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Visual Art Didactic Choices That Create Space for Student Agency : Challenging Constructions of Knowledge and Positions in the Classroom
No full textIn today’s visual culture, young people produce, share, and interpret images that shape how they perceive both themselves and the world. Against this backdrop, this thesis investigates how student agency relates to constructions of knowledge and positions in visual art education in upper secondary school. Specifically, the study explores how teachers and students can negotiate the selection of images and teaching content, thus facilitating critical reflection on images as expressions of visual culture. The main research question addresses how visual art teachers can create conditions for students to construct and assume active and knowledgeable positions in visual meetings in the classroom. The study applies a Foucauldian discourse analysis approach by focusing on concepts of power relations, resistance, freedom and technologies of the self to articulate the notion of agency. Visual art education is understood as a discursive practice in which knowledge and subject positions are constructed through interactions between teachers, students, and images. By linking visual culture with discourse analysis, the study examines how discursive and institutional conditions shape student and teacher positions, emphasising the need for critical engagement with how educational practices affect possibilities for student agency. Employing an action research design, the study was conducted in collaboration with teachers and students in four visual art classrooms in upper secondary school. Data was generated through observations, interviews, and collaborative discussions that focused on how students constructed active and knowledgeable positions in classroom practice. The analysis centres on how students and teachers negotiate the selection of images and teaching content, and how these processes shape knowledge and subject positions in classroom practice. The findings show how teachers balance direct guidance with support for student autonomy while addressing the complexities of time management, institutional constraints, and power relations. When teachers maintained control over curriculum interpretation, students’ positions were limited to individual choices within predefined frames. However, when teachers engaged in dialogue and shared responsibility with students, space was created for students to draw on their visual culture experiences and assume active and knowledgeable subject positions. The thesis contributes insight into how visual art education can support student agency through dialogic processes and shared responsibility. Further, it highlights how such opportunities are shaped — and sometimes restricted — by institutional structures, prevailing power relations, and the overarching school discourse. Rather than assuming that agency is automatically fostered through participation, the study shows that creating space for agency requires the negotiation of teaching content, critical reflection on how knowledge is constructed, and attention to how positions are discursively formed in classroom practice. These findings offer implications for educators and researchers concerned with student voice, visual art didactics, and the conditions under which participatory and inclusive teaching practices can be realised
Estimates of the global workforce required for providing assistive technology : a modeling study
No full textINTRODUCTION: Despite being a fundamental human right, access to assistive products varies between 3% and 90% across countries. Ensuring adequate and trained human resources is a prerequisite for improving access to assistive products. To support workforce planning and development, this study estimated the global workforce required for assistive technology provision to achieve a high level of access. METHOD: This modeling study used estimates of the primary workforce for assistive technology provision and assistive product needs in a country with a high level of access and global assistive product needs, to predict the global workforce required to provide assistive technology in five product domains: cognition and communication, hearing, mobility and self-care, orthotics and prosthetics, and vision. The assistive product need estimates were based on self-reported data from WHO Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment surveys in 28 countries. RESULTS: A total workforce for assistive technology provision of 4.4 (95% CI: 3.0-6.8) million full-time equivalents (FTE) would be required globally to achieve a high level of access to assistive products. Excluding the administrative workforce, this includes a workforce of 3.4 (2.3-5.4) million FTE, composed of 1.7 (1.3-2.2) million FTE providing mobility and self-care products, 0.9 (0.5-1.7) million FTE providing orthoses and prostheses, 0.5 (0.2-1.0) million FTE providing vision products, 0.3 (0.2-0.4) million FTE providing hearing products, and 0.05 (0.04-0.06) million FTE providing cognition and communication products. CONCLUSION: Likely a conservative estimate of the required workforce size, this provides a cautious foundation for informing strategies to develop a workforce capable of meeting global assistive product needs and improving access
Defiant, Antisocial or Agents of Social Justice? Understanding Children’s Resistances as Epistemic and Social Justice Issues
No full textThe concept of epistemic injustice, as discussed by the feminist philosopher Miranda Fricker, has helped to discern a distinctively epistemic form of harmful and unjust treatment based on identity prejudices such as those of gender, race/ethnicty, and class. In this essay, I focus on epistemic injustice issues specifically in childhoods and as suffered by children. Children are commonly viewed as irrational or cognitively and morally immature, hence as not fully accomplished epistemic agents and humans. In addition to this, it becomes challenging to conceptualize epistemic injustice in childhoods given that the concept was originally developed to address inequalities in adulthoods. Through the lenses of critical childhood studies and by drawing on findings from my research on child welfare and protection and juxtaposing it with child and youth activism, I discuss applications of the concept of epistemic injustice in relation to children. The essay gives particular consideration to children and young people as agents of social justice and how a recognition of their resistance may broaden the concept of epistemic (in)justice in childhoods
A scoping study of postpartum mental health problems and associated factors : opportunities for research and practice
No full textOBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of mental health problems throughout the postpartum period and to describe the screening instruments as well as associated factors related to the relevant population. METHODS: The scoping study was guided by the framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley and Levac et al. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guideline was used to report the findings including citation backtracking. RESULTS: Of the 2828 studies screened, 43 met the inclusion criteria, and three key categories were identified: postpartum mental health problems, screening instruments, and associated factors, including support systems, previous mental and medical conditions, and other associated factors. Sub-categories in the support systems included partner, family, social, and work support, while subcategories in the other associated factors included socioeconomic and sociodemographic, pregnancy and birth, partner violence, mode of delivery, gender preference, COVID-19, and immigration status. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive approach to postpartum mental health problems is necessary to understand protective factors needed at all levels. It is imperative to offer a spectrum of support services and ensure high availability of care to all relevant subgroups of mothers throughout pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Inconsistent use of screening instruments at different periods indicates a need for harmonized use in clinical settings to mitigate the risk of women being undiagnosed. Training healthcare professionals in the area of assessment and management of postpartum mental health problems will significantly help in alleviating the challanges women face during this period
The metabolic signature of salt intake : a cross-sectional analysis from the SCAPIS-study.
No full textBACKGROUND: Untargeted metabolomic analysis provides novel insights into the relationship between sodium intake and cardiometabolic risk. This study examined cross-sectional associations between estimated sodium intake and plasma metabolite profiles in a large Swedish cohort. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis was conducted in the in the SCAPIS cohort (mean age 50-64 years, n = 8,957). Sodium intake was estimated using the Kawasaki formula (est24hNa) from urine samples. Plasma metabolites were measured using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) (Metabolon Inc®), identifying 713 metabolites grouped into eight biochemical classes (CC). Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted for each CC, and the first principal component (PC1) was used as the response variable, with est24hNa, age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors as predictors in restricted cubic spline models. ANOVA and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore associations. RESULTS: Est24hNa was significantly associated with the lipid and energy CC. Lower est24hNa was linked to higher concentrations of free fatty acids and citric acid cycle intermediates, suggesting enhanced beta-oxidation. Bonferroni-adjusted analyses revealed 231 metabolites significantly associated with est24hNa, with 2 S,3R-dihydroxybutyrate (β = -0.13, p = 2.28 × 10- 37) showing the strongest association. Lipid subgroups including phosphatidylcholines, lysophospholipids, bile acids, and plasmalogens were positively associated with est24hNa. Pathway enrichment suggested links to branched-chain amino acid metabolism and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. CONCLUSIONS: Lower salt intake was associated with a metabolic profile indicative of increased beta-oxidation, while higher salt intake was linked to lipid species previously implicated in atherosclerosis. These findings highlight potential metabolic pathways through which salt intake may influence cardiovascular health and merit further evaluation in longitudinal studies
Rumslig socio-ekologisk resiliens i stadsplanering : Ett verktyg för resilient stadsutveckling
No full textThis study investigates socio-ecological resilience in urban planning, an area previously described mainly in theoretical terms. The aim of this study is to identify and analyze how factors affecting socio-ecological resilience can be applied spatially in urban development. This is done by developing a qualitative planning and evaluation tool based on current research and applying it to two existing urban development projects to test and investigate how high socio-ecological resilience can be achieved in practice. The methods used are literature review and experimental design and the areas used to test the tool are Ulleråker and Gottsunda, two urban development projects in Uppsala municipality.The main findings and conclusions of the study are the following. Some key factors for socio-ecological resilience are recurrently weak in both studied planning programs, especially redundancy and self-organization, despite being highlighted as central in previous research. The developed tool has proven to be a structured and flexible support for analyzing and developing urban development projects with socio-ecological resilience in focus. The strength of the tool lies in its factor-based and thematic structure, as well as in its applicability both as an analytical tool and support in the development of improvement proposals. The study shows that there is a need for further development of planning practices that incorporate resilience in physical structures and processes.Studien behandlar socioekologisk resiliens i stadsplanering, ett område som tidigare främst beskrivits i teoretiska termer. Syftet med denna studie är att identifiera och analysera hur faktorer som påverkar socioekologisk resiliens kan tillämpas rumsligt i stadsutveckling genom att utveckla ett kvalitativt planerings- och utvärderingsverktyg, och tillämpa det på två befintliga stadsutvecklingsprojekt för att testa och undersöka hur hög socioekologisk resiliens kan uppnås i praktiken. Metoderna som använts är litteraturstudie och experimentell design och de områden där verktyget använts är Ulleråker och Gottsunda i Uppsala kommun.De viktigaste resultaten och slutsatserna i studien är att vissa nyckelfaktorer för socioekologisk resiliens är återkommande svaga i båda planprogrammen, så som redundans och självorganisering, trots att de lyfts fram som centrala i tidigare forskning. Det utvecklade verktyget har visat sig fungera som ett strukturerat, och flexibelt stöd för att analysera och utveckla stadsutvecklingsprojekt med socioekologisk resiliens i fokus. Verktygets styrka ligger i dess faktorbaserade och tematiska struktur, samt i dess tillämpbarhet både som analysverktyg och stöd i framtagande av åtgärdsförslag. Studien visar att det finns behov av vidare utveckling av planeringspraktiker som konkretiserar resiliens i fysiska strukturer och processer, något som verktyget kan bidra till att stödja
Experiences of Formal and Informal Support Among Adult-Daughter Caregivers of People With Dementia in Sweden : A Qualitative Study
No full textPeople with dementia are living longer in the community and reliance on informal caregivers is increasing. Few studies have focused on the experiences of adult-daughter caregivers (daughter caregivers), who may have increased risk of depression and lack of support compared with spousal caregivers. We aimed to explore the experiences of accessing and receiving formal and informal support among daughter caregivers of people living with dementia in Sweden. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 daughter caregivers. A topic guide was used to explore experiences of accessing and receiving formal and informal support in their caregiving role. We analyzed the interviews using reflexive thematic analysis. We generated two themes: Types of support, and Mismatched support. The first theme, with subthemes Sharing experiences, Professional support, and Getting some relief, captured the caregiver support context with different types of support accessed and received by daughter caregivers, with peer support and informational support identified as important components of caregiver support. The second theme, with subthemes Lack of tailoring to daughter caregivers' needs and Difficulties navigating support, captured how daughter caregivers perceived existing support to be inadequate to meet their specific needs and the complex structure of available support limited their opportunities to access support. Daughter caregivers experience a mismatch between the type of support accessed and received and their specific support needs. Support better tailored to the needs and situation of daughter caregivers of people with dementia in Sweden is required. The potential of utilizing peer support for caregivers warrants further research
Factors associated with malnutrition among older people in Swedish short-term care : Poor oral health, dysphagia and mortality
No full textOBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between malnutrition and potential contributing factors such as poor oral health, dysphagia and mortality among older people in short-term care. METHODS: This cross-sectional study is a part of the multidisciplinary multicentre project SOFIA (Swallowing function, Oral health and Food Intake in old Age), which includes older people (≥65 years) in 36 short-term care units in five regions of Sweden. Nutritional status was measured with version II of the Minimal Eating Observation and Nutrition Form (MEONF-II), oral health with the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG), dysphagia with a water swallow test, and the mortality rate was followed for 1 year. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis and logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios for the association between malnutrition and these factors. RESULTS: Among the 391 participants, the median age was 84 years and 53.3% were women. Mortality rate was 25.1% within 1 year in the total group, and was higher among malnourished participants than among their well-nourished counterparts. Severe dysphagia (OR: 6.51, 95% CI: 2.40-17.68), poor oral health (OR: 5.73, 95% CI: 2.33-14.09) and female gender (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.24-3.93) were independently associated with malnutrition. CONCLUSION: Mortality rate was higher among malnourished people than those who were well nourished. Severe dysphagia, poor oral health and female gender was predictors of malnutrition among older people in short-term care. These health risks should be given more attention in short-term care with early identification
A critical hit : Dungeons and Dragons as a buff for autistic people
No full textTabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are popular hobbies that may offer specific social benefits for autistic people. This study investigated the ability of TTRPGs to provide a safe space where autistic adults could develop relationships with other autistic adults while engaging in character and world-building. A group of eight autistic adults were split into two groups and taken through a short-form online Dungeons and Dragons campaign over 6 weeks run by one of the researchers. The researcher then led a series of individual semi-structured interviews discussing how participants felt interacting in and out of the TTRPG. Several key themes were identified as important aspects of why autistic people could benefit from such an environment. Analysis showed that while real-life interactions could be challenging, in TTRPG play, they felt they experienced significantly fewer struggles. Results suggested that TTRPGs can provide a safe space environment where autistic adults can engage in productive social interactions with like-minded individuals. It also may allow autistic participants to experience 'bleed' or the ability to take on a new character that changes the way they feel about themselves outside of the game. Future directions for this work are discussed
Nurses´ experiences of threats to patient safety regarding medicationmanagement : A literature review
No full textBakgrund Tillbud och vårdskador kan orsaka ett onödigt lidande och få hälsokonsekvenser för patienten och är därmed ett hot mot patientsäkerheten. Läkemedelsrelaterade skador är en stor del av de antal vårdskador som årligen uppstår i sjukvården. Det är därför av stor vikt att öka förståelsen av sjuksköterskors erfarenheter kring läkemedelshantering för att implementera säkra rutiner och arbetssätt som kan öka patientsäkerheten. Syfte Syftet är att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av hot mot patientsäkerheten i samband med läkemedelshantering inom sjukhusvård. Metod Studien har genomförts som en litteraturöversikt. I sökandet av vetenskapliga artiklar användes databaserna PubMed, CINAHL samt PsycINFO och 14 artiklar identifierades med hjälp av relevanta sökordskombinationer. Analysen resulterade i två huvudkategorier med fem tillhörande underkategorier. Resultat Fem områden med patientsäkerhetsrisker identifierades: arbetsbelastning, distraktioner, arbetsförhållanden, kunskap och utbildning samt kommunikation och information. Dessa områden sorterades vidare in i två huvudkategorier: organisatoriska- och individuella faktorer. Slutsats För att göra hälso- och sjukvården säkrare behöver vårdorganisationen tillsammans med sjuksköterskorna hitta strategier och arbetssätt som minimerar antalet potentiella hot och ökar möjligheten för sjuksköterskor att arbeta med en hög nivå av patientsäkerhet.Background Near misses and adverse events can cause unnecessary suffering and have health consequences for the patient and are therefore a threat to patient safety. Medicationrelated injuries constitute a large part of the care injuries that occur annually in healthcare. It is therefore of great importance to increase the understanding of nurses' experiences of medication management in order to implement safe routines and working methods that can increase patient safety. Aim The aim is to describe nurses' experiences of threats to patient safety concerning medication management in hospital care. Method The study has been conducted as a literature review. The databases that were used in the search for scientific articles were PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO and 14 articles were identified using relevant keywords. The analysis resulted in two main categories with five associated subcategories. Results Five areas with patient safety risks were identified: workload, distractions, working conditions, knowledge and education and finally communication and information. These areas were further sorted into two main categories: organizational- and individual factors. Conclusions In order to make the hospital care safer the health care organization and the nurses need to find strategies and working methods that minimize the number of potential threats and thus makes it possible for nurses to work with a high level of patient safety.