Students’ understanding of causation in pricing: a phenomenographic analysis

The aim of this study is to extend previous research on conceptions of price by highlighting variation in students’ understanding of causality. It also aims to offer a new way of using ’dimensions of variation’ in phenomenographic research to analyse the structure of conceptions of complex phenomena. The study uses data from 96 upper secondary students who were asked to provide written answers to two problems before and after a short programme of teaching. This yielded a total of 349 open responses which were analysed phenomenographically. The study revealed four qualitatively distinct ways of understanding causation in pricing. It also revealed new insights in how different dimensions of variation in conceptions of pricing are related to each other. The study suggests that the form of a problem posed to students will affect the dimensions of variation in conceptions that are exposed. Conclusions drawn are relevant for research and teaching

Civic reasoning about power issues: The criticality of agency, arena and relativity

Purpose: The study examines students' conceptions of power and important aspects of teaching for developing the ability to analyse power relations in social science. Methodology: Phenomenography is used in the analysis of 155 student essays, to identify different ways of analysing societal power issues. Findings: When conducting a qualified analysis of a societal power issue, it is crucial that students discern that power is tied to an agent, that power is exercised through agency in specific contextual power arenas, and that they understand how power is relative to the power of other agents in the same arena. Research limitations: The study focuses on Swedish upper secondary students. Comparisons with other groups of learners are welcomed. Practical implications: The critical aspects identified should be used as a basis for teaching designs. Findings imply that the meaning of power as a concept should be highlighted in social science teacher education

Utmaningar och angreppssätt i processen att skriva sammanläggningsavhandling inom samhällsvetenskap och humaniora

Allt fler avhandlingar inom humaniora och samhällsvetenskap skrivs som sammanläggningsavhandlingar, en textgenre som är hämtad från det naturvetenskapliga fältet. När en genremodell förflyttas från ett fält till ett annat kan det uppstå nya utmaningar, något som sällan diskuteras explicit. Artikeln riktar sig till handledare och doktorander och tar upp några av de utmaningar som kan uppstå när sammanläggningsavhandling som modell används inom samhällsvetenskaperna och humaniora. Tre angreppssätt presenteras som möjliga verktyg vid handledning och skrivande för att möta dessa utmaningar: helhetsbild, koherens och förankring. Genom dem kan processen bli smidigare och slutprodukten bättre.  ENGLISH ABSTRACT Challenges and approaches in the process of writing an article-based thesis in social sciences and humanities An increasing number of theses in the humanities and social sciences are written as compilation theses, a text-genre derived from the natural sciences. New challenges may arise when a genre model is adopted from another field, something that is rarely discussed explicitly. This article is directed at supervisors and doctoral students, and addresses some of the challenges that can arise when the article-based thesis model is used in the social sciences and humanities. Three approaches to addressing these challenges are presented: a holistic view, coherence and anchoring. They are discussed as possible tools to utilize in supervision and writing, for a smoother process and better final product

Tackling the Trickle: Ensuring Sustainable Water Management in the Arab Region

Abstract Water scarcity in the Arab region is intensifying due to population growth, economic development, and the impacts of climate change. It is manifested in groundwater depletion, freshwater ecosystem degradation, deteriorating water quality, low levels of water storage per capita, and added pressures on transboundary water resources. High‐income Arab countries have sought to circumvent the ever‐present challenges of water scarcity through agricultural imports (virtual water trade), desalination, and, increasingly, wastewater reuse. In this review article, we argue that the narrative of water scarcity and supply‐side technological fixes masks more systemic issues that threaten sustainable water management, including underperforming water utilities, protracted armed conflict and displacement, agricultural policies aimed at self‐sufficiency, evolving food consumption behaviors, the future of energy markets, and educational policy. Water management challenges, particularly on the demand side, and responses in the Arab region cannot be understood in isolation from these broader regional and international political and socioeconomic trends. Recognizing the complex and interdependent challenges of water management is the first step in reforming approaches and shifting to more sustainable development outcomes and stability in the Arab region and beyond

Water for energy and food: A system modelling approach for Blue Nile river basin

© 2017 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The world is facing a more water constrained future as a result of urbanisation, population growth, industrialisation and the emergence of climate change. This has direct impacts on the resilience and performance of the energy and food industries, as water plays a key role in electricity generation processes and agriculture production. Water, energy and food dependencies are more evident in transboundary river basins where several countries share the same source of water for irrigation demand and energy production. From the perspective of the upstream users, it would be ideal to store the water for hydropower generation and the agriculture sector while protecting the environment, whereas the downstream users need the supply of water for their agricultural growth and municipal requirements. We aim to develop a system thinking study by focusing on the transboundary Blue Nile River basin where the Ethiopian government investment in the Grand Renaissance dam has led to opposition by downstream users due to potential reduction of water resource availability downstream. We propose a system thinking approach for analysing different water management practices that considers all the available resources and the requirements set by all the users. To simulate this interaction, we use system dynamics to model the linkage between food production, water abstraction and energy generation. We link the simulation model to an optimisation engine to achieve effective management of the reservoir’s operation. The study provides a platform to investigate how the reservoir operating policies can improve an understanding of the value of water in its alternative uses, and shows how different optimal reservoir release rules generate different optimal solutions inherently involved in upstream and downstream users’ requirements. The proposed methodology is an attempt to enable Nile riparian countries to make more informed decisions on water resources policy and management

Elever med hörselnedsättning och övergången mellan skola och arbetsliv : En kvalitativ forskningsstudie kring studie- och yrkesvägledarens roll

Studien behandlar studie- och yrkesvägledning till elever på Riksgymnasiet för döva och hörselskadade, där elevgruppen med hörselnedsättning studeras. Ungas övergångar från gymnasiet är extra komplex för denna grupp och de riskerar i större omfattning att hamna i arbetslöshet och utanförskap i samhället. Syftet med studien var att belysa hur studie- och yrkesvägledning kan arbeta med stöd i deras karriärutveckling och förklara hur vägledningsprocessen ser ut och på vilket sätt studie- och yrkesvägledning kan stärka eleverna individuellt. Detta gjordes genom kvalitativa intervjuer av studie- och yrkesvägledare som arbetade/har arbetat på Riksgymnasiet för döva och hörselskadade. Studiens resultat visade att elevernas hörselnedsättning har betydelse inför kommande studie- och arbetsliv. Kunskapsbrist och lågt själförtroende var vanligt förekommande hos denna elevgrupp. Samtliga studie- och yrkesvägledare arbetade extra stödjande och samverkade med andra aktörer för att visa på alternativa karriärvägar. Slutsatsen blev att elever med hörselnedsättning ges omfattande stödinsatser och mer tid för enskilda vägledningssamtal. Detta bidrar till elevernas process och förberedelser inför studie- och arbetsliv

The affordance of visual tools: The potential of visual representations of pricing facilitating an epistemic practice in economics teaching

Purpose: This paper results from an intervention study focusing on the relationship between visual representation used in teaching about pricing in economics and teaching-learning practices established in the classroom, with a focus on the affordance offered through the representations used.  Method: Lessons were conducted with four upper secondary classes: two had lessons based on graphs and two on a causal loop diagram. Transcriptions of the lesson, including small group discussions, were analysed using a practice theory perspective, identifying actions and goals driving them. Results arising from the two representations were compared.  Findings: Different actions were mediated through the different representations. A causal loop diagram afforded more qualified actions, and more epistemic teaching-learning practices, than graphs.  Research limitations/implications: This study should be replicated with different subject contents /visual representations.  Practical implications: Choice of visual tools used in teaching will affect the practice established and thus the knowledge made available for students to experience.