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Studying Strategic Development and Management Control using a Longitudinal and Retrospective Single Case Study : A Personal Reflection
No full textA single case study was used for the study of strategic development and management control in a Swedish manufacturing company with worldwide operations. Three levels of strategy were examined: corporate, business and functional. Previous research suggests that consistency between these levels (strategic congruence) is necessary for a company to be competitive. The study focused retrospectively and longitudinally on three decades of operations at the company, which had a successful history of high profits and of value creation. The research project was part of a general research programme that included, in total, six PhD students, each focusing on single case studies. In my study, I conducted 33 interviews with a total of 31 interviewees who had been in management or operations at the company in question. These interviewees were either business controllers or managers at the different strategic levels during the period studied. Moreover, I examined three decades of published and unpublished documents from the company so that I could conduct a qualitative analysis based on reliable data. This paper describes the process of choosing and defining the single case and the data collection. Moreover, it describes how the data was used in a qualitative data analysis. Finally, it discusses the importance of combining different sources of data when conducting a reliable case study. This paper makes an opportunity to different students and researchers to manage a complex single case study in the context of a wider research programme. Moreover, the paper offers ideas how to set up and conduct a reliable and unbiased longitudinal and retrospective single case study using qualitative analysis based on documents and interviews, and highlights different challenges with this methodology. Finally, the paper shows a way to transform empirical specific data to a general analysis of a wide-spread organization
Mathematical reasoning ability among pupils in year 3 : Studying young learners’ problem-solving skills
No full textDenna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka matematiska resonemang som framträder när elever i årskurs 3 arbetar med problemlösning, samt hur de beskriver och värderar sitt arbete med problemlösning inom matematikundervisningen. Genom att möjliggöra för eleverna att aktivt delta och verbalisera sina strategier, erfarenheter och reflektioner i relation till problemlösningsuppgifter, syftar studien till att synliggöra deras delaktighet i undervisningen. Vidare avser studien att belysa elevers inställning till problemlösning samt hur denna aspekt av matematikundervisningen värderas ur ett elevperspektiv. Resultaten indikerar att elevernas resonemang varierar och utvecklas över tid, samt att deras språkbruk och självpositionering påverkar deras engagemang i ämnet. Studien betonar därmed vikten av en undervisning som integrerar både kognitiv utveckling och diskursiv delaktighet, det vill säga att eleverna ges möjlighet att aktivt delta i gemensamma samtal, dela sina tankar, lyssna på andras perspektiv och tillsammans resonera kring olika idéer.The aim of this study is to investigate the types of mathematical reasoning that emerge when third-grade students engage in problem-solving, as well as how they describe and evaluate their work with problem-solving in mathematics education. By enabling students to actively participate and verbalize their strategies, experiences, and reflections related to problem-solving tasks, the study seeks to illuminate their involvement in the teaching process. Furthermore, the study aims to highlight students’ attitudes toward problem-solving and how this aspect of mathematics education is valued from the students’ perspective. The findings indicate that students’ reasoning varies and develops over time, and that their language use and self-positioning influence their engagement with the subject. Consequently, the study underscores the importance of instruction that integrates both cognitive development and discursive participation to promote students’ growth as active and reflective problem solvers.Matematik</p
Systematiska undersökningar : En kvalitativ studie om elevers attityder till systematiskt arbete inom naturorienterande ämnen
No full textDenna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka faktorer som påverkar mellanstadieelevers attityder till systematiska undersökningar i de naturorienterande ämnena. Studien utgår från ett elevperspektiv där fem semistrukturella kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med 13 elever i årskurs sex. från två skolor. En innehållsanalys har genomförts av intervjuerna för att identifiera vilka faktorer som påverkar elevernas attityder gentemot systematiska undersökningar i NO-ämnena. Studiens deltagare har en positiv inställning till systematiska undersökningar. Elevernas utsagor visar att det är viktigt att innehållet i de systematiska undersökningarna är relevanta för elevernas vardag och för att det ska kännas meningsfullt. Även graden av delaktighet är viktig enligt eleverna och de beskriver att de vill vara aktiva i arbetet med systematiska undersökningar och de vill även vara med och bestämma vilket innehåll som ska undersökas. Samtliga elever uppger att de uppskattar inslag av ovisshet och gillar att bli överraskade och få en Wow-upplevelse. Resultatet har kopplats samman med pragmatismen, tidigare forskning på området samt skolans styrdokument.NO, teknik</p
Risky topics in health education : Enacted content when students with migration backgrounds meet Swedish health education
No full textSchool health educational content often entails different subject areas and a variety of topics that students are supposed to learn, and when taught in diverse classrooms, potentially positions students as at-risk. Using vignettes in interviews with migrant students in Sweden, the study focuses on views of the content of health education in relation to different ways that health as risk is enacted. Four aspects of risk were identified: (i) risk as content in health education and risky, including topics such as nutrition, stress, smoking, and pollution; (ii) risk as content in health education but not so risky, including topics such as health care and disease prevention; (iii) not-so-risky topics in health education, including topics such as physical activity, physical health, and social relations; and (iv) not risk as content in health education but still risky, including topics related to sex education. Teachers in health education, regardless of school subject, should be aware that some topics position students as being at-risk, other topics put students at-risk even if the topics are not about risk per se, and lastly, that risk can be something with pedagogical potential if it is used purposefully and educationally
Oral interaction patterns in work-related activities in teaching and interviews for language practice placements : L2 teaching for adults in Sweden
No full textThis study explores oral interaction in work-related activities within adult second-language (L2) education in Sweden, specifically in the context of Swedish for Immigrants (SFI). Drawing on data from classroom instruction and placement interviews, the study investigates which speech functions and speaker roles are made available to students preparing for workplace language practice. Transcribed material from one lesson and four placement interviews was analyzed using speech act theory, with a focus on speech functions, speaker roles, and opportunities for extended talk. The findings show that while interaction was often regulated by teachers and recruiters, students actively contributed through humor, storytelling, meta-talk, and expressions of preference or reservation. Students assumed diverse speaker roles, including novice, knower, peer, and tension releaser, thereby engaging in pragmatically and socially relevant communication. These roles and functions are important for both general language development and workplace interaction. The study highlights the need to create space in L2 classrooms for less typical but crucial functions—such as turn-taking, declining, and expressing disagreement—often underrepresented in classroom discourse. It contributes to research on adult L2 education by demonstrating how structured interaction around work placements can support learners’ oral proficiency and pragmatic competence
Calls for a strong president and support for autocracy : Exploring semi-presidential regimes in Central and Eastern Europe
No full textDo people favour a strong presidency because they support theincumbent president, or do such attitudes reflect endorsement ofnon-democratic regimes and strongman rule? We examine thisresearch question among seven semi-presidential democracies inCentral and Eastern Europe. Our findings from Bulgaria, Croatia,Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia showthat public support for a strong presidency with broad executivepowers is associated with support for autocratic governance,rather than simply with general support for the presidentialoffice. This highlights the potential for illiberal shifts towardstrongman rule in semi-presidential democracies where thepresident holds capacity for significant power
Prevalence and Associated Factors of Chronic Diseases Among Adults in Somaliland : A Multilevel Analysis From the 2020 SLHDS
No full textBACKGROUND: Chronic diseases represent a growing public health challenge globally, particularly in developing regions like Sub-Saharan Africa. Somaliland faces a dual burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases amidst post-conflict recovery, yet data on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevalence and determinants remain scarce. This study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and identify socio-demographic factors associated with self-reported chronic diseases among adults in Somaliland. METHODS: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Somaliland Health and Demographic Survey (SLHDS) 2020. The final sample of 11,153 adults had a highly skewed age distribution (94.6% aged 35-44), a primary limitation of this analysis. The outcome was a self-reported physician diagnosis of any chronic disease. A multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression model was employed to identify significant determinants while adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: The analysis identified several factors associated with reporting a chronic disease. Higher odds were observed among female-headed households (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.06-1.48) and divorced individuals (AOR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.55-2.37). Conversely, lower odds were associated with higher education (AOR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34-0.82) and nomadic residence (AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.22-0.51). Unexpectedly, lack of electricity and no savings were also associated with lower odds, likely reflecting diagnostic access bias and reverse causation. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that self-reported chronic diseases are associated with specific socio-demographic vulnerabilities in Somaliland. The results should be interpreted with extreme caution and viewed as hypothesis-generating at best. Future research using objective measures and representative sampling is urgently needed to validate these associations and accurately quantify the NCD burden
Vägen till läsflyt : Lärares beskrivningar av läsflytsundervisning i årskurs 1-3
No full textI detta examensarbete undersöks hur lärare i årskurs 1–3 beskriver sitt arbete med läsflytsfrämjande undervisning samt hur de motiverar sina val av undervisningssätt. För att belysa lärares undervisningssätt inom området har tio verksamma lärare intervjuats med hjälp av semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Resultatet av studien visar att lärare använder sig av varierade och individanpassade undervisningssätt som exempelvis tyst läsning, högläsning i olika konstellationer och upprepad läsning. Genomgående framhålls motivation och läslust som centrala förutsättningar för läsflytsutveckling samt lärarens roll som läsande förebild och modellering av lässtrategier. Som motivering till sina undervisningsval anger lärarna i den här studien att de utgår ifrån vetenskaplig grund och beprövad erfarenhet men att organisatoriska förutsättningar även spelar in.Svenska</p
Undervisningsstrategier som stödjer tidig läsinlärning : En intervjustudie med lärare om undervisning i förskoleklass och årskurs 1
No full textI detta examensarbete undersöks hur lärare uppger att de arbetar med avkodningsundervisning i elevernas tidiga läsinlärning. Med syftet att belysa lärares utsagor om undervisningsstrategier samt kontinuitet i undervisningen genomfördes sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med yrkesverksamma lärare i förskoleklass eller årskurs 1 till 3. Studiens resultat visar att lärarnas undervisningsstrategier kan kategoriseras som följande; skapa lust och motivation att lära, lära med flera sinnen, nivåanpassningar, bokstavsarbete samt olika sätt att möta skriven text. Studien visar också att lärarna strävar efter att skapa kontinuitet i undervisningen genom kännedom om elevernas kunskapsnivå, kartläggningar, behovsanpassad undervisning, förhindrande av tapp i läsförmåga samt repetition och progression från förskoleklass till årskurs 1. Det framkommer också att bristande kommunikation eller rutiner och strukturer för överlämningar kan vara ett hinder för lärandet men att lärarna i studien har strategier för att övervinna detta.Svenska</p