The purpose of this study has been to look into and analyze the view on sex equality in textbooks and teaching media, and teaching of a group of upper secondary school teachers, through a gender perspective. The teachers teach subjects within social- and political science. The two questions that I wanted to answer are: What views do the teachers have on sex equality in their teaching? What views do the teachers have on sex equality in the teaching media (textbooks and other teacher media) which they have access to? Since I wanted to look into the teachers own views I chose unstructured interviews as the method of gather empirical information. To interpret the transcribed texts I chose the hermeneutic view of people as intentional. I interviewed six teachers in an upper secondary school, four men and two women. I have interpreted the interviews through a gender perspective, based on theories by Yvonne Hirdman, Maria Hedlin, Ylva Elvin-Nowak, Heléne Thomsson and Britt-Marie Thurén. Theories that have been acknowledged are gender, gender making, the male norm, structure, how to integrate sex equality, mentors and models, and feminism. Previous researches that I have focused on are thesis of Eva Gannerud, and Victoria C Wahlgren. The conclusion of the study is that some of the teachers’ did not think that most of the textbooks they used contained an aspect of sex equality, some of them seldom used textbooks and if they wanted a sex equality aspect of the teaching they had to find supplement material on their own. In my analysis I found that the teachers felt responsibility but did not feel that they had room for increased teaching by adding sex equality to the existing lesson material. I argue that the responsibility should not lie on the individual teacher to figure out supplement for sex equality aspects on their own, but the responsibility should lay on the school system as a whole, teachers training included.

Denna studie har för syfte att genom litteraturstudie belysa vilka metoder NO-lärare använder för att motivera elever och öka intresse för ämnet i skolan. En viktig del av elevernas motivation och lust att delta i undervisningen är direkt kopplat till de undervisningsmetoder lärare använder. Lärares sätt att undervisa påverka elevernas motivation och kunskapsutveckling. Syftet med litteraturstudie är att utifrån ett naturvetenskapligt didaktiskt perspektiv undersöka hur NO-lärare kan motivera elever i sin undervisning samt öka vederbörandes intresse för ämnet. Resultatet visar att det är möjligt att genom sin undervisning som NO-lärare, motivera elever positivt. En framgångsrik undervisning inom naturvetenskapen som hjälper elever att nå uppsatta målen och som bidrar till ökad kunskap hos individen bör inte bara diskuteras i endimensionella termer. En kombination av lärarens kunskaper, dennes förmågor och framförhållning i sin dagliga undervisningssituation skapar förutsättningar för elevers lärande och kunskapsutveckling.

Upplevelser med hjälp av kroppen och användningen av olika sinnen är betydelsefullt för människans lärande. Inlärningsprocessen kan implementeras och förstärkas genom utomhuspedagogik. Trots lärares medvetenhet av effekter av utomhuspedagogiken är detta inte något som används allt för flitigt i dagens skola och frågan är varför? Hur kommer det sig att lärare väljer att stanna innanför klassrummets fyra väggar och undervisa? Vad är det som hindrar lärare att ta sig utanför klassrummet och undervisa i en utomhusmiljö? Syftet med studien är att bidra med ökad kunskap om utomhuspedagogikens svårigheter, möjligheter och effekter. Studien riktar sig mot mellanstadielärare i en mindre kommun i södra Sverige som undervisar i SO-ämnen. Två forskningsfrågor besvaras i resultatet som är följande; Vilka möjligheter och svårigheter kan So-lärare uppleva i arbetet med utomhuspedagogik? och Vad anser SO-lärare underlättar användningen av utomhuspedagogik? Studien utgår från Szczepanskis (2007) teori som belyser platsbaserat lärande där en människa lär i samband med kroppen och alla sina sinnen. Att få undervisning utomhus kan bidra till goda effekter på elevers lärande, bland annat handlar det om att elever får aktivera sig fysiskt och vara i en miljö som bidrar till en god hälsa. Genom att lämna en strukturerad klassrumsmiljö och få möta en ostrukturerad utemiljö lär eleven sig genom helhetsupplevelser. För att besvara studiens forskningsfrågor har sex mellanstadielärare med inriktning på SO-ämnena intervjuats genom semistrukturerad intervju. Med utgångspunkt i studiens syfte och frågeställningar formulerades resultatets huvudrubriker; utomhuspedagogikens svårigheter, utomhuspedagogikens möjligheter och främjande arbete. I resultatet framkom det att placering av skola, planering, tid, kompetens och läroplan har en stor betydelse för användandet av utomhuspedagogik i SO-ämnena. Det framkom även att skolledning och kollegialt arbete har en betydelse för att utomhuspedagogik ska vara genomförbart. / To physically experience and use different senses is valuable for the learning process. The learning process can be implemented and enhanced through outdoor pedagogy. Despite the awareness of the teacher regarding the positive effects of outdoor pedagogy, the method is not used extensively, which is questionable. Why do teachers decide to solely stay inside the classroom and teach? What is hindering the teachers to utilize the many advantages that comes with implementation of outdoor pedagogy? The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge concerning the outdoor pedagogy and its possibilities, difficulties and effects. The study is delimited to intermediate stage teachers in a smaller municipality in the southern of Sweden teaching within the social science subjects. Two research questions are answered in the result which is as follows; What possibilities and difficulties does social science teachers experience when working with outdoor pedagogy? and Which aspects is considered to ease the implementation of outdoor pedagogy? These research questions are answered and discussed in the result section. The study has its base in the theory by Szczepanski (2007) which highlights the benefits of location-based learning where the cognitive and physical aspects interplay. Outdoor pedagogy contributes positive effects of the students learning, especially in environments where the learning is combined with physical activities learning to enhanced health. By adapting a more unstructured learning experience, which is in contrast to the traditional classroom-based learning, students can facilitate their environment in a holistic experience. To be able to answer the research questions, six social science teachers in intermediate stage teaching has been interviewed on behalf of their experiences and insight on outdoor pedagogy. The interviews were conducted through semistructured interviews. Based on the purpose and research questions of the study, the main headings of the result were formulated; the difficulties of outdoor pedagogy, the possibilities of outdoor pedagogy and promotional work. The results indicated the location of the school, planning, time, competence and curriculum to be of great importance for the implementation of outdoor pedagogy within the field of the social science subjects. Further, it was highlighted that school management and collegial cooperation was of importance to be able to implement outdoor pedagogy.

The purpose with this study is to contribute with more knowledge about how teachers perceive and use inquiry-based teaching alongside learning materials in their teaching within the science subjects in primary school. We used qualitative, semi structured interviews with a phenomenographic research approach to get a view of teachers’ perceptions about inquiry-based teaching as a phenomenon and how it interacts with learning materials.The study shows that every teacher is using an inquiry-based teaching but in various ways. Inquiry-based teaching was described as a positive part of the education where the pupils get to experiment and use practical work. Most of the teachers thought that the inquiry-based teaching comes with some challenges. The teachers meant that it is time consuming, and it requires access to material. The planning of the education where the inquiry-based teaching is centered demands a studious planning. It showed to exist differences in the purpose of using inquiry-based teaching because some of the teachers meant that inquiry-based teaching creates interest for the science subjects. Some of the teachers described that inquiry-based teaching adds to the pupils conceptional understanding and the other teachers believes that inquiry-based teaching develops the pupil’s knowledge about doing science inquiries. Learning materials were considered as a complement to the inquiry-based teaching. They explained that one cannot exist without the other. Through the theory the pupils are learning about the practical aspects and through the practical aspects the pupils can develop a deeper understanding for the theory.

Ziel des Dissertationsprojekts war eine differenzierte Betrachtung des akademischen Selbstkonzepts in den naturwissenschaftlichen Fächern. Unter anderen wurden die Abgrenzung des akademischen Selbstkonzepts von Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen, seine dimensionale Struktur, Geschlechtsunterschiede sowie seine Beeinflussung durch die Konzeption des Naturwissenschaftsunterrichts und durch dimensionale Vergleiche untersucht. Im Mittelpunkt der ersten Teilstudie stand die Frage nach der empirischen Trennbarkeit von akademischem Selbstkonzept und Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung in den Naturwissenschaften. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die beiden Konstrukte messtheoretisch klar abgrenzbar sind und differentielle Zusammenhänge zu anderen Konstrukten aufweisen: Das Selbstkonzept wurde stärker durch soziale Vergleiche, Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen stärker durch Unterrichtscharakteristika beeinflusst. In der zweiten Teilstudie wurde die fachspezifische Ausdifferenzierung naturwissenschaftlicher Selbstkonzepte untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass Schüler zwischen den Selbstkonzeptfacetten in Biologie, Chemie und Physik unterscheiden und diese drei Facetten differentielle Zusammenhänge zu Leistungsmaßen und zum Geschlecht aufweisen. Die dritte Teilstudie beschäftigte sich mit interdisziplinärem Naturwissenschaftsunterricht als Einflussfaktor auf die Selbstkonzeptstruktur. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass Schüler, die interdisziplinär beschult werden, deutlich höhere Zusammenhänge zwischen den Selbstkonzeptfacetten in Biologie, Chemie und Physik aufweisen als Schüler, die getrennt in den drei Fächern unterrichtet werden. In der vierten Teilstudie wurde der Einfluss dimensionaler Leistungsvergleiche auf naturwissenschaftliche Selbstkonzepte sowie Mathematik und Deutsch untersucht. Es zeigten sich Kontrasteffekte zwischen Mathematik, Physik und Chemie auf der einen und Deutsch auf der anderen Seite. Die Befunde haben Implikationen für die Theorie dimensionaler Vergleiche. / In this dissertation project, academic self-concept in the science subjects is scrutinized. Amongst others, its separability from self-efficacy, its dimensionality, and gender differences were examined. The dissertation includes four research articles. All are based on data from large-scale assessment studies. In the first research article, we examined whether academic self-concept and self-efficacy in the science subjects can be distinguished empirically. We found a moderate positive correlation between self-concept and self-efficacy in science, advocating distinguishable constructs. Furthermore, science self-concept was better predicted by the average peer achievement, whereas science self-efficacy was more strongly affected by inquiry-based learning opportunities. The second research article focused on the internal structure of academic self-concept in the sciences. It could be shown that students differentiate between their abilities in biology, chemistry and physics and that the subject-specific self-concept facets are differentially related to achievement and gender. For example, stereotypical gender differences in favor of boys were found for chemistry and physics. The effect of interdisciplinary science teaching on the structure of academic self-concept in the sciences was examined in the third research article. Students who were taught science as an interdisciplinary subject showed substantially higher relations between the self-concept facets in biology, chemistry, and physics than students who were taught these subjects separately. In the fourth research article, the effects of dimensional comparisons on academic self-concepts in the sciences as well as mathematics and German were scrutinized. We found contrast effects between the German and math, physics, and chemistry as well as assimilation effects between math, physics, and chemistry. The results further advance dimensional comparison theory.

Fostering students’ creativity in school subjects has recently become a central focus of educational researchers, educators, and educational policymakers around the world. In Kuwait, educational researchers and teacher educators have supported the need to foster students’ creativity via a national curriculum. Yet, the Ministry of Education has conducted few studies to explore practitioners’ perspectives on how to foster creativity through the current curriculum. The overall aims of this study were to explore science teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and practices in fostering creativity in science classrooms as well as to investigate the influences of sociocultural factors on teachers’ beliefs and practices in fostering creativity. The study also examined the consistency and inconsistency levels between teachers’ beliefs and practices. The study has a qualitative nature that stands on an interpretive worldview. The methodology uses eight case studies, each of which consisted of a male science teacher and one of his classes. Multiple methods were used, including semi-structured interviews (pre- and post-observational interviews), student focus groups, unstructured observations, participants’ drawings, and field notes. The analysis was based on thematic analysis model proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). Thematic findings and case studies findings were drawn from the analysis of the data collected. In general, the thematic findings indicated that science teachers are able to define the meaning of creativity and its main aspects. Professed pedagogical beliefs enforce four teaching approaches to foster creativity in the science classroom: the teaching of thinking skills, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, and practical investigation (experimentation). The teachers believe that these approaches could promote students’ creativity in science classroom when specific sociocultural factors facilitate the effectiveness of such approaches in terms of fostering creativity. Three interdependent categories represent these facilitating factors: (1) educational setting-related factors, (2) teacher-related factors, and (3) student-related factors. Differences and similarities appeared when these professed beliefs were compared to the applied classroom practices. The thematic analysis revealed several themes underlying the main categories. Extensive teacher-centred practices and modest student-centred practices were evident; more specifically, the observations revealed primarily teacher-centred approach inside the science classes. Meanwhile, student-centred approaches were modestly applied in comparison to teacher-centred activities. The teachers justified their practices in accordance with the sociocultural factors that mediate their beliefs and practices as well as the role of their goal orientation. The science teachers perceived the mediating factors as constraints that prevent them from applying their beliefs about fostering creativity in classroom practices. Multiple constraining factors emerged, and they were categorised into personal, external, and interpersonal constraints. Concerning the case study findings, consistencies and inconsistencies were identified using a cut-off point as an analytic technique to classify teachers’ beliefs and practices into traditional (non-creativity fostering), mixed, or progressive (creativity fostering). The case study findings identified four consistency and inconsistency levels characterizing teachers’ beliefs and practices: traditional (consistent level), mainly traditional (inconsistent level), mixed (consistent level), and mainly progressive (inconsistent level). Each level was represented by an exemplary case study. The exemplary case studies revealed that sociocultural contexts influence teacher’s belief-practice relationship with respect to fostering students’ creativity in science classroom. Further, the thematic and case study findings were discussed in relation to the existing body of knowledge, followed by an illustration of significant conclusions, including some implications, contributions, limitations, and future suggestions.

The new curriculum reforms of Czech and Slovak educational systems provide schools enough room for new effective methods developing pupil's key competence. The dissertation deals with one of them - the project-based teaching, especially in science subjects in the second stage of basic school. It presents results of a comparative study which was conducted 2008/2009 school year. The most important aim was to establish and compare common characteristics of realized projects. The sample consisted of 180 Czech and 71 Slovak basic schools. The projects data and views of teachers were collected via a questionnaire. The results of the survey indicated that project-based teachings in science subjects was used in more than 80 % of Czech schools and more than 60 % of Slovak schools. Schools in both countries preferred projects realized only in one class, by one teacher and within the frame of one science subject. Czech schools preferred short projects that lasted no more than one week, Slovak schools organized mostly long projects lasting more than one week. Most projects in Czech schools were short-term, lasting on average no more than one week. Projects in Slovak schools on the other hand lasted on average more than one week. The majority of projects were planned and prepared by a teacher. Teachers were...

В диссертации рассмотрены теоретические аспекты и практические возможности внедрения инновационных технологий в процесс обучения старшеклассников в рамках инженерной школы. Исследован уровень мотивации старшеклассников к поступлению в технические вузы. На основе проведенного исследования, выявлена потребность в формировании устойчивого профессионального интереса старшеклассников к освоению технической специальности для последующей успешной карьеры в производственной сфере. Разработан проект по созданию инженерной школы как наиболее эффективной инновационной формы профильного обучения и профессиональной ориентации старшеклассников. / The dissertation examines the theoretical aspects and practical possibilities of introducing innovative technologies in the process of teaching high school students in the engineering school. The level of motivation of high school students to enter technical universities is studied. Based on the conducted research, the need for the formation of a stable professional interest of high school students in the development of a technical specialty for a subsequent successful career in the industrial sphere is revealed. A project has been developed to create an engineering school as the most effective innovative form of specialized training and professional orientation for high school students.