2011 års gymnasiereform har inneburit stora förändringar för svenskämnet, bland annat genom förändringen av ämnets omfattning, som ökats på högskoleförberedande program samtidigt som den halverats på yrkesprogram. Utifrån en läroplansteoretisk ansats, med syfte att undersöka och diskutera svenskämnets förutsättningar, analyseras i föreliggande uppsats uttalade och outtalade idéer om svenskämnet i regeringens proposition 2008/09:199 Högre krav och kvalitet i den nya gymnasieskolan, den proposition som ligger till grund för reformen. Metoden som tillämpas är en kvalitativ textanalys, men analysen har även kvantitativa inslag där konceptionerna allmänutbildning och yrkesutbildning används som analyskategorier.Analysen visar att svenskämnet i propositionen explicit tillskrivs betydelse för de tre uppdrag som i propositionen framställs som gymnasieskolans huvuduppdrag; att ge en god grund för yrkeslivet, för fortsatta studier och för ett aktivt deltagande i samhällslivet. Analysen visar dock att det svenskämne som impliceras i propositionen, genom att uppdraget att utbilda för ett aktivt deltagande i samhällslivet bortprioriteras till förmån för uppdraget att utbilda för yrkeslivet, istället är ett ämne som framför allt organiseras och motiveras som ett högskoleförberedande ämne, med relevans framför allt för elever på högskoleförberedande program.

Schools’ decisions to offer Physical Education (PE) is among the possible ways of involving students in physical activity, which has significant effects on students’ health, lifelong participation in physical activities and participation in sport. This thesis explores the factors and the ways they influence secondary schools’ decisions on whether or not to offer PE in Tanzania. The study is based on Institutional Theory, and on a social constructivist approach to knowledge generation, employing qualitative research methods, such as document analysis and interviews with different actors within and related to secondary schools. The study areas and the participants were purposefully sampled and included heads of school boards, heads of schools, PE teachers, parents and students. Document reviews were used in order to gather information concerning the regulative and normative conditions that govern schools. Four schools were more carefully studied – two that offer and two that do not offer PE. In these schools I focused on cultural conditions and local frames that could influence schools’ decisions. The findings indicate a number of factors which influence schools’ decisions whether or not to offer PE. Some of these factors are the availability of teaching and learning logistics, including facilities, equipment, qualified PE teachers, text books and teaching hours for the subject. Furthermore, the contribution of the examination for promotion purposes, the pen and paper examinations, the prioritization of other programmes and subjects, reliable support for the subject and the interest of those empowered to make decisions at school level also influence schools’ decisions concerning offering the subject. On the basis of the theory used in this study, to enable schools to make decisions favouring the offering of PE, there need to be consistency among the regulations and the normative and cultural-cognitive aspects of the institution. First, the regulative conditions are those that legalize the subject by forming the basis for schools’ decisions to offer the subject; these include governing and monitoring organs. Second, the normative conditions stipulate the logic of appropriateness for how the teaching should be approached; these include various normative directives, such as the curriculum and the syllabus. Finally, the cultural-cognitive conditions exert an influence on schools’ decisions through various perceptions held about the subject within the community. The thesis concludes with some implications of the study, indicating what changes will be needed concerning both the general institutional level and the school level. / Att skolor i Tanzania beslutar sig för att erbjuda skolämnet Idrott och hälsa (Physical Education) kan vara en förutsättning för att engagera elever i fysiska aktiviteter, vilket är betydelsefullt med tanke på deras hälsa, fortsatta fysiska aktiva liv och deltagande i idrott. Denna avhandling undersöker olika faktorers inverkan på skolors (motsvarande högstadium) ställningstagande för eller emot att erbjuda Idrott och hälsa som valbart ämne. I studien, som är baserad på nyinstitutionell teori och på ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv på kunskapsutveckling, tillämpas en kvalitativ ansats genom metoder som dokumentanalys och intervjuer med olika aktörer inom och i anknytning till ett urval av skolor. Dokumentgranskningar har gjorts som grund för en analys av vilka regulativa och normativa villkor som inverkar på skolors ställningstaganden. Därutöver har fyra skolor studerats - två som erbjuder och två som inte erbjuder Idrott och hälsa. Här har syftet varit att klarlägga vilka kulturella förhållanden och lokala ramar som inverkar på skolornas beslut om att ge eller inte ge ämnet. Vid dessa skolor har intervjuer genomförts med strategiskt utvalda personer; ordföranden i skolstyrelser, skolledare, idrottslärare, föräldrar och elever. Resultaten visar att ett antal faktorer inverkar på skolors beslut om att erbjuda eller inte erbjuda Idrott och hälsa. Några av dessa faktorer är tillgången på faciliteter och utrustning, utbildade idrottslärare och läromedel. Vidare är det betydelsefullt hur undervisningstimmar i ämnet fördelas. Negativ inverkan har förhållandet att praktiskt kunnande inte bedöms i de nationella proven, att betygen i Idrott och hälsa inte har något egentligt värde i utbildningssystemet och att andra ämnen tillmäts högre status och värde. För ett positivt ställningstagande behöver det finnas ett substantiellt stöd för ämnet och ett intresse bland dem som har befogenhet att fatta beslut på skolnivå. Alla dessa faktorer inverkar på skolornas beslut om att erbjuda ämne. Utifrån den teori som används i studien måste det finnas en samsyn och överensstämmelse mellan de regulativa, normativa och kulturella villkor som styr skolan som institution för att skolor ska kunna erbjuda Idrott och hälsa. Denna studie har visat att en sådan samsyn inte föreligger. För det första bör de regulativa villkoren ge tydlig legitimitet åt ämnet genom att etablera legala förutsättningar för skolors möjligheter att erbjuda ämnet; vilket även involverar de institutioner som övervakar utbildningen. För det andra bör de normativa villkoren såsom läroplan och kursplan, vilka styr innehållet i och formerna för undervisningen i ämnet, vara relevanta och realistiska utifrån de lokala förutsättningar som råder. Slutligen bör insatser göras för att förändra de kulturella-kognitiva förutsättningarna i form av att synliggöra värdet av ämnet Idrott och hälsa med tanke på barns och ungdomars utveckling av goda hälsovanor. Avhandlingen avslutas med några implikationer av studien, vilka indikerar vilka konkreta förändringar som kan behövas såväl på institutionell och nationell nivå som på skolnivå.

This bachelor’s thesis examines how local governments in Sweden can improve the academic results of students in primary school. The thesis will focus on the impact of implementing trust-based governance in the organization. The thesis will examine two examples in Sweden, Stockholm and Östra Göinge. Since Stockholm is the largest school administration in Sweden the thesis will specifically look at Järvaområdet in the western part of Stockholm. Trust-based governance refers to an organizational form of governance and management. It emphasizes trust, collaboration, as well as a joint decision making between the administration and profession.  The research method used in the study is a mixed approach. The study will combine quantitative data gathering as well as a declaration of the results of students in year 9 over time. By analyzing the characteristic of the management and the correlation to the definition of trust-based governance we can draw conclusions on whether or not it has had an impact on the results.  Furthermore, the study will evaluate certain specific local reforms that have had a positive impact on the students’ results. The interviews aim at giving the researcher a deeper understanding of the school, its challenges, the students as well as the organization as a whole. This can provide a deeper understanding of how trust-based governance can influence the academic results. The study will underline how the organization of local government affects the students’ and their academic results. Those conclusions can later be used to create a blueprint of an effective public administration both when it comes to economic resources as well as the satisfaction of the students, teachers and the public. The results of the study finds that trust-based governance will create an engaging school setting as well as higher results, motivation, satisfaction from the public and overall knowledge acquisition.  The findings can help local Swedish policymakers adapt their policies to further increase the students’ results. By implementing trust-based governance and promoting collaboration in all the levels of local administration they can support academic success within the municipality. Finally, this thesis contributes to further studies of the organization of local government in Sweden. The findings disclose different problems within the administration of local government as well as provide solutions to those problems.  Keywords: local government, Sweden, trust-based governance, academic results, education, educational policies, educational systems, policy implementation, school governance, municipal self-rule. Nyckelord: kommun, Sverige, tillitsbaserad styrning, akademiska resultat, utbildning, utbildningspolicy, utbildningssystem, policyimplementering, skolstyrning, kommunalt självstyre.

The purpose of the study is to contribute with knowledge of how five elementary school teachers in practice implement policy regarding individually integrated elementary special school students in their teaching. The questions are: How do the five teachers reason about the teacher’s role in working with individually integrated students? How do the teachers reason about adapting the teaching for individually integrated students?  To find teaching strategies that are seen as beneficial for learning and to identify challenges in the context the research review focused on the topic of inclusion and integration for students with intellectual disabilities. The study has a qualitative approach and the method consists of semi-structured interviews with five primary school teachers who have or have had individually integrated classes. The result is analysed based on Dillon’s teaching theory model, whose seven elements together make up the overall teaching context. The result is sorted under the respective elements which meant that several themes are illustrated. The result shows that the teachers initially felt lonely and stressed about teaching integrated classes. What the teachers want is for there to be more adults in the classroom at the same time and enough time for collaboration and planning regarding adaptations. The teachers experience a certain amount of stress regarding the collaboration an integrated class requires, but despite this, this collaboration is seen as supportive and necessary in several ways. The teachers are also positive about having individually integrated elementary special school students because they contribute positively to the class in various ways and develop them as teachers.

The objective of this dissertation is to develop a theoretical and analytical framework for understanding the political in education from a social and global perspective. With this objective in mind, it employs an empirical engagement and theoretical reflection on how this political can be seen to emerge in policy making on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Policy making on ESD is interpreted as engaging in the constitution of the social and globalisation, where the non-determination of this practice is seen to require political acts of identification with particular perspectives on what education, society and, as a result, ESD should be. Book I constitutes a theoretical and analytical framework that outlines central concepts, such as antagonism, temporality, space and rhizomic globalisation, in order to conceive of how the political in education can be understood and analysed in concrete articulations, such as policy making on ESD. The findings of the empirical analysis underlying this dissertation and that address the political in policy making on ESD are presented in the papers that are incorporated into this dissertation as part of Book II. Paper I discusses how we can conceive of the relation between ESD and globalisation and makes an argument that this relation should be seen to be political and characterised by conflicting perspectives on what ESD is. Paper II presents the findings from a comparative study of policy making on ESD that engages with concrete policy on ESD in order to reflect on how globalisation can be seen to emerge in these instances of policy making. Paper III presents the findings of a comprehensive discourse analysis of Vietnamese policy making and shows how the concepts of ESD and Sustainable Development are contested among different perspectives of how Vietnamese society should be constituted. The dissertation as a whole makes an argument for the inescapable political condition for education and how this condition necessitates the articulation of concepts such as ESD that name an inaccessible state beyond conflict and social antagonisms that is to be achieved through education.