The concept of reflection expressed as different types of thinking is explicitly given an essential role in specific strands of international discourses on lifelong learning and education. Meanwhile, some researchers consider reflection problematic and point to the lack of consensus on its meaning in theory and practice. Assuming that there are varied conceptualizations and that arguments for learning of reflective skills are deemed sound, it follows that it would be especially meaningful to find out how professionals responsible for educational practices understand the concept. As this kind of research appears scarce in adult education, an exploration may contribute to knowledge underlying what teachers do ‘in the name of reflection’. The pedagogy in Swedish popular education is of special interest as it ideally centers adults' participation and reflection with others to facilitate learning. Furthermore, the curriculum is not regulated in law which may indicate a wide variety of interpretations of the teaching mission including its key concepts. Therefore, the aim of this phenomenography inspired study is to identify the variation in folk high school teachers’ (n=7) conceptions of reflection in Swedish popular education. Based on analysis of semi-structured interviews, it is argued that the results in some sense broaden the understanding of reflection in revealing three different categories of descriptions. These categories are; reflection as a process fostering understanding of experiences, reflection as a tool facilitating learning and development, and reflection as a pedagogy enacting ideals of popular education and emancipation. On basis of the theoretical idea that teachers’ thought is important to and influence their professional action, the potential influences of these varying conceptualizations on folk high school teachers’ professional practice are elucidated.

I ett flertal teorier inom fältet vuxnas lärande, liksom i dokument i specifika skolformer inom svensk vuxenutbildning, ges begreppet reflektion en frontposition i relation till lärande. Begreppet är dock problematiskt i att det har flera olika innebörder som inte nödvändigtvis harmonierar med varandra. Vidare saknar skolformer i utbildningssystemet didaktiska riktlinjer för utformningen av undervisning. Ett spänningsfält kan skönjas här, mellan å ena sidan explicita krav på reflektion i dokument med bäring på specifika skolformers verksamhet, och å andra sidan teoretisk och didaktisk oklarhet kring begreppet reflektion.     Syftet med uppsatsen är att identifiera folkhögskollärares beskrivningar av hur de utformar undervisning för deltagares reflektion. Den kvalitativa metodansatsen är tematisk analys och det empiriska datamaterialet består av intervjuer med sex folkhögskollärare.     Resultaten av analysen gestaltas i fem övergripande teman av beskrivningar: samtal utformas som perspektivvidgning och återkoppling både i det fysiska och virtuella klassrummet; skrivande utformas via chatt eller för hand genom dikt- och brevskrivande eller som textframställningar i linje med olika skrivgenrer. Dessutom som formuleringar i punkt- eller verbform, som skrivstafett eller som reflektion utifrån givna frågor och uppgifter; frågor utformas dels med öppna frågor som inleds med Vad, Hur, Varför, Vilka och Var och dels som ja/nej-frågor; samspel utformas i helgrupp, i smågrupper eller enskilt med läraren; intryck utformas med textbaserade och visuellt baserade material, auditivt och audiovisuellt material, dofter och gemensamma upplevelser. / In several theories within the field of Adult learning, as well as in specific documents in Swedish Adult education, reflection is given a front position in relation to students’ learning. However, the concept of reflection is problematic in that it has various meanings that do not necessarily harmonize. Furthermore, school forms in the educational system lack guidelines for the design of teaching. A conflict can be discerned here. A conflict between, on the one hand, explicit demands on reflection in documents relevant to specific school forms, and, on the other hand, a lack of clarity concerning the theory and design of reflection in teaching. The aim of this paper is to identify Folk High School teachers’ descriptions of how they design teaching to facilitate their students’ reflection. The qualitative method is thematic analysis and the empirical material consists of interviews with six Folk High School teachers. The results of the analysis are illustrated in five overall themes of descriptions; discussion is designed as broadening of perspectives and feedback in the virtual, as well as physical class room; writing is designed as online chat or by hand, with poetry and letter writing or as texts of various genres. In addition/moreover, as expressions in point- or verb form, as “writing relay” or as reflection based on given questions or assignments; questions are partly designed open-ended, beginning with What, How, Why, Who, and Where, and partly as yes-no questions; interaction is designed plenary, in small groups, or individually with the teacher; impressions are designed with text-based and visually-based materials, auditory and audiovisual materials, fragrances, and shared experiences.

Syftet med denna avhandling är att bidra till förståelsen av hur lärares professionella utveckling kan stödjas. Detta har gjorts genom att undersöka vilka konsekvenserna blir av att lärare ser sig själva på videoinspelningar från sin egen undervisning. Resultaten som presenteras bygger på en longitudinell undersökning. I den första studien deltog lärarstudenter som gick sista terminen på folkhögskollärarprogrammet. De spelade in sin undervisning under den verksamhetsförlagda delen av utbildningen, ”praktiken” på en folkhögskola. Det som eftersöktes var vilka situationer som överraskade lärarstudenterna när de sedan såg sig själva på film. De skrev ner sina reflektioner och resultatet visade att överraskningarna handlade om bristen på lyhördhet i relation till deltagarna. De formulerade också tankar om hur de skulle vilja agera i klassrummet. I den uppföljande studien spelade några av dessa personer, som nu varit verksamma folkhögskollärare i två år efter avslutad utbildning, återigen in en av sina lektioner. Denna gång beskrev lärarna att de på filmen såg att de hade förändrat eller utvecklat sina handlingsvanor till ett mer deltagarorienterat förhållningssätt. De beskrev också att de agerade på ett mer professionellt sätt. Den teori som legat till grund för analysen har sin grund i ett pragmatiskt synsätt på lärande. Från symbolisk interaktionism har begreppen ”I” och ”me” använts, och för att i det här fallet undersöka den professionella aspekten av ”me” har begreppet ”professionalme” prövats. / The aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of how teacher’s professional development can be supported. What have been investigated are the consequences that result from teachers watching video recordings from their own teaching. The results presented are based on a longitudinal investigation. In the first study, student teachers from the last semester of the folk high school teacher program participated. They recorded their teaching during the school-based part of the program, the practicum at a folk high school. What were investigated were situations that surprised the student teachers when they saw themselves on the video recording. They wrote down their reflections and the result showed that the surprises were about their lack of responsiveness in relation to the participants. The student teachers also formulated ideas about how they would act in the classroom. In the follow-up study, some of these teachers, who now had been working as graduated folk high school teachers for two years, once again video recorded one of their lessons. This time the teachers described in interviews that they, on the video recording, could see that they had changed or developed their habits to a more participatory approach. They also described that they acted in a more professional manner. The theory underlying the analysis is based on a pragmatic theory of learning. From symbolic interactionism, the concepts of "I" and "me" have been used, and in this case, to examine the professional aspect of "me", the concept of "professional-me" has been used.