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Sammanfattning/Abstract Cederholm, Åsa (2022). Specialpedagogisk kvalitet – specialpedagogers syn på vad som kan känneteckna specialpedagogisk kvalitet. Specialpedagogprogrammet, Institutionen för skolutveckling och ledarskap, Lärande och samhälle, Malmö Universitet, 90 hp. Förväntat kunskapsbidrag: Studien bidrar med kunskap om vad som kan känneteckna specialpedagogisk kvalitet i förskolan. Studien bidrar även med kunskap om hur diskurser kan påverka vad som kan sägas och inte om specialpedagogisk kvalitet, vilket i sin tur kan påverka vilka utvecklingsområden som blir möjliga att ”se” i en förskolas systematiska kvalitetsarbete. Syfte och frågeställningar: Syftet med studien är att belysa vad som kan känneteckna specialpedagogisk kvalitet i förskolan och att synliggöra de diskurser som framträder i specialpedagogernas samtal om begreppet. Syftet är också att bidra till en diskussion om hur dessa diskurser, genom att reproduceras eller ifrågasättas, påverkar vad som kan känneteckna specialpedagogisk kvalitet i förskolan. • På vilka olika sätt beskrivs specialpedagogisk kvalitet av specialpedagogerna? • Vilka aktörer (vem eller vad) beskrivs av specialpedagogerna som viktiga för specialpedagogisk kvalitet? Teori: Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i socialkonstruktionism, professionsteori och kritisk diskursanalys. Kritisk diskursanalys har använts som både teori och analysmodell. MetodDet empiriska materialet har samlats in genom två fokusgruppsintervjuer med sju specialpedagoger. Därefter har en kritisk diskursanalys av texterna från samtalen genomförts. Resultat: Resultatet visar att specialpedagogisk kvalitet berör alla nivåer i en förskoleorganisation. Resultatet visar också att specialpedagogiska kvalitetsdiskurser samverkar med diskurser från andra diskursordningar och att dessa hakas i om det anses betydelsefullt för den egna professionen och kvalitetsarbetet. I samtalen blir dominerande diskurser synliga, men även diskurser som möter motstånd och ifrågasätts. Resultatet presenteras utifrån fyra teman: Dokument(ation) och kvalitet, Samverkan, samsyn och kvalitet, Experter, grundsyn och kvalitet, samt Relationer och kvalitet. Dessa fyra teman framträder som kännetecknande för specialpedagogisk kvalitet i specialpedagogernas samtal. Specialpedagogiska implikationer: Studien kan bidra till en fördjupad diskussion om vad som bör känneteckna specialpedagogisk kvalitet på olika nivåer i förskolans organisation och hur dessa kan samverka. Dessa diskussioner leder förhoppningsvis till att strukturer, normer och diskurser som hindrar verksamma i förskolan från att se vad som behöver förändras i barnens lärmiljö synliggörs.

This study investigates how high school teachers perceive their possibilities and motivation to participate in professional development as part of school development. This is because previous research shows that teachers’ work situation is tied to contextual factors that determine possibility and motivation, such as work environment, workload, government control and autonomy. The study looks at how the teachers try to define school development and what factors they perceive to affect or determine their possibility and motivation to take part in professional development thorough the method of focus groups. Three focus groups from three different private high schools in the center of a big urban area in Sweden have been performed and analyzed through motivational theory, specifically two-factor theory. The study shows that the teachers say that they perceive so-called hygiene factors relating to leadership, organizational factors such as scheduled time for planning, autonomy as well as their interests and keen, role models and subject relevance the most important factors that determine possibility and motivation for their professional development. These results coincide with previous international research about teacher’s professional development. The study concludes that teachers have strong perceptions of the factors that affects their possibilities and motivation to school development, which principals and other actors in the chain of governance could use to create successful school development. Denna studie undersöker hur gymnasielärare uppfattar sina möjligheter och motivation till att delta i yrkesutveckling genom skolutveckling. Detta eftersom tidigare forskning uppger att lärares arbetssituation kopplat till kontextuella faktorer påverkar möjlighet och motivation, såsom exempelvis arbetsmiljö, arbetsbelastning, institutionell styrning och autonomi. Med hjälp av fokusgrupper som metod undersöks hur gymnasielärare försöker definierar skolutveckling och berättar om vilka faktorer som de upplever påverkar sina möjligheter och motivation till att delta i skolutvecklingsarbete. Tre fokusgrupper från tre olika centralt placerade friskolor i en svensk storstad genomfördes och analyserades genom motivationsteori, specifikt tvåfaktorteori. Studien visar att lärarna uppger att de viktigaste faktorerna som möjliggör och motiverar lärares deltagande i skolutveckling är så kallade hygienfaktorer relaterade till ledarskap, arbetsförhållanden såsom tid för planering, autonomi men även intresse, förebilder och ämnesrelevans; vilket sammanfaller med tidigare internationell forskning om lärares yrkesutveckling. Studien konkluderar att lärare har tydliga uppfattningar om vilka faktorer som påverkar deras möjligheter och motivation till skolutvecklingsarbete, vilken skolledare och andra deltagare i skolans styrkedja skulle kunna använda sig av för att genomföra framgångsrika skolutvecklingssatsningar.

I den här studien undersökte vi hur specialpedagoger tolkade fenomenet tillit i relation till sin yrkesutövning. Vi ville också ta reda på vilka möjligheter och organisatoriska förutsättningar för att skapa tillit de beskrev sig ha på sina arbetsplatser. Motivet till undersökningen utgick från två huvudlinjer, varav den ena var att fenomenet tillit och dess plats i skolans kultur upplevdes begränsad i tidigare forskning, trots bevis på att tillit har ett stort värde på många sätt. Den andra linjen för vår utgångspunkt var rapporter om barn och ungas försämrade välmående kopplat till skolans miljö, som för oss gjorde det angeläget att förstå och ringa in specialpedagogers arbete med fokus på fenomenet tillit. Det teoretiska ramverket vilar på en systemteoretisk (Öquist, 2018) utgångspunkt med tolkning utifrån Bronfenbrenners (1979) utvecklingsekologiska perspektiv. Då studiens syfte var ett utforskande av uppfattningar och erfarenheter, var en kvalitativ metodansats motiverad och vi valde att intervjua åtta specialpedagoger. Intervjuerna utgick från en tematiserad, semistrukturerad intervjuguide och analyserades utifrån tematisk analys enligt Braun och Clarke (2006). Resultatet från undersökningen visar att specialpedagogerna menade att tillit var centralt för hela deras uppdrag, att ett relationellt förhållningssätt är förutsättningen för det, att tillit inte är något statiskt samt att tillit behövs på individ-, grupp- och organisationsnivå för att kunna fungera. Möjligheterna för att skapa tillit i skolkulturen menade de låg hos dem själva utifrån personlighet och yrkeskompetens, samt till stor del berodde på vilket synsätt lärarna på skolan hade och därmed att deras förväntningar på specialpedagogernas insats blev realistisk. De organisatoriska förutsättningarna för att skapa en tillitskultur ansåg specialpedagogerna låg på rektors ansvar och i dennes förmåga att leda elevhälsoarbetet på skolan. Utifrån resultaten drar vi slutsatser om att det behövs en tydlig ledning som för in strukturella förutsättningar för att kunna bygga en tillitsfull skolkultur där alla tar sitt ansvar. Specialpedagogen har ett viktigt uppdrag för att medverka till det öppna klimat som en tillitsfull kultur har. Tillit behöver byggas på alla nivåer i skolans styrkedja och specialpedagogens bidrag till detta måste vara att finnas tillgänglig med den helhetssyn och empati som ligger i dennes kompetens. Vi menar att specialpedagogen behöver samverka med olika yrkesgrupper och leda ett arbete med att stärka olika former av tillit, utifrån Jederlunds (2021) begrepp kollegial-, kollektiv- och processtillit. Här ser vi att det finns ett behov av samsyn, där ett skifte från ett kategoriskt till ett relationellt perspektiv är nödvändigt och att det kräver ett större förändringsarbete som engagerar alla inom skolans organisation och som blir varaktigt.

The aim of this study is to investigate how heads of schools perceive multilingualism as a resource for learning and to what extent the process of writing and implementing language policies has provided a support for developing a multilingual view on languages in schools. This is done in accordance with the multilingual turn, which states that although a multilingual view on languages has spread in the global North in recent decades due to globalization and migration, a monolinguistic hegemony still persists in countries such as Sweden. Qualitative interviews were carried out with three heads of schools in Sweden and the findings of the study are discussed in relation to theories on school development and a framework for critical reflection on multilingualism. The results show that although the interviewed heads of schools express a positive understanding of and attitude towards multilingualism and language policies, traces of a deficit discourse can be found in their answers and their teachers struggle to make multilingualism a natural part of their everyday school practice. Multilingualism and multilingual children and pupils are at times seen as problems rather than resources. Furthermore, the monolingual norm is still visible in the interviews and teachers seem stuck in the assimilation stage and heads of schools unable to overbridge the gap between ostensive and performative aspects of school development. Implications of the findings are that heads of schools as well as teachers need to further develop a multilingual and diversified view on languages as a resource for learning in order to facilitate learning for multilingual children and pupils.

Syftet med den här studien är att bidra med kunskap om lärares, special­pedagogers, rektorers och förvaltningsledningens erfarenheter och upplevelser om förbättrings­insatsen specialpedagogik för lärande (SFL) och dess inverkan på förbättringsarbetet i en kommun, på såväl skol­enheter som i kommunen i stort. SFL är en kollegial kompetens­utvecklingsinsats med syfte att höja lärares kompetens inom specialpedagogik. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och fokusgrupper har använts som metod. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån Illeris teori om de tre lärandedimensionerna. Resultatet pekar på att specialpedagogik för lärande är en form av kollegialt lärande som i många delar upplevs fungera bra för lärares lärande, men som behöver anpassas tidsmässigt för att inte upplevas alltför intensiv. Den specialpedagogiska kompetensen upplevs ha höjts på samtliga kommunens enheter sedan SFL genomfördes. Eleverna har efter insatsen överlag fått tillgång till fler generella och individuella anpassningar och har blivit mer delaktiga i processer kring sin egen undervisning. Det finns samtidigt lärare som ännu inte fullt ut ger sina elever dessa möjligheter. Kommunens specialpedagoger har kompetens inom skolutveckling som inte alltid nyttjas. Om de får större mandat från rektor så kan de ta ett större ansvar för att tillsammans med denne leda skolförbättringsinsatser och skolutveckling, eventuellt genom att bli en del av skolornas ledningsgrupper. För att nå ännu längre i en kommande förbättringsinsats skulle det vara bra om förvaltningsledningen tog ett större övergripande ansvar för implementering och lik­värdighet i kommunen samt att rektorer tog ett större ansvar för att följa upp arbetet i grupperna genom direkt medverkan eller genom nära samverkan med handledare av grupperna, s.k. distribuerat ledarskap. Rektors första fokus bör vara undervisningens kvalitet. The aim of the following paper is to contribute to the understanding of experiences had by teachers, special educators, principals and administrative management, with regards to the Special education for learning (SFL) scheme’s impact and stimulus on a municipality’s school improvement initiatives, in specific schools as well as the muni­cipality as a whole. SFL is a collegial competence development initiative with the aim of raising teachers' competence in special education. The study has a qualitative approach and focus groups have been used as a method. The results have been analysed on the basis of Illeri's theory of the three dimensions of learning. Results indicate that special education for learning is a form of collegial learning that is largely perceived to work well for teachers' learning, but which needs to be ad­justed timewise to avoid being too rigorous. Competence around special education peda­gogy is considered increased at every school in the district since the implementation of SFL. After the intervention, the students have generally gained access to more general and individual adaptations and have become more involved in processes around their own teaching. At the same time, there are teachers who do not yet fully give their students these opportunities. Special educators in the municipality have expertise in the field of school development which is, to some extent, untapped. With increased mandate from the principal, special educators could shoulder more of the responsibility for school improvement and development initiatives, possibly through becoming part of the school’s management team. In order to reach even further in a future improvement effort, it would be positive for the administration management to take a greater overall responsibility for implementation and equality in the district, as well as principals taking greater responsibility for following up on the work conducted in the groups, either through direct participation, or close collaboration with supervisors of the groups, so-called distributed leadership. The principal's first focus should be the quality of teaching.

The purpose of the study is to acquire knowledge and understanding of successful school development, with a focus on students' cognitive abilities. The survey focuses on the implementation of development work and its effects on the organization and students' development. The theoretical framework is based on special educational perspectives, salutogenic perspective and organizational theory. Two contiguous preschool class‑third grade schools are included in the study and primary data consists of interview responses from school staff. The study also includes questionnaire responses from guardians of children in third grade. However, the response rate from the guardians is insufficient for conclusions. The results show that school development changed the view of students' differences and needs. Furthermore, the schools have shifted their focus to group and organizational level, as well as to more promotional and preventive work. Fewer students are included in the student health team and the number of action plans has decreased. The development of the schools is characterized by a shift towards a more critical perspective and has been conducted through strengthened meaningfulness in the form of defined values, consensus in purpose and vision and collegial cooperation. The conditions that enable successful school development are characterized by a strong sense of coherence, in both leadership and conditions. Increased focus on the environment, as well as enhancement of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, are also factors that have benefited students' development. Factors that hinder school development can be traced to a compensatory and dilemma perspective, as well as to a lack of sense of coherence. Above all concerning attitudes among school staff and external demands placed on the school activities. Our conclusion is that both school development and students' cognitive abilities can be promoted through the application of a salutogenic perspective.

This qualitative interview study is conducted in a preschool organization. The research aim is to contribute with knowledge about pedagogical supervisors, a professional role which is beginning to take shape outside the traditional organizational form that exists in preschool. In this study a new role, the pedagogical supervisor, has been implemented as a support function in the preschool organization. The aim of the study is to increase understanding of how management, pedagogues and pedagogical supervisors are reasoning about school development processes. The specified research questions of the study are: - How do employees in preschool organisations interpret and understand the role and the mission of pedagogical supervisors? - What structural obstacles and opportunities exists - partly in the assignment as pedagogical supervisor, partly in a preschool organization? The theoretical framework which is used to interpret and understand the empirical data is Lundquist (1987) implementation theory. To widen the perspective from the individual to the organization Ahrenfelt (2019) system theory has been supportive. The results of the study indicates that actors in a preschool organization are searching for clarity in the assignments of different professional roles in preschool. The results also indicates that the organizational positioning of a pedagogical supervisor may have an impact on how the assignment is performed. The organizational perspective shows that information platforms are important not only to create clarity in the assignments, but also to create understanding of how the image of an organization can be built up. The study includes a discussion about how the time perspective becomes an aspect of the process. Breaking cultural patterns can take time. It is also important that the actors in the process are aware that there are two parallel processes going on in a organizational transformation, the managements process and the organizationalprocess. The transparency between these processes are also implicated as an aspect in this study. In summary, the results of this study indicates that implementation of the employment can be a problem, as preschool organizational systems can be firmly rooted in traditional cultural patterns, which are difficult to change. The implication is to look beyond the traditional views of how organizations are constructed, because they can be obstacles in the process.

Each year students goes to high school with expectations to obtain new knowledge and new experiences. Taking a step from elementary school to high school, is like turning pages and starting a new chapter in their lives. However, for some of the students it doesn't turn out the way they imagined. Some of the students experience difficulties and setbacks that they deal with in different ways. This study is about students with autism who started an ordinary high school programme and then later transferred to a special class with adaptions specified to autism. The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about the experiences that the students with autism describe they carry from attending high school. The study has a childhood sociological theoretical frame of reference and is based on the students experiences and descriptions of their relationship to high school. It is the students’ perspective, to be heard and the interest of the student that is the most important. According to previous research there are areas considered important areas for the functionality of high school for the students with autism. The areas the previous research identified as factors for success are educational, social and emotional aspects. Eight students attending four different high schools in four different countries in mid-Sweden have been interviewed based on a semi-structured form of interview and then been analyzed with a thematic analysis. The students involved in the interviews has all attended an ordinary program at high school and then transferred to a special class with adjustments specified to autism. The students all describe in their own words their experiences of attending high school and what they consider important to be able to make it at high school. The students describe how important it is to be heard and getting the chance to talk about their own experiences. They also express a wish to help other students with autism in the future by sharing their experiences of attending an ordinary high school programme.

Lärande gemenskaper i en organisation kan bidra till utveckling. Specialpedagogens uppdrag inom skolutveckling med fokus på lärande gemenskaper har identifierats som ett outforskat område nationellt. Studiens syfte är därför att bidra med kunskap om specialpedagogens roll i arbetet med lärande gemenskaper i en lärande organisation. Studiens metod är kvalitativ och undersöker specialpedagogens arbete med lärande gemenskaper på tre grundskolor genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna i studien är fyra specialpedagoger och tre rektorer. Utifrån Ahrenfelts tolkning av systemteorin med begrepp som helhet, gränsyta och informativitet tolkas och analyseras empirin. Resultatet visar att specialpedagogen verkar genom att skapa relationer och möjliggöra samarbete i organisationen, och använder sin kunskap och förmåga inom pedagogisk handledning som ett verktyg för att främja lärande gemenskaper. Vidare visar resultatet att specialpedagogen kan vara den som identifierar nästa steg i utvecklingsarbetet genom sitt arbete såväl inom systemet som omvärlden. Hen använder även sin förmåga till analys i sovrandet av information. För att specialpedagogen ska kunna använda sin färdighet och förmåga erhållen via universitetsexamen på avancerad nivå, behöver rektorn vara den som sätter ramar och beslutar om prioritet. Rektors roll är även att hålla utvecklingsarbetets mål levande för medarbetare via exempelvis medarbetarsamtal, vilket i sin tur faciliterar specialpedagogens arbete vilken ofta är den som håller i olika fortbildnings- och utbildningsinsatser. Rektorerna i studien framhäver vikten av att ha specialpedagogen med i till exempel utvecklingsgrupper så att hen sedan kan verka på de olika nivåerna utifrån prioriterade mål. Sammantaget visar vårt resultat att om samarbetet och ramarna sätts av rektor kan specialpedagogen bidra med sin kompetens för att möjliggöra lärande gemenskaper., Learning communities within an organization can contribute to development and growth. The role of the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), a contributor to school development through the establishment of learning communities, was identified as an area on which little research has been done nationally. Therefore, the aim of this study is to contribute further knowledge about the role of SENCOs in the development of learning communities in educational organizations. The method used is qualitative and investigates the work of SENCO and principals in three elementary schools through semi-structured interviews. The interviewees are four SENCOs and three principals. The empirical data is analyzed using Ahrenfelt’s interpretation of systems theory and terms such as the whole, interface, and informativeness. The conclusions drawn are that SENCOs operate by promoting relations and enabling cooperation within the organization, as well as by using their knowledge and competency in pedagogical guidance as a tool for establishing learning communities. Furthermore, the results show that SENCOs are capable of identifying the next step in the process of development through their work both within the system as well as the surrounding environment. SENCOs also use their analytical skills when sifting through information. For SENCOs to be able to fully utilize the skill set received through advanced university study, the conclusion is that it is the principal who is required to prioritize and establish the framework for the creation of a learning organization. The principal needs to remind the staff of the developmental process, for example through yearly staff interviews. This in turn facilitates the work of the SENCO, who is often the one responsible for administering various forms of vocational training. The principals view the participation of SENCOs in the school’s development groups as important. This enables SENCOs to act on the goals prioritized within the organization. Overall, the conclusion is that provided that principals establish the framework, SENCOs are capable of contributing with their area of competency in the development of learning communities.

Syftet är att bidra med kunskap om lärarnas upplevelse av sin planeringstid och sin arbetssituation. Det innefattar de strategier som lärarna kommer använda sig av när rektorn styr planeringstiden och hur styrningen uppfattas. Studien ställer frågor som rör lärarnas hantering av frirum och korstryck. Tidigare forskning visar att planeringstid prioriteras bort vilket får konsekvenser för lärarna. Möjligheten att utnyttja frirummet mellan yttre och inre styrning bör utvecklas för att ge lärarna kontroll i sin profession. Rektor anger hur frirummet utnyttjas vilket inverkar på lärarnas hantering av planeringstiden. Denna kvalitativa studie använder frirumsteorin som teoretisk utgångspunkt och analysverktyg. Frirumsteorin utgår från förhållandet mellan inre och yttre styrning. Empiriskt material har hämtats från intervjuer med föreställningskarta. Analysen gjordes utifrån fyra nyckelord med tabellmetoden och från kriterierna styrning av och styrning i skolan. Resultatet visar att rektorns styrning ger lärarna arbetsvillkoren som höjer eller hindrar lärarens möjligheter att kunna utföra professionen. I frirummet ges lärarna möjlighet att arbeta i balans mellan styrningsformerna. När lärarna arbetar i läraryrket som profession och har daglig tid för samtal upplevs kontroll. En slutsats är att när rektorn tillåter lärarna att utnyttja frirummet och vara i sin profession upplevs inget korstryck. Lärarna upplever att de kontrollerar sin planeringstid. Studien uppmärksammar inre och yttre styrning, frirum och korstryck som vetenskapligt och teoretiskt förankrade i frirumsteorin. Lärarnas upplevelse av och strategier för sin planeringstid samt rektorns styrning analyseras utifrån dessa styrningsformer. The purpose of this thesis is to add knowledge about the teachers' experience of their planning time and work situation. What strategies will teachers use when the principal controls the planning time and how the steering is perceived? The study investigates how teachers handle free space and cross pressure. Previous research reveals how planning time is deprioritized away, which leads to consequences for teachers. The teacher´s possibility to use the free space should be developed to provide control for the teachers. The principal sets the framework for how the free space can be used and decides how teachers manage their planning time. Free space theory is the theoretical starting point and analysis tool for this qualitative study. The theory of scope for action theory is based on the relationship between internal and external control. The empirical material was gathered from interviews with the performance map. The analysis was based on four keywords using the table method and from the forms of governance in schools. The results show that the principal's governance gives teachers working conditions that raise or hinder the teacher's ability to perform their profession. In the free space, teachers must be given the opportunity to work in a balance between the forms of governance. When teachers work in the teaching profession as profession and have daily time for conversations between teachers, they experience a sense of perceived control. One conclusion is that when the principal allows teachers to gain advantage of the free space and be in their profession, there is no cross pressure. Teachers feel in control of their planning time. The study draws attention to internal and external control that is scientifically and theoretically anchored in the scope for action theory. The teachers' experience and strategies for their planning time and the principal's governance were analyzed based on these forms of governance.

Bakgrunden till föreliggande studie är att skolutveckling är ett område som ofta prioriteras bort för specialpedagoger framför andra specialpedagogiska arbetsuppgifter som undervisning enskilt eller i grupp, dokumentation eller andra administrativa arbetsuppgifter. Detta gjorde mig intresserad av att undersöka hur specialpedagogens kunskaper kommer till användning inom skolutveckling. Syftet med föreliggande studie är således att undersöka hur specialpedagogens kunskap och kompetens inom skolutveckling kommer till användning i skolans verksamhet. Studien syftar även till att belysa vad som är betydelsefullt för framgångsrik skolutveckling i skolans organisation. Studiens frågeställningar är:•Hur arbetar specialpedagoger med skolutveckling?•Vad möjliggör och begränsar specialpedagogers arbete med skolutveckling?•Vad är betydelsefullt i organisationen för att lyckas med skolutveckling?Föreliggande studie bygger den empiriska delen på underlag ifrån fyra grundskolor i tre kommuner. Respondenterna som inkluderades i studien är fyra rektorer som har gått rektorsprogrammet och fyra utbildade specialpedagoger. En rektor och en specialpedagog intervjuades från varje organisation. Rektor och specialpedagog skulle även ha arbetat tillsammans i mer än sex månader, för att ha haft möjlighet och kunnat påbörja utvecklandet av en organisation för skolutveckling. En kvalitativ metod har använts med semistrukturerade intervjuer för att på ett naturligt sätt kunna ställa följdfrågor till respondenterna. För att bearbeta och analysera det insamlade materialet användes en kvalitativ innehållsanalys, för att kunna analyser intervjuerna med fokus på likheter och skillnader. Resultatet visar att arbetet med skolutveckling är ett arbetsområde som är svårt för specialpedagogerna att nå framgång i och specialpedagogerna får inte mandat till att arbeta med skolutveckling. Resultatet påvisar även för att det ska bli en framgångsrik organisation och för att lyckas med skolutveckling är det betydelsefullt med en tydlig ledning som organiserar och strukturerar arbetet med skolutveckling. Studien ger en inblick i hur viktigt specialpedagogers eget engagemang och med egen kraft hävda sin yrkesroll för att få mandat och legitimitet att utföra de arbetsuppgifter som specialpedagogutbildningen motsvarar. Studien bidrar även med kunskap om vad som är betydelsefullt för att lyckas med skolutveckling, i framgångsrika organisationer är det viktigt hur den interna organisationen är organiserad och det är avgörande med en kompetent och engagerad rektor som organiserar och strukturerar det pedagogiska ledarskapet som främjar en lärande och en samarbetande kultur i riktning mot kunskapskraven. Studiens kunskapsbidrag är värdefullt för nyutexaminerade specialpedagoger, verksamma specialpedagoger, rektorer samt skolledare. AbstractThe background to the present study is that school development is an area, which is often neglected for special educators in favor of other job assignments, such as teaching, individually or in groups, documentation, or other administrative work tasks. This made me interested in examining how the knowledge of special educators is taken into consideration within school development. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine how special educators’ knowledge and competence regarding school development is utilized within schools. In addition, the aim is to illuminate relevant aspects of successful school development within the school organization. The problem statements of the study are:•In what ways are special educators working with school development?•What facilitates as well as limits the school development work of special educators?•Which organizational aspects are important for a successful school development?The empirical data of the present study comes from four compulsory schools in three municipalities. Respondents in the study are four principals, who previously have participated in the school leadership program, and four qualified special educators. An inclusion criteria for the respondents was that one principal and one special educator had worked together for at least six months in order to have started a collaboration in developing an organization for school development. A qualitative design was chosen, using individual semi-structured interviews, which allow for follow-up questions. A qualitative content analysis was chosen, which focuses on differences and similarities in the data. Findings show that school development is an area which is difficult for special educators to succeed in, and that they are not given the mandate to work with school development. Findings also indicate that in order to be a successful organization that ensure school development, it is important to have a distinct management that organizes and structures the work regarding school development. This study highlights the importance of special educators’ being participating as well as claiming the value of their profession in order to obtain the mandate and the legitimacy to perform the work tasks that their education has prepared them for. In addition, the study contributes with knowledge regarding important factors in successful school development: in successful organizations it is important how the internal organization is organized. A decisive element is having a competent and committed principal who organizes and structures a pedagogical leadership, promoting a culture characterized by learning and cooperation in relation to the knowledge requirements. This study contributes with valuable knowledge to recently graduated special educators as well as already active special educators, principals, and school managers.

Examensarbetet syftar till att bidra med kunskap kring vilka framgångsfaktorer och hinder det kan finnas vid utvecklingsprojekt i skolor och hur resultatet av ett projekt kan upplevas av pedagogerna. Syftet är även att undersöka på vilket sätt specialpedagogerna varit delaktiga i utvecklingsprojektet. Vid utvecklingsarbete i skolan är det bland annat viktigt med ett fungerande systematiskt kvalitetsarbete som grund för utvecklandet av verksamheten. Rektors roll och ledarskap har stor betydelse liksom hur man i utvecklingsarbete tar sin utgångspunkt i den dagliga verksamheten. Annat som kan vara av vikt är till exempel kontinuitet, vilka normer och värderingar som råder på skolorna samt om specialpedagogen har en roll i arbetet. Vi har undersökt ett befintligt projekt som bedrevs i sju skolor i en svensk stad under ett läsår. På fyra av skolorna har vi gjort kvalitativa undersökningar genom intervjuer med pedagoger och specialpedagoger. Vi använde oss av chatintervjuer genom delade dokument i Google Drive. Lärande i organisationer inom organisationsteorin och den institutionella teorin användes för att analysera vårt resultat. Resultatet visar att det fanns många hinder som gjorde projektet mindre lyckat. Till exempel var målen otydliga, pedagoger kände en brist på ledarskap, rektorer slutade, dåliga organisatoriska förutsättningar och svag koppling till verksamheternas vardagsarbete. Målen för projektet nåddes ej och det arbete som sattes igång avstannade på samtliga skolor. Specialpedagogerna var inte delaktiga i arbetet med projektet. En slutsats är att skolan är en komplex verksamhet och varje skola har olika förutsättningar, både organisatoriskt och gällande värderingar och normer. Detta påverkar arbetet i skolan och måste tas hänsyn till vid utvecklingsarbeten., The purpose of our study is to contribute with knowledge about factors that can hinder and promote developing projects in schools and how the teachers can experience results of a specific project. Our purpose is also to study the participation of special educational needs coordinator, SENCO, in this specific project. When we want to develop our schools it is important to have a systematic circle of analysis and evaluation. The role and leadership of the principal is of great importance as well as how well the developing project is founded in the daily activities of the school. Key factors can also be continuity, norms and values as well as to what degree the SENCO is involved. Our study is of an existing project that were carried out in seven schools in a Swedish city during one year. We have made qualitative studies in four of the schools through interviews with teachers and SENCOs. We used chatinterviews with a shared document in Google Drive. Learning organization in Organization theory and Institutional theory were used to analyze our results. Our results shows that the project were not very successful due to many hindrances. The objectives of the project were for example not explicit, there were lack of leadership, some of the principals ended their jobs, the organizational structures for the teachers were unsatisfying and there were weak correspondence with the daily work of the schools. The objectives for the project were not met and the work that were launched in the beginning of the year stopped after one year in all of the studied schools. The SENCOs did not participate in the project. Our conclusion is that every specific school has its own organizational foundation as well as its own set of values and norms. This has to be taken in consideration when we want to make changes and work with developing projects.

This study focuses on the diverse leadership issues a Swedish primary school faces when responsibilities are not clearly defined between the management/operative organisation and the development organisation. To illustrate this, research results are analysed using Liljenberg’s model ‘Tensions in relation to the development aspects of school organisation’. The five aspects of the model are; Organisational Structure, Goals, Vision and Values, Responsibility and Decision-making, Reflection and Evaluation and Attitudes. They are used to identify to which extent the management team’s focus is operationally or developmentally oriented and how decisions are made. The information is derived from observations, document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The survey shows that the management team deals mostly with operational issues though what issues belong to the running of a school as compared to pedagogical development becomes difficult to distinguish as they can overlap. When it comes to which direction or solutions the school takes, other groups are influential without regard to the designated development group. This division shows that the school has a distributed leadership. The results indicated that without clearly defined division of labour, area of responsibility and leadership, the different groups within a school are less effective and would benefit from an overhaul. Den här undersökningen fokuserar på en låg- och mellanstadieskolas ledningsgrupps frågor, för att se på fördelningen mellan driftsorganisationens och utvecklingsorganisationens frågor. För att belysa detta har undersökningens resultat analyserats utifrån en modell av Liljenberg över spänningsfälten mellan drifts- och utvecklingsorganisationen. Modellens fem aspekter är; organisationsstruktur, mål, vision och värden, ansvarstagande och beslutsfattande, reflektion och utvärdering samt attityder. Dessa har använts för att identifiera i vilken utsträckning ledningsgruppens fokus är drifts- eller utvecklingsorienterat. Ledningsgruppens arbete har undersökts i en fallstudie bestående av observation, dokumentanalys och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Undersökningen visar att den undersökta ledningsgruppen mest hanterar driftsfrågor, trots att det är svårt att utskilja vilka frågor som handlar om att driva skolan eller att utveckla den. När det handlar om utvecklingsfrågor visar det sig att det också finns andra grupperingar än ledningsgruppen där dessa frågor diskuteras. Det kan handla om förstelärarnas uppdrag eller vad resursteamet planerar i utbildningsväg. Denna uppdelning visar på att skolan har ett distribuerat ledarskap. Den här undersökningen visar att utan en tydlig fördelning av arbetsuppgifter, ansvarsområden och ledarskap blir skolan inte så effektiv som den skulle kunna vara, och att strukturen skulle gynnas av en översyn.

Syftet med studien är att beskriva och problematisera hur rektorer verksamma inom år f-6 resonerar om satsningen på digitalisering utifrån begreppet likvärdighet. Åtta rektorer på olika skolor är intervjuade. Resultatet visade att rektorerna på olika sätt bedriver skolutveckling inom området digitalisering för att uppnå likvärdighet inom verksamheten. I resultatet framkommer dock skillnader i hur långt verksamheterna kommit både inom skolor och mellan skolor utifrån; digitalisering, digital kompetens och likvärdighet. Rektorerna lyfter olika lokala orsaker till att verksamheternas digitala implementering kommit olika långt. En slutsats som går att dra efter resultat är vilka komplexa förutsättningar en rektor har att arbeta efter för att uppnå likvärdighet genom digitalisering. Rektorerna lyder under ett dualistiskt ledarskap, både från kommun och stat. Rektorerna är således klämda mellan yttre och inre ramar som påverkar verksamheten. I studiens resultat kommer detta till uttryck genom att samtliga rektorer upplever att de måste välja och prioritera olika skolutvecklingsområden. Det kan leda till att det uppstår en ojämlikhet inom området digitalisering. The purpose of the study has been to describe and problematize how principals are perceiving equity in digitalization based on the concepts in K-6. Eight principals at different schools from the same municipality have been interviewed. The results show that principals use various methods to conduct school development of ​​digitalization in order to achieve equality within the school. Inparticular the results show that there are differences in how far the development of digitalization, digital skills and equivalence has reached both within schools and between schools. The principals have different points of focus in managing the digital implementation. One conclusion based on the analysis is the complex conditions a principal must work under to achieve equality through digitization. The principals are caught between leadership from the municipality and the state. This study shows that all principals must choose individually an area to develop within their school. This can lead to inequalities in the field of digitalization.

Barnomsorgen i Finland har en gemensam historia med ovriga Norden, dels genom Frobeltraditionen, dels genom de varderingar som ligger till grund for det nordiska valfardssamhallet. Under en lang tid har daghem och skola utvecklats utifran olika utgangspunkter och styrprocesser. Men under de senaste aren har dessa kommit att konsolideras i en politiskt underbyggd reform. En tradition av omsorg och fostran for barn mellan 0–6 ar omskrivs till smabarnspedagogik, och i den nya laroplanen som tagits i bruk 2017 betonas barns perspektiv och barns delaktighet som centrala utgangspunkter for verksamheten, som en ny ideologisk vardegrund for den moderna smabarnspedagogiken i Finland. I artikeln analyseras vilka uttryck for barns perspektiv och delaktighet som framtrader i de finlandska styrdokumenten. Vi lyfter ocksa fram olika faktorer som bidragit till att orienteringen mot barns perspektiv och delaktighet etablerats senare i Finland jamfort med de ovriga nordiska landerna. ABSTRACT English title: Children's Perspectives and Participation as the Ideological Orientation of Early Childhood Education in Finland In the Nordic countries, early childhood education and care (ECEC) share the same philosophical tradition and underlying social values. Early childhood institutions have traditionally been developed within a framework quite separate from school development. In Finland, due to recent educational reforms, the two educational institutions seem to be consolidated. The concept of education is today very prominent in the early childhood context. The new curriculum, which has been in use since 2017, emphasizes children’s perspective and children’s participation as a central point of departure, as significant concepts of a new ideological framework for the modern ECEC. In this article, we analyse what role kinds children’s perspective and children’s participation have in recent steering documents. We also focus on some factors that contribute to the relatively slow development in incorporating children’s perspective and children’s participation in the culture of ECEC in Finland, compared to other Nordic countries.

In this essay an analysis and classification is made of the roll of implementation swedish municipalities have regarding the national quality assurance policy in the school sector. In the light of international trends of decentralisation and the development of new quality assurance systems the paper’s result classifies the municipalities as implementation roll number two according to Lundquist (1992) and his theory of implementation. The basis for this claim is given by the study of key actors in the municipal quality assurance work that shows that the implementation is made with a good understanding, with a loyal ambition but also with some shortcomings when it comes to the provision of necessary resources. Support for this is given by the case of municipality 2 that shows shortcomings regarding the number of employed, time, digital tools, knowledge and economic conditions. The same is shown in the case of municipality 1. Thus, the main conclusion of this essay is that the structural differences between the analyzed municipalities does not give rise to differences in the results of this study.

I läroplanen framgår att rektor har ett särskilt ansvar för att lärare ska få den kompetensutveckling som krävs för att de ska kunna utföra sitt uppdrag på ett professionellt sätt. Detta får givetvis konsekvenser för rektors arbete. Syftet med studien är att studera rektors föreställningar och strategier gällande lärares kompetensutveckling. Frågeställningarna berör de föreställningar som framträder när rektorer beskriver lärares kompetensutveckling och vilka strategier har rektor för att verkställa lärares kompetensutveckling? Diskursanalys har använts som teoretisk och metodologisk utgångspunkt. Sex intervjuer av rektorer i grundskolan har genomförts vilket också varit en totalundersökning för en kommunal huvudman. Resultatet visar att rektors föreställningar centreras kring att utveckla undervisningen i klassrummet, skolans kultur och kollegialt lärande. För att få till en skolkultur som tar sig an kollegialt lärande behöver rektor använda sig av strategier exempelvis genom att lobba för att motivera lärarna till aktuell kompetensutveckling, men också genom att modellera och leva som man lär. Studien visar en tendens till att rektorer placerar lärares kompetensutveckling inom skolutvecklingsdiskursen. Detta får följder som att rektor behöver få till en skolkultur som möjliggör kollegialt lärande för skolutveckling. The curriculum in Sweden states that the principal has a special responsibility for ensuring that teachers receive the competence development required for them to be able to carry out their assignment in a professional manner. This of course has consequences for the principal’s work. The purpose of the study is to study the principal's conceptions and strategies regarding teacher competence development. The questions are which perceptions emerge when principals describe teachers' competence development and which strategies does the principal have to implement teacher competence development? Discourse analysis has been used as a theoretical and methodological framework. Six interviews of principals in compulsory school have been conducted, which has also been a total survey for a municipality. The result shows that the principal's conceptions are centred on developing the teaching in the classroom, the school's culture and professional learning. In order to get a school culture that takes on collegial collaboration, the principal needs to use strategies, for example by lobbying to motivate the teachers to upcoming competence development, but also by modelling and practice what is preached. The study suggests that principals recognize teacher competence development as part of a school development discourse. Consequently, a school culture allowing professional learning, needs to be established.

Skolor i Sverige ska kontinuerligt arbeta med skolutveckling. Enligt Skolverket är rektor ytterst ansvarig för att leda skolutvecklingsarbetet på respektive skolenhet. Skolutveckling innefattar många olika delar och innehåll där den inre organisationen på respektive skolenhet till viss del kan avgöra vilken inriktning utvecklingsarbetet bör ha. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka rektorers föreställningar om skolutveckling på den lokala skolenheten i relation till verksamhetsintegrerad grundlärarutbildning. Studiens ansats är kvalitativ, där det empiriska materialet utgörs av intervjuer med rektorer. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i denna studie grundar sig i ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv med en förståelsebaserad orientering. Resultatet av studien visar att skolutveckling bedrivs på många olika sätt. Exempel på skolutvecklingsarbete har utkristalliserats i olika teman såsom aktuell forskning, systematiskt kvalitetsarbete, samverkan och elevernas resultat. Den inre organisationen påverkar riktningen i detta utvecklingsarbete i form av den kultur som råder samt vilket utvecklingsområde det fokuseras på. I relation till skolutveckling upplever rektorerna den verksamhetsintegrerade grundlärarutbildningen positiv utifrån flera aspekter men framförallt att teori och praktik tillämpas vecka för vecka. Utbildningens utformning kan bidra till skapandet av gemensam kunskap och skolutveckling på arbetsplatserna. Dock har rektorerna en föreställning om att studenterna kommer bidra mer och mer till skolutvecklingen under utbildningens gång. Schools in Sweden should continuously work with school development. According to the National Agency for Education the principal is ultimately responsible for leading the work with school development. School development includes many different parts and content where the inner organization at the school units should prioritize the development work. The purpose of this study is to research principals’ notions around school development at the local school unit in relation to a work-integrated teacher education. The approach of the study is qualitative, where the empirical material consists of interviews with principals. The theoretical outset in this study is based on a social constructivism with understanding-based perspectives. The results show that school development is being carried out in many different ways. Themes that have emerged in the study in terms of school development are current research, systematic quality work, collaboration and the students’ results. The inner organization affects the development work by way of the existing culture as well as which area of development is being focused on. In relation to school development the principals experience the work-integrated teacher education in a positive way from several aspects but above all that theory and practice are carried out week by week. The formation of the education contributes in generating common knowledge and school development at the workplace. However, the principals have an idea that the students’ contribution to the school development increases during the education.

Inledning: Författarna har under sina fältdagar i utbildningen uppmärksammat att det finns olika åsikter och tankar om specialpedagogens uppdrag i verksamheterna bland pedagogerna. Spe­cialpedagogens uppdrag styrs på olika sätt beroende på ledning och vilka befogenheter speci­alpedagogen har i verksamheterna. Syfte: Att öka kunskapen om pedagogers syn på det spe­cialpedagogiska uppdraget samt hur det kan påverka specialpedagogens roll i en verksamhet. Metod: Vid ett tillfälle träffades fyra pedagoger i en fokusgrupp där deltagarna fick diskutera ett antal bilder med påståenden utifrån den specialpedagogiska examensordningen. En rektor och två specialpedagoger besvarade en enkät med samma tolv påståenden som fokusgruppen samt med några öppna frågor. Resultat: Det skiljde sig i pedagogernas diskussioner om speci­alpedagogens uppdrag beroende på om det diskuterades utifrån vad det står i examensord­ningen eller om det var utifrån pedagogernas önskan. Handledningssamtal var ofta i fokus samt hur handledningssamtal påverkade pedagogernas arbete. Pedagogerna ville ha specialpeda­gogens kunskap och tar upp att det är viktigt med ett bra samarbete mellan professionerna. Skolutveckling diskuterades mest i fokusgruppen när det var utifrån examensordningen. Synen på det specialpedagogiska uppdraget behöver utvecklas i verksamheten menar rektorn. Slut­sats: Pedagogerna uttrycker att specialpedagogerna är viktiga i verksamheten samtidigt som det finns en osäkerhet och otydlighet i det specialpedagogiska uppdraget., Introduction: The authors have noted during their field days in the education that there are different opinions and thoughts about the special educator's assignments in the activities of the educators. The Special Education Officer's assignments are governed differently depending on management and the powers of the Special Pedagogue in the activities. Aims: To raise aware­ness of educators' views on the special education assignment and how it may affect the role of the Special Educator in an activity. Method: At one time, four educators met in a focus group where the participants were allowed to discuss a number of pictures with claims based on the special education degree scheme. A principal and two special educators answered a quest­ionnaire with the same twelve statements as the focus group and with some open questions. Result: It was different in the pedagogues discussions about the special educator's as­signments, depending on whether it was discussed based on the degree program or whether it was the wish of the educators. Tutorials were often in focus and how tutoring conversations influenced the teachers' work. The educators wanted the specialist teacher's knowledge and stated that it is important to have good cooperation between the professions. School develop­ment was discussed most in the focus group when it was based on the degree scheme. The view of the special education mission needs to be developed in the activities, says the director. Conclusion: Educators express that the special educators are important in the activities while there is uncertainty and ambiguity in the special education mission.

Since 2010, the National Agency for Education has had an intention to improve teaching and learning in schools by introducing collaborative structures. In order to develop a learning school organisation, with the aim that all students are able to reach their educational goals, shared responsibility and common learning is advocated. The study focuses on a school´s implementation of teaching learning communities (TLC) based on teachers´ engagement in systematic collaborative work. The theoretical framework is based on social- culture perspectives. The aim of the study is to explore important conditions as well as success factors which can be related to a TLC work. The analyses are based on nine interviews and findings indicate that challenging factors are; the importance of leadership, a democratic collaborative structure and the teachers´ attitudes towards professional learning. The success factors indicate that a collaborative teaching learning is possible by challenging each other’s ideas and practices, a development of professional language, increased self-esteem and the improvement of teacher´s relations and new perspectives according to teaching and pupil´s learning. The study indicates that a demanding factor for a well-performing teaching learning community is based on a well-organized leadership. Leaders ought to be aware of how democratic processes might threaten collaborative work and how a successful leadership is formed.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka förstelärares erfarenheter av sitt uppdrag. Det är en kvantitativ studie där data insamlats med hjälp av en öppen webenkätundersökning som skickats till en kommuns samtliga förstelärare. Studien fokuserar på hur försteläraruppdraget upplevs ha utformats, och på vilket vis förstelärare anser att de kan bidra till skolutveckling genom sitt uppdrag. Undersökningen lyfter även upp skillnader mellan förstelärares erfarenheter inom en och samma kommun. Resultatet visar att förstelärarollen är kommunicerad med rektor och skolledning, men att förstelärarna även har ett stort eget utrymme att kommunicera sitt uppdrag till kollegor. Den visar även att rollen upplevs vara riktad till att i första hand utveckla lärande kopplat till elever och klassrum och i andra hand till kollegial utveckling. Anknytningen till utveckling av den enskilda skolan är stor, men det kollegiala ledarskapet är inte alltid tydligt. The purpose of this paper is to examine the lead teachers approach to their mission. It is a quantitative study in which data has been collected using an open survey sent to all the municipality's lead teachers. The study focuses on how the lead teacher mission is perceived to have been designed, and how lead teachers feel that they can contribute to school improvement through its mission. The survey highlights the differences between lead teachers experiences within a single municipality. The results show that the lead teacher role often is communicated with the principal and the school management, but also that lead teachers have a large private space to communicate their mission to colleagues. It also shows that the role is perceived to be directed to primarily develop learning linked to students and classrooms and in the other hand to the collegiate development. The local connection is essential, and the collegial leadership is not always clear.

Dagens skola befinner sig i ständig förändring och ställs kontinuerligt inför nya krav. För att möta dessa utmaningar är därför skolutveckling en nödvändighet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka och beskriva hur arbetet med kollegiala observationer uppfattas av lärare och avser att belysa både det som uppfattas positivt och de svårigheter som finns med kollegiala observationer som en metod för att utveckla undervisningen. Studiens frågeställning är: Vilka faktorer påverkar enligt lärare arbetet med kollegiala observationer? Som teoretisk utgångspunkt har ett sociokulturellt perspektiv använts. Studien är kvalitativ och åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och där innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats använts som metod för analys. Empirin kategoriserades i sju teman med faktorer som enligt lärarna påverkar de kollegiala observationerna; Relation, Erfarenhet, Dokumentation, Distans, Syftet med observationen och Organisation. Resultatet visar att lärarna upplever kollegiala observationer som ett värdefullt sätt att utveckla sin undervisning men att det finns vissa faktorer som upplevs som hinder. Det uppfattas som svårt då otillräckliga relationer skapar otrygghet, erfarenhet saknas, lärarna har olika inställning till uppgiften och känslan av tidsbrist infinner sig. Framgångsfaktorer i resultatet tyder på att lärarna skapat goda relationer, erhållit erfarenhet och fått stöd i form av hjälpstrukturer som observationsprotokoll som utvecklat observationerna. The school of today is constantly changing and is continuously being faced with new requirements. In order to meet these challenges, school development is therefore a necessity. The purpose of the study is to investigate and describe how collegial observations is perceived by teachers and intends to highlight what is perceived positively and the difficulties with collegial observations as a method for developing teaching. The question of the study is: What factors influence the work of collegial observations according to teachers? A socio-cultural perspective has been used as a theoretical framework. This is a qualitative study and eight semi-structured interviews are conducted and as a method of analysis a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was used. The empirical data was categorized into seven themes with factors that, according to the teachers, influenced collegial observations: Relationship, Experience, Documentation, Distance, Purpose of the Observation and Organization. The result indicates that the teachers experience collegial observations as a valuable way of developing their teaching, but that there are certain factors that are perceived as obstacles. These difficulties include that of insecurity caused by insufficient relationships, lack of experience, teachers having varying approaches to the task and the sense of time shortage is present. Successful factors in the outcome indicate that the teachers created new relationships, gained experience and received support in the form of auxiliary structures such as an observation protocol that developed the observations.

This article describes how school leadership in a vocational secondary school used a research circle to establish collegial learning. The goal was to develop the teaching skills of teachers and, as a result, also develop the ability of students to assess their own knowledge and understanding, as well as their capacity to learn. The results are based on data from a qualitative case study in accordance with an action research tradition. The article reflects a contemporary education policy debate on the role of teachers in relation to students’ poorer study results. The teachers that participated developed and tested subject-specific self-assessment matrices in mini-research projects. Many of the students seemed to benefit little from using these matrices. Possible explanations may be that the students felt no motivation neither to improve their knowledge and skills nor to raise their grades. There did, however, seem to be differences between theoretical and vocational subjects. The research circle served to develop collegial learning among the participants and also played a role in the establishment of a school development group.

Skolutvecklingsarbete görs bäst när det uppstår från skolans eget vardagliga arbete. Det hand-lar om att systematiskt arbeta med att förbättra den egna skolan genom lärande och reflektion-er, det vill säga förbättra skolans vardagspraktik med stöd av forskning. Vilja, ansvar och kre-ativitet hos pedagog och skolledning är förutsättningar för att skolutveckling skall ske på sko-lan. Syftet med all skolutvecklingsarbete är att arbete skall gynna elevers lärande och utveckl-ing och leda till ett bättre resultat i skolan. Eftersom det står tydligt i läroplanen som träddes i kraft den 1 juli 2011 att skolan måste utvecklas och att det är huvudmannens ansvar att detta skall ske (LGR11) så har några kommuner ett kunskapsbildande centrum för att stötta sko-lorna i deras utvecklingsarbete. Det finns nyckelkomponenter som är viktiga för lärare när det gäller att vara strategisk beträffande undervisning och lärande. I denna undersökning har 33 lärare svarat på en webbenkät om hur de upplever att skolut-vecklingsarbete gynnar elevers lärande och utveckling. De flesta grundskollärare som har svarat enkäten arbetar i årskurs 1-3 och har arbetat som lärare mellan 16-20 år. De flesta lä-rare som har deltagit i insatser i form av fortbildningar har även fått stöd av en extern aktör i sitt yrke. Skolutvecklingsinsatser i form av utbildningar, konferenser, workshopar, kollegialt lärande kan vara en ingång för att lärare skall börja reflektera över sin egen undervisning och förhållningssätt till elever, arbetskamrater, skolledning, vårdnadshavare. När lärare ökar sitt positiva förhållningssätt gentemot eleverna så utvecklas eleverna på ett positivt sätt. De vågar göra fel, provar nya metoder, tar gärna emot olika typer av feedback. Lärares utveckling blir bäst när den går från professionell utveckling i form av deltagande till professionellt lärande i form av görande. School development work is best done when it comes to school’s own daily work. It is about systematically working to improve the school’s own learning through learning and reflections, ie improving the school’s everyday practice with the support of research. The will, responsi-bility and creativity of educators and school management are prerequisites for school devel-opment. The aim of all school development work is to benefit the students learning and de-velopment, leading to a better school result. Since it is clearly stated in the curriculum that came into force on July 1, 2011, the school must develop and that it is the responsibility of the principal to make this happen (LGR11). Some municipalities have a knowledge centre for supporting schools in their development work. There are key components that are important for teachers when it comes to being strategic in teaching and learning. In this survey, 33 teachers responded to a web survey about how they feel that school devel-opment work favours students’ learning and development. Most primary school teachers who answered the questionnaire work in grades 1-3 and have worked as teachers between 16-20 years. Most teachers who participated in activities in the form of training courses have also been supported by an external actor in their profession. School development initiatives in the form of education, conferences, workshops, collegial learning can be an input for teachers to start reflecting on their own teaching and approaches to pupils, co-workers, school manage-ment, guardians. When teachers increased their positive attitude toward the students, the stu-dents also became more positive towards the school and education. In a positive environment the students are not afraid to try new methods, receive different types of feedback. Teacher’s development is best when it comes from professional development in the form of participation in professional learning in the form of doing.

It might be assumed that principals play a critical role in school organizational change processes. Evidence that both decision makers and relevant authorities share this assumption is found in the Swedish Education Act (SFS 2010:800) as well as the objectives and guidelines set down in relevant curricula (Skolverket 2011). Drawing its inspiration from phenomenological life-world research, the overarching aim of this study is to explore and describe the professional and personal experiences of school principals involved in organizational change processes in the educational system. As a consequence of this theoretical grounding in life-world phenomenology, our study has adopted the methodology of semi-structured interviews, with the aim of gaining access to regional life-worlds of principals by exploring narratives relating to their understandings and experiences of organizational change processes in the educational system. The themes brought up in the three conducted interviews provide the basis for interpretation that produces empirical evidence in the form of narratives. The results of this study highlight substantial divergences in the themes identified in the narratives of the principals: there is simply more setting the experiences related apart than that which draws them together. Furthermore, our results also indicate that the personal and professional experiences of organizational change processes in schools related by the interviewees likely constitute information of interest for other involved parties. From this we can make the assumption that an improved support for principals should involve a mutual exchange of experiences between school authorities and principles; this while at the same taking into account individual needs of principals. Based on the narratives of the interviewees in this study, there are four main conclusions to be drawn from this study: - Change requires organization if it is to be successful and lasting - Developmental change draws it power from a feeling of community and motivation - Managing co-workers specifically in relation to organizational change projects constitutes a problem for solitary principals - Studying organizational change projects as phenomena is problematic with regards quantifiable success rates and crowding out effects Keywords: experiences, change, journey of change, change processes, principals, headmaster, school development Skolledares roll i skolors förändringsprocesser kan antas vara central. Beslutsfattare och myndigheter ser rektorsrollen som central i skolans förändringsprocesser. Detta framkommer i såväl skollagen (SFS, 2010:800) som aktuella läroplaners (Skolverket, 2011) övergripande mål och riktlinjer. Det övergripande syftet med studien är att med inspiration av ett livsvärldsfenomenologiskt perspektiv studera och beskriva skolledares upplevelser och erfarenheter av förändringsprocesser i skola. Livsvärldsfenomenologin har använts som teoretisk utgångspunkt. De metodologiska konsekvenserna av denna ansats har varit att med hjälp av kvalitativa halvstrukturerade intervjuer få tillgång till skolledares regionala livsvärld i form av upplevelser och erfarenheter av förändringsprocesser i skola. Tre skolledare har intervjuats. I analysen har de livsberättelser som de intervjuade valt att berätta varit underlag för tolkning som skapat av empiriska teman i form av berättelser. Resultatet visar att de teman som träder fram i respektive skolledares berättelser är till övervägande del olika. Det skiljer helt enkelt mer i de intervjuades berättelser än det binder samman. Resultaten visar också på berättade erfarenheter och upplevelser av förändringsprocesser i skola hos respektive skolledare som är av karaktären att de skulle vara av värde för andra att ta del av. Av detta kan antas att stöd till skolledare bör utgå från individuella behov samt att ett erfarenhetsdelande mellan skolledare och huvudmän skulle kunna leda till förbättrade möjligheter att stötta skolledare. Slutsatserna av studien är framför allt fyra insikter som bygger på skolledarnas berättelser: - Förändring kräver organisation för att bli kvalitativ och varaktig. - Förändring i form av utveckling hämtar kraft ur gemenskap och motivation. - Att det kan var svårt som ensam skolledare att hantera relationer till medarbetare i just förändringsprojekt. - Förändringsprojekt som fenomen är svårt att fånga sett till mätbar framgång och undanträngningseffekter. Ämnesord: erfarenheter, förändring, förändringsresor, förändringsprocesser, rektor, skolledare, skolutveckling, upplevelser

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att identifiera vilka typer av stöd som rektorer och förstelärare berättar om när de pratar om det uppdrag som förstelärare har. I studien har sex förstelärare och två rektorer på en gymnasieskola deltagit. På denna gymnasieskola har förstelärarna ett uppdrag att tillsammans med rektor leda skolans utvecklingsarbete genom sex samtalsgrupper där skolans övriga lärare deltar. Intervjusamtal utifrån föreställningskartor och enkäter med öppna frågeställningar har använts för att samla in empiri till studien. Studiens syfte och forskningsfrågor kunde arbetas fram genom en analysprocess som inkluderade flera faser av analys av insamlade underlag och läsning av tidigare forskning. Studien utgår från grundad teori och genom läsning av tidigare forskning om förstelärare, skolutveckling och stödjande ledarskap kunde olika kategorier av stöd som kan kopplas till försteläraruppdrag mejslas fram och användas vid analysen av föreställningskartor och enkätsvar. En slutgiltig analys genomfördes utifrån fem kategorier av stödjande praktiker: stöd i form av relationer, stöd i form av mandat och tydlighet, stöd i form av skapande av förutsättningar såsom tid och möjlighet till möten, stöd i form av handledning och stöd i form av fortbildning. Resultatet visar att alla fem kategorier av stöd, givna eller brist på dem, förekommer i rektorernas och förstelärarnas berättelser. En central punkt där rektorernas och förstelärarnas berättelser visade olikhet gällde tydlighet. Tydlighet kunde i analysen och i den senare diskussionen kopplas till processer kring samförstånd, sensemaking, och kommunikation mellan rektorer och förstelärare. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify what types of support that principals and Swedish ”förstelärare” (advanced skills teachers, ASTs) describe when they talk about the assignments that these “förstelärare” have. Two principals and six advanced teachers at a Swedish high school have participated in this study. At this high school the advanced teachers have the assignment to lead the school improvement work together with the principals, organized through six discussion groups, where the other teachers at the school participate. To collect data interviews by the hand of mind maps have been used together with surveys with foremost open ended questions. The study has its base within grounded theory and a frame of different types of potential supporting practices directed towards the advanced skills teachers was found through the reading of earlier research connected to advanced skills teachers, facilitative leadership and school development. The purpose of the study and the research questions were narrowed down through a research process that included several phases of analysis and reading of earlier research. A final analysis of the mind maps and the survey replies was done based on five categories of supporting practices found through the reading of earlier research: support through relationship, support through mandate and clarity, support through organizational artifacts, support through coaching and support through further education. The results show that all five categories of support, given or lack of them, was described by the ASTs and the principals in this study. One key issue, where the principals and the ASTs’ narratives showed disparity was regarding clarity. Clarity was in the analysis and the discussion connected to sensemaking processes and communication between the principals and the ASTs.

The thesis focuses on students’ understanding of assessment and their agency in assessment practices. It discusses assessment in relation to arrangements that shape students’ and teachers’ mutual assessment practices. The study is based on a development project in a secondary school, involving 25 students and 9 teachers. It uses an action research approach and was carried out between 2010 and 2014. The aims of the study were to generate knowledge (1) on students’ understanding of assessment and assessment practices, (2) on how arrangements shape students’ understanding and agency, and (3) on how arrangements shape students’ and teachers’ opportunities to develop assessment practices. The theoretical and analytical framework consists of validity theories and practice theories. Construct validity refers to empirically observable behavior that can be associated with theoretically explicable attributes. The construct is used to validate the relevance, use and consequences of assessment; here: accessibility and reciprocity of assessment practices (Cronbach & Meehl, 1955; Messick, 1989; Stobart, 2012). The theory of practice architectures (Kemmis, Wilkinson, Edwards-Groves, Hardy, Grootenboer & Bristol, 2014) explains how practices are shaped by cultural-discursive, material-economic, and social- political arrangements. Practices in a site are interrelated and interdependent. The study shows that students understand assessment on three hierarchically qualitative levels: performance, understanding and learning. Their understanding is linked to clarified goals, diagnosis, feedback and pre- conditions in the site. Students’ agency is shaped by the way teachers: clarify goals; arrange teaching, learning and assessment activities; enable the use of feedback to enhance learning; and by the way relationships, roles and responsibilities are negotiated. Communicative spaces may enhance students’ agency in assessment practices. Arrangements – like policy documents, assessment literature, local assessment policies and tools – shape teachers’ practices, thus enabling and constraining students’ and teachers’ development of reciprocal assessment practices. Assessment is a reflection of both students’ and teachers’ current practices. As a reciprocal concern, assessment requires collaboration between students and teachers. Furthermore, the reciprocal concern involves school leaders, officials in local school boards, politicians, policy writers and researchers. Reasonable consensus on assessment ought to be reached – based on students’ perspectives and rights – in order to strengthen students’ agency, learning and knowing. The thesis aims to contribute to knowledge on students’ understanding of assessment and on arrangements that affect students’ and teachers’ agency and opportunities to develop reciprocal assessment practices. It also shows how meta-practices and discourses affect local practices.

This thesis focuses on how principals’ practices in improvement work are formed and how these practices affect principals’ possibilities to work with planned change. The study takes its departure from ten Upper Secondary School principals’ improvement work concerning enterprise education. The study has an action research approach and was carried out between June 2009 and September 2010. The aim of the study is to generate knowledge about principals’ practices in improvement work and of action research as a strategy for principals in planned change in relation to these practices. The theoretical framework is based on practice theories (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008; Schatzki, 2002). According to these theories, a practice is formed in a project that shows what the practice is aiming for by practitioners’ sayings, doings and relatings. Furthermore, Kemmis and Grootenboer (2008) claim that practices are shaped by arrangements outside the practitioners; cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements. Findings show that what becomes meaningful for principals to engage in is not formed only by the aim of the planned improvement work, but also by already existing practices competing for space and by arrangements constraining principals’ possibilities to work with planned change. Many practices and projects were competing on the arena where the improvement work was planned to proceed. Some of the projects, ‘leading the improvement work’, ‘understanding what enterprise education is about’ and ‘making changes for enterprise education’ promoted the planned change. Others, projects like ‘organizing the daily work’, ‘avoiding dispute with teachers’ and ‘pretending to succeed’, constrained the planned change. Furthermore, cultural-discursive arrangements like abstract ideas of what the principals were supposed to create conditions for, as well as social-political arrangements like asymmetric relationships between the principals, and expectations from the local school board for quick solutions, enabled practices that constrained the planned change. Practices and arrangements like those in the study made it difficult for the principals to engage in action research as a strategy for change. Based on the results, principals’ possibilities to work with planned change are discussed in relation to the matter of context, dialogue as an improvement strategy, the aim for the improvement work and demands for quick solutions. The thesis contributes with knowledge about planned change and it contributes to the discussion about what kind of arrangements could support principals to initiate and lead school improvement. It also shows the importance of practice analyses in school improvement processes.

Reading in Sweden has not always looked like it does today. Reading and reading comprehension has a history and it has been influenced by different factors, earlier as well as today. Today the society has a different view of reading and reading comprehension than before. Reading today is more like a central part of a human’s everyday life where we are surrounded by different forms of writing that requires reading constantly. The purpose of this essay is to examine how the past and current research looks at children´s reading and reading comprehension in Sweden, within the school subject Swedish. What the literature says about how the society sees reading today what it looked like in the past and also its development over time. This study also aims to analyze if there are any socio-economic factors that affects children's reading and reading comprehension. In order to pursue this study, we have chosen to use the following questions: What does the previous research say about reading comprehension? How does the previous research look at reading in a historical perspective? What does the previous research say about children's reading comprehension today? Which socio-economic factors have influence on children’s reading and reading comprehension? We have chosen to do a literature-study which is based on previous research about children´s reading and reading comprehension, both national and international. In order to obtain relevant research for our area, the research was made on different databases such as DiVA, ERIC and the school library. We have chosen to look at the previous research through the transactional theory made by Louise Rosenblatt (2002). This study showed that the view of reading and reading comprehension has changed through time. The study showed that the socio-economic factors as gender, heredity and environment has an effect on children´s reading and reading comprehension.

Begreppet vision är mångfacetterat och återfinns i en mängd olika sammanhang, kopplat till både ledarskap och skolutveckling och tillskrivs stor betydelse inom forskning på dessa områden. Tidigare forskning visar även att visionens betydelse, funktion och syfte varierar såsom synen på arbetet med att arbeta fram den i verksamheter och organisationer. Studiens övergripande syfte är att bidra till kunskap om visionens funktion i skolan och dess betydelse för ledarskap och skolutveckling. En enkätundersökning genomfördes bland rektorer på grundskolan. Studien är kvantitativ såtillvida att undersökningen genomfördes med hjälp av strukturerade enkäter med fasta svarsalternativ, vilka sedan bearbetades och analyserades med avseende på kvantiteter dvs. frekvens, spridning och samvariation. Studiens vetenskapsteoretiska ramar innebär att avsikten inte är att blottlägga några absoluta sanningar eller att uttala mig om kausala samband. Jag ser statistiken som ett sätt att upptäcka mönster i en variation, vilka sedan måste tolkas och förstås på samma sätt som andra typer av data. Undersökningen är gjord på ett urval bestående av samtliga rektorer på grundskolan inom kommunal verksamhet inom ett geografiskt och administrativt sammanhängande område som består av 14 kommuner. Den icke-slumpmässiga bestämningen av populationen har gjorts genom bekvämlighetsurval. Resultatet visar att rektorerna i stor utsträckning uppfattar att visionen har stor eller mycket stor betydelse för deras förutsättningar att leda skolan och för skolans utveckling. Rektorernas uppfattning om vilka funktioner visioner fyller i skolan är samstämmig. Enligt respondenterna fyller visionen i stor utsträckning flera funktioner vilka har olika fokus och syfte. The concept of vision is multifaceted and is found in a variety of contexts, linked to both leadership and school improvement and assigned great importance in research in these areas. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of vision-building in school and its impact on leadership and school development. A survey was conducted among principals in the compulsory school. The study is quantitative, in that the survey was carried out by means of structured questionnaires with fixed response options, which were then processed and analysed with regard to quantities, i.e. frequency, proliferation and co-variation. The study's scientific theoretical framework means that the intention is not to expose any absolute truths or to speak about causal relationships. I see these statistics as a way to detect patterns in a variation, which must then be interpreted and understood in the same way as other types of data. The survey is made on a convenience sample consisting of all principals within a geographically and administratively contiguous area that is composed of 14 municipalities.The non-random determination of population has been made by comfort choice. The result shows that principals largely perceive that the vision has great or very great significance for their potential to lead the school and for the school's development. Principals' perceptions of what features visions fill in school are unanimous. According to the respondents the vision has several features which have a different focus and purpose.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om hur personal i fritidshem uppfattar nuläge och utvecklingsbehov gällande rektors pedagogiska ledarskap samt rektors inverkan på de förutsättningar som finns för arbetet i fritidshemmen. I en enkätundersökning har fritidshemspersonal i en kommun i södra Sverige fått dela med sig av sina uppfattningar om rektors pedagogiska ledarskap. Allmänna råd för fritidshem (Skolverket, 2014) och Robinsons fem ledarskapsdimensioner (Robinson m.fl., 2008) utgör metodologiska utgångspunkter. Resultatet visar att fritidshemspersonalen uppfattar rektors inverkan på de rådande förutsättningarna för arbetet som goda. Pedagogerna instämmer i hög grad i att rektorn är förtrogen med fritidshemmens uppdrag, liksom att rektor har inblick i den dagliga verksamheten. Däremot är kompetensutveckling ett stort utvecklingsområde, liksom samarbete med andra skolformer och rektors dialog med personalen. Inom dessa områden är personal med pedagogisk högskoleutbildning mer kritisk. Personalen är minst nöjd med den Robinsondimension som berör pedagogers lärande och utveckling. Med utgångspunkt från resultatet kan ett lämpligt pedagogiskt ledarskap i fritidshemmen vara process- och kontextinriktat, och ha tydliga inslag av kommunikation. Rektor bör vara förtrogen med fritidshemmets uppdrag samt, för att stärka personalens och fritidshemmens status, vara en närvarande ledare som organiserar fortbildning och kollegialt lärande, gärna tillsammans med andra skolformer. The purpose of this study is to provide knowledge on how recreation centre staff perceive the present situation and need for development regarding educational leadership and the principal’s impact on conditions. A questionnaire was given to all recreation centre staff (convenience sample) in a municipality in Sweden. Allmänna råd för fritidshem (approximate translation: General Advice for Recreation Centres) (Skolverket, 2014) and Robinson's five leadership dimensions (Robinson et al, 2008) served as the methodological starting points for this study. The results show that the staff perceives the principal’s impact on the current conditions as good. The staff largely agrees that the principal is familiar with assigned tasks, as well as having insight into daily operations. However, professional development is seen as in need of improvement, as well as cooperation with other forms of education and the principal’s dialogue with staff. In these areas staff that had completed higher education gave their principals lower scores than those that had not. Staff are least satisfied with the Robinson dimension, involving teachers' learning and development. Based on the result, an educational leadership in recreation centres would be oriented toward process and context, and have clear elements of communication. The principal needs to be present, familiar with the task, and would, in order to strengthen the status of staff and recreation centres, organize for educational training and peer learning, preferably together with staff from other forms of education.

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyses educators’ experiences of reflective conversations in their teams and part of teams in relation to their work with pupils in need of special support. Ten educators representing ten different teams have been interviewed since all had experiences of working in teams and working with pupils in need of special support. Focus has been on the educators’ experiences of the organisation, the effects of the reflections and the need to develop the reflective conversations in their teams and part of teams. The result showed that only a few of the educators described an organisation of the reflective conversations in their teams that met the conditions recent research point out as a way to use reflective conversations as a tool for development. These educators reached a deeper level of analysis and critical approach than the other teams which led to an improvement of their work with pupils in need of special support. The majority of the educators described reflective conversations with parts of their teams that content analysis and critical reflection. These reflective conversations led to development of their work with pupils in need of special support despite the fact that these reflective conversations showed a lack of organisation. All of the educators were aware of the need to improve the reflective conversations to achieve development of the educational practice, especially those in their teams. A conclusion was that reflective conversations in teams or part of teams can be a tool in the process of developed the work with pupils in need of special support provided that the conditions for the organisation were met and that there was a systematic reflection on high level.

Sammanfattning Forskning visar att det finns ett samband mellan kreativitet och lärande och att det har betydelse för elevers måluppfyllelse. Undersökningens syfte var att undersöka hur kreativitet yttrar sig i undervisningen, om rätt förutsättningar finns samt hur lärare förstår innebörden av kreativa processer. Utöver detta var syftet att undersöka om lärarna anser att kreativitet i undervisningen gynnar elevers måluppfyllelse. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes i en mindre kommun i mellansverige och är en totalundersökning. En majoritet av respondenterna anser att den viktigste aspekten för att skapa kreativitet är att skapa nyfikenhet. Resultaten visar också att de strukturer som finns i en skola har betydelse för om lärarna kan planera för kreativitet i sin undervisning. Respondenterna har angivit lokalernas storlek, scheman, tid och klassens storlek som hämmande för kreativitet i sin undervisning. Merparten av respondenterna i undersökningen anser sig dock ha ganska bra kunskaper om kreativa processer. Undersökningens resultat har betydese för hur man ska tänka när man planerar för en ny skola, hur en skolas organisation bör se ut samt även hur undervisningen bör planeras och genomföras. Den har även betydelse för vilken kompetens som lärare bör ha för att ha möjlighet att undervisa kreativt. Abstract Research shows that there is a connection between creativity and learning, and therefore creativity aim of this study was to investigate how creativity is shown in teaching, if there are the correct circumstances for creativity and how teachers understand creative processes. Another aim was to find out if teachers belive that creativity in school can support pupils´ achievements. The survey was conducted in a small municipality in central Sweden and is a census survey. A majority of the respondents answered that the most important aspect for creativity is to make the pupils curious. The results also show that the structures in a school affect to what extent teachers can plan for creativity in their teaching. The largest part of the respondents have answered that the size of the premises, schedules, time, and class size that discourages creativity in their teaching. Most of the teachers said that they are aware of the importance of creativity for learning and achievments. The result of this study is importand for how to think when planning a new school, for how a school ought to be organized and how teaching has to be planned and carried out. The result is also essential to learn what sort of knowledge teachers need to be able to work in creativity way.

"En dator per elev" är inte ett it-projekt utan ett förändringsprojekt. I den processen är det skolhuvudmännen som har bollen och det gäller för dem att sprida de positiva erfarenheterna till alla skolor. I den här boken pekar vi ut fem utvecklingsområden och diskuterar hur man bör gå tillväga.

Sammanfattning Forskning visar att det finns ett samband mellan kreativitet och lärande och att det har betydelse för elevers måluppfyllelse. Undersökningens syfte var att undersöka hur kreativitet yttrar sig i undervisningen, om rätt förutsättningar finns samt hur lärare förstår innebörden av kreativa processer. Utöver detta var syftet att undersöka om lärarna anser att kreativitet i undervisningen gynnar elevers måluppfyllelse. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes i en mindre kommun i mellansverige och är en totalundersökning. En majoritet av respondenterna anser att den viktigste aspekten för att skapa kreativitet är att skapa nyfikenhet. Resultaten visar också att de strukturer som finns i en skola har betydelse för om lärarna kan planera för kreativitet i sin undervisning. Respondenterna har angivit lokalernas storlek, scheman, tid och klassens storlek som hämmande för kreativitet i sin undervisning. Merparten av respondenterna i undersökningen anser sig dock ha ganska bra kunskaper om kreativa processer. Undersökningens resultat har betydese för hur man ska tänka när man planerar för en ny skola, hur en skolas organisation bör se ut samt även hur undervisningen bör planeras och genomföras. Den har även betydelse för vilken kompetens som lärare bör ha för att ha möjlighet att undervisa kreativt. Abstract Research shows that there is a connection between creativity and learning, and therefore creativity aim of this study was to investigate how creativity is shown in teaching, if there are the correct circumstances for creativity and how teachers understand creative processes. Another aim was to find out if teachers belive that creativity in school can support pupils´ achievements. The survey was conducted in a small municipality in central Sweden and is a census survey. A majority of the respondents answered that the most important aspect for creativity is to make the pupils curious. The results also show that the structures in a school affect to what extent teachers can plan for creativity in their teaching. The largest part of the respondents have answered that the size of the premises, schedules, time, and class size that discourages creativity in their teaching. Most of the teachers said that they are aware of the importance of creativity for learning and achievments. The result of this study is importand for how to think when planning a new school, for how a school ought to be organized and how teaching has to be planned and carried out. The result is also essential to learn what sort of knowledge teachers need to be able to work in creativity way.

Initially the overall aim of this thesis was to describe and analyse what was happening in the educational activities when teachers at a school that I have called Tower School introduced the computer as a tool for helping pupils who were learning to write and read. Key questions concerned the issue of improvement. Did introducing the computer as a tool in the teaching and learning process help the pupils with their learning or not and, if so, in what ways. The research approach chosen was an action research approach. Action research is concerned with professional practice and improvement. It is contextual and oriented toward action processes and change. The initial phase of the research went more or less according to plan. I followed the development process of the introduction and use of the computer as a learning tool, met regularly with the teachers and together with them developed a good working relationship. After about a year things changed. With the restructuring that was taking place in the region changes began to take place also at Tower School and this had effects on the research. In addition to the initial aim to research changes related to student learning a second purpose developed. This purpose was to describe and analyse how political governance and underlying societal forces might influence what happens in school development. There were two reasons for this new extra dimension. One was a methodological interest in relation to planning action research projects at times of political change in the education sector. The other was an educational theoretical interest connected to the school as a policy-driven organization. My interest here was for changes in the political economy at the macro level and how the network of macro-political and economic relations affected the micro-political level of the school, its classrooms, participating teachers in these classrooms, their students and me as a researcher? Denna studie tar sin utgångspunkt från en grupp lärare vid den kommunala grundskolan Tornskolan och deras intresse för att undersöka om det är möjligt att förändra skriv- och läslärandet genom att använda datorn som ett komplement till övriga metoder som används i undervisningen. Med denna utgångspunkt var inledningsvis det övergripande syftet att analysera och beskriva vad som sker i praktiken när lärare introducerar datorer tillsammans med de yngre skolbarnen, 6-9 år. Utvecklingsprojektet sammanföll dock med omstruktureringar och förändringar vid Tornskolan vilket fick till följd att syftet med studien också blivit att analysera och beskriva hur politisk styrning och bakomliggande samhälleliga krafter inverkat på ett pågående utvecklingsarbete. Avhandlingen visar att skolledare och lärare som arbetar med att förbättra skolan kan använda sig av aktionsforskning i förbättringsprocessen men det förutsätter att det avsätts tid för samtal och möten. Studien visar också att utvecklingen inte bör hindras av ekonomiska besparingar eller ekonomisk effektivitet. Ökad ekonomisk styrning kan vara en fara på lång sikt för effektiv skolutveckling. Att behandla tid som en extra kostnad är kontraproduktivt och det skapar ogynnsamma förutsättningar för lärare och begränsar skolutveckling. När utvecklingsarbeten planeras finns en tro och ett hopp om gynnsamma och gemensamma mål för skolutveckling. Denna studie visar att hinder uppstår som påverkar lärares möjlighet att förändra praktiken.

Governing and ideological dilemmas in drug education Drug education (ANT) in Swedish schools has a history over decades. Here, the pedagogical approaches fluctuated between transfer of solid knowledge from the teacher to the pupil, and working with values and have a more pupil-driven teaching – a classic dichotomy. Rhetoric about the school’s way of teaching has thus always been ambivalent and subject to reexamination. The study analyses various textual material on ANT education. As a methodological tool Billigs concept Ideological dilemmas is used, which is a fruitful way to identify the rhetorical building blocks of (school) politics, but also to analyse political talk in more detail. The article analyses the ideological dilemmas under three dichotomies: Knowledge vs. values, teacher control vs. learner control, and prevention vs. promotion. Throughout we can see this question of how teaching could be successful, given the tension between authority and democracy. The article concludes by relating this basic ideological dilemma in a wider discursive context of governance in our time. Sociologisk Forsknings digitala arkiv

The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which verksamhetsidé is seen within the Swedish educational context. In Sweden, the concept verksamhetsidé is used for an idea or a set of ideas related to the practice of an organization, for instance a school or a school district. Although the importance of such shared ideas is often pointed out by practitioners as well as researchers within the field of school development, there is little consensus about their meaning. When it comes to questions about the actual function and character of such an idea, or set of ideas, little guidance is found in the literature. This thesis seeks to contribute to such knowledge. In order to describe variations in the ways such ideas are seen as well as in the ways working with such ideas are seen, a phenomenographic study was carried out. The empirical data consist of deep interviews with 14 school directors of education in one larger city in Sweden; each responsible for several schools and preschools in one district. As directors they were all involved in the process of developing a verksamhetsidé, to guide all educational activities in the area. Results suggest that verksamhetsidé can be seen as a trademark, as putty, as a compass, as a map, or as a shared perspective. Each of these conceptions is used as a label for a category of description, and together they constitute one of the study’s outcome spaces. When it comes to working with such ideas, another variation is found. This variation is described through the concepts of top-down implementation and bottom-up sensemaking. Moreover, the data suggest no correlation between a certain way of seeing a verksamhetsidé and a certain way of seeing how to work with it. Människors sätt att se varierar. Samtidigt verkar det vara av betydelse att medarbetare i skolan och förskolan utvecklar gemensamma sätt att se åtminstone vissa aspekter av verksamheten. Att bygga upp och fördjupa förståelsen av en gemensam idé framställs i skolutvecklingsforskningen som en viktig aspekt av skolans och förskolans ledarskap. I den här avhandlingen beskrivs variationen i sättet att se verksamhetsidéer, och arbetet med sådana, som den framträder i en grupp skolchefer med övergripande ansvar för pedagogisk verksamhet. Variationen diskuteras sedan i relation till olika sätt att se skolutveckling och ledarskap, samtidigt som avsaknaden av koppling mellan specifika sätt att se verksamhetsidéer och specifika sätt att se arbete med sådana problematiseras. I den avslutande diskussionen framhålls särskilt betydelsen av att de som befinner sig i skolans eller förskolans praktik utvecklar kunskap om variationen och använder sig av den för att bygga upp ny kunskap med relevans för verksamheten och arbetet i den. Till grund för de resultat som presenteras ligger en intervjuundersökning genomförd i en större svensk stad, i vilken det vid tiden för studiens genomförande pågick ett arbete med att bygga upp en, för all pedagogisk verksamhet i staden, gemensam verksamhetsidé. The original ISBN number of this work ( 978-91-7063-520-5 ) has been replaced by a new one: 978-91-7063-571-7.

The aim of this study is to explore the ways in which verksamhetsidé is seen within the Swedish educational context. In Sweden, the concept verksamhetsidé is used for an idea or a set of ideas related to the practice of an organization, for instance a school or a school district. Although the importance of such shared ideas is often pointed out by practitioners as well as researchers within the field of school development, there is little consensus about their meaning. When it comes to questions about the actual function and character of such an idea, or set of ideas, little guidance is found in the literature. This thesis seeks to contribute to such knowledge. In order to describe variations in the ways such ideas are seen as well as in the ways working with such ideas are seen, a phenomenographic study was carried out. The empirical data consist of deep interviews with 14 school directors of education in one larger city in Sweden; each responsible for several schools and preschools in one district. As directors they were all involved in the process of developing a verksamhetsidé, to guide all educational activities in the area. Results suggest that verksamhetsidé can be seen as a trademark, as putty, as a compass, as a map, or as a shared perspective. Each of these conceptions is used as a label for a category of description, and together they constitute one of the study’s outcome spaces. When it comes to working with such ideas, another variation is found. This variation is described through the concepts of top-down implementation and bottom-up sensemaking. Moreover, the data suggest no correlation between a certain way of seeing a verksamhetsidé and a certain way of seeing how to work with it. Människors sätt att se varierar. Samtidigt verkar det vara av betydelse att medarbetare i skolan och förskolan utvecklar gemensamma sätt att se åtminstone vissa aspekter av verksamheten. Att bygga upp och fördjupa förståelsen av en gemensam idé framställs i skolutvecklingsforskningen som en viktig aspekt av skolans och förskolans ledarskap. I den här avhandlingen beskrivs variationen i sättet att se verksamhetsidéer, och arbetet med sådana, som den framträder i en grupp skolchefer med övergripande ansvar för pedagogisk verksamhet. Variationen diskuteras sedan i relation till olika sätt att se skolutveckling och ledarskap, samtidigt som avsaknaden av koppling mellan specifika sätt att se verksamhetsidéer och specifika sätt att se arbete med sådana problematiseras. I den avslutande diskussionen framhålls särskilt betydelsen av att de som befinner sig i skolans eller förskolans praktik utvecklar kunskap om variationen och använder sig av den för att bygga upp ny kunskap med relevans för verksamheten och arbetet i den. Till grund för de resultat som presenteras ligger en intervjuundersökning genomförd i en större svensk stad, i vilken det vid tiden för studiens genomförande pågick ett arbete med att bygga upp en, för all pedagogisk verksamhet i staden, gemensam verksamhetsidé. The original ISBN number of this work ( 978-91-7063-520-5 ) has been replaced by a new one: 978-91-7063-571-7.

Studiens övergripande syfte är att bidra med kunskap om vilka förutsättningar som behövs för att lärare som ingår i gemenskaper skall uppleva att reflektion sker på ett meningsfullt sätt. Eftersom lärares kompetensutveckling idag, skall utgå från egna erfarenheter och initieras nerifrån av praktikerna, kan studien på längre sikt också bidra med att synliggöra framkomliga vägar för lärares kompetensutveckling, som ett led i skolutveckling och dessutom som ett led i att utveckla läraryrket till en profession.Studien ingick i ett aktionsforskningsprojekt där lärarna själva bestämde fokus, i syfte att utveckla sin egen praktik. Aktionen bestod av fyra faser på en grundskola. Hela aktionen pågick i ett och ett halvt år. Fas 4, studien, pågick under ett läsår. I de tre första faserna kartlades skolans förbättringshistorik och skolans kultur. Grundat på de tre första faserna, bestämde lärarna att den fjärde fasen skulle bestå av reflekterande samtal. De valde kollegahandledning som form. Träffarna spelades in och några träffar valdes ut som analysenheter. Data analyserades utefter vad lärarna pratade om och hur de pratade med varandra.Struktur, utgångspunkter och överlappning var de förutsättningar som framkom i analysen. I diskussionen sätts dessa i relation till frirum, gruppsammansättning och innehåll i samtal. Av detta framkom att skolor själva aktivt måste skapa frirum som ett led i skolutvecklingsprocessen. Det framkom också att inramningen för reflekterande samtal har betydelse, dels hur gruppen sätts samman men också hur tid kan avsättas och rum kan skapas för reflekterande arenor. Slutligen framkom det att utgångspunkter som förberedelse för reflektion har betydelse för vilket innehåll som behandlas och hur det behandlas. En sådan utgångspunkt var i studien bland annat en reflektionslogg. Genom den kunde lärarna öppna upp fönster till varandras praktik. The study's overall aim is to contribute with knowledge about which conditions that are needed in order to that teachers, included in communities, will experience that reflection happens on a worthwhile way. Since today teachers' skill development will be paid from own experiences and to be initiated from below of practioners, the study can in a longer view also contribute with making visible passable roads for teachers to develop skill themselves, as a part of school development and also of developing teacher against a profession.The study was included in an action research project were the teachers decided focus, in aim to develop its own practice. The action consisted of four phases at a compulsory school. The entire action took place in one and a half year. Phase 4, the study, took place during a school year. During the three first phases the school’s improvement history and the school’s culture was examined. Based on the three first phases, the teachers decided that the fourth phase should consist of reflective deliberation. They choose collegial supervision as method. The meetings were taped and some were chosen out as analysis units. The analysis focused on what the teachers talked about and how the teachers talked with each other.Structure, starting points and overlap were the conditions that arrived in the analysis. In the discussion, these are set in relation to free room, group composition and contents in deliberations. Of this arrived that the schools actively must create free rooms as a part of a school development process. Moreover it arrived that the frame for reflective deliberations has importance, part's how the group is set together but also how time can be allocated and rooms can be created for reflective arenas. It also showed that starting points as preparation for reflection, have importance for which content that is treated and also how it is treated. Such a starting point was in the study among other things the reflection log. Through it the teachers could open up windows to each others practice.

This study aims at highlighting the ideological implications of school development as a discursive practice. More comprehensively the aim is also contributing to rearrangements and shifts in perspective when school development is the matter. One of today´s most widespread and dominant discourses are said to be the one which concerns development, and according to many interpreters, development is one of the most prominent commandments in the modern as well as the post-modern narratives. School development as a concept has for the last 15 years established itself firmly in both Swedish school policy and in Swedish school research. It may sound obvious and commendable but also such axioms may be questioned.The design of the study lies in the field of discourse research and more specifically within critical discursive psychology, which draws on both a post-structural and a postmodern conception of discourse. The study is based on the idea that the ideological potential of arguments occurs, develops and changes in discursive practices and not anywhere else or at any abstract level. The starting point is a perception that certain issues and topics within e.g. conversation, depending on time and context will be seen as controversial, while others will be taken for granted.One part of the basis of the study consists of texts with a direct bearing on a specific school research and development project which took place between 2003 and 2008. Participating partners in the collaboration were the Swedish National Agency for School Improvement, Karlstad University, Dalarna University and 13 municipalities in Sweden. Another part of the basis of the study consists of texts in which ‘school development’ is considered and negotiated in more general terms, usually without reference to the project. All texts derive from the period 2003 – 2006.The analysis shows that school development as discursive practice often rely on a set of stereotypical expressions and ways of arguing. Stereotypes, which among other things, tend to divide people into suitable and non-suitable, capable and non-capable, which may be regarded as a somewhat unexpected implication of school development. The material has been dramatized by an intrigue inspired by the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman´s texts. He has written extensively on the modern in relation to the postmodern and about the ambivalence which resides in between and school development as discursive practice can be understood in much the similar way.

Changed governance increased the freedom of schools but also their responsibility, with more scope for interpreting the assignment. Two models of school development were studied to see how they affect school actors’ understanding of assignment and responsibility, the relationship between the commissioner’s exaction of responsibility and the contractor’s assumption of responsibility. Two case studies examine conceptual dimensions of assumption of responsibility. These models and resulting measures shape actors’ understanding of assignment and responsibility, emphasizing different parts of the control system. The Scope for Action Model stresses the role of the local school with a bottom-up strategy for assumption of responsibility. It uses culture analysis to clarify responsibility relations by making actors aware of their accountability and the potential in their assignment. The Effective Schools Model stresses the political level in a top-down strategy. It shows organizational deficiencies in relation to the assignment and the responsibility. The models increased cooperation between professionals, exposing the organization and its boundaries, management, and occupational roles. Activities became more pupil-oriented, highlighting the task of upbringing and teaching. Lack of time, poor organizational structures, and increased administration obstructed the fulfilment of the assignment. The models led to the exposure and creation of responsibility structures for organization, management, communication and cooperation. Responsibility structures were created through firmer cooperation. These measures furthered individual and collective learning processes and (re)shaped the professionals’ understanding of assignment and responsibility. Professional autonomy is essential for commitment, motivation, and understanding. It is concluded that knowledge of the school’s responsibility reduces the discrepancy and helps professionals to improve their competence and develop school.

The purpose of this study is that, based on expertise in special education tutoring, examine the degree of supervision demanded by teachers in primary schools. As a result of this study, we can see the views teachers have regarding guidance within the following issues: the demand for tutoring, the importance of conversation and reflection, and guidance from the specialist teacher.Since the study deals with phenomena of a qualitative nature, we use semi-structured interviews in the empirical part of trying to understand the informants' way of looking at the phenomenon we are investigating. The study included interviews with six teachers in the elementary school year’s 1-3. The results show that there are more opportunities than obstacles to mentoring. To have someone to go to for advice and support is an important part of the guidance. While there is ambiguity about what the meaning of mentoring is believed to be and who it is for. Special educator's role as mentors in schools varies widely and there is no doubt that the special educator serves many functions and is there for those children who are in need of extra support. The importance of conversation and reflection is considered important, while the lack of time seems to be an obvious factor governing teachers' daily lives in a negative way.

This thesis presents a study on different school actors’ narratives about how they have experienced a participation in a school development collaboration called PBS, problem based school development. A school development and research project based at Karlstad University. The analysis is inspired by a narrative approach and a critical perspective on policy, were policy is understood as both text and discourse. The aim of the study is to show how the carrying through of this new policy (PBS) is received and reconstructed in three Swedish municipal settings. In the analysis the participant’s narratives are also related to the reconstructions of the field of education politics that has been carried out the last decades, here in Sweden as well as in other countries around the world. In this study 46 interviews were carried out. Official texts from each of the three school organizations have also been studied. As analytical tools parts of a model called the zoom-model and three different concepts, taken from the field of organization studies have been used. The overall result shows that those who work in schools today are engaged in a large amount of development works, claims and ways of working that they themselves choose to enact. The results also show how the interviewees receive and charge these ideas with their own previous experiences and how this is done in discursive contexts that shape what is considered normal and evident. One conclusion is that further attention ought to be made to the significance of the local context when it comes to carry through a new idea on development and change. A conclusion drawn from how interpretations and reconstructions of both development models prior to PBS and of the national steering model came to play important roles in how PBS was received and reconstructed in the studied municipalities. But different interpretations of the PBS model also led to tensions within and between the different areas of the organizations. Tensions that can be described as dilemmas, implicated by an ongoing cacophony of policy voices, whose prescriptions pull on different directions. When the PBS-policy arrives in this discursive room the results show how this policy can become a tool in line with new discursive narratives of education, regardless the intensions formulated in the context of policy text construction. PBS-Problembaserad skolutveckling