Skolverket (2022) emphasizes how important it is to take part of different texts that highlight human terms, identities and life issues. The purpose of this study is to understand how men and women are represented in three fiction novels that are used by active Swedish teachers in high school, and what didactic potential the novels have. In addition, the intention is to create an increased understanding among teachers of the importance of gender knowledge when reading, and the literature's possibilities to be able to challenge and meet students when reading. Hence, this study is relevant for both Swedish teachers and Swedish teaching students. Our research questions are the following: “How are men and women represented in three fiction novels that are used by active Swedish teachers in high school?” and “What didactic potential from a gender perspective can be identified in the three novels?”. The method that has been used is a qualitative thematic text analysis. Furthermore, the material has been analyzed by direct and indirect characteristics as well as didactic potential. The novels were chosen based on what novels twelve Swedish teachers usually use in their teaching. Moreover, the result of this study shows that there are stereotypical and non stereotypical structures in the fiction novels, but the importance lies in how the fiction novels are used. Nevertheless, the study shows that all novels have didactic potential, as long as you criticize, twist and turn the novels. Therefore the focus should be on how to use fiction novels in teaching.

The aim of this study is to examine the didactic potential of Susanna Alakoski’s portray of exclusion in the novel Svinalängorna, in relation to the fundamental values stated in the Swedish school curriculum. Reflections about didactic deliberations related to the novel are also included in the study. The analysis was conducted using a close reading method with elements of thematic analysis. Alkestrand’s definition of didactic potential, Stigendal’s concept of exclusion and the intersectionality theory were used in the analysis. The result of this study showed that exclusion is portrayed through three different dimensions in the novel. These dimensions are economical, linguistic and social exclusion. Svinalängorna was found to offer multiple didactic opportunities. Alakoski’s portray of exclusion stimulates reflections that contribute to the student’s critical thinking capacity as well as to their understanding of themselves and others, which is essential in the school’s work with fundamental values. However, the teacher must use deliberate teaching strategies when including Svinalängorna in educational contexts, in order to pre-empt the risks associated with problematic literature in education.

Democracy and democratic values have stagnated and are under attack. Current criticism of democracy points towards problems with efficiency, leniency towards undemocratic elements, collective problem-solving, and a suspension of the rule of law for public good. One solution to these problems could be to focus on teaching democratic values through literature in school. A suitable novel for this endeavor is the science-fiction novel Starship Troopers, written by Robert A. Heinlein in 1959, since it functions as fictional criticism and an alternative to democracy. However, most of the previous research conducted on Starship Troopers have focused on aspects regarding militarism and fascism. This research paper differs because it focuses specifically on how democracy is critiqued in the novel and how this critique could be used to teach democratic values. Teaching democratic values should be conducted since democracy and democratic values are arguably the most essential aspects of the fundamental values of the Swedish school system. Still, the relevant school policy documents do not define how these fundamental values are connected to the system of democracy and how they could be taught in a classroom. In order to fill that gap, this paper aims to use the theories and methods of didactic potential, Socratic pedagogy, and the politics of advocacy, attack, and assent to help students become more self-aware of their fundamental democratic values. The analysis demonstrates that Starship Troopers criticizes essential elements of democracy and complements those elements with its own alternative fundamental elements and values. The analysis also demonstrates how this critique can be used as a complement in a philosophical discussion that helps students become more self-aware of their fundamental democratic values.

Resumé This diploma thesis deals with the didactic potential of Roald Dahl's books and examines their possible use at primary schools. The purpose of this thesis is a deeper analysis of the two of Roald Dahl's works (Danny, the Champion of the World and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). The thesis focuses on both-the didactical and the literary theory analysis. The teaching units, which are part of the thesis, are based on the parts from the two mentioned Dahl's books. The choice of the parts and methods is didactically commented. Based on the practical credentials, the results are reflected throughout the teaching units. The work also gives information about Roald Dahl's life and contextualizes his works into his life. Last but not least, the thesis focuses on a mini-research of the amount of Dahl's texts in reading-books for the pupils of the fourth grade at primary schools.

Syftet med denna litteraturanalys är att undersöka vilken didaktisk potential det finns att använda nyskriven barn- och ungdomslitteratur som utgångspunkt i skolans värdegrundsarbete.  För att undersöka detta studeras fem utvalda mellanåldersböcker som riktar sig främst till barn i årskurs 4–6. Studien har sin utgångspunkt i att värdegrundsarbetet är en viktig del av skolans uppdrag vilket många lärare upplever som otydligt. Den motiveras med att värdegrundsarbete visat sig fungera bättre på skolor som arbetar målmedvetet och integrerar värdegrundsarbetet i undervisningen. Tidigare forskning visar att det finns didaktisk potential för alla sorters skönlitterära verk men att det behövs en medveten pedagogik för att eleverna ska kunna urskilja värdegrundsfrågor som finns i skönlitteraturen. Den visar också att värdegrundsarbete är ett problematiskt begrepp eftersom det är svårt att definiera och upplevs otydligt bland lärare. Vid analysen har samtliga fem böcker lästs i sin helhet och tolkats utifrån ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv med syfte att urskilja innehållsdelar som teman, motiv, handling och karaktärer för att se vilken didaktisk potential det finns att använda dem i undervisningen om värdegrundsfrågor. Resultatet av analysen visar att det finns en didaktisk potential för att arbeta med värdegrundsfrågor utifrån samtliga av de fem utvalda mellanåldersböckerna då alla innehåller mönster och teman som kan vara relevanta i undervisningen om grundläggande värden. En slutsats som går att dra utifrån studien och tidigare forskning är att en medveten värdepedagogik är viktig för att synliggöra den didaktiska potentialen som finns i litteraturen.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the didactic potential, and applicability of fiction in religious education. The subject I wanted to examine was J.R.R. Tolkiens The Fellowship of the Ring and whether it could be enriching for religious studies in upper secondary school, focusing on normative ethics.The study used a qualitative research method and the empirical material consisted of J.R.R. Tolkiens The Fellowship of the Ring. The book was read several times and sorted and reduced using focused coding searching for ethical dilemmas and different thematic units. The result was analyzed with the help of the high school’s curriculum, previous research, and selected theoretical concepts, normative ethics and didactic potential.The results showed that the book contained a large number of ethical dilemmas and several thematic units wich could help realize its didactic potential. The book’s usefullnes and didactic potential, focusing on normative ethics in religious studies, could then be proven on the basis of the upper secondary school’s and religious studies curriculum, as well as using previous research. The ethical dilemmas and thematic units found throughout the book make it highly usefull for discussing issues of normative ethics in the classroom.

Det finns gott om skönlitteratur skriven för barn med en pedagogisk utgångspunkt vars avsikt är att utmana traditionella könsmönster. Det förekommer dock fåtal studier på hur barn faktiskt uppfattar denna normkritiska litteratur, vilket är av vikt för litteraturens användning som didaktiskt redskap i undervisning. Eftersom skönlitteratur utgör en stor del av arbetet i förskoleklass ämnar denna studie att undersöka hur elevers uppfattningar av genus kan synliggöras genom critical literacy-inspirerat sagoarbete i förskoleklass. Den normkritiska sagan Rödluvan (Jansson & Jensfelt, 2018) är den skönlitteratur som utgör grunden för undersökningen och därav har följande frågeställningar formulerats: Hur benämner eleverna karaktärernas genus i Rödluvan (Jansson & Jensfelt, 2018)? Hur skiljer sig elevernas sätt att benämna karaktärernas genus åt, beroende på om de deltagit i ett gemensamt samtal om texten eller inte? Studien är kvalitativ och datainsamlingen är gjord genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med 20 elever i förskoleklass. Analysen av materialet är baserad på genusteori samt begreppet didaktisk potential, i enlighet med Alkestrands (2017) definition. Slutsatserna som kan dras utifrån studiens resultat är att de deltagande eleverna haft svårt att uppfatta sagokaraktärernas genus så som det beskrivs i sagan om karaktären i fråga porträtterats på ett normkritiskt sätt. Det kan utifrån studiens resultat också konstateras att det förekommer en påtaglig skillnad vad gäller elevernas sätt att uppfatta de normkritiska karaktärernas genus beroende på om de deltagit i ett gemensamt samtal om texten eller inte. / There is plenty of fiction written for children with an educational starting point whose intention is to challenge traditional gender patterns. However, there are few studies on how children actually perceive this norm-critical fiction, which is important for the use of literature as a didactic tool in teaching. As fiction forms a large part of the work in preschool class, this study aims to explore how student perceptions of gender can be made visible through critical literacy-inspired preschool work. The norm-critical fairy tale Rödluvan (Jansson & Jensfelt, 2018) is the fiction that forms the basis of the study and the following issues have been formulated: • How do the students name the characters' gender in Rödluvan (Jansson & Jensfelt, 2018)? • How do the students' ways of naming the characters gender differ, depending on whether they participated in a joint conversation about the text or not? The study is qualitative and the data collection is done through semi-structured interviews with 20 students in preschool class. The analysis of the material is based on gender theory and the concept of didactic potential, in accordance with Alkestrand's (2017) definition. The conclusions that can be drawn from the results of the study are that the participating students had difficulty understanding the gender of the fairy characters as described in the story of the character in question, portrayed in a norm-critical manner. Based on the results of the study, it can also be stated that there is a marked difference in the students' ways of perceiving the gender of the norm-critical characters depending on whether they participated in a joint conversation about the text or not.

Bakgrunden till denna studie är det idag växande mångkulturella samhälle vi har i Sverige. För att arbetet inom skolan ska kunna ge nästa generation kunskaper om människors likheter och olikheter, behöver verksamma inom skolan arbeta med litteratur som visar upp en mångfald på ett inkluderande sätt. I arbetet för ett mer inkluderande samhälle är litteraturen ett viktigt verktyg. Syftet med denna studie är att analysera och undersöka vilken didaktisk potential det finns i tre för studien utvalda böcker. Teorier som studien utgår ifrån är intersektionalitet som handlar om att studera hur flera olika skikt bidrar till mellanmänskliga maktstrukturer. Studien utgår även ifrån Martha Nussbaums begrepp narrativ fantasi och världsmedborgare. Det sistnämnda definieras som en människa som tar hänsyn till att det finns andra kulturer än ens egna och att det finns många olika normer och seder som anses vara det normala. De böcker som i studien analyseras är utgivna av förlaget Olika och skrivna av Ebba Berg. Resultatet visade på att de tre böckerna har olika teman och en bred didaktisk potential. Vår förhoppning är att denna studie ska väcka ett intresse hos läsaren i att välja böcker med en didaktisk potential i ett arbete för barns utveckling till framtida världsmedborgare.

“Does provocativeliterature have a place in Swedish courses in high school? An examination of the didactic potential of American Psycho”. The essay aims to examine the didactic potential of the novel American Psycho with the support of the theoretical concept of alienation and Rita Felski's four aspects of reading (recognition,enchantment, knowledge, shock). By highlighting the defamiliarizationeffects that exist in the novel's duplications and extremes, the result shows a variety of didactically relevant questions. Among other things, the alienating effects show how the shifts in aspects could arise regarding issues concerning identity, human conditions and the view of society and people. Consequently, the results show that provocative literature, and in particular American Psycho, can be motivated on the basis that it challenges the student to new thoughts and opensnew perspectives, despite controversial and provocative content.

Uppsatsens syfte är utifrån en analys av den svenska romanen Ya Leila av Donia Saleh (2020) få förståelse för hur litteraturundervisning i svenskämnet i relation till mångkulturalitet och critical literacy kan se ut. Metodiskt utgick studien från Malin Alkestrands definition av begreppet didaktisk potential för att få syn på hur litteraturen kan användas för att diskutera värdegrundsfrågor kopplat till mångkulturalitet. Begreppet kombinerades med Hilary Janks fyra dimensioner av critical literacy: makt, tillgång, mångfald och design. Dimensionerna utgjorde analyskategorier och kunde på så vis synliggöra studieobjektet ur olika perspektiv. Resultatet av analysen visade att det fanns en didaktisk potential hos Ya Leila när det kommer till kritiskt textarbete med fokus på mångkulturalitet. Det fanns hos verket möjligheter att synliggöra samtliga av de fyra dimensionerna av critical literacy samt för elever att utveckla sin demokratiska kompetens och vara delaktiga i att förändra sin omvärld. / The purpose of this thesis is to distinguish how literature education within the subject of Swedish in relation to multiculturalism and critical literacy may look like, by analyzing the Swedish novel Ya Leila by Donia Saleh (2020). Methodically the study is based on Malin Alkestrand’s definition of the concept didactic potential, with the purpose to exemplify how literature can be used to discuss values in relation to multiculturalism. It is combined with Hilary Janks’ four dimensions of critical literacy: domination, access, diversity, and design. The dimensions were used as analytical categories and thus, they could highlight the study object from different perspectives. The result shows how Ya Leila possesses a didactic potential when it comes to critical readings with a focus om multiculturalism. There exist in the novel opportunities to discuss the four dimensions of critical literacy. There are also room for students to develop a democratic competence and for them to participate in changing the world around them.