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De flesta skolämnen har på universitetsnivån en moderdisciplin som värnar om forskningen i ämnets substansfrågor. Slöjd är ett skolämne som saknar en motsvarande moderdisciplin. Till exempel i Finland är slöjd ett eget vetenskaps­område, men placerat inom de pedagogiska vetenskaperna. Slöjd är dock ett mångfasetterat fenomen som behöver studeras i hela sin bredd för att utvecklas, inte enbart som ett skolämne. Syftet med denna artikel är att diskutera behovet av och utmaningar med forskning på bredden, d.v.s. forskning som tar fasta på både slöjdens kärna, den skapande processen och andra slöjdperspektiv. I artikeln diskuteras problematiken på ett teoretiskt allmänt plan. Den teoretiska diskussionen konkretiseras med tre utexaminerade masters reflektioner kring planeringen och genom­förandet av en masteruppsats på bredden av vetenskapsområdet, d.v.s. forsk­ning som inkluderar både en egen skapande process och pedago­gisk/didaktiska perspektiv. Hensikten med artikkelen er å diskutere behov og utfordringer med forskning på bredden innen et fagpedagogisk område. Artikkelen setter søkelyset på forskning innen sløydvitenskap som er et akademisk fag innen det pedagogiske vitenskapsområdet i Finland. Artikkelen diskuterer problematikken på et teoretisk generelt nivå og konkretiserer diskusjonen men et innblikk i hvordan tre masterstudenter tenker om sine masteroppgaven som er eksempel på forskning på bredden av vitenskapsområdet.

This study aimed to investigate common features and ways of understanding quality culture (QC) within higher education institutions (HEIs) in Nordic countries. While the concept of QC is commonly accepted and often used, its meaning is not always clear. This paper focuses on how Nordic universities frame QC in their internal documentation. The Nordic context was chosen due to the close cooperation on quality issues that characterise HEIs within the Nordic region. The discussion section of this paper outlines QC in relation to quality assurance (QA) among HEIs within the European and Nordic regions. Sixteen universities participated in the study by sharing documents describing their QCs. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and discussed from different perspectives, such as regarding how the universities use the concept of QC and how QC is created. Based on the results, a model was created that provides an overview of how QC emerges and how the concept is implemented in documentation. It is hoped that the results will both contribute useful input to the ongoing collaboration on quality issues among HEIs in the Nordic region and will also be useful in enhancing QC at universities in other regions. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Received 09 Feb 2022, Accepted 16 Aug 2022, Published online: 25 Aug 2022CONTACT Christina Nygren-Landgärds christinmn@uia.no University of Agder, Faculty of Humanities and Education, Postboks 422, 4604 Kristiansand, Norway

Recent research has indicated global trends of decreasing teacher autonomy and increasing teacher accountability. Standardised national tests have been identified as one of many factors constraining teacher autonomy. Another trend influencing teachers’ scope of action is the profiling and branding of schools that compete for students. This qualitative case study concerns the general upper secondary level in Finland, the only level of education in the country with a high-stakes final examination—the matriculation exam. The upper secondary level is generally regarded as Finland’s most subject-focused level of education. In contrast to this subject-focused tradition, the case school for this research has developed a cross-curricular profile emphasising creativity, boundary crossing and an outward orientated approach. The study explores the teachers’ perceptions of how their autonomy is constrained in this context characterised by tensions between the cross-curricular school profile on one hand, and the subject-focused tradition and student evaluations on the other. Although one might expect these tensions to constrain teacher autonomy, the results show that the teachers, in fact, experience the cross-curricular school profile as increasing their individual autonomy. The study demonstrates that upper secondary teachers can experience extensive autonomy despite global trends of increasing teacher accountability and diminishing teacher autonomy.

External organizations offer schools projects with different content, so-called external school projects. This type of external projects is mainly implemented by people or an organization outside of the school. The projects may be within the framework of a nation's political aspirations. The educational goals of the projects are often far-reaching, focusing on personality or attitudes. This article questions whether external school projects can achieve such far-reaching goals. The aim of the research is to explore the views of young adults regarding how participating in an external project influenced them. In-depth interviewing were used when eleven young adults, at the time 25 years old, were asked about their opinions of an external project in entrepreneurship , implemented as an optional course, ten years after taking part. They were asked how they considered the course have influenced them, their choices and their attitudes. The statements of the informants show that the project had some long-term impact. The results of the research provide insight into whether an external temporary school project may have long-term educational values.