This master thesis is based on the sociocultural perspective. A qualitative research study was conducted to investigate children's attitudes towards reading, texts and libraries.The theoretical background is constituted by ideas from the new sociology of childhood, literacy-studies and reader-response theory.The study was conducted with 23 children, 13 girls and 10 boys, participating in focus groups.The results of the study reveal that children's literacy-activities in school are strongly influenced and limited by adults. Children's interest in pictures and non-fiction-reading do not correspond to the school institution that favors traditional media and fiction. The study also reveals a gender division between children's literacy-activities that tends to grow with age. All the children in the study regard libraries as book-houses and wished for libraries that combine activity and serenity.The thesis shows the importance of being aware of, and engage in, children's reading-interests and reading-practices if the reading stimulating activities in schools and libraries are to be successful.

In this Master thesis interest is directed towards approaches toinformation literacy (IL) and critical thinking in the educationalactivities of university libraries. The aspiration of universitylibrarians to promote the critical abilities of students isproblematized. At the center of attention is the project?Lärandemål för informationskompetens? [Learning outcomes forinformation literacy], which in 2006 was carried out incollaboration between the Swedish university libraries, in responseto the educational reforms connected to the Bologna Process.Through the discourse analytical framework of NormanFairclough, documents related to the project ?Lärandemål förinformationskompetens? are studied in order to identifydominating approaches to IL. The purpose is to investigate anddiscuss the possible implications of the dominating perspectives,with regard to the development of critical thinking amongstudents.The study results in the identification of two main discourses, thestandardization discourse and the discourse on employability.

The aim of this Master?s Thesis is to examine the importance of literacy and reading in a country like Jamaica. What role do public libraries and bookmobiles play in promoting literacy, and how does this work correspond with the UNESCO public library manifesto?To answer this, interviews were conducted with nine Jamaican librarians, and study visits were made to libraries and bookmobiles. In addition, development plans, policy and other relevant documents were analyzed.

Denna uppsats utforskar förskollärares erfarenheter och synpunkter på att förebygga läs- och skrivsvårigheter, med syfte att göra pedagoger medvetna om hur man kan förebygga läs- och skrivsvårigheter. Denna uppsats utgår ifrån språkliga orsaker och literacy används som en teoretisk utgångspunkt. Literacy handlar om hur barn lär sig ett språk i ett socialt sammanhang, exempelvis genom att en vuxen läser en bok eller genom namnskyltar på förskolan. Jag har använt mig av intervjuer med två förskollärare för att utforska deras erfarenheter av att förebygga läs- och skrivsvårigheter. Båda pedagoger menar att det är för tidigt att sätta en stämpel på ett förskolebarn för läs- och skrivsvårigheter, men att arbete med språket i förskolan är viktigt och är en del av förskolans arbete.

I have with this thesis sought to understand how chick lit could be useful in the classroom in the teaching of Swedish B-course in high school. Based on the model of critical literacy I am arguing that this genre would help to meet the objectives of the policy documents which, among other things, are to critically examine and analyze various types of texts.I have found that some of these texts could be used for analyzing and critically examine the ideological dimensions of texts and cultural heritage by the model of critical literacy, and also as a counterweight to the more traditional teaching of the canonical literature as a literary historical stuff that students should learn. I have also wanted to create a basis for discussions about literature in the classroom based on the chick lit genre. To do this I have, based on three themes and questions from the model of critical literacy, tried to focus on issues that might emerge from the ideological analysis and critical review. The model aims to deconstruct norms of society, and in the work of chick lit, I wanted to show how you could deconstruct norms around gender..

Skolverket (2011) har visat på att svenska skolbarns läskunskaper sjunker. Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka litteraturens och läsningens plats i förskola och förskoleklass samt utifrån pedagogers föreställningar om litteratur och läsning få förståelse för vilken betydelse deras ställningstaganden har för barnens litteracitet. Vi tittar bland annat på miljöns möjligheter för barnets identitet som läsare, som vi utgår ifrån formas av pedagogernas föreställningar om barn, litteratur och läsning. Teorier om literacy och critical literacy där nyfikenhet och intresse inför läsaktiviteter ställs emot teori om språklig medvetenhet och den tekniska färdigheten att kunna läsa, för att se eventuella tendenser på hur pedagogernas arbetssätt format barnens framtida läskunskaper. Även andra lärandeteorier samt redskap för läsning presenteras för att få en vidare förståelse av problemområdet som vi undersöker.

The purpose of my study is to examine why five primary school teachers chose to start using the method ?Learning reading by writing on computer? in their teaching. How do they perceive that the method works in their classroom and do they perceive that the method affect the children?s literacy?The study consists of a qualitative method in form of interviews with five primary school teachers and also some observations made by me in the classrooms. I will use the findings I made during the interviews and observations and contrast these to relevant literature and research that I have collected.The result of my study shows that all of the interviewed teachers had a self-interest in working with the method ?Learning reading by writing on computers? and that they also worked closely with colleagues.

This study focuses on the encounter between the academic librarian and the academic library user with a specific need for information. The aim of the study is to examine the process of mediation of information and to uncover any inherent problems or systemic inertia that may occur within that process.Special attention has been given to information-seeking behaviour in the digital age and the possibility of viewing information literacy as a meta-literacy. The difference between the surface web and the academic invis- ible web is also investigated. Empirical data was collected by the use of ethnographic fieldwork at the Karolin- ska Institutet University Library over a period of five weeks. The data is analysed using actor-network theory as a point of departure.

Att behärska literacy är en nödvändighet för att fullt ut kunna ta del av vårt samhälle. Att lära sig att behärska skriftspråket är en lång resa som börjar redan i förskolan. Det här arbetet har som syfte att belysa i vilka situationer under dagen som barn är delaktiga i literacyhändelser. Detta har gjorts med hjälp av frågeställningar som behandlar när literacyhändelser sker, hur de ser ut, vad de innehåller och vem som initierar dem. I studien anläggs ett sociokulturellt perspektiv på literacy.

I have with this thesis sought to understand how chick lit could be useful in the classroom in the teaching of Swedish B-course in high school. Based on the model of critical literacy I am arguing that this genre would help to meet the objectives of the policy documents which, among other things, are to critically examine and analyze various types of texts.I have found that some of these texts could be used for analyzing and critically examine the ideological dimensions of texts and cultural heritage by the model of critical literacy, and also as a counterweight to the more traditional teaching of the canonical literature as a literary historical stuff that students should learn. I have also wanted to create a basis for discussions about literature in the classroom based on the chick lit genre. To do this I have, based on three themes and questions from the model of critical literacy, tried to focus on issues that might emerge from the ideological analysis and critical review. The model aims to deconstruct norms of society, and in the work of chick lit, I wanted to show how you could deconstruct norms around gender..

ICT and digital artifacts is an important resource in the society, especially in schools. That is why we have chosen to study if and how teachers uses ICT and other digital technology in their education in the history subject. We think that both subjects are important because history is a subject that has to do with the past, the present and the future.We made qualitative interviews with seven teachers from three different schools. We have analyzed if the teachers sees ICT as a burden or a resource in their education and also in which extend they have digital literacy. We have chosen to discuss different authors view on ICT in the education and digital literacy.

.The Whole language program is in Sweden generally referred to as ?Kiwimetoden? - ?the Kiwi program? (author?s direct translation) partly due to the fact that the Whole language program originates from New Zealand. Whole language is basically a literacy program and approaches literacy from a holistic point of view. Children learning to read and write should do so in the same natural way children learn to speak their native language which is in the context of authentic language as a whole. In Sweden the program is generally practiced together with a commercial and pre-organised material called ?kiwi? or ?Stjärnsvenska?.

Det här arbetet syftar till att undersöka vilka textorienterade aktiviteter elever i en grundskola i Indien ingår i. Uppsatsens frågor berör därmed hur, samt i vilka sammanhang detta sker. Vidare syftar arbetet till att undersöka hur eleverna erövrar skriftspråk, samt vilka redskap de använder sig utav då detta sker. Arbetets teoretiska utgångspunkt är sociokulturell teori, vilken lyfter att samspelet med den omgivande miljön är av stor betydelse för människans lärande. I december 2012 aktualiserades det i de internationella kunskapsmätningarna gjorda av TIMS 2011 och PIRLS 2011, att svenska fjärdeklassares läsförmåga har försämrats. Då Sverige jämförs med andra länder såsom Indien i dessa mätningar, finner vi det intressant att undersöka hur barns erövrande av skriftspråkskompetenser kan te sig i en annan kulturell kontext.

Vi har valt att skriva om lärares syn på samtal i klassrummet, och hur samtalet kan användas som en metod i undervisningen. Vi tar även upp varför lärarna använder sig av samtal eller varför de inte gör det. Genom våra intervjuer försöker vi tolka vilken kunskapssyn de olika lärarna har och varför de väljer att bedriva sin undervisning så som de gör. Vi har tagit del av olika teorier kring samtalsmetodik och använder oss av dem när vi analyserar resultaten vi fått fram genom våra intervjuer. Det vi kan se är att lärarna vi har intervjuat har en varierande syn på samtal vilket påverkas av faktorer som tid, gruppsammansättningar och kunskapssyn.

Title: Hälsa i sociala medier - En kvalitativ studie om hur hälsoinformatörer upplever och påverkas  av hälsobudskap i sociala medier.Title: Health in social media - A qualitative study of how health communicators perceive and are affected by health messages in social media.Author: Anna HedströmInstitute: Karlstad University. Faculty of health, nature and engineering sciences.Tutor: Owe StråhlmanDate: 150615Number of pages: 34Keywords: eHealth literacy, health communication, health informers, health literacy, health messages, media literacy, social media Background: With an increased interest in diet and exercise, also health and fitness messages have increased in both traditional and social media. The general guidelines on physical activity and diet are forgotten as training tips increase in the media. Research shows that it is common for individuals to retrieve information from the media when it comes to their own health. In doing so media literacy, health literacy and eHealth literacy becomes increasingly important for health communicators and for those who receive health information. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine health communicators? experiences of health messages in social media, and how they are affected by them. Method: Qualitative interviews were chosen as a method to collect data.