Instructional support in Norwegian classrooms: A multi-method and multi-informant approach

Background: Instructional support has previously been found to be of great importance for students’ learning, engagement, achievement, and development. Similarly, the concept of instructional support has consistently been shown to be of lower quality compared with its counterparts: emotional support and classroom organization. Accordingly, this thesis attempts to elaborate on instructional support in Norwegian classrooms through a multi-informant perspective, including external observers, teachers, and students, and provide insight into specific teacher and student factors that may affect the quality of instructional support. Aims: The main aim of the current thesis was to gain more knowledge on instructional support in Norwegian classrooms by including classroom observations and teacher and student reports. The first study aimed to address patterns of teachers’ instructional support quality and its association with teachers’ job satisfaction and collegial collaboration. By employing both observations and teacher reports, the study complement the understanding of instructional support quality. The second study aimed to investigate students’ classroom level reports of instructional support and the association between external observers’ perceptions of instructional support compared with students’ perceptions. Moreover, it investigated students’ reports of off-task behavior and the association with their reports of instructional support at the student level. By including external observers and student reports of instructional support, this study aimed to provide new insights into the understanding of these concepts from two distinct perspectives. The third study aimed to examine instructional support and its association with students’ emotional and behavioral engagement. Additionally, it was investigated whether instructional support and student engagement differed between girls and boys and whether teachers’ work experience and job satisfaction accounted for variance in students’ engagement. By investigating instructional support from two perspectives—classroom observations and students’ reports—the study offer valuable knowledge to understand the association between instructional support and student engagement. Methods: A multi-method design with a quantitative approach using systematic classroom observations and survey data from teachers and students were included. A total of 81 teachers and 1306 students from 5th to 10th grade were part of the classroom observations and responded to surveys. The teachers and students came from 15 different schools across three counties in Norway. Including instructional support from the perspectives of external observers, teachers, and students allowed for complex statistical analyses to answer the research questions and hypotheses. Study I had a person-centered approach to the data, applying latent profile analysis to investigate patterns of teachers’ instructional support quality based on external observers and teachers’ reports of instructional support. Additionally, by applying multivariate analysis of variance, how teachers’ reports on their job satisfaction and collegial collaboration associated with their distinct instructional support profiles was examined. Studies II and III were variable-centered studies. In Study II, multilevel structural equation modeling was applied to investigate the associations between observers’ and students’ reports of instructional support at the classroom level and whether students’ off-task behavior was related to instructional support at the student level. In Study III, cross-classified multilevel modeling was applied to investigate the association of observed and student-reported instructional support with student engagement, student gender differences in these associations, and the impact of teachers’ work experience and job satisfaction. In addition, control variables relevant to the individual student were included, that is, gender, grade level, and SES in Study II and grade level and SES in Study III. Results: Study I found that the sample of Norwegian teachers could be grouped into five distinct profiles based on reports from external were characterized as confident, low-quality, less confident, high-quality, and low analysis and inquiry (AI) and instructional dialogue (ID). The results also indicated that the teachers belonging to the low-quality profile were less satisfied with their job compared with the teachers in the high-quality and low AI and ID profiles. The results in Study II implied that at the classroom level, there was a total effect from observed to student-reported instructional support in the spring but not in the fall. This indicates that there is a correspondence between how observers and students report instructional support at the classroom level. Moreover, students’ off-task behavior was negatively associated with student-reported instructional support at the student level in both fall and spring but with stronger associations in the fall. This result implies that the more off-task behavior the students reported, the less instructional support they also reported. The findings in Study III indicated that observed instructional support was significantly associated with students’ emotional engagement, whereas student-reported instructional support was significantly associated with both emotional and behavioral engagement. These results imply that, in classrooms where the teachers were observed to provide high-quality instructional support and/or when students reported high instructional support, students also tended to report high emotional engagement and both high emotional and behavioral engagement, respectively. Additionally, girls seemed to benefit more from high-quality observed instructional support regarding students’ emotional engagement than boys. Teachers’ job satisfaction accounted for variance in students’ emotional engagement, implying that, in classrooms where the teacher is satisfied with the job, the students are more emotionally engaged. Conclusion: The current thesis contributes new knowledge regarding instructional support from the perspectives of external observers, teachers, and students in the Norwegian school context. The findings from the three studies indicate a variation in the quality of teachers’ instructional support provided to students. Moreover, students reporting off-task behavior reported less instructional support than their peers, and the higher the observed and student-reported instructional support, the more engagement students reported

The incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus in the UK, 1999–2012

Objectives: To estimate the incidence and prevalence of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the UK over the period 1999–2012. Methods: A retrospective cohort study using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The incidence was calculated per 100 000 person-years and the prevalence was calculated per 100 000 people for the period 1999–2012 and stratified by year, age group, gender, region and ethnicity. Three definitions of SLE were explored: (1) systemic lupus, (2) a fully comprehensive definition of lupus including cutaneous only lupus and (3) requiring supporting evidence of SLE in the medical record. Results: Using our primary definition of SLE, the incidence during the study period was 4.91/100 000 person-years (95% CI 4.73 to 5.09), with an annual 1.8% decline (p<0.001). In contrast, the prevalence increased from 64.99/100 000 in 1999 (95% CI 62.04 to 67.93) (0.065%) to 97.04/100 000 in 2012 (95% CI 94.18 to 99.90) (0.097%). SLE was six times more common in women. The peak age of incidence was 50–59 years. There was regional variation in both incidence and prevalence. People of Black Caribbean ethnicity had the highest incidence and prevalence. Alternative definitions of SLE increased (definition 2) or decreased (definition 3) estimates of incidence and prevalence, but similar trends were found. Conclusions: The incidence of SLE has been declining but the prevalence has been increasing in the UK in recent years. Age, gender, region and ethnicity are risk factors for SLE. This is the first study to report ethnic differences on the incidence and prevalence of SLE using the CPRD

Eiendomsrettens utstrekning i undergrunnen; Når utgjør et tiltak i det offentliges interesse et inngrep i grunneiers eiendomsrett?

MasteroppgaveJUS399MAJUR-2MAJU

Myke brudd : endring og kontinuitet i bedehusmiljøet på Finnøy

Oppgaven handler om bedehuskulturen på Finnøy, som ligger på vestlandet i Norge. På denne øya er det ingen pub eller pizzasjappe, men derimot fem bedehus og en kirke. Vekkelseskristendommen har lenge stått sentralt på øya, og bedehusmiljøet er fortsatt sterkt. Men vekkelse har det ikke vært siden 60-tallet, og fellesskapet preges av et stadig høyere aldersgjennomsnitt. Dette er ikke unikt for bedehusmiljøet på Finnøy, men henger sammen med at bedehuskulturen i Norge har gått fra å ha hegemoni som trosform til å bli en minoritet. Mine informanter ønsker revitalisering av miljøet, og noen håper fortsatt på vekkelse. Her er et spenningsfelt preget av ambivalente følelser hvor endringer er ønskelig og kanskje nødvendig for å oppnå et større og bedre fellesskap, eller i beste fall en vekkelse, samtidig som endring er noe potensielt farlig. Det er den sosiale dynamikken mellom kontinuitet og endring denne oppgaven prøver å fange inn. Som bakteppe for oppgaven ligger en diskusjon av Robbins (2007) hvor han argumenterer for at kristendommen er en kultur hvor radikal endring står som den dominante verdien – gjennom Jesus korsfestelse, vekkelsene og dommedag. Denne oppgaven representerer en motvekt til og nyansering av disse argumentene, og jeg viser at vekkelseskristendommen på Finnøy i større grad er preget av gradvis endring; av myke brudd heller enn radikale. Dette kan sees i sammenheng med at kristendommen lenge har vært forankret på øya; troen er mer naturlig og selvsagt enn radikal og omveltende. Oppgaven tar for seg ulike aspekter rundt tro, og ser spenningen mellom endring og kontinuitet fra ulike vinkler. Vekkelser og emmisærene danner et historisk bilde, og det kommer frem hvordan vekkelsesidealet påvirker miljøet i dag. Gjennom å se på rituelle, kroppslige praksiser gis det et innblikk i hvordan tro introduseres og inkorporeres i kroppen fra tidlig alder, og hvordan troen bevisstgjøres og opprettholdes i voksen alder. Habitus og doxa er gjennomgående begreper her, og illustrerer dynamikken mellom endring og kontinuitet. Oppgaven tar videre for seg klassifiseringer og grenser mellom ”oss” og ”dem”, hvor oppmerksomheten rettes mot endringer, paradokser, ambivalens og kulturell renhet. Sammen gir disse aspektene innsikt og større forståelse for kristen tro slik den kommer til uttrykk på Finnøy

Teachers’ instructional support and students’ peer relationships in the classroom

The study aimed to investigate the association between teachers’ instructional support and peer relationships among Norwegian students in grades 5–10 (ages 10–15). The mediating role of student engagement was investigated. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of student behaviour on peer relationships and whether these associations were mediated by instructional support. The quality of instructional support was measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation protocol and student reports. Peer relationships were measured by self-report in the fall and the spring of an academic year. Student’s mental health problems and reactive aggressiveness were measured in the fall. The analyses were conducted within a Multilevel Structural Equation Models (MSEM) framework. The results indicated that peer relationships were stable from fall to spring at both the classroom and student levels. Observed, but not student-reported, instructional support was associated with peer relationships. Furthermore, when reactive aggressiveness and mental health problems were controlled for, students’ perceived instructional support in the fall was associated with peer relationships in the spring. The results emphasise the importance of teachers’ instructional support for the quality of peer relationships and affective and instructional aspects of teaching do not need to compete.publishedVersio

«Å bli frakoblet gjennom fødselsprosessen» - En metaetnografi om kvinners erfaringer med traumatisk fødselsopplevelse

Bakgrunn: 9,1%-45,5% av kvinner rapporterer at de opplever fødselen traumatisk. Forskning viser at fenomenet har vært kjent i flere år. Til tross for dette er det lite som tyder på at forekomsten er avtagende. Hensikt: Hensikten med studien var å undersøke kvinners erfaringer med traumatisk fødselsopplevelse med håp om å tilføre en ny vinkling. Metode: Vi utførte en metaetnografi med utgangspunkt i Noblit og Hares syv faser, en metode for syntese av kvalitative studier. Litteratursøket ble utført i seks databaser: British Nursing Index, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO og Web of Science. 12 artikler møtte inklusjons- og eksklusjonskriteriene og ble derfor inkludert i studien. Kvalitetsvurdering ble utført ved hjelp av Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Resultat: En overordnet metafor «Online --> Offline» og fire syntetiserte tema med tilhørende subtema ble identifisert: 1. Kvinners forventninger til fødselen, 2. Tap av kontroll og maktesløshet, 3. Umyndiggjørelse og 4. Kommunikasjon, informasjon og samtykke. Metaforen belyser hvordan kvinner går fra å være «påkoblet» ved fødselens start til å bli «frakoblet» i løpet av fødselsprosessen. Kvinnene var «påkoblet» da de var forberedt og hadde en realistisk oppfattelse av fødselen i forkant. Negative erfaringer bidro til at kvinnene opplevde fødselen traumatisk. En form for mestringsstrategi ble benyttet, der kvinnene «koblet seg fra» det som skjedde. Konklusjon: Funnene våre kan bidra med økt forståelse for viktigheten av forebyggende tiltak under fødselsforløpet med et mål om å redusere forekomsten av kvinner som opplever fødselen traumatisk. Nøkkelord: Traumatisk fødselsopplevelse, kvinners erfaringer, obstetrisk vold, gaslighting, kvalitativ metaetnografiBackground: 9.1% - 45.5% of women state that their experience of childbirth is traumatic. This phenomenon has, according to research, been known for several years. However, there are no signs of this occurrence declining. Purpose: The purpose of this research study was to study women´s traumatic birth experience, with the ambition to add a new perspective. Method: We conducted a meta-ethnography with the use of Noblit and Hare´s seven phases, a method of a synthesis of qualitative studies. We gathered literature by using six databases: British Nursing Index, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. 12 of the articles used in the study, met the inclusion- and exclusion criteria, and were therefore included in this study. Quality assessments was conducted by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Results: A superior metaphor «Online --> Offline» and four synthesized themes with sub-themes was identified during the research study. The themes that were identified are: 1. Women´s expectations of childbirth, 2. Loss of control and powerlessness, 3. Disempowerment and 4. Communication, information and consent. The metaphor addresses how women start their birth experience by being «online», to being «offline» during the birthing process. The results shows that women were «online» when they were prepared and had a realistic perception of the birth. Negative experiences contributed to women´s traumatic birth experience. A coping strategy was used, where the women switched «offline» from what was happening. Conclusion: The findings from this research study can contribute to increased understanding of the importance of preventative measurements during the birth process, with the ambition of reducing the number of women who have traumatic birth experiences. Keywords: Traumatic birth experience, women´s experiences, obstetric violence, gaslighting, qualitative meta-ethnograph

Application for user statistics from a portfolio system

Bacheloroppgave i ingeniørfag, data. Fakultet for ingeniør- og naturvitskap/ Institutt for datateknologi, elektroteknologi og realfag/ Høgskulen på Vestlandet, campus Bergen.DAT19

Persisting mortality gap in systemic lupus erythematosus; a population-based study on juvenile- and adult-onset SLE in Norway 1999-2022

Objective: To estimate mortality and survival rates of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a contemporary, population-based setting and assess potential influences by time, sex, ethnicity, classification criteria and age at diagnosis. Methods: We assessed mortality and survival in the Nor-SLE cohort, which includes all chart-review confirmed SLE cases resident in Southeast Norway (population 2.9 million) 1999-2017. Study end was at death, emigration, or 1 October 2022. We defined juvenile SLE by age <16 years at diagnosis. For standardized mortality rate (SMR) estimates, we applied 15 population controls per case, all matched for age, sex, residency, and ethnicity. We analyzed survival by Kaplan-Meier and risk factors by cox regression. Results: The Nor-SLE cohort included 1558 SLE cases, of whom 749 were incident and met the 2019 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology and American College of Rheumatology (2019-EA) classification criteria. SMR was increased to 1.8 (95% CI 1.6-2.2) in incident adult-onset SLE but did not differ between females and males. Survival rates at 5-, 10-, 15 and 20-years were lower in incident adult-onset SLE than in matched controls. In multivariable analysis, lupus nephritis associated with decreased survival, while sex did not. Separate, long-term mortality analyses in the total Nor-SLE cohort showed that SMR peaked at 7.2 (95% CI 3.3-14) in juvenile-onset SLE (n = 93) and fell gradually by increasing age at SLE diagnosis. Conclusion: This study shows persistence of a mortality gap between adult-onset SLE and controls at population level and provides indications of worryingly high mortality in juvenile-onset SLE.publishedVersio

A randomized, phase II study of sequential belimumab and rituximab in primary Sjögren's syndrome

BACKGROUND: Primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is characterized by B cell hyperactivity and elevated B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS). Anti-BLyS treatment (e.g., belimumab) increases peripheral memory B cells; decreases naive, activated, and plasma B cell subsets; and increases stringency on B cell selection during reconstitution. Anti-CD20 therapeutics (e.g., rituximab) bind and deplete CD20-expressing B cells in circulation but are less effective in depleting tissue-resident CD20(+) B cells. Combined, these 2 mechanisms may achieve synergistic effects. METHODS: This 68-week, phase II, double-blind study (GSK study 201842) randomized 86 adult patients with active pSS to 1 of 4 arms: placebo, s.c. belimumab, i.v. rituximab, or sequential belimumab + rituximab. RESULTS: Overall, 60 patients completed treatment and follow-up until week 68. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) and drug-related AEs was similar across groups. Infections/infestations were the most common AEs, and no serious infections of special interest occurred. Near-complete depletion of minor salivary gland CD20(+) B cells and a greater and more sustained depletion of peripheral CD19(+) B cells were observed with belimumab + rituximab versus monotherapies. With belimumab + rituximab, reconstitution of peripheral B cells occurred, but it was delayed compared with rituximab. At week 68, mean (± standard error) total EULAR Sjögren’s syndrome disease activity index scores decreased from 11.0 (1.17) at baseline to 5.0 (1.27) for belimumab + rituximab and 10.4 (1.36) to 8.6 (1.57) for placebo. CONCLUSION: The safety profile of belimumab + rituximab in pSS was consistent with the monotherapies. Belimumab + rituximab induced enhanced salivary gland B cell depletion relative to the monotherapies, potentially leading to improved clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02631538. FUNDING: Funding was provided by GSK

A randomized, phase II study of sequential belimumab and rituximab in primary Sjögren's syndrome

BACKGROUND. Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is characterized by B cell hyperactivity and elevated B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS). Anti-BLyS treatment (e.g., belimumab) increases peripheral memory B cells; decreases naive, activated, and plasma B cell subsets; and increases stringency on B cell selection during reconstitution. Anti-CD20 therapeutics (e.g., rituximab) bind and deplete CD20-expressing B cells in circulation but are less effective in depleting tissue-resident CD20+ B cells. Combined, these 2 mechanisms may achieve synergistic effects. METHODS. This 68-week, phase II, double-blind study (GSK study 201842) randomized 86 adult patients with active pSS to 1 of 4 arms: placebo, s.c. belimumab, i.v. rituximab, or sequential belimumab + rituximab. RESULTS. Overall, 60 patients completed treatment and follow-up until week 68. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) and drug-related AEs was similar across groups. Infections/infestations were the most common AEs, and no serious infections of special interest occurred. Near-complete depletion of minor salivary gland CD20+ B cells and a greater and more sustained depletion of peripheral CD19+ B cells were observed with belimumab + rituximab versus monotherapies. With belimumab + rituximab, reconstitution of peripheral B cells occurred, but it was delayed compared with rituximab. At week 68, mean (± standard error) total EULAR Sjögren's syndrome disease activity index scores decreased from 11.0 (1.17) at baseline to 5.0 (1.27) for belimumab + rituximab and 10.4 (1.36) to 8.6 (1.57) for placebo. CONCLUSION. The safety profile of belimumab + rituximab in pSS was consistent with the monotherapies. Belimumab + rituximab induced enhanced salivary gland B cell depletion relative to the monotherapies, potentially leading to improved clinical outcomes