In the school political debate that is conducted in Sweden the question of grading is an ongoing topic of discussion. During the past year there has been a lively discussion about introducing grade from year four as suggested by the right wing parties. The purpose of this study is to set the teaching faculties’ view and arguments in relation to the politicians' opinion in the ongoing debate about the proposal of introducing grades from year four. Furthermore, the aim is to investigate how central the didactic arguments are in relation to other arguments in the current debate. To achieve the purpose of this study, the following questions was created: How do the teaching faculty and the politicians argue around the proposal of introducing grades from year four? Which beliefs about the functions of grades exist among these actors? Which learning models and didactic perspectives exist in the debate and how does these relate to the beliefs about the functions of grades? This study is based on a qualitative method in terms of a contextual idea analysis. The theoretical basis is composed of theories about the different functions of grades, didactic perspective and learning models. The focus consist of investigating how the teaching faculty and politicians discuss the proposal in different articles. The reason for choosing this focus is to highlight the teaching faculties’ point of view in the debate which commonly is overshadowed by the politicians. The results show that the teaching faculty is critical of the proposal of introducing grades from year four, whereas the opinions among the politicians varies. The main criticism is that the proposal would involve a further waste of the school's already inadequate resources. Further criticism is that grades from year four would not work beneficial to the pupils due to different reasons.

ABSTRACT The goal of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the perception that exists for fourteen Jamaican instructional leaders as they integrate Tablet Computers (TCs) into the pedagogical process to prepare grade four students for the Grade Four Literacy Test (G4LT). The research was conducted in four schools; three rural primary schools in the parishes of Trelawny, Manchester and St Elizabeth and an urban primary school in Kingston. The focal group comprised four principals, three vice principals, three grade four coordinators and four grade four teachers from the scope of schools that were piloting the Tablet in School (TIS) initiative. Structured interviews and observation were used as data sources. Findings from the data revealed that the instructional leaders, while receptive to the initiative of utilizing the TCs in the pedagogical process, were unable to speak to how effective its usage was in preparing students for the G4LT. Furthermore, although the devices were somewhat facilitated in the teaching and learning process, the majority of instructional leaders did not use them to teach the components of the examination. Finally, results suggested that the usage of the TC as an instructional tool had encouraged more favourable responses from students in the classroom learning environment. As the first study to investigate the integration of TC to teach literacy in the Jamaican Primary Classroom, the current study provided novel insights and a springboard for more qualitative investigations into this particular phenomenon. It is also anticipated that the emerging data will influence and inform decision making within the Ministry of Education (MoE). / Educational Leadership

Studien syftar till att bidra med kunskap om, i vilken utsträckning läromedel i matematik föreslår laborativa aktiviteter. Forskning visar att det är gynnsamt för elever att arbeta laborativt. Metoden som valdes är en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Det skapades ett analysschema med hjälp av tidigare forskning och läroplanen från 2011, specifikt för den här studien. Utifrån analysschemat analyserades tre olika läromedel för årskurs fyra i matematik. Studien har använt det sociokulturella perspektivet för att skapa förståelse för laborativa aktiviteter. En laborativ aktivitet genomförs antingen med ett laborerande arbetssätt eller ett konkretiserande arbetssätt. För att analysera och tolka resultaten har tidigare forskning och variationsteorin används.  Resultatet visar att laborativa aktiviteter främst förekommer inom kunskapsområde Taluppfattning och tals användning. Det visar även att det är laborerande arbetssätt som används mer än konkretiserande arbetssätt vid de laborativa aktiviteterna.  Pedagogiska material föreslås till störst andel av de laborativa aktiviteterna. Läromedlen i studien föreslår laborativa aktiviteter i olika stor utsträckning. Ett läromedel som föreslår få laborativa aktiviteter kräver mer av läraren. Det betyder att läraren själv får hitta och producera laborativa aktiviteter. Läromedel som föreslår många laborativa aktiviteter skapar förutsättningar för lärare att arbeta laborativt. Studien har bidragit till mer kunskap om laborativa aktiviteter i läromedel. / This study aims to contribute knowledge of what extent teaching materials in mathematics suggest laboratory activities. The teaching materials in the study suggest laboratory activities to various extent. The method chosen is a qualitative content analysis. An analysis scheme was created using previous research and curriculum from 2011, specifically for this study. Based on the analysis scheme, three different teaching materials for grade four, mathematics were analyzed. The study has used the socio-cultural perspective to create an understanding of laboratory activities. A laboratory activity is carried out either with a laboratory method or a concretized method. In order to analyze and interpret the results, previous research and the theory of variation have been used. The result shows that laboratory activities mainly occur in the knowledge areas of numerical understanding and the use of numbers. It also shows that laboratory methods are used more often than concretized methods in the laboratory activities. Educational materials are suggested for most laboratory activities. Research shows that it is beneficial for students to work with laboratory activities. A teaching material that suggests few laboratory activities requires more from the teacher. This means that teachers themselves have to find and produce laboratory activities. Teaching materials that suggest many laboratory activities creates conditions for teachers to work laboratory. This study has contributed to more knowledge about laboratory activities in teaching materials.

Inclusive education requires of teachers, as managers and facilitators in classrooms, to deal with all aspects regarding effectively addressing barriers to learning. Of specific concern are the cognitively gifted learners who are not taught in their mother tongue but who attend schools where the language of learning and teaching is English. This qualitative study deals with the support provided by Grade Four teachers to cognitively gifted English Second Language (ESL) underachievers. The research indicates that the teachers are aware of English Second Language (ESL) learners who show behaviours associated with cognitive giftedness but who,when considering their potential, underachieve. These learners do however not receive support in the classroom to address their specific barrier to learning, which is the dual exceptionality of cognitive giftedness co-occurring with poor English proficiency. Support for all aspects of the cognitively gifted Grade Four English Second Language (ESL) learner’s needs is recommended. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

This study investigates whether it is possible and necessary to acquire a second and third language simultaneously in our present multicultural, multilingual South Africa with its eleven official languages. The qualitative, descriptive empirical research was executed for the duration of the first school term within a multiracial grade four class at Richmond Primary School in KwaZulu Natal. Afrikaans and Zulu were taught in separate periods, simultaneously, for the exact number oflessons per week, with the exact same content, method and teacher. The success ofthe research, rested on maintaining absolute reality within the normal daily routine of the school day, in order to see if it is possible to acquire two languages simultaneously. The very positive outcomes of this research cannot be generalized, but rather indicate possible tendencies that it is indeed possible to acquire two languages simultaneously. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

The aim of the study was to find out about the perception of grade four teachers with regard to reading competence of the learners. The ability to read is an important skill in today`s modern world where so much information is transmitted in written form. It is also important that people have reading skills whether they are in school or not. The choice of this research topic emanated from an observation from past research that, levels of reading difficulties among primary school pupils are very high and Hlanganani south circuit is not an exception. This research is relevant as most learners in grade four are not able to read especially in English. These are some of the main problem that makes high failure rate of grade four learners in ANA results, because most learners do not know how to read and it also affect all subjects that they learn in English. The problem of the study pivots around the experiences of grade four teachers with regard to reading competency skills of the learners. Results from most studies carried out on reading indicate that most pupils are not able to read according to what is expected of their grade level. It is against this background that this study sought to establish the factors that lead to reading difficulties. The research methods used are interviews and classroom observation with the focus on a sample of teachers from grade four in two schools at Hlanganani south circuit. The researcher selected these tools because they are directed by research questions. The researcher wanted to find out from the research participants how they taught, their beliefs and perceptions about teaching reading. Qualitative methods are used to generate data. Findings of the study indicate that grade four learners have reading difficulties. These include omitting, substituting and adding words as well as mispronouncing words. This is a big challenge for the teachers who teach these learners. This can be frustrating for both the learners and teachers especially where the teacher does not understand the causes of reading difficulties, how to assess those learners with reading without competence as well as how to help out. According to the findings of this study, teachers have their own perceptions about the causes of reading with competence and their own way of assessing learners with reading difficulties. Government as the state, and local levels should provide appropriate materials for teaching reading skills. Libraries should be provided for our primary schools, since the absence of libraries is a factor in the deficiency in reading skills. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study investigates whether it is possible and necessary to acquire a second and third language simultaneously in our present multicultural, multilingual South Africa with its eleven official languages. The qualitative, descriptive empirical research was executed for the duration of the first school term within a multiracial grade four class at Richmond Primary School in KwaZulu Natal. Afrikaans and Zulu were taught in separate periods, simultaneously, for the exact number oflessons per week, with the exact same content, method and teacher. The success ofthe research, rested on maintaining absolute reality within the normal daily routine of the school day, in order to see if it is possible to acquire two languages simultaneously. The very positive outcomes of this research cannot be generalized, but rather indicate possible tendencies that it is indeed possible to acquire two languages simultaneously. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (with specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

The aim of the study was to find out about the perception of grade four teachers with regard to reading competence of the learners. The ability to read is an important skill in today`s modern world where so much information is transmitted in written form. It is also important that people have reading skills whether they are in school or not. The choice of this research topic emanated from an observation from past research that, levels of reading difficulties among primary school pupils are very high and Hlanganani south circuit is not an exception. This research is relevant as most learners in grade four are not able to read especially in English. These are some of the main problem that makes high failure rate of grade four learners in ANA results, because most learners do not know how to read and it also affect all subjects that they learn in English. The problem of the study pivots around the experiences of grade four teachers with regard to reading competency skills of the learners. Results from most studies carried out on reading indicate that most pupils are not able to read according to what is expected of their grade level. It is against this background that this study sought to establish the factors that lead to reading difficulties. The research methods used are interviews and classroom observation with the focus on a sample of teachers from grade four in two schools at Hlanganani south circuit. The researcher selected these tools because they are directed by research questions. The researcher wanted to find out from the research participants how they taught, their beliefs and perceptions about teaching reading. Qualitative methods are used to generate data. Findings of the study indicate that grade four learners have reading difficulties. These include omitting, substituting and adding words as well as mispronouncing words. This is a big challenge for the teachers who teach these learners. This can be frustrating for both the learners and teachers especially where the teacher does not understand the causes of reading difficulties, how to assess those learners with reading without competence as well as how to help out. According to the findings of this study, teachers have their own perceptions about the causes of reading with competence and their own way of assessing learners with reading difficulties. Government as the state, and local levels should provide appropriate materials for teaching reading skills. Libraries should be provided for our primary schools, since the absence of libraries is a factor in the deficiency in reading skills. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

Inclusive education requires of teachers, as managers and facilitators in classrooms, to deal with all aspects regarding effectively addressing barriers to learning. Of specific concern are the cognitively gifted learners who are not taught in their mother tongue but who attend schools where the language of learning and teaching is English. This qualitative study deals with the support provided by Grade Four teachers to cognitively gifted English Second Language (ESL) underachievers. The research indicates that the teachers are aware of English Second Language (ESL) learners who show behaviours associated with cognitive giftedness but who,when considering their potential, underachieve. These learners do however not receive support in the classroom to address their specific barrier to learning, which is the dual exceptionality of cognitive giftedness co-occurring with poor English proficiency. Support for all aspects of the cognitively gifted Grade Four English Second Language (ESL) learner’s needs is recommended. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)