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  • 1.
    Agnafors, Marcus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Att tänka uppsats: Det vetenskapliga arbetets grundstruktur2019Book (Other academic)
    Abstract [sv]

    Det här är ingen vanlig uppsatshandbok. ATT TÄNKA UPPSATS stannar inte vid en genomgång av uppsatsens olika delar, utan ger läsaren en förståelse för kärnan i det vetenskapliga skrivandet och tänkandet. Med kunskap om det vetenskapliga arbetets grundstruktur - tänket bakom - är det lättare att förstå vilken roll de olika delarna i en uppsats spelar, och att bygga upp en uppsats av god vetenskaplig kvalitet.

    Genom att ta till sig det vetenskapliga tänket tidigt i utbildningen blir det möjligt att träna upp förmågan att arbeta med vetenskapliga texter redan innan det är dags för själva uppsatsskrivandet. För den som är bekant med hur vetenskapliga alster är uppbyggda är det lättare att kritiskt förhålla sig till befintlig vetenskaplig forskning, liksom till ovetenskapliga påståenden. Detta ger i sin tur också bättre förutsättningar att bli en skarp opponent och seminariedeltagare.

    ATT TÄNKA UPPSATS hämtar exempel från framför allt det samhällsvetenskapliga området, men tänket bakom uppsatsskrivandet är tillämpbart på de flesta utbildningar.

  • 2.
    Anderhag, Per
    et al.
    Stockholm Stad.
    Andrée, Maria
    Stockholms universitet .
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Knowledge Products from Close-To-Practice Research2024Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    ‘Close-to-practice research’ has received increased attention across the Nordic countries. Following the British Education Research Association (BERA), the notion of ‘close-to-practice research’ is used to refer to educational research that is based on problems in practice, often involves researchers working in partnership with practitioners in schools and addresses issues of relevance to practitioners. This roundtable focuses on how close-to-practice research can contribute to the knowledge base of the teaching profession by bringing together perspectives from didactics, school improvement and educational policy. More specifically, the interest is directed toward what characterizes the knowledge produced through practice-based research that may have significance for teachers' professional knowledge base and practice.

    The roundtable conversation builds on a previous analysis of what kinds of knowledge products are generated in didactic close-to-practice research where teachers and researchers work together within the research environment Stockholm Teaching & Learning Studies. As a result of this analysis a typology of knowledge products was proposed including: (i) descriptions of knowing, (ii) teaching design, (iii) didactic examples and (iv) methodological tools. It has been proposed that additional knowledge products may be developed, such as artifacts to be used in teaching (e.g. lesson plans, visual representations). The roundtable will include the following points of discussion: 1) a brief presentation of the typology, 2) challenging and developing the typology of knowledge products proposed by previous research by investigating different cases of close-to-practice research from traditions of action research and practice-developing research within subject-didactics, and 3) discussing how the notion of knowledge products may contribute to advancing the conversation on cumulativity in the field of educational research in general, and in relation to syntheses of close-to-practice research in particular. The participants will be engaged in conversations on the desirability and feasibility of striving towards cumulativity.

  • 3.
    Harling, Martin
    et al.
    Göteborgs universitet.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Product(-ive) education: schools and pupils at the market2015Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 4.
    Langelotz, Lill
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Löfstedt, Malin
    Uppsala universitet.
    Epilog – Didaktisk dialog i praktiken2021In: Didaktisk dialog i högre utbildning / [ed] Levinsson M., Langelotz, L. & Löfstedt, M., Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2021, p. 183-187Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 5.
    Langelotz, Lill
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Löfstedt, Malin
    Uppsala universitet.
    Inledning2021In: Didaktisk dialog i högre utbildning / [ed] Levinsson, M., Langelotz, L. & Löfstedt, M., Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2021, 1, p. 11-28Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 6.
    Langelotz, Lill
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT. University of Gothenburg, Department of Education and Special Education.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    How is teacher professionalism in Sweden shaped in an era of marketisation of teachers’ continuing professional development?2022In: Transforming the Future of Education: the Role of Reserach: AARE 2022 Conference in Adelaide 27/11-1/12, 2022Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    There is an international body of knowledge about teacher development in general as well as the potential problems with commercial actors in the CPD-field. Less is known about the CPD-content and the impact it has on teachers’ professionalism.  

    The aim of this paper is to investigate what types of teacher professionalism that a CPD-field dominated by commercial actors shape in Sweden. The starting point is an analysis of 679 invoices and the content (knowledge) offered on the CPD-market, and purchased under two years. The result is part of an ongoing research project funded by the Swedish Research Council (2020-2023).

    679 invoices from 73 schools were collected. The coding built on the extraction of information from the total set of invoices and on entering data into a statistic program file (SPSS) consisting of a multitude of variables – both deductively and inductively set. 

    A practice-ecological ontology, the theory of practice architectures (TPA) is adopted, to explore how CPD-practices shape teacher practices and teacher professionalism. CPD concerns changing peoples’ sayings-doings-relatings i.e. practices (like teaching). To analyse how the CPD-content shape Swedish teachers, teacher professionalism is here conceptualized as three constituent components: behavioural, attitudinal, and intellectual. These components are previously described as overlapping but analytically seperable. 

     The behavioural change, dominate. Teachers are supposed to develop various teaching skills related to for example computer-programs, to diagnose students and to meet students' reading-, mathematics- or communication- difficulties.  This CPD is part of a world-wide edu-tech-business.  

    The attitudinal component, where teachers’ attitudes are (to be) modified, is indeed visible in the data. Costs concern kick- off/summing-up-the-year activities, including conference-facilities, food, etc. The principal, teachers or the school health group are engaged in the content delivered. Teacher-collaboration, student-motivation or school-development etc. is focussed. Another CPD-content, overlapping attidunal and behavioural changes. Teachers are supposed to change their behaviour in relation to “problematic student behaviour” and diagnoses like ADHD. The intellectual component is not as frequent. Subject-specific CPD in Mathematics or Second Language Teaching is , however, purschased.  

    Next step in the project is teacher- and principal-interviews to investigate the experiences of and motives for the CPD purchased and, to get hold of the CPD that take place without generating any fees. and to trace the arangments that enable and/or constrain CPD-practices. The study is limited to three (of 278) municipalities in Sweden, both national and international studies would benefit the knowledge development

     

  • 7.
    Langelotz, Lill
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Beach, Dennis
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Following Invoices: Researching CPD Actors in a Marketized Field2020Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 8.
    Langelotz, Lill
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT. University of Gothenburg, Dep. of Education and Special Education.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Continuing Professional Development – a Threat to Teacher Professionalism2022In: AERA annual meeting San Diego 21-26 April 2022: Cultivating Equitable Education Systems for the 21st Century, 2022Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This paper asks following burning question: Where is a critical know-whyperspective on education, in teachers’ continuing professional development(CPD)? Point of departure is the first result of an ongoing (2020-2023)government funded research project in Sweden. A follow-the-money approachwas used to collect data. 1000 invoices, from three Swedish municipalities,were inductively analyzed and categorized. The results exposed how ethicalissues, climate crises, and social (in)justice are almost absent in the CPDcontentas is critical know-why professional knowledge. Framed by the notionof professionalism, we here further explore one of the municipalities anddiscuss fast policies imprint on local sites, the lack of cultivating know-whyknowledge, and how CPD might be a threat to teachers’ professionalism.

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  • 9. Levinsson, Magnus
    A phenomenological approach to the understanding of the link between conceptions and teaching practice.2008Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 10.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Bodily aspects of becoming and being a teacher2017Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 11.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Evidens och existens. Evidensbaserad undervisning i ljuset av lärares erfarenheter.2013Book (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    During the last decade there has been a strong focus on making teaching into an evidence-based profession. The idea of evidence-based practice itself has been widely debated over the years and has been criticized, primarily for its positivistic assumptions. The many controversies that have arisen have tended to reinforce the dualism between qualitative and quantitative research, and seem to have made educational researchers generally reluctant to deal with the notion of evidence-based education. Following on from this, there is an inherent risk that professionals in schools will not be given enough resources to cope with the new demands made on their work. In the present thesis, the suggested way forward in this matter is to study evidence-based practice in practice. The aim of this thesis is to study the opportunities and limitations associated with the different models of evidence-based practice that have been proposed, by exploring professionals’ experiences of using evidence-based teaching strategies in the classroom. Formative assessment is used as an example to open up for an empirical approach, since it has been repeatedly identified as an evidence-based strategy. The study was conducted within the context of a local development project aimed at improving formative assessment in an upper secondary school in Sweden. In total, six teachers, who represent a mixed group of subjects, participated. To explore the teachers’ experiences in this setting, the study was based on a phenomenological approach that emphasizes collaboration between researcher and participant. The themes of lived experience that are described in the thesis invalidate the “classical model” of evidence-based practice and its expectations about how evidence can and should be used by professionals. If one considers the complexities that the teachers encountered, it is hard to see how the use of research could be made more “linear”, or how practical guidelines can raise standards of achievement. Nevertheless, it is claimed that the lived examples contribute to the present efforts to adjust the principles of evidence-based practice to educational settings. Evidence-informed practice is discussed as an alternative model and proposed as a way forward. In conclusion, the need for the evidence-based practice movement to take “critical appraisal” into account, and encourage this kind of professionalism in teachers, is deeply emphasized.

  • 12. Levinsson, Magnus
    Evidens och lärares existens2011In: Undervisning och Existens / [ed] Silwa Claesson, Göteborg: Daidalos, 2011, Vol. s. 197-231, p. 197-231Chapter in book (Refereed)
  • 13.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Is there room for restrained teaching in OECDs conception of educational research?2009Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 14.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Kan och bör systematiska översikter adressera frågor om vad som är utbildningsmässigt önskvärt?2017In: Nordisk tidskrift för allmän didaktik, ISSN 2002-1534, Vol. 3, no 1, p. 86-92Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 15.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    Göteborgs Universitet.
    Kartläggning och sammanställning av forskning i Norden2015Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Föreliggande studie undersöker vilka format för kartläggning och sammanställning av forskning som tillämpas i Norden. Vidare utforskas formatens relevans för Skolforskningsinstitutets uppdrag. Sammantaget har kartläggningar och sammanställningar från sex mäklarorganisationer inom utbildning, socialt arbete, samt medicin- och hälsoområdet studerats. Resultaten visar att de identifierade formaten i huvudsak bygger på en aggregativ metodik vilken i första hand är tillämpbar på frågor om hur väl olika arbetssätt och metoder fungerar. Denna inriktning utesluter stora delar av den forskning som bedrivs inom det utbildningsvetenskapliga fältet och bedöms därmed ha begränsad relevans för Skolforskningsinstitutets uppdrag. Utgångspunkten har varit att det krävs forskning från flera olika discipliner och områden för att kunna ge lärare goda förutsättningar att planera, genomföra och utvärdera verksamheten i skolan och förskolan. En viktig slutsats är därmed att Skolforskningsinstitutet behöver utveckla format för kartläggning och sammanställning som är anpassade till såväl utbildningsvetenskaplig forskning som praktik inom skolans och förskolans område.

  • 16.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Kartläggning och sammanställning av forskning i Norden2015Report (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Föreliggande studie undersöker vilka format för kartläggning och sammanställning av forskning som tillämpas i Norden. Vidare utforskas formatens relevans för Skolforskningsinstitutets uppdrag. Sammantaget har kartläggningar och sammanställningar från sex mäklarorganisationer inom utbildning, socialt arbete, samt medicin- och hälsoområdet studerats. Resultaten visar att de identifierade formaten i huvudsak bygger på en aggregativ metodik vilken i första hand är tillämpbar på frågor om hur väl olika arbetssätt och metoder fungerar. Denna inriktning utesluter stora delar av den forskning som bedrivs inom det utbildningsvetenskapliga fältet och bedöms därmed ha begränsad relevans för Skolforskningsinstitutets uppdrag. Utgångspunkten har varit att det krävs forskning från flera olika discipliner och områden för att kunna ge lärare goda förutsättningar att planera, genomföra och utvärdera verksamheten i skolan och förskolan. En viktig slutsats är därmed att Skolforskningsinstitutet behöver utveckla format för kartläggning och sammanställning som är anpassade till såväl utbildningsvetenskaplig forskning som praktik inom skolans och förskolans område.

  • 17.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Kartläggning och sammanställning av forskning i Norden2015In: Forskning och skola i samverkan. Kartläggningar av forskningsresultat med relevans för praktiskt arbete i skolväsendet. / [ed] Cristina Robertson & Eva Björck, Stockholm: Vetenskapsrådet , 2015, p. 42-46Chapter in book (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Kartläggningar av forskningsresultat med relevans för praktiskt arbete i skolväsendet

    Regeringen gav den 21 november 2013 Vetenskapsrådet i uppdrag att svara för genomförandet av validerade kartläggningar av svenska och internationella forsknings­resultat med relevans för skolväsendet. I denna redovisning av regeringsuppdraget beskrivs hur SKOLFORSK-projektet har genomförts samt de frågeställningar, resultat och rekommendationer som redovisats inom de sexton olika delprojekten.

    Processen från teori till praktik beskrivs ofta som ett linjärt förlopp, där relevant och tillförlitlig forskning förutsätts bli producerad och sammanställd, spridd till och rationellt utnyttjad av lärare i skolan i syfte att förbättra elevresultaten i skolan. Sammantaget visar studierna inom SKOLFORSK på en komplex bild av detta skeende och som utmanar den linjära spridningsmetaforen. God förståelse för komplexiteten i samspelet mellan teori och praktik, och dess olika aktörer inom utbildningssektorn, är en grundförutsättning för att Skolforskningsinstitutet ska kunna arbeta så att förändringsarbetet verkligen leder till förbättrade resultat i svensk skola.

    Mot slutet denna redovisning sammanfattas forskarnas rekommendationer till Skolforskningsinstitutet. Samtliga sexton delprojektsammanfattningar är också bilagda. Fullständig rapport från respektive delprojekt inom SKOLFORSK publiceras separat på Vetenskapsrådets webbplats (vr.se) våren 2015.

  • 18.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Lärandematriser för alla?2020In: Inkluderande lärmiljöer: Kompetens för likvärdig utbildning i ett demokratiskt samhälle / [ed] Lill Langelotz & Elisabeth Persson, Stockholm: Ifous , 2020Chapter in book (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Ytterligare en undersökning där barns röster bidrar till kunskapsutvecklingen om inkluderande lärmiljöer utifrån ett didaktiskt perspektiv är studien Lärandematriser för alla? som Magnus Levinsson har genomfört. Syftet med studien är att undersöka huruvida undervisning som bygger på så kallade lärandematriser bidrar till inkluderande lärmiljöer sett ur ett elevperspektiv. Tidigare forskning visar att formativ användning av matriser kan förbättra elevers skolprestationer och att elever kan uppleva matriser som ett positivt inslag i klassrumsarbetet eftersom förväntningar klargörs och oron inför uppgifter kan minska. Huruvida matriser också kan bidra till inkluderande lärmiljöer i enlighet med FoUprogrammets definition av inkludering tycks vara mindre utforskat. Studien fokuserar högstadieelevers erfarenheter av undervisning i olika ämnen där lärandematriser utgör ett centralt pedagogiskt verktyg. I resultatet som baseras på fokusgrupps- och individuella intervjuer av elever identifieras fyra teman – Matriser ger ökad tydlighet; Matriser för att stämma av betyg; Matriser riskerar att färga lärandet; Matriser som verktyg för social reproduktion – som belyser möjligheter och begräsningar för matriser att främja inkluderande lärmiljöer i skolan.

  • 19.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Problem med läraren som forskningsanvändare2012Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 20.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Skolforskningsinstitutet, konfigurativa översikter och undervisningens komplexitet2018In: Pedagogisk forskning i Sverige, ISSN 1401-6788, E-ISSN 2001-3345, p. 1-20Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Kraven på evidensbaserad utbildning har drivit fram en rad initiativ som avser att minska det förmodade gapet mellan forskning, politik och praktik. Bland dessa initiativ finns etableringen av särskilda organisationer—så kallade mäklarorganisationer—med uppgift att syntetisera resultaten av utbildningsvetenskaplig forskning. I Sverige har Skolforskningsinstitutet inrättats för att genomföra systematiska översikter inom skolans och förskolans område. Skolforskningsinstitutet ska ge lärare bättre förutsättningar att undervisa med stöd av vetenskapligt underbyggda metoder och arbetssätt. Kritiker hävdar dock att mäklarorganisationer överlag prioriterar aggregativa översikter för att utvärdera effekterna av interventioner och att denna inriktning är mindre passande för komplexa områden som utbildning. I ljuset av Skolforskningsinstitutets uppdrag och den kritik som riktats mot systematiska översikter argumenterar jag i denna artikel för att institutets verksamhet bör inbegripa konfigurativa översikter. Konfigurativa översikter skulle ge Skolforskningsinstitutet bättre möjligheter att genomföra sitt uppdrag, framförallt eftersom konfigurativa format kan utarbetas för att: (1) understödja omdömen om vad som är utbildningsmässigt önskvärt; (2) inkludera studier från praktikutvecklande ansatser; samt (3) förmedla kunskap med potential att spela en kritisk roll i undervisningen.

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  • 21.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Slutreplik på två vitt skilda läsningar2017In: Nordisk tidskrift för allmän didaktik, ISSN 2002-1534, Vol. 3, no 1, p. 101-104Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 22.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Synthesising knowledge products from close-to-practice research2024Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Syntheses of research is key to the development and cumulativity of scientific knowledge in most fields (Bohlin, 2010; Eisenhart, 2008). However, it is contested whether syntheses of close-to-practice research in education require the application of formal methods, such as the approaches developed within the systematic review movement, based on the following arguments: (1) Syntheses of close-to-practice research are mainly carried out informally within the field and are integrated into the knowledge production of primary studies, as for example when the findings of previous studies form the basis for and are related to the findings of another study; (2) The production of and availability to knowledge from close-to-practice research in education is too poor compared to many other fields, such as the clinical trials within medicine, to justify the development and use of formal synthesis methods (Levinsson, 2019). However, the push for evidence-based practice in education has led to a range of initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between research and practice. Among these are the establishment of so-called ‘brokerage agencies’ with a mission to synthesise the findings of educational research (Sundberg, 2009). Previous research indicates that brokerage agencies conduct systematic reviews that tend to subordinate the outcomes of close-to-practice research to an aggregative synthesis logic or exclude it by default on the basis of predefined evidence hierarchies and quality assessments that prioritise randomised control trials to measure the impact of interventions (Levinsson & Prøitz, 2017). However, this means that the systematic review movement in education thereby might limit the potential contribution of close-to-practice research to teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. This tendency underscores the need of formal synthesis methods specifically developed for close-to-practice research. Drawing on the typology of knowledge products, suggested by Anderhag et al. (2023), this paper argues that configurative reviews (Gough et al., 2012) are more suitable for synthesising complex bodies of knowledge generated from close-to-practice research. The paper considers the four different kinds of knowledge products as a starting point for developing configurative reviews for different strands of close-to-practice research, and further illustrates how each knowledge product might require specific configurative approaches and techniques. 

  • 23.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Utvecklingsledare på vetenskaplig grund: Spänningsfälten mellan evidensbaserad praktik och aktionsforskning2011In: Pedagogisk forskning i Sverige, ISSN 1401-6788, E-ISSN 2001-3345, Vol. 16:4, s. 241-263, p. 241-263Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    I Sverige liksom i flera andra länder finns det från politiskt håll en klar önskan om att göra läraryrket till en forskningsbaserad profession. I detta sam-manhang lyfts utvecklingsledare, som ofta är verksamma forskare inom utbildnings-området, fram som betydelsefulla. Flera studier visar att utvecklingsledare är av betydelse för att lärare ska kunna dra nytta av forskningsresurser i deras arbete med skolutveckling. I debatter om denna fråga går dock åsikterna isär om på vilket sätt utvecklingsledare ska stödja lärare. Idén om evidensbaserad praktik respektive idén om aktionsforskning bidrar med två sinsemellan olika skolutvecklingsmodeller som båda betonar utvecklingsledares samarbete med lärare. Ska utvecklingsledare fram-för allt förmedla evidensbaserade undervisningsstrategier till lärare eller ska utveck-lingsledare främst handleda lärares aktionsforskning i skolan? I politiska förslag, såväl nationellt som internationellt, förefaller det som att skillnaderna mellan dessa båda forskningstraditioner av någon anledning ofta förbi-ses. Aktionsforskning ses i utbildningspolitiken främst som en resurs för att öka användningen av forskningsresultat. Vissa politiker tar för givet att aktionsforsk-ning förbättrar lärares förmåga att tillämpa evidens i klassrumspraktiken. I England har till exempel aktionsforskning kommit att passas in i reformer som avser att stödja utvecklingen av evidensbaserad praktik, och det rådande utbildningspolitiska klimatet i Sverige gör det tänkbart att aktionsforskning kan komma att få en motsvarande roll. Frågan som ställs i denna artikel är om den kritiska aktionsforskningstraditionen i så fall kan bidra till kulturer av evidensbaserad praktik bland pedagogiskt yrkes-verksamma i Sverige. I artikeln diskuteras denna fråga efter en undersökning av de konsekvenser som evidensbaserad praktik respektive kritisk aktionsforskning tänk-bart kan få för utvecklingsledares arbete. Mot bakgrund av en jämförelse av de skilda krav som dessa båda idétraditioner ställer på just utvecklingsledare framstår de politiska förslagen som högst problematiska. Avslutningsvis poängteras utvecklingsledares behov av alternativa förhållningssätt som tillåter pedagogisk forskning att spela flera olika roller i skolutvecklingen.

  • 24.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Foran, Andrew
    St. Francis Xavier University, Canada.
    Editorial: Being and Becoming a Teacher in Neoliberal Times2020In: Phenomenology & Practice, E-ISSN 1913-4711, Vol. 14, no 1, p. 1-6Article in journal (Other academic)
  • 25.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Hallström, H
    Claesson, Silwa
    Problems in developing formative assessment: A physics teacher's lived experiences of putting the ideas into practice2013In: Assessment Matters, ISSN 1176-7839, E-ISSN 2230-617X, Vol. 5, p. 116-142Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    In Sweden, systematic reviews have prompted a strong government focus on implementing formative assessment in science and mathematics education. However, the intention behind this investment—to improve Sweden’s position in TIMSS and PISA—appears to overlook the difficulty of putting research into practice. The purpose of this study is to explore the problems associated with incorporating formative assessment into classroom work by focusing on the experiences of a physics teacher who participated in a local development project in an upper secondary school in Sweden. The case study is based on a phenomenological approach which emphasises collaboration between researcher and participant, and five different themes of lived experience are described as a result of joint interpretations: (1) resistance from the students; (2) stuck in formal teacher roles; (3) sacrifices to bring about change; (4) avoiding risks in the classroom; and (5) worries about the opinion of others. These lived-through dimensions deepen our understanding of the barriers which some teachers face and carry implications for the support they need. Finally, this article points out the challenge for the systematic review movement in Sweden, and elsewhere, to incorporate and communicate the different strands of research on formative assessment.

  • 26.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Gothenburg.
    Hallström, Henrik
    Science education: based on evidence or on a commitment to ’bildung’?2010Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 27.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Hogedal, Liselott
    Liberg, Caroline
    Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för pedagogik, didaktik och utbildningsstudier.
    Nemeth, Ulrika
    Tyrén, Lena
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Fixar Läsfixarna läsningen?2017In: Undersöka och utveckla undervisning: Professionell utveckling för lärare / [ed] Jonas Almqvist, Karim Hamza, Anette Olin, Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2017, p. 31-48Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 28.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Langelotz, Lill
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    'Making' a research user: Teacher de-professionalization in the name of educational research2017Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    Over the past two decades there has been a strong push for evidence-based inclusive education. As an example, the European Union has co-funded projects that aim to develop the potential of evidence-based practice in inclusive educational approaches in schools across Europe. Critics emphasise, however, that there are democratic deficits in the evidence-based approach. One main argument is that the idea of evidence-based practice provides a framework for the role of research in educational practice that not only restricts educational decision-making to questions about ‘what works’, but also restricts the opportunities for participation in educational decision-making. It is emphasised that teachers have to be involved in continuing professional development as autonomous professionals to enhance the teaching and learning practice. The evidence-based practice movement has been regarded by numerous critics as a major threat to teacher professionalism that undermines efforts to increase teacher autonomy. The consequences of adopting an evidence-based approach have, however, not been the subject of much empirical research. The many controversies that have arisen between proponents and opponents have mainly taken place on a theoretical level.

    This study goes beyond previous controversies by investigating evidence-based inclusive education in practice. The study draws on data from an EU-financed education project aimed at implementing and developing evidence-based inclusive teaching strategies at the primary school level in five countries in Europe. In Sweden, one municipality took part in this project. Two project leaders, two school psychologists, three principals and sixteen teachers working at three different primary schools in the municipality were involved. One of the main purposes in the EU-project was to educate teachers on inclusive teaching strategies via education interventions (i.e. continuing professional development). Two researchers (the authors of this paper) were involved in continuous evaluative contract research ordered by the municipality to explore what kind of professional learning practices were constituted in the project, and how these practices promoted or impeded the development of inclusive teaching practices.

    In this paper, we present the part of this study that focuses on how the professional learning practices influenced teachers’ participation in educational decision-making.

    The study takes its point of departure in the practice theory terrain and more specifically in the theory of practice architectures. A practice is, from this point of view, an organised nexus of actions such as ‘sayings-and-doings’. Added to these actions is, according to the theory of practice architectures, ‘relatings’. People talk, act and relate to one another in certain ways in a site. These specific sayings-doings-relatings constitute a practice. Furthermore, a practice is historically, culturally, socially, politically and discursively constituted and it is enabled and constrained by its cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements. The arrangements constitute the architectures of practices, although practices are not seen as determined by the arrangements: participants have an agency and the power to change practices. The theory is understood and used as an ontological, epistemological, methodological and analytical resource.

     

    Method

    According to the study’s theoretical point of departure, ethnographic methods have been adopted. The analysis mainly draws on data from participative observations of: - professional learning practices - teaching practices - practices of meetings: continuous meetings between project leaders and researchers (the authors) focusing on the progress of the development project.

    The first practice observed was organised as a continuing professional development practice. The project leaders planned and took responsibility for the content. Sixteen teachers from three different schools were gathered on six half-days over four months. These half-day sessions focused on conveying inclusive teaching strategies related to domains such as meta-cognition, peer-learning, formative assessment and learning styles. In view of the lessons learned from similar projects, the teachers were encouraged by the project leaders to make up their own action plans based on inclusive strategies which they had found particularly interesting.The teachers discussed their views on the different types of action suggested and how these strategies could be combined with specific techniques and materials to meet student needs and to develop more inclusive teaching practices. In total, six half-day sessions were observed. 

    The second professional learning practice was formalised as collegial learning aimed at follow up individual teaching (to put their action plans into practice) in the context of their local school.Taking part in these follow-up sessions were researchers, school psychologists, teachers from the local school, the principal and one project leader. The aim was to provide teachers with feedback on how they had implemented their action plans. In total, four follow-up sessions were observed at one of the participating schools. 

    Field notes were made by both authors and used for joint reflections and first analyses. Some of these reflections were discussed continuously with the project leaders as part of the contract between the municipality and the university. Some document material was also analysed. This included material such as PPT-files and PDF-documents that, among other things, contain information about the EU-project, the different inclusive teaching strategies promoted and various teacher assignments performed in the project.

    The theory of practice architectures has been used as a lens in the analyses of the empirical material to explore what enabled and constrained teachers’ possibilities of participating in educational decision-making. The analyses of the empirical material have been conducted by the authors as a team and any disagreement has been resolved by discussion.

    Result

    The results show how teachers’ possibilities for acting as autonomous professionals in the practices of professional learning were constrained in numerous different ways. One of the strongest constraints for the teachers’ possibilities for professional learning was the nature of the EU-project. The epistemological approach (cultural-discursive arrangement) in the project was clearly instrumental, which ultimately made teachers into research consumers rather than autonomous contributors to the practices of professional learning. As an example, the project leaders continuously had to report to the project owner (an EU-organisation) the progress of the education intervention, which explicitly was supposed to contribute to the knowledge-base on ‘what works’ in inclusive education. The project leaders expressed that they felt pressure to show ‘good results’ when reporting back. This focus on finding out what works, within in a limited time-frame (6 month [material-economic arrangements]), appeared to hinder any other approach to enhance inclusive teaching practices. When the teachers tried to discuss and problematize the meaning of ‘inclusion for all pupils’ they were fed with pre-defined inclusion concepts and evidence-based inclusive teaching strategies derived from the literature included in the EU-project. Consequently, the teachers’ experiences and knowledge of how inclusive teaching and learning practices might be formed were not asked for. Furthermore, the researchers (the authors) were several times used to justify the chosen approach. The project leaders turned to the researchers to confirm the evidence-based claims made during the half-day sessions. Even though the researchers tried, they found it extremely difficult to promote a completely different kind of professional learning practice within this context (social-political arrangements), and that is partly why this paper characterises the development project as ‘teacher de-professionalisation in the name of educational research’.

  • 29.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Langelotz, LillUniversity of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.Löfstedt, MalinUppsala universitet.
    Didaktisk dialog i högre utbildning2021Collection (editor) (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 30.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    A Neuro-Educational Ideal on the Market of Continuing Professional Development for Teachers; Characteristics,Consequences and Critique2023Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 31.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Den samtida diskursen om hjärnans betydelse i utbildning: Analys av artikel i en lärarfacklig tidning.2017Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Filosofen Ian Hacking (2004) har med en kritisk hållning utsett det första århundradet av 2000-talet till ’hjärnans århundrade’. Med detta tycks följa en stärkt diskurs om hjärnans betydelse inte bara i allmänhet utan också i utbildning. Parallellt med denna löper diskursen om elevers försämrade kunskaper. Givet detta är syftet med vår presentation att bidra med en kritisk förståelse för, och analys av, hur elevers bristande lärande konstrueras som ett neurobiologiskt fenomen och vilka åtgärder som föreslås utifrån detta.

    Som utgångspunkt för vår analys har vi en strategiskt vald artikel ur Lärarnas tidning. I artikeln görs det en stor poäng av att lärare behöver mer kunskap om tonårshjärnan för att kunna anpassa undervisningen efter just dessa elevers specifika behov och på så vis förbättra villkoren för deras lärande. För analysen har vi vänt oss till diskursanalytikern Norman Fairclough (2003) och följt en av flera av dennes övergripande analysnycklar. Denna hjälper oss att exempelvis visa i vilka nätverk av sociala praktiker som det aktuella fenomenet är placerat och uppstår. Vårt angreppssätt inkluderar en transitivitetsanalys byggd på systemisk-funktionell lingvistik (SFL). Med ett särskilt fokus på den ideationella metafunktionen undersöks hur erfarenheter framställs, vilka aktörer och aktiviteter som är inblandade och vilka omständigheterna är kring dessa aktiviteter.

    Genom detta angreppssätt är vår ambition att förstå hur problemet med elevers bristande lärande är rotat i hur vårt sociala liv är ordnat, det vill säga vad som avgör att man idag letar förklaringar till ett framställt problem i neurologiska företeelser snarare än i didaktiska eller ideologiska. Den status som hjärnforskning har i förhållande till pedagogisk forskning tycks innebära en maktförskjutning som medför att forskare inom pedagogik och didaktik marginaliseras i den aktuella debatten om skolan. Nya fynd inom hjärnforskningen lyfts fram av olika intressenter som lösningen på elevernas sjunkande kunskapsresultat, dock utan att relatera dessa fynd till mer grundläggande pedagogiska och didaktiska frågor. I vår presentation drar vi slutsatser kring vad resultatet innebär för lärare, elever och underv

  • 32.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    En samtida diskurs om hjärnans betydelse för undervisning och lärande: Kritisk analys av artiklar i lärarfackliga tidskrifter2018In: Utbildning och Lärande / Education and Learning, ISSN 2001-4554, p. 7-25Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The aim of this article is to shed light on 1) how representatives of a certain research field, i.e. neuroscience, view problems in the classroom and 2) how and by whom these problems should be addressed. This is done through a critical discourse analysis of four strategically selected articles published in two teacher union journals where neuroscientifically oriented researchers and teachers are interviewed about the potential of brain-based education. Our analysis follows five steps. Firstly, we identify how the problem of learning is constructed by neuroscientists and teacher union journals in combination and, secondly, what measures are suggested as appropriate to address the problem. In a third step, we identify the network of practices in which interviewed neuroscientists make up the hub. Towards the end, we report the inconsistencies and gaps emerging from the analysis and reflect on potential methodological problems. The overall conclusion is that representatives of neuroscience apply brain research to teaching and learning in ways that de-professionalise teachers.

  • 33.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Beach, Dennis
    University of Borås, Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business. University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    National-Authority-Endorsed Privatisation of Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development in Sweden2024Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This article reveals national-authority-endorsed privatisation of teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) in the wake of a shift towards more centralised national interventions in Swedish schools. Drawing on data from the Collaboration for Best School (CBS) initiative, the context of the article is a recent state programme that encourages underperforming schools to collaborate with the Swedish National Agency for Education (SNAE) to raise students’ achievement standards and thereby increase equality within and between schools. Guided by meta-governance theory, our analysis revealed that SNAE operates as a meta-governor on behalf of the state to replace university researchers as CPD providers with specific private-sector actors. The results provide evidence of SNAE-enabled substitution processes through three network governance strategies: 1) hidden and authorised substitution, 2) trust building and hybrid participation, and 3) collective reproduction and solutionism. Taken together, these governance strategies reflect national-authority-endorsed privatisation in action, suggesting that SNAE primarily operates as an ideology-driven conduit for private economic interests. The article concludes with a call for new collaborative and autonomous implementation strategies for teachers’ CPD that can further the interests of the teaching profession.

  • 34.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Beach, Dennis
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Teacher Educators in Neoliberal Times: A Phenomenological Self-Study2020In: Phenomenology & Practice, E-ISSN 1913-4711, Vol. 14, no 1, SI, p. 7-23Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    In Sweden, and most Western countries, pervasive neoliberal policies have dramatically transformed the entire education sector in a matter of decades. As teacher educators, we have experienced how neoliberal currents have pushed Swedish teacher education towards a teacher training paradigm which may risk undermining the foundations for professional judgement. Moreover, the Bologna Process and the introduction of New Public Management have had significant consequences for what it means to be a teacher educator. In this study, we present our everyday experiences of being teacher educators, immersed in a teacher education culture in Sweden which has evolved under the pressures of neoliberalism. To address these complex lived experiences, we engaged in a phenomenological first-person account. Three main themes emerged from an analysis of lived experience descriptions: (a) Alignment Slaves; (b) Audit Puppets; (c) Techno Phobes. These themes reflect different lived dimensions of being teacher educators confronted with neoliberal agendas. The paper concludes with a call for resistance to bring about change within teacher education.

  • 35.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Johansson, Jonas
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    En samtida diskurs om betydelsen av fysisk aktivitet för undervisning och lärande: Kritisk analys av artiklar i lärarfackliga tidskrifter.2022In: Nordic Studies in Education, ISSN 1891-5914, E-ISSN 1891-5949, Vol. 42, no 3, p. 249-271Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    This article explores how teacher union journals in Sweden construct (1) problems related to teaching and learning assumed to be caused by pupils’ physical inactivity, and (2) solutions regarding how and by whom these problems should be addressed. This is done through a critical discourse analysis of four strategically selected articles published in two teacher union journals where researchers, physicians, school leaders and teachers are interviewed about the potential of more physical activity in schools. The overall conclusion is that the examined teacher union journal articles connect physical activity to teaching and learning in ways that de-professionalise teachers.

    Download full text (pdf)
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  • 36.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Norlund, Anita
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Langelotz, Lill
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Innehåll och pedagogiska diskurser på lärares kompetensutvecklingsmarknad: en studie av insatser som genererar fakturor2022In: Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Syftet med den här artikeln är att bidra med fördjupad kunskap om innehållet i lärares kompetensutveckling i en decentraliserad utbildningssektor. Specifikt fokus riktas mot hur innehållet i denna kompetensutveckling relaterar till lärares undervisningsuppdrag att utveckla såväl kunskaper som värderingar hos elever. Artikeln tar sin utgångspunkt 679 kompetensutvecklingsfakturor från tre socio-ekonomiskt olika kommuner i Sverige. Teoretiskt är studien baserad i Bernsteins fenomen pedagogisk diskurs, som i sin tur bidrar med de analytiska begreppen instruktionell och regulativ diskurs vilka har styrt analysen av fakturamaterialet. Resultatet åskådliggör i vilken grad kompetensutvecklingsinnehållet orienteras mot ämneskunskaper och generella kompetenser (instruktionell diskurs) respektive det som rör elevers värderingar (regulativ diskurs). Vidare illustrerar resultatet flera samband mellan kompetensutvecklingens diskursiva inriktning, skolform (grundskola och gymnasium) och typ av kompetensutvecklingsaktör. Analysen visar också att innehållet i lärares kompetensutveckling karaktäriseras av att lärare uppmuntras att inta en intraindividuell förändringsambition i relation till sina elever och inte av en ambition om intergruppförändring, det vill säga med syfte att utjämna skillnader mellan sociologiskt definierade grupper.

  • 37.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Prøitz, Tine
    The (non-)use of configurative reviews in education2015Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The variety and use of different methods for systematic reviews has increased in Europe over the last decades, not least when it comes to syntheses of qualitative research. In education, this development appears to include a shift in focus from aggregative to configurative reviews. Although most reviews contain elements of both aggregation and configuration to some degree, there are substantial differences between these two approaches when it comes to philosophical underpinnings, methodology and outcome. In this paper we present an investigation of how this shift is characterised in leading literature within the field of education. Further, we explore and discuss the shift compared with the results of interview data and content analysis of systematic review reports. The main purpose of this study is to highlight important issues concerning the further development of systematic review within the field of education. We discuss the barriers and benefits of using systematic reviews within education and provide some pointers on necessary methodological development to enhance the usability and relevance of systematic reviewing in education.

  • 38.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Prøitz, Tine
    Nordisk institutt for studier av innovasjon, forskning og utdanning.
    Why the Swedish Institute for Educational Research must contribute to the development and the use of configurative reviews2016Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 39.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Prøitz, Tine S.
    The (non-)use of configurative reviews in education2017In: Education Inquiry, E-ISSN 2000-4508Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The push for evidence-based practice in education has led to a range of initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between research, policy and practice. Among these are the establishment of brokerage agencies with a mission to synthesise the findings of educational research. This development has been the subject of extensive controversy over the last decades. Critics emphasise that brokerage agencies in most fields prioritise experimental designs that measure the impact of interventions. However, the use of different methods for systematic reviews has increased over the last decade. In education, this development has included a growing interest in configurative reviews. Configurative approaches have been promoted as suitable for synthesising complex bodies of research and for pursuing questions that go beyond what works. This study explores the use of configurative reviews in two brokerage agencies that acknowledge the need to work with different kinds of reviews in education. However, the overall result shows that configurative reviews are rarely used. Less distinctive configurative elements can be identified in many reviews, but generally they operate within the frame of the conventional methodology and tend to be subordinated to an aggregative logic. These findings are discussed as threats to the relevance and quality of systematic reviewing in education.

  • 40.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Wahlqvist, Björn
    Gustavsson, Susanne
    Aspelin, Jonas
    Hasic, Janna
    Mekatronik för alla?2019In: Didaktisk utvecklingdialog: Lärares och skolledares professionella utveckling / [ed] Anette Olin, Jonas Almqvist , Karim Hamza & Lisbeth Gyllander Torkildsen, Lund: Studentlitteratur AB, 2019, 1:1, p. 103-120Chapter in book (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 41. Lillejord, Sølvi
    et al.
    Lindblad, Sverker
    Pettersson, Daniel
    Popkewitz, Thomas S.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Prøitz, Tine
    On Systemic Research Reviews and the Politics of Knowledge in Education2015Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 42.
    Norlund, Anita
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Den samtida diskursen om hjärnans betydelse i utbildning – analys av artikel i en lärarfacklig tidning.2017Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [sv]

    Den samtida diskursen om hjärnans betydelse i utbildning –

    analys av artikel i en lärarfacklig tidning

    Magnus Levinsson & Anita Norlund

    Filosofen Ian Hacking (2004) har med en kritisk hållning utsett det första århundradet av 2000-talet till ’hjärnans århundrade’. Med detta tycks följa en stärkt diskurs om hjärnans betydelse inte bara i allmänhet utan också i utbildning. Parallellt med denna löper diskursen om elevers försämrade kunskaper. Givet detta är syftet med vår presentation att bidra med en kritisk förståelse för, och analys av, hur elevers bristande lärande konstrueras som ett neurobiologiskt fenomen och vilka åtgärder som föreslås utifrån detta.

    Som utgångspunkt för vår analys har vi en strategiskt vald artikel ur Lärarnas tidning. I artikeln görs det en stor poäng av att lärare behöver mer kunskap om tonårshjärnan för att kunna anpassa undervisningen efter just dessa elevers specifika behov och på så vis förbättra villkoren för deras lärande. För analysen har vi vänt oss till diskursanalytikern Norman Fairclough (2003) och följt en av flera av dennes övergripande analysnycklar. Denna hjälper oss att exempelvis visa i vilka nätverk av sociala praktiker som det aktuella fenomenet är placerat och uppstår. Vårt angreppssätt inkluderar en transitivitetsanalys byggd på systemisk-funktionell lingvistik (SFL). Med ett särskilt fokus på den ideationella metafunktionen undersöks hur erfarenheter framställs, vilka aktörer och aktiviteter som är inblandade och vilka omständigheterna är kring dessa aktiviteter.

    Genom detta angreppssätt är vår ambition att förstå hur problemet med elevers bristande lärande är rotat i hur vårt sociala liv är ordnat, det vill säga vad som avgör att man idag letar förklaringar till ett framställt problem i neurologiska företeelser snarare än i didaktiska eller ideologiska. Den status som hjärnforskning har i förhållande till pedagogisk forskning tycks innebära en maktförskjutning som medför att forskare inom pedagogik och didaktik marginaliseras i den aktuella debatten om skolan. Nya fynd inom hjärnforskningen lyfts fram av olika intressenter som lösningen på elevernas sjunkande kunskapsresultat, dock utan att relatera dessa fynd till mer grundläggande pedagogiska och didaktiska frågor. I vår presentation drar vi slutsatser kring vad resultatet innebär för lärare, elever och undervisning och vad som skulle behövas för att åstadkomma eventuella förändringar.

  • 43.
    Norlund, Anita
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Ett neuropedagogiskt ideal på lärares kompetensutvecklingsmarknad.: Kännetecken, konsekvenser och kritik.2023In: Nordisk Tidskrift för Allmän Didaktik, Vol. 9, no 1, p. 1-18Article in journal (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    The aim of this article is to examine the increased focus on neuroeducational content in teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) and to further explore its characteristics and consequences for teaching. The empirical material is based on 236 invoices representing CPD and other material that followed from extended studies of, primarily, identified CPD actors’ webpages. The cluster of characteristics is presented as a pedagogic modality based on concepts and phenomena from the sociologist of education Basil Bernstein; selection, organization, evaluation, classification and framing. The pedagogic modality is finally discussed, and critiqued, not least regarding its consequences for teachers and students. The overall conclusion is that a neuroeducational modality brings several potential risks, not least concerning conditions for teachers and students. 

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  • 44.
    Norlund, Anita
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Fakturan, fortbildningen och forskningen2023Conference paper (Refereed)
  • 45.
    Norlund, Anita
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Förenklingar, myter och tveksam nytta2018In: Pedagogiska Magasinet, ISSN 1401-3320, Vol. 1, no 0705795736Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
    Abstract [sv]

    Lärare översköljs av uppmaningar om att lära sig mer om hjärnan. Men neuropedagogiken är problematisk för skolan, skriver forskarna Anita Norlund och Magnus Levinsson.

  • 46.
    Norlund, Anita
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Hjärnan är komplex, men tydligen inte undervisningen2018In: Biologen, no 2Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.))
  • 47.
    Norlund, Anita
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Langelotz, Lill
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Unpacking the Special Educational Needs Industry: Voices from Invoices2022Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

     Already ten years ago Tomlinson (2012) spoke of the “rise of the expanded and expensive SEN [Special Educational Needs] industry”(p. 75). In this paper, we explore the SEN industry on a continuing professional development (CPD) market for teachers in Sweden. This market seems to well meet the exaggerated importance of teachers’ CPD. Such an exaggeration is a highly globalized phenomenon and thus, we argue, of high significance to the research community (cf Kennedy, 2014). International studies reveal clear evidence of an increasing state-encouraged marketization and privatisation of teacher CPD. Characteristic of this development is that companies establish and profile themselves on the market by selling solutions and improvements aligned with current policy discourses – a dimension of the ongoing privatisation of the education sector that Ball (2009) calls “organisational recalibration” (p. 84).

    A recent estimation is that about 25 000 commercial actors operate within the Swedish education sector (It-pedagogen, 2021) and previous research exemplifies how some of these “edupreneurs” offer CPD packages to schools and teachers, which in many cases can be linked to policy trends (Forsberg & Wermke, 2012; Player-Koro & Beach, 2017). Over the past decade, there has been a flood of governmental initiatives in Sweden offering various forms of professional development programs for teachers – as for example the ‘Special Educator Initiative’ – and commercial actors seem to pick up the discourses of these policy reforms and develop their businesses accordingly (Ideland et al., 2020; Levinsson & Norlund, 2018). Ideland et al. (2020) illustrate “how companies enact spaces of business possibilities made up through discourses of ‘schools in crisis’ and policy reforms” (p. 85). However, what characterizes dicsourses in the content descriptions of CPD offered at a commersialised CPD-market – and how this might influence SEN-oriented practices – needs further investigation. 

    In this paper, we present results from the ongoing project Following invoices – finding professional learning (the Invoice Project), funded by the Swedish Research Council. The overall aim in the project is to deepen the understanding of teacher learning, in times when different stakeholders try to control and impact on education and teachers’ work.  

    We started the project by “following the money” (Ball, 2012) in three municipalities in Sweden and analyzed a multitude of invoices concerning teachers’ professional development. One of the results, so far, is the fact that the CPD market in Sweden to great extent offers content with a SEN focus. 37 % of the collected invoices relate to SEN content. 

    The aim of this paper is to unpack prevalent SEN-oriented discourses on the CPD market and to discuss the possible impact these may have on various educational practices, such as professional learning and teaching practices. From a practice-oriented perspective educational practices are interdependent; they enable and constrain each other mutuallly in the ‘education complex’ (e.g., Kemmis et al., 2012; Mahon et al., 2020). 

    Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used

    In the overall study - the Invoice Project – 674 invoices from 2018 and 2019, were collected from the CPD accounts for elementary and upper secondary school teachers in three Swedish municipalities (municipal invoices are subject to the principal of openness in the Swedish constitution). The selected municipalities were chosen to reflect rural and urban areas with varying socioeconomic characteristics. 

    A first analysis of the invoices revealed that a majority of the invoices (37 %) had a SEN-oriented content. The criterion for the categorization was that the CPD title and/or the content description included not only the notion of Special Needs Education but also phenomena such as ‘dyslexia’, ‘dyscalculia’, ‘ADHD’, ‘gifted children and ´neuropsychiatric disorders’.

    The data production and analytical work for this paper included the following steps:

    1. Extending information. The collected invoices regarding SEN-oriented CPD did not always supply the information needed to address the purpose of and the questions posed in this paper. Therefore, we made further Internet searches and/or contacted schools and/or CPD providers via email or phone to obtain the information required. 

    2. Extracting and coding. Information was extracted from the invoices and coded into an SPSS program file comprising a number of variables including SEN-oriented CPD. We distributed all SEN invoices evenly among the three of us to organise the work and perform the first step of the coding process in individual SPSS files based on the same variable structure. We continuously engaged in formal and informal coding sessions to construct subcategories of SEN-oriented CPD. 14 different SEN categories were developed in this process. The data in the individual files were later transferred into a joint SPSS file for analysis.

    3. Mapping and analysing.  We used descriptive statistics, mainly frequencies and relative frequencies, computed in the SPSS program to explore the distribution of invoices, costs and actors over SEN related CPD contents. Frequencies and relative frequencies were mapped via bar charts and tables to illustrate and summarize the characteristics of SEN-oriented CPD in the studied municipalities. 

    4. Identifying discourses. We identified tentative discourses in the CPD actors’ content descriptions collected from our Internet searches. To deepen the analyses, we exploited our joint experiences in working with educational discourses in a Faircloughian and Foucauldian critical sense (see Langelotz 2014; 2017a; 2017b; Norlund, 2009; 2021; Norlund & Levinsson 2018).

    Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings

    The findings show a number of prevalent discourses, of which we will present a few during our presentation this paper. These discourses seem, in turn, to be embedded within an umbrella discourse of solutionism. The discourse of solutionism starts with a well-defined (and often simplified) problem to which the CPD offers a solution (cf. Ideland et al., 2020).

    We will discuss the potential consequences in relation to each practice in the education complex (practices of teaching, learning, researching, leading and CPD) respectively. 

    References

    Ball, S. (2009). Privatising education, privatising education policy, privatising educational research: network governance and the ‘competition state’. Journal of Education Policy, 24(1), 83-99. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930802419474

    Ball, S. (2012). Show me the money! Neoliberalism at work in education. Forum, 54(1), 23-27.

    Forsberg, E. & Wermke, W. (2012). Knowledge soursces and autonomy: German and Swedisch teachers’ continuing professional development of assessment knowledge. Professional Development in Education, 38(5), 741-758. 

    Ideland, M., Jobér, A., & Axelsson, T. (2020). Problem solved! How eduprenuers enact school crises as business possibilities. European Educational Research Journal, 20(1) 83–101.

    Kennedy, A. (2014). Understanding continuing professional development: the need for theory to impact on policy and practice. Professional Development in Education, 40(5), 688-697.

    Kemmis, S., Edwards-Groves, C., & Wilkinson, J. (2012). Ecologies of practices. In P. Hager, A. Lee, and A. Reich (EDs.), Practice-Theory Perspectives on Professional Learning, 33–49. Dordrecht: Springer. 

    Langelotz, L. (2014). Vad gör en skicklig lärare? En studie om kollegial handledning som utvecklingspraktik.(Doctoral thesis, Gothenburg Studies in Educational Sciences, 348). Göteborg: Universitatis Gothoburgensis.

    Langelotz, L. (2017a). Kollegialt lärande i praktiken. Kompetensutveckling eller kollektiv korrigering? [Collegial Learning in Practice: Professional Learning or Collective Correction?]. Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.

    Langelotz, L. (2017b).  Collegial mentoring for professional development. In K.  Mahon, S. Kemmis, S. Fransisco & Lloyd, A. (Eds.) Exploring educational practices through the lens of practice architectures. Singapore: Springer. 

    Levinsson, M., & Norlund, A. (2018). En samtida diskurs om hjärnans betydelse för undervisning och lärande: Kritisk analys av artiklar i lärarfackliga tidskrifter. Utbildning & Lärande, 12(1), s. 7-25.

    Mahon, K., Edwards-Groves, C., Fransisco, S., & Kauko, M. (2020). Pedagogy, Education and Praxis in Critical Times. Singapore: Springer 

    Norlund, A. (2009). Kritisk sakprosaläsning i gymnasieskolan. Didaktiska perspektiv på läroböcker, lärare och nationella prov. Göteborg Studies in Educational Sciences 273. Göteborg. Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis. 

    Norlund, A. (2020). Suggestopedi som språkdidaktiskt verktyg i vuxenutbildning - en kritisk textanalys. Pedagogisk forskning i Sverige, 25(2–3), 7–25.

    Player-Koro, C., & Beach, D. (2017). The influence of Private Actors on the Education of Teachers in Sweden. A Networked Ethnography Study of Education Policy Mobility. Acta Pedagogica Vilnesia, 39. 

    Tomlinson, S. (2012). The irresistible rise of the SEN industry. Oxford Review of Education 38(3), 267-286.

  • 48.
    Orlenius, Kennert
    et al.
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Aldrin, Viktor
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Strömberg, Marianne
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Samverkansmodell asylsökande och nyanlända: Slutrapport från ett pilotprojekt i samarbete mellan Västra Götalandsregionen och Götene/Karlsborgs kommuner 2017/20182018Report (Other academic)
    Abstract [sv]

    VGR:s forskningsråd för interkulturell dialog bedriver i samarbete med Högskolan i Borås följeforskning under projektperioden 2017-06-01 – 2018-06-30 i två pilotkommuner, Götene och Karlsborg. Ett övergripande syfte med projektet är att skapa en varaktig infrastruktur som förebygger utanförskap genom att dels möta upp de initiativ som kommer från flyktingarna själva, dels erbjuda behovsbaserade insatser under asyl- och etableringsfasen som leder till delaktighet i arbetsliv och samhället. En central del i projektet är att ta reda på hur så kallade Välkomstcenter i kommuner kan främja samverkan mellan kommun, myndigheter, civilsamhället samt asylsökande och nyanlända. Forskningsarbetet ska synliggöra och tydliggöra hinder och möjligheter i verksamheter som syftar till att i samverkan med skilda aktörer främja långsiktigt hållbar utveckling, socialt och ekonomiskt. Rapporten ska ge ett underlag för VGR:s ställningstagande om huruvida erfarenheter från testkommunerna kan fungera som modell i andra kommuner.

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    Rapporten
  • 49.
    Prøitz, Tine
    et al.
    Nordisk institutt for studier av innovasjon, forskning og utdanning.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Forsberg, Eva
    Uppsala universitet.
    Consequences of variation in methods and procedures in systematic reviewing in education2016Conference paper (Refereed)
    Abstract [en]

    In this paper a study of descriptions, recommendations and requirements of methods for doing systematic reveiws is presented. The study draws on document material presented by three prominent brokerage agencies working in the field of educationl sience. The data material provides examples of approaches to systematic reviewing that indicate the existence of one common and overall methodology, but also how agency specific approaches and procedures are in play. Findings show that there is procedural variation between agencies in how they proceed in their making of systematic reviews and how varying issues and elemements of the review process are being emphasised by the agencies. In the growing knowledge base on research synthesis variation in approaches to research synthesis is acknowledged but there seem to be little focus on the consequences of variations in method and procedure for the understanding of evidence. The findings call for a discussion on the main differences between agency specific approaches in systematic reviewing and the consequences of such variations for what count as evidence in education science.

  • 50. Strandler, Ola
    et al.
    Levinsson, Magnus
    University of Borås, Faculty of Librarianship, Information, Education and IT.
    Teachers' practical reasoning in the assessment paradigm: examples from the Swedish implementation of grades and national tests in year six2013In: Paper presented at the NERA-conference in Reykjavik Iceland, 2013Conference paper (Refereed)
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