The objective of the present study was to highlight preschool children?s encounters with children?s literature, in a heterogeneous language context.  The idea was to identify significant features in the linkages between the reading of children?s literature, didactic activities and children?s learning, language development and emergent literacy activities.  Our interest was directed towards the activities connected with read-alouds, as well as the preschool teacher?s perceptions of those activities.  The empiric material was collected by use of participant observations of four read-aloud sessions. After the observations the preschool teacher in charge of the observed read-aloud was in-depth interviewed. In addition, the physical print environment in the actual preschool was observed. The results indicate that the physical and social reading environment interact with each other.  Furthermore, the preschool  teachers? approaches and ways of working with literature does not always optimize the language, literacy and content area  learning opportunities for the children.

This study covers reading comprehension and the introduction of the "Tell me" approach as proposed by Chambers (1993) to a group of teachers in a Swedish F-3 school. Five teachers got to use the method for three weeks and were interviewed before and after the experiment to analyze their current ways of working and reactions to using the method in everyday tutoring. The result from the first interview showed that all of the participants had been using methods to improve the children?s reading comprehension prior to the study, but no one had tried the "Tell me" approach. After trying the method throughout the test period, all of the participants were positive about the methodology and showed an interest in continuing the use of it.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the English writing activities of young Swedes on the site FanFiction.net to determine what type of differences were perceived between this activity and the writing activities taking place in upper secondary English courses, what effects fan fiction had on their English skills as well as what possibilities were perceived in regards to using fan fiction as a tool of learning. Methods used include an interview study along with a textual analysis to determine changes in grammatical complexity, errors and mistakes. Results indicate that partaking in fan fiction-related communities of practice in English can potentially improve language skills. Results also showed that informants valued interaction and practical language use, largely perceiving the formal teaching of English as lacking in opportunities for practical, contextually relevant and creative language use. However, introducing fan fiction and its practices of peer-reviewing in a formal educational setting was also perceived as risky, at the same time as there existed a sense of optimism that the fan fiction format and its practices could both be used to facilitate learning..

The role-playing game attracts a growing number of practisers. The aim of this master?s thesis is to examine role-playing literature as phenomenon in libraries through librarians´ attitudes. The paper is based on qualitative interviews with eight librarians: one personal interview with two librarians and six e-mail interviews with six librarians at different libraries. The paper starts with a definition of the term ?role-playing game?, its different categories and genres and a description of its background.

In this essay I analyze the meaning of the concepts home and at home and the feeling of coming home. What is a home and what different interpretations are there regarding the concepts of home and being at home? What kinds of feelings are aroused by coming home? The world we live in offers great opportunities to travel, which in itself creates a perspective on the meanings of the concepts. The world we live in also forces people to move from their homes, families and countries due to various reasons, which creates various problems and a certain urgency concerning the concepts. I describe basic terms concerning the concepts, both regarding concrete definitions and more abstract notions, and then compare them with my own reflections.         Based on my writing project Coming home I discuss these questions in various ways.

Abstract:According to the curriculum of the Swedish school the pupils should develop their historical consciousness. The aim of this study was to find out which pupils develop this consciousness by listing to an historical novel, talking about that book and writing stories. The study went on for four weeks and the subject of the teaching was the Middle Ages. 28 pupils took part and a variety of methods were used: 1: questionnaire about the lives of the pupils, 2: Making observations of their attitude to the teaching and 3: story writing. The results show that the social background does not influence the development of an historical consciousness.

Introduction: The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test is a widely used test for measuring aspects of social cognition. The aim of the present study was to provide results from a group of typically developing Swedish children (age 9-12) and to compare these results with children and adults in other Swedish and English studies, as well as results from a group of children with Asperger syndrome. Method: A Swedish version of the child version of the test was completed by 83 controls and by six children with Asperger syndrome. Results were compared between the two groups and with data from other studies. Results: The children in the current study did not differ on scores compared to children in the same age group in other studies.

This study intends to discuss what might motivate Swedish upper secondary students to read literature in English. The study was performed through interviews with both teachers and students, as well as questionnaire studies with both students and teachers. The students give different interpretations of what the definition of motivation is, ranging from definitions of extrinsic motivation to signs of their definitions leaning toward intrinsic motivation. The conclusion is that although the English language itself is not a barrier for students? reading motivation, the majority of them are not motivated to read.

This thesis is about School libraries and the honour "School library of the year". I have examined the questions - Whats to say about school libraries in the curriculum and the library law? - Who administer the honour "School library of the year" and whats demanded to get it? - What have made the school libraries I have examined to school libraries of the year"? As theory I have used the Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program by David V. Loertscher. I have given a background to and defined the school library as a function, a room and in the teaching among others.

Abstract Title: From Theory to Practice - A case study of Balanced Scorecard at the disability management in the municipality of Karlskrona Authors: Erica Isacsson and Marthina JohannessonSupervisor: Elin K. FunckExaminer: Lars-Göran AidemarkContact person at the disability management in the municipality of Karlskrona: Claes Wiridén, DirectorSchool: School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, VäxjöCourse: 4Fe03E, Thesis, 30 ECTS credits.Date: 2011-05-27Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe and explain how the Disability Management thinks that their Balanced Scorecard will be used, namely what is the planned use. We will also describe and explain how the balanced scorecard is actually used.Methodology: We have conducted an abductive, qualitative case study. The empirical material is collected through interviews, observations internal as well as external written material. The theoretical framework is based on the published texts in books, scholarly articles and dissertations.

Libraries exist around us and for most of us they are a part of our every day life. But how often do we stop and think about their meaning?Libraries in fiction are usually not the center of the narrative, they play a role quietly in the background and offer a backcloth to the story. Yet they are a vital part of the story. Without them a big part of the magic in the stories would be lost.And what is their role in our lives? What do the libraries mean to the books they harbor, the readers who seek them out and society in which they have their axiomatic role?This essay?s focus is my story ?Between the shelves?, which is about the young girl Julia and the mysterious passageway she discovers in her local library.

Author: Julia Falk and Linnéa LinderothTitle: ?Am I being me? Or am I being a girl with Asperger´s?? A qualitative study of the role relationships have for young women with Asperger´s syndrome identity [Translated title]Supervisor: Melker LaboryAssessor: Ulf Drugge During adolescence, relationships are important for young people and studies show that having a partner is something that becomes more important, especially for young women. Creating and maintaining good relationships can be problematic, but can this problem be different for a young woman with a neuropsychiatric disability as Aspergers syndrome? A person with Aspergers syndrome often has difficulties with communication and interaction with other people. But the syndrome is also characterized with special interests, different language management and difficulties with sudden changes.

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 explore how librarians approach to and knowledge of young people can be seen in their work methods and in activities arranged for young people. I also want to investigate other factors that librarians think can affect how they work. Five interviews were carried out with five librarians who worked with young people at public libraries. The literature review covers; young peoples needs and leisure activities, young peoples attitudes to libraries, activities arranged for them and towards departments for young people at public libraries. Literature dealing with librarians` attitudes and knowledge of young people was also included.

To many of us blogging is a natural part of our everyday life. Bloggers dedicate hours to writing in blogs, reading blogs, commenting on posts or answering comments on published posts. But what we choose to blog about can differ; this is an important note due to my discovery that what we choose to write about determines what benefits blogging holds to the blogger.This paper discusses the conventions of blogging as well as tries to answer the question of why blogging is so popular: why do we start blogging and why do so many choose to continue? These questions get answered by me analyzing the phenomenon that is blogging.I have studied both blogging as genre and as a kind of performance, as well as I have tried to hold an open dialogue with my informants. Thus I have concluded that blogging is to be considered a tool with many uses.