The curious nature of humans has been the puzzle of psychologists, philosophers and scientists since the time we began to use those terms. Why are we curious? Why do we behave the way we do and why? The span of views on curiosity covers all. From being viewed as part of our animalistic nature and compared to instincts, to be viewed as a virtue to scientists and the reason behind why we explore space. Behaviorists tried to define it as an innate drive and some say that it has a crucial role in our ability to learn and understand.

This study investigates how assistive technology tools are used in the classroom by students in reading and writing disabilities in the school years immediately prior to moving to gymnasium. Through observations and interviews with two students and two teachers this study also considers if the use of these tools can lead to increased accessibility and goal fulfilment, and whether these elements are prerequisites for success. The result shows that the students use laptops in the classroom, primarily for writing longer texts, and that in order to be successful, an early start, equipment, time and positive attitudes towards the tools are important. The students use the tools in the classroom, but they have very different feelings about how included they are in the class. The participants see a clear link between the use of assistive technology tools and increased goal fulfilment. .

The aim of this study is to learn about the nineteenth century poor relief system, how itoperated in the rural parish Kristdala during the period 1881-1890, and not least, who was thesupported person? The poor are defined as the individuals that received public poor relief, but in onechapter this definition of poverty is contrasted with a definition based upon tax exemption:inability to pay taxes. Two villages have been selected for intensive study, namely Kroxhult and Calerum, and Calerum is the smaller one. The connection between age and the poverty ratio is clear, and tobe a lodger was especially disadvantageous with respect to poverty. Further the position ofwidow was the most unfavourable among the female poor people.

The purpose of this study is to examine the physical space of children?s libraries in Sweden, and also to see which influences there are in the literature about the same subject. What ideas exist in the literature about the physical room of children?s libraries? We have studied how and if these influences can be seen in a selected number of children?s libraries. Our theoretical perspective is based on Anthony Gidden?s theory of construction.

Workbooks are used and has been used for a long time in teaching context with younger children. Given that children start grade 1 after one year of preschool, I will in my study examine what type of activities that are presented in textbooks used for teaching younger children in pre-school and school grade 1. The purpose of the study is, through a selection of published skill-training materials investigate its pedagogical basic view related to reading and write form of education in pre-school and school grades 1. In line with the aim of the study and to answer the study questions, a qualitative text analysis and pictures analysis was carried out. The result shows that there are more similarities in content than the forms of the textbooks, there are assumptions about language as well as how images should be interpreted in a right way.

Through interviews with children of ages 4-5 years old and by observing children children at play at three preschools with different types of outdoor surroundings, I have investigated if the preschools outdoor surroundings have any influences on the children´ choice of play. The hypothesis was that natural surroundings can entice children´s interest in nature being in it and play. I have also investigated if the children know why it is important to be outdoors and if they know it has a positive influence on their health.The result of my investigation is that the children play about the same games at the three different preschool gardens, but at the preschool with more natural surroundings, the children have more contact with plants and animals, and could learn of the different phenomena of nature by the preschool teacher answering their questions. Most of the children in the interviews know it´s useful to be outdoors and be on the move and get fresh air, but many of them thought it was most important to play. By being outdoors the children get exercise, fresh air, play and at the same time they establish an understanding of the nature and a healthier life..

This paper describes how files and information can be shared in organisations and workplaces. We studied and compared the traditional file sharing in Microsoft Active Directory and the Social file sharing that comes with Microsoft SharePoint Sites. We used qualitative studies based on interviews with system administrators, management and by our own observations to acquire the necessary data. Using independent research, we were able to analyze the data and show the general difference between the traditional and the social file sharing systems. Social file sharing enables the user to easily store and share files in a flexible online environment.

This study is essentially based on my own questions concerning contemporary playgrounds. Why are they so unimaginative? What do the children say about them? Is it possible to create playgrounds less constructed, and with more natural elements? This report starts with references to literature studies, personal references and my personal view, and ends with a suggestion for a physical solution for an actual day care centre. The aim is to learn more about how the natural environment affects children, the importance of playing, and try to use this knowledge in a design of a day care centre. My main theme can be summarized in the following question: Why is natural elements in playgrounds considered to be healthy for children? I wanted to create a playground with natural characteristics which I myself would have appreciated as a child.

SUMMARYThere was no previous study in what high level dressage riders had for ideas of how to best prepare for their training sessions with an instructor. Neither any study of how high level dressage riders seemed to be more or less susceptible to the instructions from their instructor during their training sessions. If the sport had more knowledge about this, it might result in more riders on a higher level. The purpose of this study was to find out how high level dressage riders are preparing themselves for the best result for an instructor led training session and how they could bring as much as possible instructions from the coach. The two questions of the study were: How are high level dressage riders preparing themselves for a training session with an instructor, practically and mentally, and how can they affect their susceptibility to instructions?The study was carried out both by reviewing existing literature and studies in general education and pedagogy in the riding education, and by a qualitative interview study of six dressage riders who rode on a difficult level at the competitions, during the year of 2009.

The Stradella system on an accordeon is a complicated construction. It has readymade con-nected chords, these are major, minor, seventh and diminished seventh. To reach other vari-ants of chords you have to combine chord/bass buttons. Which advantages and disadvantages do the use of combined chords/bass buttons mean? How is the pedagogic work affected by using the combined chords/bass buttons? I have interviewed four musicians/teachers to learn about this technique.

I denna rapport så redogör vi för vårt arbete med att ta fram en prototyp till bokföretaget Publit. Vi fick i uppgift av Publit att undersöka möjligheterna för dem att med hjälp av sina egna API:er och API:erna från två andra företag i samma bransch, Valobox och Jellybooks, ta fram en ny produkt eller tjänst. Vi redogör för de olika faserna som vi har gått igenom och de beslut vi tagit angående grafisk design, interaktion och kodning. Resultatet av projektet blev en fungerande prototyp som visar hur Publit med hjälp av Valobox kan skapa en ny funktion till sin widgetshop som gör så att användarna kan provläsa böcker innan de köper dem. .

It is widely recognized that the town of Södertälje, a small Swedish town of 85 000 inhabitants, has alone received more war refugees from Iraq than the US and Canada have put together. Whilst writing this thesis had nearly 6000 Iraqi refugees sought their way to Södertälje since the US invasion in Iraq 2003.Nevertheless, life is not what the media and the government retail. Six of these Iraqi refugees who resided in Södertälje share their life stories in the following thesis. They discuss their escape from Iraq and the difficulties of living in the segregated parts of Södertälje where they solely speak Arabic and Assyrian, whilst learning Swedish at sfi (Svenska för invandrare, Swedish for immigrants). Another distress is related to the unsecure future in Sweden waiting ahead.      The aim of this thesis is to engage in, and highlight the studies of six sfi-students in their endeavor to learn Swedish, whilst struggling through Swedish bureaucracy and experiencing despair due to their situation and uncertain future.       .

Syftet med min uppsats är att göra en jämförelse av hur lärare ochandraspråkselever i årskurs 7-9 säger sig arbeta med ordinlärning ochinlärningsstrategier i ämnena svenska som andraspråk, engelska ochmoderna språk (franska, spanska och tyska). Som underlag för minstudie har jag valt att genomföra en elevenkät samt lärarintervjuer. Denklassificeringsmodell för språkinlärningsstrategier jag valt att utgå ifrånär utformad av Rebecca L. Oxford (1990).Trots att lärarna redogör för en undervisning som i många avseendengår hand i hand med de teorier som finns om ordinlärning visar det sigatt eleverna är relativt begränsade i sin användning avinlärningsstrategier. Det jag kommit fram till är att lärarna måstetydliggöra för eleverna varför det är bra att använda sig av strategiersamt hur och i vilka sammanhang de skall användas.Citatet nedan är en fri översättning av Henry Adams uttryck ?Theyknow enough who know how to learn? vilket jag anser speglar mittarbete på ett bra sätt (Oxford 1990:135)..

Syftet med fallstudien var att studera hur lärare, speciallärare och specialpedagog beskriver sitt förebyggande och stödjande arbete med att tidigt upptäcka och åtgärda läs- och skrivsvårigheter i åk 1. Vi har genom kvalitativa intervjuer med två lärare, en speciallärare och en specialpedagog fått en ingående bild av hur detta arbete ser ut på två olika stockholmsskolor. Utifrån pedagogernas intervjusvar tycker vi oss kunna säga att teori och praktik stämmer bra överens och mycket av det som vi har läst i litteraturen verkar också praktiseras ute på de två skolor som vi har studerat. Studien har visat att pedagogerna inte använder sig av ?vänta-och- se?- pedagogiken för att barnens läsning ska komma igång av sig självt utan de menar att de arbetar medvetet förebyggande och med tidiga insatser när det gäller barn som ligger i riskzonen för läs- och skrivsvårigheter.

The purpose of this paper was to study the various organisations that work with drug abusing homeless people in Lund. We have tried to compare the possibilities they have to change the way the homeless people look at themselves. The organisations that we have studied are Aluma, Diakonicentralen, the shelter Piletorp and the social welfare office.The methods used to collect data were interviews with professionals and homeless people as well as reading literature. We have used Ted Goldberg's (docent in social work at the university in Stockholm) theory. He writes that you have to be a significant other to persons with deviant behaviour to be able to help them become a part of the society and to change the way they look at themselves.