatter plots are used to explore the correlation between LST and MRT, and hot spot analysis is applied to investigate their spatial patterns through the clusters of hot and cold spots. Furthermore, the distribution of vulnerable populations is assessed and visualized through a vulnerability index. The results show that there is a moderate positive linear correlation between the mean values of LST and MRT for the whole study area. They have different spatial patterns based on the results of the hot spot analysis. The comparison of different meteorological parameters to the vulnerability index also shows variations in high heat risk areas. All of these conclude that LST or MRT could, to some extent, be presented as references to each other; however, they cannot be used interchangeably as proxies for urban heat exposure. When developing urban thermal adaptation strategies, it is necessary for municipalities to select the parameters appropriately according to the purpose and requirements and to understand what the chosen parameters can and cannot convey.

Children of incarcerated parents are at significantly increased risk of negative long-term outcomes. With about 1% of the adult population incarcerated, the United States has millions of children at risk for these negative outcomes. Research on this population is increasing; however, it is still unclear whether children of incarcerated parents are at an increased risk for poor school performance as a specific result of parental incarceration above that associated with their social and economic status. Because parental incarceration may result in a variety of outcomes that can negatively impact school performance including school mobility, prolonged exposure to stress, and insufficient adult support, it is likely that parental incarceration is an independent risk factor for poor school performance. This study evaluated the impact of parental incarceration on children's school performance. Analyses revealed a trend in lower test scores for children with incarcerated parents when compared with children in single-parent households and of similar socioeconomic status. Children with incarcerated parents were also 3.8 times more likely to be raised by a caregiver with less than a high school education. Finally, within a population of low SES, poverty still significantly predicted lower test scores along with caregiver education level and school mobility. The findings of this study should be useful in helping schools, communities, and service organizations more accurately identify high risk students and formulate effective intervention programs for these students. Finally, this study further informs an understanding of the societal impact of adult incarceration.

International crash statistics indicate a decrease of bicycle crashes, but at a slower pace compared to total crash numbers. The share of crashes with involved cyclists is above the modal share (see [1] for an overview). Depending on sources, types of analyses, and geographic regions, crash statistics suggest high rates of singlebike crashes and crashes between cyclists and other vulnerable road users (VRUs) [2], while cars are opponents in more than half of all fatal crashes in the European Union [3]. The design of th.e road environment is of particular relevance for crash risks. A study from London found three times higher injury odds for cyclists at intersections [4]. Connected and automated vehicles (CAV) are frequently said to increase the safety level in road traffic since they are less prone to human errors [5]. This might hold true in transport systems with little complexity, such as highways [6]. However, when it comes to complex situations in multimodal systems with multiple interactions between different road users, such as intersections in urban environments, existing solutions are not sufficient yet in terms of protecting VRUs. ... In order to contribute to the safety of VRUs in the interplay with CAVs in current systems, we propose a geospatial model, which delineates potential interaction risk zones from high definition (HD) maps and enriching these zones with additional information. These enriched risk zones are then provided as standardized OGC web service, which can be integrated in V2X systems. With this, we contribute to the visibility, and thus the safety of VRUs in connected transport systems. From a methodological point of view, the proposed model is a first step in integrating spatial context and semantic information explicitly into V2X communication. [From: Introduction]

E-scooters are a rather new mode of transport. Nevertheless, in recent years lots of studies have been published. Replaced modes and consequential environmental impacts as well as specific injury pattern are important topics. Regarding shape, speed and usage, e-scooters are most similar to bikes. As a consequence, by law e-scooters use the same road space or infrastructure than bikes do. Concurrently, in recent years we experience a boom of cycling in cities and a significant expansion of the bike infrastructure. Requirements and frequency of usage on the bike infrastructure are growing in cities caused by increasingly diverse cyclists. At the same time, the bike infrastructure is subject new requirements and additional pressure due to the implementation of e-scooters. In Germany, allowing e-scooters on bike infrastructure can be seen as a paradigm shift since for the first time a motorized vehicle is allowed to use the infrastructure. On this background, interrelation between e-scooters and active mobility (walking and cycling) are very important for the future use of the infrastructure and the ongoing transformation of urban mobility. Hence, we use a multi-method approach to investigate these potential conflicts and draw conclusions for regulation as well as improvement in the system.