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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how an Urban Facilities Management (Urban FM) focused summer school in Norway in 2019 impacted knowledge creation, as well as the host and foreign educators, along with the international student participants. Design/methodology/approach: This paper's data collection is formed as a "post-event study" using interviews and a quantitative survey from both the students and educators to look at the impact of the summer school on the student and the associated educational programs. Findings: The outcomes of this study indicate that the impact on educators and their educational programs was substantial with regard to their teaching experiences. The study confirmed that foreign experience allowed not just for greater potential for cross institution cooperation for the future but also allowed for the usage of the summer school case studies in host and guest educational programs. For the students, the added value was in the international experience primarily and a chance to study on a case study project. The study was also successful in the dissemination of Urban FM knowledge. Originality/value: This paper also offers added theoretical value in the development of a model in future projects on how to capitalize on the potential impact of the summer school on educators and students. The possibilities for increased dissemination and knowledge creation in Urban FM is also significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'The knowledge question', addressing what students need to know and learn, becomes particularly relevant during the process of a new school reform. This paper examines the political messages and the role of knowledge in the current curriculum reform initiative for primary and secondary education in Norway (2020). The study is based on a document analysis of four key policy documents and one subject curriculum. Analysis reveals that, although the messages in the policy documents express expectations of strengthening the knowledge dimension in the school subjects, analysis of a new subject curriculum framework indicates that it more clearly prescribes skills, methods and strategies than the specialised knowledge content to teach. We conclude that the continuation of a competency‐oriented curriculum model, wherein the competence aims are the governing category, explicit content is difficult to prescribe because of the contrasting assumptions that underline a content‐oriented versus a competence‐oriented curriculum. The two curriculum models demand different approaches to 'the knowledge question', and raises questions about whether combining these two orientations in one curriculum model is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a case study to critically reflect on contemporary discourses in Norway connected to ethnic minority childhoods and children's rights to education and work. Based on a narrative interview with an ethnic minority girl, Sadja (aged 16), who is in state custody and lives with a foster family, we use a decolonial lens to explore the tensions in expectations and rights in her life and education. The tensions encountered are situated along three axes. The first axis illustrates tensions related to education, work, and responsibilities, as Sadja's family responsibilities are perceived by teachers and child welfare workers as preventing her from having "a proper childhood". The second axis explores tensions connected to independence, educational choice, and "belonging to the state", where Sadja experiences that being in state custody results in being unable to "follow her dream". The third axis reflects the tensions between parental expectations of "dreaming big" versus her surrounding environment's anticipation of her simply getting a job. In sum, Sadja's experiences suggest that contemporary Western discourses—such as individualism, self-autonomy, and children as human capital—paradoxically curtail the educational rights and trajectories of ethnic minority children in foster care in Norway in unforeseen and unfortunate ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some might fear that the local flavours of education will evaporate when encountering the hegemony of global, cognitive standards of the knowledge economy. This paper, however, shows that the evolution of curriculum can emerge in surprising directions, creating hybrid forms of education. We will investigate forms of meaning that emerge in Norwegian curriculum in the timespan 1988-2020, and show how systems theory can contribute to studying curriculum changes in a temporal perspective. The empirical case for investigation, is a diverse range of material, documenting curriculum changes in the mentioned period. Concepts from the late Luhmann's 'theory of distinctions' will thus be used to give meaning to the emergence of school reforms in Norway. The paper shows that Norwegian policy makers use increasingly complex deparadoxification strategies to deal with an uncertain future, conceptualized as externalization, oscillation, asymmetrisation, and internalization (re-entry). This is most pertinently demonstrated in the latest Norwegian reform LK20, in which a new, hybrid, 'temporal' construct of education, called "new-old-curriculum" or 'competence-Bildung' emerges. We thus contribute to the field of curriculum studies by observing how changing observations of the past and future fuel and legitimize the evolution of new reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The professionalization of modern nursing education from 1850 and forward is closely linked to values and virtues underpinned by Christian ideals, sex‐based stereotypes and class. Development in the late 19th century of modern hospital medicine, combined with a scientific understanding of antisepsis and asepsis, hygiene, contagion prevention and germ theory, were highly influential insights to the dominant position of modern medicine in health care. This development constituted a key premise for what nurses, by virtue of being women, and combined with their education, could offer in terms of medical assistance. It enabled them to challenge the prevailing sex‐based stereotypes‐ and class‐based hierarchies, allowing modern nursing to retain aspects of both traditional Christian and womanly values, while at the same time adhering to the medical science paradigm. In this paper, we argue that modern nursing education developed in a context characterized by traditional female and religious values, while at the same time being increasingly dominated by the influence of scientific and medical progress. This conflict between traditional and modern values caused dilemmas and tensions as the nursing profession developed. We argue further that similar dilemmas and tensions continue to pervade contemporary nursing and nursing education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of diabetes and the use of electronic health (eHealth) are increasing. People with diabetes need frequent monitoring and follow-up of health parameters, and eHealth services can be highly valuable. However, little is known about the use of eHealth in different socioeconomic groups among people with diabetes.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of 4 different eHealth platforms (apps, search engines, video services, and social media sites) and the association with socioeconomic status (SES) among people diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1D and T2D, respectively).Methods: We used email survey data from 1250 members of the Norwegian Diabetes Association (aged 18-89 years), collected in 2018. Eligible for analyses were the 1063 respondents having T1D (n=523) and T2D (n=545). 5 respondents reported having both diabetes types and thus entered into both groups. Using descriptive statistics, we estimated the use of the different types of eHealth. By logistic regressions, we studied the associations between the use of these types of eHealth and SES (education and household income), adjusted for gender, age, and self-rated health.Results: We found that 87.0% (447/514) of people with T1D and 77.7% (421/542) of people with T2D had used 1 or more forms of eHealth sometimes or often during the previous year. The proportion of people using search engines was the largest in both diagnostic groups, followed by apps, social media, and video services. We found a strong association between a high level of education and the use of search engines, whereas there were no educational differences for the use of apps, social media, or video services. In both diagnostic groups, high income was associated with the use of apps. In people with T1D, lower income was associated with the use of video services.Conclusions: This paper indicates a digital divide among people with diabetes in Norway, with consequences that may contribute to sustaining and shaping inequalities in health outcomes. The strong relationship between higher education and the use of search engines, along with the finding that the use of apps, social media, and video services was not associated with education, indicates that adequate communication strategies for audiences with varying education levels should be a focus in future efforts to reduce inequalities in health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing research interest in school inspection throughout Europe; however, there have been few comparative studies between Swedish and Norwegian school inspectorates. Such a study is necessary since little is known about how inspection policies are shaped through ‘governing modes’ in the two Nordic countries. This paper explores the similarities and differences between state school inspection policies within the two countries from 2002 to 2012. Based on a rigorous, comparative document analysis of 23 policy documents, a particular focus is given to how school inspection adheres to professional-bureaucratic control as a mode of governing and/or details national expectations through performance audit, potentially intervening into school practices. We demonstrate that even if the cases of public administration seem to be somewhat homogenous from the outside, there is substantial evidence of major differences in the inspection policies of these two countries which can be explored by comparative analysis. Specifically, this paper contributes both conceptually and comparatively to understanding how a study of purposive and evaluative modes of governing can add to the field of school inspection studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Globally, digital skills are a crucial aspect of education that schools should develop systematically. Research on digital skills tends to be measured using self‐reports, performance tests or interventions. There is less knowledge about student and teacher uptake of technology in school, making it important to investigate the actual use of technology and digital skills in authentic classroom settings. Objectives: This study contributes unique baseline data concerning students' use of technology and digital skills across mandatory English courses in real classroom settings in secondary schools in Norway over time. Methods: The study adapted a national framework for digital skills into an observation protocol. With it, this study analysed videos from 60 naturally occurring English lessons in 13 English classes at seven lower secondary schools over two school years (grades 9 and 10), following 186 students (aged 13–15) and 10 teachers. Results and Conclusions: Students used digital skills critical for education in half of the video‐recorded English lessons, with more digital skill use at some schools over time. The main finding across classrooms and school years regards students' use of basic, not advanced, digital skills. Takeaways: Although teachers provide opportunities for students to use digital skills in school, more advanced skills are needed. This work calls for continued use of video recordings to provide systematic comparisons of potential shifts in students' digital skills in real English secondary classroom settings over time. Lay Description: What is currently known: Digital skills is a crucial aspect of education globallyStudent and teacher uptake of technology varies extensivelyMost studies on the use of digital technology concern self‐reports and interventionsFew studies exist concerning the actual use of digital skills in the classroom What this paper adds: Video recordings from seven English classrooms across two school years are analysed.A framework for digital skills is adopted and used as observation protocolAttention is given to the difference between basic and advanced digital skillsHow technology is actually used matters more than how much technology is available Implications of study findings for practitioners: Teachers should offer opportunities for students' use of digital skills in the classroomSubject‐specific use of digital skills should be prioritizedThere is a need for more emphasis on reflection and digital judgementWe need to encourage the use of advanced digital skills and not only basic skills [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the end of the 1980s, the Norwegian education system has gone through major reform, influenced largely by new managerialist ideas. Strategies to renew the public sector were promoted as the new public management (NPM). This paper investigates the way ideas connected to NPM reforms have been introduced and interpreted in the Norwegian education sector. Based on our studies of selected policy documents from the last two decades, we have identified three areas of discursive struggle. The first one is linked to ideologies and the national history of schooling, the second to contested issues of teacher professionalism and the third is associated with strategies for modernising and improving education. A main argument is that NPM reforms changed direction and sped up when Norway was listed among the ‘lower-performing’ countries according to Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international tests. Leadership and accountability became the dominant themes in Norwegian education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this study, we observed pupils reading to a dog in a school reading course and asked: How can the pedagogic rituals of schooling explain the dog's role as a non-judgmental listener? In a qualitative case-study design, video observation was conducted over seven months in a Norwegian primary school to observe year-three pupils' (average age 8 years) reading experiences with a dog as part of their ordinary reading instruction course. The dog was a male, 10-year-old standard poodle. The children's school and their socioeconomic status (SES) were average for Norway. Fourteen children participated, four girls and ten boys, with a total of 112 reading sessions with the dog. Interviews and online data supplemented the observations. A narrative analysis found three main categories of the reading sessions: opening sequence, reading sequence, and concluding sequence. To report our findings in this paper, we present a typical narrative informed by the three categories. We conclude that the role of the dog as a non-judgmental listener in a school reading course can be explained by an invisible pedagogy ritualizing the sessions: The ritual assigns the dog a unique educational role in the school setting as a hybrid between animal and human; an unaware pedagogical agent. When reading to the dog, the instructional intention is reinterpreted as a game of pretense that is potentially enjoyable for the pupils and reduces stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issues concerning interprofessional collaboration (IPC) for children at risk have become a priority globally as well as in Norway. By international standards, the Norwegian educational system is regarded as inclusive and collaborative in terms of the external services that support schools and pupils. However, a debate continues on how to best collaborate to meet the needs of pupils with complex problems. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse how the relationship between IPC and inclusive education is reflected in important Norwegian educational policy documents. A problem-driven content analysis revealed three categories: (1) inclusion as an impetus for IPC, (2) IPC as a strategy for inclusion, and (3) commitment to IPC when necessary.Major findings included: (1) IPC in national educational documents should be described more clearly to promote inclusive education; (2) IPC connected to other support mechanisms, such as multidisciplinary teams and individual plans; and (3) schools can commit IPC when necessary. The results in this study show that when green papers, white papers, and legislation fail to offer clear recommendations, schools and teachers may not prioritise IPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to explore the dynamics of citizen science (CS) in sociolinguistics or citizen sociolinguistics, i.e. the engagement of non‐professionals in doing sociolinguistic research. Based on a CS‐study undertaken in Norway where we engaged young people as citizen scientists to explore linguistic diversity, this paper aims to clarify the definition of citizen sociolinguistics; it seeks to advance the discussion of the advantages of CS and of how CS can contribute to sociolinguistics; it also addresses the opposite: how sociolinguistics can contribute to the general field of citizen science; and it discusses the challenges of a CS‐methodology for sociolinguistic research, epistemologically and ethically, as well as in terms of recruitment, quality control and possible types of sociolinguistic tasks and topics. To meet the needs of society and societal challenges of today there is a need to develop methods and establish scientific acceptance for the relevance of public engagement in research. This paper argues that citizen sociolinguistics has the potential to advance the societal impact of sociolinguistics by constructing a dialogue between ‘the academy’ and ‘the citizens’; citizen sociolinguistics relies on and encourages participatory citizen agency, provides research experience, stimulates curiosity, further research, public understanding of science and (socio)linguistic awareness, and encourages linguistic stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Nordic countries, antimicrobial use in animals and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance are among the lowest in Europe. The network "Nordic Vets Against AMR" organized a meeting in 2021, with key actors including representatives from universities, veterinary authorities and veterinary organizations in Finland, Norway and Sweden. This paper reflects the most important discussions on education, research, policy and future perspectives, including the experiences of these countries. It concludes that Nordic veterinarians are well placed to lead the way in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and that the sharing of experiences can support colleagues in other countries. Veterinary education must go hand in hand with research activities and continuously updated guidelines and legislation. There is also a need for postgraduate training on antimicrobial resistance and prudent antimicrobial use. The veterinary profession must, by any means necessary, protect the efficiency of antimicrobials for the sake of animal health, animal welfare and productivity, as well as public health. While restrictive use of antimicrobials is crucial, the ability of veterinarians to use this medical tool is also important for the sake of animal welfare and global food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study examines the effectiveness and industry relevance of a collaborative systems engineering master's program in Kongsberg, Norway. Through close collaboration with industry partners, students gain practical experience and tackle real engineering challenges. The authors used statistical data, meeting notes, and an alumni survey to assess the program's impact. The results indicate a high success rate of 87%, with alumni holding desirable positions in various engineering disciplines. The alumni expressed satisfaction with flexibility and teacher quality but desired more focus on leadership and soft skills. Strategic inputs highlight digitalization, sustainability, security, and progress in technology as critical topics for the industry, shaping the program's evolution for continued relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses constructions and redefinitions of teacher professionalism by focusing on the discursive negotiations between the government and the teachers’ union in Norway. Based on an examination of three white papers on teacher education from the past 15 years and policy documents put forth by the Union of Education Norway during the past decade, the authors argue that new constructions of teacher professionalism are produced both by the government and from within the teachers’ union. However, there are differences between the government and the teachers’ union concerning what the main aspects of teacher professionalism are. The government emphasises teacher accountability, research-based practice and specialisation. By contrast, the teachers’ union highlights research-informed practice, responsibility for educational quality and professional ethics. There are three main areas of discursive struggle focused by the teachers’ union: the resistance to accountability policies, the redefining of research-based practice and the lengthening of teacher education. The authors argue that the teachers’ union is adopting an increasingly more active approach, thereby also challenging the idea that the teachers’ union is less interested in developing and taking responsibility for the quality of school education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the global dimensions of gender and education, human diversity in relation to public reasoning and gender justice, and the case of anti-racist education in Norway.

This article presents and discusses experiences from a research and development project where Norwegian student teachers were encouraged to bridge theory and practice by following a pupil’s learning processes over time, and to write papers based on empirical data and relevant subject theory. The evaluations of the project received high ratings from the student teachers, and an inductive analysis of the answers to open-ended questions revealed three key aspects behind its success:commuting between field practice and coursework, theauthenticityof the tasks andfuture relevancefor the teacher profession. These aspects are interpreted building upon Dewey’s concepteducative experience.The findings are discussed in the light of the importance of understanding pupils’ knowledge, and the role of writing in inquiry-based learning processes. The project is also placed within an international discussion on the relationship between field practice and theoretical coursework as arenas for learning in teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Background: Individuals with diabetes are using mobile health (mHealth) to track their self-management. However, individuals can understand even more about their diabetes by sharing these patient-gathered data (PGD) with health professionals. We conducted experience-based co-design (EBCD) workshops, with the aim of gathering end-users' needs and expectations for a PGD-sharing system., Methods: N = 15 participants provided feedback about their experiences and needs in diabetes care and expectations for sharing PGD. The first workshop (2017) included patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) (n = 4) and general practitioners (GPs) (n = 3). The second workshop (2018) included patients with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) (n = 5), diabetes specialists (n = 2) and a nurse. The workshops involved two sessions: separate morning sessions for patients and healthcare providers (HCPs), and afternoon session for all participants. Discussion guides included questions about end-users' perceptions of mHealth and expectations for a data-sharing system. Activities included brainstorming and designing paper-prototypes. Workshops were audio recorded, transcribed and translated from Norwegian to English. An abductive approach to thematic analysis was taken., Results: Emergent themes were mHealth technologies' impacts on end-users, and functionalities of a data-sharing system. Within these themes, similarities and differences between those with T1D and T2D, and between HCPs, were revealed. Patients and providers agreed that HCPs could use PGD to provide more concrete self-management recommendations. Participants' paper-prototypes revealed which data types should be gathered and displayed during consultations, and how this could facilitate shared-decision making., Conclusion: The diverse and differentiated results suggests the need for flexible and tailorable systems that allow patients and providers to review summaries, with the option to explore details, and identify an individual's challenges, together. Participants' feedback revealed that both patients and HCPs acknowledge that for mHealth integration to be successful, not only must the technology be validated but feasible changes throughout the healthcare education and practice must be addressed. Only then can both sides be adequately prepared for mHealth data-sharing in diabetes consultations. Subsequently, the design and performance of the joint workshop sessions demonstrated that involving both participant groups together led to efficient and concrete discussions about realistic solutions and limitations of sharing mHealth data in consultations.

This paper explores supervisor development in the light of information generated by the Erasmus-funded project on the modern doctorate. It is structured in four phases. Firstly examining interview data to isolate some distinguishing features of the modern doctorate. Secondly re-examining that data to see if these distinguishing features can be mapped on to an existing framework of approaches to research supervision. Thirdly looking at the survey responses relating to that same framework. Fourthly, having found coherence with the five approaches, the initial outcomes from a Norwegian project are examined. The project worked with experienced academics nominated to ‘support and develop their colleague supervisors’ primarily by designing and leading supervisor development programmes. The findings show that the original framework is also appropriate for supervisors of the modern doctorate and that there are some important organisational factors that need to be taken into account when developing the developers of supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an observation study in Norwegian lower-secondary school classrooms this paper explores how subject matter and students’ real-world experiences are linked within the use of examples in teaching. The theory of “mimetic didactics” claims that giving students the possibility to interpret examples as both subject matter and something that is relevant to their own lives becomes a possibility through imaginative “as-if” experiences. The study finds that “as-if” experiences in the data are created by identifying with others and through a context-dependent knowledge base. The topics in the examples actualise being human within the political, economic and existential realm and offer possibilities to make knowledge relevant for the students’ future. The study’s contribution to classroom research comprises new concepts on the content aspects of classroom talk: the questions of knowledge accumulation and purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This position paper focuses on how the new national curriculum for school and the new general plan for teacher education in Norway change the underlying premises for teaching and learning in today's teacher education. This has become particularly pressing as a result of the new educational reform ‘Knowledge Promotion’ in schools, whereby digital competence is now the fifth basic competence in all subjects at all levels, as well as in the new teacher education curriculum in Norway. Against this background, the aim of this position paper is to elaborate on how a digital competence model can function on a micro level to fulfil the intentions from the national and institutional policy level. The research question considered by this paper is whether (and if so, how) a digital competence model for TEs can function as a model on an individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It has previously been reported that differences in life expectancy can be linked to income. In Norway, a registry-based study that included all Norwegian residents aged ≥ 40 years (2005-2015) was performed. This study showed substantial and increasing gaps in life expectancy by income level during the interval between 2005-2015. Compared to the United States, the largest life expectancy differences were for individuals in the lower to middle part of the income distribution, although differences were observed at all income levels. Despite its undeniable strengths and although this paper can be considered as a significant contribution to this field, it has some shortcomings. The first shortcoming of this study is due to ignoring the effects of population exposures to natural and man-made ionizing and non-ionizing radiation on life expectancy. Another shortcoming arises from ignoring the strong impact of education on lifestyle. In summary, what is observed in this study might be at least to some extent, due to education-related changes in lifestyle and not necessarily income (despite the mutual links between education and income). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers teachers’ use of data from national school tests. These national tests are part of the Norwegian top-down accountability school system. According to official regulations, teachers have to use the test results to improve learning outcomes even if the test system is not able to deliver necessary data. However, previous research has shown that teachers apply teaching-to-test strategies. The focus of this paper is twofold. First, we ask, ‘How do teachers perceive and interpret the data from national tests?’ Second, ‘How do teachers view their actions related to the data from national tests?’ We base our research on data from semi-structured 5th-grade-teacher interviews. The transcribed text is subject to qualitative content analysis. We find that teachers are in a state of data illiteracy towards complex Item Response Theory tests. Inspired by Bernstein’s concept of the pedagogic device, we see that the test data rules both teacher work in the classroom as well as knowledge provided to the pupils. The national tests seem to undermine teachers’ autonomy, restrict teachers’ practice and reinforce the impact of unfair structures on pupils’ learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social pedagogy as practice refers to actions on the part of adults to promote the personal development, social education and general well-being of the child alongside or in place of parents in a range of educational and social care settings (e.g. pre-school play groups, residential care homes, youth clubs). This paper focuses how the notion of social pedagogy as practice has been applied in England and Norway in the context of recent developments in policy and practice regarding the interface between education services and childcare and welfare services. In Norway, the notion of social pedagogy reflects many aspects of the way the term is often understood in continental Europe. In England, the term is only just beginning to be used in this way following a major policy development, 'Every Child Matters', which has led to a review of the role of the teacher in the context of integrating education and child welfare services. The paper considers the implications of such recent developments for changes in the role of the teacher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has four main parts. In Part 1 we look into the broad perspectives pedagogy can give to library and information science. In the following parts we limit the presentation to our main focus for this paper: pedagogy for school librarians. In Part 2 we give a very short description of the role of the school library in the 13 school years of the Norwegian national curriculum. In Part 3, we go deeper into crucial and basic fundamentals in didactics: learning theories. Part 4 gives examples on how two University Colleges in Norway, Agder and Bergen have invested in their education of school librarians and librarians and on how these investments are meant to bridge gaps between institutions, professionals, and professionals and users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We exploit a unique data set, combining rich experimental data with high-quality administrative data, to study dropout from the college track in Norway, and why boys are more likely to drop out. The paper provides three main findings. First, we show that family background and personal characteristics contribute to explain dropout. Second, we show that the gender difference in dropout rates appears both when the adolescents select into the college track and after they have started. Third, we show that different processes guide the choices of the boys and the girls of whether to drop out from the college track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the taxonomy of two conceptual models of leadership roles for principals – instructional and transformational leadership (IL and TL) – can be traced empirically in a sample of Norwegian school leaders. Design/methodology/approach – The participants consisted of 149 school leaders attending a national training program for newly appointed principals at the University of Oslo. Leadership preference was measured according to a theoretically grounded self-report scheme representing the most important aspects of both leadership models. Estimations were conducted by means of principal component analyses and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings – The principal component analyses revealed seven meaningful factors: demand-supportive leading, outcome control and loyalty to school owner, management by objective, trust in standard programs for development, trust in professional community, emphasis on collective responsibility, and distributed leadership. Furthermore, by using these seven factors as inputs, the authors attempted to model second-order factors representing IL and TL. The results showed that the structure of IL and TL could not be replicated. Instead, a more complex cross-model structure was revealed. Practical implications – The results suggest that even though the concepts of IL and TL are valuable analytic tools, they may be too simplistic to represent the reality of school leaders’ thoughts and actions. Originality/value – The study contributes to the field by challenging the established models of school leadership and by generating insights into Norwegian school leaders’ leadership beliefs and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiritual experiences are common across religious and non-religious faiths, but schoolchildren are often afraid to share these because they fear ridicule from peers who are convinced religion is irrational. The need to speak about spirituality in religious education is increasingly recognised. Signposts suggests that intercultural understanding implies recognising religious students' perception of reality and helping others understand it. Religious education in Norway now includes exploration of existential questions as a core element, and in England, making sense of religious, spiritual and mystical experiences has been suggested as a big idea. In this paper, we discuss how the dualistic paradigm of modern science makes it difficult to take spirituality seriously as lived experience and empirical phenomenon. Instead we suggest a transrational approach to explore our multidimensional reality in an intercultural dialogue where insiders and outsiders learn from each other. We also explore examples of transrational research on spiritual phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic education and public transport services are often provided by local or regional governments. In Norway, they fall within the remit of two different tiers of government, with public transport being the responsibility of regional government (fylke), while basic education (primary and secondary schools) is the responsibility of local government (kommune). Current efforts to consolidate and reorganize the school structure have yielded mixed results. On the one hand, such changes can help reduce public spending by exploiting economies of scale in the provision of education, for instance by having fewer and larger schools. On the other hand, they are likely to lead to cost increases by expanding the geographic coverage of school transport. Furthermore, transporting schoolchildren during peak commuting hours may exacerbate cost increases for regional governments. Our paper examines the cost effect of changing the school structure with respect to transport provision. Applying econometric analysis to panel datasets at the municipal and regional levels, we seek to identify the impact of the number of pupils and school size on the costs of providing school transport. We combine these data with data on transport provision to look at the effects of school-related transport on costs and competitive tendering in public transport. We show that a school closure can increase the cost of providing public transportation both by increasing the cost of maintaining the current level of public transport services and by necessitating the expansion of the supply. The empirical results indicate that municipalities' economic gains from school consolidation generally outweigh the corresponding cost increases related to the provision of public transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in higher education institutions offering opportunities for interprofessional learning (IPL) to their students. The literature presents a number of factors that contribute to effective IPL, including having trained facilitators that help optimise the learning process. Many of these IPL facilitators are university teachers and the literature provides us with some insight into their views of IPL. However, little is known about university teachers' views about IPL and their role in supporting students in achieving outcomes linked to IPL during their own teaching; this paper explores these areas. University teachers, working with students in Norway and England who contribute to patients' care pathway were purposively invited to join focus groups. Data collected from the teachers' conversations during these focus groups were analysed to elicit the main themes. Findings show that university teachers have a wide range of views about IPL, its potential to enhance collaborative practice and care, and their role in helping students achieve outcomes linked to IPL. A key challenge appears to be whether IPL is "worth the struggle," which emphasises the need for strong leadership in order to align pedagogical approaches in education and practice that strive to achieve agreed outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe level of education and work participation among adults with congenital unilateral upper limb deficiency (CUULD) in Norway and to explore associations between work participation and demographic and clinical factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study. In 2012, a postal questionnaire was sent to 186 persons with congenital limb deficiency (CLD), age ≥ 20 years, registered at the TRS National Resource Center for Rare Disorders. In the original CLD study, 77 persons with CUULD responded. In this paper 64 persons with CUULD of working age (20–67 years) are included. Data on demographic factors as education level and work participation, and clinical factors including limb deficiency characteristics, chronic pain (Standardized Nordic Questionnaire), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale), physical and mental health (SF-36) were analyzed through descriptive and comparable statistics and logistic regression analyses. Results: Sixty-four persons participated, mean age 43.4 (SD 13.7; range 20–67 years), 45 were women. Education level >13 years was reported by 34. Forty- three of the 64 participants were employed, 21 were prematurely retired (disability benefits). 11 of the 43 employed, and 6 of the 21 prematurely retired had completed vocational education. Physically demanding occupations (work activities that required standing, walking and lifting) were reported by 25 of the 43 employed and 13 of the 21 prematurely retired. 17 of the 64 reported need for further adaptions in their workplaces. The strongest predictors of work participation were younger age (OR 0.86) and good physical health (OR 1.21). Conclusion: Two thirds of persons with CUULD were employed; while one third was prematurely retired and had left work earlier than expected. This suggests that persons with CUULD may experience challenges in work participation. Although levels of education were relatively high, several had chosen careers that required physical strain. Younger age and good physical health were the most important factors mediating work participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With current migration trends, Norwegian classrooms have become increasingly diverse. The setting that constitutes the workplace for Norwegian teachers has changed from one of monolingual classrooms to one of multilingual classrooms, and from classes compromised solely of pupils with a Norwegian background to classes including pupils from different migrant groups. This paper focuses mainly on teachers’ perceptions of intercultural competence. The data materials used in this research include qualitative interviews with primary school teachers as well as students’ assignments submitted for a part-time online module on intercultural competence. Through these, teachers’ perceptions of intercultural competence are illustrated by experiences of collaboration with parents of multilingual pupils. In Norway, the issue of cultural diversity in education often focuses on second language learning and mother tongue teaching. There is less of a focus on intercultural competence, including cultural awareness without stereotyping and personal attributes like openness and empathy. This article aims to contribute to the understanding of teachers’ intercultural competence in the diverse Norwegian educational setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of neoliberal reforms, evidence-based practice is increasingly influencing teachers' work. In Norway, the American programme 'School-Wide Positive Behavioural Intervention and Support' (SW_PBIS) has been implemented in a great number of schools. One school experienced an intense conflict with parents, so that eventually it opted out of the programme. Using Basil Bernstein's framework, this paper investigates what the conflict was about and how it can relate to class and ideology. The conflict was rooted in the ideological foundation of the programme, as well as its unintended negative effects. The teachers' unexpectedly persistent support of the programme may be explained by the fact that it offers them a way out of taking personal responsibility for a pedagogically challenging situation. Looking into the role the specific contexts play may contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between class, values and practices as teachers' hierarchical relations may be changing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author examines the role Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824) played in encouraging literacy in Norwegian peasant society in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, an aspect of his ministry rarely discussed. This poorly educated son of a peasant broke the unwritten rule of never publishing texts for a large readership without the necessary educational skills. Thus he opened up a new literate space where the common person could express him-or herself on paper. Hauge printed around 40 different texts, 14 of them books, in a language the peasants could understand. This inspired his followers not only to read, but also to write, mainly letters to Hauge and to Haugeans in other parts of Norway. Some even became authors. Women played a central role in this wave of literacy spreading throughout the country. Based on Hauge’s original texts, the author presents some crucial aspects of his mentality and shows how his ministry served as a catalyst to the growth of literacy among peasants during the period. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper puts forward the hypothesis that in recent decades, pupils of schools in the western world have been given a new form of individuality. This construction has been nourished by both the demand for emancipation as it was expressed in the critical sociology of education (and pedagogy) and by the neoliberal turn in education policy. It unfolds consequences of such an alliance between romantic and neoliberal individualism, and argues that some of Simmel's concepts might fruitfully be engaged to grasp important aspects of today's educational culture. Against this backdrop, the paper discusses the construction of the new individuality in regard to educational changes in control and discipline, individually adapted education and assessment and finally academic knowledge. Primarily by using examples from the Norwegian case, the paper analyses how recent opinions on these issues can be viewed as different expressions of an educational culture promoting alienation as emancipation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Across Europe there are growing concerns about Islamophobia and far-right and anti-democratic movements. Until Anders Behring Breivik’s July 2011 attacks in which 77 died, Norway’s vulnerability was not perceived as great as that of other jurisdictions. Breivik declared his abhorrence of multiculturalism but also drew the world’s attention to intolerance and xenophobia in Europe, increasingly directed towards Muslims. In response, Prime Minister Stoltenberg spoke widely of ‘the new Norwegian we’, cautioning against exclusionary discourses and underlining that minorities are an equal part of Norwegian society. This paper examines education policy in the context both of extreme right political activity and national and international debates about nationalism and cosmopolitanism, considering ways in which policy supports an inclusive notion of nationhood, and ways in which it promotes an exclusive model of national identity. Drawing on framing questions from the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement’s 1995 civic education study, relating to national identity and social cohesion, it examines how programmes address social cohesion, human rights, cultural diversity, and conceptualise minorities. It assesses the effectiveness of cross-curricular approaches to contribute to justice and equality and challenge racism in a multicultural society, proposing an inclusive model of education for cosmopolitan citizenship, which incorporates diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Norway has seen major changes in the field of educational assessment over the past decade, following the 2001 ‘PISA shock’ that stimulated reform of the entire primary and secondary education systems: new outcome-based curricula with cross-disciplinary basic skills were accompanied by major revision of assessment regulations, comprehensive government projects promoting formative assessment, national tests as a main component in a new national quality assessment system and new regulations for examinations and teacher reporting of overall achievement marks. The paper provides a historical context to the country’s prohibition of formal marking in primary education and the recent tensions determining how assessment criteria should be stated and used for formative and summative purposes. It is argued that Norwegian primary and secondary education is riddled with unresolved tensions as to the role of assessment criteria and national tests, sparked by incremental implementation of assessment policies and principles accompanying the new outcomes-based curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a study of images in Norwegian physics textbooks for upper secondary school, and how they invite students into physics by means of visual communication. The concept of ‘framing’ is used to investigate how the perspective in the image provides a sense of participation. It is found that older textbooks, where objects and experimental setups dominate the images, involve the reader in terms of weak framing. This is to some degree resembled in newer textbooks with the increased use of photographs of learners in some physics activity. This does, however, invite the learner into school physics rather than professional physics. Connections made to physics in society and everyday life in images can also be seen as inviting the learner into physics, by exhibiting how modern physicists work and by referring to the relevance of physics, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a new national collaborative Benchlearning program for principals in Norway and Sweden. Four process leaders have been running the program. The aim is to give the participants the knowledge to develop a leadership practice and school environment that are more innovative. The program includes theoretical inputs, sharing experiences, school visits, training, and trialing of new leadership practices. Drawing on data from surveys, participants’ reflections, and the leaders’ descriptions of new leadership practice, we examine and identify successful and critical aspects of the learning process. The findings show that principals’ motivation and willingness to start change processes can be created in a synergy between structured school visits, work in learning groups, and a theoretical foundation. Working in groups across schools in two countries seems to enhance principals’ sense of efficacy, which in turn is shown to have a positive effect on their willingness to trial new practices. Two implications of the study are suggested. First, in the design of principal programs, systematic and critical reflection about authentic practice should be the basis. Second, educators should be trained to be process leaders who can support principals’ learning during a critical and social construction of a new practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study builds on and contributes to research on student teachers’ reflection during internships in teacher education. In order to gain insight into the research question ‘What characterizes four Norwegian third-grade students’ expressed collective and individual reflections during their internships’, the student teachers in question were followed during their internships for two periods of two weeks each. In this paper, video-observation from guidance sessions and the student teachers’ individual logs were used to collect data. In the analyses it appeared that that the content in the collective reflections during guiding sessions mostly concerned the concrete ‘how’ and ‘who’ of teaching. This result corresponds to former research on student teachers’ reflection. In the analyses of their individual logs, however, we found that that the student teachers not only reflected at a concrete level, but also at a more abstract level as their reflections contained contemplations regarding ‘why’ they sought to teach according to the expressed concerns in the collective reflections. The overall theoretical framework of the study is socio-cultural theory, and in particular the notion of ‘reflective mediation’ was useful both in the analyses of the data and in the further interpretation of the findings. As the findings partially contradict previous congruent research that argues for student teachers’ tenuous reflections, the paper concludes that this important aspect of student teachers’ development should be further scrutinized and discussed in a more nuanced manner than it has been until now. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

By focusing on different subsequently implemented strategies for literacy teaching in the Norwegian primary and lower secondary schools, this paper offers a historical overview of some important aspects of learning conditions for minority children. On this basis, the paper addresses the interrelationship between different strategies of literacy teaching and integration in a more general sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question we raise in this paper is whether the educational gradient in avoidable mortality differs from overall and non-avoidable mortality among men and women in Norway. By avoidable deaths we refer to deaths caused by diseases that are either treatable if given appropriate medical care, or preventable if available preventive measures were implemented. The data set is derived from official administrative registers and includes all Norwegian men (1 107 427) and women (1 087 842) aged 25-67 years with information about status alive/dead during the period 1994-1999. Adjusted for sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors, education forms a marked and independent gradient in overall and non-avoidable mortality and an even steeper gradient in avoidable mortality - in particular in ischemic heart disease and preventable deaths. The educational gradient is shallower for deaths considered treatable by health care, but is still present. These patterns apply to men and women alike. The findings of our study suggest that health care and health policies may play a role in reducing inequalities in deaths that are 'avoidable, unnecessary and unjust'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We do not see what we do not see because we see what we see. (Moe, 1995 with reference to Luhmann) In this paper, we will present some proposals by a committee whose mandate was to review basic education in Norway, and more importantly, we will discuss the reactions to these proposals. The committee made more than one hundred different suggestions. Our focus will be on inclusion in a broad sense. The proposal to receive the most attention was a suggestion to replace the right to extra resources earmarked for special education for individual students by an improved legal right to adapted education for all. This proposal and the arguments underpinning it may in some respects be compared to the ideas behind the Regular Education Initiative (REI) in the USA in the 1980s (Will, 1986; Smith, 1998; Kauffmann & Hallahan, 1998). It may also be seen in the context of the current debate on inclusion in other countries, such as the discussion about the Additional Support for Learning Bill in Scotland in 2003 (Allan, 2004; Scottish Executive, 2004). The report’s proposals concerning inclusion will be introduced below. Finally, after presenting and analysing the reactions from respondents we will discuss the various views expressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this paper, we investigate cross-sectional and prospective relationships between various socioeconomic indicators and different health behaviours among boys and girls at ages 13-21, and whether socioeconomic status (SES) is related to changes in health behaviour over time. Methods: The study is based on a 10-year, two-generation prospective cohort study of health and lifestyle factors among a sample of Norwegian adolescents and their parents. Data presented here were collected at the ages of 13 (baseline), 15, 18 and 21. Parental and adolescent reports of socioeconomic factors were assessed along with a number of health-enhancing and health-compromising behaviours, both as single behaviours and as part of health behaviour indices. Results: Relatively few significant relationships are observed between parental occupation and adolescents' reported health behaviour when the latter is analysed as single behaviours. A significant, but weak, social gradient in health-enhancing behaviour is observed when measuring health behaviour as composite indices rather than single forms of behaviour. This is apparent both when applying parental SES variables or adolescents' own educational aspirations as proxy measures of their socioeconomic status. Conclusion: Future investigations of the presence of a social gradient in adolescent health behaviour should focus on composite measures of health behaviour. Further research is needed on potential mediating mechanisms behind the SES-health behaviour relationships in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]