Examensarbeten för masterexamen // Master Theses
Länka till denna samling:
Browse
Browsar Examensarbeten för masterexamen // Master Theses efter Program "Learning and leadership (MPLOL), MSc"
Visar 1 - 17 av 17
Sökresultat per sida
Sortera efter
- PostCharacterization of challenging tasks intended for gifted students and what is needed for teachers to provide them(2023) Ekstrand, Emilia; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Bengmark, Samuel; Mattson, LindaEnrichment tasks are often used to stimulate gifted students in school, who most of the time receive too little challenge in their classrooms. These challenging tasks could possibly encourage students to show gifted behavior. To investigate if this is the case, a framework was constructed to determine what stimulates gifted behavior, to analyze if challenging tasks successfully stimulate gifted behavior. In addition, it is known that the reason students often do not receive enough challenge in school is due to teachers not having sufficient time to spare. Therefore, the needs of teachers are also investigated in relation to supporting gifted students. Both perspectives are investigated through semi-structured interviews with upper secondary school teachers in Sweden, all of which had tested at least one challenging task in their classroom prior to the interview. Content analysis was used to analyze these interviews, and was performed twice: Once to analyze if the tasks stimulate gifted behavior, and once to analyze the needs of teachers. It was found that challenging tasks can stimulate gifted behavior, and all tested tasks do so in different ways, however they do not always stimulate all aspects of gifted behavior at the same time. Teachers confirm that they are short on time, and therefore wish for ways to quickly find tasks that are appropriate for these students. The most important thing was being able to find them based on course and subject area. In addition, teachers value student hints being coupled together with the tasks, as well as clear proposed solutions. Lastly, it may be important to have a variety of difficulties of tasks to be able to meet the needs of different students, such as underperforming and high achieving gifted students.
- PostDifficulties in mathematics among students with Swedish as a second language: Teachers‘ views on difficulties, causes, and measures in mathematics in Swedish lower secondary school, with a focus on students with Swedish as their second language(2022) Hanoun Santana, Daniella; Törnqvist, Johanna; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Arfs, MonaIn the media, news has highlighted that Sweden has performed worse in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) over the years compared to other countries. Statistics of Sweden’s results of mathematics in PISA and National Tests show that students with a language other than Swedish as their mother tongue generally perform with a lower result compared to the students with Swedish as their mother tongue. The study aims to investigate the understanding of mathematics among students with Swedish as a second language who study mathematics with Swedish as the language of instruction. The chosen method for this study is qualitative interviews, including seven respondents teaching mathematics at five Swedish lower secondary schools. Via the insight of the teachers’ perspective, this study answers the following questions; What specific difficulties do students with Swedish as a second language encounter in mathematics teaching? What factors contribute to the difficulties in mathematics learning that students with Swedish as a second language encounter? How do mathematics teachers in lower secondary schools work to make it easier for students with Swedish as a second language who have difficulties? The study is based on the sociocultural perspective which implies that students learn through interaction with each other so that learning takes place in social contexts. language comprehension; problem-solving tasks, mathematical concepts, reasoning, and This study shows that students with Swedish as a second language (SVA) encounter difficulties connected to communication. The causes of these difficulties according to the respondents are language comprehension, cultural differences, prior knowledge, and poor study technique. Common measures to facilitate the SVA students’ learning in mathematics are interaction, support in the mother tongue, image support, paying attention to the student’s culture, and increasing reading comprehension. These results are relevant for mathematics teachers who teach SVA students. By understanding the basic problem of the difficulties, teachers can take the right action and thus provide an equivalent education.
- PostEnvironmental Impact of Food with an Interactive Data Visualization Exhibit: A study of Universeum’s visitors’ perceptions and experienced learning when using visualization exhibits about sustainable food consumption(2022) Liderfors, Malou; Lövgren, Sandra; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Pareto, LenaThe climate is changing, and many commitments must be made to slow down that change. However, many people seem to not know how big the environmental impacts of food are, and what environmentally-friendly food is. At the same time, the visu- alization of data is becoming a popular tool for educating people. The science center Universeum in Gothenburg has opened a new public visualization exhibition called Vislab, focusing on sustainable development and what impact different choices have on our planet. This study is based on a climate-smart visualization exhibit about food consumption at Vislab, and aims to investigate the role a visualization exhibit can play in educating the public about different foods’ environmental impact. Many participants believed locally produced food to be environmentally friendly, and seemed to know how to reduce their environmental impact from food con- sumption but choose not to. 47.1 % of the participants appeared to have problems interpreting the data visualizations, with no significant differences between genders, ages, or educational backgrounds. The males were significantly better at choos- ing environmentally friendly food than the females were, but no similar differences were found between participants of different ages or educational backgrounds. Most participants seemed to learn about specific food items’ environmental impact and 19.6 % commented on how they should change their diet, indicating deeper learn- ing. These findings support the idea of visualization being suitable for educating people regardless of their background about climate change, but it is important to continuously identify and correct eventual deceptive features which can jeopardize the exhibit’s purpose.
- PostFactors influencing whether students choose STEM high school programs: a quantitative study of a selection of factors(2023) Marcus, Landahl; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Johansson, AndersIn this study, several factors that may influence a student's choice of pursuing a STEM high school program was studied. The factors studied are some of those identified and studied in previous research in this field. A survey was conducted with students in grade 9 in five different schools. The data collected was analysed and statistical methods were applied to find possible correlations and effect sizes. The results showed that parental educational background could not be shown to have a statistically significant effect. Self-efficacy was found to be the strongest influence in terms of difference in means and effect size. Other factors that were studied and found to be significant were gender, interest in STEM subjects in school as well as other STEM topics, attitude towards STEM education and science & technology in society and lastly a student's future desired profession.
- PostHow do organizations evaluate their training in 2022? Studying the prevalence of Kirkpatricks four levels of training evaluation(2022) Ahlkvist, Jack; Larsson, David; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Philip, Gerlee; O'Conell, MichaelLearning technology has been on the rise in recent years, a rise that was further accelerated by the covid-19 pandemic. This has lead to unprecedented growth of educational technology companies who focus on digital learning solutions. Imple- menting digital learning in an effective way is no trivial task and the need to evaluate training programs to find out what does and does not work is imperative. A popular model for evaluating training is presented by Kirkpatrick. With his model as a base, this thesis investigates to what extent learning professionals actually evaluate their training programs. Knowly is one of many companies focused on helping other organizations with struc- turing their digital training programs by using their platform. By analyzing course data from the Knowly platform, the goal is to find out if there are factors that affect the habits of evaluation in courses. Studies investigating evaluation habits of learning professional are a limited quantity and most studies that exist are based on surveys rather than analyzing individual courses which gives this thesis a unique approach. The results mainly confirms that customer satisfaction is the most com- mon way of evaluating training and that usage the Knowly platform did not seem to impact the likelihood of evaluating training programs. The results suggest that further research into the motivation behind evaluating training is needed.
- PostInfusing entrepreneurship in engineering education: Perceptions across campus(2017) Palmquist, Elina; Toivonen, Sofia; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Chalmers University of Technology / Department of Mathematical SciencesThe number of educational change processes aiming to infuse entrepreneurship in engineering education is increasing. Since these initiatives are a relatively new trend, it is interesting and necessary to understand different perceptions of entrepreneurship, especially among the central participants of the educational process. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to, through a qualitative method, investigate the existing perceptions of entrepreneurship as well as of entrepreneurship in engineering education among teachers and students from the bachelor programmes Bioengineering and Engineering Mathematics at Chalmers University of Technology. Eight semistructured interviews - four with teachers and four with students - were conducted and analysed using an inductive thematic approach. On the basis of these interviews, four different themes emerged: 1) entrepreneurship is associated with traits ascribed to a certain type of personality, 2) entrepreneurship is associated with the initial phase of starting up businesses, 3) entrepreneurship is associated with process management, and 4) entrepreneurship and basic research are perceived as hard to unify. The ability to learn how to become more entrepreneurial within the existing engineering education appears to depend on one’s view of entrepreneurship. The most decisive factor for this is the perceived attainability of one’s own image of the entrepreneur. Additionally, teachers and students do not seem to have a very clear image of how entrepreneurship is learnt, independent of one’s view of entrepreneurship. All in all, there exists a lot of different - and sometimes strong - perceptions of entrepreneurship and what entrepreneurship in engineering education is or could be. These perceptions will unavoidably influence the initiatives of infusing entrepreneurship in engineering education. In order to fully understand the preconditions for such educational change processes, these perceptions are an important factor to consider.
- PostInternal education in the chemical industry, with a focus on legal compliance and active learning - the case of INEOS Inovyn(2023) Svenungsson, Frida; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Svanström, MagdalenaEducation is a broad concept, that is used in all different organizations, in different forms. It is not only an important and effective tool to use when introducing new employees, but is also demanded for certain processes or tasks. These demands are mentioned in different legal requirements, which not least affect chemical industries, whose operations involve many risks and therefore high safety requirements. The aim of this study was to the investigate the chemical company INEOS Inovyn’s education, from two perspectives. The first perspective concerns the company’s compliance with legal requirements, that belong to their Environment, Work En- vironment and Process Security departments, specifically within their education. The second perspective instead concerns the company’s internal education. The internal education was examined to investigate their use of the learning method called active learning, to provide the company with suggestions for improvements. These improvements will regard both legal compliance and the use of active learning. In order to conduct the study, necessary methods were developed to investigate the compliance with the law and the use of active learning. These methods were also developed with the aim of making the research usable for future, similar studies. The study resulted in a number of legal requirements having a certain or complete lack of legal compliance, within the company’s educational courses. Success factors for compliance with legal requirements were identified, both based on the text and structure of the legal requirements and perceived importance of the requirements within the company. In the investigation of the use of active learning, the results showed that the use of active learning was relatively low and could be developed to make learning processes more efficient. The conclusions of this study include, among other things, a few suggestions that could lead to a higher level of legal compliance. For example, to use more consistent references to the requirements in the company’s educational material to ensure that all requirements are complied with. Further, the study identified a need for the use of active learning to a greater extent. Other active elements, or a higher frequency of the elements that are already used, could lead to more effective education and an increased learning at the company.
- PostLearning in visualization exhibits :The general public’s learning about space through visual data exploration in science museums(2022) Petterson, Isak; Söderberg, Maria; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Pareto, LenaDigital visualization tools are entering the arena of educating the general public in museums. The science museum Universeum in Gothenburg has utilized this technology in building a visualization lab with the aim of accelerating learning. This thesis examines one exhibit in the visualization lab which concerns space-data- exploration. The questions examined are the following: Do learning take place when visitors explore this exhibit? And in that case: How does that learning take place? To examine learning, visitors’ conversations are studied in a field experiment, during their exploration of the exhibit. The conversations are recorded and analysed according to what type of talk visitors use and what subject content it concerns. The results show that on average 72% of visitors’ talk at the exhibit concern learning, spanning the range of 40–90% between visitors. There is however a moderate amount of talk regarding confusion over the interface, especially among those visitors with a smaller percentage of learning talk, which raises concerns about how visitors would interact with the system when unsupervised. Thus the first conclusion of the study is that learning do take place, but to a varying degree. The second conclusion is that learning in the exhibit may be described as mainly consisting of answering and asking questions, connecting new information to pre- vious knowledge and interacting with the visual information of the exhibit. The most common subject content that the learning concern are the planets in our solar system and the universe as a whole, which may be seen to be content that are both familiar and intriguing.
- PostLesson Design and Evaluation of Programming in Mathematics Education: A Study of Experiences and Opinions about Using Programming for Teaching Integral Concepts in a High School Setting(2022) Ericson, Vidar; Jaweer, Mohammad Fuad; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Imberg, HenrikProgramming has been known to be an effective tool for mathematical problem solving since the advent of computers and programming. Dramatic developments in digital technology and computers as well as the fourth industrial revolution has led to a demand for employees with increased digital competence across varying fields, which has prompted educational institutions to adapt. Consequently, many countries in the EU were motivated to start using programming in mathematics teaching and therefore there is a need to know how programming can become an efficient part of mathematics education. This study investigates how programming can be integrated in mathematics to teach concepts of integrals. It was implemented by creating, conducting and evaluating two lessons where programming was used as a means for teaching students about two aspects of integrals, namely the fundamental theorem of calculus, and solids of revolution. Data was gathered through a survey among participating students and interviews with both students and teachers in conjunction with the eleven lessons that were held. It was found that in this context, programming can be valuable by deepening understanding and facilitating work while challenges arise in the form of increased cognitive load, unclear purpose and varying knowledge. Previous experience of programming correlated with finding the code easy to use and the programming enjoying, as well as a small positive correlation with learning something that would have been harder without programming.
- PostMovements and behaviors in exhibition spaces: an exploratory case study in a science center(2023) Hilda, Alfredsson; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Philip, Gerlee; Lena, ParetoScience centers are informal learning environments where the visitors are in charge of their own learning process. This makes exhibition design a complex task that requires knowledge of what attracts visitors to interact with exhibits (and thereby, learn). From previous studies it is known that exhibition design may affect both movement and attention among visitors. However, little is known when it comes to the design of contemporary exhibitions in science centers.This exploratory case study, conducted at the mathematical exhibition Mathrix at Universeum in Gothenburg, aims at improving the understanding of what affects visitors’ movements and behaviors in an interactive exhibition. Based on the three perspectives; design, use and theory, the correlation between the visitors’ actual behavior and the exhibition design intentions were examined at both a structural level (layout and composition of exhibits) and an object level (exhibit design). To retrieve data of the visitors ́movements, interactions and exhibit attractiveness, field observations were performed at the exhibition and the visitors were asked to fill out a questionnaire. Thereafter, interviews were conducted with the designers in order to understand their intentions with the exhibition space at both a structural and an object level. The user and design perspectives were then analyzed inductively, with inspiration from the grounded theory method, in order to search for themes and patterns regarding the visitors ́ movements and behaviors. The result from the inductive analysis was then compared with a spatial analysis (Space Syntax) at a structural level and with theories of attention and motivation at an object level. The case study shows that exhibition design is a complex process, with difficulties to predict attraction to specific exhibits. The study also shows that it is not possible to rely solely on theoretical models. Visitors’ decisions to interact with exhibits are influenced by the exhibition design at a structural level but also by several factors related to personal, social and physical aspects. These aspects may be more or less conscious. A three layered model, with personal, social and physical aspects, is formulated in the study (based on the empirical data and motivated by existing theories). The model may be a helpful tool in order to understand these three aspects. It may be used both for evaluation of existing designs but also as a design tool during a creative process. By combining theoretical prediction models such as Space Syntax with the three layered model exhibition, designers can get a better understanding of visitors movements and behaviors.
- PostOperator Training in Virtual Reality(2023) Gästrin, Jacob; Winald, Alexander; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Braun, GretaA new industry in battery manufacturing is rapidly growing. The demand for people to join these workforces is huge. For the companies to have a qualified workforce the employees have to get training before starting their new work. In this thesis a study has been conducted to find out how the training of operators is conducted today and what difficulties are existing. A theoretical study has also been conducted on how virtual reality could be used in training these operators. The aim of the study is to give suggestions on how virtual reality can be used in an effective way during the training. To help doing this challenges in the education and training as well as advantages and disadvantages were identified. A literature study was conducted as well as a interview study with people in the industry and people in some way involved or previously involved in the training. Through the literature study an overview of virtual reality was obtained while the interview study provided the necessary information about the training. From the interviews four themes was identified. These were Education/training, difficulties, needs and virtual reality. The conclusion was that virtual reality could be a good complement to the existing training and not a substitute. It could be a good option for operators to get hours into practical training. It could also provide an understanding of safety by letting them experience consequences of their actions. Apart from giving the operators more experience and knowledge it could as well be economically beneficial with less material waste.
- PostOptimizing onboarding: strategies for integrating new engineers(2023) Elvira, Arnstrand; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Stöhr, Christian; O'Connell, MichaelWe can all recognize the situation of being new at a job, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. The onboarding process of a new hire can either be well-managed and a quick way to achieve employee contribution, or an inefficient and costly entry. Many engineers enter organizations without the experience to locate their technical knowledge. This often results in anxiety and uncertainty regarding their roles, tasks, and carer prospects. Onboarding has shown to be a critical factor for organizational commitment, long-term performance, job satisfaction, and intentions to remain. Therefore, this case study aims to identify different key factors for a successful onboarding process for new engineers. The research was set out to answer how their current onboarding process was organized, any issues that arose, and possible actions that could be implemented to improve their onboarding and make it more customized after each department and role. The study was conducted by qualitative semi-structured interviews with managers and new engineers in three technology departments in a refinery based in Swe- den. By comparing a theoretical framework of organizational socialization with the manager’s and the employees’ ideas, several recommendations were presented. The results showed that the department that had the biggest need of improvement also had the most individual approach, where a mix of institutional and individual tactics seemed to be the most effective way to onboard new engineers. The two information types and adjustment indicators that seemed to be the most important during this study were referent information (role clarity) and relational information (social acceptance). Social aspects and relationship-building were considered to be extra important where the most satisfying learning experience came from forming a mentoring relationship. In addition to this, a customized and role-specific education plan for onboarding was designed to clarify what knowledge is required for different facilities at the refinery. This was also showed to increase the use of institutional tactics and strengthen the role clarity.
- PostOvercoming obstacles when integrating ICT in STEM teaching for disadvantaged children(2023) William, Blomström; Jonatan, Holmström; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Philip, Gerlee; Samuel, BengmarkIn many places in the world, poverty is still widespread, and access to technol- ogy is low. One part of poverty reduction could be to increase ICT literacy in disadvantaged communities. This study aims to identify obstacles to integrating ICT in the form of computers in STEM teaching with children from disadvantaged communities, and to examine the effects an experience with a computer-integrated lesson can have on teachers’ behavioural intention. This was done by conducting semi-structured interviews with teachers at a school in South Africa, and by con- ducting computer-integrated lessons which the teachers observed. The findings were used together with a framework called the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to explain behaviour, and thereby identify obstacles. The results showed that resources and knowledge were the major obstacles to computer integration. The effects of an experience with a computer-integrated lesson were that performance expectancy increased, effort expectancy decreased, and that the teachers reported an increase in intention to incorporate computers more in their teaching. The study concludes that facilitating conditions such as resources and knowledge is an obstacle, and that an experience can have a significant positive effect on teachers’ intentions. An effective method for increasing computer usage in STEM teaching could there- fore be short continuing education for the teachers, as well as providing schools with the necessary resources.
- PostPerceived effects of supplementary training: a phenomenographic study of math teachers' ongoing development(2017) Wilsson, Robin; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Chalmers University of Technology / Department of Mathematical SciencesThis phenomenographic study entitled “Perceived Effects of Supplementary Training – A Phenomenographic Study of Math Teacher’s Ongoing Development” presents the results of a survey taken by 189 math teachers regarding the perceived impact their supplementary training has had on the quality of their teaching. Five of these teachers were interviewed to provide in-depth data. The author, Robin Wilsson, is a student at the Master Program “Learning and leadership” at the department of Mathematical Sciences at Chalmers University of Technology. The survey contained questions about the types of supplementary training the teachers had participated in, and what their thoughts were on this. Matematiklyftet, a type of supplementary training developed by Skolverket, is of special importance because it aims at involving every math teacher in Sweden. A description of the phenomenographic approach is provided, and this method is used to evaluate the data from two survey questions. The semi-structured interviews are aimed at furthering the data gained from the survey by getting the personal views of teachers. The main conclusion is that Matematiklyftet was well received by the teachers involved in the study, and that supplementary training using similar methods should be implemented. Other conclusions include the fact that few of the teachers regard their official supplementary training as being effective, and that they wish to find new ways of teaching without using a text book.
- PostRoadmap for Sustainable Development: A Guide for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Gothenburg Region(2022) Hurtig, Matilda; Moradi, Taghi; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Gerlee, Philip; Örtengren, RolandIn order for companies to keep their customers and stay in business they need to start working towards sustainable development. This project aims to find out what companies are doing today and where they need help. Thereafter, the goal is to create a roadmap that is flexible enough so that it can be applied to all manufacturing SME - small and medium-sized enterprises in the Gothenburg region. After interviewing 15 manufacturing SME in Gothenburg the first issue was an- swered. There is a need and an interest for a sustainability roadmap. The inter- viewed SME are at different stages and need to develop their own goals that are suitable for their operation. In order for the goals to be reached employees need to be involved in setting the goals. Apart from setting 3-5 sustainability goals at a time a suggestion board is recommended where employees can make sustainability suggestions that are not necessarily connected to the current goals. A roadmap consisting of seven steps was developed. The steps are: Introduction, sustainability analysis, essentiality table, goal setting, implementation, goal activi- ties and evaluation. All employees are actively involved in three of the steps and their input is taken into consideration in the remaining steps. A sustainability group or the management team carry out the other four steps, these steps involve answering yes or no questions, specifying goals and presenting them to the employees.
- PostThe effects of ICT-based teaching in mathematics Measuring the effects of ICT-based teaching in the mathematical areas of linear equations and probability(2022) Seif, Sharif; Jonathan, Andersson; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Philip, Gerlee; Ola, HeleniusThe purpose of this study is to examine the effects dynamic mathematics software has on understanding linear functions and theory of probability. The study was limited to investigating GeoGebra’s efficacy on the aforementioned mathematical topics. Linear functions and probability present great difficulty for students and educators alike. Two different classes, named 21B (n = 31) and 21C (n = 31) both studying their first year in the Swedish upper secondary school constituted the examined groups. Class 21B formed the experimental group during the teaching of linear functions and class 21C constituted the control group. When investigating probability the control group and experimental group were switched, making 21C the experimental group and 21B the control group during the second half of the study. Their pre-existing knowledge was measured to be able to compare the end- results fairly and it showed no significant different in level of knowledge before the study. Data on the students’ performances were collected by using achievement tests at the end of each lesson and their ordinary final exam was used as an after-test to measure the long term knowledge. The results of this study show GeoGebra having no significant effect on students’ understanding of neither linear functions or theory of probability when first being introduced to it.
- PostValue Creation Pedagogy in high-school STEM: Action Research on mission design for student motivation(2022) Söderberg, Erik; Chalmers tekniska högskola / Institutionen för matematiska vetenskaper; Philip, Gerlee; Martin, Lackéus