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- Fransson, Göran, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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On the Swedish National Grade School for Digital Technologies in Education – GRADE : Expectations and experiences of doctorial students and supervisors
- 2018
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Ingår i: ICERI2018 Proceedings. - Sevilla : IATED. - 9788409059485 ; , s. 769-774
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Swedish National Graduate School for Digital Technologies in Education (GRADE) is a cooperative venture between six Swedish universities established during 2018. Within the field of educational sciences and in the area of digital technologies in education, GRADE aims to strengthen the expertise in the area and to increase national and international cooperation in research training activities.Over a number of years, and from multitude of sources (cf. Brown & Davis, 2004; Fisher, Higgins & Loveless, 2006; Kafai & Resnick 1996), research has stressed that increased digitalization in schools leads to a complexity that needs to be taken into account on different levels, from different perspectives and with different designs, methodologies and theoretical perspectives (cf. Olofsson, Lindberg, Fransson & Hauge, 2015; Price, Jewitt & Brown, 2013; Tondeur, Valcke & van Braak, 2008). At a micro-level, the learning situation of students, teachers and school-leaders changes and it becomes important to deepen the knowledge about the impact digital technologies has on the fundamental conditions for teaching and learning of different school subjects (cf. Chun, Kern & Smith 2016; Leung & Baccaglini-Frank, 2017). On a macro-level, conditions for education as such changes and digital technologies becomes an important object of study as agents of change (Wong & Li, 2008). The digitalization of K-12 schools has long been highlighted in policy as a necessity (cf. Kirkman et al, 2002; OECD, 2010). However, research and evaluations (cf. Fransson et al, 2012; OECD, 2015; Wastiau et al, 2013) show that many substantial challenges remain. One of the fundamental pillars of GRADE is the interdisciplinary approach. Several disciplines are present (Applied IT, Curriculum studies, Education, Informatics, Technology and Learning, Educational work, Work-interated Learning) in researching digital technologies in K-12 schools with the ambition to contribute to the continued implementation, integration and use of digital technologies in Swedish K-12 schools that stems from the evidence-based knowledge produced within the activities of GRADE. The research within GRADE will be characterized by close cooperation with stakeholders from school practice, with the aim to contribute to concrete school development. In GRADE, a multi-level approach that involves multiple layers or levels of school activities will be encouraged. When possible, studies will be longitudinal. This will imply studies from an organizational and management perspective, e.g. studies of school leaders and other members of senior management positions responsible for digital technology use and implementation. Also implied are studies of teachers' teaching practices and didactical considerations, as well as studies of the students in classrooms and their learning using digital technologies. This will also imply that several issues with a bearing on the digitalization of education, for example regarding school policy, teaching, learning, assessment and professional development will be researched from different perspectives and with different methodological approaches. In this paper, these points of departure will be explored based on the expectations and experiences of the first twelve admitted doctoral students and their supervisors.
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| 3. |
- Alvstam, Claes G., 1949, et al.
(författare)
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The Challenges to EU Trade Policy in a Changing World Order
- 2019
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Ingår i: The European Union in a Changing World Order. Edited by Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Antonina et al. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.. - Cham, Switzerland : Palgrave Macmillan. - 9783030180003 ; , s. 81-114
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This chapter discusses the EU’s common external trade policy in light of economic and political changes in the world. The authors establish that EU external trade policy is currently facing some of its greatest challenges ever. This is not only a consequence of Brexit, considering the equally great demands for continuous adjustment to worldwide structural changes in international trade. The question that Alvstam and Lindberg address in this chapter is how EU trade policy vis-à-vis the rest of the world should be modified and renewed in pace with external changes. In particular, they analyse the changing world order in the form of a new US trade policy, the British withdrawal from the EU, and China’s increasingly prominent place in the international arena. In light of this, the authors consider various possible alternatives for the EU’s external trade policy. The role that the relationship with the post-Brexit UK will play in formulating an effective trade policy for the EU is a central question here.
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| 4. |
- Sahlin, Susanne, 1973-
(författare)
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Moving Beyond Internal Affairs : Making Sense of Principals' Leadership Practices in Collaboration for School Improvement
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The thesis takes its point of departure from the recent interest in collaboration and networking as major school improvement strategies and the school leader’s crucial role in these processes. Educational research indicates that if schools are to meet future demands, then leadership must rest on trust within the organisation and a principal’s leadership must be understood in the frame of professional collaboration and social learning. The aim of this thesis is to, from an institutional perspective, deepen the understanding of regulative, normative, and cultural‐cognitive aspects of school leaders’ practices in collaboration beyond school at the local school level.The research undertaken in this thesis is a part of a larger research and school improvement project. This longitudinal study draws on data from a qualitative case study of three schools conducted over three years. Qualitative data including semistructured interviews, a part of a questionnaire to participating teachers with open‐response questions, and observations were used. Additional contextual data, such as field notes, document analysis, and project meeting notes were also used. The theoretical framework is based on institutional perspectives on organisations and sense‐making theory, used to provide an understanding of how principals and teachers make sense of principal leadership practices.This thesis builds on four separate papers (I‐IV) with their own aims and research questions but with the common goal of providing answers to the overall aim and research questions of the study. The four papers are complemented by this introductory part that ties them all together. Paper I, “Internationalization as an internal capacity builder for school improvement: a case study”, examines if and how the work with internationalization can build internal capacities for school improvement, but also examines the meaning of a principal’s leadership in relation to the work with professional collaboration and social learning. Paper II, “Collaboration With Private Companies as a Vehicle for School Improvement ‐ Principals’ Experience and Sense‐Making,” elaborates on principals’ experiences and sense‐making of a school collaboration with private companies from the local community of the school, focussing on leadership and school improvement. Paper III, “Making Sense of External Partnerships: Principals’ Experiences of School‐University Collaborations,” examine principals’ sense‐making of a school–university collaboration. Paper IV, “Teachers Making Sense of Principals’ Leadership in Collaboration Beyond School,” aims to create a deeper understanding of collaborations beyond the school with a focus on principals’ leadership and of how such processes reshape regulative, normative, and cultural‐cognitive aspects (Scott, 2008). The role of the formal leader is addressed in all four papers.Finally, the findings show that the principals have had the possibility to build professional capacity in their schools, create a supportive organization for learning, and connect with different external partners as a result of these beyond‐school collaborations. The different actors in the beyond‐school collaborations also became a part of the schools’ overall distributed leadership practices. The findings show that beyond‐school collaboration influences and affects the normative and cultural‐cognitive aspects that exist in the participating school to some extent. The development of collective commitments to guide collaboration, engagement in collaborative work, an increase in shared responsibility for work, and the fostering of learning‐oriented collaboration and research‐based knowledge construction are examples of norms and values that seem to have started to move during the various beyond‐school collaborations. From the cultural‐cognitive aspect, the study shows that aspects of this dimension appear more or less in the schools. The principals have interpreted and made sense of the value of beyond school collaboration in different ways. The cultural‐cognitive aspect also seems to affect the teachers somewhat, where they make sense of the importance of the formal leader in beyond‐school collaboration. They also emphasise the importance of having a pedagogical leader. The findings showed that there were challenges that became visible in the various beyond‐school collaborations. However, being aware of the challenges and broadening professional learning communities through collaboration that goes beyond school all in all seem to support the principals in their leadership practices at the local school level and also support development in a school’s practices.
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