International reading comprehension studies, like PIRLS and PISA, state that the reading comprehension of Swedish students has decreased significantly since 2000. As a consequence, the National Agency of Education has made reading comprehension teaching a prioritised field in terms of further education for teachers. There has also been a change in Lgr 11, the national curriculum for compulsory school, where it is stated that teaching in reading strategies shall be a part of the central content throughout compulsory school. When the pupils reach upper secondary school level, reading comprehension education is no longer a part of the curriculum. Today, students at upper secondary school for individuals with learning disabilities currently share the same curriculum as the ordinary upper secondary school. As from July 1st 2013, the new upper secondary school for individuals with learning disabilities will start, and the new curricula for each subject for these school forms will be in use (National Agency of Education). The Swedish Schools Inspectorate and several reports indicate that there are deficiencies concerning too low challenges on individual level in the teaching of Swedish at upper secondary level for students with learning disabilities. The teaching is predominantly on individual level, causing lack of interaction between students. One main school objective is to prepare these students for an active participation in society. It is vital that students receive instructions when reading, in order to increase their reading comprehension. The basis of the study is a research based teaching program for reading comprehension teaching, called Reciprocal teaching (Palinscar and Brown 1984). The program has been modified and modernised with the aid of interactive media and the computer program Power Point. The aim of the study is to examine whether the reading comprehension and the motivation for reading are affected by the teaching program Reciprocal teaching. Method: Three 17-year-old students at upper secondary school for individuals with learning disabilities have participated in the study for four weeks. During the study, the students' participation and commitment were observed. The reading comprehension was tested before and after taking part of the program. Result: According to tests, the ability to decode a text has increased for all the students, which is an important factor for understanding a text. The commitment and motivation have increased and the students state that reading and talking about texts together was good. Interactive media with graphical support combined with structured questions from the teacher contributed to the students' increased commitment.

<p>I den här uppsatsen undersöker jag musikelever på gymnasiets estetiska program i Västerås, och vilken effekt undervisningen har på deras musikpreferenser. Resultaten baseras på två enkäter, en till elever och en till lärare. Undersökningen visar att eleverna till största delen är positiva till den musik de möter i skolan, men bara en mindre del av dem lyssnar på den musiken privat.</p> / <p>In this essay, I examine the effect of education regarding musical preferences expressed by students of music at upper secondary school in Västerås. The results are based on two questionnaires, one for the pupils, and one for the teachers of the school. The investigation indicates, that the pupils are largely positive towards the music presented in school, but only a lesser part of them actually listen to it privately.</p>

I den här uppsatsen undersöker jag musikelever på gymnasiets estetiska program i Västerås, och vilken effekt undervisningen har på deras musikpreferenser. Resultaten baseras på två enkäter, en till elever och en till lärare. Undersökningen visar att eleverna till största delen är positiva till den musik de möter i skolan, men bara en mindre del av dem lyssnar på den musiken privat. / In this essay, I examine the effect of education regarding musical preferences expressed by students of music at upper secondary school in Västerås. The results are based on two questionnaires, one for the pupils, and one for the teachers of the school. The investigation indicates, that the pupils are largely positive towards the music presented in school, but only a lesser part of them actually listen to it privately.

Detta är en kvalitativ uppsats som baseras på intervjuer med elever som går årskurs två på estetiska programmet och läser den obligatoriska kursen Estetisk orientering. I inledningsavsnittet ges en bild av de estetiska ämnenas funktion och plats i skolan, hur det ses på praktiskt kontra teoretiskt kunnande, att lära med olika sinnen samt de estetiska ämnenas minskade utrymme i skolan. Studiens övergripande syfte är att beskriva gymnasieelevers upplevelse av en integrerad undervisning i estetiska ämnen i skolan. Forskningsfrågorna ringar in hur eleverna resonerar kring sin individuella självbild utifrån undervisning där dans, teater, bild och musik ingår. Elevintervjuerna belyser även gruppens betydelse för formandet av den enskilda elevens självbild samt hur eleven talar om kroppen i relation till rörelsemomenten i estetämnesundervisningen. Studien utgår ifrån ett fenomenologiskt - hermeneutiskt perspektiv och intervjuerna har analyserats med hjälp av Amedeo Giorgis fenomenologiska analysmetod. Analysen av intervjuerna visar hur eleverna upplever sina nyvunna erfarenheter av de olika estetämnena och hur dessa ökat deras förståelse för sig själva och andra. Eleverna beskriver upplevelser av den integrerade estetämnesundervisningen genom att resonera kring EOS kursens påverkan på dem som individer. Eleverna talar om kreativitet, att utforska, spränga gränser, styrkor och svagheter, tillit, mod, begränsningar och oro samt kroppen som uttrycksmedel och kunskapsinhämtare. Lustaspekten lyfts fram och viljan hos eleverna att lära nytt. Eleverna har hittat varierade metoder för att uttrycka sina tankar, känslor och idéer genom EOS kursen. Studien visar på de estetiska ämnenas viktiga funktion i skolan. Detta påvisas genom att lyfta fram både aktuell forskning som stöder estetiska ämnens funktion i skolan samt elevernas positiva upplevelser kring den ämnesintegrerade estetundervisningen. / This is a qualitative essay which is based upon interviews with second-year, upper-secondary students taking an Esthetic Program and studying the core subject Esthetic Orientation (EOS). In the introduction, the purpose and role of the esthetic subjects in the school are illustrated, e.g. practical knowledge versus theoretical knowledge, sensory learning as well as a decreased focus on the esthetic subjects’ within schools are discussed. The purpose of the study is to describe upper-secondary students’ experiences of integrated teaching of esthetic subjects in school. The research questions focus on how students reason about their self-image following lessons that incorporate dance, drama, art and music. The student interviews highlight the importance of the group in the formation of an individual student’s self-image as well as depict how students describe their bodies in relation to the physical elements in the teaching of an esthetic subject. The study uses a phenomenological hermeneutic approach and the interviews are analyzed using Amedeo Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis method. The analysis of the interviews shows how the students experience their newly discovered knowledge of the different esthetic subjects and how this has increased their understanding of themselves and others. The students describe their experience of integrated esthetic teaching by discussing the possible influence the EOS course has had on them as individuals. The students speak about creativity, discovery, breaking new ground, strengths, weaknesses, trust, courage, limitations and fears as well as the body as a form of expression and a gleaner of knowledge. The students’ desire to learn as well as will to learn is also highlighted. The students found varying methods to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas through the EOS course. The study demonstrates the important role esthetic subjects have in schools, which is proven by both examining current research that supports the esthetic subjects’ role in schools as well as by describing students’ positive experiences of subject-integrated esthetic teaching.