Our study emanates from a socio?cultural perspective on learning and aim to describe and comparetwo different upper secondary school classes and their work with information literacy as a socialpractice in project work and their use of ICT (information and communication technologies). Thequestions at issue in the study are; how the pupils handle information seeking processes, whatdifferences and similarities can be observed in the two social practices and which consequences thesedifferences have in an project work environment.Our choice of research methods to collect data consists of both observations and interviews withpupils and teachers. The interviews performed in the study can be categorized as qualitativeinterviews, and in addition we recorded and took notes during the interviews and transcribed thematerial.The study shows the importance of a good learning environment when it comes to working withinformation seeking processes, that the instructor?s role is of outmost importance and that the pupilsfundamental knowledge of information seeking processes and their information literacy are keysuccess factors when it comes to project work linked to ICT to be productive.

Regarding school-teaching most people have had the traditional idea that the teacher is the owner of all knowledge and the student is the receiver of that knowledge. Tradition tells us that the way the student receives the knowledge has been by listening, repeating, reading and memorizing what the teacher has taught. Research about teaching from the last decades show that there are other strategies, ways, and qualitys for helping students in learning. One of those ways is by integration of different school subjects.According to research every human being creates her own knowledge based on personal experiences. Johan Krantz and Pelle Persson (2001) wrote that learning is a process with experiences, ideas and opinions.

The purpose of this thesis is, from a self directed learning perspective, to investigate the support of public libraries and genealogy associations of genealogists' own research, i.e. their search for ancestors as well as their possibilities to broaden their history outlook. Accordingly, five public librarians and five genealogy representatives in the west of Sweden have been interviewed regarding the support that can be offered to genealogists. The investigated support to genealogists in their own research is about working environment, literature and material, activities and the cooperation between public libraries and genealogy associations. In this thesis conclusions are merely drawn from a self-directed learning perspective, a perspective where also different forms of support are being recommended by scientists.

In school there are many pupils with Swedish as their second language and these pupils often have less basic condition compared with pupils with Swedish as their mother tongue and the most common root cause is lack of language knowledge, also the time spent in Sweden matters.I have trough questionnaires and literature studies investigated if there, for pupils with Swedish as their second language, is an easier way to figure out how to read and write in Swedish using fiction literature as learning material compared with ordinary ways.In the questionnaires that I performed participated a number of teachers that teach Swedish as a second language. These teachers all work in schools with a big share of pupils with Swedish as a second language.I also tried to evaluate if there was a difference between teachers with a graduation in Swedish as second language compared with these who don?t have a graduate but still work with these pupils.The result shows that I discovered that only the graduated teachers have used fiction literature as a learning material in the daily work and have experienced good results from the pupils, they also knew why they used fiction literarture for reading and writing training.As a teacher it is very important to have the knowledge regarding children that have Swedish as a second language, to be able to support them in a correct way.Despite the pupil can?t speak or read the new language, it has feelings and knowledge about the circumstances that they can?t express.The teachers mission is to knew and have understanding for these circumstances.Keywords: Pupils with Swedish as second language, learning to read and write, fiction literarture, school..

The aim of this thesis is to study preschool-teachers? experiences from using the computertablet as a tool for learning and teaching, in order to gain knowledge of how the integrationalprocess of information and communications technology (ICT) in preschool has progressedsince its instatement. The background that caused interest to make this study was the rapidprogression of the use of ICT-tools in childrens? everyday lives and the troubles that havesurrounded the process of integrating these tools into preschool-practices. The theoreticalbasis for the analysis of the research lies within the socio-cultural perspective.

The impact of classroom enviroment with respect to learning.

Med utgångspunkt i variationsteorin valde vi ett naturvetenskapligt lärandeobjekt (materians egenskaper) och genomförde en så kallad Learning study. Elevernas förståelse av lärandeobjektet före och efter undervisning har undersökts med hjälp av intervjuer. Elevernas lärande har jämförts med de möjligheter som erbjudits i den videofilmade undervisningen. Två klasser i skolår fem har deltagit i studien. Efter genomförd undervisning i den första klassen analyserades lärandet med avseende på specifika kritiska aspekter.

The largest project at the AICG lab at Linköping University, Cognitive models for virtual characters, focuses on creating an agent architecture for intelligent, virtual characters. The goal is to create an agent that acts naturally and gives a realistic user experience. The purpose of this thesis is to develop and implement an appropriate learning model that fits the existing agent architecture using an agile project methodology. The model developed can be seen as an online unsupervised reinforcement learning model that enhances experiences through reward. The model is based on Maes model where new effects are created depending on whether the agent is fulfilling its goals or not.The model we have developed is based on constant monitoring of the system.

The purpose of my study is to examine how four preschool teachers go about using the term play in children's early mathematical development. In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, I have the following questions:How the preschool teachers visualize mathematics in children?s play?What reflections have the preschool teachers about the importance of play for children's mathematical learning in preschool?How do the preschool teachers see on their own role in the children's play?In this study, I have conducted a semi-structured qualitative interviews based on the interviews with four preschool teachers from various departments in a preschool. I have also conducted some observations to complete my study. Whereas in my analysis of the researched material, I have used Vygotsky's theory.The survey shows that the preschool teachers are aware of the use of mathematical language and concepts in children?s different activities which were conducted daily in the preschool.

Abstract This essay will present actual research around the concept of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder, how it can reveal itself in school children and how it can influence young people?s learning ability and capacity to retain knowledge.The purpose is, above all, to clearly diagnose PTSD so that children with this complex of problems can receive good possibilities in learning and understanding.The question at hand is responded to by interviewees with an expertise on the subject and one ?story?, collectively with literary studies.The results illustrate that there can be neurological and biological, as well as social explanations for PTSD but it is seldom a permanent diagnosis. It is though something to take very seriously. PTSD can lead to severe psychobiological consequences, mostly by causing damage in one particular part of the brain, known as hippocampus. The hippocampus is essential in terms of memory and concentration.

Facial expressions are a part of our body language that helps us to clarify the verbal communication between humans. We use our facial expressions every day, both consciously and unconsciously, to express emotions and attitudes depending on the situation. The hypothesis of the study is: Given a facial expression, how well can Microsoft Kinect, as an input method, determine a person?s feelings with the two algorithms Naive Bayes and Sequential Minimal Optimization? The feelings are limited to happy, sad, surprised and disgusted. With the help of Kinect, a person?s facial data, both coordinates of the face and parameterized data, were saved and used for machine learning.

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 senior essay examines the geographical imaginations, notions of Self and community that were mobilized in the media and by the government in conjunction with an event, namely, the space voyage of Christer Fuglesang ? the first Swedish astronaut in space on December ___ 2006. The study is a critical investigation of media discourses, representations of space, and geographical imaginations that were triggered by the event. The specific issues addressed by this study are (a) which representations of Sweden were mobilized in narrating the event? (b) In what ways has Fuglesang´s space voyage influenced the image of Sweden? (c) How was the event rallied vis-à-vis discourses of entrepreneurial culture and neoliberal growth by the government? (d) Which themes and clichés were mustered in the media dramaturgy of the event? (e) Which topics were excluded in media narratives and representation of the event? (f) Have familiar geographical imaginations, notions of Self and community been reconfigured? If so, how?The present study analyzes narratives of the event in the two largest newspapers in Sweden - Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter, as well the two biggest TV-channels ? Swedish Television and TV4.

What impact has volunteering on the individual and their career development? For the young man about to enter the world of work, for the non-profit organization that needs to recruit new volunteers or employers who are facing hiring new staff. This study may provide a new approach in their search for work, volunteers or employees. The purpose of this study is to highlight the experiences of volunteering for individuals' personal learning and development, and the importance of volunteering for their career development. The study has a qualitative approach.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the collaboration of four learners of Swedish as a second language during a pair-writing task, as well as their experiences of the process, in order to draw conclusions about how to execute pair-writing in the L2 classroom. The study has found that the establishment of compatible partners are of great importance to achieve success and learning through pair-writing. One of the pairs studied managed to work well together and use each other?s knowledge to improve their text, while the other pair continuosly battled for dominance, which had a negative impact on their performance. The two successful students had enjoyed the task and believed they had learned something from it and that pair-writing can be a useful source of knowledge.