This is an empirical study of how the mathematical talk of adult learners constructs/reconstructs different mathematical discourses. The study is to be regarded as an attempt to develop a discursive approach within the field of mathematics education and to complicate the status of mathematics in education and in society in general. My theoretical underpinnings consist of three possible mathematical discourses ? coercive, regulative and emancipative mathematics. From a discursive psychology perspective, I let these discourses function as analytical interpretive repertoires in relation to the adult learners? rhetorical use of mathematics and their claiming of mathematical subject-positions, named the coerced, the self-regulating and the responsible mathematician.

This study aims to draw attention to the discourse of Swedish language teachers and their literary repertoires from a didactic perspective. This leeds to the following inquiries: ?how to define and delineate a broader concept of text;? ?how realized is this concept in Swedish upper secondary schools;? and ?how does the use of the broader concept of text effect the ability to learn.? The empirical data comprise group interviews with six teachers who work at two different schools, in different towns, located in southern Sweden. The data are transcribed and carefully analysed by tools consistent with methodological approaches. The theoretical framework consists of discursive psychology.

The working alliance between therapist and client has been proven important for the treatment outcome in psychotherapy, as well as the therapist?s characteristics. The aim of the current study was to examine the experience of important characteristics when forming a working alliance, among psychotherapy trainees. Eight psychotherapy trainees at Umeå University were interviewed and the material was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Characteristics described as positively impacting the working alliance were interested, empathic, warm, genuine, secure, flexible and accepting.

This thesis analyses the rise and fall of social movements. Social movementsfunctions in the civil society, by contentious collective action they form identities,mobilize their forces and use repertoires of contentions to make new or previouslyunaccepted claims. They function in a limited timeframe, sooner or later they getinstitutionalized, marginalised or succumb into violence. The landless movementin Brazil is one of the most profound social movements in the world; their majorgoal is a land reform. Since the leftwing president Lula da Silva won the Brazilianelection in 2002 the president has been unable to live up to the expectations fromthe landless movement about implementing a land reform.

Product development cycles become shorter and shorter. The time from idea to market has become an important competitive factor. Despite this, methods used for making the product development process faster are surrounded with uncertainty about their efficiency. The purpose of the thesis is to describe the pros and cons of ?best practice? methods for shortening lead times and how these methods effect the lead times in research and development.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to examine how health information is integrated into knowledge in an everyday health related context on the web. The more specific aim is, from a LIS point of view, to map knowledge related discourses with the focus on pregnancy, in discussion forums on Swedish health related web sites. The following main questions in this paper are: (1) a) What discourses on pregnancy knowledge can be found and b) how are they expressed? (2) What are the functions of the recognised discourses? and (3) what are the relations between the identified discourses? The theoretical and methodological starting-point is discourse theory with the main focus on discursive psychology according to Wetherell?s and Potter?s theoretical and empirical work.

Denna studies syfte var att undersöka betydelsen av en neuropsykiatrisk utredning för föräldrars upplevelse av sitt barn. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med fem föräldrar vars barn genomgått en neuropsykiatrisk utredning på BUP i Umeå. Det transkriberade materialet analyserades med Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis förändring i föräldrarnas upplevelse av barnet efter utredningen. Föräldrarna upplevde att de fått förklaring, bekräftelse och ny kunskap samt en vidgad empatisk förståelse för barnets svårigheter. Utredningen såg till barnets svårigheter i sin helhet och föräldrarnas frågor och oro blev mötta.

The well-being of employees has become a key concept in the rhetoric of the company boards and business literature of today. There is however not much statistic evidence of a connection between economic results and the perceived working climate. This thesis sets out to investigate whether there is a positive correlation between economic results and working climate on a work group level. It also aims to study which specific working climate factors influence the results. In order to meet its purpose this thesis analyzes employee satisfaction questionnaire data and economic results from more than 300 work groups.

The purpose of the study was to examine possible aspects concerning the choice to play as good or evil with a focus on the players´ subjective experience. A form was constructed and the material was interpreted according to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The games Mass Effect I and II were used as an example of the choice to play as good or evil since the choice between Renegade (evil) and Paragon (good) is present. The sample consisted of individuals who had played Mass Effect I and/or Mass Effect II and were over 18 years old. The end result concerning who played a Renegade or a Paragon came to be very uneven (15 out of 16 participants played a Paragon) which means that the result mostly relates to possible aspects concerning the choice to play a Paragon.

In this essay we aimed to find how economic scarcity among children and youth presents itself in school, according to how school staff experience it. We have conducted interviews with student welfare staff to hear their experiences of this subject and how the schools try to help these pupils. We have used interpretative phenomenology as a base for our work. We have also used some of this traditions most important notions along with notions of Erving Goffman and Sara Ahmed during our processing off the material.  With help from these, we report our most interesting results. We have seen that a lack of resources exists among youth today and that everyone not has easy access to things many of us might take for granted.

The purpose of the study was to examine possible aspects concerning the choice to play as good or evil with a focus on the players´ subjective experience. A form was constructed and the material was interpreted according to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The games Mass Effect I and II were used as an example of the choice to play as good or evil since the choice between Renegade (evil) and Paragon (good) is present. The sample consisted of individuals who had played Mass Effect I and/or Mass Effect II and were over 18 years old. The end result concerning who played a Renegade or a Paragon came to be very uneven (15 out of 16 participants played a Paragon) which means that the result mostly relates to possible aspects concerning the choice to play a Paragon.

Previous research often includes juridical, political, economical and historical aspects of the Sami population. The research about the Sami women are limited therefore is was important to investigate the living conditions of the Sami women. The purpose with the study was to investigate the living conditions of the Sami women from a culture- and reindeer-herding view in relation to social gender and the majority society. Four individual interviews were performed with women who worked with reindeer-herding in the Sapmi area in north of Sweden. The interview guide was semi-structured and the data were analysed with the phenomenological method Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, which has a focus on subjective experiences.

SammanfattningFunktionshinder är något som uppstår i mötet med ett otillgängligt samhälle. Personer med funktionsnedsättningar utesluts och marginaliseras som en följd av detta. Denna studie handlar om personer med förvärvade funktionshinder och deras erfarenheter av att möta en värld genom deras "nya kroppar". Med utgångspunkt i Maurice Merleau-Pontys teori kring kroppens fenomenologi och den levda kroppen samt med en kompletterande identitetsteori från Richard Jenkins närmar vi oss fenomenet genom kvalitativa intervjuer med personer med förvärvade funktionshinder. Analysmetoden utgörs av Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

SammanfattningFunktionshinder är något som uppstår i mötet med ett otillgängligt samhälle. Personer med funktionsnedsättningar utesluts och marginaliseras som en följd av detta. Denna studie handlar om personer med förvärvade funktionshinder och deras erfarenheter av att möta en värld genom deras "nya kroppar". Med utgångspunkt i Maurice Merleau-Pontys teori kring kroppens fenomenologi och den levda kroppen samt med en kompletterande identitetsteori från Richard Jenkins närmar vi oss fenomenet genom kvalitativa intervjuer med personer med förvärvade funktionshinder. Analysmetoden utgörs av Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

This study was carried out at Luftfartsverket (LFV Group, SwedishAirports and Air Navigation Services), AstraZeneca and Svenska Spel. The purpose of the study was to examine and compare how these companies work towards becoming, and maintaining to be, an employer of choice. Facts were sought about the companies and their work to become an employer of choice.To get a discerning and profound picture, a qualitative method with semi-structured interviews with twelve key persons in this work was conducted. The method Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used for analysis.The results showed that an amount of factors have an input on how attractive the employer is. Common were compensation and benefits, competence development, leadership, information and health-related activities.