Vocational Didactics: Mapping the Terrain in Swedish Upper Secondary Vocational Education and Training

Purpose: The article focuses on the contribution of didactics and didactic theory as a distinct strand in research on vocational education and training (VET). Empirical research is reviewed to further explore what characterizes vocational didactics in the Swedish context of Upper Secondary VET.  Approach: Semi-structured and flexible review methodology was used to identify didactic research and map its emergent features. An analytic framework was constructed for this purpose and used iteratively throughout the review process. The framework expresses the constitutive simultaneous interdependence of the relationships A-B-C. They refer to A) the ways of how the actors engage with the content as meaning and matter or relationship between the actors and the content, B) the relationship between the actors and the method through interaction with the content, and C) relationship between the methods embedded in work tasks and school assignments and how they underpin the content. A total of 26 sources was identified and thematized as school-based vocational didactics, collaborative vocational didactics, and work-based vocational didactics.  Findings: Four distinct features of vocational didactics in Upper Secondary Vocational Education and Training (USVET) are outlined: 1) Diversification of the use of simulation as a method in school-based education pointing to vocational knowledge and skills 2) broadening of instruction (and reflection) as a method by inclusion of several parties (e.g., supervisors, workplace staff, instructors-practitioners), 3) work tasks as a method pointing to vocational knowledge and skills as content, 4) interaction between several parties using verbal and non-verbal means. Despite a growing interest in the importance of work tasks in their dual affordance of meaning and matter, few sources deal with students' learning processes in alignment with the logic of the production of goods and services.  Conclusion: The analytic framework we have put forth strengthens the conceptual boundaries of vocational didactics from a point of view of profession-related learning objectives (content), actors, and methods involved. Applying the didactic theories to review empirical research on VET strengthens the integrity of vocational didactics as a particular field.

Vocational didactics: mapping the terrain in Swedish upper secondary vocational education and training

Purpose: The article focuses on the contribution of didactics and didactic theory as a distinct strand in research on vocational education and training (VET). Empirical research is reviewed to further explore what characterizes vocational didactics in the Swedish context of Upper Secondary VET. Approach: Semi-structured and flexible review methodology was used to identify didactic research and map its emergent features. An analytic framework was constructed for this purpose and used iteratively throughout the review process. The framework expresses the constitutive simultaneous interdependence of the relationships A-B-C. They refer to A) the ways of how the actors engage with the content as meaning and matter or relationship between the actors and the content, B) the relationship between the actors and the method through interaction with the content, and C) relationship between the methods embedded in work tasks and school assignments and how they underpin the content. A total of 26 sources was identified and thematized as school-based vocational didactics, collaborative vocational didactics, and work-based vocational didactics. Findings: Four distinct features of vocational didactics in Upper Secondary Vocational Education and Training (USVET) are outlined: 1) Diversification of the use of simulation as a method in school-based education pointing to vocational knowledge and skills 2) broadening of instruction (and reflection) as a method by inclusion of several parties (e.g., supervisors, workplace staff, instructors-practitioners), 3) work tasks as a method pointing to vocational knowledge and skills as content, 4) interaction between several parties using verbal and non-verbal means. Despite a growing interest in the importance of work tasks in their dual affordance of meaning and matter, few sources deal with students\u27 learning processes in alignment with the logic of the production of goods and services. Conclusion: The analytic framework we have put forth strengthens the conceptual boundaries of vocational didactics from a point of view of profession-related learning objectives (content), actors, and methods involved. Applying the didactic theories to review empirical research on VET strengthens the integrity of vocational didactics as a particular field. (DIPF/Orig.

The One Stop Shop to Open Access Journals - DOAJ

The initiative to start the project Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) was taken in 2002 at the first Nordic Conference on Scholarly Communication (NCSC). The idea was to develop a one stop shop service which made it easier for libraries and aggregators to integrate OA-journals data in their services, for OA-publishers to get their journals visible and for readers to find OA-material. Initially Open Society Institute and SPARC funded the project which was launched in 2003 containing around 300 journals

El personaje femenino de la novela indigenista

The indigenista novel is a realistic novel with a strongly ideological character that was developed primarily in the Andean countries (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador) during the first half of the 20th century with the purpose of making the reader aware of the living conditions of the indigenous Native American population. The overall aim of this study was to investigate the female characters in five of the works that have had the most influence on the development of the indigenista novel: Aves sin nido (1889) by Clorinda Matto de Turner, Raza de bronce (1918) by Alcides Arguedas, Huasipungo (1934) by Jorge Icaza, El mundo es ancho y ajeno (1941) by Ciro Alegría, and Los ríos profundos (1958) by José María Arguedas. The representations of and the roles played by the female characters in the five novels were systematically studied, individually and in comparison to each other. The purpose was to investigate whether the female characters function primarily as representatives of a certain ideological point of view and, thus, are to be regarded as stereotypes, or if they are complex characters. Moreover, their role in the novels was studied from the perspective of Mikhail Bakhtin’s notion of “the destruction of the idyll”. The study found that the female characters play an inconspicuous part in Raza de bronce, Huasipungo and El mundo es ancho y ajeno. Contrastingly, in Aves sin nido and Los ríos profundos, there are several female characters who play a more prominent part. Nevertheless, in all of the works studied, the female characters were found to function more as types than as fully developed characters. A recurring motif in the novels of the study is the subjection of the indigenous female characters to violence or sexual abuse by a white landowner and his henchmen, or by a family member. The analysis found that there is a recurring type of female character in the novels: the female victim. The female victim of the works studied is normally of indigenous origin. The study also found that the indigenous female characters are portrayed differently than other female characters. They are consistently presented as the type of character that this study has termed “idyllic”, the most prominent traits of which are simplicity, naturalness, and the possession of a strong bond to family and home. In contrast, the creole women and mestizas are often part of the modern sphere. The female character of the idyllic type plays a symbolic part in the novels, as the guardian of the survival of the family and the traditional society. When this figure becomes subject to different kinds of abuse, it is not only the individual character who comes under attack but also everything that she symbolizes, which, in the indigenista novel, is contrasted with the modern capitalist society

Patienters erfarenheter av delaktighet och information vid mötet med en distriktssköterska på vårdcentral

Bakgrund: Tidigare studier visade att patienter uttryckte att de inte gjordes delaktiga i beslut kring sin omvårdnad. De menade även att information i samband med vård var otillräcklig samt att kvinnor ansåg sig vara delaktiga i större grad än män, liksom patienter på mindre vårdcentraler. Personcentrerat förhållningssätt sågs vara i linje med distriktssköterskornas riktlinjer att patienter ska göras delaktiga i beslut kring sin vård och informationsgivandet. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka patienters erfarenheter av delaktighet och information vid mötet med distriktssköterska på vårdcentral och göra jämförelser mellan män och kvinnor, större och mindre vårdcentraler. Metod: 186 enkäter ingick i undersökningen. Både statistisk analys och manifest innehållsanalys användes. Resultat: Resultatet visade att majoriteten av patienternas erfarenheter av delaktighet och information var goda. Inga signifikanta skillnader mellan de olika grupperna hittades. Slutsats: Eftersom ingen generalisering kunde göras av aktuell studie ger den heller inga kliniska implikationer

Difference is Power : Virtuell handledningsmodell för professionella som jobbar med närståendevårdare till barn med funktionsnedsättning

Detta examensarbete är utvecklat som stöd för professionella i deras samarbete med personer som fungerar som närståendevårdare för barn under skolåldern med funktionsnedsättning. Examensarbetet är en del av projektet E-clubbing som pågått under tiden 2016–2017. Målet för E-clubbing är att minska känslan av utanförskap som familjerna kan uppleva. Kamratstöd är en väsentlig faktor för att förstärka familjernas resurser, vilket framgår i examensarbetet. Syftet med examensarbetet är att familjer med barn med funktionsnedsättning från olika håll i Svenskfinland skall hitta varandra, ta del av varandras erfarenheter och stöda varandra i vardagen. Arbetets frågeställningar är: Vilka är utmaningarna med att handleda närståendevårdare till barn under skolåldern med funktionsnedsättning på distans? Vad behöver den professionella för att kunna handleda närståendevårdare till barn under skolåldern med funktionsnedsättning virtuellt? Metoden som används i arbetet är tjänstedesign. Syftet med tjänstedesign är att skapa värde för klienten med hjälp av nya tjänster eller genom att utveckla redan existerande tjänster. Utgående från litteraturen har målgruppens vardag diskuterats och de redan existerande stödformerna har redogjorts. För att svara på frågeställningarna utreds utmaningarna med virtuell handledning på distans. Tekniska utmaningar, gruppkonstellationer samt handledarens kunskaper är faktorer som skiljer virtuell handledning på distans från fysisk handledning. Resultatet av examensarbetet är en checklista som professionella kan använda sig av vid uppstarten av e-klubbar. Checklistan är skapad så att den ska vara enkel att ha som grund och lätt att förstå för den professionella. Den består av tre delar: planering, utförande och utvärdering.Tämä opinnäytetyö on suunnattu omaishoitajien kanssa työskenteleville ammattilaisille. Kyseessä olevat omaishoitajat työskentelevät alle kouluikäisten toimintarajoitteisten lasten hoitajina. Opinnäytetyö on osa E-clubbing-projektia, joka on ollut käynnissä ajalla 2016-2017. Tavoite e-kerhojen järjestämiselle on vähentää perheiden kokemaa ulkopuolisuuden tunnetta. Vertaistuki on avainasemassa perheiden resurssien vahvistamisessa, ja tätä korostetaan myös opinnäytetyössä. Opinnäytetyön tarkoitus on, että perheet eri suomenruotsalaisilta alueilta, joilla on toimintarajoitteisia lapsia, löytäisivät toisensa, jakaisivat kokemuksia sekä tukisivat toisiaan arjessa. Opinnäytetyön kysymysasettelut ovat: Mitä haasteita etäohjaus sisältää ohjattaessa omaishoitajia, jotka hoitavat alle kouluikäisiä toimintarajoitteisia lapsia? Mitä ammattilaiset tarvitsevat pystyäkseen ohjaamaan virtuaalisesti omaishoitajia, jotka hoitavat alle kouluikäisiä toimintarajoitteisia lapsia? Menetelmänä opinnäytetyössä käytetään palvelumuotoilua. Palvelumuotoilun tarkoitus on luoda arvoa asiakkaalle suunnittelemalla uusia palveluita tai kehittämällä jo olemassa olevia palveluita. Kirjallisuuden yleiskatsauksen myötä kuvaillaan toissijaisen kohderyhmän arkea sekä jo olemassa olevia tukimuotoja. Jotta kysymysasetteluihin voidaan vastata, on virtuaalisen ohjauksen haasteita selvitetty. Tekniset ongelmat, erilaiset ryhmät ja ohjaajan taidot eriävät virtuaalisen ja perinteisen ohjauksen välillä. Opinnäytetyön tulos on niin sanottu tarkistuslista (eng. checklist), jota ammattilaiset voivat käyttää järjestäessään e-kerhoja. Tarkistuslista on kehitetty käytettäväksi apuvälineenä e-kerhoa perustettaessa. Se koostuu kolmesta osasta: suunnittelu, toteutus ja arviointi.This bachelor’s thesis is addressed to the professionals that are working with caregivers for under school-aged children with learning disabilities. This thesis is a part of the project E-clubbing that has taken place in 2016-2017, in Novia University of Applied Sciences. The main goal with e-clubbing is to reduce the feeling of alienation that different target groups might experience. Peer support is an important factor for strengthening the family’s resources, which is highlighted in this thesis. The purpose of the bachelor’s thesis is that families with children with learning disabilities from different parts of the Swedish-speaking region of Finland are able to find each other, take part in each other’s experiences and support each other in their everyday life. The questions at issue are: Which types of challenges come with tutoring caregivers for under school-aged children with learning disabilities, when it is done remotely? What does the professionals need for virtually tutoring caregivers for children under school age with learning disabilities? The method used in this bachelor’s thesis is service design. The purpose of service design is to create value for the clients with help of new services or through development of already existing services. The target groups have been discussed based on literature reviews and already existing forms of support have been reviewed. To present the answers to our questions at issue, the challenges that comes with virtual tutoring remotely have been investigated. Technical difficulties, group constellations and the knowledge of the tutor are factors that separate virtual tutoring from physical tutoring. The product is a checklist that the professionals can use as a guideline when starting e-clubs. The checklist is designed to be easily used and understood by a professional starting an e-club. It consists of three parts: planning, execution and evaluation

Purification and characterization of two protein kinases acting on the aquaporin SoPIP2;1

AbstractAquaporins are water channel proteins that facilitate the movement of water and other small solutes across biological membranes. Plants usually have large aquaporin families, providing them with many ways to regulate the water transport. Some aquaporins are regulated post-translationally by phosphorylation. We have previously shown that the water channel activity of SoPIP2;1, an aquaporin in the plasma membrane of spinach leaves, was enhanced by phosphorylation at Ser115 and Ser274. These two serine residues are highly conserved in all plasma membrane aquaporins of the PIP2 subgroup. In this study we have purified and characterized two protein kinases phosphorylating Ser115 and Ser274 in SoPIP2;1. By anion exchange chromatography, the Ser115 kinase was purified from the soluble protein fraction isolated from spinach leaves. The Ca2+-dependent Ser274 kinase was purified by peptide affinity chromatography using plasma membranes isolated from spinach leaves. When characterized, the Ser115 kinase was Mg2+-dependent, Ca2+-independent and had a pH-optimum at 6.5. In accordance with previous studies using the oocyte expression system, site-directed mutagenesis and kinase and phosphatase inhibitors, the phosphorylation of Ser274, but not of Ser115, was increased in the presence of phosphatase inhibitors while kinase inhibitors decreased the phosphorylation of both Ser274 and Ser115. The molecular weight of the Ser274 kinase was approximately 50 kDa. The identification and characterization of these two protein kinases is an important step towards elucidating the signal transduction pathway for gating of the aquaporin SoPIP2;1

The Scandinavian Sarcoma Group Central Register : 6,000 patients after 25 years of monitoring of referral and treatment of extremity and trunk wall soft-tissue sarcoma

Purpose - We wanted to examine the potential of the Scandinavian Sarcoma Group (SSG) Central Register, and evaluate referral and treatment practice for soft-tissue sarcomas in the extremities and trunk wall (STS) in the Nordic countries. Background - Based on incidence rates from the literature, 8,150 (7,000-9,300) cases of STS of the extremity and trunk wall should have been diagnosed in Norway, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden from 1987 through 2011. The SSG Register has 6,027 cases registered from this period, with 5,837 having complete registration of key variables. 10 centers have been reporting to the Register. The 5 centers that consistently report treat approximately 90% of the cases in their respective regions. The remaining centers have reported all the patients who were treated during certain time periods, but not for the entire 25-year period. Results - 59% of patients were referred to a sarcoma center untouched, i.e. before any attempt at open biopsy. There was an improvement from 52% during the first 5 years to 70% during the last 5 years. 50% had wide or better margins at surgery. Wide margins are now achieved less often than 20 years ago, in parallel with an increase in the use of radiotherapy. For the centers that consistently report, 97% of surviving patients are followed for more than 4 years. Metastasis-free survival (MFS) increased from 67% to 73% during the 25-year period. Interpretation - The Register is considered to be representative of extremity and trunk wall sarcoma disease in the population of Scandinavia, treated at the reporting centers. There were no clinically significant differences in treatment results at these centers.Peer reviewe

Grains - a major source of sustainable protein for health

Cereal grains are the main dietary source of energy, carbohydrates, and plant proteins world-wide. Currently, only 41% of grains are used for human consumption, and up to 35% are used for animal feed. Cereals have been overlooked as a source of environmentally sustainable and healthy plant proteins and could play a major role in transitioning towards a more sustainable food system for healthy diets. Cereal plant proteins are of good nutritional quality, but lysine is often the limiting amino acid. When consumed as whole grains, cereals provide health-protecting components such as dietary fiber and phytochemicals. Shifting grain use from feed to traditional foods and conceptually new foods and ingredients could improve protein security and alleviate climate change. Rapid development of new grain-based food ingredients and use of grains in new food contexts, such as dairy replacements and meat analogues, could accelerate the transition. This review discusses recent developments and outlines future perspectives for cereal grain use