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<p>Denna studie utgår ifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv på lärande och syftet med studien är att undersöka huruvida seminarier som arbets- och bedömningsform kan främja intresset för olika moment inom naturvetenskap i allmänhet och biologi i synnerhet, samt att undersöka huruvida seminarier även kan fungera som ett bra bedömningsverktyg.</p><p> </p><p>De metoder som användes i studien var enkät och intervju. Studien utfördes i tre moment. Först genomfördes seminarier inom ämnet biologi i en årskurs 8. Därefter besvarades en enkät av ca. 60 elever från seminarieromgången. Slutligen genomfördes två gruppintervjuer, en med elever och en med lärare. </p><p> </p><p>Resultaten visar att det verkar finnas en koppling mellan seminarieformen och ett ökat intresse, men att kopplingen endast går att göra till intresset för det specifika ämnesområde som tas upp under seminariet. Det är möjligt att detta i förlängningen kan leda till ökat intresse för biologi, men det skulle krävas ytterligare undersökningar för att ta reda på detta. Resultaten visar också att seminarier för vissa elever är en uppskattad bedömningsform och att lärarna tycker att den fungerar bra som komplement till skriftliga metoder. Tydliga kriterier framhålls som viktiga av både elever och lärare.</p> / <p>This diploma work leans on the socio-cultural perspective on education, represented by, among others, Vygotskij. The purpose of this work is to investigate whether seminars could work as a reliable alternative to written exams and to investigate if seminars as a method could enhance interest in different parts of natural sciences, in particular Biology.</p><p> </p><p>The methods used in this study were survey and interviews. The study was carried out in three major parts: seminars were performed in secondary school with children aged 14; a survey regarding these seminars was held and finally, group interviews, one with teachers and one with pupils, were conducted. The interviews focused on the perception of the seminars as a method of learning and evaluation.</p><p> </p><p>The results show that there may be a connection between seminars and an increased interest in specific topics within the field of Biology. However, this connection is so far only significantly detectable for the specific topic of these seminars and can as of now not be stretched to include Natural sciences, or even Biology. Therefore there is room for further investigations to confirm this hypothesis. The results also show that seminars are appreciated among teachers and a large number of students and that both these groups see seminars as a complement to other more traditional forms of teaching and written examinations.</p><p>Key words: seminar, seminars, assessment, interest, Biology, natural sciences, secondary school, upper level of compulsory school, senior level of compulsory school<strong></strong></p>

In this dissertation, an educational perspective called the moral dimension of teaching is developed. The work includes a theoretically informed discussion from a pragmatist point of view in which the concept of pedagogical rhythm is introduced. The concept captures the need for teachers to regularly shift their intentions and occasionally act in contradictory ways as a consequence of the moral which emerges from interaction in pedagogical situations. Using this perspective, criteria are developed for the characteristics of discussions of the work of teachers, which are desirable in order for students in pre-service teacher education to have opportunities to develop their teachership. Secondly, the educational perspective as it is conceptualised serves as a theoretical framework for a study of discussions taking place in net-based seminars among students in teacher education. The study consists of 14 recorded seminars in which discussions of the work of teachers are analysed in terms of content and direction for reflection. The result of the analysis is a construction of four different focal points for processes of making judgements: existential, performative, critical and professional. Mainly the performative, and to some extent the critical, focal points appear to be supported by the net-based environment, although potential for the professional focal point is found when available tools in net-based settings are used in deliberate ways. Finally, based on these four focal points, possible future predispositions among student teachers are deliberated. Student teachers’ future opportunities to develop a moral and epistemological authority are discussed, as well as teachers’ general opportunities to exercise professional responsibility. The conclusion emphasises that a perspective such as the one developed in the dissertation is important, as it creates an understanding for the need to educate student teachers to exercise a form of responsibility that goes beyond being accountable to society.