Södertörns högskolas Publications
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Words - the source of magic : A linguistic study on Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
No full textAbstract The aim of this essay is to investigate how language is used in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001), written by J.K. Rowling, through a linguistic study investigating the construction and characterization of the characters Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. The research aims to compare the characters’ linguistic profiles by analyzing both their direct speech and the narrative language used to describe them, which also includes observations and comments from other characters. The study also analyzes the use of speech acts, value words, tone, and attitude, with the results discussed with the help of Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory (1987). The findings indicate a clear difference in the language used to represent the two characters. Dumbledore’s speech and representation align with strategies of positive politeness and respect, whereas Snape’s representation is made through his frequent use of face-threatening acts (FTAs) and negative value words in both his own speech and the narrator’s description. The study discusses how the consistent difference in language portrays Dumbledore as a kind and highly respected authority figure, while portraying Snape as a character who is hostile and strongly disliked. The results demonstrate the power of linguistic choices in character development, reflecting and shaping the readers’ perception of the characters. The didactic application demonstrates how language analysis of character construction through the examination of politeness strategies, evaluative language, and stance supports the development of critical literacy by raising students’ awareness of how linguistic choices shape meaning, authority, and moral positioning
"En superintelligens utan känslomässiga distraktioner" : En studie om användandet av ChatGPT som terapeut, hur det påverkar våra informationsbeteenden och tilliten till vår omvärld
No full textIn recent years, ChatGPT has taken on a social role in society and become an integral part of people's everyday lives. The launch of the service in 2022 came in the aftermath of a global pandemic, and today the service is something people turn to for everything from information to therapeutic conversations. The purpose of this study is to investigate how trust can be characterised in relation to ChatGPT as a therapist, how it affects our interpersonal relationships and our information behaviours. The empirical data is collected through digital observation of a social forum where users share their therapeutic use of ChatGPT. The results show a high level of trust in the service and the capabilities of AI. ChatGPT is perceived as a good therapist with endless patience and good listening skills, which is often contrasted with human therapists. At the same time, there are still concerns about misinformation, ingratiation, and privacy issues. The analysis is based on one of Wilson's models of information-seeking behaviour and Habermas' theory of communicative action. Based on this, it is concluded that ChatGPT's ability to provide detailed answers at any time, at a low cost and with little effort on the part of the user, strengthens people's trust in AI and makes it the obvious choice as a source of information. ChatGPT is not only praised as something other than a human being with baggage and bias, but is also attributed with a strong humanity, which is perceived as necessary to create a strong relationship with the service. The study concludes with a discussion of the scientific, societal and ethical aspects of the conclusions. This discussion emphasises that research should take into account the relationship that many people have with ChatGPT today, and the trust that comes with it, and that companies need to be more transparent in their work and understand the breadth of how their service is used
Vardagens osynliga makt : En nivåintegrerad analys av subtila härskartekniker och kvinnors hanteringsstrategier i mansdominerade tjänstemannayrken inom säkerhetssektorn
No full textThis thesis aims to examine how subtle domination techniques manifest in male-dominated white-collar occupations within the security sector in Sweden, how these techniques become contributing factors in maintaining gendered and structural patterns, and how women manage these subtle expressions of power in their everyday working lives. The thesis is conducted using a qualitative research approach based on six semi-structured interviews with women within the aforementioned context. The analysis is based on a level-integrated approach in which micro-, meso-, and macro-levels are interconnected, inspired by Layder’s (1994) research map. The theoretical framework combines Ås’ (1978) theory of domination techniques, Acker’s (1990) theory of gendered organizations, Tilly’s (1978) theory of durable inequality, and Hirschman’s (1970) concepts of exit, voice, and loyalty. The results highlight that subtle domination techniques primarily take the form of everyday normalized interactions such as ridicule, withholding of information, and invisibilization, which over time limit women’s scope for action and legitimacy. Women’s coping strategies are characterized by adaptation and silence, shaped by organizational norms and structural conditions, where everyday interactions intersect with gendered organizational practices and broader mechanisms of inequality.
Visions of the Öresund Bridge, 1865–2023
No full textThe Öresund bridge between Denmark and Sweden has been key to the realisation of a cross-border region across Sjælland and Skåne, and it also links the Scandinavian peninsula with continental Europe. It was completed in 2000 with the involvement of local, regional and European actors, although its inception reaches back in time to the nineteenth century. A globally renowned icon, it is a symbol of many and sometimes opposing things, including Nordic cooperation, the solving of real or imagined crimes, freedom of movement, and the policing of borders in times of crisis. Nonetheless, it is undeniably a positive image of cross-border relationships
"Jag har inget att dölja" : En kvalitativ studie om hur användare reflekterar kring träningsdata, integritet och smartklockor.
No full textAnvändningen av smartklockor och andra kroppsnära teknologier för insamling och analys av träningsdata har ökat markant under de senaste åren. Samtidigt väcker denna utveckling frågor kring integritet, datadelning och användares kontroll över personlig information. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur användare reflekterar kring nyttan av att samla in och dela träningsdata, samt hur de resonerar kring potentiella integritetsrisker kopplade till smartklockor och träningsappar. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ forskningsansats och baseras på sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med användare i åldern 20-35 år som regelbundet använder smartklockor eller andra kroppsnära teknologier för att logga sin träning. Det empiriska materialet analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys, med fokus på återkommande mönster relaterade till motivation, tillit, datadelning och upplevd kontroll. Resultaten visar att träningsdata främst uppfattas som ett verktyg för självreflektion, motivation och struktur i vardagen, men även som ett socialt verktyg för datadelning. Samtidigt framträder en ambivalens där integritetsrisker erkänns men ofta rationaliseras till förmån för den upplevda nyttan. Tillit till etablerade teknikföretag spelar en central roll i hur användare upplever trygghet och kontroll över sin data. Studien bidrar med fördjupad förståelse för hur användare förhandlar relationen mellan nytta och risk i användningen av självspårningsteknologier.The use of smartwatches and other wearable technologies for collecting and analysing training data has increased significantly in recent years. At the same time, this development raises questions concerning privacy, data sharing and users control over personal information. The aim of this study is to explore how users reflect on the benefits of collecting and sharing training data, as well as how they reason about potential privacy risks associated with smartwatches and fitness applications. The study adopts a qualitative research approach and is based on seven semi structured interviews with users aged 20-35 who regularly use smartwatches or other wearable devices to track their training. The empirical material was analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on recurring patterns related to motivation, trust, data sharing and perceived control. The findings indicate that training data is perceived as a tool for self-reflection, motivation and structure in everyday life, as well as a social data sharing tool. At the same time, an ambivalence emerged in which privacy risks are acknowledged but often rationalised in favour of perceived benefits. Trust in established technology companies plays a key role in shaping users sense of security and control. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how users negotiate the relationship between utility and risk in relation to self tracking technologies.
Securitizing and greening the contested, climate-changed ocean : benefits, risks and governance pathways for integrating defense into climate-smart marine spatial planning
No full textOceans are increasingly shaped by climate change, biodiversity loss, geopoliticaltensions and maritime crime and insecurity. Climate-smart marine spatialplanning (CSMSP) has emerged as a governance framework to integrateclimate action, conservation, and equity into ocean planning. However,defense institutions–key actors in maritime security and major greenhousegas emitters–remain absent from CSMSP discourse. This paper arguesthat integrating defense into CSMSP offers strategic and climate benefits:minimizing defense-driven offshore wind cancellation and thus acceleratingapproval, safeguarding environmental protection and undersea critical energyinfrastructure, accelerating decarbonization through the military’s greentransition, and addressing the defense emissions gap. Yet, integration carriessignificant risks: power asymmetries, spatial exclusion, ecological harm,and militarization of green energy. To reconcile security imperatives withsustainability, transparency and equity, the paper proposes governancepathways: transparent data sharing, conflict-resolution and co-existenceprotocols, and defense marine zoning. “However, the paper warns that whilegreen defense initiatives have climate benefits, there are reasons to curbour enthusiasm”. Specifically, rising global military spending and the resultantmineral-intensive extractivism to support war-readiness threaten to overshadowthese benefits by locking in carbon-heavy supply chains and amplifying upstreamemissions, environmental degradation, and social disposability. Aligning nationalsecurity with climate security thus requires more than technological greening: itrequires transparent cradle-to-grave emissions, and strategic restraint in defensespending, war-readiness, and material efficiency. Ultimately, integrating defenseinto CSMSP is not merely a technical exercise but a normative challenge that willdetermine whether ocean governance advances sustainability and transparencyor succumbs to securitized emissions and green extractivism
"Barn lär inte genom skärmarna i sig, utan genom mötet som sker runt dem.” : En kvalitativ intervjustudie om fritidshemslärares perspektiv på digitala verktyg, lärande och språkutveckling
No full textThis study explores how leisure-time teachers perceive the use of digital tools in leisure-time centres, with a particular focus on how these tools are meant to support children’s language development. The study is based on a qualitative approach and includes six leisure-time teachers working in leisure-time centres in a Swedish urban context. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and written responses, which made it possible to gain insight into the teachers’ experiences, reflections, and everyday practices. The findings show that digital tools are frequently used to create motivation, engagement, and opportunities for interaction among children. Tools such as tablets, digital games, and creative applications are described as supporting both oral and written language development, especially when children work together in shared activities. Teachers highlight that digital tools can lower the threshold for participation and help children who are usually quieter to express themselves. At the same time, the informants describe that digital tools do not automatically lead to language development. Adult presence, clear structure, and purposeful pedagogical choices are described as crucial. The teachers also emphasise the importance of balancing digital and traditional activities, as well as the need for sufficient resources and opportunities for professional development. Overall, the study concludes that digitalisation in leisure-time centres has strong potential to support children’s language development, but this potential depends on how the tools are used and guided by teachers.Denna studie handlar om hur fritidshemslärare upplever användningen av digitala verktyg i fritidshemmets verksamhet, med fokus på hur verktygen upplevs kunna stödja barns språkutveckling. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ metod och omfattar sex fritidshemslärare som arbetar i fritidshem i ett svenskt storstadsområde. Materialet har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och skriftliga svar, vilket har gett en bild av lärarnas erfarenheter, tankar och arbetssätt i vardagen. Resultaten visar att digitala verktyg ofta används för att skapa motivation, engagemang och samspel mellan barnen enligt lärarna. Verktyg som surfplattor, digitala spel och kreativa appar beskrivs som stöd för både muntlig och skriftlig språkutveckling, särskilt när barnen arbetar tillsammans i gemensamma aktiviteter. Lärarna menar att digitala verktyg kan göra det lättare för fler barn att delta och att även barn som vanligtvis är tystlåtna vågar uttrycka sig. På samma gång så beskriver respondenterna att digitala verktyg inte automatiskt leder till språkutveckling. För att verktygen ska bli språkutvecklande krävs vuxennärvaro, tydlig struktur och medvetna pedagogiska val. Lärarna betonar också vikten av balans mellan digitala och traditionella aktiviteter, samt behovet av fungerande teknik och möjligheter till kompetensutveckling. Studien visar att digitalisering i fritidshemmet har stor potential att stödja barns språkutveckling, men att denna potential beror på hur verktygen används och leds av fritidshemslärare.ne
The importance of attachment for children's coping strategies : A quantitative study of parents' influence on children's ways of dealing with emotions, stress and challenges throughout life
No full textStudiens syfte är att undersöka sambandet mellan barns anknytningsstilar och deras användning av adaptiva copingstrategier vid hantering av stress och motgångar. Studien fokuserar på tre på anknytningsstilarna: trygg, undvikande och ambivalent och deras relation med copingstrategierna som handlar om att söka socialt stöd, söka stöd för känslor och positiv bedömning. Kön används som modererande variabel för att se om sambandet skiljer sig mellan pojkar och flickor. En linjär regressionsanalys kommer att användas baserad på data från Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2017/18. Resultaten indikerar att trygg och ambivalent anknytning är positivt associerade med samtliga copingstrategier med en svagare association till positiv bedömning. Undvikande anknytning är negativt associerad med samtliga variabler med en svagare association till positiv bedömning. Sambandet varierar även mellan könen, där familjens välstånd förklarar en liten men begränsad del av sambandet. Denna studie bidrar med ökad förståelse för hur anknytningsstilar påverkar barns copingstrategier och belyser vikten av ansvarsfulla och lyhörda föräldrar. Resultaten är relevant både i forskning och praktik, särskilt inom socialt arbete, skola och andra verksamheter som arbetar med barn.The aim of this study is to examine the association between children's attachment styles and their use of adaptive coping strategies when managing stress and adversity. The study focus on tree attachment styles: secure, avoidant and ambivalent and their relationships with coping strategies involving seeking social support, seeking support for feelings and positive appraisal. Gender is examined as a moderating variable to test whether the associations varies between boys and girls. Linear regression analysis is conducted using data from Health Behaviour in School Aged Children (HBSC) 2017/2018. The results indicate that secure and ambivalent attachment has a positive association with all coping strategies but a weaker association to positive appraisal. Avoidant attachment is negatively associated with all coping strategies with a weaker association to positive appraisal. The association also varies by gender, and family's affluence explains a small but limited part of the relationships. This study contributes to an increased understanding of how attachment styles influence children's coping strategies and highlights the importance of responsible and sensitive parenting. The findings are relevant for both research and practice, particularly within social work, school and other professions working with children.
To be a nursing assistant : A qualitative study of nursing assistants' professional identity in elderly care
No full textThe purpose of this paper was to get a deeper understanding of how nursing assistants' professional identity is shaped and created while working in elderly care. To do so, we conducted eight semi-structured qualitative interviews with elderly care workers from various fields, ages and work experiences. The collected data has been analysed using Tajfel & Turner's social identity theory (1979) and Stets and Burke's identity theory (2000). This paper's findings reveal that nursing assistants' professional identity is formed by several factors. This includes relationships with collegues, superiors and the ones recieving the care, the organisational policies enforced by the employer, external factors such as lack of respect in that line of work, and lastly the individual's morals and values. Depending on an individual's situation, this paper shows that they either choose to leave the field due to it's low societal status, stay due to their own values or stay due to a lack of opportinities to leave the field, but keep focusing on the positive aspects of this line of work. This study concludes that one's professional identity is a result of an intertwined process between multiple mechanisms. Syftet med denna uppsats var att få en djupare förståelse för hur undersköterskornas professionella identitet formas och skapas medan de arbetar i äldreomsorgen. För att göra detta genomförde vi åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med anställda inom äldreomsorgen från olika områden, åldrar och arbetslivserfarenheter. Den insamlade dtaan har analyserats med hjälp av Tajfel & Turners social identitetsteori (1979) och Stets och Burkes identitetsteori (2000). Resultaten från denna studie visar att undersköterskors professionella identitet formas av flera faktorer. Detta inkluderar relationer med kollegor, chefer och de som tar emot vård, de organisatoriska riktlinjer som arbetsgivaren tillämpar, externa faktorer som brist på respekt inom yrket, och slutligen individens egna moraliska värderingar. Beroende på individens situation visar uppsatsen att de antigen väljer att lämna yrket på grund av dess låga samhälleliga status, stanna på grund av sina egna värderingar eller stanna på grund av brist på möjligheter att lämna yrkesfältet, men ändå fokuserar på de positiva aspekterna av detta jobb. Slutsatsen av denna studie visar på att yrkesidentitet formas och reproduceras i ett sammanvävt samspel mellan olika mekanismer.
Interplay Between Generations : a qualitative study about social inclusion of older adults and intergenerational programs at public libraries
No full textThe incentive for this paper lies in the demographic development towards a larger population of older adults worldwide. Furthermore, there is a growing concern of involuntary loneliness becoming a big public health problem in Sweden, and it is particularly found among the elderly and young adults. How do public librarians currently view this phenomenon and in what ways do it affect their operations towards older adults?An additional question this study aims to discover is what kind of intergenerational programs exist at librariesand which limitations and possibilities can be identified in the public library work in regard to this topic? This approach and area of research is rarely found within the field of library and information science, why this study attempts to help fill that gap. Through a qualitative methodology using interviews and a text analysis based on a socio-spatial framework, the answers to these questions are explored. Some conclusions were drawn. Social inclusion is best achieved through a combination of many different means, one of which is intergenerational programs. When organizing intergenerational programs in libraries, considerations should be given during the planning phase, but serendipitous side effects should not be underestimated. A combined approach that enables several outcomestherefore seems advantageous. Making use of both low- and high-intensity arenas for this purpose is also beneficial. Factors such as collaboration, a common interest and legitimacy appear to increase the success for intergenerational interactions, whereas a lack of a social “glue”, weak spatial conditions, and stereotypical beliefs may hinder them.Den här studien bottnar i den demografiska utvecklingen av allt fler äldre människor världen över. Vidare sprider ofrivillig ensamhet ut sig bland många, särskilt unga vuxna samt äldre. Hur ställer sig folkbibliotek i Sverige just nu till denna problemställning och hur fortskrider deras arbete gentemot äldre vuxna? Samt hur kan generationsöverskridande verksamhet, som i någon större utsträckning inte har studerats inom biblioteks- och informationsvetenskapen, fylla en lucka i forskningen? Vad består denna verksamhet av på bibliotek och vilka hinder och möjligheter kan identifieras? Dessa frågor ämnade denna studie att ta reda på genom kvalitativa samtalsintervjuer med folkbibliotekarier samt en analys av resultatet utifrån ett socio-spatialt teoretiska ramverk. Detta mynnade ut i ett par slutsatser. Social inkludering uppnås bäst av många olika medel i kombination, varav generationsöverskridande verksamhet är en av dem. För att anordna generationsöverskridande program på bibliotek bör hänsyn tas i planeringsfasen, men slumpartade bieffekter ska inte underskattas. En kombinerad förståelse är fördelaktig. Att utnyttja både låg- som högintensiva arenor för detta syfte förespråkas därför. Faktorer så som kollaboration, ett starkt gemensamt intresse samt legitimitet verkar öka möjligheterna för intergenerationella interaktioner medan en brist på socialt bindemedel, svaga rumsliga förutsättningar samt stereotypiska idéer kring ålder ses som hinder.