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Troubling the human in Swedish physical education and health : a diffractive analysis of material-discursive entanglements
No full textSwedish physical education and health (PEH) has been dominated by the conceptualization of a rational and independent human with a certain set of pre-given properties. Posthuman scholars have argued that this conceptualization enacts a separation from bodies considered nonhuman, or not human enough, and that it serves as a foundation for unjust and unethical practices of exclusion and domination. Consequently, this paper aims to trouble the human in PEH by tracing how it emerges through empirical material from a field study with two groups of upper secondary students and their teachers. Following the posthuman framework of agential realism, the study placed material-discursive phenomena as the basic ontological units of the world. Empirical material was generated and analyzed through a diffractive analysis, which unpacked the becoming of differentiated bodies and properties. This reconceptualized the human as a material-discursive phenomenon, thus challenging the rational human individual separate from other bodies. The result urges teachers to take the entanglements of multiple bodies into account when planning, conducting and assessing PE(H) practice. I conclude that such an approach to teaching PE(H) could prompt ethical questions about power asymmetries negatively affecting othered bodies, human and nonhuman
The relevance of climate change and sustainability in nursing education : a cross-sectional study of students' perspectives
No full textBACKGROUND: As climate change continues to challenge global health, nursing education must evolve to prepare future nurses for the impacts on care delivery and promote sustainable practices within the healthcare system which is itself a contributor to the climate crisis through emissions and waste. In this study we aimed to i) explore undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards and awareness of climate change and sustainability issues and its inclusion in nursing education at a Swedish university, and ii) explore differences in awareness and attitudes across student groups in different semesters. METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive research study, nursing students from six groups (semester 1,2,3,4,5,6) of a three-year BSc Nursing programme were asked to complete the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS_2) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to present mean scores for each item, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to identify differences in responses between different student groups. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement has been used to report this research. RESULTS: A total of 211 (32%) students completed the questionnaires. The findings showed that nursing students across the six semesters had relatively good awareness of, and positive attitudes towards, sustainability and climate change (no mean rating below 4 on a scale 1-7). Statistically significant differences between student groups were found in four out of nine items of the SANS_2 questionnaire, with students in their second semester consistently providing the highest ratings (p < 0.05). Notably, the lowest ratings across these four items were provided by students in their last year of the programme. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that whilst students initially felt equipped to address sustainability issues and climate change in practice, this confidence appears to diminish by the programme's end, raising concerns about the preparedness of the future workforce. This underscores the urgency and importance of continuous reinforcement of sustainability concepts in nursing education, aligning with a spiral curriculum approach which advocates for reiterating themes throughout the curriculum to deepen understanding. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable
Organising Everyday Planning Practice for Reduced Residential Segregation : Understanding the Strategic-Operational Gap from the Inside
No full textThis paper discusses how everyday practices within a municipal organisation contribute to the gap between strategic and operational spatial planning. We use reduced residential segregation as an example of across-sectoral issue which is known to be difficult to operationalise within planning practice. Through an ethnographic case study in Sweden, we provide an insider perspective on the hybrid organisational landscape, focusing on three groups of practitioners. Our results show how these practitioners navigate between parallel governance ideas and roles, and identify an organisational deadlock in which no one works proactively to reduce residential segregation through spatial planning
The Importance of Community : The Impact of Conversation Groups in Strengthening Existential Health
No full textStudiens syfte var att undersöka hur diakoner inom Svenska kyrkan bidrar till att främja och stödja individers existentiella hälsa genom arbetet med samtalsgrupper. Detta för att öka kunskapen kring betydelsen av existentiella samtal för individer, för att främja den existentiella hälsan ur diakonalt perspektiv. Studien tillämpade en kvalitativ design som innefattade sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med yrkesverksamma diakoner inom Svenska kyrkan. Genom studiens abduktiva ansats har resultaten främst analyserats i relation till systemteorin och empowerment. Resultaten visar att diakoner genom sitt flexibla arbetssätt bidrar till att främja och stödja existentiell hälsa för individer genom samtalsgrupper. Dessutom visar resultaten att diakonerna upplevde utmaningar i att nå ut till alla i samhället. Samtalsgrupper bringar hopp och gemenskap, vilket är främjande och stärkande för existentiell hälsa.The study aims to investigate how deacons in the Church of Sweden contribute to promoting and supporting individuals' existential health through their work with conversation groups. This leads to an increased knowledge about the significance of existential conversations for promoting existential health from a diaconal perspective. The study applies a qualitative design, which includes seven semi-structured interviews with deacons in the Church of Sweden. Through the study's abductive approach, the data are primarily analyzed in relation to systems theory and empowerment. The results indicate that, through their flexible working methods, deacons contribute to promoting and supporting existential health for the individual through conversation groups. Besides, they show that the deacons experience challenges in reaching out to everyone in the society. Conversation groups bring hope and community, which further promote and strengthen existential health
Pro-Sustainable Consumer Behaviour in Tourism and Hospitality : Drivers, Barriers, and Effective Behavioural Intervention Design
No full textAmid escalating global sustainability challenges, tourism and hospitality (T&H) has emerged as an important arena for understanding and fostering pro-sustainable consumer behaviour. The hedonic priorities and complexity of decision-making in T&H often exacerbate the gap between stated attitudes and actual pro-sustainable behaviour, which contributes to issues like climate change. However, these contexts also offer opportunities to better understand and influence pro-sustainable behaviour through tailored interventions. Behavioural interventions like nudges have shown promise in terms of guiding behaviour towards desirable outcomes by modifying decision-making environments based on behavioural economics. However, gaps remain with regard to understanding pro-sustainable behaviours across diverse T&H settings and developing effective interventions that T&H providers can implement to enhance informed consumer choices without compromising their experience. This thesis addresses these gaps by using a mixed-method field experimental approach to study pro-sustainable behaviour in two distinct T&H contexts: donations for mountain-biking trails in Rörbäcksnäs, Dalarna (Sweden), and climate-friendly food choices in restaurants in the Swedish locations of Sälen, Dalarna, and Stockholm. Each setting involved two field experiments – testing social norms and carbon label interventions – which together constitute four independent papers. This field experimental approach not only provides insights into real-life behavioural processes but also incorporates providers’ perspectives on promoting pro-sustainable options, informing the design of context-relevant interventions. The findings culminate in a framework that researchers, providers, and policymakers can use to design and test behavioural interventions that foster pro-sustainable consumer behaviour in T&H and other out-of-home consumption domains. Methodologically, this framework emphasises the importance of collaborative design and iterative adaptation of interventions based on field experiments, to effectively bridge theory and practice in T&H sustainability. Theoretically, the research offers new insights into pro-sustainable consumer behaviour, highlighting the significant influence of social norms and contextual factors across diverse T&H settings. Practically, the study stresses the need to align interventions with the context-specific goals of consumer segments, showcasing the value of tailored social norm interventions, carbon labels, and staff engagement in promoting pro-sustainable choices while preserving the overall consumer experience.At the time of the doctoral defence the following paper was unpublished: paper 4 in manuscript.Vid tidpunkten för disputationen var följande delarbete opublicerat: delarbete 4 manuskript.Boosting the sustainable food choice to reduce climate footprint at winter tourism destinationsInnovative business models for sustainable nature based tourism via Gamification and Nudg
Handstil i en digital värld – elevers möjligheter att utveckla sin handstil
No full textStudien har sin utgångspunkt i att undersöka hur lärare i årskurserna 4–6 arbetar med handstil inom svenskundervisningen och vilka möjligheter elever har för att utveckla en tydlig handstil. Detta har undersökts genom att intervjua tre lärare som undervisar på mellanstadiet samt den klass de undervisar. Eleverna i dessa klasser har genomfört och svarat på en enkät. Resultatet visar att förutsättningarna för att eleverna ska utveckla en handstil är olika beroende på vilken lärare som undervisar. Det har sin utgångspunkt i hur mycket läraren värdesätter handstilen samt hur mycket tid som de är villiga att ge eleverna detta skrivsätt. Studien har därmed också kretsat kring handstilens motsats digitalt skrivande. Studien visar också att digitalt skrivande öppnar upp nya möjligheter för elevernas skrivande och underlättar anpassningar i klassrummet. Däremot arbetar lärarna olika kring kontrasten mellan digitalt skrivande och handstil, vilket ger eleverna olika möjligheter. Eleverna i studien anser att digitalt skrivande är ”roligare” och att skriva för hand kan ”bli jobbigt efter en stund”. Slutsatsen av studien är att elever i årskurs 4–6 har möjlighet att utveckla sin handstil, däremot olika mycket beroende vilket lärare som undervisar och hur de värdesätter handstilen. Lärarna i studien fokuserar på att elevernas handstil ska bli ”läslig” men anser att tiden inte finns vilket gör att möjligheten att utveckla en tydlig handstil inte är fullt möjligt.
School social workers' work with pupils who have neuropsychiatric disability
No full textSyftet med denna studie var att få en djupare förståelse för skolkuratorers arbete med elever som har neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning, med fokus på hinder och möjligheter. Studiens frågeställningar handlar om delaktighet, tillgänglighet och bemötande. Studien har genomförts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och analyserats genom en tematisk analys. Resultatet visade att skolkuratorernas arbete med elever som har neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning ser olika ut och de har olika förutsättningar. Det framkom både positiva och negativa förutsättningar, det handlade om miljön och skolkuratorers handlingsutrymme som exempelvis bristande kunskapsutveckling, intern handledning för att nå ut till fler elever och ett fungerande samarbete mellan professionerna. Skolkuratorers arbetssätt var också en stor del i resultatet och där lyfts exempelvis hur tonläget anpassas utifrån situationen, att lyfta frågor till organisationsnivå samt övningar för kroppsmedvetenhet och identitetsstärkning. The study´s purpose was to gain a deeper understanding of how school social workers work with pupils that have neuropsychiatric disabilities, with a focus on barriers and opportunities. The study's questions are about participation, accessibility and approach. The study was conducted through six semi-structured interviews and analyzed through a thematic analysis. The results showed that school social workers work with pupils that have neuropsychiatric disabilities look different and they have different conditions. Both positive and negative conditions emerged, it was about the environment and the school social workers room for action, such as lack of knowledge development, internal tutorial to reach more pupils and functioning cooperation between the professions. The school social workers working methods were also a large part of the results and highlighted, for example, how the tone is adapted based on the situation, lifting questions to the organizational level and exercises for body awareness and identity strengthening.
Dropout from Substance Use Disorder Treatment at a Swedish Private Care Institution and Its Associated Risk Factors
No full textBackground and objectives:The drop-out rate for inpatient treatment for substance use disorder continues to be a significant issue. To increase the knowledge about drop out in different settings, this study’s objective was to quantify the association for the previously identified risk factors of age, sex, and time in treatment at a private care institution offering substance use disorder treatment in Sweden. Design and methods:This retrospective cohort study of clinical record data included all 1334 adult clients who were discharged from substance use disorder treatment between 1 January 2014, to 30 June 2022, at one privately operated treatment institution. Drop out was defined as treatment terminated before the planned end. The association between three potential risk factors and drop out was analysed in a multivariable logistic regression model. Estimates were reported as marginal risk ratios (95% confidence intervals). Results:Of 1334 discharged clients, 34% dropped out, corresponding to 38% of females and 33% of males. Approximately 52% of clients dropped out within 30 days, 42% dropped out between 30 and 89 days, and around 15% from 90 days and onwards. In the multivariable model, both time in treatment (3.08 [2.34, 3.83] for 30 to 89 days vs 90 days and 3.55 [2.72, 4.39] for <30 days vs ⩾90 days) and age (1.19 [1.14, 1.23] for one decade) showed a strong inverse association with drop out. The results did not support an association between sex and drop out (1.05 [0.89, 1.22]). Conclusion:The risk for drop out is higher earlier in the treatment and for younger clients, so to reduce the drop out at private institutional care it is important to implement extensive interventions early in the treatment programme to increase the motivation for clients, particularly younger ones, to remain in treatment
Fears, Pandemic, and the Shaping of Social Trust : A Three‐Wave Panel Study in Sweden
No full textThis study examines the dynamics of social trust and its interaction with different fears during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a three-wave longitudinal dataset from Sweden (2020-2022). We investigate the stability of social trust across different phases of the pandemic and assess the impact of health, economic, and resource scarcity fears on changes in social trust over time. Our findings suggest that social trust remained relatively stable, supporting theories that view it as an enduring trait. In addition, the study identified significant bidirectional relationships: higher health fears were associated with lower trust in the early stages of the pandemic, while fears of resource scarcity had a more pronounced effect in the later stages. Conversely, individuals with higher levels of social trust were less likely to experience heightened fears, although this protective effect diminished over time. In addition, factors such as education, trust in institutions and satisfaction with government communication positively influenced social trust. These findings highlight the complex interplay between social trust and fear, providing insights into how societies can maintain cohesion during crises and informing policies for effective crisis communication and management
Middle school teachers’ reasoning about social media in social studies teaching
No full textThis is a qualitative study that examines middle school teachers' perceptions of social media in social studies teaching. Data collection was conducted via semi-structured interviews with teachers in grades 4-6 to answer the study's questions about how teachers perceive social media in social studies teaching and what opportunities and obstacles they experience with this. A phenomenographic perspective is used to analyze the teachers' descriptions of their experiences and perceptions. The study considers aspects such as source criticism, value work and handling of controversial issues with the hope that the results can contribute knowledge about how middle school teachers view the role of social media in social studies teaching