Search

• Mobile application for measurement of ergonomic exposure in the shoulder complex. • Comparison between a developed mobile application ErgoExposure and ErgoArmMeter. • Small field test during four workdays in a middle school in Sweden. • Both ErgoExposure and ErgoArmMeter were accurate and had similar results in the static and dynamic tests. • The usage of ErgoExposure was feasible in an occupational working environment. Pain in the shoulder complex affects the working population where work with elevated arms is a risk factor. The aim of the present study was to compare a mobile application for measurements of arm elevation, ErgoExposure, against an existing mobile application, ErgoArmMeter, in a laboratory setting and to test the feasibility in a field trial. Eleven persons performed three tasks in the laboratory setting: static, dynamic, and simulated work tasks, where the applications were validated against an optical tracking system (OTS). Also, ErgoExposure was tested by a teacher in a real-world situation. Limits of agreement for the static task varied between -6.1° to 4.2° (ErgoExposure) and between -7.6° to 5.2° (ErgoArmMeter). The average root mean square difference for dynamic and simulated work tasks was 3.4° (ErgoExposure) and 7.7° (ErgoArmMeter). From the field trial, different work tasks produced distinct exposure variation analysis patterns. Both apps showed similar results compared to OTS, but ErgoExposure was more accurate than ErgoArmMeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of a dynamic geometry environment, GeoGebra, in enabling grade 9 students to explore a geometrical task related to the Euler's line. The research subjects were grade 9 students in India and Sweden who had no prior experience of using dynamic geometry. Their approach to geometrical reasoning, argumentation and conjecture making has been analysed using Marton's theory of variation, Pea's theory of technology as amplifier and reorganizer and with Marrades and Gutiérrez categorization of proofs. Results indicate that when students of both countries worked on geometrical tasks in GeoGebra, they arrived at similar conclusions. For both groups of students, GeoGebra played the role of amplifier and reorganiser in enabling their explorations. Further, in some of the construction and dragging episodes it was observed that the four functions of variation, namely, contrast, generalisation, separation and fusion played a significant role in developing students' geometrical thinking. Results further indicate that the dynamic geometry environment (DGE) facilitated the making of conjectures and developing empirical proof. However, when it came to developing a deductive proof, students required adequate scaffolding. In general, it concluded that students perform adequately when given investigatory problems in such an environment. They learn new mathematics and learn to handle the DGE at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a case study of the contacts between the music sector in Sweden and the GDR in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The case is the activities of the EastGerman musicologist and music administrator Gerd Schönfelder (1936-2000) in Sweden at that time, and the debate that arose in the early 1990s when he was accused of having worked for the East German security service, Stasi. The purpose is to provide insight into how musicaesthetic and musicological aspects interacted with politics and ideology in the relations between Sweden and the GDR. In the early 1990s, the availability of material in the Stasi archive was still very limited, and so it was difficult to find out whether it was true that Schönfelder had worked for Stasi, what tasks he had received from the security service and what these tasks meant for his work with Swedish colleagues in the music field. In our article, we try to find answers to these questions by examining how Schönfelder established contact with the Swedish music sector, who were his closest partners in Sweden, and why they were of interest to him. Throughout, we explore Schönfelder's relationship to Stasi and his work as an "unofficial employee" for Stasi in Sweden. Finally, we offer a sociological perspective on Schönfelder's activities in Sweden and the GDR, using Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of field and capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to explore the intended meaning of the terms "occupation", "activity", "doing", and "task" used in international occupational therapy literature and from this perspective explore which Swedish terms best capture these meanings. A literature review of occupational therapy-related journals was performed to gain a basic understanding of the term occupation and related terms. In addition, a semantic review was used: English and Swedish dictionaries were reviewed to explore the semantic meaning of the English terms "occupation", "activity", "doing", and "task", and the Swedish terms "aktivitet", "syssla/sysselsättning", "görande", and "uppgift". A comparison was also performed by searching for parallels between the results of the literature review, the semantic definitions of the English and Swedish terms and the comprehensive meaning of the Swedish terms aktivitet and syssla/sysselsättning. An overarching idea of the concept of occupation was found in the literature review and for the purposes of this study we have identified this as Occupation for survival. From this overarching idea, three themes were identified: The feature of occupation, Impact of occupation and Occupation an occupational therapy concept. Each theme could be subdivided into sub-themes. The Swedish term aktivitet was found to have more power, strength, and spirit connected to the synonyms found in the semantic analysis than to those connected with the Swedish term syssla/sysselsättning. According to the findings in this study we found that the term "aktivitet" is the best comparable term in Swedish to the English term "occupation". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a five-year trial period without a set timetable for compulsory school education in 79 municipalities was concluded in Sweden. The overall idea of the trial was to facilitate local participation, local time governance and flexible learning. Within the pilot trial, each individual pupil's school activities were supposed to be designed to suit his/her needs, interests and prerequisites. This article examines how teachers, principals and students describe students' schoolwork as being located in the intersection between school/home, work/leisure, time/task and individual/collective spheres. Three empirical studies indicate that the essential part of new temporal habits of school concerns a reconstructed task orientation. Time has been taken into the service of tasks and clock-time is not always a taken for granted regulator in educational settings. Potential disadvantages with a more task-oriented education are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]