Upper-secondary School Research Articles

Traces of Bildung in Upper Secondary Science Education: A Critical Investigation of Chemistry Teachers’ Orientation Towards Promoting Bildung in Chemistry Education

AbstractThere is a need of a component in science education that can orient students to the complexity characterising the natural sciences position in relation to a globalised risk society and the Anthropocene. Recently, the implications of the German philosophical and educational construct Bildung have been discussed in this regard. In this paper, we investigate in what aspect an orientation towards promoting Bildung manifests in Swedish upper secondary school chemistry teachers’ visions and views for their teaching. In view of the reported impact of neoliberal policy in narrowing the scope of education, with such narrowing possibly excluding dimensions of philosophical-ethical reflection in science teaching, we also investigate in what aspect economic goals associated with neoliberalism might hinder a Bildung orientation in the vision and views of the five chemistry teachers that were interviewed. Results revealed “Bildung-related elements” to be present in the chemistry teaching visions of all the teachers, however without strong Bildung orientation. Significantly, four of the five teachers reported contextual factors consistent with the impact of neoliberal policy in education as marginalising their work to realise Bildung-related elements. In addition, factors outside of teachers’ awareness were also found to marginalise Bildung. Common for all five teachers were neoliberal values at the level of teachers’ implicit beliefs, with our analysis pointing to the possibility that teachers view Bildung-related elements in their chemistry teaching as commodifiable entities. We argue that these implicit beliefs disempower the teachers in relation to a teaching praxis that seeks to guide students towards their own Bildung.

A Soft Prison Called Compulsory School Time

This article attempts to reflect on school time as a paradoxical moment of realization of a right (that of education and upbringing) and de facto negation of other intangible and yet essential rights (the right to play, to the construction of an authentic identity, to self-fulfilment, to freedom). Starting from a provocative, hyperbolic question that could be dismissed as utopian and academically irrelevant: «Can compulsory school time be considered a potential soft crime?», this paper tries to delve into technical and functional aspects of school organization to analyse the potential and shortcomings of en-situation school time, trying to account for the complex dynamic interferences that link functional the normality of the flattening-demotivation of the learners binomial, homologation, social mobility and ordering control. In particular, while citing virtuous and vicious examples of school time taken from realities distant in geographical space or the result of a historical moment other than the current one, this paper focuses on Italy as a case study, with particular reference to the school segment of Kindergarten and some hints relating to primary and lower secondary school - the latter being configured as a weak segment par excellence. Finally, the examination of some legislative measures (in particular Law 53/2003 and Legislative Decree No. 262 of 29 December 2007) will highlight a key problem of school time, namely the split between two moments (infant, primary and middle school on the one hand, upper secondary schools on the other) which is also a split between two modalities, which translates into an opposition between school understood as a social service in the first phase and academia or early professionalization in the second one. A split perpetrated in violation of the healthy principles of didactic continuity and which finds questionable counterweights in the exceptionality of the competition-excellence binomial and in the normality of the flattening-demotivation of the learner’s binomial

Fostering Interculturality in Foreign Language Teaching Literature in a Chinese Language Classroom

Since its earlier theorizations in the 1990s, interculturality has gained increasing prominence in the field of foreign language pedagogy. Interculturality calls for the acquisition of a complex set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that makes any separation between language and culture in foreign language teaching untenable. This article examines the potential of literature for an intercultural approach to Chinese language teaching in Italian upper secondary school, also known as ‘high school’. A reflection on what constitutes Chinese culture and the place of literature in the teaching of Chinese provides the background against which an empirical pedagogical experiment is presented. The teaching experience involves the use of a Chinese authentic literary text to promote an intercultural approach to two seemingly unrelated topics: Chinese New Year travel rush and sexual harassment. The activity shows the affordance of literature for developing an intercultural approach to diversity and complexity beyond simplification and orientalizing epistemologies.

Effect of demographic factors on reading habits: Study on Indonesian secondary school students

This study explored the relationship between demographic variables and reading habits among Indonesian secondary school students, focusing on gender, age, current school, school type (public or private) and level. 451 students from six schools participated in the study. We used an explanatory sequential design, a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey based on the reading habits scale by the National Library of Indonesia and included demographic questions. Qualitative data were then collected through an in-depth follow-up survey. An independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA analyzed the influence of gender, age, current school, school type and school level on reading habits. Thematic analysis analyzed the qualitative data from the survey. The quantitative data indicated that students possessed low reading habit levels. Among the demographic variables, school location, public or private and level influenced the reading habit score, while gender and age had no influence. The qualitative findings highlighted the need for reading motivation, parent reading attitude and school library improvement to enhance reading habits. This study highlights practices that could shape reading habits, especially in secondary and upper secondary school students.

School completion and progression to higher education in adolescents with social anxiety: a linkage between Young-HUNT3 and national educational data (2008-2019), Norway.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) most commonly develops in adolescence-a period of life that includes a transition to upper secondary school. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which social anxiety in adolescence is associated with the completion of upper secondary school and progression to higher education. This longitudinal study includes 8,192 adolescents aged 13-19 years who participated in the Norwegian Young-HUNT 3 population-based study. Social anxiety is measured employing (1) diagnostic interview screening questions (interview) and (2) a self-reported symptom index (questionnaire). Notably, we define the cohorts based on these two methods. Using national educational data (2008-2019), we follow educational attainment among the cohorts until they turn 25 years of age. We found that adolescents who screened positive (SP) for SAD had a predicted probability of upper secondary school completion at 21 years of age that was 14% points lower than those who screened negative (SN). Further, differences remained when looking at completion rates at age 25 years. Moreover, predicted probabilities for completion were inversely associated with increasing levels of self-reported social anxiety symptoms. Similarly, the proportion of the completers of an academic program in the SP group that were enrolled in higher education by 25 years of age, were lower than for the SN group (87 vs. 92%). Social anxiety in adolescence, both self-reported symptoms and diagnostic screening, has long-term negative impact on upper secondary school completion and to some extent enrollment to higher education.

The effects of multitasking on metacognitive monitoring in primary and secondary school students

Influenced by the epidemic and the rapid popularization of smart devices, media multitasking has become increasingly common in people’s lives and has attracted the attention of researchers, particularly among adolescents who are native to the digital era. However, previous studies have focused primarily on the relationship between multitasking and general cognitive functions, paying less attention to the connection between multitasking and metacognition, and there is a lack of research specifically addressing adolescents in this context. To address this gap, the current study conducted two experiments with upper primary and secondary school students to explore the relationship between multitasking and adolescents’ metacognition under intrinsic and extrinsic cue conditions using metacognitive monitoring as an indicator. The results revealed that multitasking significantly reduced adolescents’ metacognitive monitoring accuracy. However, the scores on the media multitasking questionnaire did not significantly correlate with metacognitive monitoring accuracy in the laboratory task. This finding suggested that multitasking, under both intrinsic and extrinsic cue conditions, impairs the accuracy of metacognitive monitoring for primary and secondary school students. However, daily media multitasking activities among these students were not significantly correlated with metacognitive monitoring accuracy.

Silencing the Indigenous Perspective in the Textbook Accounts of Norwegian Migration to America

The historiography of Norwegian migration to North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries had, until recently, largely ignored its impact on indigenous people. Taking as a point of departure the presentations of migration to America in Norwegian lower and upper secondary school textbooks in social studies and history, this article demonstrates that the displacement of Native Americans is mostly absent in these presentations, and almost none of the textbooks discuss it in terms of settler colonialism. Such a narrative sustains the perception of North America as a sparsely inhabited continent with enough space for everyone and ultimately justifies Europeans’ right to claim possession of the land. Given that the consequences of settler colonialism continue to persist to the present day, I argue that ignoring the fact that Norwegian migrants were also settlers reproduces historical power relations and oppressive epistemologies. Aligned with the view that history education based on a single master narrative hinders critical thinking, this article contends that there is a need to decolonize the teaching of Norwegian migration to America by incorporating the perspective of Native Americans.

Developing outdoor spaces for work and study—an explorative place-making process

IntroductionThe development of outdoor spaces for work and study is part of a larger transition toward sustainable communities, which can take advantage of more flexible ways of organizing everyday life. Governance processes supported by physical spatial changes have the potential to bring together various actors and experts for local development. The aim of this study was to explore the possibilities of developing outdoor spaces for work and study in a collaborative process.MethodsThe study involved an upper secondary school, a local government administration, local businesses and research. The process took place in a South-Swedish small town and included developing outdoor areas for tasks traditionally carried out indoors, participatory workshops and meetings followed up through questionnaires and interviews.ResultsOverall, the introduction of outdoor places was positively evaluated, but engagement varied across actors and over time, and a number of obstacles and challenges in the process were identified.DiscussionThe study showed how vital it is to anchor ideas for place-making locally and having key persons in leading positions with allocated time to support the process. It also indicates how decisive spatial changes can be and how important it is that any physical intervention becomes an integrated part of a wider local process in order to make an imprint on local life and pedagogical practice.

Norwegian Youths’ Reflections on Education for Just Sustainable Futures

While education is often seen as a main strategy for enabling sustainable futures, youth question the ability of modern schooling to provide them with the necessary tools to mitigate our current planetary crises. In this paper, we argue for the need for more critical insight into how youth understand and envision sustainability. The paper is based on a pedagogical intervention study, with a design inspired by decolonial pedagogy (Pashby & Sund, 2019, p. 38). Data was collected in two interconnected workshops at three Norwegian upper secondary schools. We share reflections communicated by students in conversations during the workshops. The material shows that although the students display criticality and an acknowledgement of the need for alternative ways of thinking, they also express a frustration over not being provided with the necessary tools to express this critique through their current education. We argue that if sustainability is to provide an educational avenue of hope and change, it requires tools that can help students challenge the limitations of modern-colonial habits of being and knowing. As the students suggest themselves, there is also a need for making space for more creative and imaginative pedagogical practices in education.

A New Assessment Approach for High School Students in Cameroon

The purpose of this study was to provide the Cameroonian educational community with a new evaluation approach capable of including in the mentalities of students entering the first year of the second cycle in secondary education. To do this, we carried out, in turn, a bibliographic work, data collection in the field, then data processing, followed by the drafting of the final document. Evaluation approaches in the Cameroonian education system are changing. Parents, teachers, and administrators of academic institutions deplore the behavior of students entering the first year of upper secondary school; in fact, they shine with their casualness. For them, the context, due to the absence of an official exam at the end of the school year, makes the level concerned a level of resting. The project-based evaluation system appears here as a solution trial that should be responsible for creating a challenge, specific to the second cycle. Thus, facing this reality, students will have to understand that a new variety of efforts are now required of them to leave the second cycle with solid skills in the conducting projects. The project based evaluation system will count for the third quarter. His mark will represent 75% of the final mark for the subject.

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.

The doing of Danish Upper Secondary School in 1968. Student papers as cases of negotiation surrounding the curriculum

ABSTRACT The history of subjects is often told analysing notions of knowledge in historical reforms, policies, curricula, and textbooks. In this article, we analyse student papers from 1968, focusing on their responses to the topic ’Social distinctions and prejudices in Denmark‘. The students present a number of concepts and categories of social differences and prejudices, depict a contemporary problem, refer to theoretical or categorical frameworks, provide a historical account, state bold claims and/or present conceptual definitions. Then, by giving different examples from their everyday life and by establishing some form of line or structure in their writings, they form an argument or narrative. They do this by using—we assume—information from their textbooks, from what have been discussed in teaching, in the public debate, and in the students’ homes. The student papers not only passively reflect but are part of the ongoing constitution of the subjects and subject matter, during a period of tremendous educational change.

Artistic expression as a property of resonant musical experience: an interview study with upper secondary school music teachers

Background The concept of artistic expression is present in the curriculum for upper secondary school music program in Sweden. Being a criterion for assessment, no definition is provided by the National Agency of Education and there exists no consensus of how to interpret artistic expression among music teachers and music teacher students. Methods In order to explore how teachers understand, teach, and assess the concept and phenomenon of artistic expression, twelve qualitative interviews with music teachers were conducted and analyzed through an open coding process. Results The findings show that the concept of artistic expression is multifaceted and evasive. The results focus on two analytic threads: (i) situatedness and (ii) entanglement. (i) AE is situated due to context-specific parameters which underpins the meaning of the concept in this particular educational setting. (ii) Furthermore, the phenomenon of artistic expression is entangled (a) with the ongoing relationship between teacher and student, and (b) in a temporally unfolding and interactive musical event. The phenomenon of artistic expression as entangled is discussed, primarily through Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance, which brings into focus the intersubjective character of aesthetic experience. Doing so questions understandings of – and assessment procedures surrounding – artistic expression that relies on skill-based interpretations or reductions of entanglement. One example of such reduction is assessment of recordings of student performances which limits the (a) relational perspective (if assessed by a third person) or (b) the entanglement with the musical event. The perspective of resonance brings forth the teacher’s role during a student performance as characterized by self-efficacy and active listening, thus co-constitutive of artistic expression. Conclusions The article concludes with reflections on how the findings may contribute to the continuous discussion on how scientific grounding and proven experience may inform both the music education at upper secondary school and music teacher education. The concept of resonance provides a possibility to reframe conceptions of artistic competence in art education as being grounded in intersubjective and relational terms, rather than being reified as a set of measurable skills, an understanding which in turn risks replacing learning with criteria compliance.

‘Level the playing field’ – pupils’ experiences of inclusion and social justice in physical education and health

ABSTRACT School physical education and health (PEH) has an important role to play in the physical, cognitive, emotional and social development of young people [Opstoel, K., Chapelle, L., Prins, F. J., De Meester, A., Haerens, L., van Tartwijk, J., & De Martelaer, K. (2020). Personal and social development in physical education and sports: A review study. European Physical Education Review, 26(4), 797–813] which, in turn, can enhance interpersonal relations and help build more socially cohesive and just societies [Benn, T., Dagkas, S., & Jawad, H. (2011). Embodied faith: Islam, religious freedom and educational practices in physical education. Sport, Education and Society, 16(1), 17–34; Smith, W., Philpot, R., Gerdin, G., Schenker, K., Linnér, S., Larsson, L., Mordal Moen, K., & Westlie, K. (2021). School HPE: Its mandate, responsibility and role in educating for social cohesion. Sport, Education and Society, 26(5), 500–513]. Unfortunately, research continues to highlight the inability of PEH to realize these important outcomes and the pervasiveness of practices that instead contribute to exclusion and inequality. The aim of this study was to add our understanding of school PEH practices by exploring pupils’ experiences of inclusion and social justice. Data were generated through a survey, observations, interviews and critical reflective texts. Participants in the study were pupils from three different upper-secondary schools (age 16–19) located in southern Sweden. The analysis of data involved a six-phase thematic analysis approach [Braun, B., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage] informed by theories of critical and dialogical pedagogy [Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Seabury]. The results are presented in relation to four central themes: (1) care and relationships, (2) pupil involvement, (3) use of modified and non-traditional activities and spaces; and (4) learning about and acting on social inequities. In order to promote more inclusive and socially just PEH practice, a [Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Seabury] analysis of the pupils’ experiences draws attention to the importance of: establishing horizontal teacher–pupil relationships built on trust and love: engaging pupils in an ongoing dialogue where the pupils practice choice and decision-making with their peers; inviting the pupils into critically reflecting on issues of positionality and power and; pupils learning to act on social inequities. To conclude, the paper calls for future studies where teachers and pupils collaborate to develop PEH practices underpinned by inclusion and social justice.

Vocational Teachers’ Craft Knowledge and Working-life Experiences in Building and Construction: a Narrative Study of Embodied and Tacit Learning

Vocational teachers in building and construction in upper secondary school deal with complex situations of an organisational, vocational, and social kind. Recent research has shown that the teacher is the single most important factor for students’ learning in school. Teacher-student relationships and the teacher’s repertoire of teaching practices can be more important for the student’s learning than class size, the classroom environment, and the student’s socio-economic background. Beyond passing the journeyman’s test, we know little about the craft knowledge and working life experiences vocational teachers in the building and construction trades have acquired over many years in the construction industry, and thus, what knowledge and experiences they bring into the vocational teacher role. Learning in working life often takes place as an integrated part of work, and it is difficult to observe how learning happens. Craft knowledge is often tacit and personal. In this narrative, phenomenologically inspired study, learning is investigated as a bodily, internal process that simultaneously depends on the interaction with the material and social environment. Through narrative interviews with eleven vocational teachers in plumbing and carpentry, this study explores the teachers’ backgrounds as vocational students and apprentices, and their extensive experience as craftsmen on different construction sites. The analysis shows that the building site drives craft-related actions and situations that generate a strong craft identity, professional working life experiences, and personal growth. Craftsmen at the construction site work under constant pressure in a social, physically, and mentally demanding work environment and consecutively solve problems. As professional craftsmen in the complex working environment, the teachers also acquired social and organisational expertise, which they intuitively transferred to their role as vocational teachers.

How to make a bridal bouquet: sensory knowing in action

This study explored the planning and making of a bridal bouquet in classroom interaction between a teacher and a student in a Swedish upper-secondary adult floristry education school. The purpose was to empirically reveal floristry disciplinary aesthetics. Aesthetics can be said to involve the exploration of sensory perception in general, entailing a focus on tacit sensory knowing. Methodologically, this study drew on the principles of ethnomethodology and (multimodal) conversation analysis to investigate video-recorded empirical data. The analysis included three separate sequences of interaction after the student requested the teacher’s attention. In the sequences, the student repeatedly provided answers to her own known-answer questions, and it remained her privilege to define what should be done and why as a consequence of the teacher’s authoritative guiding and gentle support. The results include examples of floristry disciplinary aesthetics in action when making a bridal bouquet, such as airiness and the role of outer shape. Moreover, in situ aesthetic judgement as part of sensory knowing is shown to be ample in the form of embodied actions, such as showing with the hands and communicating with facial expressions.

The relationship between student participation and students’ self-perceived action competence for sustainability in a whole school approach

This study examines the relation between student experiences of participation in a whole school approach (WSA) and students’ self-perceived action competence. We surveyed 902 students in three Norwegian upper-secondary schools participating in an education for sustainable development (ESD) programme. The questionnaire measured students’ experiences in decision-making and influencing within a WSA, containing the components: (1) school and leadership, (2) teaching and learning, (3) community connections and (4) student council. We measured students’ self-perceived action competence through: (1) knowledge of action possibilities, (2) confidence in one’s own influence and (3) willingness to act. A structural equation model indicates a positive relation between student participation in ESD teaching and learning and students’ knowledge of action possibilities and confidence in their own influence. Participation through the student council positively related to all action competence components. We found no significant relation between participation in school and leadership or community connections on any action competence factors. It is important to note that this cross-sectional study with a limited number of schools does not establish causality, necessitating further research. Nevertheless, the results suggest that promoting student participation in teaching and learning and facilitating a well-functioning student council can promote students’ development of action competence for sustainability.

Territorial Disparities in the Governance of Policies Promoting the School-to-Work Transition: An Analysis of the Italian Case

The school-to-work alternance responds to the critical issues linked to the mismatch between school learning and labour market needs, aiming to enhance adolescents’ employability. However, recent studies have shown that in Italy, school-to-work transition pathways are diversified at the territorial level, reflecting regional disparities in opportunities that risk increasing inequalities. In this regard, this paper presents the main evidence emerging from an analysis on multilevel governance of the Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation (PCTOs), which are mandatory for Italian students in their last three years of upper secondary schooling. This focus is part of the national research project “Evaluating the School-Work Alternance: a longitudinal study in Italian upper secondary schools”, that aims to evaluate this policy. This part of the study, conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews at the national, regional, and local level with stakeholders of public institutions, has examined PCTO implementation strategies, pointing out the transition mechanisms between the school and labour market, as well as roles, activities, and way of coordination between public and private sectors. The different perspectives that emerged underline the complexity of establishing networks that relate central and local governance in education systems. The results of the analysis provide a dynamic portrait of the PCTO in Italy, identifying relevant aspects that could enhance future planning or implementation of this policy.

Mental health status according to the dual-factor model in Swedish adolescents: A cross sectional study highlighting associations with stress, resilience, social status and gender.

In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to I) investigate the dual-factor model of mental health by forming and describing four participant groups and II) examine associations between mental health status and background factors, school-related factors, stress, and resilience among adolescents in a community population in Sweden. Data were collected through a survey completed by 2,208 students in lower and upper secondary school on the Swedish island of Gotland. After missing data were removed, a total of 1,833 participants were included in the study. The survey included the Mental Health Continuum Short Form (MHC-SF) for the assessment of mental well-being and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the assessment of mental health problems. These two measures were combined into a dual-factor model, forming four mental health status subgroups: Vulnerable (47.5%), Complete mental health (36.2%), Troubled (13.9%), and Symptomatic but content (2.5%). Associations between these groups were explored regarding background factors, school-related factors, stress, and resilience through chi-squared tests and logistic regressions. Girls (OR: 1.88) and participants with high stress levels (OR: 2.23) had elevated odds for Vulnerable mental health status, whereas higher resilience (OR: 0.87) and subjective social status in school (OR: 0.76) were factors associated with reduced odds for this mental health status classification. Female gender (OR: 5.02) was also associated with Troubled mental health status. Similarly, a high level of stress (ORs: 4.08 and 11.36) was associated with Symptomatic but content and Troubled mental health status, and participants with higher levels of resilience had decreased odds for being classified into these groups (ORs: 0.88 and 0.81). The findings highlight the importance of interventions to increase resilience, reduce stress, and address stereotypic gender norms as well as social status hierarchies to support adolescents' mental health.

Teacher leadership: leading professional learning among peers

ABSTRACT Research has shown the importance of teacher leaders in improving professional learning and schools. This case study investigates the development of a new teacher leader position at a Norwegian upper-secondary school with the responsibility for leading peer teachers’ collective professional development. Our aim is to understand the interplay between cultural/structural conditions and dynamic processes in the practice of leading one’s peers. Our findings show that teacher leaders and their practices switch between leading and reflecting on equal terms with their peers and by showing loyalty to the teaching profession. We argue that establishing a teacher leader position has the potential to change and develop teachers’ practices from individual to increased collective professionalism.