Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka metoder samhällskunskapslärare på gymnasiet tillämpar för att främja framgångsrik undervisning i samhällskunskapsämnet. Ämnet samhällskunskap är tvärvetenskapligt till sin karaktär och utgår från flera samhällsvetenskapliga discipliner (Skolverket, 2022). Därför har samhällskunskapsundervisningen ett variationsrikt innehåll där lärares professionella friutrymme att tolka läro- och kursplaner kan ta fasta på olika metoder och innehåll som framgångsrikt främjar lärande. Det teoretiska ramverket Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) är därför applicerat på föreliggande studie för att analysera hur samhällskunskapslärare använder sin pedagogiska ämneskunskap för att undervisa framgångsrikt i samhällskunskap. Genom en kvalitativ metod i användandet av semistrukturerade intervjuer intervjuas tio legitimerade samhällskunskapslärare utifrån deras perspektiv på framgångsrik samhällskunskapsundervisning. Det erhållna datamaterialet analyseras därefter genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys där tematiska kategorier från lärarnas svar frambringas. Resultatet visar att framgångsrik samhällskunskapsundervisning präglas av flera faktorer som exempelvis engagemang, egna intressen i kombination med djupa ämneskunskaper, verklighetsanknytning, variation samt autentiska lärandesituationer. / This study aims to investigate what methods social studies teachers in upper secondary school implement to promote successful teaching in the social studies subject. The subject of social studies is interdisciplinary in its character and draws on several social science disciplines (Swedish National Agency for Education, 2022). Therefore, social studies teaching has a varied content where teachers' professional autonomy in interpreting curricula and syllabi can embrace different methods and content that successfully promote learning. The theoretical framework Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is therefore applied to the present study to analyze how social studies teachers use their pedagogical content knowledge to teach successfully in social studies. Through a qualitative method using semi-structured interviews, ten licensed social studies teachers are interviewed from their perspective on successful social studies teaching. The data obtained is then analyzed through a qualitative content analysis in which thematic categories from the teachers' responses are derived. The results show that successful social studies teaching is characterized by several factors such as commitment, own interests in combination with deep subject knowledge, connection to reality, variation, and authentic learning situations.

Samhällskunskapsämnet har sedan dess uppkomst präglats av stoffträngsel till följd av dess breda och tvärvetenskapliga karaktär. Transformeringen av ämnet från styrdokument till undervisning är komplex och påverkas av flera faktorer, inklusive styrdokumentens utformning. Lärarna arbetar inom ett friutrymme som möjliggörs av styrdokumentens generella formuleringar, vilket är nödvändigt för att anpassa undervisningen efter olika omständigheter och elevernas behov. För att säkerställa likvärdighet måste styrdokumenten vara tillräckligt detaljerade för att undvika alltför varierande tolkningar, men inte så detaljerade att de inskränker på lärarnas professionalitet. De senaste styrdokumenten, Gy 11, är mer detaljerade och innehållsrika än sina föregångare och har enligt tidigare forskning upplevts som mer krävande av lärare.  Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga och analysera lärares planering av innehåll i samhällskunskapsundervisningen i relation till ämnets styrdokument. Studien, som är en kvantitativ innehållsanalys av grovplaneringar för kursen Samhällskunskap 1b, syftar till att bidra till en diskussion om likvärdighet i samhällskunskapsämnets innehåll. Resultaten visar att lärarna huvudsakligen prioriterar undervisning om statsvetenskap och ekonomi. Även om en innehållslig kärna kan identifieras, förekommer också variationer i hur mycket undervisningstid som ägnas åt olika innehållsområden samt i vilka områden som inkluderas i grovplaneringarna. Dessa resultat pekar på en diskrepans mellan styrdokument och lärares praxis, vilket kan bero på de nuvarande styrdokumentens detaljerade karaktär. Detta kan i sin tur innebära en risk för likvärdigheten i samhällskunskapsämnets innehåll i de fall variationerna mellan olika lärares val och prioriteringar av innehåll blir alltför stora. / Since its inception, the school subject of civics has been characterized by content congestion due to its broad and interdisciplinary nature. The transformation of the subject from steering documents to classroom teaching is complex and is affected by several factors, including the steering documents’ design. Teachers have an autonomy enabled by the general formulations of the curriculum, which is necessary for them to adapt their teaching to various circumstances and the needs of the students, thereby ensuring equity. The steering documents must be sufficiently detailed to avoid overly varying interpretations but not so detailed that they infringe on the teachers' professionalism. The latest curriculum documents, Gy 11, are more detailed and content-rich than their predecessors and have been perceived by teachers as more demanding according to previous research.  The purpose of this study is to map and analyze teachers' planning of content in civics education in relation to the subject's steering documents. The study, which is a quantitative content analysis of teachers’ outlines for the course Samhällskunskap 1b, aims to contribute to a discussion about equity in the subject of civics. The results show that teachers mainly prioritize teaching about political science and economics. Although a core content can be identified, variations occur in how much teaching time is devoted to different content areas and in which areas are included in the course outlines. These results point to a discrepancy between steering documents and teachers' practice, which may be due to the detailed nature of the current curriculum documents. This, in turn, may pose a risk to equity regarding the content of the subject of civics when teachers choose and prioritize content in vastly different ways.

This study examines students' perceptions and ability to think critically within the framework of social studies education. With increasing concern for the survival of democracy and the rapidly changing media landscape, it is increasingly important to understand and promote students' critical thinking skills. The study aims to contribute to an increased understanding of students' critical thinking in social studies teaching and points to the need to develop more differentiated and challenging teaching methods to promote students' ability to think critically in different contexts. It also emphasizes the importance of integrating critical thinking discussions into a broader context of media and information literacy to equip students to navigate the media landscape and contribute to healthy democratic societal development.   Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods in a survey, the student's knowledge of critical thinking in different contexts and their ability to apply it in practice were explored. The results showed that students generally had a basic understanding of critical thinking, but had difficulty reaching more advanced levels of critical thinking. When it comes to being able to explain critical thinking in theory, a majority have a basic understanding, mainly related to source criticism. The result of applying it in practice was that a majority could reach a more multifaceted understanding of critical thinking. Specifically, it emerged that the students found it more difficult to apply critical thinking in complex situations and that their ability was to some extent situational depending on the subject. In addition, the results showed challenges students articulated related to navigating through the large flow of information and sifting relevant information from irrelevant or misleading sources.

This study aims to provide insights into Swedish upper secondary school students experiences with Model UN, a roleplay simulation of the United Nations General Assembly, and it´scontributions to the development of knowledge and skills in civics education. Examining Model UN is crucial for evaluating its pedagogical effectiveness and understanding students' perspectives and experiences. It is also essential to investigate how Model UN can enhance students' understanding of societal issues and international relations, particularly in a time of increasing global complexities. By exploring questions that emphasize the function of roleplaying as a tool for increased understanding of societal issues, international relations, and democracy, as well as students' interpretations of participation, the study aims to enhance understanding of how Model UN can benefit students' learning and development.The study utilizes theoretical frameworks that draws from civics didactics such as Christina Odenstad´s (2010) subject profiles and Sara Blanck´s (2014) subject didactics to examine the impact of model UN simulations. Odenstad (2010) categorizes social studies or civics into orientation subject, analysis subject, and discussion subject, while Blanck (2014) adds a subject didactic aspect emphasizing the ability to act and citizenship education. These profiles help analyse how Model UN contributes to students' learning and skills development.Drawing from interviews with upper secondary school students, the study finds that Model UN simulations is an engaging teaching method where students perceive significant development. Students' interest and engagement in societal issues rises, and by assuming roles and discussing crucial topics, they gain a deeper understanding of subjects such as politics and democracy. Factual knowledge develops through participation in role-playing, aiding students in effective argumentation and understanding diverse perspectives. Following the simulations, students emphasize the importance of nuanced analysis, which has enhanced their critical thinking and ability to avoid falling victim to propaganda. Students who participated in Model UN describe developing skills in oral presentation, self-confidence, political self-efficacy, and understanding beyond facts. Through their experiences, they describe a collective journey of nervousness, uncertainty, and growth.The experience led them to realize that political issues are more nuanced than they previously believed, emphasizing the importance of being prepared for counterarguments and understanding different viewpoints. They believe that the practical approach of role-playing is a valuable complement to traditional theoretical education and advocate for more inclusion of such activities in school curricula. Model UN was an enriching and rewarding experience that not only strengthened their skills but also increased their understanding of political issues and international relations. They stress that such activities should become available to more students to promote a deeper understanding and a more engaged approach to societal issues.The study's findings indicate that Model UN provided a breadth in education where all four didactic profiles were demonstrated and developed, suggesting that UN role-playing can be a useful teaching tool in civics education.

The aim of the study is to investigate teachers' perceptions of teaching source criticism in upper secondary school's social education course 1b in order to understand how the curriculum is translated into practice. The areas of interest in the teachers’ statements on source criticism concern the content they associate it with, what kind of difficulties they face in their teaching, and what strategies for critical thinking that can be made visible in their statements. The study exhibits diversity in the teaching practices, although a relatively cohesive picture stands. As a result, it can be said that the teachers’ flexibility and scope for interpretation in school stands out, but there also appears to be a mutual agreement of a silent discourse in the teaching of source criticism. Through this study it can be proved that the teachers’ free space in the interpretation of the steering documents may have different implications for the structure of the teaching. Furthermore, source criticism is emphasized as an important part of teaching in social sciences.

Denna samhällskunskapsdidaktiska studies syfte är att undersöka vad samhällskunskapslärare själva upplever som de viktigaste påverkansfaktorerna för transformeringen av samhällskunskap som skolämne till samhällskunskap som undervisning utifrån didaktiska frågor som Vad?, Hur? och Varför?, samt hur detta upplevs förändrats över en tidsperiod om cirka tjugo år eller mer. Studien bygger på hermeneutisk-fenomenologisk livsvärldsansats där fenomenologisk beskrivning och hermeneutisk tolkning är centralt. Empirin utgörs av intervjuer med tio samhällskunskapslärare med lång yrkeserfarenhet från högstadium, gymnasium eller vuxenutbildning. Resultatet tematiseras utifrån inspiration från ramfaktorteoretiska utgångspunkteri fyra dimensioner av påverkansfaktorer, vilka är Den personliga dimensionen, Den didaktiska dimensionen, Den styrande dimensionen och Den samhälleliga dimensionen. Var och en av dessa dimensioner delas upp i ett antal variationer. Dimensionerna är konstruerade utifrån principen om det personligt nära till det samhälleligt distanserade. Utöver dessa dimensioner har en aspekt på dessa lagts till. Det är Den elevnära aspekten vars innehåll utgörs av eleverna som påverkansfaktor för hur undervisningen blir. Lärarna i studien pratar aldrig om eleverna som påverkansfaktor utan att koppla detta till någon av de fyra dimensionerna. Slutsatser som dras i studien är att de tio lärarna alla har mycket olika berättelserom vad de uppfattar som viktigaste påverkansfaktorer. Några lägger mest fokus på sin personliga bakgrund eller personliga intressen. Andra fokuserar mer på didaktiska idéer, på styrdokument eller på organisatoriska ramar. Studien visar också att lärarna alla har en eller ett par dominerande dimensioner som dels syns mest i berättelsen, dels också påverkar hur de pratar om de andra dimensionerna. Lärarnas berättelser visar även att de upplever att undervisningen och vad som påverkar denna påtagligt förändras över tid. Studiens viktigaste bidrag är kanske att den exemplifierar teoretiska perspektiv. Inte minst genom att belysa att vad som påverkar undervisningen i ett ämne är så komplext att den ramfaktorteoretiska byggnadsställningen måste anpassas efter den specifika undersökningen med dess frågeställningar och undersökningsmaterial. / The purpose of this research in social studies didactics is to examine what teachers in social studies perceive as the most important influencing factors for the transformation from social studies as school subject to social studies as classroom teaching, based on didactic questions as; What?, How? and Why?, and how this is perceived has changed over a period of about twenty years or more. The study is based on the hermeneutic-phenomenological life-world approach, where phenomenological description and hermeneutic interpretation are central. The empirical data consist of interviews with ten teachers in social studies with extensive professional experience in lower secondary school, upper secondary school or adult education. The result is thematically based on inspiration from frame factor theory in four dimensions of influencing factors, which are; The personal dimension, The didactic dimension, The governing dimension and The societal dimension. Each of these dimensions is divided into a number of variations. The dimensions are designed on the principle of the personally close to the societal distanced. In addition to these dimensions, an aspect of these is added. It is The pupil aspect, whose content pupils as influencing factor. The teachers in the study never talk about pupils and their influence on the teaching without connection to any of the four dimensions. Conclusions drawn in the study is that the ten teachers all have very different stories about what they perceive as the most important influencing factors. Some places the greatest emphasis on their personal background or personal interests. Others focus more on didactic ideas, on policy documents or on the economical and organizational framework. The study also shows that all the teachers have one or two dominant dimensions as most visible, that also affects the way they talk about the other dimensions. The teachers’ stories also show that they perceive that the teaching and what impact this change appreciably over time. The study’s most important contribution is perhaps that it exemplifies theoretical perspectives, for an example highlighting that the frame factor theoretical scaffolding must be adapted to the specific study and its issues and research materials.

Denna studie utgår från en undersökning om hur elever i grundskolans årskurs 4 – 6 uppfattar jämställdhet och vilka erfarenheter eleverna har av jämställdhet respektive ojämställdhet. Jämställdhet diskuteras aktivt i samhället och berör alla människor, vuxna som barn. Barnen bör få vara delaktiga i det jämställdhetsarbete som är igång. Trots detta har jag endast hittat lite forskning kring hur just barn tänker om jämställdhet. Därför utgår denna uppsats ifrån just barns perspektiv på jämställdhet. Syftet med studien är därför att undersöka elevers perspektiv på jämställdhet för att förstå hur eleverna uppfattar området för att vidare kunna involvera eleverna ytterligare i jämställdhetsarbetet. Metoden för insamlingen av empirin är gruppintervjuer där elever indelats i grupper för att diskutera förberedda frågor om jämställdhet. Eleverna har i grupperna diskuterat de olika frågorna och sett en film om jämställdhet som senare också diskuterats. Under aktiviteten har jag antagit en passiv roll större delen av tiden. Eleverna visar att de är väl medvetna om jämställdhet och genusfrågor och har många olika erfarenheter av ojämställda händelser i deras skolvardag. Samtliga elever tycker det är viktigt att jobba med området i skolan för att göra varandra, både barn och vuxna, medvetna om hur man agerar i vardagen utifrån vissa stereotypiska könsmönster och könsroller. Eleverna upplever att de själva har blivit väldigt påverkade och uttrycker traditionella könsmönster på flera olika sätt exempelvis genom att anta att pojkar spelar bättre fotboll eller att flickor är lugnare. Pojkarna upplever sig själva som roligare medan flickorna uppfattar dem som att de måste skämta för att upprätthålla en social, konstruerad roll. / The purpose of the study is to investigate what pupils in primary school’s grades’ 4 – 6 think about gender equality and what experiences they have of both gender equality and inequality. Gender equality is currently being discussed in society and all people are affected by it, adults as well as children. The children should be able to be involved in the contemporary work about equality. Even so, I have found few studies about how children think about this. Therefore, this essay is based on their perspective. Following the purpose of this essay is to learn about pupils’ perspective on gender equality in order to involve them more in the future in this important matter. The method that is being used to collect the information is group interviews where pupils have been divided into groups to discuss questions about gender equality. In these groups the pupils have discussed different questions and then watched a movie on the topic of equality that later was discussed. During the activity I took on a passive role most of the time. The pupils show that they are well aware of gender equality and questions about gender and they have many different inequality experiences of incidents from there school days. All the pupils think it is important to work with these questions in school to make each other, both adults and children, aware of how you normally tend to act based on stereotypical gender patterns. The pupils experience that they themselves have been affected by stereotypes and express several traditional gender patterns, for example by assuming that boys are better at soccer or that girls are generally calmer. The boys experience themselves as funnier while the girls assume that the boys must joke around more to uphold a socially, constructed role.

Studiens mål är att undersöka hur läroplanens hänvisningar om att demokratiska värden ska genomsyra undervisningen påverkar läroböckernas innehåll kring demokratibegreppet. Studien bygger på en diskursanalytisk metod och resultatet bygger på läroböcker för samhällskunskap på gymnasiet som material. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i studien grundar sig i diskursteori men även teori kring begrepp demokrati. Chantal Mouffe, William Connolly och Mats Lundström har alla en del i den teoretiska bakgrund mot analysen är gjord. Resultatet påvisar att de analyserade läroböcker tenderar att använda sig av demokratiska fri- och rättigheter för att förklara hur en demokrati konstrueras. Genom detta kommunicerar läroböckerna de demokratiska värdena i termer av vilka fri- och rättigheter det demokratiska samhället ska ha. Det har även påvisats att de demokratiska värdena är odefinierade och därmed görs tolkningar av vad de kan innefatta. / This study aims to present how the democratic values in the curriculum are exposed in the education and content about the democratic concept in textbooks. The study is based on and uses a discourse analysis as a method. The results of the study is based on textbooks for social science in the upper secondary high school. The theoretical point of view for this study is based on discourse theory but also theories about democracy as a concept. Chantal Mouffe, William Connolly and Mats Lundström have contributed to the theoretical background for the analysis in the study. The result showed that textbooks have a tendency to use democratic right and freedoms to legitimize and explain how the idea of democracy is constructed. Through this the textbooks tend to communicate the democratic values in terms of which democratic freedom and rights a society will have. It has also been demonstrated that democratic values ​​are undefined and thus interpreted by what they can include.

Uppsatsen syfte är att öka kunskapen om vilka olika arbetssätt lärare använder för att inkludera nyanlända elever i samhällskunskapsundervisningen. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie med inspiration från en fenomenologisk livsvärldsansats. Genom en kvalitativ forskningsintervju med grundskollärare i årskurs 4–6 har data samlats in och sedan kategoriserats. De tre teman som resultatet består av är: verktyg för inkludering, svårigheter vid inkludering och vikten av samhällskunskapsämnet. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är sociokulturell teori och utifrån detta perspektiv har resultatet analyserats och teoretiska tolkningar har skapats. Resultatet i undersökningen visar att lärarna använder sig av flera olika verktyg för att inkludera nyanlända elever i samhällskunskapsundervisningen. Det framkommer att inkludering är ett svårtolkat begrepp som är väldigt beroende av individen vilket betyder att inkludering kan se väldigt olika ut. Samarbete med studiehandledare, ämnesövergripande arbetssätt, digitala verktyg, placering, att skapa förförståelse hos eleverna, gemenskap och samspel är alla viktiga delar i inkluderingsprocessen. I resultatet tas även svårigheter vid inkludering upp och dessa är bland annat abstrakta ämnesbegrepp, brister i svenska språket, svårigheter vid socialt samspel, missförstånd, elevernas olika erfarenheter, elevernas verklighetssyn, samhällskunskapsämnets breda innehåll och det faktum att ämnet är kontextbundet. Lärarna i studien är eniga om att samhällskunskapsämnet är en viktig del av de nyanlända elevernas inkluderingsprocess i det svenska samhället. / The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of different working methods teachers use to include newly arrived pupils in social studies. The study is a qualitative interview study with inspiration from a phenomenological life-world approach. Through a qualitative research interview with primary school teachers in grades 4–6, data has been collected. The collected data has been categorized based on three themes. The three themes that the result consists of are: tools for inclusion, inclusion difficulties and the importance of the social science topic. The theoretical starting point of the study is socio-cultural theory and from this perspective the result has been analyzed and theoretical interpretations have been created.   The results of the study show that teachers use several different tools to include newly arrived pupils in social studies. It appears that inclusion is a difficult-to-interpret-concept that is very dependent on the individual, which means that inclusion can look very different depending on the individual. Collaboration with study supervisors, interdisciplinary workingmethods, digital tools, placement, creating understanding of the students, community and interaction are all important parts of the inclusionprocess. The result also show difficulties with inclusion and these include abstract subject concepts, deficiencies in the Swedish language, difficulties in social interaction, misunderstandings, the students 'different experiences, the students' view of reality, the broad content of the social science subject and the fact that the subject is contextual. The teachers in the study agree that the subject of social studies is an important part of the newly arrived pupils' inclusionprocess in Swedish society.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how social science teachers perceive and express the concept of society in social studies. The study consists of focus group interviews with nine social science teachers at two upper secondary schools and its results are analyzed against the theoretical backdrop of Odenstad's orientation topics, analytical subjects and discussion topics and Sandahl’s first-order and second-order concepts. In short, the two different conceptual devices can be described as the skills and abilities that are most important for the students to master in order to develop advanced thinking skills in social science. Particular emphasis is put on critical thinking, that is, the ability to seek, structure and evaluate information from different sources and to draw conclusions from this process. The emerging results show a certain consensus on the concept of society among social science teachers as the potential subject of study and analysis that would simplify and clarify the analyses of the different levels in society which, in turn, would contribute to adding significance and bringing cohesion to the subject as a whole. As for the skills and abilities that stem from Odenstad's orientation topics and Sandahl’s first-order concepts, the interviewed teachers all emphasize conceptual ability as well as good external knowledge to have knowledge of how society is made up. With reference to Odenstad's analytical subject and discussion topics and Sandahl's second-order concepts, it would seem that it is not only important but a prerequisite that students develop an analytical ability and critical thinking as well as the ability to sift through and process large amounts of information and assume different perspectives on the topic or issue at hand.