Informationskompetens – generella färdigheter för fördjupat lärande

Förmågan att effektivt utnyttja och kritiskt förhålla sig till olika informationsresurser – ”information literacy” eller informationskompetens – är en central färdighet i det moderna samhället. Det utgör också en allt viktigare del av lärandet i högre utbildning. Syftet med detta paper är tvåfaldigt: 1) att problematisera relationen mellan informationskompetens som en generell färdighet och mer specifika ämnesorienterade kunskaper och färdigheter; 2) ge exempel på och utveckla redskap för lärare att på ett ämnesmässigt integrerat sätt arbeta med, utveckla och examinera studenternas informationskompetens. Ett huvudspår i framställningen är att synliggöra hur träningen i informationskompetens kan stimulera och hjälpa studenterna till fördjupade ämneskunskaper

Stadsodling som verktyg för social hållbarhet : En fallstudie över pallkrageodlingar i Gävle

Urbaniseringen världen över ökar och allt fler människor flyttar in till städerna. Samtidigt ökar också kraven på att tillgodose alla dessa människor behov. Hållbar utveckling består av tre dimensioner: ekonomisk, ekologisk och social hållbarhet (WCED, 1987). Social hållbarhet handlar om social jämlikhet och innefattar bland annat begreppen socialt kapital och social sammanhållning (Dempsey et al., 2009). I denna uppsats undersöks det om stadsodling kan fungera som ett verktyg för att uppnå social hållbarhet i städer. En fallstudie utfördes i Gävle där fyra pallkrageodlingsprojekt undersöktes genom en kombination av olika metoder: intervjuer, enkäter och observationsanalyser. Resultatet visar att stadsodling är ett verktyg för att skapa nya kontakter och integration mellan olika människor men resultatet visar också att det är svårt att påvisa positiva effekter på miljön runt odlingarna samt om odlingarna kan bidra till att en ökad känsla av stolthet för sitt bostadsområde. En annan effekt av stadsodling är den ekologiska dimensionen, en stor andel av odlarna anser att den viktigaste drivkraften till att odla är att kunna odla egna giftfria råvaror och att kunna bidra till biologisk mångfald i urban miljö. Resultatet visar även att de vanligaste negativa effekterna av stadsodling är stöld och vandalisering av odlingarna. För att uppnå social hållbarhet i städer verkar stadsodling kunna fungera som ett bra verktyg.Urbanisation around the world is increasing as more and more people move into cities. This trend is magnified by increasing demands requirements for people living in cities. Sustainable development consists of three dimensions: the economic, the ecological, and the social (WCED, 1987). Social sustainability is about social equity and includes the concepts of social capital and social cohesion. In this thesis, urban gardening is investigated as a tool for increasing social sustainability in cities. The case study focusses on different urban gardening projects that used pallet boxes in Gävle. A combination of different methods was used: interviews, surveys, and observation analysis. The results from all the methods shows that urban gardening is a good way to create new contacts and integrate different people. The results also show however that it is difficult to demonstrate positive environmental effects and if the results of gardening can contribute to an increased sense of pride and sense of place. Another effect of urban gardening is the ecological dimension, a large proportion the partipicants said that their main motivation was to grow poison-free, raw product and to contribute to biodiversity in the urban environment. The results also show that the most common negative aspect of urban cultivation are theft and vandalization. Urban gardening seems to be an effective tool for improving social sustainability in cities

Home for unaccompanied refugee children : A working sociolgical study

The purpose of this study is to examine how the work with young people at home to care and accommodation (HVB) are organized in a municipality outside Karlstad and how the staff perceive emotions in the workplace. The issues that are discussed are based on the concepts of social ties, emotional labor, roles, shame and pride. The number of people who are fleeing in the world is today about 51 million. There has not been this high since World War II. The Swedish Migration Board calculated that about 7,000 of these people were unaccompanied children and came to Sweden in 2014. Since 2005, there has been a high increase of young people who have been in institutions and one reason of that is the number of unaccompanied children. To find out where, when and how relationships are created on the HVB are issues that I have chosen for my study. Relationships are established through the energy-creating rituals between people and is a process that requires a shared sense that is developing between them. The staff has many different parts to consider in the process of creating a relationship with the youth. These young people may initially not know the language, they have no parents in Sweden and they are seeking for protection. The results show that two of the interviewees think that they deliberately are changing their attitudes at work compare to at home while the other two, feel that they can be themselves. The roles that the interviewees are experiencing at the workplace with the children are being a friend, sister, and mother. In the analysis, I have come to the conclusion that social ties towards young people and staff are created, but not as much as it could be. For rituals to happened and social ties to be created, there must be at least two people. A lot of staff time is administrative tasks and sleeping jour. In the conclusion, I carry a discussion of whether these HVB act as a home for the youth or not. Finally, there is a reflection on my own research and a perspective of new studies. Keywords: HVB, relationships, roles, social ties, shame and pride.Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur arbetet kring ungdomarna på hem för vård- och boende (HVB) är organiserat i en kommun utanför Karlstad och hur personalen upplever emotioner i arbetslivet. De frågor som diskuteras utgår från begrepp som sociala band, emotionellt arbete, roller, skam och stolthet. Antalet människor som är på flykt i världen uppgår till ca 51 miljoner. Det har inte varit så högt sedan andra världskriget. Av dessa beräknar Migrationsverket att ca 7000 ensamkommande barn ska komma till Sverige under 2014. Sedan 2005 har en kraftig ökning skett av ungdomar som blivit institutionsplacerade och en orsak till det är de ensamkommande barnen. Var, när och hur skapas relationer på de HVB som jag har valt för min studie? Relationer sker genom de energiskapande ritualer som upprättas mellan människor. Det är en process som kräver att en gemensam känsla utvecklas mellan dem. Personalen har många olika delar att förhålla sig till i relationen till ungdomarna. Ungdomarna kan från början inte språket, de har inga föräldrar i Sverige och de söker skydd. Resultatet visar att två av intervjupersonerna anser att de medvetet ändrar förhållningssätt på arbetet medan de andra två tycker att de kan vara sig själva. De roller som intervjupersonerna säger sig inta i arbetslivet är kompis, syster och mamma. I analysen har jag kommit fram till att det skapas sociala band gentemot ungdomar och kolleger men inte i så stor utsträckning som det individuellt skulle kunna finnas möjlighet till. För att ritualer ska uppstå och sociala band skapas måste man vara minst två personer. Mycket av personalens arbetstid är administrativt och sovande jour. I slutsatsen för jag en diskussion om huruvida dessa HVB fungerar som ett hem. Tillsist görs en reflektion kring den egna forskningen och perspektivet på nya studier. Nyckelord: HVB, relationer, roller, sociala band, skam och stolthet

Kosta vad det kosta vill - perfekt ska det va! -En kvalitativ studie av gymnasieelevers upplevelser av perfektionism

The purpose of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of upper secondary school's own experiences of how high degree of perfectionism is affecting their mental health. Selection of informants took place with surveys, where their degree of perfectionism was estimated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight high school students studying in academic preparatory programs. The collected data was analyzed with thematic analysis, with twelve themes chosen. A considerable finding is that the collected self-estimates showed a major deviation from the norm-population, where the high school students in this study estimated significantly higher than the US comparative population regarding perfectionism. Another conclusion is the importance of social factors for the origin and maintenance of perfectionism. Several informants with high degree of perfectionism expressed strong experiences of negative affect related to achievement and failure. Informants also had difficulty with personal boundaries, which led to neglect of basic needs. Cultural differences were seen to play a role in relation to perfectionism. In relation to results and conclusions, implications for future research were discussed

Development of the urban and industrial symbiosis in western Mälardalen

From a product service systems business model development perspective, this paper presents a case study of Västra Mälardalens industrial symbiosis, its maturity level and potentials for further development. The status and potentials of the symbiosis network, based on a survey, interviews and workshops, together with background statistics, is used to evaluate the potential improvement areas and suggest future research. The study contributes with application of evaluation models and confirms earlier research and in addition suggests future research in the field. The Symbiosis network has potential to be acting as innovation catalyst supporting companies to go beyond core business development.10th CIRP Conference on Industrial Product-Service Systems, IPS2 2018, 29-31 May 2018, Linköping, Sweden</p

HSV underkänner bra utbildningar

Sedan något år tillbaka utvärderar Högskoleverket svenska högskoleutbildningar med ett nytt utvärderingssystem. Vi är mycket kritiska till systemet framför allt för att det på otillräckligt underlag underkänner även bra utbildningar. En av konsekvenserna är att svensk högre utbildning oförtjänt nedvärderas i europeisk jämförelse. De utbildningar som på allvar antagit utmaningen att förbereda studenter för arbetslivets krav, för en framtida forskarbana, eller som har stora tvärvetenskapliga inslag, löper stor risk att på felaktig grund stämplas som undermåliga. De riskerar att förlora sina studenter och läggas ner. Det nya systemet har kritiserats hårt, senast av det europeiska samarbetsorganet för kvalitet i högre utbildning (ENQA) som nyligen beslutade att Sverige inte längre uppfyller kraven för medlemskap. Trots kritiken hävdar både Högskoleverket och Utbildningsdepartementet att systemet fungerar bra

Postoperative morbidity and health-related quality of life in children with delayed reconstruction of esophageal atresia : a nationwide Swedish study

Background In 10–15% of children with esophageal atresia (EA) delayed reconstruction of esophageal atresia (DREA) is necessary due to long-gap EA and/or prematurity/low birth weight. They represent a patient subgroup with high risk of complications. We aimed to evaluate postoperative morbidity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a Swedish national cohort of children with DREA. Methods Postoperative morbidity, age-specific generic HRQOL (PedsQL™ 4.0) and condition-specific HRQOL (The EA-QOL questionnaires) in children with DREA were compared with children with EA who had primary anastomosis (PA). Factors associated with the DREA group’s HRQOL scores were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U-test and Spearman’s rho. Clinical data was extracted from the medical records. Significance level was p &lt; 0.05. Results Thirty-four out of 45 families of children with DREA were included and 30 returned the questionnaires(n = 8 children aged 2–7 years; n = 22 children aged 8–18 years). Compared to children with PA(42 children aged 2–7 years; 64 children aged 8–18 years), there were no significant differences in most early postoperative complications. At follow-up, symptom prevalence in children aged 2–7 with DREA ranged from 37.5% (heartburn) to 75% (cough). Further digestive and respiratory symptoms were present in ≥ 50%. In children aged 8–18, it ranged from 14.3% (vomiting) to 40.9% (cough), with other digestive and airway symptoms present in 19.0–27.3%. Except for chest tightness (2–7 years), there were no significant differences in symptom prevalence between children with DREA and PA, nor between their generic or condition-specific HRQOL scores (p &gt; 0.05). More children with DREA underwent esophageal dilatations (both age groups), gastrostomy feeding (2–7 years), and antireflux treatment (8–18 years), p &lt; 0.05. Days to hospital discharge after EA repair and a number of associated anomalies showed a strong negative correlation with HRQOL scores (2–7 years). Presence of cough, airway infection, swallowing difficulties and heartburn were associated with lower HRQOL scores (8–18 years), p &lt; 0.05. Conclusions Although children with DREA need more treatments, they are not a risk group for postoperative morbidity and impaired HRQOL compared with children with PA. However, those with a long initial hospital stay, several associated anomalies and digestive or respiratory symptoms risk worse HRQOL. This is important information for clinical practice, families and patient stakeholders

Prevalence of mental health problems, associated factors, and health-related quality of life in children with long-gap esophageal atresia in Sweden

Background: Children with long-gap esophageal atresia (LGEA) face a high risk of digestive and respiratory morbidity, but their mental health outcomes have not been investigated. We aimed to identify the prevalence of mental health problems in children with LGEA, associated factors and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods: Twenty-six children with LGEA aged 3–17 were recruited nationwide in Sweden. One of their parents and adolescents aged 11–17 completed information on the child's mental health (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire), generic (PedsQL 4.0) and condition-specific HRQOL (EA-QOL). Parents gave information on current child symptomatology. Mental health level was determined using validated norms; abnormal≥90 percentile/borderline≥80 percentile/normal. Elevated levels were considered borderline/abnormal. Data were analyzed using descriptives, correlation and Mann-Whitney-U test. Significance level was p < 0.05. Results: Twelve children with LGEA aged 3–17 (46%) had elevated scores of ≥1 mental health domain in parent-reports, whereas 2 adolescents (15%) in self-reports. In parent-reports, 31% of the children had elevated levels of peer relationship problems, with associated factors being child sex male (p = 0.037), airway infections (p = 0.002) and disturbed night sleep (p = 0.025). Similarly, 31% showed elevated levels of hyperactivity/inattention, and associated factors were male sex (p = 0.005), asthma (p = 0.028) and disturbed night sleep (p = 0.036). Elevated levels of emotional symptoms, seen in 20%, were related to swallowing difficulties (p = 0.038) and vomiting problems (p = 0.045). Mental health problems correlated negatively with many HRQOL domains (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Children with LGEA risk mental health difficulties according to parent-reports, especially peer relationship problems and hyperactivity/inattention, with main risk factors being male sex, airway problems and sleep disturbances. This should be considered in follow-up care and research, particularly since their mental health problems may impair HRQOL. Levels of evidence: Prognosis study, LEVEL II

Brain age prediction reveals aberrant brain white matter in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A multi-sample diffusion tensor imaging study

Background Schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) share substantial neurodevelopmental components affecting brain maturation and architecture. This necessitates a dynamic lifespan perspective in which brain aberrations are inferred from deviations from expected lifespan trajectories. We applied machine learning to diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indices of white matter structure and organization to estimate and compare brain age between patients with SZ, patients with BD, and healthy control (HC) subjects across 10 cohorts. Methods We trained 6 cross-validated models using different combinations of DTI data from 927 HC subjects (18–94 years of age) and applied the models to the test sets including 648 patients with SZ (18–66 years of age), 185 patients with BD (18–64 years of age), and 990 HC subjects (17–68 years of age), estimating the brain age for each participant. Group differences were assessed using linear models, accounting for age, sex, and scanner. A meta-analytic framework was applied to assess the heterogeneity and generalizability of the results. Results Tenfold cross-validation revealed high accuracy for all models. Compared with HC subjects, the model including all feature sets significantly overestimated the age of patients with SZ (Cohen’s d = −0.29) and patients with BD (Cohen’s d = 0.18), with similar effects for the other models. The meta-analysis converged on the same findings. Fractional anisotropy–based models showed larger group differences than the models based on other DTI-derived metrics. Conclusions Brain age prediction based on DTI provides informative and robust proxies for brain white matter integrity. Our results further suggest that white matter aberrations in SZ and BD primarily consist of anatomically distributed deviations from expected lifespan trajectories that generalize across cohorts and scanners