To support uniform and fair assessment of Swedish students? English language competences, mandatory National tests are provided both for secondary and upper secondary education. The current thesis may be seen as a contribution to the further development and validation of these tests, with regard to the likely introduction of computerized testing methods. The aim is to gain further knowledge from current research in the field, to study and elucidate international experiences of implementation, and to gather and analyze feedback from students and teachers. Based on my findings, some tentative conclusions will be drawn, and recommendations made concerning future developments.

The purpose of this essay is to develop knowledge about how learning among employees is perceived to occur practically in a pre-school unit seen as a learning organization. From an employee perspective the intention was to gain an understanding of how they perceive the organization regarding employee learning in the workplace when it comes to in which contexts and what conditions that enable collaborative learning. Because learning organization is mostly a vision from a management perspective thereby it should in this case mostly be viewed as the context in which the employees work in.The essay is based on a qualitative research approach with eight semi-structured interviews. It was based on hermeneutics as method of analysis with the intention to gain an understanding of the employees' subjective perception. It is a case study on a selected pre-school unit in Stockholm.

The aim was to explore how the first page of a student newspaper has been changed over time since it was founded in the 1960´s.This thesis explores how the front page of the student newspaper Lösnummer has been changed since it was founded in 1966. It concerns the location and frequency of elements and it is based on theories of layout, the first page and visual communicationIn addition, the thesis develops a new kind of method for determining the location of elements on the type area. The method is based on the hexadecimal number system. It is formed as a grid which is placed on the first page to determine the location of the elements.It concludes that the frequency of elements had its peak during the 1970´s and has ever since decreased gradually. Image placement has gone from being scattered all over the front page to be centered and increase in size. .

There is strong evidence that cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is effective. The aim of this study was to compare 7 group-sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for insomnia (MBCT-I) with 3 group-sessions of CBT-I, on sleep measures and sleep related psychological processes, such as pre-sleep arousal, thought control strategies and mindfulness. Participants (N = 44; age 18-66) with long term insomnia were stratified and randomized into waiting list, MBCT-I and CBT-I. Significant improvements were seen in both groups, compared to waiting list, for instance on insomnia severity, sleep latency and restorative sleep. Small improvements on psychological processes were also found in both groups.

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.

This essay is about literature instruction in the last three years of Sweden?s compulsory school from one teacher?s and six of his pupils? perspective. The research is analysed from a socio-cultural perspective on learning and literature reception.The empiric material is based on interviews with the teacher and six of his students.The research shows that there is a difference between what the pupils read on their spare time and what they read during Swedish instruction. It also shows that the pupils wants literature full of action where descriptions of people and the setting don?t slow down the reading experience.The teacher is successful in finding literature the pupils appreciate but sees the value of literature on another level ? in the processing of the reading experience.

Technology based self-service (TBSS) used in supermarket self-scanning checkouts is a relatively new phenomenon in Sweden. Studies on TBSS as a self- checkout device have been formerly carried out but with focus on the customer perspective. The authors therefore saw a challenge in covering the self-scan checkout concept, from a company perspective. The purpose of this research paper is to investigate, through a management perspective, the changes brought about by implementing an innovative TBSS system in Swedish supermarkets, and its effect on the competitiveness of the company. This is done by presenting and linking the theoretical framework and empirical study in the research.

A successful acquisition is based upon good preparations before the integration process..

The main purpose of this essay is to examine, in what way the paintings by Karin Broosand Markus Åkesson are images of autentic situations and furthermore in what way themediespecific essence is performed photografically. Questions occuring: 1) How are thecreations of reality shaped in the two chosen photorealistical paintings? 2) In what waycan you distinguish the iconicity and indexicality in the paintings Den vita klänningenand The Passage? 3) How does the photografic presence occur in the paintings andfuthermore how can you distinguish the mentioned parts above according to thepaintings? The theoretical standpoint is based upon Charles Sanders Peirces ideasconcerning iconicity and indexicality. The methods used are based on thoughtspresented by Andrew Benjamin and Mieke Bal. The signs of iconicity and indexicalitycan be studied in various ways in the two paintings, depending on how abstract andobvious different parts occur in the paintings.

This bachelor essay aims to illuminate different images and ideas about Bellevue industrial area.The area is situated in a district in Gothenburg, called Gamlestaden, where Bellevue industrialarea is a former industrial area, today mostly used by minor occupations. The district is facing amajor transformation, based on a detailed master plan. One aim is to create a district with mixedfunctions; like residences, businesses, offices, services and cultural activities all together. Thisessay is based mainly from a user perspective, but it also has the perspective from the ideas andvisions by the City Planning Office.The material is mainly based on interviews with seven informants, representing different kinds ofoccupations in the area. One interview is also made with a city planner.

Sweden's government says in the bill 2008/09: 140 that military service should be suspended and replaced with a system based on voluntary recruitment. In the essay, I will make an argument analysis of the parliamentary debate on the bill from the 12th of June 2009 with the following questions: On what is the different side?s argument based on? Are the arguments essentially and factually substantiated? Is there a clear political party tendency among the for-/counter arguments? The method is a "Pro et contra" analysis, a logical systematization of the arguments. The analysis will take start in the headline; Conscription should be suspended in favour of a voluntary system based on contract employed soldiers. The presentation of arguments in the analysis will be guided by the chronological order.

In this thesis work a Geographical Information System (GIS) based methodology to identify locations suitable for the installation of wave energy converters has been developed. Parameters of importance have been identified and a GIS-database has been set up, containing data about the marine environment. In a case study of the Swedish west coast the methodology has been applied, resulting in a number of maps showing possible areas. The results show that large areas are suitable for installation of wave energy converters, from a technical and economical point of view. When consideration is taken to other interests in the area, such as navigation, fishing and environmental protection, the size of the suitable area diminishes considerably.

A new phenomenon on the Internet is the online audience response. Mentimeter is a web-based tool where you can create online polls. The users can then cast a vote and the result is shown in real time. We want to test the information visualization in Mentimeter and we base our hypothesis, that a better graph design is possible, on the work of Edward Tufte and Stephen Few. Edward Tufte is an emeritus at Yale University, where he held courses in statistical evidence and information design and has created theories about how visual information should be designed.

This paper investigates the internal product costing system in one of the Swedish banks with the purpose to evaluate the quality of its product costs and possible implications on decision making. The study shows that the current system distorts product costs by, among other things, using relative allocation of costs and time and by allocating all costs to individual units of products. We therefore propose an alternative product costing system, which mainly draws on ABC theory but is also adapted to the specific needs of service companies and of the Bank. This proposal is intended as a solution in this particular case and not to be generalized in other contexts. We hope however to add to the understanding of why more complex costing systems, such as the ones based on ABC theory are, according to previous studies, not widely used in practice.

The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the production and repetitiveness of gender patterns with focus on girls in the swedish tween magazine Kamratposten. This is of importance due to the non existing research on Kamratposten concerning this specific topic. The aim is also to evoke a broader discussion about the relationsship between gender representation and pedagody. The theoretical framework is based on three concepts, namly Yvonne Hirdman?s gender contract, Judith Butler?s performativity and the idea of heteronormativity.