Matematisk problemlösning är för elever ett utmanande område som är beroende av att lärare har en genomtänkt plan för hur undervisningen ska struktureras. De olika syner som visat sig finnas på problemlösning har vidare inspirerat till den här studiens syfte, vilket är att synliggöra olika uppfattningar av vad problemlösning i förskoleklass och årskurs 1–3 innebär. För att svara mot syftet för studien har en fenomenografisk ansats använts och frågeställningarna ”På vilka kvalitativt skilda sätt uppfattar lärare problemlösning i de lägre årskurserna?” och ”På vilka kvalitativt skilda sätt uppfattar lärare syftet med att undervisa i problemlösning i de lägre årskurserna?” har formulerats. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra lärare har data samlats in och analyserats. Resultatet visar på fem olika uppfattningar av problemlösning vilka handlar om att se problemlösning som en textuppgift, en utmanande process, en procedur, ett gemensamt arbete eller ett kreativt tänkande. Därefter presenteras fyra uppfattningar av vad syftet med undervisning i problemlösning är. Syftet uppfattas handla om att följa läroplan och förbereda inför nationella prov, att ge eleverna förberedande verktyg, att skapa en förståelse för problemlösning och att testa elevernas kunskaper. Avslutningsvis diskuteras studiens metodval följt av en diskussion kring resultatet i relation till tidigare forskning och yrkesverksamheten. / Mathematical problem solving is a challenging area for younger students that relies on teachers having a well-thought-out plan for how the teaching should be structured. The different views that have been identified regarding problem solving have further inspired the purpose of this study. The purpose is to highlight different ways of experiencing what problem solving in preschool and grades 1–3 entails. With regards to the purpose of the study, a phenomenographic approach has been used, and the research questions "In what qualitatively different ways do teachers experience problem solving in the lower grades?" and "In what qualitatively different ways do teachers experience the purpose of teaching problem solving in the lower grades?" has been formulated. Data has been collected and analyzed through semi-structured interviews with four teachers. The results reveal five different understandings of problem solving, which involve seeing problem solving as a word problem, a challenging process, a procedure, a collaborative work, or a creative thinking. Furthermore, four different ways of experiencing the purpose of teaching problem solving are presented. The purpose is experienced to be about following the curriculum and preparing for national tests, providing preparatory tools for students, fostering an understanding of problem solving, and testing students' knowledge. Finally, the study's choice of method is discussed, followed by a discussion of the results in relation to previous research and professional practice.

The quest for a better way to learn and teach programming, in particular object-oriented programming, is a challenge that continues to intrigue computer science educators. Even after decades of research in learning to program, educators still search for the optimal instructional approach that will solve the `learning to program effectively' problem among introductory programming students. The aim of this study was to gain insight into, and to suggest possible explanations for, the "qualitatively different ways" in which students experience learning to program using an object-oriented programming language, and to recommend teaching and learning strategies as a result of the outcomes of the research. In order to achieve these aims, a combination of phenomenographic research methods and elements of activity theory have been employed to gain an in depth understanding of pre- and in-service teachers' learning experiences. The categories of description for the phenomenon, learning to program and the influence of the learning context have been analysed and described in detail. It is argued that understanding learning to program using Java, in order to teach programming involves more than understanding learning to program as it is normally taught in university programming courses. In addition to object-oriented concepts such as message passing, inheritance, polymorphism, delegation and overriding, it entails understanding how learning to program is reflected in the goals of instruction and in different instructional practices. Knowledge of learning to program must also be linked to knowledge of students' thinking, so that teachers have conceptions of typical trajectories of student learning, and can use this knowledge to recognize landmarks of understanding in individuals. The findings suggest relationships among students' affective appraisals of the value of learning to program, their conceptions of learning to program, their approaches to learning it, their evaluations of their performance in tests and examinations and outcomes of their actions. The relationships emerged from student descriptions of their actions and the way in which different aspects of their learning and outcomes related to one another were qualitatively described and in some cases, quantified. In particular, the tensions between prior programming knowledge of a procedural language and current learning of an object-oriented language have emerged in the study. This has implications for teaching, as this study was set against the backdrop of the change in programming language in high schools, from a procedural to an object-oriented language. / Mathematical Sciences / PhD (Maths, Science and Technology Education)

The quest for a better way to learn and teach programming, in particular object-oriented programming, is a challenge that continues to intrigue computer science educators. Even after decades of research in learning to program, educators still search for the optimal instructional approach that will solve the `learning to program effectively' problem among introductory programming students. The aim of this study was to gain insight into, and to suggest possible explanations for, the "qualitatively different ways" in which students experience learning to program using an object-oriented programming language, and to recommend teaching and learning strategies as a result of the outcomes of the research. In order to achieve these aims, a combination of phenomenographic research methods and elements of activity theory have been employed to gain an in depth understanding of pre- and in-service teachers' learning experiences. The categories of description for the phenomenon, learning to program and the influence of the learning context have been analysed and described in detail. It is argued that understanding learning to program using Java, in order to teach programming involves more than understanding learning to program as it is normally taught in university programming courses. In addition to object-oriented concepts such as message passing, inheritance, polymorphism, delegation and overriding, it entails understanding how learning to program is reflected in the goals of instruction and in different instructional practices. Knowledge of learning to program must also be linked to knowledge of students' thinking, so that teachers have conceptions of typical trajectories of student learning, and can use this knowledge to recognize landmarks of understanding in individuals. The findings suggest relationships among students' affective appraisals of the value of learning to program, their conceptions of learning to program, their approaches to learning it, their evaluations of their performance in tests and examinations and outcomes of their actions. The relationships emerged from student descriptions of their actions and the way in which different aspects of their learning and outcomes related to one another were qualitatively described and in some cases, quantified. In particular, the tensions between prior programming knowledge of a procedural language and current learning of an object-oriented language have emerged in the study. This has implications for teaching, as this study was set against the backdrop of the change in programming language in high schools, from a procedural to an object-oriented language. / Mathematical Sciences / PhD (Maths, Science and Technology Education)