Why is the interest for technical education decreasing? What makes other fields of education more popular? Technology was introduced as a mandatory subject in Swedish compulsory school in 1980 and got its own syllabus when the current national curriculum was introduced in 1994. Each school can decide when and how the pupils get technology education, but every pupil is expected and entitled to reach the national goals. One of the goals of the Swedish compulsory school is to develop an interest for technology as well as capability and judgment in handling technical issues. In order to find out if pupils reach the national goals in Technology three different Ph.D. projects are launched in Swedish schools. How do we actually know that pupils learn what they are entitled to? How is the Technology syllabus interpreted, in theory and practice? Does the Technology subject really develop an interest in technology, and does it inspire to further technical studies? The interpretation of the syllabus will be studied through observations. To get answers, whether the Technology subject has any impact on the interest and the choice of further studies, interviews are made among pupils and teachers in compulsory school as well as in upper secondary school. The findings of the cooperating projects will together contribute with answers about the state of the technology education in the Swedish compulsory school system, and how the subject could be developed in the future.
QC 20220613