Att tänka på medarbetarnas arbetstillfredsställelse har inte alltid varit något självklart, det var vid 1950-talet som intresset för medarbetarna började bli något etablerat i samhället. Tidigare forskning inom detta ämne har haft olika synvinklar om vad som är viktigt för att medarbetaren ska känna arbetstillfredsställelse. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur två begrepp, arbetstillfredsställelse och stöd från chefen förhåller sig till varandra, och till lärarnas hälsa. En enkätundersökning (N=152, var av 32.8% män) utformades i syfte att undersöka gymnasielärares egen uppfattning om detta. Ett frågeformulär konstruerades av författarna med hjälp av QPSNordic och Frågeformulär om psykosocial arbetsmiljö för att undersöka de underliggande variabler om arbetstillfredsställelse. Slutsatsen som kan dras från denna studie visar att möjlighet till inflytande och stöd från chefen har starkast samband med arbetstillfredsställelsen. När det gäller hälsa har stimulans, stöd från kamraterna och möjlighet att få feedback starkast samband.

The aim of the study was to investigate into and characterise students’ experiences of learning from their having taken part in an international upper secondary exchange in an intercultural context. Focusing on educational and intercultural dimensions, the thesis contributes knowledge of the implications of increasing internationalization and student mobility in education. The study builds on audio-recorded qualitative, in-depth interviews with Swedes and Chileans who respectively sojourned in Chile and Sweden as upper secondary students. The analysis of the narratives draws on theories regarding qualification, socialization and subjectification - the three educational functions or processes identified by Biesta (2010) - and learning from experiences, particularly experiences of disjuncture leading to feelings of disturbed harmony and experiences from encounters and engagement with others (Jarvis, 2009; Biesta, 2010; Hansen, 2011). As extracurricular activities with 'recreational' elements, upper secondary sojourns are often not taken into account by students' educational institutions. However, the results from this study show that sojourners experience transformative changes and extensive learning related to qualification, socialization and (particularly) subjectification. Furthermore, they perceive the as different, more holistic and complete than learning in other contexts. When leaving the familiarity and comfort in the home environment and engaging with the relative unfamiliarity of everyday activities in an international, intercultural the sojourners commonly confront perceived limitations and cross both physical (geographical) and conceptual boundaries. Such confrontations and crossing often lead to experiences of disjuncture and disturbed harmony. The complex processes of resolving difficulties, understanding and meaning making are sources to learning that infuse a sojourn with potential to foster learning as a 'bildungsreise’. There are notable potentials for transformations of sojourners' views of both the other and themselves, involving increases in self-confidence, personal growth, connectedness and feelings of being qualified, capable and empowered, which promote synergistic developments in all three educational functions. Notably, the homestay, communicative situations and interpersonal interactions provide such situations of potent learning opportunities that boost personal growth. In sojourners' engagement and interest in the other, and willingness to consider other perspectives and modify one’s own there are apparent potentials for further developments of an intercultural and cosmopolitan attitude and outlook. A major conclusion, based on the presented evidence, is that even short stays (potentially less costly than longer stays) provide extensive learning rooted in social and subjective transformations (in addition to their value for qualification per se) that may have benefits extending well beyond upper secondary school years. Furthermore, they may also have prolonged benefits for wider society through the enhanced understanding of others and other perspectives. Thus, they appear to have high educational value beyond recreational pleasure.

The purpose of this essay is to describe what difficulties and challenges are for teachers of religious education at upper secondary school. The essay is written from a teacher's perspective, where the focus is on the teacher's perceptions of the difficulties and challenges of teaching religious education. The methodology for the collection of information was done through qualitative interviews. Previous research shows that one of the challenges in the teaching profession is the interpretation of the curriculum, and then which of those is correct. The essay shows that the biggest challenges that teachers experience in the subject of religious education is the students' prejudice against different religious groups, and also the difficulty of getting students to understand the purpose of what is being taught. I have examined how teachers handle these difficulties and challenges as well as the didactic choices that are at the forefront of the teachers' strategies.

Sexual harassments have since long been an issue all over the world and schools have not been an exception. Reports from Swedish secondary schools show how 47% of the female pupils state that they have, sometime during their time in school, been the victim of sexual harassment. Other studies claim that pupils exposed to sexual harassments will develop low self-esteem and a decreased sense of self. The Swedish curriculum state that all children shall have the right to a harassment free school environment, but still many pupils claim to be exposed to sexual harassment in school. Several studies have theorized about why sexual harassment is so prevalent in schools but what do the pupils think? This study aims to reveal and analyze pupil opinions about sexual harassment; what do they think it is and why do they think it occurs? This will be done from a post-structural feminist point of view with focus on the shaping of identity among the respondents.      The collected results of this study indicate that sexual harassment is mostly due to a dominant form of the heterosexual male ideal where sexual harassment against both men and women is used to secure ones position as a dominant male and to gain access to the hegemonic male group. According to the respondents, sexual harassment have little to do with the victims and in the discussion an alternative approach to handle sexual harassment in school is discussed.

This study attempts to show benefits with different methods when teaching poetry in Upper Secondary courses, with the aim of proving that by using a certain design of the lesson, it is possible to engage the students in English poetry. A secondary aim was to incorporate and implement the theories on sociocultural learning by Vygotsky into the method used in the study. Finally, the study aimed to question the definitions of what constitutes a poem and the ideas of canonized versus non-canonized material within literature. The method chosen for this study was a mixed methods design, and the study applied a deductive approach where a hypothesis based on previous research and ideas within the field was tested. The design of the study was to perform a focus group interview, followed by observations of four lessons with students at Upper Secondary level, and finally a questionnaire for the students. The results from the study were mainly positive and the questionnaire showed that most of the students appreciated the first part the most, although a few students enjoyed both parts. The combined results showed that the design has an impact when it comes to engagement, and it changed a few of the students views on poetry. The main finding in the study was that students prefer less complex poetry that does not belong to the canon, since most of the students marked the first part as the best one. The results showed therefore that the design has an impact when it comes to engagement.

Peer feedback and its role for students’ language learning receive considerable interest in thefield of English as a foreign language. A related area of interest is the ways in which teachersare trained in their use of peer feedback and its integration into their classroom practice. Yet,research on the ways in which English language textbooks include opportunities for andinstructions in peer feedback are sparse. Given the importance of textbooks in EFLclassrooms as one of the primary sources of L2 input, the aims of this study are to investigate:1) Whether commonly used textbooks for teaching English in Swedish upper-secondaryschools recommend or integrate peer feedback, and what a) the frequency, and b) type ofthese recommendations and exercises are. 2) How the recommendations and exercises alignwith a) recommendations and best practices as identified in the literature, and b) the nationalcurriculum and the syllabus for English 7.To answer these questions, we analyze one of the most commonly used textbooks for teachingEnglish 7 in Swedish upper-secondary schools, Blueprint C Version 2.0. The findings showonly two instances in the book where the use of peer feedback is promoted as a valuablestrategy for improving the quality of students’ productions. It also shows that the bookcontains a total of 52 writing and speaking exercises, out of which 30 include the use of peerfeedback that, to some extent, aligns with best practice recommendations. As for thealignment with the curriculum and syllabus, the identified recommendations and support forthe use of peer feedback, as well as the peer feedback exercises, are shown to specificallymeet one of the goals of the national curriculum and three of the bullet points listed in thecore content in the syllabus for English 7.

The aim of this study is to investigate 1) students’ attitudes towards English, 2) students’ attitudes towards reading in English and 3) if there is a correlation between students’ attitudes and their results in a reading comprehension test. In total, 39 students from three different classes volunteered for this study. The data were collected by using a questionnaire regarding students’ attitudes towards English and reading in English as well as by letting the participants take part in a reading comprehension test. The results show that students’ attitudes towards English does not necessarily play a part in how well they perform in a reading comprehension test.

The aim of this study is to examine how social science textbooks for upper secondary schools portrays the term “democracy”. Additionally, the study aims to examine the similarities and differences between the textbooks and determine the prevailing overall perspective on democracy. To help do this an analytical tool consisting of five criteria has been constructed based on Robert A. Dahl's theory on democratic processes and John Dewey's view on the role and importance of education for a democracy. These five criteria are: Effective participation/enlightened understanding, voting equality, control of the agenda, inclusiveness, and the role of education in a democracy. A total of six textbooks, based on the latest curriculum from 2011, have been examined and analysed.  The result and analysis of the study generally shows that the textbooks mainly focus on describing the formal democratic decision-making processes and principles without presenting any deeper reasoning for why these are important for democracy. In this context, representative democracy and direct democracy are often highlighted and compared to each other. The informal areas of society where democratic decision-making are made are generally only mentioned in passing or receive minor presentations. The role and importance of education for democracy are only mentioned in some of the textbooks, though school is often used as an example of an area of society where direct democracy is prevalent.  These are the overall similarities that exists across all textbooks. Some differences exist between the various textbooks, but these are only minor in nature. The main difference lies in what aspects of democracy each textbook chooses to highlight rather than the portrayal of democracy itself being any radically different.

This independent project investigated which teaching activities were used by teachers of English in Swedish classrooms in order to teach vocabulary, if there were any differences between secondary school and upper secondary school and how the teachers assessed that their activities had worked. Four teachers, two at secondary school and two at upper secondary school, were interviewed. The teachers answered ten predetermined questions about different aspects of vocabulary and how it is taught in a Swedish setting. The results showed that there are both similarities and differences between the educational levels. Teachers at secondary school preferred to use the coursebook and grammar-translation, even though the syllabus is communicative. The preferred activity amongst the upper secondary school teachers was to use reading in order to expand their students’ vocabularies. The teachers assessed their learners in various ways, for example through grammar-translation, book-talks, and national tests.

English language learning is an indispensable part of Chinese students’ education. As a core subject tested in the high-stakes national college entrance examination, English plays a decisive role in Chinese upper secondary students’ schooling. According to the Canadian social psychologist, Robert Gardner, when learning another language as a formal school course, motivation is a critical determinant of successful learning outcomes. Studies on motivation to learn English in China give precedence to tertiary education; empirical studies of secondary education are underrepresented. Drawing on a comparative perspective, this study investigated Chinese upper secondary students’ motivation to learn English from the aspects of genders, age, and majors. A questionnaire survey was undertaken to assemble data from 120 participants in an upper secondary school in Chengdu city. The results indicated that, the participants at large were positively motivated to learn English, and their motivation was preponderantly instrumentally oriented (e.g., educational qualification, occupational prospect, etc.). A statistically significant difference in motivation between the female and male participants was identified, namely that the females demonstrated a stronger motivation and were willing to expend more effort and perseverance to learn English. Neither age nor major was found to make any significant difference to motivation. The pedagogical implications suggested in this study, sheds light on tackling the issues of developing a long-term strategy for promoting sustainable motivation, as well as underpinning the English language pedagogy in Chinese upper secondary education.