Game-based Learning Within the English Classroom: The Perceptions of Teachers at Norwegian Schools

Denne masteroppgaven omhandler Norske læreres syn på bruken av videospill i Engelsk undervisning. Ved bruk av kvalitative intervju om metode, er følgende problemstilling er satt for oppgaven: «Hvilke oppfatninger gir Norske lærere uttrykk for ved pedagogisk bruk av videospill i det engelske klasserom?» Tre engelsklærere fra tre forskjellige norske skoler ble intervjuet for å svare på denne problemstillingen. For at funnene i oppgaven skal kunne generaliseres, var det ingen krav at utvalget hadde tidligere kunnskap eller erfaring med videospill for læring. Ved dette ønsker oppgaven å kunne gi et representativt og upartisk innblikk i hvilken tilnærming norske lærere har til videospill i skolen. Videospill har blitt en dominerende kraft innen ungdomskultur. De fleste unge i dag spiller videospill regelmessig, og dette har hatt en innvirkning på deres engelsk ferdigheter. Siden interaksjonen ved videospill er overveldende på engelsk, er barn og unge i dag eksponert for store mengder av implisitt språk læring. Dette har ført til mye diskusjon rundt bruken av videospill for læring. Funnene fra oppgaven viser til at norske lærere er positive til at videospill kan brukes i klasserommet. Lærerne oppgir at det er en tydelig sammenheng mellom videospill og engelskkompetanse, og at videospill for læring kan føre til økt motivasjon hos elever. Selv om Kahoot! er regelmessig brukt i klasserommet, føler mange lærere at de mangler kunnskapen til å bruke kommersielle videospill i deres undervisning. Mye viser til at norske lærere trenger mer opplæring ved bruk av kommersielle videospill i skolen.This thesis seeks to explore Norwegian teachers' views on the use of videogames for English teaching. By using qualitative interviews as the research method, the thesis will answer the following research question: “What views do Norwegian teachers express about the pedagogical applications of videogames within the English classroom?” Three English teachers from three different Norwegian schools were interviewed to answer this research question. To ensure that the findings from the thesis are generalizable, there were no requirement for the selection to have previous knowledge or experience with game-based learning. This may allow the thesis to provide representative and unbiased insight into the attitudes Norwegian teachers express on the use of videogames in the classroom. Videogames have become prominent in teenage culture. Most young people today play videogames regularly, and this has had a clear impact on their English language skills. Since playing a videogame occurs overwhelmingly in the English language, pupils today are exposed to large amounts of implicit language learning. This has led to much discussion around the use of game-based learning. The findings from the thesis suggest that Norwegian teachers display positive attitudes towards game-based learning. The teachers express that there is a clear connection between videogames and English language competence, and that game-based learning may lead to increased motivation among pupils. Although Kahoot! is regularly used in the classroom, many teachers feel that they lack the knowledge on how to use commercial videogames in their lessons. This suggests that Norwegian teachers require more education on game-based learning

Building Dynamic Capabilities in Web Startups: An Empirical Study of Norwegian Web Startups

Purpose: This thesis explores how web startups operating in a crowded, fast-moving and highly competitive marketplace can gain competitive advantage through building dynamic capabilities and what these capabilities consist of. Design/methodology/approach: Firstly, insight was obtained through reviewing key themes within classic resource based theory and entrepreneurship theory. Newer empirical research on entrepreneurial success factors, as well as popular science and advice given by expert web entrepreneurs was then reviewed. Combining this, a framework of dynamic capabilities in web startups was synthesized. Qualitative empirical data was collected from interviewing founders and key people in four active Norwegian web startups. From the empirical findings in these interviews, the synthesized framework was iterated to account for important factors that were found to apply specifically for web startups. Lastly, a set of propositions was derived from the combination of the synthesized framework and the empirical findings.Findings: It was found that many of the contributions both from established contributors, newer contributors and popular science build on the same principles, albeit with a different degree of practical versus theoretical approach. By bridging different literature and approaches, this thesis contributes to clarify many of the invented terms found in the literature and operationalize them in practice for what they actually mean for web startups, and much of this is probably applicable for startups in general. From the empirical data it was found that web startups have important differences from other types of companies and startups. This was e.g. planning on very short time spans (most planned on a weekly basis or shorter), the ability of employees to do work outside of their expertise areas and the ability to learn or acquire new skills fast according to continuously changing market needs.Research limitations/implications: The propositions have both empirical and theoretical backing, but the empirical backing is limited to four cases, all in Norway. It would be useful to test the propositions on larger sample sizes, and preferably also to include cases from other contexts and cultures than Norway.Practical implications: Entrepreneurs in web startups should focus on building a great team and company culture. Policy makers should consider introducing programmin

Bioenergetics of egg production in Northeast Atlantic mackerel changes the perception of fecundity type and annual trends in spawning stock biomass

Egg surveys are used worldwide for the estimation of spawning stock biomass (SSB) of small pelagic fish species, requiring detailed knowledge about their reproductive biology. In the present study, we revisit the current conceptual framework of teleost fecundity types using Northeast Atlantic (NEA) mackerel (Scomber scombrus) as case study due to conflicting views across different assessment methods. We hypothesized that the herein presented unique time series on protein and lipid content for this stock would help in resolving the long-lasting, intrinsic fecundity type problem. First, we document that the body surplus energy has varied substantially over time, with a significant drop to historically low levels following a stock increase from 2005 to 2015. This fluctuating pattern is in stark contrast to the stable relative fecundity (oocyte g−1 females) measured in connection with the egg surveys. Second, we show that the feeding levels are at the highest during the spawning season. These findings are consistent with an indeterminate fecundity type as opposed to the presently accepted determinate-type classification dating back to the 1990s. Furthermore, we quantify the batch fecundity and find it to be largely constant. Hence, the main reproductive output regulator that is driven by the bioenergetic status should therefore be the number of batches shed. Based on this novel framework for an indeterminate spawner, we provide alternative estimates of relative realized fecundity, which significantly change the egg survey-based SSB indices, reduces the contrast to the other data sources in the mackerel stock assessment (1990–2019), improves the assessment model fit and reduces the uncertainty of the stock size estimate. The presented algorithms and lines of thinking are applicable to other teleosts and may improve the precision and accuracy of the estimation in cases where the annual egg production method is used to assess stock size