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Background Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is considered beneficial to children's physical and mental health. Especially, stress resilience has been linked to nature experience. Aims This study experimentally explored the effects of pupils' autonomy support (AUT) and physical activity (PA) on their biological stress responses and brain development in EOtC. Sample The study comprised 48 fifth and sixth graders. Methods The intervention consisted of one day/week taught in a forest over one school year. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted at the beginning and the end of the school year, functional MRI under a stress condition at the end. Regions of interest were amygdala, hippocampus and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). All other measures were obtained at the beginning, at mid-term and at the end of the school year. PA was measured using accelerometry. Cortisol levels were obtained three times during the examined school days. AUT was measured with a paper-based survey. Data were analysed using Bayesian multivariate models. Results EOtC students exhibit more efficient regulation of biological stress-reactivity and show a reduction of cortisol over the day associated with light PA in the forest. Cortisol is further associated with amygdala activation in the stress condition. Cerebral structural change is best explained by age; however, AUT has a positive direct effect on the maturation of the ACC, which is stronger in EOtC. Conclusions Our results support the idea that autonomy supportive teaching fosters cerebral maturation and that EOtC can have a positive effect on biological stress regulation.

This study's purpose was to analyse key factors underlying social marginalisation and academic performance. The 2017 data from the Danish PLM survey (N = 42,703) were analysed which contained responses by students (grades 4-10), parents, and class teachers. Multigroup structural equation modelling was applied to explore anticipated gender differences. Two critical factors were identified that were associated with reduced levels of social marginalisation: 1) the degree of teacher support; 2) the strength of the parental community. Finally, the study indicated that girls, and students at lower grade levels, tend to experience greater social marginalisation.

Today, climate change is of concern to children and youth because it affects their future, that of the coming generations and also life on our planet itself. We address this matter firstly by looking for opportunities to practice and develop ethical competence, next by highlighting problems in ethics education and, finally, by pointing to a possible way forward. English Edition, October 2022 Barn, hållbarhet och hopp EthiCo I and II

This study researches the possibility of video games being a helpful tool when it comes to English vocabulary knowledge, by comparing the English vocabulary knowledge of those that play video games to those that do not play video games. The study also focuses on comparing the English vocabulary knowledge of those that play video games frequently to those that play video games seldomly and discuss why this might make a difference. 37 students were asked to fill in a questionnaire with questions focusing on if they play video games or not, how often they play and what sort of games they played. The second part of the study was a vocabulary test containing 51 words one might encounter whilst playing video games, in this vocabulary test the students were asked to give an English synonym and a Swedish translation of these words. The results of the study revealed that there were differences between the groups, as those that did play video games scored higher on the vocabulary test compared to those that did not play video games. There was also a difference in terms of performance on the vocabulary test depending on how often the students played video games. Denna studie undersöker videospels möjlighet till att vara ett hjälpmedel när det gäller kunskaper i engelskt ordförråd genom att jämföra ordförrådskunskaperna hos de som spelar videospel med de som inte spelar videospel. Studien fokuserar också på att jämföra de engelska ordförrådskunskaperna hos dem som ofta spelar videospel med de som sällan spelar videospel och diskuterar varför detta kan göra en skillnad. 37 elever ombads att fylla i ett frågeformulär med frågor med fokus på om de spelar videospel eller inte, hur ofta de spelar och vilken typ av spel de spelade. Den andra delen av studien var ett ordförrådstest innehållande 51 ord som kan stötas på i videospel, i detta ordförrådstest ombads eleverna att ge en engelsk synonym och en svensk översättning av dessa ord. Resultaten av studien visade att det fanns skillnader mellan grupperna, eftersom de som spelade videospel fick högre poäng på ordförrådstestet jämfört med de som inte spelade videospel. Det fanns också skillnader prestationsmässigt i ordförrådstestet beroende på hur ofta eleverna spelade videospel.

When performing at the elite level in female elite junior ballet, the teacher-student relationship is crucial in reaching performance development (Jowett, 2017). Shared Reality Theory (SRT; Echterhoff & Higgins, 2018; Higgins, 2019) holds significant potential for studying the reciprocity in the relationship between people. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to explore (a) how a shared reality (Higgins, 2019) is established, or fails to be established, over the course of the dancing partnership between the teacher and his/her ballet students; and (b) how experiencing a shared reality (or not) in the teacher-student relationship is related to the experienced quality of the relationship the teacher and his/her ballet students develop and maintain over the course of a 8-month period. Three female elite junior ballet students and their primary ballet teacher were purposefully sampled and examined using a semi-structured interview (Patton, 2014). To explore the participants’ experiences, we used narrative inquiry and analyzed the data through an inductive and deductive approach (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Smith & Sparkes, 2009a, 2009b). The narrative analysis showed that there was a shared reality in the teacher-student relationship on an epistemological level. However, findings indicated that achieving a shared reality between the teacher and his/her students in ballet, at a relational level, may be difficult concerning the premises of the traditional ballet culture (Echterhoff & Higgins, 2018; Higgins, 2019; Lakes, 2005). The findings are interpreted and discussed in light of relevant literature in the domain of performing arts, sports, and social psychology. The practical implications of the findings suggest that it may be beneficial to create a shared reality on a functional (e.g., epistemic motive) and personal (e.g., relational motive) level to enhance the wellbeing and personal development among teacher and students in the context of elite junior ballet (Echterhoff et al., 2009; Higgins, 2019). The findings in this study can provide meaning to the experiences found in the context of the teacher-student relationship in elite junior ballet. However, the representation of the various narratives is only one way of envisioning their lived lives, as told in these unique, personal stories (Smith & Sparkes, 2009b; Smith, 1984). Future research should investigate the different teacher-student relationships within a class of students, include perceptions of both male and female students, investigate the teacher-student relationship over three years to provide insight into the educational schooling in elite junior ballet, and investigate how professional ballet academies can use and employ research to enhance performance development.

Bakgrunn: Eit aukande tal studiar viser at born oppnår kognitive fordelar av deltaking i fysisk aktivitet. Få studiar av høg kvalitet har derimot undersøkt effekten av skuleintervensjonar med fysisk aktivitet som er integrert i opplæringa på eksekutive funksjonar og skuleprestasjon. Hovudføremål: Å undersøkje samanhengar mellom ulike mål på fysisk aktivitet (objektivt målt fysisk aktivitet, aerob fysisk form og motorikk) og eksekutive funksjonar og skuleprestasjon, samt om dei potensielle effektane av fysisk aktivitet på skuleprestasjon er mediert av betra eksekutiv funksjon. Materiale og metode: Denne avhandlinga er ein del av studien Active Smarter Kids (ASK); ein multikomponent klynge-randomisert kontrollert studie, som inkluderte 1129 femteklassingar (10 år gamle) frå 57 grunnskular i Sogn og Fjordane, Noreg. Intervensjonen gjekk over sju månader og bestod av tre komponentar som til saman utgjorde 165 minutt per veke ekstra fysisk aktivitet: (1) fysisk aktivitet integrert i skulefag, (2) pausar med fysisk aktivitet i skulefag, og (3) heimelekse med fysisk aktivitet. Datainnsamling vart gjennomført før og etter intervensjonen, og inneheldt målingar av fysisk aktivitetsnivå (med akselerometer), aerob fysisk form og motorikk, samt målingar av eksekutiv funksjon, åtferd i klasserommet, skulerelatert livskvalitet og skuleprestasjon.

Avhandling (ph.d) - VID vitenskapelige høgskole, Oslo, 2018 Social competence is important to well-being and social and personal development. The lack of social competence is linked to bullying in school, young people’s failure to qualify for work, and other types of externalizing and internalizing difficulties. A growing body of evidence has identified factors in the complex interplay between individuals and their environment that influence behavior, relationships, and development in young people. For instance, the role of social perception and moral cognition in behavior problems has received considerable focus in recent years. Although school is important for socialization and offers many possibilities for social and emotional learning and growth, few universal intervention programs focus explicitly on interpretive abilities and moral cognition Paper I: Finne, J.N. & Svartdal, F. (2017). Social perception training (SPT): improving social competence by reducing cognitive distortions. The International Journal of Emotional Education, 2017, 9 (2), 44-58. Paper II: Finne, J.N. & Svartdal, F. (in preparation). The How I Think (HIT) Questionnaire: Measuring cognitive distortions in children and adolescents. /Not in the file in Brage because of copyright restrictions Paper III: Finne, J.N., Roland, E., & Svartdal, F. (submitted). Relational rehabilitation: reducing harmful effects caused by bullying. /Not in the file in Brage because of copyright restrictions.

Mastergradsoppgave i kultur- og språkfagenes didaktikk, Avdeling for lærerutdanning og naturvitenskap, Høgskolen i Innlandet, 2017. English: This study investigates variables that increase and decrease students´ oral participation. It also investigates how to mend low participation. The research questions were 1) what increase and decrease oral participation, and 2) how does teachers work in order to increase low participating students and 3) how to mend low participation. A qualitative study was used where 10 tenth grade students and 2 teachers were interviewed in order to discover the variables that would be investigated in the theory chapter. This research found that corrective feedback on oral work had contradicting findings. There is validation towards students experiencing anxiety with type of feedback, but also that they have no special collocations towards it. Shy children will experience anxiety when they speak, and findings in this study say that group and pair work will be a setting where they might feel less anxiety. Students with a degree of communication apprehension (CA) will need special care, and need special treats if they are ever going to speak without restraint in the classroom. Group and pair work is the sole activity that is to a large extent anxiety free. Meanwhile presentations in the classroom will vary, even with the less participating students. The most anxiety inducing activity is when the teachers ask students to read out loud or when they force students to answer questions. The results of this study states that students who participate highly will have confidence in their oral language and students who participate less will not be confident in their oral language. The classroom environment is a vital factor that influences student participation to a large degree. Motivation will result in higher participating students, however if the students experience anxiety in speaking activities, this factor may not be as fertile. The study discovered some key factors that teachers can use to mend low oral participation. It has presented some suggestions on how to mend the variables presented above. Some of the methods were mentioned in the teacher interviews, and some had to be explored through different studies. The study has given some insight to how different variables influence student participation, and given suggestions on how to mend them. However, it acknowledges that there is a need for more practical theory regarding how to increase students´ oral participation. Norsk: Denne oppgaven undersøkte variabler som øker og reduserer stunders muntlig deltagelse. Den undersøker også hvordan man kan jobbe mot å øke deltagelse til eleven. Oppgavens mål og undersøkelsesspørsmål er: 1) hva øker og reduserer elevers muntlig deltagelse, 2) hvordan jobber lærere jobbe mot å fikse lav deltagelse, 3) hvordan kan man jobbe mot å fikse lav deltagelse. Undersøkelsen var kvalitativ intervjuer der ti tiendeklassinger og to lærere ble intervjuet for å finne ut hvilke variabler som skulle bli brukt i teorikapitlet. Denne oppgaven fant at korrigerende tilbakemeldinger på studenters muntlig språk ikke nødvendigvis er ødeleggende. Det er viktig at lærere vet at å korrigere elevene muntlig kan være en årsak til angst og stress, mens det er også elever som ikke får noe negativt ut av dette. Sjenerte elever vil som regel oppleve angst eller stress da de snakker, og funnene i denne oppgaven viser at gruppe og par-oppgaver kan være en setting der de ikke opplever dette i like stor grad. Studenter som har redsel for å prate med mennesker (communication apprehension) trenger spesielt å bli tatt vare på, og spesielle metoder for at de skal kunne prate uten angst med andre elever. Forskningen i denne oppgaven viser at gruppe og par-oppgaver er de minst angst-frembringende settingene, og elever føler som regel at de kan prate uten å føle det som negativt i disse aktivitetene. Å holde en presentasjon foran klassen er ikke nødvendigvis angstfrembringende for alle elever. Studenter som har høy muntlig deltagelse har som regel høyere selvtillit i deres engelske språk og de som har lav deltagelse har som regel lav selvtillit til sitt engelske språk. Funnene fra denne oppgaven viser også til at klasseklima er en faktor som påvirker studenters muntlige deltagelse. Motivasjon er også en faktor som gjør det ,men hvis studentene føler angst er det ikke nødvendigvis like gjeldende. Studien har funnet viktige faktorer som lærere kan bruke til å reparere lav muntlig deltagelse. Den har presentert noen forslag om hvordan en kan reparere variablene presentert ovenfor. Noen metoder kom ut ifra lærerintervjuene, og noen kom ut ifra diverse studier. Denne studien kastet lys over hvordan noen variable kan påvirke studenters muntlige deltagelse og gitt noen råd til hvordan en kan fikse dem. Denne studien viser også at det trengs mer teori på hvordan en kan øke elevers muntlige deltagelse.

La notion de liang, commune aux langues tai, renvoie à une multiplicité de pratiques : nourrir, élever des animaux et des enfants, adopter, prendre soin de ses parents âgés et rendre un culte. Dans un premier temps, cet article propose d’explorer dans le contexte d’un village de riziculteurs t’ai dam du Nord Laos, le champ sémantique et les différentes pratiques auxquelles renvoie cette notion. Qu’il s’agisse des animaux, des humains ou des esprits, d’élevage, de soin ou de culte, liang implique toujours l’institution et le maintien d’une relation fondée sur le don, réel ou symbolique, de nourriture et appelant une certaine forme de réciprocité. La deuxième partie de l’article, consacré à trois études de cas relatant la difficulté à concevoir et à garder en vie des enfants, montrera que liang relève à la fois d’une aptitude, donnée ou acquise, et d’une valeur qui sont essentielles à la reproduction et bon déroulement du cycle de vie.Abstract : The notion of liang, common to all tai languages, denotes a multiplicity of practices : feeding, raising animals and children, adopting, taking care of one’s elders, worshiping spirits. Firstly, this article proposes to explore, in the context if a rice-growing t’ai dam village of Northern Laos, the semantic field and variety of practices concerned by this notion. Whichever the beneficiary (animal, human or spirit) and whatever the action (raising, taking care or worshiping), liang always imply the initiation and the preservation of a relationship founded on the gift, real of symbolic, of food. Besides, it requires one sort of another of reciprocity. The second part of the article will be devoted to three case studies narrating difficulties encountered in the conception and raising of children. It will show that liang is all at once a given or achieved aptitude and a value essential to the reproduction and to the continuation of the life cycle.

The purpose of this research was to focus on how guitar teachers and pedagogues in the pop, rock and jazz genres use single-string methods of teaching and playing with students at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The goal was to provide experienced and upcoming guitar teachers with ways and methodologies to focus on single-string playing and teaching, which can lead to guitar students getting a full introduction to the guitar’s potential as a musical instrument.Through interviews conducted with five guitar teachers who have students from beginner to advanced levels of playing, I compared and contrasted the respondents’ teaching backgrounds, personal introductions to single-string playing, single-string method usages, perceptions of student responses, views on single-string playing and guitar method books, and perceived benefits of single-string playing for their students. From the study results, I concluded that a single-string teaching method is a feasible method to teach students from beginners to advanced levels such topics as improvisation, note location, ear training, sightreading, music theory, chord arpeggios, articulations, scales, string bending, hand movement, finger independence and hand positions. It is the teacher’s responsibility to adapt their materials and exercises based on where the students are in their learning. Syftet med studien var att fokusera på hur gitarrlärare och gitarrpedagoger i pop, rock och jazz genrer använder single-string i sitt spelande och som undervisningsmetod med gitarrelever på nybörjar, mellan och avancerade nivåer. Målet var att ge erfarna samt blivande gitarrlärare tillvägagångsätt och metoder i hur de kan fokusera på single-string spelande och undervisning, vilket kan ge gitarrelever en fullständig introduktion till gitarrens potential som ett musik instrument.Genom intervjuer med fem gitarrlärare som har elever från nybörjare till avancerade nivåer jämförde och kontrasterade jag respondenternas bakgrunder som lärare, personliga introduktioner till single-string spelande, sätten på vilken de använder single-string metoder, och synpunkter på single-string spelande och metodböcker samt deras uppfattningar om fördelarna som elever får av single-string spelande. Resultatet av forskningen visade att single-string metod är rimlig att använda i undervisning av elever från nybörjare till avancerade nivåer inom ämnen som improvisation, notinlärning, gehör, notläsning, musikteori, ackord arpeggio, skalor, strängböjning, handrörelser, fingersjälvständighet och handställningar. Det är lärarens ansvar att anpassa sina läromaterial och övningar till elevernas inlärningsnivåer.

Projektet hade sin bakgrund i önskan att tillhandahålla en virtuell träningsmiljö för lärare där de kan öva på sin icke-verbala kommunikation med elever. Före det här projektet hade utvecklingen av träningsmiljön lett fram till ett visualiserings-system för ett tredimensionellt virtuellt klassrum med animerade karaktärer samt ett system för upptagning och igenkänning av användarens rörelser. För att en sådan träningsmiljö skall vara användbar krävs dock att de virtuella studenterna uppvisar ett trovärdigt mänskligt beteende. Den här rapporten avhandlar implementationen av mänskligt beteende i agenterna förkroppsligade i visualiseringssystemet. För detta ändamål användes det BDI-baserade multi-agent-systemet Jason tillsammans med inspiration från personlighetsteorin OCEAN, affektionsteorin OCC och beteendearkitekturen PMFserv. Rapporten avhandlar även resultatet av ett experiment som utfördes för att utvärdera systemet. I experimentet blev 16 testpersoner introducerade för två olika lärar-scenarion, varpå de, för var och en av dessa scenarion, fyllde i en enkät om deras upplevelse., The project had its background in the desire to provide a virtual training environment for teachers in which they can exercise their non-verbal communication (e.g. gestures and orientation) with students. Prior to this project, the development of the training environment had led up to a visualisation system for a 3D virtual classroom with virtual students and a motion recognition system for capturing and recognising the user's movements. For such a training environment to be useful however, the virtual students need to express believable human behaviour. This report covers the implementation of human behaviour in the agents embodied in the visualisation system using the BDI-based Jason multi-agent simulation platform with further inspiration taken from the OCEAN personality theory, the OCC theory of emotions and the PMFserv cognitive architecture. It also covers the results of an experiment that was conducted to evaluate the system. During this experiment, 16 test persons were introduced to two different teaching scenarios and were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their experience after each scenario.

Assessment in physical education [PE] is an area with fraught validity, little consensus and a slow ability to change (Arnesen, Nilsen & Leirhaug, 2013). Productive and innovate assessment practices such as formative assessment remain proposed and suggested in literature as a way of coping with these issues, but these suggestions are barely implemented in reality (Lopez-Pastor et. al., 2013). The purpose of this study aims therefore to discuss and interpret student assessment in physical education as a way of understanding this unstable development. The study’s research questions asked about student’s perception and reflection regarding assessment in PE, and how Foucaultian theory could contribute in a discussion of that. The research is critical in nature and aims to discuss both problematic and productive sides of assessment practices. The empirical material is qualitative and consists of observations of two PE classes during several lessons, as well as interviews with eleven students from these classes. The study was conducted in an upper secondary school in southern Norway. Interviews and observation notes were transcribed and used for analyses. The analytical process made codes, organized and categorized the data while increasingly implementing theory. Contemporary assessment literature and Foucault’s theories surrounding power, disciplining technologies, discourse, the examination and panopticism (Foucault, 1977) were used as analytical framework in order to illustrate and facilitate an understanding of issues and potentials concerning physical education assessment. As a result of the study four central themes emerged as particularly interesting. These were ‘holistic and fragmented assessment’, ‘teacher power through assessment’, ‘assessment and learning in physical education’ and ‘feedback and student initiative’. Discussions of these argued that students perceive and reflect upon assessment as something holistic, where they struggle to grasp its contents. This led the research to investigate what a holistic and shaded assessment practice; assessment practice that is not open to negotiation, can lead to. Investigations concluded that a central issue with assessment in physical education is that it can (re)produce a problematic panopticizing effect (Foucault, 1977). This effect makes students normalize and hierarchize each other constantly as an unquestioned disciplinary mechanism (Foucault, 1977). Teachers were 4 found to emphasize this effect and repress a potential for learning in the subject. Teachers were thus held accountable for some of the issues with assessment in PE, notwithstanding that the repression of learning in the subject was also found to be related to discourse and surveillance; physical education is centred on an ‘activity discourse’ rather than a ‘learning discourse’. Ottesen (2011) supports that discourses and actors surrounding the subject seem to shape a framework that prohibits physical education to be thought of as a ‘learning subject’. Feedback and student inclusion were, as expected (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Eide, 2011), found to be relatively rare in this study, although they were uplifted as highly potent techniques which increase learning, motivation, assessment visibility and productive docility. To such an extent, the study does facilitate an understanding of physical education assessment’s resistance to change. Foucault has helped illuminate powerful discursive structures which, if not challenged, will remain as epistemological obstacles against development in the field. This research also identified certain practices that are more dangerous than others, and suggested counteraction in order to progress assessment towards facilitation of learning.

Masteroppgave folkehelsevitenskap, 2013 Det er funnet en sammenheng mellom unge menneskers deltakelse i idrett og fysisk aktivitet, og deres mentale helse. Det er imidlertid en begrenset mengde forskning som har undersøkt hvordan idrett og fysisk aktivitet kan påvirke psykisk helse, og hvilke mekanismer som kan være involvert. Det meste av forskningen har også vært kvantitativ i orientering, selv om bruk av kvalitative undersøkelser har større potensiale til å belyse slike mekanismer på en god måte. Alle barn og unge tilbringer et betydelig antall timer i kroppsøving i skolen, men denne konteksten er lite utforsket med tanke på den mulige påvirkningen den kan ha på utvikling av mental helse. Hovedformålet med denne studien var å fylle disse hullene ved å beskrive og forstå hvordan kroppsøvingslærere arbeider med unge mennesker, og hvilke implikasjoner det kan ha for utviklingen av mental helse hos ungdom. Studien fokuserte på sosiale prosesser og interaksjoner mellom lærere og elever, og ble utført innen kroppsøvingskonteksten i den videregående skole. Den overordnede problemstilling var "Hvordan jobber kroppsøvingslærere med unge mennesker, og hva er konsekvensene for de unges utvikling av mental helse"? En rekke sensibiliserende konsepter var veiledende i forskningen, og en ‘grounded theory’ tilnærming ble brukt ved gjennomgang av litteratur og analyse av studiens funn. For å kunne forstå og beskrive kroppsøvingslærernes og elevenes opplevelser av de sosiale prosessene som foregår i kroppsøvingsundervisningen, og hvordan disse opplevelsene kan påvirke utviklingen av mental helse, ble flere kvalitative datainnsamlingsmetoder anvendt. En videregående skole i en relativt stor norsk by var settingen for studien. Data ble generert gjennom observasjon i kroppsøvingsundervisning, intervjuer med kroppsøvingslærere og fokusgrupper med elever. Studien har identifisert en rekke sosiale prosesser, som finner sted i kroppsøvings- undervisningen, som involverer kroppsøvingslærere og studenter, og som hadde potensiale til å påvirke utviklingen av mental helse hos ungdom, både positivt og negativt. Kroppsøvingslærernes aktivitetsvalg, deres måter å kommunisere med elevene på, elevtallet og varigheten av faget per uke, samt rammene for undervisningen viste seg å være kritiske faktorer i forbindelse med dette. Studien konkluderte med at kroppsøvingslærernes tilnærminger, og måter å arbeide med unge mennesker på, fører til at ungdom enten trives i og opplever at kroppsøvingsfaget underbygger faktorer relatert til deres mentale helse, som for eksempel selvoppfatning og resiliens, eller til at de opplever misnøye og ubehag i kroppsøvingsundervisningen, noe som gjør det mindre sannsynlig at de vil bygge et positivt selvbilde, og øker deres sårbarhet. Disse prosessene produserte til sammen en bestemt type sosialt klima som var enten støttende, eller undergravende i elevenes utvikling av mental helse. Imidlertid ble det også konkludert med at lærerne opplever rammene og arbeidsvilkårene sine som påvirkningsfaktorer for hvordan de arbeider med, og samhandler med elever. Dette forklarer hvorfor de ikke, til en hver tid og for alle elever, kan skape et sosialt klima som er støttende med tanke på utvikling av mental helse hos elevene. Avslutningsvis, hvis målet er å styrke kroppsøvingsfaget som en mental helsefremmende arena, som det i norske helse- og skolepolitiske dokumenter antydes å skulle være, foreslår denne studien en rekke mulige tiltak.

This study is based on an action research project labeled “Running with Dewey” implemented in a 2.year High School Physical Education class. The purpose of the project was to analyze students´ response to a running program based on experience learning. 8 students participated in alternative Physical Education for 8 weeks. The action research project facilitated an autonomy supportive and reflection supportive climate, where students were individually given the freedom to choose their own form of running, and reflect on questions concerning the experience of running after each lesson. The data collection consists of participant observation, reflection questions, and personal interviews. The findings show that many students have experienced running in former Physical Education as primarily unenjoyable. The education has primarily been based on teacher instruction with no possibilities for individual involvement in, choice of, or reflection on the experience. Due to the possibility to choose a form of running they like, the students appreciated the autonomy supportive climate in the project. There are large individual differences in what form of running the different students prefer. The findings indicate that when personal needs guide the form of running, and the students are encouraged to reflect upon their experience, the students experience the running as more enjoyable.

The aim of the study was to investigate the use of laptops in English language teaching, its benefits and disadvantages. Three classroom observations, six student interviews and three teacher interviews were carried out to answer the study’s research questions, namely, what are the benefits and disadvantages of using laptops in the teaching of English at schools under study? How do teachers solve technical and pedagogical problems related to the use of laptops? What kinds of IT-support and possibility to develop teaching skills required by laptops are available for teachers of English? Results of the study indicate that easy access to authentic English through laptops is a benefit when teaching English at two Swedish compulsory schools and one high school. Furthermore, the study has shown that laptops are beneficial tools when teaching writing proficiency and working with problem-solving tasks in the classroom. The results of the study have also pointed to the disadvantage in the use of laptops during classroom activities, which are caused by students who are engaged in browsing off-task websites. However, a solution to this could be to include these websites into English language learning activities. The data from the interviews with the three English language teachers have provided evidence about different possibilities for IT-support and IT-development for these teachers. This study makes it clear that a successful implementation of one-to-one laptop programs requires teachers who can invest their time and energy into learning new technology, IT-development provided by the school and municipality through courses, workshops and visits at IT-fairs and other schools with one-to-one laptop program as well as a functional IT-support.

Taking seriously the oft-made claim that power relations are central to school bullying, the dissertation focuses specifically on the interconnectedness of school bullying and power relations within the specific context of Vietnamese lower secondary schooling. The dissertation is based on extended ethnographic fieldwork in two lower secondary schools in the north-eastern Vietnamese port city of Haiphong. Drawing on participant observations, group and individual interviews with students and teachers, and questionnaire data, the dissertation questions the hitherto dominant understanding of bullying as proactively aggressive actions and instead shifts the focus away from individual behaviour and actions towards a more in-depth consideration of power relations and the role bullying plays within the institutional context of schooling. Rather than understanding power as something which is held by some individuals who abuse their power when bullying others, the dissertation adopts a Foucauldian approach to power, wherein power is not held but is rather exercised in strategic situations. In doing so, the dissertation illustrates how schools provide not only the setting for school bullying but also the disciplinary framework within which school bullying gains currency. Mot bakgrund av det etablerade påståendet att maktrelationer har en central betydelse i skolmobbning fokuserar denna avhandling sambandet mellan skolmobbning och maktrelationer inom den Vietnamesiska grundskolan. Avhandlingen är baserad på omfattande etnografiska fältstudier i två grundskolor i den nordöstra Vietnamesiska hamnstaden Haiphong. Fältstudierna består av deltagande observationer, enkätdata, gruppintervjuer och individuella intervjuer med elever och lärare. Avhandlingen ifrågasätter den hittills dominerande förståelsen av mobbning som avsiktligt aggressiva handlingar och skiftar fokus bort från det individuella till ett mer djupgående betraktande av maktrelationer och den roll mobbning spelar inom det institutionella skolsammanhanget. Istället för att förstå makt som något som vissa individer innehar och som de genom mobbning missbrukar, antar avhandlingen ett foucaldianskt perspektiv där makt förstås som något som utövas i strategiska situationer. På så sätt illustrerar avhandlingen hur skolor inte bara tillhandahåller miljön för skolmobbning utan också den disciplinära ram inom vilken skolmobbning ges mening.

By using data on Norwegian 4th and 8th graders who participated in TIMSS 2007, this report starts out by investigating whether time spent on homework varies across pupils from different socio-economic backgrounds. The findings show that pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds, in both 4th and 8th grade, are more likely to spend no time on homework than pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds (although homework is given). At the same time it is also found that if pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds spend time on homework, they actually spend more time on it than pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds. One reason why pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to spend zero time on homework could be lack of interest or necessary skills. Another explanation may be poor out-of-school learning environments. I.e., these pupils may have parents who do not or cannot help with homework or make sure that they complete their homework. There are also many possible explanations why pupils from lower socio-economic background spend more time on homework than pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds. First of all, they may need more time in to complete their homework if they find the homework more difficult than pupils from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Also more time spend on homework can reflect problems related to motivation, frustration and concentration. On the other hand, more time spent on homework may also reflect high educational ambitions, regardless of socioeconomic background. The second aim of the report is to analyze the effect of homework on pupil achievement. There seem to be a positive effect of homework (in mathematics) on average. However, not all pupils seem to benefit from homework. In fact, pupils from lower socio-economic backgrounds (measured as no or very few books at home) actually perform better if less homework is assigned. One explanation why homework has a negative effect for some pupils, may be that homework leads to declining motivation (also during school hours), and hence indirectly affect the achievement negatively. Another explanation may be poor out of school learning environments in combination with that homework serves as a substitute for learning in school. This report is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Education.

The essay treats religion teachers’ planning and how this is affected, from the perspective of three different aspects: steering documents, pupils and colleagues. Through interviews with a number of upper secondary school teachers, thoughts and opinions concerning these aspects impact on the planning, both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, have been raised. The steering documents have proved to have the strongest influence on planning, while pupils’ and colleagues’ opinions have come second. The authors are in their closing discussion surprised to see the domination of the steering documents and the lack of cooperation between pupils and teachers as well as between teachers when planning. Uppsatsen behandlar religionslärares planering och hur denna påverkas utifrån tre aspekter: styrdokument, elever och kollegor. Författarna har genom intervju med ett antal gymnasielärare tagit del av tankar och åsikter angående dessa tre aspekters kvantitativa och kvalitativa påverkan på planeringen. Styrdokumenten har visat sig vara den starkaste kraften i planeringen, medan elevernas och kollegornas åsikter kommit i andra respektive tredje hand. Författarna är i sin slutdiskussion förvånade över styrdokumentens starka roll i planeringen och den brist på samarbete mellan både elever och lärare och lärare emellan som blir synliggjord.

The essay treats religion teachers’ planning and how this is affected, from the perspective of three different aspects: steering documents, pupils and colleagues. Through interviews with a number of upper secondary school teachers, thoughts and opinions concerning these aspects impact on the planning, both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective, have been raised. The steering documents have proved to have the strongest influence on planning, while pupils’ and colleagues’ opinions have come second. The authors are in their closing discussion surprised to see the domination of the steering documents and the lack of cooperation between pupils and teachers as well as between teachers when planning. Uppsatsen behandlar religionslärares planering och hur denna påverkas utifrån tre aspekter: styrdokument, elever och kollegor. Författarna har genom intervju med ett antal gymnasielärare tagit del av tankar och åsikter angående dessa tre aspekters kvantitativa och kvalitativa påverkan på planeringen. Styrdokumenten har visat sig vara den starkaste kraften i planeringen, medan elevernas och kollegornas åsikter kommit i andra respektive tredje hand. Författarna är i sin slutdiskussion förvånade över styrdokumentens starka roll i planeringen och den brist på samarbete mellan både elever och lärare och lärare emellan som blir synliggjord.

Using Dutch data on pupils in elementary school this paper is the first empirical study that analyzes whether assigning homework has an heterogeneous impact on pupil achievement. Addressing potential biases that arise from unobserved school quality, pupil selection by exploiting different methods, I find that the test score gap is larger in classes where everybody gets homework than in classes where nobody gets homework. More precisely pupils belonging to the upper part of the socioeconomic status scale perform better when homework is given, whereas pupils from the lowest part are unaffected. At the same time more disadvantaged children get less help from their parents with their homework. Homework can therefore amplify existing inequalities through complementarities with home inputs. Financial support from EEEPE (Economics of Education and Education Policy in Europe) is gratefully acknowledged.

Syftet med vårt examensarbete har varit att fördjupa oss i olika faktorer som påverkar eleverna när de gör sitt val av inriktning i gymnasiet. Vi vill även ta reda på hur mycket eleverna vet om våra utbildningar. Den metod vi valt att använda oss av är en kvalitativ metod med intervjuer, anledningen till detta är att vi vill få bättre förståelse för hur våra elever tänker. De frågor som vi ställt till eleverna är bl.a. om de blivit påverkade av föräldrar, kompisar, olika intressen, föräldrars yrken eller lönenivån på det yrke som de valt att utbilda sig till. En del av de slutsatser vi kommit fram till är att eleverna oftast väljer det de är intresserade av, eller det de tycker är roligt att syssla med. Vi har även sett att eleverna inte påverkas så mycket av föräldrar eller kamrater när de gör sitt studieval.