In this essay, we have investigated how students in year 2 of primary school understand, perceive and think about the phenomenon of gravity. We have used semi-structured interviews, individually and in pairs, and let the students make their thoughts visible with graphic representation in the form of drawn arrows before and after a practical activity. The current syllabus states that students at the end of year 3 should be able to talk about the phenomenon of gravity (Skolverket, 2019). The results from our study show that students in the early years of primary school have varying perceptions and understandings of gravity. It is not uncommon for students to have misconceptions about such an abstract physical phenomenon as gravity. Our study has shown that students' graphic representation reflects and clarifies students' understanding of gravity. Furthermore, the study confirms that all students who participated in the study can talk about gravity, but that a couple of students needed supportive teaching first. Another result is that students' graphical representation of gravity follows movement direction. We want to recommend teachers of younger students in primary school to emphasize and talk about concepts in physics. We also recommend to use semiotic resources such as drawing arrows and artifacts, in our study we used a solder, to make the phenomenon of gravity visible and thus improve students' understanding. The essay was conducted at a primary school in a medium-sized city in Sweden. The participants were 12 students, divided into 6 couples, who participated after we received the parents' and students' consent. / I det här examensarbetet har vi undersökt hur elever i grundskolans årskurs 2 förstår, uppfattar och tänker om fenomenet tyngdkraft. Vi har använt semistrukturerade intervjuer, individuellt och parvis, samt låtit eleverna synliggöra sina tankar med grafisk representation i form av ritade pilar före och efter laborativ undervisning. Aktuell kursplan säger att elever i slutet av årskurs 3 ska kunna samtala om fenomenet tyngdkraft. Av resultatet från vår studie framgår att elever i grundskolans tidiga år har varierande uppfattning och förståelse om tyngdkraft. Det är inte ovanligt att eleverna har felaktiga föreställningar eller missuppfattningar om ett, för yngre elever, så abstrakt fysikaliskt fenomen som tyngdkraft. Det har i vår studie visats sig att elevers grafiska representation speglar och förtydligar elevernas förståelse av tyngdkraft. Vidare bekräftar studien att alla elever som deltagit i studien kan samtala om tyngdkraft men att ett par elever behövde stödjande undervisning först. Ytterligare ett resultat är att eleverna genomgående ritar tyngdkraftens riktning pilar, åt samma håll som föremålets rörelseriktning. Vi vill rekommendera lärare till yngre elever i grundskolan att lyfta och samtala om begrepp inom fysiken och nyttja semiotiska resurser som ritade pilar och artefakt, i vår studie använde vi ett lod, för att synliggöra fenomenet tyngdkraft och på så sätt förbättra elevernas förståelse. Undersökningen genomfördes på en grundskola i en medelstor stad i Sverige. Deltagarna var 12 elever, indelade i 6 par, som deltog efter att vi fått föräldrarnas och elevernas medgivande.

The study is based on action resarch where four Concept cartoons have been constructed through careful resarch into the structure of the concept. 16 year 2 students in groups of four participated in a survey with the aim of providing knowledge about how students in grades of 1-3 in primary school understand the concept of friction and how their understanding can be developed through the use of Concept cartoons. The students' discussions where recorded on audio files and analyzed thematically. The sociocultural learning perspective emerged both in terms of knowledge that the students showed and through the group discussions, but also traits of construcivism can be seen through the proveneance of concept and the coginition that occurs among the students through the encounter with the conceptual images. The results show that the students in the study are able to relate friction to movment and speed and that friction is a characteristic that can affect speed as well as understanding that fricton is linked to materials.  The result also show that by allowing students to talk about a Concept cartoon together, a consensus is reached and they can trigger each other to reach and show knowledge as well as deepen and expend knowledge. A striking result shows that Concept cartoons can make misconsistent around the concept of friction visible. By allowing active teachers to at the schools' lower ages to work early on Concept cartoons, misconceptions in science can be detected early and turned into good concetual understanding.

The background of this study is that the study results in science subject for many multilingual students are heading in a downward trend. Research has shown that many multilingual students are having a hard time adjusting to the advanced language used in the classroom. Which contains difficulties for students in understanding the content of science and assimilate to the teaching. The first aim of this study has been to research how scientific concepts in the subject of biology are being introduced through textbooks. The scientific concepts that were being analyzed are species, ecosystem, food chain, photosynthesis, and circulations in nature. The second aim is to research how multilingual students are getting support by the textbooks. The study´s aim and research questions have been executed through qualitative and quantitative analysis of two science textbooks in biology. Something that was identified in the result was the certain concepts were not mentioned at all and that one of the textbooks many times did not mention the scientific concepts by their scientific name. A conclusion of the study is the importance of combining the scientific language with the everyday language in education as to the subject of science with multilingual students. The textbooks contain different kinds of scaffolding strategies to introduce scientific concepts as for support by illustrations and photographs, short pieces of text and connections to other concepts.

This paper explores the curriculum of the Swedish social science course Samhällskunskap 1 b. This is done by analyzing the curriculum in question combined with semi-structural interviews of five teachers, exploring their experiences in teaching the course. The paper applies theories associated with street-level bureaucracy, originally from Michael Lipsky. The premise of the study is that teachers are bureaucrats who must follow a specific curriculum. The study concludes that the theories of street-level bureaucrats are applicable to the situation of social science teachers in their relation to the curriculum. The study also concludes that the interviewed teachers all interpret the curriculum in slightly different manners. This could in turn be seen as a possibility for the individual teacher to adapt the course to suit a range of students, as well as something that potentially threatens the fundamental reasons of a curriculum.

Sammanfattning Syftet med vår studie är att bidra med kunskap om hur eleverna i lågstadiet tillägnar sig begreppskunskaper och förmåga att genomföra systematiska undersökningar när de undervisas genom NTA i ämnet kemi. Studien genomfördes i en årskurs 3 med NTA-uppdraget färgerna i färgen. Vi valde att genomföra en kvalitativ interventionsstudie med strategin designbaserad studie. Vid två lektionstillfällen agerade vi själva lärare och observatör. Lektion A planerades efter NTA’s lärarhandledning. Efter analys av lektion A genomfördes en förändring till lektion B. Förändringarna av lektionen var visuellt stöd och tydligare muntlig stöttning från läraren. Den sociokulturella synen på lärande genomsyrar den aktuella studien och det insamlade resultatet. Resultatet visar att NTA-uppdraget färgerna i färgen bidrar till viss begreppsförståelse för begreppet separera och förmåga att genomföra systematiska undersökningar. Med de förändringar som gjordes till lektion B visade insamlat resultat på en ökad förståelse för begreppet separera och förmåga att genomföra systematiska undersökningar. Därmed dras en möjlig slutsats att verksamma och blivande F-3 lärare kan tillägga visuellt stöd och mer muntlig stöttning i sin undervisning när de använder sig av NTA uppdraget färgerna i färgen. / AbstractThe purpose of our study is to contribute knowledge about how primary school students acquire conceptual knowledge and the ability to conduct systematic investigations when taught through NTA in the subject of chemistry. The study was conducted in a grade 3 through the NTA assignment färgerna i färgen.We chose to conduct a qualitative intervention study with the strategy of design-based study. On two occasions we acted as teachers and observers. In lesson A, the assignment was planned straight from the NTA’s pedagogical plan. After analysis of lesson A we made a change for lesson B. The changes we did to lesson B were adding visual support and more oral support from the teacher. The sociocultural view of learning permeates the current study and the collected results. The results show that the NTA assignment färgerna i färgen contributes to some conceptual understanding of the concept of separation and the ability to conduct systematic investigations. With the changes that were made from the collected results the students showed an increased understanding of the concept of separation and the ability to carry out systematic investigations. Thus, it is concluded that active and prospective F-3 teachers should add visual support and more oral support in their teaching when using NTA assignment färgerna i färgen.

Denna litteraturstudie tar avstamp i Skolinspektionens granskning från 2010 som visar att lärare i stor utsträckning saknar kunskap om flerspråkiga elevers bakgrunder och erfarenheter. Studien syftar således till att granska hur forskning beskriver att samhällskunskapslärare kan arbeta, för att utveckla begreppsförståelse hos flerspråkiga elever, på ett språk som de ännu inte behärskar till fullo. Främst ämnar studien bidra med didaktiska insikter för samhällskunskapsundervisningen i grundskolans årskurs 4–6. Studien är en litteratur-översikt som inkluderar elva forskningsartiklar och en doktorsavhandling, vilka behandlar begreppsförståelse och flerspråkighet i samhällskunskapsämnet. Resultatet synliggör hur lärare kan möta och tillvarata flerspråkiga elevers varierande bakgrunder och erfarenheter, genom arbetssätt som inkluderar kontextualisering, multimodalitet, transspråkande och inlärningsstrategier, samt genom arbetsformer som innefattar gemensamt lärande. Därutöver indikerar resultatet att ett inkluderande och transspråkande klassrumsklimat är avgörande, för att dessa arbetssätt och arbetsformer ska utveckla flerspråkiga elevers förståelse för samhällsvetenskapliga begrepp.

Several studies have shown that many students have misconceptions and everyday concepts about evolution that prevent them from learning the theory of evolution. Previous research has also shown that biology teachers are not always aware of students’ difficulties or design education that challenges students’ conceptual understanding of evolution.  The purpose of this study is to develop knowledge about biology teachers’ evolution teaching, by describing which possible misunderstandings teachers identify that their students have and which teaching methods they use to identify and address these misunderstandings. The study also provides several examples of teaching strategies that could be used as a resource for teachers in their evolution teaching. Eight semi-structured interviews with Swedish biology teachers were conducted, where the majority teach at the upper secondary level.  The result shows that some biology teachers are aware of common misunderstandings in the theory of evolution, while others are not. A common misconception which most of the teachers raise is that their students express that individual organisms can adapt to the environment based on need. Evolutions is thus wrongly regarded as a need-driven process. Most biology teachers in the study do not use comprehensive methods, such as multiple-choice tests or assignments, to map students’ pre-understanding and potential misconceptions about evolution. An important conclusion from this study is that teachers need to design a student-orientated evolution education that takes a starting point from students’ misunderstandings, support students to develop their conceptual understanding and challenges prevailing misconceptions. A second important conclusion is that students together need to have the opportunity to discuss and compare everyday concepts with scientific explanatory models. / Åtskilliga studier har påvisat att flertalet elever har missuppfattningar och vardagsföreställningar inom evolution som motverkar deras inlärning av evolutionsteorin. Tidigare forskning har också kartlagt att biologilärare inte alltid är medvetna om elevers svårigheter eller utformar en evolutionsundervisning som utmanar elevers begreppsförståelse.  Denna studies syfte är utveckla kunskap kring biologilärares evolutionsundervisning, genom att beskriva vilka eventuella missförstånd som lärare urskiljer att deras elever har samt vilka undervisningsmetoder de använder sig av för att identifiera och adressera dessa missförstånd. Studien ger även flera exempel på undervisningsstrategier som skulle kunna utgöra en resurs för lärare i deras evolutionsundervisning. Åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med biologilärare genomfördes, där majoriteten undervisar på gymnasienivå.   Resultatet visar att en del biologilärare är medvetna om vanligt förekommande missförstånd i evolutionsteorin, medan andra inte är det. En vanlig missuppfattning som flertalet lärare lyfter är att deras elever ger uttryck för att enskilda individer kan anpassa sig till miljön för att det finns ett behov. Evolution betraktas därmed felaktigt som en behovsdriven process. Flertalet biologilärarna i studien använder sig inte heller av omfattande metoder, till exempel flervalstest eller inlämningsuppgifter, för att kartlägga elevers förförståelse och eventuella missuppfattningar inom evolution. En viktig slutsats från studien är att lärare behöver utforma en elevcentrerad evolutionsundervisning som tar sin utgångspunkt i elevers missförstånd, stödjer eleverna att utveckla deras begreppsförståelse samt utmanar rådande missuppfattningar. En andra viktig slutsats är att elever behöver få möjlighet att tillsammans diskutera och jämföra vardagliga med vetenskapliga förklaringsmodeller.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka, ur ett lärarperspektiv, vilka metoder som lärare tillämpar för främjandet av begreppsförståelse och stödjandet för elever med språklig sårbarhet i NO. För att uppfylla detta syfte formulerades två forskningsfrågor; Vilka arbetsmetoder lärare använder för att främja begreppsförståelse och hur lärare anpassar sin undervisning för att stödja elever med språklig sårbarhet. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien grundade sig på det sociokulturella perspektivet och synen på differentierat lärande. Studien genomfördes med kvantitativa och kvalitativa ansatser genom en enkätundersökning och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet indikerade att lärarna som medverkade i undersökningen använde varierande arbetsmetoder för att främja begreppsförståelse. Dessa metoder involverar praktiska aktiviteter, utomhusdidaktik, fältstudier och experiment samt diskussioner, vilka grundar sig på socialt samspel. Dessutom indikerar studien att lärare anpassar undervisningen för elever med språklig sårbarhet genom att skapa balans mellan utmaning och stöd i form av nivåanpassade uppgifter och samarbete med specialpedagoger. / The purpose of this study is to examine, from a teacher's perspective, the methods teachers employ to promote conceptual understanding and provide support for pupils with linguistic vulnerability in natural sciences. To fulfill this purpose, two research questions were formulated; What teaching methods teachers use to promote conceptual understanding, and how teachers adapt their instruction to support pupils with linguistic vulnerability. The theoretical framework for the study was based on the sociocultural perspective and the view of differentiated learning. The study was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative approaches through a survey and semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that the teachers that have participated in the study use various teaching methods to promote conceptual understanding. These methods involve hands-on activities, outdoor teaching, field studies, and experiments, as well as discussions based on social interaction. Furthermore, the result indicates that teachers adapt instruction for pupils with linguistic vulnerability by creating a balance between challenge and support through leveled tasks and collaboration with special educators.

The aim of this study is to analyze how four teachers work with verbal scaffolding during text talk to develop pupils' conceptual understanding in fourth grade. There are five forms of verbal scaffolding that the study focuses on. This study answers the following questions: What specific strategies does the teacher use to develop conceptual understanding? How does the teacher apply verbal scaffolding during text talk?   The questions are answered by two qualitative methods, classroom observations and interviews with the four participant teachers. The two methods interact with a shared focus directed on answering the study’s questions. The purpose of the observations was to have a focus on how the teachers used verbal scaffolding during text talk to develop pupils’ conceptual understanding. However, during the interviews, the teachers had the opportunity to express their own perception of their teaching. The study's theoretical framework is based on the concept scaffolding. To make the analysis more concrete, scaffolding has been categorized into five forms of verbal scaffolding. The result showed that all the teachers apply the different categorized verbal scaffolding during the text-talks, although with varying approaches. Furthermore, teachers advocate for different strategies to enhance pupils’ conceptual understanding.

The thesis focuses on how students learn history in the classroom, more precisely on their possibilities and difficulties in developing competence in the school subject of history. There is a particular emphasis on how they explain and understand historical processes and concepts within the subject of history. Participants are students of different grades, 8–19 years old. The purpose of the study is to explore how students learn history in concrete learning situations and my focus is on the types of knowledge students understand, learn, develop and use in comparison with what they are expected to learn.  This is done based on three fundamental and well-established principles of learning. To examine what kinds of knowledge students need I use three main types of knowledge: declarative content knowledge (facts and concepts), procedural knowledge (knowledge about how to do things) and self-regulatory knowledge (knowledge about how to regulate our memory, thought and learning). I also use concepts and insights from systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in order to explain why the students use language and communicate the way they do. The thesis shows that history is challenging for young students. Young students have difficulties with complex and abstract concepts in history as they treat concepts as facts. Older, more competent, students use concepts on a more abstract level and use different kinds of linguistic resources when formulating explanations of higher complexity, more similar to the way explanations in the domain of history are commonly written. The youngest students and some of the older students lacked factual knowledge, concept knowledge, domain specific self-regulatory knowledge and linguistic resources. Declarative content knowledge and facts are more important and more difficult for young students to understand, develop, organize and learn than previous scholars have shown empirically. Students’ abilities to understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework and to organize and structure facts with the help of concepts at different level of abstraction (conceptual understanding) are crucial. Students also need linguistic resources, both lexical knowledge and knowledge of text structures. Language is crucial both in the process of acquiring knowledge and in the process of communication. In the learning process, teaching is crucial, since individual students’ potential to develop competence depend on the potential of the teacher to discover and engage their preconceptions and arrange for learning in a way that give students the kind of knowledge they need.