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This paper suggests that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) education policy work of the last 20 years has achieved a paradigmatic shift in the thinking and framing of education; however, this process was not exclusively based and dependent upon the cold rationality of numbers. Crucially, as the article will show, it has also involved processes of socialisation and learning. The paper argues that a constructivist-institutionalist perspective based on the notion of socialisation provides adequate tools to explain the dominance of the OECD in the education policymaking world. The paper makes use of policy learning theory to show how and why it is the coming together of various actors in social terms that sustains and reinforces the numbers game, rather than simply the validity or strength of the numbers themselves. It uses the case of the publication of the OECD Review of Swedish education in 2015 to empirically flesh out the argument. Although the influence of the OECD has been great to a number of countries, Sweden is perhaps one of the few that displays such unanimity of public opinion and the academic and policymaking worlds in regard to the indispensability of the OECD as an education policy expert and actor.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the management learning during a long-term crisis like a pandemic. The paper addresses both what health-care managers have learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the management learning is characterized. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a qualitative case study carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic at two different public hospitals in Sweden. The study, conducted with semi-structured interviews, applies a combination of within-case analysis and cross-case comparison. The data were analyzed using thematic deductive analysis with the themes, i.e. sensemaking, decision-making and meaning-making. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by uncertainty and a need for continuous learning among the managers at the case hospitals. The learning process that arose was circular in nature, wherein trust played a crucial role in facilitating the flow of information and enabling the managers to get a good sense of the situation. This, in turn, allowed the managers to make decisions meaningful for the organization, which improved the trust for the managers. This circular process was iterated with higher frequency than usual and was a prerequisite for the managers' learning. The practical implications are that a combined management with hierarchical and distributed management that uses the normal decision routes seems to be the most successful management method in a prolonged crisis as a pandemic. Practical implications: The gained knowledge can benefit hospital organizations, be used in crisis education and to develop regional contingency plans for pandemics. Originality/value: This study has explored learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and found a circular process, "the management learning wheel," which supports management learning in prolonged crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine learning and employee-driven innovation (EDI) in the public sector, with a particular focus on the interplay between employee engagement and organisational conditions. Design/methodology/approach: The material consists of qualitative interviews with 23 participants from three municipal sites of innovation support that participated in a national programme aiming to strengthen municipalities' innovation work. Findings: The study found numerous constraining organisational conditions resulting in consequential loss of employee engagement for EDI. The conclusion drawn is that employee engagement and enabling organisational conditions are central to EDI in public sector workplaces, and that incorporating EDI into municipal daily operations requires paying attention to the interplay between organisational conditions and employee engagement. Originality/value: This paper provides important guidance for supporting EDI in the public sector. Implementing EDI into operations requires employee engagement to be successful. However, employees' engagement should not be overlooked or taken for granted. A practical implication of this study is that EDI in the workplace must be encouraged by creating a learning environment that supports innovative learning in the workplace. In practice, measures should be taken to support employee engagement by creating organisational conditions that provide a more expansive learning environment to ensure the continuity and perpetuation of EDI in public sector organisations.

In Sweden, the formal soccer coach education programs are divided into different levels and are also divided into youth coaching and senior coaching. This paper focuses on youth soccer coaches and their reflections on coach education programs. In the background section the Swedish context is described, as well as current research on coaches' education and learning. The aim of the paper was to investigate youth soccer coaches' reflections on coach education programs and to analyse their reflections by using a cultural approach to learning. The empirical material of the paper derives from a web-based questionnaire, posing questions about competence, learning and stress. The coaches were also invited to reflect on the question "how do you believe that soccer associations can educate good coaches?" There were 369 responses, and these were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results indicated reflections about Flexibility in time, place and content, Mentorship supporting informal learning, Demanding mandatory education and emolument, Education focusing on wholeness and Education being based in practice. The conclusion was that decentralization of education and development of coaches' contexts, abilities and motivation to critically analyse aims and contents of coach education programs are improvement areas for learning and coaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students' perceived learning in physical education (PE) is an important yet neglected area of research. Increased knowledge about students' perceived learning can provide teachers with useful information to promote meaningful learning experiences in PE. Moreover, perceived learning can potentially be an alternative measurement to school grades when analyzing equality of outcome. Given that gender and migration background are associated with equality issues in PE, these groups are of particular focus in this study. With this background, the aim of this paper is threefold: (a) to explore students' perceived learning in PE in Sweden, (b) to analyze what perceptions of PE are most prominent, and (c) present a way to quantitatively illustrate how perceptions about PE vary across gender and migration background. The analysis was based on a question about students' perceived learning and was conducted in two steps. First, the students' answers were categorized using qualitative content analysis. The analysis shows that the perceived learning in PE can be categorized into the following categories: 'Physical doing', 'Emotional experiences', 'Health', 'Do not learn', 'Outdoor Education' and 'Social interaction'. Second, by quantitatively illustrate all answers in relation to the six categories, the result showed that the category of 'Physical doing' (36%) was the most prominent, and thereafter, in descending order are the categories of 'Emotional experiences' (22%), 'Health' (18%), 'Do not learn' (10%), 'Outdoor Education' (10%) and 'Social interaction' (4%). The results also showed that regardless of gender and migration background, students have somewhat similar perceptions of what they learn in PE. In this study we: (i) present a categorization of students' perceived learning in PE, (ii) show that physical doing is a prominent aspect in students answers, lastly (iii) by quantitatively illustrate students' perceived learning in PE, this study also suggest an alternative measurement to analyze equality in PE.

Computer programming education has practice-oriented as well as theory-oriented learning goals. Here, lab work plays an important role in students' learning. It is however widely reported that many students face great difficulties in learning theory as well as practice. This paper investigates the important but problematic relation between the learning of theory and the learning of practice for novice programming students. A phenomenographic and variation theoretical analysis on novice students' understanding of concepts is combined with a variation theoretical analysis on students' programming activities. It is shown that different levels of practical proficiency as well as different levels of conceptual understandings are related to dimensions of variation. The paper proposes a way to describe how students' learning of practice and concepts are related. In this way it extends traditional use of phenomenography and variation theory by discussing students' learning of practice as well as concepts, and specifically how these relate.

The role of nurses in identifying and responding to family violence and violence against women has long been established. However, nurses' readiness to fully assume this role remains low due to various barriers and the sensitive nature of the subject. As part of capacity building to address this problem, an additional national qualitative learning target, i.e., to "show knowledge about men's violence against women and violence in close relationships", was introduced into the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance for nursing and seven other educational programs between 2017 and 2018. The aim of this paper is to describe how the national qualitative learning target is incorporated into the undergraduate nursing curriculum at the Swedish Red Cross University College. An overview of relevant teaching and learning activities and how they are organized is first presented, followed by the presentation of a proposed didactic model: Dare to Ask and Act! The model details a step-by-step progression from facts and figures, including the role of gender norms, to recognizing signs of abuse in complex clinical situations, as well as developing skills that enhance the courage to ask and act. Due to the sensitive nature of violence victimization, the proposed model reflects the importance of making the subject a reoccurring theme in undergraduate nursing education in order to boost nursing students' interests and confidence to "Dare to Ask and Act!". The model also shows that making the subject a recurring theme can be achieved with minimal disruptions to and without overcrowding an existing curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to survey the findings of phenomenological studies built up in the field of diabetes care in Sweden. This is a meta-synthesis of phenomenological studies on experiences related to diabetes in Sweden focusing on learning to live with diabetes. We proceeded by reference to the seven phases of Noblit & Hare. We examined papers from seven phenomenological studies on learning to live with diabetes in Sweden. From the papers, which describe the experience of living with diabetes, three overarching themes were selected—perception and awareness of the body; integration and responsibility; and presence of others who provide support. From those describing the expert's experience, an overarching theme emerged—encouraging reflection in persons with diabetes. We interpreted each of these themes in phenomenological terms and compared them with theories in Japan. Persons with diabetes take responsibility for coping with a range of things brought on by the illness and learn to live with diabetes. Experts support these persons so they can see their world objectively and critically scrutinize it. By building a model of diabetes care in Japan that references Scandinavian human science, it will be possible to find new approaches that support learning at the existential level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores learning trajectories in becoming 'rural women' in Sweden, by using a biographical and socially-situated learning perspective. The data is based on in-depth biographical interviews with three young women who moved between rural and urban areas, and finally decided to return to a rural area. The findings show three learning phases: the mythical, the questioning and the self-positioning phase. Furthermore, the paper identifies four types of learning spaces of urban and rural areas: an imagined, a career-related, a cultural-emotional and a biographical learning space. The paper offers valuable insights about everyday life learning and identity development in young adulthood, and how stereotypes of rural areas negatively impact on young adults' views of themselves and their life choices.Keywords: young female, rural/urban dived, countryside returnees, learning space and trajectories, biographical learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration between academia and society has become a key priority for many higher education institutions (HEIs). In Sweden, this is partly driven by political calls to secure the long-term provision of knowledge, innovation and competitiveness. At the system and institutional level, responses to this are reflected in governance structures and strategic documents. However, those strategic responses often fall short and attempts to organise for collaboration are often met with scepticism, and, in practice, micro-level changes are slow. This paper asks why that is the case by reflecting on the experiences gained from initiating and anchoring a course on societal collaboration at a Swedish HEI. We analyse the experiences from this bottom-up initiative by building on the notion of reflexivity. Our study contributes to research on managing and organising collaboration at HEIs by highlighting and illustrating the need to adopt a scientific approach - to use scientific knowledge - and engage (more) in reflexivity when organising to ensure societal collaboration. Efforts to produce collaboration cannot be expected to be solved by 'someother', but require strategy to be aligned with practice. We conclude our reflexive inquiry with implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscapes and their management are at the center of many of the sustainability challenges that we face. Landscapes can be described as social-ecological systems shaped by a myriad of human activities and biophysical processes, interacting across space and time. Managing them sustainably requires considering this complexity. Resilience thinking offers ways to address complexity in decision-making. In this paper, we analyse the learning and impact on a diverse group of local actors from participating in a participatory resilience assessment. The assessment, focused on sustainable landscape management in the Helge å catchment, Sweden, produced concrete knowledge outputs, describing ecosystem service bundles, a future vision, conceptual system models, and a strategic action plan. Follow-up interviews indicate that the process and its outputs supported the participants' learning process and helped them to articulate complexity thinking in practice. The outputs, and the exercises to produce them, emerged as complementary in supporting this articulation. Furthermore, they helped build participants' capacity to communicate the diverse values of the landscape to others and to target leverage points more strategically. Thus, it supported the application of resilience thinking in landscape management, especially by generating learning and fostering complex adaptive systems thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The idea to create pictorial narratives seems to have occurred long after humans learned to produce iconic images, that is, depictions based on visual similarity to external objects. In Scandinavia, e.g. in Gärde, Sweden or Stykket and Bøla, Norway, early Mesolithic images (e.g. rock carvings from before c.5000 BCE) often feature animals that are solitary or without suggestion of causal or narrative relations to other figures, although they sometimes are grouped by proximity or are superimposed on each other. Notable is also the almost complete absence of human figures. However, in subsequent Neolithic configurations (after c.5000 BCE), there are renderings of human agents involved in various forms of interaction with each other or with animals, often within distinguishable 'scenes' or compositions. In this paper we outline the emergence of pictorial narratives in Scandinavian rock carvings. In particular, we focus on some of the first depictions of human agency as displayed in Nämforsen, Sweden (c.5000–1800 BCE). Further, we present an analysis of occurring human‐animal relationships, interpretable as early attempts to create narrativizing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the integration of digital technologies in higher education continues to increase, there is a need to understand how to best support university teachers as designers of technology‐enhanced learning (TEL) in order to support students to achieve academic success. In this study, we have examined the Faculty Pedagogical Developer Initiative at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, an innovative project to support a bottom‐up change process of teachers as designers of TEL, with the intent to strengthen the professional pedagogical development for the faculty. Data were collected from interviews and official documents. Actor–network theory was applied for the analysis. The results suggest that the initiative stimulated both practical implementation of digital technology in educational programmes and also spurred a debate about teachers as designers of TEL between these pedagogical developers and other teachers across different schools and subjects at KTH. However, there are important social, organisational and technical challenges that should be considered when developing support for university teachers as designers of TEL. This paper concludes that this process requires a deep understanding of four interrelated elements: information, technology, organisation and social arrangements. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Faculty interest in applying technology in innovative ways has evolved.Teachers are rarely involved as participatory designers in the TEL contexts.Collaboration among teachers in the TEL design process is an effective strategy.What this paper adds It uncovers dynamics of the bottom‐up change approach of university teachers as designers of TEL interventions.An insight into how the available technology plays a part in transforming teachers' practices.Deeper knowledge about the usefulness of actor‐network theory in empirical HE research.Implications for practice and/or policy There is a need for a critical perspective on supporting university teachers as designers of TEL.Bottom‐up approaches to the faculty pedagogical development in TEL should be continuously supported from the top.Bottom‐up initiatives should be driven by teachers who are recognised for their teacher excellence and trusted among the faculty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of using Desmos on students' performance in learning functions. An embedded mixed methods design was applied and involved 98 students from an upper secondary school in Sweden. Students' assessments (pre- and post-test) and opinion polls were the two main data collection instruments. The results show that both groups (experimental and control) experienced a significant improvement in their post-test scores. However, the experimental group had a statistically significant improvement in comparison with that of the control group across the five constructs used in this study. The qualitative data revealed that the majority of the students ascribed a positive effect of the use of Desmos on their general understanding of function concepts, their ability to analyze functions and check their answers through visualization, which are difficult when working using paper and pencil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore what it means to be able to move in different ways. What does it mean, from the perspective of the learners, to know how to carry out a specific movement? What is there to know and how could this insight contribute to the planning of developing learners' capability to move in different ways? As an example of a ‘new’ way of moving to be learnt, a movement called ‘house-hop’ (i.e. a 360-degree rotation initiated on the ground and completed in the air) was introduced as an object of learning in a physical education (PE) class in a secondary high school in Sweden. The paper explores learners' different ways of moving as expressing different ways ofknowinghow to ‘house-hop’ comprising also certain aspects of the movement being discerned simultaneously by the learners. In this way, an attempt will be made to explicatewhatthere is to know when knowing a movement. Background: Evans initiated a discussion about what ‘ability’ means and how it is recognized and valued within the context of PE which has been further discussed in a growing body of critical research. He also raised the question of which ‘abilities’ the PE subject is supposed to develop while at the same time stating that ‘talk of physically educating the body’ in terms of ‘practical knowledge,' ‘physical literacy’ or ‘kinesthetic intelligence’ has ‘almost disappeared from the discourse of PE'. Rather, physical education in terms of the theme of this paper,capability to move, is reduced to implicit and taken-for-granted ‘standards of excellence,' only reluctantly discussed by PE teachers. There is a need for conceiving capability to move as an educational aim so that it can be explicitly discussed and dealt with in physical education. Theoretical framework and method: The study takes as its starting point an epistemological perspective on capability to move corresponding with Ryle's ‘knowing how,' challenging the distinction between mental and physical skills in regarding the knowing involved in capability to move as comprising interwoven mental and physical processes. Additionally, phenomenography and Variation Theory are used as analytical framework integrated in a Learning Study. Learning Study is a kind of design experiment inspired by the Japanese Lesson Study, where the main aim is to explore an object of learning. Findings and discussion: The findings show different ways of knowing house-hop as well as several aspects to discern in order to know the movement in a powerful way. The knowing involved in house-hopping can be seen assomatic graspingcomprising mental and physical skills as an integrated whole. The paper discusses how this approach to investigating learners' different ways of knowing a new way of moving to be learnt can contribute to the planning of teaching and learning capability to move. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, on-site Incident Commander (IC) practical training and examinations in Sweden were canceled as of March 2020. The graduation of one IC class was, however, conducted through Remote Virtual Simulation (RVS), the first such examination to our current knowledge. This paper presents the necessary enablers for setting up RVS and its influence on cognitive aspects of assessing practical competences. Data were gathered through observations, questionnaires, and interviews from students and instructors, using action-case research methodology. The results show the potential of RVS for supporting higher cognitive processes, such as recognition, comprehension, problem solving, decision making, and allowed students to demonstrate whether they had achieved the required learning objectives. Other reported benefits were the value of not gathering people (imposed by the pandemic), experiencing new, challenging incident scenarios, increased motivation for applying RVS based training both for students and instructors, and reduced traveling (corresponding to 15,400 km for a class). While further research is needed for defining how to integrate RVS in practical training and assessment for IC education and for increased generalizability, this research pinpoints current benefits and limitations, in relation to the cognitive aspects and in comparison, to previous examination formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Swedish preschools have evolved to be more diverse in terms of language and culture amongst the attending children. Previous research on newly arrived children in the Swedish preschools focusses on, amongst other things, how to provide for the best reception or education, but less is known about the newly arrived children's own communicative ways when they start preschool. The aim of this paper is to explore how children entering a new linguistic environment are able to participate by using communicative tools in speech events at preschool. The analysis shows how the children participate by combining different communicative tools when they shadow, code-switch, invent language and make use of expressive body language. The study contributes with knowledge about preschool children's various ways of approaching a new language and adjusting to a new cultural context and children's social and informal learning practices in preschool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Teaching intimate examinations to medical students has been recognised as difficult because of the anxious feelings that the students may experience. For their professional development, previously incorporated understandings need to be relearned: how to transgress boundaries that regulate intimacy and physical closeness, learning to examine and touch other peoples' bodies, and talking about things that are otherwise taboo., Objectives: This paper compares how students learn to perform two intimate examinations: (i) the digital rectal examination (DRE) of the prostate, and (ii) the bimanual pelvic examination (PE) and analyses how norms and expectations affect how students learn to approach them., Methods: This study is based on ethnographic work: in-depth qualitative interviews with two urologists and nine medical students in semesters four, eight and 11 of a medical education programme in Sweden, observations of three learning sessions where 16 students performed the PE on professional patients, and 2 days of observations at a urology outpatient clinic., Results: The educational approach to the PE and DRE differ. The PE is taught as sensitive and to be handled with care, using a well-documented learning concept including interpersonal and technical skills. The patient's exposed position in the gynaecological chair, possible previous negative experiences of PE or sexual exploitation are taken into account. In contrast, there is no educational concept for teaching the DRE. The students perform their first DRE on a clinical patient. The DRE is also handled with care, but with less sensitivity. The patients' possible previous negative experiences are not discussed and are thus made invisible., Conclusions: Well-established routines in performing the PE help doctors and students to be attentive to patients' emotions and previous experiences, and remind them to perceive the examination as sensitive. Aligning the teaching of the DRE with that of the PE will improve how the male prostate patient is approached., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate behavioural changes and operational outcomes resulting from a Master's programme on improvement knowledge and leadership in the Swedish welfare sector. The welfare sector is the collective term for tax-funded services the state, county councils and municipalities are responsible to provide., Design/methodology/approach: A survey combined open-ended and closed questions using a five-point Likert scale. The questions were based on the learning objectives of the Master's programme. The survey was sent to 139 graduates and achieved a response rate of 41 per cent (57 respondents). Responses were entered into a survey programme to enable the descriptive presentation of data; open-ended responses were analysed using conventional content analysis., Findings: Respondents reported their increased knowledge and changed behaviours had impacted operational outcomes, e.g. processes efficiency, compliance with guidelines and quality. They said the programme was of value to themselves and society but requested more leadership knowledge. All respondents recommended the programme to others., Originality/value: By operationalizing the Kirkpatrick framework, the paper describes outcomes on levels three and four, and the use of numerous best practice techniques for adult learning. This is valuable knowledge for organisers of improvement knowledge educations.

Creative remake assignments using garments and textile refuse are common educational projects to promote environmental and sustainability actions. However, very little empirical research has been carried out on the learning processes of remake projects. In this article, the aim is to examine how students learn with garments and textile refuse when engaging in a remake project. The exploration is conducted in a Swedish crafts class, educational sloyd, as a case. Practical epistemological analysis and the concept of transactant are used to analyse and be attentive to the learning process. The findings show how students transact with the idea of a product, the material’s capabilities and the remake techniques. Further, the transactants show what participates and makes the learning process turn in specific directions, which is further discussed in the paper. Based on this empirical research, we may increase our understandings of how the learning processes is made in the remake project, and that knowledge can help us understand, and thus improve the quality of remake projects in relation to the environmental and sustainability aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges of using ICT in secondary schools in Sweden from teachers' perspectives. Design/methodology/approach - The research followed a qualitative research approach. First, a conceptual framework was developed based on previous research. Then, four teachers, teaching in six different subjects in secondary schools in Sweden, participated in semi-structured interviews that consisted of open-ended questions exploring their views on the challenges of using ICT in secondary schools. Findings - According to the results, the authors found that the biggest challenges were associated with the perspective of teaching and teaching preparation. Most challenges from previous research have been re-confirmed by the interviewees in this study. In addition, some new challenges were identified in this study. For instance, the results indicated that it was time consuming to find plagiarism of students' exercises, and there was a lack of ICT training of digital resources provided by the schools. Originality/value - The investigation of using ICT in secondary schools is of scientific significance because it enriches the understanding of strengths and challenges of using ICT in educational activities. In particular, this research aims to shed light on challenges that teachers may face when using ICT in secondary schools. This research can also contribute to making future strategic plans for the use of ICT in secondary schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While long part of vocational and professional training, forms of practice-based education like Work-integrated learning (WIL) are now spreading to academic disciplines like Political Science. The pedagogical entailed in WIL is that student learning requires the theoretical knowledge and practice of both the classroom and the workplace, and therefore pledges better employability for graduates. At the same time, this promise entails a potential threat to disciplines that may call into question the assumptions of market and state relations. The question thus emerges: is it possible to do critical WIL, and what would it look like? This paper makes a normative case that a critical WIL is both desirable and possible by turning to Hanna Arendt and Richard Turner to differentiate 'banal' from 'critical' education. It further argues that any 'critical' educational programme must be based on three principles. First, students must learn about how social systems work and how to be successful in them, but they must also learn to critically reflect on the systems themselves, and to do so in normative terms linked to ending domination. Second, are students required to develop both the dispositions and attributes required for working life, and those required for acting to end domination. Finally, there must be sufficient institutional independence of the programme from its partner institutions to protect the critical WIL agenda. These claims are illustrated through reference to a real-world attempt to institutionalise WIL in a Political Studies Masters programme in Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lately, theme parks have emphasized the learning and edutainment aspects of their business. This has created new opportunities for theme parks and schools to cooperate. Research has shown that learning at science centers, a similar form of learning arena, tends to be out of context and that the learning outcomes are meager. High Chaparral, in southern Sweden, is a theme park primarily focusing on the American 1870s. With 160,000–170,000 visitors each year, the theme park is one of the largest arenas for history communication in Sweden, alongside traditional cultural heritage institutions. This paper presents an analysis of students, mainly aged 10–12 years, visiting the park. In the park, the children are presented with various fact- and skills-oriented activities. While the children enjoy the activities, they do not align the presentations with their school history education. Rather, the children relate them to their own everyday life experiences, and the idea of 1870s America they take from the park is, to a high degree, informed by popular TV and movie Westerns. While the theme park seems fun for the children, the findings of this analysis show that the park's theme is not easily connected to the Swedish history curriculum for the studied group of students. In particular, the park does not align with the constructivist ideals of the Swedish curriculum. This does not mean that learning possibilities are absent. The park contains multifaceted leaning opportunities, but given the park's present focus, these are not fully developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to clarify the spatial characteristics of work‐units comprising advanced school buildings in Sweden based on the learning activities of pupils and students. The results of this study are as follows. A work‐unit is composed of seven to nine types of rooms and two types of partitions.Work‐units include four types of learning of the same content together, and three types of learning in small groups or by individuals.The rooms in a work‐unit are separated by doors and removable partitions. This enables students to set the spaces for learning by themselves, by opening/closing the doors or rearranging the partitions.In higher grades, students can be provided the opportunity to choose their own spaces and content for learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to establish a research field within psychology didactics at secondary level has recently been voiced by several researchers internationally. An analysis of a Swedish case coming out of secondary level education in psychology presented here provides an illustration that complexity thinking—derived from complexity theory—is uniquely placed to consider and indicate possible solutions to challenges, described by researchers as central to the foundation of a new field. Subject matter didactics is defined for the purpose of this paper as a combination of general didactics and subject matter content, and considering the international nature of research traditions coming out of psychology, the implications of the results presented here cannot be regarded as limited solely to national concerns. An online survey was sent to secondary schools in Sweden. Discussions and lectures along with teaching to the book—alternatively used as inspiration—emerged as central from the thematic analysis of the results, providing the first mapping of teaching practices secondary level psychology in Sweden. An analysis, founded on complexity thinking—combined with a model enabling a delimitation of the scope of study—focused on time use and the importance placed on self-knowledge, along with the transformation of theory into practice. The former pointed to a teacher-centered nested subsystem (e.g., asymmetric relations between teachers and students), whereas the latter pointed to student-centered nested subsystems coming out of embodied knowledge (e.g., students as node) where psychological perspectives are learnt through self-reflection, case studies, and everyday life experiences (turning theory to practice), implying a holistic approach. The analysis applied to the Swedish case provides an illustration of how complexity theory has the potential to address challenges at the micro and the macro levels to the establishment of a new research field in psychology didactics and to indicate possible solutions (drawing among other things upon teaching experiences coming out of the Swedish case study). Psychology's high relevance to everyday life, multi-causality, perspective pluralism, dynamic systems character, and scientific character make complexity thinking a relevant approach in the consideration of challenges to the establishment of a research field in didactics of psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore Swedish preservice teachers' performance in coursework essays about their observations and analyses of teaching situations. A total of 38 essays were analysed using practical inferences in which the students' written utterances were interpreted as a means to an end. The results show that, in addition to the students who conducted their analyses in accordance with the normative way of understanding the task, there were students who engaged in 'alternative performance'. This was done by negotiating the content of the course and explaining the observed actions of teachers in terms of the course's theoretical perspectives. The results also indicate that, in addition to an analytical interest in understanding and explaining learning, the very engineering of learning becomes a prominent concern in students' essays. It is argued that students who do not distinguish between these approaches face problems related to reductive and circular reasoning. To address these problems, it is suggested that educators mobilise students' critical thinking and self-reflection, which may involve exceeding the administrative boundaries that frame single courses and unveiling the very foundations of teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult education has been criticized for its lack of focus on sociocultural aspects of individual learners, largely ignoring the importance of cultural identity to the learning process. The paper’s aim is to investigate culturally responsive teaching of immigrants in adult education, theoretically and empirically underpinning the implementation of a case study for the elaboration of implications on culturally responsive teaching of immigrants in adult education. Research methods include theoretical and empirical methods. Theoretical methods imply analysis of theoretical sources and theoretical modelling. The empirical study was based on a case study. The sample was composed of 20 adult learners and three teachers of Swedish in May 2019 and February 2020. The case study was implemented at Folkuniversitetet, Kristianstad, Sweden. The theoretical findings allow defining religion and human comfort conditions such as thermal comfort as the dimensions of cultural norms and values to be addressed by culturally responsive teaching of immigrants. The findings of the empirical study allow drawing the conclusion on the necessity of a personalised approach to an adult learner in culturally responsive teaching of immigrants. The novelty of the present work is revealed in the implications on culturally responsive teaching of immigrants. Further research is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The increasingly demanding psychosocial working conditions in Swedish public sector workplaces call for implementation of workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions. There is a need to increase first-line public sector managers' capacities for health-promoting leadership. The purpose of this paper is to investigate first-line managers' experiences of participating in an intervention aimed at strengthening health-promoting leadership. More precisely, the aim is to study what obstacles and prerequisites the intervention have for their learning processes to become health-promoting managers. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative study in Northern Sweden at workplaces in the county council and municipalities was conducted. The data were gathered through individual interviews with 18 participating first-line managers. Inductive-content analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings: The results identify time for reflection and collegial discussions about leadership as prerequisites for learning about health-promoting leadership. Managers experienced the intervention as a confirmation of the leadership behaviours already gained. However, the health-promoting leadership intervention was seen as a contradiction, since organisational prerequisites to implement WHP measures were perceived to be lacking. The managers were not involved in the planning of the intervention and questioned why the organisation did not involve them more when the educational activities were created. Originality/value: When the organisation understands how and when its managers learn, what they need and want to learn about WHP, and what they already know, tailored participatory interventions can be facilitated that consider the unique prerequisites for the particular organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to identify conditions affecting sustainability of Lean implementations in Swedish psychiatric healthcare, from a socio-technical perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal focus group interviews were conducted with 24 first-line managers within Swedish psychiatric healthcare. The analysis was made using Cherns’ ten socio-technical principles and a framework for sustainable development work in healthcare. Findings – The most critical socio-technical principles for a sustainable Lean implementation were boundary location; power and authority; and compatibility. At hospital level, socio-technical principles were inhibited by the weak ownership of the Lean implementation. However, strong ownership at division level meant the same principles were supported. Unclear goals made follow-ups difficult which had negative effects on the learning processes in the Lean implementation. The role and responsibility of first-line managers were unclear in that they perceived they lacked power and authority resulting in negative effects on the participation – an important sustainability concept. Originality/value – Empirically based papers assessing Lean implementations in psychiatry are rare. This study is a contribution to the research area of sustainable Lean implementations in healthcare. The practical implication of this study is that decision makers, senior managers, first-line managers and psychiatrists can be supported in reaching sustainable implementations of Lean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early-age exposure to noise may have long-term health implications of which we have little knowledge of today. Age-specific hearing, learning inadequate coping strategies, and alterations in biological stress regulatory responses could play a role in the long-term health impacts. In Sweden about half a million children in the age between 1–5 years attend preschool. The noise exposure at preschools is intermittent and unpredictable and levels reach up to 84 dB LAeq (time indoors) with maximum levels of 118 dB LAF, mostly due to child activity. To increase the overall understanding of the possible implications of preschool noise environments for children, this paper describes children’s behavioral and emotional reactions to and coping with their everyday sound environment from a teachers perspective. A postal questionnaire study performed in 2013–2014 with answers from 3,986 preschool teachers provided the data. Content analysis was combined with quantitative analysis. Eighty-two percent of the personnel considered that children’s behavior was affected rather or very much by preschool noise. The most prevalent behaviors were categorized into: be heard, be distracted, show negative internal emotions, crowd, avoid, withdraw, be exhausted, and learning. The quantitative analyses confirmed an association between the perceived loudness and noise annoyance at preschool and affirmative reporting on noise affecting the children´s behavior. Age of the personnel, with the youngest age group reporting noise related behavior less often, and age distribution of the class, with 1–5 years old seeming less affected by noise, were also indicated, while pedagogic orientation was not a significant factor. Future studies should address the long-term health effects of these behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on school situations students experienced as meaningful and how these experiences can guide educational improvement. Participants included 15 students in grade 3 from a Swedish school. In this qualitative study, the data consisted of drawings, multimodal productions, interviews, and field notes. The analysis resulted in four themes: Having the opportunity to learn in different spaces; Being free and able to participate; Experiencing caring and sharing, and Recognizing one's own growth and achievement. The findings suggest that situations students find meaningful involve aspects of both learning and wellbeing. The practical implication for these results is that student-generated qualitative data can help indicate needs for educational improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Increased health research capacity is needed in low- and middle-income countries to respond to local health challenges. Technology-aided teaching approaches, such as blended learning (BL), can stimulate international education collaborations and connect skilled scientists who can jointly contribute to the efforts to address local shortages of high-level research capacity. The African Regional Capacity Development for Health Systems and Services Research (ARCADE HSSR) was a European Union-funded project implemented from 2011 to 2015. The project consortium partners worked together to expand access to research training and to build the research capacity of post-graduate students. This paper presents a case study of the first course in the project, which focused on a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies and was delivered in 2013 through collaboration by universities in Uganda, Sweden and South Africa., Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods case study involving student course evaluations, participant observation, interviews with teaching faculty and student feedback collected through group discussion. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies, and qualitative data using thematic analysis., Results: A traditional face-to-face course was adapted for BL using a mixture of online resources and materials, synchronous online interaction between students and teachers across different countries complemented by face-to-face meetings, and in-class interaction between students and tutors. Synchronous online discussions led by Makerere University were the central learning technique in the course. The learners appreciated the BL design and reported that they were highly motivated and actively engaged throughout the course. The teams implementing the course were small, with individual faculty members and staff members carrying out many extra responsibilities; yet, some necessary competencies for course design were not available., Conclusions: BL is a feasible approach to simultaneously draw globally available skills into cross-national, high-level skills training in multiple countries. This method can overcome access barriers to research methods courses and can offer engaging formats and personalised learning experiences. BL enables teaching and learning from experts and peers across the globe with minimal disruption to students' daily schedules. Transforming a face-to-face course into a blended course that fulfils its full potential requires concerted effort and dedicated technological and pedagogical support.

Background: Although there is growing awareness that early childhood development programs are important for a sustainable society, there is a knowledge gap about how to implement such programs. Successful implementation requires attention to implementation drivers (competency, organization, and leadership) during all phases of the implementation. The purpose of this study was to describe cross-sectoral operational workgroups' perceptions of facilitators, barriers and solutions related to implementation drivers in the preparationphase of implementing an evidence-based early childhood home visiting program. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from twenty-four participants, divided into 5 groups, during implementation planning workshops. The workshops were guided by a structured method informed by the principles of Motivational Interviewing and within a framework of implementation drivers. Groups sorted cards with statements representing implementation drivers according to perceptions of facilitators and barriers, and percentages were calculated for each type of implementation determinant, for each type of driver. The groups discussed their card sorting and wrote action plans to address barriers, yielding documentation that was analyzed using deductive qualitative content analysis. Results: A mixed-methods analysis resulted identification of facilitators, barriers, unknowns and solutions in two to three subcategories under each main category of implementation driver. A competent and confident workforce, and enthusiasm and commitment were key facilitators. Key barriers were unclear roles and responsibilities, and insufficient articulation of local vision and goals. Many factors were described as yet unknown. Specific solutions were generated to support the implementation. Conclusions: Our study furthers the scientific understanding of how to take evidence-based early childhood programs from research to practice within an implementation drivers framework. Facilitators, barriers and solutions in key areas during the preparation phase were identified with the help of a novel tool. The results provide useful knowledge for decision makers and organizations preparing similar initiatives in communities striving to attain sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning is fundamental to the practice and effectiveness of environmental assessment. This paper provides new empirical insights into how researchers engage in collaboration with practitioners and the learning outcomes that this provides. Furthermore, a typology of researcher roles is provided to aid researchers in having a dialogue and navigating tensions and potentials by adopting different roles. This paper builds on researchers' engagement in three cases related to Swedish environmental assessment (EA) and planning practice. The analytical framework is brought in from the sustainability transition literature on process-oriented researcher roles. The results show that the researchers adopted several roles to provide knowledge and solutions but also to be a critical voice and support practitioner reflection. Furthermore, the work required reflexivity. It was significant that the researchers actively intervened and moved between roles to adapt to shifting needs. The processes contributed to learning in forms of reprioritisations, new routines and solutions implemented in practice. Furthermore, the process contributed to new understandings, empowerment and increased capacity among participants, e.g. through enhanced collaboration and stronger relations across disciplinary boundaries as well as enhanced knowledge and practical experience of EA key features. • Researcher-practitioner collaboration facilitates s various learning outcomes in EA practice. • Researchers adopt and combine several process-oriented roles to support learning. • A typology of researcher roles facilitates transparency and allows for better design of collaboration. • Reflexivity is a key role but need to be balanced to action and scientific analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The enhancement of–or even a shift from–traditional teaching and learning processes to corresponding digital practices has been rapidly occurring during the last two decades. The evidence of this ongoing change is still modest or even weak. However, the adaptation of implementation science in educational settings, a research approach which arose in the healthcare field, offers promising results for systematic and sustained improvements in schools. The aim of this study is to understand how the systematic professional development of teachers and schools principals (the intervention) to use digital learning materials and learning analytics dashboards (the innovations) could allow for innovative and lasting impacts in terms of a sustained implementation strategy, improved teaching practices and student outcomes, as well as evidence-based design of digital learning material and learning analytics dashboards. Methods: This longitudinal study uses a quasi-experimental cluster design with schools as the unit. The researchers will enroll gradually 145 experimental schools in the study. In the experimental schools the research team will form a School Team, consisting of teachers/learning-technologists, school principals, and researchers, to support teachers' use of the innovations, with student achievement as the dependent variable. For the experimental schools, the intervention is based on the four longitudinal stages comprising the Active Implementation Framework. With an anticipated student sample of about 13,000 students in grades 1–9, student outcomes data are going to be analyzed using hierarchical linear models. Discussion: The project seeks to address a pronounced need for favorable conditions for children's learning supported by a specific implementation framework targeting teachers, and to contribute with knowledge about the promotion of improved teaching practices and student outcomes. The project will build capacity using implementation of educational technology in Swedish educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stumbling-block in voice therapy is the patient's generalization of the new voice behavior in everyday life. Traditionally voice therapy is based on demonstration, i.e. during the therapy session the speech therapist uses her own voice and body to demonstrate for the patient how to produce voice in different training tasks. During the last decade a new voice therapy strategy, the Verbal Instruction Model (VIM), has been developed by the author. In VIM the speech therapist uses verbal instructions instead of demonstration when conveying the training tasks to the patient. Our clinical experience has shown that VIM seems to help getting over the stumbling-block of generalization. However, evidence for VIM voice therapy outcome remains to be scientifically studied and confirmed. The purpose of this paper is to describe VIM voice therapy and to discuss therapy strategies in the light of motor learning principles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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This project highlights preschool teachers' views of toddlers' learning in mathematics. The Swedish national curriculum covers even the youngest children who are 1-3 years old. Interesting questions are thus: what should mathematics be for this age group and how should preschool teachers work with maths to achieve the curriculum objectives? Data were collected through interviews with six pre-school teachers working in four different preschools. The data show that the teachers emphasize the body as very important for the learning process, which means that for these children, it is not a matter of simply talking about mathematical concepts, but experiencing them bodily. The teachers also report that they now pay more attention than previously to what material the children use and how they interact with it. They are more aware of how they organize and offer the various materials in the preschool and how this influences the way children use them and, consequently, their learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To explore healthcare professionals' experiences and reflections about narration in their everyday work. Background: The need for integrated and people‐centred healthcare for older adults has highlighted the relevance of narration in healthcare practice. Although theoretical foundations vary, different frameworks building on narration have been proposed for translating person‐centredness philosophies into practice. However, to understand how theoretical knowledge on narration can be adopted into clinical work, we need to learn how healthcare staff understand narration from their experiential knowledge and practice. Design: The research process followed guidelines from Constructivist Grounded Theory as described by Charmaz. The study adheres to the COREQ guidelines. Methods: Data collection entailed interprofessional focus groups discussions with healthcare staff (n = 31). Vignettes depicting realistic scenarios were used to encourage participants to reflect on clinical practice. Data were analysed via a constant comparative method. Results: One core theme arose from the analysis. The core theme showed how narration was a relational process that people engaged in to pursue and uphold several foundational qualities in healthcare practice presented in the following subthemes: preventing simplistic understandings of people and situations; supporting trustful relations; supporting continuity and coherence; and learning from coworkers. However, a minor theme raised awareness of narrative relations as a double‐edged sword. Conclusions: By acknowledging the mutual and multifacetted nature of narration in everyday practice, this study shows how healthcare professionals' engagement in narrative relations may contribute to upholding several foundational qualities which resonate with philosophies of person‐centredness in everyday healthcare practice. Relevance to clinical practice: Recognition of both the advantages and possible risks embedded in narrative relations in healthcare practice emphasises the obligation to collectively reflect on the repercussions of narrative relations in any local context. Patient or public contribution: Healthcare professionals contributed by sharing their experiential knowledge and reflections on narration in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout Europe, school inspection has become a visible means of governing education. This education and inspection policy is mediated, brokered, interpreted, and learned through networked activities where the global/European meet the national/local, giving national and local “uptake” a variety of characteristics. We explore the local features of this “uptake” as processes of learning in the interaction between schools and inspectors in Sweden. Drawing theoretically on Jacobsson’s notion of governing as increasingly done through meditative activities and on Leontiev’s activity theory, we suggest that school actors learn compliance through diverse emotions provoked by inspection processes in different local settings. Based on observations of inspections, interviews with teachers, head teachers and inspectors, documents, reports, and decisions, we portray how governing education is done through inspection processes in two Swedish schools. The case narratives underscore the importance of local context in these governing and learning processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aimed not only to describe the development and implementation of the module but also to evaluate the nursing students' perceptions. Design and Methods A cross-sectional design including 101 students who were asked to participate and answer a survey. We describe the development of the pedagogic module Students Active Learning via Internet Observations based on situated learning. Findings The findings show that learning about service users' own lived experiences via web-based platforms was instructive according to the students: 81% agreed to a high or very high degree. Another important finding was that 96% of students responded that the module had clinical relevance for nursing work. Practice Implications We argue that learning that engages students with data that are contextually and culturally situated is important for developing competence in caregiving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to tap the energy saving and climate mitigation potential of buildings, transaction costs of implementing energy efficient technologies need to be better understood and ultimately reduced. The objective of this paper is to identify and analyze the nature and scale of transaction costs resulting from the application of the passive house concept in energy efficient renovations. Related conceptual choices are also discussed. This study explores learning strategies as a potential to reduce transaction costs. It focuses on transaction costs borne by building owners and building developers in the planning and implementation phases of a passive house-oriented renovation in Sweden. Results reveal three main sources of transaction costs: due diligence, negotiations and monitoring. The analysis shows that transaction costs are non-negligible and for individual cost sources the scale can be three times higher than for conventional renovations. To reduce transaction costs, various learning strategies such as study visits, demonstration projects, new forms of meetings and new channels of (written) information were found. These strategies have the potential to half transaction costs of future renovation projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International and national policies stress the importance of spatial planning for the long-term sustainability of regions. This paper identifies the extent to which the spatial planning in a Swedish region can be characterised as a collaborative learning process. By combining qualitative interviews and systems thinking methods we analysed the main attributes of public-led spatial (i.e. comprehensive) planning in nine municipalities representing a steep urban–rural gradient in the Bergslagen region of Central Sweden. We show that the attributes of strategic spatial planning needed for collaborative learning were absent or undeveloped. All studied municipalities experienced challenges in coordinating complex issues regarding long-term planning to steer territorial development and help to solve conflicts among competing interests. Stakeholder participation was identified as a basic condition for social learning in planning. Together with stakeholders we identified the causal structure behind stakeholder participation in municipal planning processes, including main drivers and feedback loops. We conclude that there is a need for arenas allowing and promoting stakeholder activity, participation and inclusion that combines both bottom-up and top-down approaches, and where evidence-based collaborative learning can occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning and accountability are customarily defined as 'the dual purpose' of development aid evaluation, yet this notion is contested. Based on an overview of the existing literature, we identify four ideal type positions in this debate: (1) accountability and learning are complementary objectives, (2) there is a reconcilable tension, (3) there are problematic trade-offs and (4) the two are irreconcilable. Drawing on empirical evidence from Sweden and Norway relating to evaluation processes, evaluation reports and evaluation systems within the sector of development aid, we conclude that pursuing this dual purpose in practice involves trade-offs which need to be recognised. We end with implications for aid evaluation policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the rational model of the democratic governing chain, intervening spaces at all levels are neglected in relation to the policy process. An intervening space is a group of persons with the power and responsibility to interpret policy at their level in an organization. The research question is as follows: How are democratic policy ideas visible in the intervening spaces of a governing chain in public schools? Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on two municipalities representing the 25 most populated cities in Sweden. The data are based on interviews with 66 informants with leadership roles on the district level and two schools in each municipality. Findings: Leadership is obviously more than making decisions. It is also about facilitating and creating trust, engagement, motivation and willingness to take responsibility. In this process, intervening spaces are central. They exist at all levels from the national ministry to the classroom. The empirical examples show the importance and challenges in how different leadership roles, relationships and interaction transform policy intentions to practice on the local level. Originality/value: The authors contribute by highlighting the parallel interpretation processes that take place at various leadership levels locally. There are possibilities and challenges in aligning the intervening spaces into a rational governing chain. The findings indicate that intervening spaces and policy drift is vital to support, control and use professional competence in the process to transfer political ideas to classroom practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and adolescents with cerebral palsy often have impaired hand function. This makes it difficult for them to deal with everyday activities. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of children and adolescents with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy when it comes to learning and dealing with activities requiring bimanual use. Ten participants, attending mainstream schools, with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (10–18 years, MACS-level I-III) took part in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative analysis with verbatim transcripts were analysed using a Grounded Theory approach. The learning of bimanual activities was described as a process taking place in interaction with the dynamics of everyday situations. Five categories describing the participants experiences emerged: "Reaching a point where you want to learn", "Awareness and acceptance of your own abilities", "Dealing with the boundaries of the disability", "Dealing with the impact of people around you" and "Strategies for learning". A multi-dimensional theory was derived, summarising how the participants learned bimanual activities in daily life. Children and adolescents with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy express that the process of learning bimanual activities can only take place when it fits in with life as it unfolds. Thus, they have to adapt to a changing context and their own developing skills. This study support a person-centred perspective in the process of learning bimanual activities. Interventions need to be tailored to life situations and embedding in child's and adolescents everyday lives. The therapist must be compliant with the child's and adolescents desire for learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to examine middle school‐aged pupils' participation in an action‐oriented school health promotion project and investigate its effects on their health experience, learning and influence. A survey was sent eight times to middle school‐aged pupils (n = 105). A descriptive analysis with group comparisons was followed by a regression analysis. Health differences were found between gender and age. Aspects of pupil influence and learning about health showed positive progression during the project. Satisfaction with school performance was most associated with health experience. Thus, health experience, gender, and age are factors to consider when planning similar health promotion projects in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely acknowledged that systems thinking (ST) should be implemented in the area of public health, but how this should be done is less clear. In this commentary we focus on sense-making and double-loop learning processes when using ST and soft systems methodology in research collaborations with policy-makers. In their study of policymakers' experiences of ST, Haynes et al emphasize the importance of knowledge processes and mutual learning between researchers and policy-makers, processes which can change how policy-makers think and thus have impact on real-world policy concerns. We provide some additional examples from Sweden on how ST has been applied to create learning and shared mental models among stakeholders and researchers in national and regional healthcare development initiatives. We conclude that investigating and describing such processes on micro-level can aid the knowledge on how to implement ST in public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the advantages of using active learning strategies in nursing education, researchers have rarely investigated how such pedagogic approaches can be used to assess students or how interactive examinations can be modified depending on circumstances of practice (e.g., in online education). Aims: The aim was to compare three interactive examination designs, all based on active learning pedagogy, in terms of nursing students' engagement and preparedness, their learning achievement, and instructional aspects. Methods: A comparative research design was used including final-year undergraduate nursing students. All students were enrolled in a quality improvement course at a metropolitan university in Sweden. In this comparative study to evaluate three course layouts, participants (Cohort 1, n = 89; Cohort 2, n = 97; Cohort 3, n = 60) completed different examinations assessing the same course content and learning objectives, after which they evaluated the examinations on a questionnaire in numerical and free-text responses. Chi-squared tests were conducted to compare background variables between the cohorts and Kruskal–Wallis H tests to assess numerical differences in experiences between cohorts. Following the guidelines of the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS), a sequential mixed-methods analysis was performed on the quantitative findings, and the qualitative findings were used complementary to support the interpretation of the quantitative results. Results: The 246 students who completed the questionnaire generally appreciated the interactive examination in active learning classrooms. Among significant differences in the results, Cohort 2 (e.g., conducted the examination on campus) scored highest for overall positive experience and engagement, whereas Cohort 3 (e.g., conducted the examination online) scored the lowest. Students in Cohort 3 generally commended the online examination's chat function available for use during the examination. Conclusions: Interactive examinations for nursing students succeed when they are campus-based, focus on student preparation, and provide the necessary time to be completed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]