The aim of this study is to explore how young people act and the organisation of school practice, and what possibilities they have of influencing the content and the forms practiced. The study focuses on how the pedagogic practice is organised in two classes in their first year of upper secondary school, one Social Science programme class and one Vehicle programme class. This embraces questions as: How, where, when and for what cause do students act to influence, and then with what result? Are students offered influence, and in that case which students? How does the organisation of and the content in the pedagogic practice prepare students to act in order to be able to exert influence in the future? These questions have been studied with focus on differences between the programmes with regard to social background and gender. The thesis has its theoretical base in Bernstein’s theory of pedagogy and code (1990, 2000), feminist perspectives (Arnot, 2006; Arnot &amp; Dillabough, 2000; Connell, 1987; Gordon, 2006; Gordon, Holland &amp; Lahelma, 2000) as well as theories of structuration (Giddens, 1984). The empirical material of the thesis was ethnographically produced during one school year, through classroom observations, individual interviews with students, teachers and head teachers, and the gathering of school and teaching material. The main results in the analysis are that actions taken to gain influence were rare, that the organisation of and the content in the pedagogic practice was mainly focused on students as becoming, i. e. it focused students possibilities to be able to influence in the future and not the present. Furthermore, changing of pedagogic content or pedagogic forms was dependent on students’ own actions. There was a lack of teacher organisation to promote student influence. Finally, what was evaluated in the pedagogic practice, i.e. factual learning, did not promote student influence. The thesis demonstrates how pedagogic practice was gendered and classed, which had consequences for how students could influence and how students were prepared to influence in the future. Since the Social Science programme mostly attracts students from a middle-class background and the Vehicle programme those with a working-class background, the content in the programmes contributed to reproducing hierarchical social relations. The content for the Vehicle students proved to be simplified, personal and context dependent, whereas the content of the Social Science programme was more advanced, general and context independent, knowledge which, in argumentation for influence, is usually highly valued. In previous research, working class masculinities have often been associated with opposition towards study-oriented subjects. However, the current study indicates that there is an interest in studying Swedish, English and maths. The students argued that it was necessary for future employment, and that the Vehicle industry is now asking for this kind of knowledge. / <p>Akademisk avhandling för avläggande av filosofie doktorsexamen framläggs till offentligt försvar i D270, Högskolan i Borås, fredagen den 16 november 2012, kl. 13.00.</p>

The Swedish upper secondary education consists of different types of schools. One type of school is the upper secondary for pupils who have assessed as having an intellectual disability. The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge and understanding of pupils’ experiences of everyday life in school, and how they perceive the significance of their sense of belonging to this type of school. An additional aim of the study is to increase the knowledge about different ways of organizing the education and teaching. The collection of data started with a national questionnaire survey which was directed to headteachers at the schools. Based on the results from the survey five schools were selected. By participant observations at the schools and repeated interviews with 14 young women and 12 young men, the first person perspective has been studied and analysed through an interpretive approach. The analysis showed that knowledge about the schools different ways of organizing the teaching are of importance, to understand pupils’ diverse experiences of school life. As an example it has an impact on how the pupils evaluate different types of knowledge, but also how they view their future opportunities. Any clear connection between the schools different ways of organizing the education and teaching and pupils’ experiences of their sense of belonging to this type of school has not emerged. Instead pupils’ awareness, confidence, uncertainty, dejection and determination are to be seen as a framework of understanding, telling us about their experiences of their school affiliation. Together they demonstrate a complexity surrounding pupils’ situation, associated to both advantages and disadvantages in school, but also their thoughts about identity and how they perceive being categorized as deviant by others. The analysis also showed that expectations on the pupils, and their possibilities in the school context, are related to a special school culture and to gender differences. / <p>Therése Mineur</p><p>is also affiliated to / är också knuten till</p><p>Högskolan i Halmstad</p>

In the intersection of technology, curriculum and intentions, a specific issue of interest is found in the gap between teachers’ intentions and implementations of curriculum. Instead of approaching curriculum and technology as something fait accompli, teachers are considered crucial in the re-discovery of what and how to teach. The thesis depicts the mind-set of teachers and their beliefs in relation to computing curriculum. Three perspectives are covered in the thesis. Based on original documents and interviews with curriculum developers, the enactment of the computing/programming curriculum during the 1970s and 1980s is explored (Paper 1). This historical perspective is supplemented with a perspective from the present day where current teaching practice is explored through teachers’ statements (seminars with associated questionnaires) regarding their beliefs about teaching and learning programming(Paper 2). Finally with a view from a theoretical perspective, teachers’perception of instruction is discussed in relation to a theoretical framework where their intentions in relation to theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge are revealed (Papers 3 &amp; 4). The initial incitement to offer computing education during the 1970s was discovered in the recruitment of a broader group of students within the Natural Science Programme and the perception that it would contribute to the development of students’ ability to think logically and learn problem solving skills. Data concerning teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning programming unravels an instructional dependence among today’s teachers where students’ logical and analytical abilities (even before the courses start) are considered crucial to students’ learning, while teachers question the importance of their pedagogy. The thesis also discover two types of instruction; a large group putting emphasis on the syntax of programming languages, and a smaller group putting emphasis on the students’ experiences of learning concepts of computer science (not necessarily to do with syntax). In summary the thesis depicts an instructional tradition based on teachers’ beliefs where the historical development of the subject sets the framework for the teaching. Directly and indirectly the historical development and related traditions govern what programming teachers in upper secondary school will/are able to present to their students. From deploying two theoretical approaches, phenomenography and logic of events, upon teacher’s cases it is shown that the intended object of learning (iOoL) is shaped by the teacher’s intentions (e.g., balancing the importance oftheory and practice, using different learning strategies, encouraging learning by trial-and-error and fostering collaboration between students for a deeper understanding). The teachers also present a diverse picture regarding what theoretical knowledge students will reach for. / <p>QC 20150227</p>

In the 1990s, an educational reform changed the Swedish school market. The reform allows anyone with permission from the Swedish Schools Inspectorate to establish an independent school. The main objective of this paper is to examine how new establishments of independent upper-secondary schools affect the public school’s costs per student during the time period 2005 to 2014. Using application data, we can separate municipalities in which independent schools have been established and where they have not. This data allows us to estimate a Difference in Difference model where the treatment is a new establishment. The results reveal three key findings: first, on average, municipalities experience a cost decrease if new independent schools are established. Second, a common trend exists in the pre-period between the two types of municipalities. Third, decomposing the total public school cost per student, the establishment of new upper-secondary schools reduces teaching, equipment and healthcare costs. Further research should examine the political objectives on the municipality level for new establishments. In the future it may be important, from a policy perspective, that if municipalities are given a veto right in the establishment process, market competition will be determined based on political preferences.

The aim of this thesis is implementation of e-learning activities to teaching mathematics at an upper Secondary school. The thesis first defines the general concepts related to e-learning and describes Túúdle tools, presents materials used in the project - the definition and basic characteristics of functions. The other materials (function characteristics, linear function, quadratic function) are included on the DVD. The final part of the thesis presents evaluation of the author's as well as other teachers' and pupils' experience with e-learning in teaching at one upper secondary school. Keywords: e-learning, Túúdle, mathematics education

This study examines conceptions of criticality and its instruction in the History learning environ- ment in Sweden, Russia, and Australia as evidenced in one sample upper secondary class in each country. To achieve this, data were collected at macro, micro and meso levels. At the macro level, elements of curriculum theory were used to analyse the policy framework provided to develop students’ criticality in the upper secondary History classroom and to identify the conceptions of criticality as manifested in the policy documents. At the micro level, a content-based, thematic analysis was used to examine how the teachers and student focus groups conceptualise criticality and the ways of its teaching and learning. At the meso level, the conceptions of criticality and its instruction modes identified in the policy documents and interviews were used to analyse the class- room data collected in the selected classes. The combined findings from the three levels of analysis provide a transnational account of criticality and its instruction. They suggest that criticality is conceptualised as a generic skill of questioning at the overarching curriculum level, whereas it is reconceptualised as a discipline- specific skill at the subject level. Discipline-specific conceptions include criticality as source criti- cism, as meaning making from historical evidence, as questioning historical narratives, and as educating for citizenship. The findings indicate that the visionary criticality objectives of the curricula might be obstructed at other policy levels and by the interviewees’ conceptions of criticality as well as the classroom practicalities. Based on the transnational findings, it is proposed that harmonisation between the curriculum contents and time allocation might contribute to the promotion of narrative diversity. As argued in the study, narrative diversity is a prerequisite for criticality as questioning historical narratives. To nurture this form of criticality, the policy makers might consider a shift of attention towards the lower stages of schooling that could equip upper secondary students with necessary background knowledge. Further, harmonisation between the teaching objectives and learning outcomes of basic History courses might help avoid excluding certain groups of students from receiving criticality instruction on unclear grounds. This might ensure the equity of education with regard to criticality instruction for all upper secondary students, as required in the national curricula in Sweden, Russia and Australia. / Att kunna vara kritisk är ett förväntat studieresultat i ämnet historia på gymnasienivå i Sverige, Ryssland och Australien. Genom att lära sig om sitt lands och världens historia i klassrummet skapar elever en nationell identitet. På historielektioner förväntas elever vara kritiska men vad det innebär kan skilja sig åt i olika utbildningskontexter. Denna avhandling syftar därför till att undersöka hur undervisning i att vara kritisk sker på historielektioner i tre gymnasieklasser: en klass i norra Sverige, en i nordvästra Ryssland och en i sydöstra Australien. Mina språkkunskaper och kontakter i länderna har möjliggjort insamling av data som annars sällan jämförs. Metoder Undersökningen är en småskalig primärstudie med fokus på enskilda aspekter inom utbildningssystemet (Ember &amp; Ember, 2001). Den har genomförts inom de ramar för komparativa utbildningsvetenskapliga studier som föreslagits av Phillips (2006). Med utgångspunkt i den anpassade ontologiska modellen av lärmiljön (Bhaskar, 1978; Brown, 2008) och de läroplansteoretiska begreppen formuleringsarenan och realiseringsarenan (Lindensjö &amp; Lundgren, 2014) har jag samlat in data från makro-, mikrooch mesonivå i varje land. På makronivå analyseras de nationella styrdokument som reglerar historieundervisningen på gymnasiet i Sverige, Ryssland och Australien – den avsedda läroplanen. Eftersom gymnasieutbildningen i Australien främst styrs av delstaterna analyseras även styrdokumenten för den aktuella delstaten Victoria. Dessutom tas hänsyn till en rad andra utbildningspolitiska dokument med relevans för studien, såsom kommentarer till läroplaner och kursplaner från de undersökta länderna. Analysen syftar till att identifiera skrivningar som explicit refererar till kritiska perspektiv och tolka statusen av dessa skrivningar i ett utbildningspolitiskt sammanhang. Vidare identifierar jag några ramfaktorer för historieundervisningen i allmänhet, och för undervisning i att vara kritisk i synnerhet. På mikronivå genomförde jag semi-strukturerade intervjuer med lärare och deras elever i varje utbildningskontext. Intervjuguiden testades i en pilotundersökning med lärare och en fokusgrupp med elever som läste ett högskoleförberedande program i norra Sverige. I huvudstudien intervjuade jag tre lärare, en från varje land, och 16 av deras elever. Fyra elevintervjuer genomfördes, där tre elevintervjuer skedde i fokusgrupp och en individuellt. Samtliga intervjuer spelades in och transkriberades, och utvalda delar översattes till engelska. Alla deltagande skolor har gott rykte och ligger i medelstora städer i respektive land. Lärarna i studien är behöriga i historia och har mer än 20 års undervisningserfarenhet. Eleverna var vid studiens genomförande i snitt 17 år gamla. De svenska eleverna gick ett yrkesprogram och läste den obligatoriska kursen Historia 1a1. Eleverna i Ryssland och i Australien gick de program som ger allmän behörighet till studier på högskolenivå. De ryska eleverna läste en obligatorisk historiekurs på basnivå, medan de australiensiska eleverna läste en valbar kurs i Australiens historia. Insamlad intervjudata analyserades innehållsligt. Analysen syftar till att urskilja lärares och elevers uppfattningar om vad det innebär att vara kritisk samt deras erfarenheter och upplevelser av undervisningen i att vara kritisk, något som kan sägas ingå i den erfarna och upplevda läroplanen. På mesonivå observerades 17 historielektioner. Under observationen använde jag två till fyra inspelningsapparater beroende på undervisningsmoment. Inspelningarna kompletterades med fältanteckningar enligt en observationsmall (se Appendix 20). Därefter transkriberades den största delen av inspelningarna och utvalda delar översattes till engelska. Analysen syftar till att undersöka hur undervisningen i att vara kritisk, den genomförda läroplanen, förhöll sig till den avsedda läroplanen samt den erfarna och upplevda läroplanen. Resultat Studiens resultat tyder på att det finns olika formuleringar av vad det innebär att vara kritisk beroende på vilken nivå i styrdokumenten som undersöks. På läroplansnivå uttrycks det som en generisk förmåga att kunna ifrågasätta samt att kunna föra ett resonemang genom att styrka sina påståenden och dra rimligaslutsatser. På kursplanenivå för ämnet historia uttrycks det som en ämnesspecifik förmåga att kunna kritiskt granska källor och att kunna skapa mening utifrån historiska källor. Styrdokumentanalysen identifierar följande potentiella ramfaktorer för undervisning i att vara kritisk i historieklassrummet: den kunskapsorienterade läroplanen i Ryssland, nationella prov i historia i Ryssland och Australien, kursens svårighetsgrad och avsatt lärarledd tid i Sverige och Ryssland. Intervjuanalysen visar på att lärarna och eleverna betonar vikten av att ha ett kritiskt förhållningssätt i skolan och i vardagslivet. Inom ämnet historia uttrycks det, i samtliga länder, som en förmåga att kunna ifrågasätta 167 historiska narrativ. Dessutom förknippas det kritiska förhållningssättet med medborglig bildning i Sverige och Ryssland. Analysen av klassrumsdata tyder på att lärarna undervisar i att vara kritisk på i huvudsak tre sätt. Den svenska läraren fokuserar på att fostra elever till medborgare som delar specifika värderingar, vilket syftar till att undvika upprepade tragedier som förintelsen och försäkra sig om att elever gör ”goda” val i framtiden. Den ryska läraren, som eftersträvar narrativ mångfald i historieklassrummet, ser till att det åtminstone förekommer intra-narrativ mångfald med hänsyn till ramfaktorerna. Den australiensiska läraren undervisar sina elever i att skapa mening utifrån multimodala källor och försöker bidra till narrativ mångfald. Dock kontrollerar läraren vilka alternativa narrativ som får utrymme i klassrummet. Rysk och australiensisk klassrumsdata visar prov på att motstridiga historiska narrativ kan existera i undervisningsdiskursen, medan svensk data visar på ett enda historiskt narrativ under datainsamlingsperioden. Slutsatser Studiens resultat tyder på att läroplanernas ambitiösa förväntade studieresultat för kritiskt förhållningssätt kan påverkas av formuleringar i kursplaner, av lärares och elevers uppfattningar om vad det innebär att vara kritisk samt av andra skolrelaterade omständigheter. För att bidra till elevers möjligheter att ifrågasätta historiska narrativ skulle man kunna fokusera på att förse elever med nödvändiga bakgrundskunskaper i lägre årskurser. Ett ytterligare utvecklingsområde skulle kunna vara att balansera historiekursers omfattning i förhållande till avsatt tid. Slutligen bör förväntade studieresultat för kritiskt förhållningssätt stämma överens med de instruktioner lärarna får om måluppfyllelse även i kursplaner för ”enklare” historiekurser. Detta skulle kunna leda till en mer likvärdig undervisning i att vara kritisk för alla elevgrupper, vi

Literature’s role in the foreign language classroom has been extensively researched, and the benefits of enjoyable reading firmly established. But could teachers benefit from a new perspective in the form of Critical Literacy Pedagogy when choosing and teaching literary works? Critical Literacy Pedagogy, CLP, is a method of critically examining literature to detect possible power structures e.g. concerning ethnicity and gender. This study examines how teachers and students value a number of criteria and aspects in connection to what literature is used in the class. Two empirical web-based questionnaire surveys were conducted on a total of 23 teachers and 42 students in upper secondary school in Sweden. The results are primarily presented quantitatively with the complement of excerpts from the written answers to the open-ended questions, and has then analyzed with the help of CLP, to see if the method has a possible role in EFL-teaching in upper secondary school in Sweden.   In the present study, the participating teachers valued practical characteristics, such as level of difficulty, higher than conceptual characteristics, such as the sexual orientation of an author or character, when choosing what literary works to teach. These ratings were seen as problematic when compared to the teachers’ concrete exemplifications of taught works. Moreover, both teachers and students rated the possibility of critical and ethical discussion very highly in regard to the chosen works. A comparison between the ratings and the exemplified works indicate that CLP could be a valuable method when choosing what literature to teach.

Swedish parliament in a bid to curb the large numbers of unaccompanied minors who are denied asylum status – came up with a law which is famously known as Gymnasielagen. The aim of the study was to explore how professionals in upper secondary schools setting and social services perceive the implementation of this law and how it contributes to integration of unaccompanied minors in Sweden concerning school environment.  Through semi structured interviews, professionals in contact with unaccompanied minors (UAMs) expressed their perception on the Gymnasielagen and its impacts on the lives of UAMs. The advantages and disadvantages of the law together with its contribution to integration of UAMs were investigated.  The results showed that the law renewed hope for UAMs and gave them the chance to start life afresh after the long wait for asylum. There were however significant discrepancies in the law that makes it difficult for UAMs. The condition to get permanent employment after school completion does not seem achievable and puts pressure on them. They are forced to choose courses from a limited number of technical courses that would possibly get them permanent employment.  Integration was also found not to be optimum because of uncertainty among the UAMs.

I denna studie har syftet varit att besvara hur globaliseringsprocessen framställs i läroböcker för gymnasieskolan utifrån ekonomiska, politiska och sociala perspektiv, klargöra eventuell förändring över tid samt besvara på vilket sätt läroböcker ska värderas utifrån teoretiska aspekter. Det har gjorts genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med ett operationaliseringsschema som stöd. Resultatet visar att det ekonomiska perspektivet är överrepresenterat i läroböcker när det handlar om globaliseringsprocessen. Politiska och sociala perspektiven behandlas inte alls i samma utsträckning som det ekonomiska perspektivet. Av de underkategorier som undersöks – orsaker, konsekvenser och aktörer – var det konsekvenserna av globaliseringen som behandlade till största del. Enligt teorin var handel en ekonomisk orsak till globaliseringen. Enligt materialet var handel en konsekvens av globaliseringen. Samtidigt var teknisk utveckling enligt teorin en ekonomisk konsekvens medan materialet presenterade teknisk utveckling som en orsak till globaliseringen. Detta indikerade på att läroböckerna inte fullt vilade på samma vetenskapliga grund som föreslogs i det teoretiska ramverket. Slående var materialets likheter mellan den tidigare och senare upplagan. I många fall var behandlingen av globaliseringsprocessen identiska mellan upplagorna. / The purpose of this study has been to answer how the globalization process has been presented in textbooks for upper secondary school by economic, political and social perspectives, bring clarification to any possible changes over time that may occur and answer how textbooks should be evaluated based on theoretical aspects. A qualitative content analysis has been made with an operationalization scheme as a support. The result show that the economic perspective is overrepresented in the textbooks when globalization process is being processed. The political and social perspectives is not processed the same amount as the economic perspective is being processed. Of the subcategories – cause, consequence and participants – the consequence of the globalization was processed mostly. The economic cause of globalization according to the theory was trading. According to the material trading was one of the consequences of the globalization. Meanwhile the technical development was according to the theory an economic consequence in the meantime the material presented technical development as a cause of the globalization. This indicated that the textbooks did not fully rest on the same scientific basis as suggested in the theoretical framework. The materials similarities between the earlier and later edition was striking. In many cases the processing of the globalization process vas identical between the editions.

Denna litteraturstudies syfte är att undersöka hur läsning av skönlitteratur påverkar elevers läs- och skrivförmågor bland elever på högstadiet genom tidigare forskning. Uppsatsens syfte är att undersöka sambandet mellan skönlitterär läsning och elevers eget kreativa skrivande samt vilka faktorer som påverkar högstadieelevers egna kreativa skrivande. Uppsatsen utgår från två frågeställningar om på vilka sätt eleverna kan använda sig av de kunskaper de får av skönlitterär läsning i sitt eget skrivande samt hur deras kunskaper kan utvecklas. Studien har hela tiden utgått ifrån det sociokulturella perspektivet. Utifrån tidigare forskning har resultatet visat att det underlättar elevers eget kreativa skrivande om de även är läsare. Elevers skönlitterära läsning påverkas även av den sociokulturella miljö de växer upp och lever i. / <p>Svenska</p>