This thesis has attempted to understand and deepen our knowledge of political participationamong students in upper secondary education. The thesis has explored potential motives to participate, or not to participate, what strategies they would use if they were to hypothetically participate, and furthermore how their political behavior relates to their expectations on democracy. Data were collected through semi-structured interview with 16 upper secondarystudents which was divided into three focus groups. The results imply different reasons forwhy they would, or would not participate politically. The most prominent reasons were frustration, norms, and fear. These reasons are inhibiting them from participating politically. The strategies they would utilize if they would want to change something politically concernboth collective and individual forms of participation. However, individual forms seem to be preferred, especially when it comes to social media. The simplicity and its ability to mobilizewith small resources make social media an attractive alternative among these youths. Participation in elections is important for them as citizens since the election is regarded as their opportunity to change within the scope of democracy. Likewise, participation in elections is an act they expect from other citizens. The result indicates that these students’political passivity is not explained by their lack of trust in democracy. Passivity can rather be described in more optimistic terms where a political interest exists and is nourished continuously, but they do not consider themselves to have enough reasons to act.

This qualitative study aims to offer an insight into the term personal expression and its’ meaning and definition in the upper secondary school environment, in which the purpose of the study is to examine singing teachers’ interpretation of the term personal expression and their descriptions of the methods used to assess personal expression. The study has a discourse analytical approach in which concepts such as power, truth effect and construction are used to analyse the gathered material. Four singing teachers working at upper secondary schools participated in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Three overarching discourses were identified: education, subjectivity and objectivity and personal expression. It was found that the teachers all helped shape and construct the truth effects of these discourses by their language: they constructed the truth effect that subjectivity in assessment is constant and that internalization and externalization are core elements in personal expression. Through the discourse, it was also discovered that a truth effect the teachers all constructed was that personal expression is hard to both teach and achieve.

With the digitalisation of the world, digital literacy is a vital skill. This study investigates how the Swedish upper secondary school incorporates digital literacy in the course English 5 and if the schools have an IT plan. Previous studies have shown that Sweden does not include the competence levels of the European Union for citizens in the steering documents of the upper secondary school or English 5 Syllabus. A survey and the question of participating in an interview were sent out to 1,300 upper secondary schools in Sweden. Information was obtained through an online survey aimed at English 5 teachers. The survey had 33 respondents which resulted in semi-structured interviews with five teachers. The results showed that teachers teach digital literacy in English 5 according to the Swedish steering documents but not according to the European areas of competence. The results also showed that not all Swedish schools have an IT plan on how to educate students in digital literacy.

Föreliggande studie är inriktad på hur lärare i gymnasieskolan ser på möjligheten att inkludera världslitteratur och texter från olika kulturer i svenskämnet. Syftet är att undersöka lärares beskrivna arbetssätt och motiv till att välja denna litteratur till sin undervisning. Postkolonial teori, interkulturellt lärande och det litteraturteoretiska begreppet främmandegöring utgör tillsammans ett teoretiskt ramverk för studien. Det empiriska materialet består av fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer med svensklärare på gymnasienivå. Resultatet indikerar att lärarna finner det aktuellt att genom världslitteratur lyfta fram allmänmänskliga teman, demokratiska frågor och kulturell mångfald. Således är likheter och skillnader mellan människor en av flera aspekter som lärarna berör. En potentiell problematik som resultatet påvisar är att lärarna uppfattar att elever tolkar skönlitteratur dokumentärt. / The present study focuses on how upper-secondary school teachers consider the possibility of integrating world literature and texts from other cultures in the Swedish subject. The aim is to examine teachers' narrations of their teaching and their motifs for choosing world literature as part of their teaching. Postcolonial theory, intercultural learning and the literary term estrangement constitute the theoretical framework. The empirical material involves four semi-structured interviews with Swedish subject teachers. The result suggests that the teachers find it relevant to use world literature as a context for discussing universal human themes, democratic issues and cultural diversity. Accordingly, similarities and differences between people are one of several aspects that the teachers address. The result raises one potential problem where the teachers report that students tend to interpret fiction documentary.

This essay is based on a societal problem related to the exclusion that arises when young peopledo not reach upper secondary school eligibility, and how low education can have consequencesfor society over time. The thesis focuses on the municipalities' work and responsibility towardsthe individuals who make up the current target group, 16-19 year olds who do not study or havean employment. The study is concretized by these issues: • How do the municipalities in question describe the problem of young people who do not have uppersecondary school qualifications? • What measures are the municipalities taking and do they have stated goals? • Do the municipalities use united actions with public actors and other municipalities in the region tofind common solutions? The results of the thesis are mainly based on a questionnaire answered by representativesworking with the target group from nine different municipalities, where they were asked toanswer questions related to the purpose of the study. The study also used a secondary empiricismin the form of documents to strengthen the answers in terms of goals and measures. Theconclusions we came to were that all municipalities believe that lack of upper secondary schoolqualification entails great future risks for individuals, which in turn has consequences for society.An overwhelming majority of the municipalities have goals and measures linked to the law theyneed to comply with, which includes trying to motivate young people to return to some form ofeducation. United actions occurs in all municipalities, and with an increased understanding of thecomplexity of united action as a theoretical concept, the conclusions are based on the fact thatvarious forms of united actions also imposes different requirements. It can therefore beexperienced both as an asset and a challenge among the participating actors.

The subject of this report was to investigate how the Sami people are portrayed in the history subject in the Swedish upper secondary school. The aim was to analyse if the image portrayed was a contributor to a generalization of the heterogeneous groups of the Sami people. This study was conducted through qualitative methods where I interviewed eight teachers. The most common courses were History 1a1 and History 1b, but other advanced courses as History 2b were also represented. The theoretical framework of this study was based upon curriculum theory to analyse why, and how the teachers choose the specific content in their teaching. The result of the study confirms earlier work that shows how the Sami people are marginalized and exemplified by both the textbooks and the teachers. Furthermore this study shows that the teachers choose conflicts that happen in the present to relate their teaching so the students can relate to the content easier. When the teachers mention the Sami people it is mostly the reindeer herding ones because the conflicts regarding the rights to land and hunting are the most publicly noticed. The Sami that are not involved with reindeer herding are therefore even more marginalized because of the lack of knowledge the teachers possess. It is hard for the teachers to teach about the Sami when the curricula do not explicitly mention the Sami, in correlation to the fact that most of the teachers do not have any education about the subject. This study shows that education is necessary for the teachers if the history of the Sami people would become more present in the teaching.

The purpose of the study, which the essay presents, was to investigate and shed light on history teachers`perception of the ”uses of history” in the history course 1a1 given to upper secondary vocational program students. Through qualitative interviews, the study aimed to investigate the stories and experiences of seven teachers reagarding the obstacles and possibilities they see with teaching the use of history during the course history 1a1. The interviews were then analysed through two theoretical framworks: three historical approaches and epistemological cognition. The research shows that history teachers` subjectiv perception of what the use of history entails can have didactic consequences regarding what extent of the use of history they later teach. The teachers also describe that the students`historical and contemporary frames of reference have a great significance in how they teach the use of history. The study also shows that the teachers can see the use of history as an obstacle as well as an opportunity to create an entrance to the subject of history and to the course history 1a1 itself.

The aim of the study was to describe the reading and writing activities that takes place in vehicle repair workshops and to elucidate how people experiencing low reading-and-writing ability describe their encounters with text in working life. Reading and writing are considered in the study from an educational-philosophical and special educational perspective. This study of literacy was inspired by ethnographic methods. The empirical material consists of field notes from ten participatory observations in vehicle repair workshops, photographs from the workshops and three interviews. To see patterns in how literacy was used, literacy events were taken as the unit of analysis. The literacy environment, community of practice, reading path and technical surroundings are analytical concepts in the thematic presentation of results. Central literacy practices were characterized primarily by reading, often via computer, for information needed for solving problems. The type of reading was often non-linear, given the multimodal texts and choices in computer environments. In addition, semiotic systems and several languages were interpreted. It is important to understand how information is organised and how to handle the technology. Technology provides support structures e.g. pictorial support and translation programmes. Writing out words, button-pushing and keyboard entry to register and search for information through the use of measurement instruments and in computer-generated text environments, were central. Literacy events were embedded in the work tasks and in ongoing learning, and many literacy practices included items of both reading and writing. Social skills, plus recognizing one’s problems and asking for help, were useful strategies for handling the demands of reading and writing in working life, as were allowing time and creating concentration for the task. Interpreting pictorial matter, using technology, copying text and noting down things to remember were further strategies. Implications of the study are that effective strategies for managing the demands of reading and writing that are required in the working place should begin in school. Significant is the teachers’ approach to handling the students’ frustration when studies are not working out as expected. Caring teachers, positive energy and not giving up make a difference. General education teachers need special educational resources in the upper-secondary school in order to counteract school failure and to enhance students’ learning.

In this essay, Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy is analysed through a moral perspective, with a focus on experimentalism and rationalism as presented by Christopher W. Gowans. Furthermore, the application of the novel and its connection to morality in the EFL classroom is discussed, as well as the possibility of introducing fanfiction in the classroom. The main conclusion that could be drawn is that the same action could be either moral or immoral depending on one’s view of morality. The results also indicate that Rose choosing her duty to Lissa over her love for Dimitri was a morally correct decision though it the morality in her having to choose at all is questionable. Furthermore, the results illustrate that compulsion can be moral or immoral depending on why it is used and that it is difficult for the antagonist to be morally correct. It was also concluded that the novel can act as a buffer between the student and the real world and thereby be a starting point for moral discussions in the classroom.

This thesis aims to examine how individual teachers in the upper secondary school manage to comply with the requirements from three different agents within the schoolsystem; the requirements of the The national agency for education in Sweden regarding formative assessment and standardisation of grading, the requirement of the students regarding ”backward-pedagogy”, and requirement of the society regarding developing the student’s independence and creative ability. Semi-structured interviews with three teachers teaching Business Administration at one upper secondary school in Malmo was conducted. These interviews focused on how the informants manage to embrace the creative ability in their preparation and teaching of the Business Administration-course, as well as examination and assessment of the students creative ability. This thesis concluded that there is a confusion in how to define creative ability which automatically makes it hard for teachers to know how to incorporate this ability in their teaching. This thesis also makes a point that The national agency for educations obsession with assuring standardized grading, has formalised the learning process to the extent that it has made teachers focus more on gathering assessment material that is legally certain than helping the students learn to better face the compexity of the future. This development has come to disengaged the teachers as well as the students. This thesis wants to make point that learning is something personal, and should be treated in that respect.