Since the brain is an important prerequisite for human language there is a great interest to gain more knowledge about healthy brain activity during language mediated communication. This study examines variations in high level language ability relating to demographic factors like gender and age and relates language ability to neural activity.Eighteen individuals in ages between 22 and 64 were included and divided into groups in relation to gender and age. The material used to assess language ability was derived from Testbatteri för Bedömning av Subtila Språkstörningar (Laakso, Brunnegård, Hartelius & Ahlsén, 2000), Swedish Lexical Decision Test (Almkvist, Adveen, Henning & Tallberg, 2007) and a reading test (Högskoleprovet). The results were correlated with measured brain activity using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and language paradigms. ANOVA was applied to discover possible demographic variances in language ability as well as in brain activity.The results showed no significant differences in language ability.

The aim of this study is to look at the way four teachers in, and five workbooks for, the course Svenska 1/A+B in upper-secondary schools include language varieties in their content. The research is based on qualitative and quantitative analyzes of the workbooks, where words and content are examined, and also interviews with the teachers who presents how they work with language varieties in their education. The results show that language varieties are accepted in school-education at the same time as they are, and have been, alienated in a way. The results also show that language varieties are less prioritized than other areas of education in the same subject..

The overall aim was to examine how the public interest to protect children from violence and sexual abuse at home, is realized by social workers. The study´s central focus was the risk assessments as Social services are obliged to do when they receive a report containing concern that children are being exposed to violence or sexual abuse at home. The study addresses the following questions:o How do social workers go about practically, and what support and knowledge is being used to determine whether the Social services need to intervene for the protection of a child?o What risk and protective factors are taken into account by social workers in the assessment process?o What contextual factors do social workers experience are affecting them in the assessment process?o Which support does the documentation system BBIC provide in the assessment process?The study material was collected through qualitative group interviews, with a modified vignette methodology as tools. The study included a total of twelve social workers, with varying numbers in each interview group.

The aim of this study is to, from a child?s family relations, describe the usage of terms relating to factors of risk and safety in science and in investigations concerning children in need of protection. It is also of importance in what way the terms are used when the Social Services suggest that measures should be taken, and in which way the children have been heard in the investigations.The issues raised in this study are: (a) How is the current life situation and life quality of the children discussed? (b) The value of factors concerning risks and protection. (c) How is the children?s own descriptions taken in to consideration? (d) Is gender issues considered? (e) How is Lagerberg?s model (Lagerberg, 1998) useful in investigations?The method of analysis is mainly qualitative however it is combined with analysis of literature relevant to the study.

The aim of this study is to investigate how a number of fathers read and what their perceptions of both their own readingand the reading they experience with their child/children look like. I also want to investigate their thoughts about the importance of reading to children. The study is based upon qualitative interviewswith four fathers who are active readers and have children between 3-6 years of age. The analysis does not offer any generalizations. As a conceptual framework for this study, I used Sten Furhammar?s categories of different types of reading to find out what fathers reading habits look like and what they wish to obtain.

The purpose of this study is to examine discursive change regarding mathematics and language in the Swedish primary school curriculums. The study analyzes pedagogical discourses represented within the curriculums and how they represent different pedagogical theories in relation to discursive and social practice. The analysis shows a change towards a more language oriented curriculum discourse in mathematics which still carries an intertextual and discursive heritage from the prior curriculums. In relation to the early curriculums of the Swedish primary schools the former explicit differentiation of students becomes implicit as the language skills become of increasingly importance..

This study attempts to look into and discuss if there are motivation factors involved whentrying to achieve a seeond language, which might effect the acquisition in any direction. Theeducation provided in Halmstad in Swedish as a seeond language is also studied on bases ofthe IDs (Individual Differences) that might occur. The study is carried out by interviews witheight informants. The interviews are analyzed and the results, which support previous researchin the area, are presented; and finally, in the conclusion part, suggestions for future researchare given, along with propos als on how to expand a study in this area..

The aim of this study is to examine educationalists experiences of play as an educational toolin the work to promote the social development in children with autism.The relevant issue, for this study, is: In what way does an educationalist work with play withchildren with autism? What are the results of using play in the educational work? What arethe possibilities and what are the obstacles in using play in educational work?This study has been carried out as a study of literature in the field and qualitative interviewswith five educationalists that are working in a mid Swedish county.The result of the study shows that educationalists have a positive view of using play in theirwork and are using play in varying ways in their everyday work. Using play as a method intheir work always happens according to the ability and condition of the child. They (theeducationalists) think that play has great opportunity and advance as a method and gives thechildren joy, increase their sense of ability, the base for the social participation in play, andthe development of social skills.There is a certain hesitation among educationalists when it comes to using play as a methodfor children with autism , but the most of the educationalists consider play as promoting thesocial development although the development always will happen at the pace(rate)of thechild..

The present study deals with the importance of play for children's learning in preschool. The purpose is to investigate the importance of play for children's learning in preschool from a pedagogue?s perspective. The study is based on two issues: How does the pedagogue´s who were interviewed reason about the impact the play has on children's development? How does the pedagogue´s approach to make play a learning situation? The empirical data is based on semi-structured interviews with four preschool pedagogue´s.

The main purpose of this essay is to study how classroom interaction can take place in a class for Second Language Learners (SLL).1 I have applied a case study methodology on a linguistic method used by a Teacher in Swedish as Second Language working on a primary school situated in the Southern suburbs of Stockholm. The learning method is based on extensive reading of books which comprehend several learning techniques organized into a process that support the development of linguistic skills such as discussing in a group, writing, reading and thinking in a second language. The methodology applied is based on observations, on an interview with a Teacher in Swedish as Second Language and on a questionnaire answered by 11 students that participated on ?Boksamtal?.Based on a theoretical framework about socio cultural theories on learning and scaffolding,2 I attempt to integrate theory and practice to investigate how the Teacher succeed on applying effective methods for second language learning. Through the analyses of the data is also my intention to emphasize the advantages and disadvantages of such a method.

The Slovak Language Law was adopted by the Slovak parlament in June 2009 and it becomea target for a lot of protests both outside and inside Slovakia. The Hungarian minority inSlovakia thought they were discriminated and therefore protested against the Language Law.The relations between Slovakia and Hungary are complicated and could have an impact on the discussion regarding the Language Law.The thesis is about the discussion that was raised in the Slovak media, in the thesisrepresented by some of the biggest newspapers in Slovakia, Pravda and SME..

The purpose of this master?s thesis is to investigate how librarians approach to the multicultural collection development and which methods they use in providing library materials in minority languages. The questions to be answered are: which methods the libraries use when purchasing library materials in minority languages, how the respondents experience that the minority user groups needs are met in the library and how the multicultural competence of the staff is used in the libraries. For this purpose the qualitative interviews with 6 librarians in Gothenburg are conducted, mainly from the libraries in the immigrant-dense parts of the city, while the study being concentrated on 6 language groups of library users. The study?s theoretical framework is based on theories of multiculturalism, culture, identity and bilingualism.

This work aims to evaluate the possibility of using a graphical programming language to develop software for a digital signal processor. A fixed-point digital signal processor called Blackfin BF-537 is used for this. Instead of using conventional programming languages, like C or assembler, for software development the possibilities to use a graphical environment to fill the same purpose are examined. The development environment primarily used is NI LabVIEW, but also the use of Mathworks Matlab Simulink is investigated. A variety of programs consisting of various signal processing operations and utilities are developed using these development environments.

The aim of the study is to investigate the practice of psychoanalysis with infants, and its effect on mother and child. With psychoanalytical thoeries and contemporary research on infants interaction as a basis, five interwievs with psychoanalysts in practice has been done. Also taking part of a clinical meeting with nine psychoanalysts has been done. Two of the interwieved analysts where part of this meeting, therefor the total sum of twelve psychoanalysts who reports their thoughts about the process i infantanalysis. The study also includes three participating observations of infantanalysis.

This essay is included as a sub-study of a survey about child poverty, which the Department of Sociology at Uppsala University, the Ombudsman for Children and Gillbergska Stiftelsen (the Gillberg?s foundation) has been commissioned by Uppsala Town to implement. The intent of this essay is to investigate how three pre-school managers in the municipal preschool in Uppsala describe child poverty, how they see the preschool?s social responsibility and how they manage child poverty in their practical operation. The essay is a qualitative study and informants' responses has been analyzed and related to symbolic interactionism, the thesis theoretical basis.