The purpose of the study is to contribute with knowledge about technology teaching for years 1-3 by gaining better knowledge of what educators perceive about their technology teaching regard to interest, understanding and assessment. The study has used semi-structured interviews as a method, involving four educators. The study examines how educators, who teach technology in primary school, consider their teaching in terms of interest, understanding and assessment. The results showed a great interest in the subject and the teaching. What affects teaching is the knowledge the educator possesses, the availability of teaching materials and construction materials and how time is allocated. Assessment opportunities are also affected by the educator's knowledge and by the student groups. The teachers' view of the purpose of their teaching turns out to be the same as they assess, which is the students' commitment and ability to reflect.  There is uncertainty among teaching educators, including how to interpret the curriculum and design lesson arrangements. This uncertainty may be the reason why the subject is still taught together with the nature-oriented subjects, where the educators feel more confident. The study revealed shortcomings in the availability of teaching materials, materials for construction and further education. The educators consider these assets to be a prerequisite for being able to practice good teaching. Increased knowledge and access to materials could be a way of developing teaching. Knowledge through further education and collegial learning helps educators to feel confident in how to interpret the curriculum and achieve an equal education. The availability of materials for construction could be increased through collaboration with the practically oriented subjects such as handicrafts and painting as well as with extracurricular at school. / Syfte med studien är att bidra med kunskap om teknikundervisning för åk 1-3 genom att få bättre kännedom om vad pedagoger uppfattning om sin teknikundervisning med avseende på intresse, förståelse och bedömning. Studien har använt semistrukturerade intervjuer som metod, där fyra pedagoger medverkade. Studien undersöker hur pedagoger som undervisar i teknik på lågstadiet, tänker om sin undervisning med avseende på intresse, förståelse och bedömning. Resultatet visade ett stort intresse för ämnet och undervisningen. Det som inverkar på undervisning är den kunskap pedagogen besitter, tillgången på läromedel och konstruktionsmaterial samt hur tiden disponeras. Även bedömningsmöjligheter påverkas av pedagogens kunskap samt av elevgruppernas sammansättning. Pedagogernas syfte med undervisningen visar sig vara samma som de bedömer, vilket är elevernas engagemang och reflektionsförmåga. Även om pedagogerna till stor del är positiva till att undervisa i ämnet teknik finns det en osäkerhet om bland annat i hur de ska tolka läroplanen och utforma lektionsupplägg. Denna osäkerhet kan vara orsaken till att ämnet fortfarande undervisas ihop med de naturorienterande ämnena, där pedagogerna känner sig säkrare. I studien framkom det att pedagogerna upplever brister i tillgången på läromedel, material för konstruktion samt fortbildning. Dessa tillgångar anser pedagogerna vara en förutsättning för att kunna utöva en bra undervisning. Kunskap genom fortbildning och kollegialt lärande hjälper pedagogerna att känna sig trygga i hur de ska tolka läroplanen och få till en likvärdig undervisning. Tillgången till material för konstruktion skulle kunna utökas genom samarbete med de praktiskt inriktade ämnena som slöjd och bild samt med fritids på skolan.

While once almost indistinguishable, the systems of higher education in the United States and the United Kingdom have diverged during the past 200 years to the point where today there are few similarities. However, due to increasing globalization and the growing ubiquity of the internet, many contemporary issues in higher education are often faced by institutions across the globe. After detailing the historical role of scholarship and teaching in the two countries, this study concentrates on two aspects that have been extensively researched in recent years, namely the role of technology in the classroom and the balance that many modern day faculty must seek with regard to teaching and research. A new perspective on these issues is then explored by considering the perceptions of current and former exchange students from the United States and the United Kingdom. Data were collected by interviewing 12 students representing eight universities in the two countries, and an analysis was conducted according to established phenomenological principles. Four primary themes emerged as a result, which allowed me to seek commonalities and differences with the existing literature, and make suggestions for the direction of future research. The conclusions made center around how students want technology to be used by faculty in a moderated fashion, and a distinction is formed between the way in which faculty and institutions in the two countries use web-based technology. With regard to the teaching-research nexus, this study largely refutes the notion that contemporary faculty prioritize research to the detriment of undergraduate students, and posits that the two disciplines are integrated in the sense that they can positively affect each other.

Teknikämnet har, sedan det fick en egen kursplan, åsidosatts i skolorna. Deltagande observationer och intervjuer med lärare verksamma i varierade åldersgrupper, visade samma resultat gällande tankar kring teknikundervisningen som de uppfattningar som litteraturstudien visat. Det framgår att många lärare inte uppfattar sin ämneskompetens som tillräcklig och att de inte vet hur de ska förhålla sig till ämnet i undervisningen. Resultaten av dessa studier ligger till grund för ett läromedel, bestående av en elevbok och en lärarhandledning, som utgår både från Lpfö 98 och centrala innehållet för år 1-3 och 4-6 ur kursplanen i teknik i Lgr 11. / Technology has been neglected at schools, since the subject got it’s own syllabus. After making observations of teaching in various age groups, and also conducted interviews with teachers, their opinions and thoughts about technology were in accordance with the findings from the literature study. It seems that many teachers don’t have full confidence in their own knowledge of the subject, and they were also unsure on how to approach the subject in their teaching. The results of the studies inspired the creation of a teaching-aid which consists of two books, one is a teaching-guide and the other is for the pupils. It is based on Lpfö 98 (revised 2010), as well as the core content in year 1-3 and 4-6 from the technology syllabus in Lgr 11.

Syftet med utvecklingsarbetet är att öka kunskapen om tidpunktens betydelse för kamratresponsens lärandeeffekter i samband med tekniklaborationer, samt undersöka vilka utmärkande mönster och responsformuleringar som är representativ för den undersökta elevgruppen. Grundskolelever i årskurs 7, nya till kamratrespons, har genomfört kamratrespons på ett grupparbete i ämnet teknik. För att utvärdera tidpunktens betydelse har hälften av eleverna genomfört kamratresponsen under grupparbetet, med möjlighet att dra nytta av återkopplingen under utvecklingen av arbetet. Den andra hälften genomförde kamratresponsen efter avslutat grupparbete, utan möjlighet att revidera sitt arbete. Utvärderingen har baserats på elevernas syn på kamratrespons och dess lärandeeffekter. För detta ändamål har en kvantitativ metod baserad på enkäter använts, i kombination med textanalys och klassrumsobservationer. Resultatet från analysen visar på att tidpunkten för kamratrespons har betydelse. Flertalet av eleverna, 70%, föredrog att genomföra kamratresponsen under grupparbetet. En klar majoritet av eleverna identifierade värdefull återkoppling, vilken de önskade dra lärdom av och nyttja i sin vidareutveckling av sitt grupparbete. Kamratresponsen från denna studie, baserad på ett öppet kollaborativt grupparbete i teknik, hade effekten att den i några fall kunde korrigera felaktiga hypoteser på elevernas arbeten. / The purpose of this thesis has been to increase the knowledge of the timing impact of peer-assessment in relation to effective learning, and in addition analyse the themes and responses from the assessed students. Compulsory school students in grade 7, new to peer-assessment, have conducted peer-assessment on a group work in technology. To evaluate the timing impact half of the students have conducted the peer-assessment during the group work, with the opportunity to take advantage of the feedback during the development of their work. The other half conducted the peer-assessment after the completion of the group work, without the possibility to alter their work. The evaluation has been based on the students’ view. For this purpose, a quantitative method based on surveys, in combination with text analysis and classroom observations have been utilized. The result from the analysis shows that the timing for the peer-assessment does matter. The majority of the students, 70%, desired to utilise the peer-assessment during the group work. Most of the students identified valuable feedback and preferred to utilize the learning in their further development of the work. The peer-assessment in this study, based on an open collaborative group work in technology, detected instances of feedback with the power of correcting erroneous hypothesis of the students’ work.

When originally introduced in Swedish schools, technology was taught as a purely practical subject. However, along with the technological development of society, the technology school subject has changed as well. For example, nowadays, a deeper theoretical knowledge and skills in digital technology are required. The practical moments have also changed accordingly, and the pandemic has made the teaching of technology even more challenging.  The purpose of this study was to describe how, according to a smaller group of technology teachers, the pandemic has changed the teaching of the practical moments. The questions cover the extent and the changes of the practical moments of technology teaching as well as the consequences there of for the students during the pandemic. A qualitative phenomenographic approach was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with eight technology teachers at lower secondary school level. The study shows that according to the teachers interviewed, it has been possible to conduct the theoretical teaching in a satisfactory manner, and that the extent of the practical moments in technology classes has been reduced during the pandemic. The study also shows that the expansion of the theoretical teaching has led to reduced motivation and commitment as well as greater difficulties for low-achieving students. Moreover, the study supports the digitalization of the teaching of practical moments in the form of virtual laboratory experiments and digital models, with good results regarding the students’ learning outcomes, provided that there is a clear connection between the theoretical and the practical moments. However, for what concerns motivation and the possibility to develop physical skills that can only be obtained through physical experiences, digital laboratory experiments cannot replace regular physical practical moments entirely. Therefore, a well-equipped technology classroom is a fundamental prerequisite for ensuring qualitative technology teaching.

Digitala verktyg dominerar livets alla aspekter nuförtiden. Detta inkluderar naturligtvis utbildningssektorn på alla nivåer. I grundskolans teknikundervisning på högstadiet är det vanligt att se filmer som relaterade till ämnesinnehåll. En tekniklektion är annorlunda än andra ämnen, där det kan vara svårt att undervisa teoretiskt under hela lektionen. När lärare vill beskriva en process eller ett system i lektionen räcker det inte med att bara visa bilder inom ämnessammanhang. Dynamiken i lektionen är kopplad till interaktionen mellan lärare och elever, mellan elever och mellan elever och ämnesinnehåll i klassrummet. Det krävs ett praktiskt arbete för att förbättra interaktionen med ämnesinnehåll och därmed får eleverna bättre lärande, men begränsade resurser i högstadiet gör att lärarna försöker hitta olika enkla läromedel för att kunna skapa en lektion där elever känner sig intresserade och får ett maximalt lärande utifrån undervisningen i ämnet.Detta examensarbete handlar om filmens inverkan på det eleverna förklarar i teknikundervisning utifrån nedanstående forskningsfrågor: 1. Hur beskriver elever det som de har förstått genom användning av film som läromedel? 2. Hur förändras elevers beskrivning av ämnesinnehållet innan och efter de fått se en film som komplement?Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och skapa kunskap om elevers upplevelser av sin förståelse genom att använda digitala läraktiviteter i form av filmer i teknikundervisning. Datainsamlingen genomfördes i en grupp av högstadieelever i årskurs 9, gruppen består av 25 elever, där fick eleverna svara på samma frågeformulär på två lektioner, svaren låg till grund för datainsamlingen.Datainsamlingen gick till på så sätt att elever fått svara på frågor efter en undervisning i ett speciellt tekniskt område. Sedan upprepades undervisningen i momentet och eleverna fick besvara samma frågor efter att de tittat på en film som är relaterad till samma tekniskt ämnesinnehåll. Elevernas förståelse och lärande med och utan film jämfördes, analyserades och slutsatser drogs efteråt med hjälp av induktiv tematisk och fenomenografisk analys som kvalitativa metoder. Slutsatsen av denna studie visar att en positiv förändring sker i elevers beskrivningar genom att se en film. Detta är tydligt genom att eleverna kunde använda rätt begrepp och uppfatta ämnesinnehåll mer fördjupat efter att ha sett filmen. Vilket påpekar att det finns ett behov av att inkludera den typ av digitala lärresurser i teknikundervisning för att kunna hjälpa eleverna att utveckla sin förståelse för teknikämnet. / Digital tools dominate every aspect of life these days. This of course includes the education sector at all levels. In primary school technical education at upper secondary level, it is common to see films related to subject content. A technology lesson is a little bit different to other subjects, where it can be difficult to teach theoretically throughout the lesson. When teachers want to describe a process or a system in the lesson, it is not enough to just show images within the context of the subject. The dynamics of the lesson is linked to the interaction between teacher and students, between students and between students and subject content in the classroom. Practical work is required to improve the interaction with the content of the subject and thus the students get better learning, but limited resources in junior high school mean that teachers try to find various simple teaching aids to create a lesson where students feel interested and get maximum benefit from the subject. This degree project carries out an investigation that deals with the impact of the film on what the students explain in technology education based on research questions below: 1. How do students describe what they have understood through the use of film as a teaching tool 2. How does the students describe the subject content before and after seeing a film as a teaching complementary activity? The purpose of this study is to investigate and create knowledge for students' experiences and understanding by using learning activities in the form of films in technology education. The data collection was carried out in a group of elementary school students in year 9, the group consists of 25 students, where the students had to answer the same questionnaire in two lessons, the answers were the basis for the data collection.The data collection was organised by letting students answer questions after a lesson in a special technical area, then repeating answering the same questions after watching a film related to the same technical subject content.Students’ understanding and learning with and without film were compared, analysed and conclusions drawn afterwards using inductive thematic and phonomyography analysis as qualitative methods. The conclusion of this study shows that a positive change occurs in students' descriptions by watching a film. This is clear by the fact that the students were able to use the correct concepts and perceive subject content more deeply after watching the film. Which points out that there is a need to include this type of digital learning resources in technology teaching in order to help students develop their understanding of the technology subject.

La società digitale e l’incremento degli spazi informali di apprendimento richiedono agli insegnanti di divenire digitalmente competenti. I più recenti sviluppi digitali, identificati con l’avvento del web 2.0, creano nuove sfide educative per la scuola. Questo studio, sviluppato in collaborazione con il CREMIT (Università Cattolica di Milano), intende sviluppare un modello per la competenza digitale che possa orientare la formazione degli insegnanti. Il modello intende essere costruito a partire da una ricognizione bibliografica sul concetto di competenza sviluppata da Guy Le Boterf. Questo frame teorico ha orientato la ricerca etnografica sul campo condotta attraverso interviste in profondità e osservazioni partecipanti di insegnanti che utilizzano le tecnologie in classe. Le “best practices” emerse saranno sistematizzate in un modello di competenze digitali volto a fornire le linee guida per l’utilizzo delle ICT nell’educazione e nella didattica. / The digital society and the increasing of informal learning spaces require teachers to become digitally competent. The latest digital trends identified with 2.0 web, create new educational challenges in school. This study, developed in collaboration with CREMIT (Catholic University in Milan), aims to develop a digital model competence that could pave the way for teachers training. The model is going to be built from a bibliographic recognition about the competence concept developed by Guy Le Boterf. This theoretical frame has oriented an ethnographic research on field consisted in deep interviews and participant observations of teachers using technology in class. The best teaching practices will be used to build a competence model giving the guidelines for using ICT in education and didactic.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur förskollärare utbildade på den nya förskollärarutbildningen ser på dynamiken mellan utbildning och praktisk verklighet och se vilka förutsättningar de får för att undervisa i teknik som ämnesområde. Studiens frågeställningar är följande: Hur definieras teknik och teknikundervisning i förskolan av nyutbildade förskollärare? Vilka förutsättningar anser nyutbildade förskollärarna att det finns för att arbeta med teknik i förskolan? Studien är utförd med kvalitativa intervjuer tillsammans med fyra förskollärare och en fenomenografisk analysmodell har hjälpt till med bearbetningen av insamlad data under intervjuerna. Resultatet av studien visar delade meningar då några menar att utbildningen var mycket gynnsam för en framtida proffesion samtidigt påpekar andra att undervisningen inte alls var anpassad för barn i förskoleåldern. En annan respondent menar att hon själv skapar sina förutsättningar för en verksamhet som ska präglas av teknik medans en annan erbjuds fortbildning av sin chef. / The aim of the study was to investigate how pre-school teachers educated at the new pre-school teacher education look at the dynamics between education and practical reality and to see in what conditions they are required to teach technology as a subject. The study's questions are as follows:• How is technology and technology education defined in preschool of newly educated preschool teachers?• What conditions do newly educated preschool teachers see for working with technology in preschool?                                                          The study was conducted with qualitative interviews with four pre-school teachers and a phenomenological analysis model has helped with the processing of collected data during the interviews.The result of the study shows divided perspectives, since some believe that the education was very beneficial for a future profession while others point out that the education was not at all adapted to children in pre-school age. Another respondent means that they themselves create their prerequisites for an activity that is characterized by technology while another is offered training by the boss.

The focus of this study is on foundation phase and early childhood teachers’ professional identity formation. This study is about six beginning teachers in their first year of teaching early mathematics, science and technology (MST) in different schools and grade levels. Early childhood settings and primary schools in South Africa have a diverse learner body that increasingly demands of beginning early childhood and foundation phase teachers to continually strive to adapt their teaching and young children’s learning to the different learning environments for effective implementation of the curriculum. A learning identity framework was used to generate and analyse data. The learning identity framework is premised on the assumption that identity and learning are closely linked and that both are influenced by factors internal and external to the individual. Specifically, the study sought to answer the research question of how beginning first year early childhood and foundation phase teachers form, sustain or change their professional teacher identity in the teaching of mathematics, science and technology (MST) in the early years and in different school settings. The study used a phenomenological approach and case study method to explain the professional teacher identity formation process and to illuminate what factors influence this process. The study researched how teacher identities can be narratively constructed on the basis of the lived experiences of the six teachers in different school contexts. Data was generated from different sources for the purpose of triangulation which included visual and written narratives, observations and interviews (open and semi-structured). The analysis and results were based on categories of descriptions of themes. The findings indicate that identity formation is an ongoing process of integration of teachers’ personal and professional histories and initial teacher education and training, alongside issues of school culture and institutional (in-school) support. Those key factors emerge as strong determinants of the kinds and the relative stability or otherwise of professional identities which the six teachers develop in the first year of MST teaching, and thus the kind of reform minded teachers they become. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

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