Södertörns högskolas Publications
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Developing Intercultural Competence through Literature : Pedagogical applications of The Kite Runner and The Hate U Give in Swedish Upper Secondary School
No full textIn today’s growing multicultural society, implementing an intercultural approach in education has become crucial. This essay demonstrates how selected literary works, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, can be used as powerful tools to foster intercultural understanding and promote intercultural competence among upper secondary students in Sweden. The analysis is grounded in Lustig & Koester’s theoretical framework, which defines intercultural competence through components such as context, knowledge, motivation, appropriateness and action. It explores how both novels address themes of racism, social exclusion, identity and power structure. While The Kite Runner highlights ethnic dehumanization and internalized hierarchies, The Hate U Give focuses on racial stereotyping, identity formation and white privilege. Furthermore, the essay also discusses pedagogical strategies for teaching these novels in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, emphasizing the use of reflective discussion, real-life connections and critical engagement with one’s own cultural perspective to support the development of students’ intercultural competence.
Capturing Understanding : A Comparative Study of Written and Oral Diagnostic Assessments in Evolution Education in Sixth Grade
No full textUnderstanding how students grasp evolution is crucial, as misconceptions can persist and shape their learning. This study explores how sixth-grade students in a Swedish school express their understanding of evolution through written and oral assessments. Conducted in a socioeconomically disadvantaged school, the study focused on identifying differences in how students articulated key concepts like adaptation, variation, and natural selection depending on the assessment method. Students’ responses were analyzed using the SOLO taxonomy to examine the depth of their understanding. The results show that students were more likely to attempt answering questions orally than in writing. However, their overall level of understanding remained similar across both formats. The oral assessments provided a clearer window into their reasoning and misconceptions, particularly around the idea that evolution is a conscious process driven by need rather than natural selection over long periods. These findings suggest that varying assessment methods can give teachers a fuller picture of students’ thinking and help uncover misunderstandings that might go unnoticed in traditional written tests. By integrating both oral and written assessments, educators can create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.
Representations of Colonialism in Swedish History Textbooks : Comparative Study from the 20th Century to the 2000s
No full textThis thesis examines how colonialism has been represented in Swedish history textbooks across three distinct time periods: the early 20th century, the mid-20th century, and the 2000s. The aim is to analyze how content, perspectives, and language use have evolved over time and to highlight how textbooks reflect and reproduce societal norms and power relations. The study employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitatively, it measures the space devoted to colonialism and the geographical focus; qualitatively, it analyzes key terms, images, and tone in the texts. The findings show that early textbooks (1901, 1922) present colonialism from a strongly Eurocentric perspective, portraying colonial conquests as civilizing missions while depicting colonized peoples as passive objects. The language is often value laden and de humanizing. Textbooks from the 1960s retain this focus but begin to introduce a more nuanced view. Contemporary textbooks (2012, 2018) incorporate elements of source criticism and critical concepts such as imperialism, racism, and social darwinism. However, Eurocentrism persists in the selection of historical actors and narrative structure-colonized peoples are rarely portrayed as historical subjects with agency. The analysis concludes that while the language and pedagogical design have developed, history textbooks still largely center the European narrative. Drawing on postcolonial theory and the concept of historical culture, the thesis argues that a more inclusive and critical history education requires textbooks in which colonized perspectives are integrated into the historical narrative—not merely as supplementary elements, but as essential parts of the stor
From Skåne to Ostrobothnia : A language attitude study on dialect perceptions in radio
No full textDenna studie undersöker vilka attityder radiolyssnare har till fyra svenska dialekter som förekommer i svenskspråkig radio: stockholmska, skånska, småländska och finlandssvenska. Med hjälp av verbal guise-metoden fick 112 informanter lyssna på korta ljudklipp framförda av nyhetsuppläsare och därefter bedöma talarna utifrån tio egenskaper relaterade till status och solidaritet, med hjälp av semantiska differentialskalor. Syftet är att kartlägga hur olika dialekter uppfattas i dagens radiokontext och hur dessa attityder varierar mellan varieteterna. Studien visar tydliga skillnader i hur dialekterna värderas. Stockholmskan associerades främst med egenskaper kopplade till kompetens och professionalism, medan småländskan och finlandssvenskan i högre grad förknippades med vänlighet och omtänksamhet. Skånskan uppvisade mer varierade attitydsmönster. Resultatet belyser hur språkattityder spelar en roll för hur talare uppfattas i radio och visar att vissa dialekter tillskrivs egenskaper som gör dem mer eller mindre lämpade för specifika mediala sammanhang. Studien bidrar därmed ökad förståelse för språklig variation och attityder i dagens etermedier
Ekonomisk osäkerhet och svenska hushålls investeringsbeteenden under covid-19 : En kvantitativ analys av investeringsbeslut och volatilitet
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by heightened economic uncertainty, raising questions about how households manage financial decisions during periods of instability. Traditional financial theory, such as Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), assumes that investors act rationally by weighing risk against expected return to maximize utility. In contrast, behavioral theories, particularly Prospect Theory, suggest that investors often rely on emotions rather than calculated reasoning in uncertain conditions. Empirical evidence indicates that investment behavior can deviate markedly from rational models, especially during times of crisis. This study aims to clarify the relationship between economic uncertainty and investment decisions among Swedish households during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on mutual funds, listed stocks, and unlisted stocks The analysis is grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory and Prospect Theory, which together provide a basis for examining whether household investment behavior aligns with rational decision-making or is shaped by psychological factors such as loss aversion A quantitative research design was employed, using multiple linear regression analysis on quarterly data from 2018 to 2022. Economic uncertainty is represented by the volatility of the OMXS30 index (domestic) and the VIX index (international). Unemployment and interest rates were included as control variables. The study utilizes aggregated secondary data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), the Riksbank, Yahoo Finance, and Nasdaq. The findings reveal that investments in mutual funds decrease significantly in response to increased domestic volatility, lending support to Prospect Theory’s notion of loss aversion. No significant relationship was found for listed stocks, possibly indicating passive behavior or a long-term investment perspective. A weak positive relationship was observed between volatility and investments in unlisted stocks, particularly in connection with changes in the interest rate. These findings have practical implications for financial advisors, policymakers, and educators working with financial literacy. Understanding how households respond to uncertainty can inform the design of more effective crisis policies and interventions. The study concludes that Swedish households’ investment behavior cannot be fully explained by rational models. Instead, several results suggest a notable influence of psychological factors. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that different asset classes respond differently to economic uncertainty
Can reading habits affect metaphor evaluation? Exploring key relations
No full textThis study investigates the relationship between literature and poetry reading frequency and participants’ ratings of metaphors on key features: quality, aptness, familiarity, and comprehensibility. Using a set of Serbian poetic metaphors, we explored two main questions: how reading habits correlate with metaphor feature ratings, and whether the type of reading material (i.e., literature vs poetry) influences sensitivity to these features. The sample consisted of 140 native Serbian-speaking students from varied academic disciplines. Participants rated metaphors based on reading frequency (literature and poetry) using a 7-point Likert scale. Analysis showed that frequent readers generally gave higher overall metaphor ratings than infrequent readers, with significant differences noted particularly in familiarity and comprehensibility. Specifically, familiarity ratings yielded the most substantial differences between infrequent and frequent readers, which can indicate the influence of reading experience on the perceived recognition and understanding of metaphors. Aptness and quality ratings showed no significant differences, which suggests that familiarity and comprehensibility are more sensitive to variations in reading habits.This research was funded by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, StructuringConcept Generation with the Help of Metaphor, Analogy and Schematicity – SCHEMAS (Grant No. 7715934) andsupported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations of the Republic of Serbia(Contract No. 451-03-137/2025-03/200165).</p
Det brottsförebyggande arbetets spänningar : Områdespolisers bild av samverkan i multietniska ”utsatta områden”
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Advancing Waste Management in the Oil and Gas Industry : Analyzing Country-Specific Approaches in Iraq, Russia and Norway
No full textThis thesis examines the implementation of circular economy (CE) principles in wastemanagement within the oil and gas industry, using Iraq, Russia, and Norway as case studycountries. With escalating global environmental concerns, there is increasing urgency forindustries, particularly high-impact ones such as oil and gas, to shift from linear models ofresource utilization to more sustainable practices. Iraq, Russia, and Norway were selected due totheir significant roles in the global oil and gas sector, each representing distinct operationalenvironments and institutional contexts, providing a robust basis for comparative analysis. Based on semi-structured interviews with industry professionals across these three countries, thisresearch identifies key waste types, existing management practices, and obstacles to adoptingcircular economy strategies. Despite significant variations, all three countries demonstrateemerging sustainability efforts and innovations, including improved water reuse, waste-to-energytechnologies, and modular infrastructure designs. Findings highlight the critical role of financial stability, technological access, and institutionalsupport in enabling CE adoption. The incorporation of Porter's Diamond Model further providesan analytical lens to comparatively assess how national competitive factors influence wastemanagement outcomes. The thesis concludes with actionable policy recommendationsemphasizing the necessity for stronger regulatory frameworks, targeted financial incentives, andincreased technological collaboration to facilitate circular transitions in Iraq, Russia, andNorway's oil and gas sectors. This study contributes to the existing literature by offeringempirical insights and practical implications aimed at accelerating sustainable transitions withinthe global oil and gas industry
Från kris till kraft: Konsten att odla resiliens på jobbet : En kvalitativ studie om medarbetares upplevelser av resiliens och organisatoriskt stöd
No full textThis study explores how employees in the financial sector perceive their psychological resilience in relation to their work, as well as the extent of organizational support they experience. The research adopts a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews and defines psychological resilience as the capacity to adapt to and recover from work-related demands and setbacks. The phenomenon is examined as a dynamic process shaped by the interaction between employees and the organizational work environment. The theoretical framework is primarily based on the employee resilience theory developed by Kuntz, Malinen och Näswall (2017), which emphasizes the ability to leverage learning and adaptive behaviors to foster resilience among employees. Crucial organizational initiatives for building resilience are presented both in the theoretical framework and the analysis, focusing on how the organization values its employees, develops human capital and provides support during challenging times. In this study, resilience does not emerge as a fixed trait but rather as a dynamic process co-constructed through the interplay between the individual and the organization. This is manifested through various organizational initiatives aimed at developing and supporting employees in their professional roles. The findings highlight the importance of an open organizational culture and leadership that fosters a learning climate. They also demonstrate that experiential learning, in combination with relational support among colleagues, constitutes key factors in strengthening employees’ psychological resilience. Finally, the study contributes with deeper insights into how organizations in the financial sector can provide support to employees in developing psychological resilience and enhancing human capital