This article analyses the development and implementation of policies that aim at improving the 'recognition of prior learning' (RPL) in the vocational education and training (VET) systems of Sweden and Switzerland. It argues that the evolution of RPL policies and schemes needs to be analysed in relation to educational expansion, which creates…

This article contributes to a better theoretical understanding of the social processes underlying the development and implementation of schemes to improve the recognition of prior learning (RPL) in vocational education and training (VET). It traces the global diffusion of RPL, and then analyses the formulation of RPL policies and design and…

This article is based on a case study of the school life of Fatou, a newly arrived adolescent student with limited experiences of formal schooling. Drawing on Goffman's theories on impression and stigma management, the article explores the techniques employed by Fatou in order to pass as a "normal" student in the mainstream classroom.…

This study examines the teaching of a student group that is often overlooked in research and policy: newly arrived adolescent students with limited previousexperience of formal schooling (NALS). Drawing on ethnographic data produced at two junior high schools with different reception models for newly arrived students, we asked how NALS were…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how critical aspects can be defined in a learning study on welding without conducting any pre-tests. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the authors focus on empirical examples from a learning study on welding conducted in six iterative cycles, with conversation analysis and variation theory…

It is well established that socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, and non-cognitive abilities such as self-efficacy are substantially associated with academic achievement. However, the specific relationships of these variables remain a relatively unexplored topic in regard to more recent and representative samples. The current study examined…

In Sweden, as in many other countries, programming has been added to the curriculum in recent years. This paper explores how and under what conditions programming is transformed into teaching in technology education. Teachers in grade 7-9 were interviewed about what and how they teach about programming in the context of technology education, and…

This study detected patterns in teacher educators' and pre-service teachers' beliefs and practices regarding the degree project. Requirements in policy documents were also considered. The analysis centred on validity, teacher cognition and grounded theory. Conversations were conducted with instructors and students at three departments for teacher…

Educators in mathematics have long been concerned about students' motivation, anxiety, and other affective characteristics. Typically, research into affect focuses on one theoretical construct (e.g., emotion, motivation, beliefs, or interest). However, we introduce the term affective field to account for a person's various affective factors…

This article concerns the relationship between general literacy skills and engagement with subject-specific content in classroom practice. The aim is to contribute knowledge about how enactment of reading strategies impacts classroom discussions about science texts. For 10 weeks, the researcher conducted observations and audio recordings of…

The increasing prevalence of online courses has highlighted the importance of digital literacy for students. This study investigates the relationship between digital literacy and academic achievement among students who participate in an online course on anatomy and physiology. The study also evaluates how different aspects of digital literacy,…

Purpose: This article contributes to the discussion of teaching migration in upper primary school by examining teachers' didactical choices concerning specialized knowledge and pupils' previous knowledge. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is practice-based design research, in which meetings with teachers and focus group interviews with…

Twenty-first century transformations have taken place within the framework of globalisation of the economy, the spread of information technology and global migration resulting in increased cultural diversity in many societies. This qualitative study investigated perspective transformation in 18 research students, from Australia, Hong Kong SAR, and…

During the last decade, the Swedish School-age Educare has been the object of multiple government-enforced reform initiatives in order to clarify its purpose and increase educational quality and equivalence. In 2019, a teacher certification reform was imposed on the educational programme, concretizing responsibilities between categories of staff…

In the Swedish Prison Education Program only two out of ten reach a passing grade in their mathematics courses. Large variation in prior knowledge makes it difficult to meet the students at their level. This paper reports on a project aiming to enhance students' possibilities to access mathematics through individualization. Research findings on…