Schools In Norway Research Articles

Digital ambitions vs. classroom reality in Norwegian lower secondary schools: What digital competencies are students developing over time?

Despite high political ambitions, the increased use of digital technology in lower secondary school has resulted in little indication of the advanced use of digital skills. Drawing on video-recorded lessons (N = 29) from five schools in Norway over time and across two national curricula, this study mapped the opportunities students had to develop digital skills in English classrooms. The findings provide nuanced insight into the instruction of digital skills in highly digitalised schools. Despite a slight increase in digital skills after the 2020 reform, our findings indicate that digital ambitions in the curriculum were not reflected in classroom reality.

Building performance optimization through sensitivity Analysis, and economic insights using AI

Optimizing building designs for energy efficiency and occupant comfort presents significant challenges due to the complex and often conflicting requirements of various stakeholders. Consequently, this study conducts a multifaceted sensitivity and economic impact analysis that aims to improve building performance in terms of energy efficiency and occupant comfort by implementing machine learning techniques. Using a broad dataset comprising of 12,000 energy simulation runs for Tvedestrand Upper Secondary School in Norway, several machine learning models were employed with Multi-Layer Perceptron outperforming the others. In addition, several sensitivity analysis methods were used to explore the influence of individual parameters on building performance. The analysis reveals that ventilation rate, room depth, U-value of the facade, and heat gains significantly affect energy consumption. Economic impact analysis was also carried out to compare the cost-effectiveness of traditional HVAC systems with Building Management System (BMS) HVAC solutions. The BMS HVAC system shows significantly lower operational costs over time, with investment costs averaging around 1200 Norwegian kroner (NOK)/m2 and operational costs of approximately 150 NOK/m2 per year. Sensitivity analysis under different economic scenarios highlights the economic viability of the BMS HVAC system. This study identifies optimal building parameters that balance energy efficiency and thermal comfort, achieving total energy consumption between 11.05 and 22.51 kWh/m2 and zero discomfort hours (h > 26 °C). In sum, the findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders, enabling informed decisions about sustainable building design and energy efficiency improvements, ensuring both technical soundness and financial viability under a wide range of conditions, while using the tested tools.

Factors Influencing Business Students’ Effort When Studying Mathematics

Each student’s effort is an important factor in achievement. Mathematics is an important subject for business students since there is a strong connection between performance in mathematics and success in business courses. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors influencing a student’s choice of how much effort to put into studying business mathematics by questioning 273 students from two business schools in Norway. There is a considerable variation in the study time. By using a linear regression model, we identify the variables linked to effort. Females, and those who have higher enjoyment of mathematics, exert higher effort in business mathematics. Those with a strong background in mathematics from high school and students with parents who have higher education exert less effort in business mathematics. The attitudes toward mathematics do not seem to considerably affect effort.

Sense‐Making Through Hybrid Talk: High‐Achieving Secondary Students' Language Use during Practical Work

ABSTRACTThis study contributes to discussions on facilitating students' sense‐making in science by analyzing the utterances of high‐achieving students in dialogues during practical work and identifying characteristics of their language use and learning processes. The context of the study is a general science course at an upper secondary school in Norway. During four lessons, students from two classes conducted three exercises in electrochemistry. Data consist of video recordings from group work and whole‐class dialogues, students' written explanations, and their grades in science. Using the Bakhtinian concept of hybrid constructions (i.e., utterances including both vernacular and scientific elements), we analyze dialogues about scientific concepts and possible explanations for observations made during practical work. The analysis focuses on mixed‐ability groups that include one or two high‐achieving students. These students' successful learning processes enable the identification of language use that is part of sense‐making dialogues. We found that all students participating in dialogues used a mixture of vernacular talk, hybrid constructions, and scientific language during their learning processes. The content of scientific explanations proposed by high‐achieving students initially tended to be correct but superficial. The content then became more complex and hybrid and displayed errors and inaccuracies when students discussed detailed explanatory mechanisms, and finally, it became complex and largely correct. The results indicate that the high‐achieving students' use of hybrid constructions during practical work was beneficial for their learning. We discuss challenges related to creating situations in science teaching that encourage all students to engage in hybrid talk during sense‐making dialogues.

The virtual driving instructor: Multi‐agent system collaborating via knowledge graph for scalable driver education

AbstractThis work introduces the design, development, and deployment of a virtual driving instructor (VDI) for enhanced driver education. The VDI provides personalized, real‐time feedback to students in a driving simulator, addressing some of the limitations of traditional driver instruction. Employing a hybrid AI system, the VDI combines rule‐based agents, learning‐based agents, knowledge graphs, and Bayesian networks to assess and monitor student performance in a comprehensive manner. Implemented in multiple simulators at a driving school in Norway, the system aims to leverage AI and driving simulation to improve both the learning experience and the efficiency of instruction. Initial feedback from students has been largely positive, highlighting the effectiveness of this integration while also pointing to areas for further improvement. This marks a significant stride in infusing technology into driver education, offering a scalable and efficient approach to instruction.

På vei mot et flerspråklig skolebibliotek

Towards a Multilingual School Library The new curriculum for primary schools in Norway underlines that knowledge of several languages is a resource both in school and society, and that the pupils should experience this through their education. In this article we investigate the school library as a multilingual arena, based on a study with a linguistically and culturally diverse pupil group. The material contains observation data from library activities, such as book talks and reading aloud, a semi-structured interview with the school librarian, and photo documentation of the school library room. We base the analysis on an overall perspective on the school library as a schoolscape (Brown). Hence we are interested in the linguistic-visual interior of the school library, as well as the literary and pedagogical activities that take place there. The article investigates how language diversity emerges both in the school library’s semiotic landscape and in various reading activities. Overall, the analysis shows that linguistic diversity appears to be valued on a general level, but that the specific languages of the pupil and teacher groups are represented to a lesser degree in the schoolscape. The analysis also identifies a number of framework factors, including at system levels, such as access to multilingual literature, which clearly hinder the school librarian’s work in developing the library’s multilingual collection.

“This is me”: Storytelling with students to reveal their mutual entanglements with the “kulturskole”

This video article illuminates what stories can be told about kulturskolen — Municipal Music and Performing Arts Schools in Norway — when pupils are the storytellers. The method is based in collaborative, long-term, performative work with a group of students in a particular kulturskole. These students Were asked to consider the question: “What does the phenomenon of the kulturskole do to us?” The primary researcher (Hauen) met with the students once per week for five months and produced videos, recordings, and notes in response to this question. Afterwards, she edited and cut the data in order to analyze the process, drawing on the work of Karen Barad and post-qualitative thinking. This resulted in three important findings, according to the students: togetherness, self- expression, and “perfor-managing.” In the video article, the students tell stories about how they develop these three elements, in the kulturskole and in the world. They ask how the kulturskole phenomenon is relevant to their everyday lives and how it helps them “to find peace and the right way,” as one of them raps in the article. In order to provide additional insight into the methodology of entanglement between researcher and participants (the students and their teacher), a concluding discussion follows the main video.

Secondary school students’ perception of health and teaching of health dimensions in physical education

ABSTRACT Background Physical education (PE) aims to promote health and strengthen students’ health resources, and the concept of health is a central part of PE. curricula. However, little is known about how students understand health and experience teaching related to the concept of health in PE. Purpose This study aims to provide insight into how students understand the concept of health and how they experience and perceive teaching about health dimensions in PE. Participants A sample of 10th graders was recruited from two primary schools in Norway. Data collection and analysis Three focus group interviews were conducted with 12 students (5 boys) in 10th grade (15-16 years old). The first focus group consisted of five girls, the second of four boys, and the third of two girls and one boy. The students were asked to reflect on and discuss what health is, how it can be promoted, and their experiences of learning and teaching health in PE. The interviews were recorded using a voice recorder and lasted for between 40 and 55 min. The transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Analysis Through the analysis, we interpreted that students mainly focused on the physical dimension of health but became aware of the mental dimension when they discussed and reflected during interviews. Overall, students found the term health to be complex and somewhat difficult to understand. The students experienced little or no development of their health competence through PE. Although they considered that it was important to learn about health, they were concerned that, if more learning about health was implemented in PE, this would make the subject more theoretical and result in less movement and practical activities. Further, the strong activity discourse in PE is discussed in relation to students’ health perceptions. Final reflections Although curricula in PE seem to be developing towards a holistic perspective on health, students do not seem to understand health from this perspective. It seems that they encounter a biomedical approach to health and that PE teachers emphasize the physical dimension of health in teaching. The students' understanding of the concept of learning as theoretical and the teachers' instrumental teaching about health in PE could substantiate a narrow view of health in PE. To promote learning about health from a more holistic perspective, the learning focus of the subject should be highlighted. Furthermore, pedagogical approaches that aim to increase students' reflections and experiences of various dimensions of health through practical learning processes should be emphasized.

The Sámi Pathfinders: Addressing the Knowledge Gap in Norwegian Mainstream Education

For at least two decades, lack of knowledge about the Sámi in Norway has been recognised as a reason for the perpetuation of stereotypes and discriminatory acts and hate speech towards them. Education about the Sámi, their lifeways, culture and rights is posited as a means of closing this gap, with the intention of influencing the majority Norwegian society’s attitudes towards the Sámi. The relatively new Norwegian curriculum (LK20) reflects this understanding. It requires teachers at every level of the educational system to include Sámi perspectives and themes in all subjects. This paper looks at how Indigenous Education is included in mainstream schools in Norway. It asks, if Indigenous Education can provide a counterbalance to existing stereotypes and discrimination of the Sámi People, then what kind of knowledge is sufficient to this end? To explore this, I specifically consider the efforts of the Sámi Pathfinders—a group of young Sámi adults (18–25 years) who visit and provide lectures about Sámi history, language and culture for Norwegian high school pupils. Through semi-structured interviews with five Pathfinders, I explored what kind of Indigenous Education they provide, how the Pathfinders interpret their role in relation to combatting stereotypes and discrimination, and their perception of the impact they have. Through reflexive thematic analysis, this study confirmed that there is a lack of knowledge about the Sámi in mainstream education. It also shows that most teachers did not prepare their pupils for the Pathfinders’ visit. Although the Pathfinders’ visit arguably improved pupils’ and teachers’ knowledge about the Sámi, this research suggests that how and how often knowledge is presented matters. It also suggests that who presents knowledge is a factor. Indigenous knowledge that is coupled with contact that is sufficiently close, positive and frequent has greater potential in altering discriminatory tendencies towards the Sámi.

Teachers’ Self-Assessment Regarding the Teaching of Students with a Developmental Language Disorder

ABSTRACT In Norway, as in many other countries, developmental language disorders (DLDs) are a common challenge that greatly interferes with students’ educational progress. In this study, teachers’ assessed special educational needs (SEN) competence regarding DLDs was explored. Four hundred and thirty-three teachers working at dyslexia-friendly schools in Norway answered the questionnaire. The results indicated that assistive technology (AT), special needs education, and years of teaching are the determinants of teachers’ assessed SEN competence regarding DLDs. Furthermore, with regard to DLDs, female teachers displayed higher competence than their male counterparts. The role of AT is crucial; therefore, we suggest that AT should be implemented in teacher education programs and in the education of SEN teachers. We also recommend that student teachers develop both theoretical and practical special needs competence during teacher education programs.

Dose-Response Effects of MittEcho, a Measurement Feedback System, in an Indicated Mental Health Intervention for Children in Municipal and School Services in Norway.

Including routine client feedback can increase the effectiveness of mental health interventions for children, especially when implemented as intended. Rate of implementation, or dose, of such feedback interventions has been shown to moderate results in some studies. Variation in implementation and use of client feedback may also contribute to the mixed results observed within the feedback literature. This study evaluates dose-response associations of client feedback using a novel Measurement Feedback System (MFS) within an indicated group intervention. The primary aim was to determine whether the rate of MFS implementation predicts symptom reduction in anxiety and depression among school-aged children. The secondary aim was to assess whether the rate of MFS implementation influences children's satisfaction with the group intervention or their dropout rates. Data were collected via a randomized factorial study (clinicaltrials.gov NCT04263558) across 58 primary schools in Norway. Children aged 8 to 12 years (N = 701) participated in a group-based, transdiagnostic intervention targeting elevated symptoms of anxiety or depression. Half of the child groups also received the feedback intervention using the MittEcho MFS. Group leaders (N = 83), recruited locally, facilitated the interventions. The MFS dose was measured using the Implementation Index, which combines the use of MFS by both children and providers (group leaders) into a single dose variable. Results showed no significant additional effect of dose of MFS on change in depression or anxiety scores, on user satisfaction with the intervention or on intervention dropout. The discussion addresses potential reasons for these non-significant findings and implications for MFS implementation in preventive, group-based interventions in school settings.

Teaching advanced technology (ADAS) and use of touch screens in driver training in Norway

As many as 4,601 people were injured or killed on the roads in Norway in 2022. This number is too high and highlights the necessity of putting road safety on the agenda. The car industry today is represented by a vast increase in advanced technology for drivers to interact with, and knowing how and when to use this technology is crucial for safe driving. Thus, our research question was: Does the Norwegian driver training industry teach advanced driver assistance technology (ADAS) and touch screens in their driver training?A survey was distributed to 1,058 driving schools in Norway, resulting in 333 responses. The results showed that driving instructors spend considerably more effort on teaching inbuilt driving assist technologies that enhance driving safety than on those that are designed to enhance safety but that, if not understood well, could lead to hazardous outcomes. Suggestions on how to improve driver training and driving instructor education are made. Research and practical implications are presented to make sure that driving education is updated and aligned with technological advancements in the automobile industry and to ensure traffic safety for all road users.

The Virtual Driving Instructor: Multi-Agent System Collaborating via Knowledge Graph for Scalable Driver Education

This paper introduces the design, development, and deployment of a Virtual Driving Instructor (VDI) for enhanced driver education. The VDI provides personalized, real-time feedback to students in a driving simulator, addressing some of the limitations of traditional driver instruction. Employing a hybrid AI system, the VDI combines rule-based agents, learning-based agents, knowledge graphs, and Bayesian networks to assess and monitor student performance in a comprehensive manner. Implemented in multiple simulators at a driving school in Norway, the system aims to leverage AI and driving simulation to improve both the learning experience and the efficiency of instruction. Initial feedback from students has been largely positive, highlighting the effectiveness of this integration while also pointing to areas for further improvement. This work marks a significant stride in infusing technology into driver education, offering a scalable and efficient approach to instruction.

Devised theatre methodology to promote creativity in school

ABSTRACT This study examines the use of a devised theatre methodology to develop more creativity in the professional learning community and among students. Data from focus groups in an action research project in an upper secondary school in Norway have been thematically analysed. Using the practice architecture theory, we identified three different practices: ‘creative practice’, ‘collective creative practice’ and ‘school practice’. The results show that devising methodology in the form of different production strategies, process orientation and a system of collective creative work promotes creativity in the professional learning community and for students. In addition, the methodology can be used to develop a teaching practice that promotes planning, imagination, and spontaneity in students, and contribute to a more equal guiding role in the form of guided improvisation from the teacher. The methodology can help teachers to foster discussions, understandings, develop concrete creative collaborations and promote democratic processes. The study points to tensions in teachers’ development of ‘creative practice’ and ‘collective creative practice’ in the face of a traditional ‘school practice’. The results are discussed using theories of devised theatre methodology, creativity, professional learning communities and practice architecture theory.

Transculturation in Arabic literacy education within and beyond mainstream education in Norway and Sweden

Transculturation in Arabic literacy education within and beyond mainstream education in Norway and Sweden

Norwegian physical education teachers’ assessment after the introduction of a new curriculum – LK20

ABSTRACT In 2020, a new curriculum, Kunnskapsløftet 2020 (LK20), was introduced in Norwegian schools. This study investigated how physical education (PE) teachers in upper secondary schools have changed their assessment practice following the introduction of LK20. To achieve this, nine individual in-depth interviews were conducted with PE teachers from six upper secondary schools in Norway. Using NVivo 12, the teachers’ experiences were analysed, and corresponding categories of meaning were created. The results indicated that there were changes in their assessment practice after the introduction of LK20. The PE teachers found it more difficult in LK20 to distinguish between grades, and greater room for interpretation was identified. The results also suggested that PE teachers have become more concerned with the pupils’ development over time, rather than with achieving a specific, predetermined goal, and that LK20 better facilitates this aim. PE teaching also seemed to be characterised by a greater amount of play after the introduction of LK20, which teachers viewed as being positive for most pupils. Finally, the analysis pointed to a need in the teachers for more professional support outside of their own immediate circle of colleagues. The results are discussed in relation to Fullan (2016) and one of his key phases according to education policy-driven reforms – the implementation phase. Our findings, and those of other research, identify a need for skills development work and/or courses for PE teachers in assessment.

The moderating effect of multilingualism on the relationship between EFL learners’ grit, enjoyment, and literacy achievement

Aims and Objectives/Purpose/Research Questions: The study investigated the relationship between the L2 grit, domain-general grit, foreign language enjoyment (FLE), multilingualism, and self-reported literacy achievement of students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in public upper-secondary schools in Norway. Specifically, the study sought to identify predictors of students’ EFL reading and writing achievement and examine the moderating effect of multilingualism on the relationship between L2 grit, FLE, and such achievement. Design/Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research design was employed, and data were collected through an online questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 181 upper-secondary school students learning EFL in southeastern Norway (one participant’s responses were discarded because they were incomplete). Data and Analysis: Paired and independent sample t-tests and moderated multiple regression were used to analyse the collected data. Findings/Conclusions: The study found that the perseverance component of L2 grit and daily language use (one of two aspects of multilingualism used in the study) positively predicted both reading and writing achievement (the consistency of interest component of L2 grit only positively predicted writing achievement). In addition, daily language use was found to negatively moderate the relationship between the perseverance component of L2 grit and reading and writing achievement, with the moderating effect dissipating as additional languages were used daily. Originality: The study is among the first to explore the interplay between grit and multilingualism in the Nordic region and examine the relationship between multilingualism, grit, FLE, and achievement globally. Significance/Implications: The study’s findings underscore the need for researchers to develop and use more comprehensive multidimensional measures of multilingualism when investigating its effects on language learning in formal contexts, design scales for grit that target specific language skills, and broaden grit-related research to cover the learning of multiple language and non-language subjects concurrently.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NORWEGIAN BUSINESS STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS MATHEMATICS AND SUCCESS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION

Although mathematical skills are an important component for business students, many students struggle to understand and meet the demands in different subjects. There is a considerable heterogeneity among the different subjects and the need for good mathematical skills varies from subject to subject. To analyse this, we apply the Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) framework. The data are collected by asking students at a business school in Norway. The results are linked to the exam grades in the various subjects. The sample consists of approximately 150 students. As a research method, the standard linear regression model is used. The results show that there is a strong positive correlation between ATMI and success in the various subjects. This applies specifically to the dimension of self-confidence in mathematics. However, there is a considerable variation between the subjects, and in some non-quantitative subjects such as marketing, no correlation was found in this study between ATMI and exam grades. As control variables in the model, gender and Grade Point Average (GPA) from the upper secondary school were included. These variables had a rather small influence on the results for the subjects, but with significant statistical effects on some subjects. This article provides insight into a key factor that can help explain how students are performing in the various business subjects

An artful encounter with dance – empowering future teachers in cross-sectoral collaborations with the Cultural Schoolbag as an example

This article explores how teacher candidates articulate their experiences of a cross-sectoral collaboration with dance students in creating an artful encounter for pupils in primary schools in Norway. Through an arts-based inquiry, using clay as material of expression, groups of teacher candidates were filmed while creating a sculpture representing their processes. The creation process and sculpture were in turn analysed, revealing that the teacher candidates considered themselves to be scaffolding the artful encounter with the children in school, providing them with greater confidence as key personas in these artful encounters, and a better understanding of the creation of art. The analysis regarding the dramaturgy of the collaboration revealed that the teacher candidates experienced being co-creators in the project when they could focus primarily on unfolding the educational potential of the artful encounters.

Teaching about the Qur’ān in public schools in Norway


 This article discusses what teachers in Norwegian public schools have to say about teaching their pupils about the Qur’ān. Exploring what teachers find important or challenging is relevant to what both Muslim and non-Muslim pupils learn about the Qur’ān, since religious education (RE) in Norway is non-confessional and compulsory. The empirical material consists of four semi-structured interviews with RE teachers. Following James Watts’ model (2013, 2019), which suggests that religious scripture is ritualized along three dimensions, this study finds that the interviewed teachers emphasize working with content and meaning (the semantic dimension) rather than recitation (the expressive dimension) or any special treatment (the iconic dimension) of the Qur’ān. Another finding is that the teachers are reluctant to address Qur’ān recitations in their classes. The article examines this uncertainty in relation to the teachers’ perceptions of what pupils should learn about religious scriptures in general, pedagogical considerations about how to teach RE, and overarching RE-specific aims and concerns in relation to debates about Muslims and Islam in Norwegian society.