Background: Support from staff plays an important role in quality of life for people with intellectual disability. This study focuses on service users' views of Active Support as good support and whether Active Support increases the quality of everyday support in group homes. Method: Nine service users were interviewed at baseline and at follow-up…

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has become a policy priority in many countries. A growing body of research recognises that it provides a wide range of benefits, including social and economic benefits, better child well-being and learning outcomes as a foundation for lifelong learning, more equitable outcomes and reduction of poverty, and…

One prerequisite for effective institutional care is that staff agree on how to deliver treatment and have a unified view of how to achieve change--in other words, to have staff group unanimity (SGU). This study used the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory (CPAI) 2000, interviews with key staff, and observations of daily activities to…

Juveniles in institutional treatment lack the skills to cope with societal expectations, rules, and moral values. If not prevented by staff, bonds are established with other deviant youth and the placement serves as a perfect "school of crime." This article aims to explore staff strategies to prevent negative peer cultures, as well as…

During a number of years Swedish municipalities have work with improvement of competence and long-term quality in elderly care. The overall aim of the present study was to compare different learning activities (workplace improvement and/or courses), and to relate these activities to learning climate, learning strategies, and perception of care…

Purpose: The overall aim of the present study was to investigate the learning climate and work group skills perceived by managers and their subordinates in the municipal elderly care, prior to a development project. The specific research questions were: Are managers' and their subordinates' perceptions of the learning climate related? and Does the…

A case study focusing on learning outcomes from a web-based course and integration of new knowledge into work practices at the County Administration of Sweden is analysed. The study has a process-orientated longitudinal character combining different methodological approaches. The current work situation of the workers was studied using interviews.…

Small businesses implementing ISO 14001 standards worked with a university to develop a learning network. The network served as a source of inspiration and reflection as well as a sounding board. It enabled small enterprises to act collectively, compensating for individual lack of resources. (SK)

This study investigates the leadership strategies of successful principals. Previous research has indicated that principals who are successful engage in multiple practices to meet the needs of changing educational settings. For example, the "International Successful School Principal Project" (ISSPP) identified a core set of basic…

Approaches to the economics of training and personnel development are reviewed, and results from an empirical survey of 450 Swedish training managers are summarized with regard to competence as a production factor. Preconditions for an economics of competence include a long-range perspective and combining qualitative and quantitative variables.…

In 1984, the Swedish National Board of Education inaugurated a major research program on decentralized school administration. The research undertaken at the University of Lund focused upon regional and local school administration: county education committee, local education authority, local education office, and head teachers. Results are…

This paper reports on a study designed to increase the psychological and educational knowledge of day care staff and develop content and methods appropriate for toddlers in day care settings. Preschool teachers and nursery nurses in three day care centers participated. They were interviewed at the beginning of the study, and 19 months later at the…

A summary of the findings and recommendations of the Swedish Government's Committee on Linguistic Minorities among Children of Preschool Age is provided in this report. The first six chapters supply background material. Chapter 1 describes the target group and its estimated size, and suggests new definitions for use in native language backing…

The Lerum Competence Development Project seeks to develop a model for educator inservice training to improve the quality of day care. Lerum is a small community outside Goteborg, Sweden, with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The expansion of childcare provision within the community necessitates support of the teachers because of economic and…

Sweden had, according to data gathered between 1986 and 1988, 8.4 million inhabitants, with a labor force of 4.4 million people. Its unemployment level was less than 2 percent. The level of educational investment was 7.5 percent of the gross national product (GNP), with 10.5 percent of the investment in adult education. Adult education in Sweden…