This licentiate thesis focuses on the development of the idea process in art education using digital peer feedback. In the school subject visual art, the visual idea process, e.g., when students sketch their ideas, is an important phase in a project. When an idea takes form, there is the possibility for considering the idea in a new way, for others to study and discuss it, and most importantly, for generating new ideas. By digitally sharing their visual idea process and providing feedback, students can become more aware of their own and others' creative processes. Peer feedback in this thesis leans on two theories. The first is self-regulated learning, meaning that students formulate goals and identify needs (both their own and others’) when learning. In the feedback activity, the student is responsible for their own idea and for the visual feedback given to other students. They also receive valuable input when providing feedback. The second feedback theory is social constructivism and the zone of proximal development, i.e., the difference between what students accomplish in learning with the help of others and what students accomplish by themselves. In this study it is shown (by focusing on the social aspects of peer feedback) that when students help others, they develop their own products far more than they might have done if working individually. On two occasions, I observed and investigated how students (an eighth-grade and sixth-grade class) developed and digitally shared visual ideas supported by digital peer feedback. Thematic analysis was used on data gathered on both occasions (i.e. in both iterations of the study) to identify different types of feedback provided by students. In the first iteration, the feedback was in written form, and through analysis, five themes were created that described different types of peer feedback. In the second iteration, feedback was provided using various visual techniques, and through the analysis, four themes were formed. In each iteration of the study, four categories were created to describe the degree of change between the first and final sketches. The results suggest that using digital tools and peer feedback activities in visual art could help improve students’ abilities to develop ideas. The methodological contribution of this research is its new use of peer feedback using visual feedback. With this form of feedback, students stayed within one medium, using a sign system to communicate visual solutions on the sketches of other students. At the same time, they received practical tips and direct advice that they could immediately apply to their sketches. 

Abstract

This thesis makes a novel and original contribution to the discourse surrounding engineering education, and how it can be made more accessible to underrepresented groups. The study includes two contexts representing two different perspectives. Two studies are conducted, one examines upper secondary school pupils’ views of engineering students and the other the societal and cultural production of the engineering student in a recruitment campaign for KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Few earlier studies have examined the messages communicated in initiatives aiming to increase and broaden the recruitment of underrepresented groups to technical universities. Still, many initiatives sharing this goal are initialised in Sweden. The theoretical framework applied by discourse analysis and governmentality analysis enables a critical examination of the discursive framework surrounding the engineering student. The thesis concludes that there is a power struggle between a discourse of a contemporary technologist and a traditional technologist and that this position is exclusively but only for the most advanced engineering students, excluding BSc students as communicated by a KTH recruitment campaign.

For teaching to be successful, teachers must be well-educated and have knowledge in many different fields. With a combination of solid subject knowledge, good teaching skills and the ability to balance these qualities, teachers can support students’ learning. However, Swedish compulsory school technology teaching does not always meet the requirements for a desired learning environment.   This thesis aims to extend our knowledge of how teachers perceive the subject of technology, its content and purpose and our understanding of how the teachers develop this knowledge. Two sets of data have resulted in three separate studies. Study 1 (paper 1) focus on experienced technology teachers’ views of their own teaching. Study 2 and 3 (paper 2 and 3 respectively) concern the views of novice technology teachers. Different theoretical frameworks enable understanding of the analysis. The pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) framework is applied on in-depth interviews. Theories about curriculum emphases together with a conceptual framework for technology concerning the subjects’ content were applied on the short-answer interviews about purpose and content of the subject. Findings show that experienced technology teacher highlight different purposes for technology education (depending on background) but agree upon that teaching must be student-active. They emphasize the design process as important and specific for the subject and that technology teaching requires various support structures for learning to take place. The novice teachers describe the subject as being hard to grasp with a difficult to understand syllabus. They express uncertainty about planning, implementing, and assessing teaching in relation to certain content as well as practical activities.     The three studies, separately and together, point to the importance of subject knowledge. Understanding of the technology subject seems to be the first step towards grasping how the subject should be taught. Future training of technology teachers must focus on knowledge of the subject's characteristics and understanding the subject’s purpose and content. A greater effort is also needed for everyone involved to create a common vision concerning the nature, purpose, and place of the technology subject in Swedish schools that contributes to pupils' understanding of the world around them while laying a good foundation for their further studies

This licentiate thesis examines the views and experiences of teachers and students concerning the use of smartphones for school tasks. The research project is linked to an annual study visit in a medium-sized municipality in western Sweden, during which elementary school students visit a senior secondary school to enhance their technology education. The rationale behind the study is the fact that teachers have previously experienced problems with such activities and suggested that smartphones could be useful for solving the problems. Therefore, the views of two teachers and seven students about how smartphones could be used to improve the situation were investigated. The teachers and students in this study had previously taken part in a study visit.

The aim of the research was to increase our understanding of how smartphone use can support school tasks, as well as the problems it may cause, based on descriptions by teachers and students. More specifically, the aim was to explore a design process by asking teachers and students to describe their experiences of students’ use of smartphones for school tasks and their views on how smartphones could be employed in the study visit. To achieve the aim, the following three questions were posed: -How do teachers and students experience students’ use of smartphones for school tasks? -How can students’ smartphone use potentially transform a study visit? -How do the participants’ experiences of using smartphones relate to their proposals for the study visit?

The research questions are addressed using cultural-historical activity theory and qualitative group interview methods. For the analysis, a new analytical model was developed and applied. The results reveal that students used smartphones to support school tasks in several subjects. They also described situations in which smartphone use caused problems, mainly due to the sending and receipt of messages and the need to adhere to certain rules. In addition, all participants suggested that photographs could support the activities of the study visit and that smartphone use could be problematic if employed for other reasons. The results also demonstrate conflicts within the participants’ views because their proposals are contradictory. The participants’ experiences of smartphone use to some extent determine their views on how smartphones could be employed. The findings indicate that their experiences of problems in connection with the study visit greatly influenced their views on how smartphones could be used in support of it.

The result contributes new knowledge that can be related to future research and design processes. In the local context, in which the study visit took place, the present results may provide new insights into opportunities and problems associated with the future use of smartphones.

In Sweden upper secondary school education is organised in programmes. One of these programmes is the Technology programme that covers five orientations, one of which is Design and Product Development. This thesis is based on the idea that a clearer link between upper secondary school and the demands of professional life in the area of product development is beneficial to both students and industry.

Product development is performed in cross-functional teams were understanding of others competences is important. It is therefore argued that, in order to enhance both teaching and learning, interdisciplinary considerations need to be explored. In this thesis, we turn to engineers and industrial designers. The aim of the present study is to get professional actors’ views on knowledge and skills needed within the field of design and product development and to examine whether there are key areas that facilitate an interdisciplinary approach suitable to focus on for educational purpose. As artefacts play a central role in product development the informants’ views on different products/artefacts are also examined. This reasoning results in an a two-part overall research question

(a) What thoughts do professional engineers and industrial designers express regarding necessary knowledge and skills, and (b) what relevance does this have for upper secondary school teaching of product development?

This overall research question is examined through two sub- studies, both performed at the same time, one conducted as a semi- structured interview and the other using the repertory grid technique. Twelve engineers and industrial designers are interviewed. The first study examines the informants’ thoughts on knowledge and skills required in their work. The same informants’ interpretations and valuations of artefacts are examined in the second sub-study.

In sub-study 1 two topics of significance to the informants are identified. These topics are: [1] To act within the team (Figure 4). The ability to navigate and position oneself within a team is, according to the interviewees, a necessary skill in design and product development work. Its character can be described as including specific vocational knowledge and skills as well as issues of general and interdisciplinary nature as collaborating, compromising, communicating, and leadership. The second topic [2], to CAD (Figure 4) includes both skills with CAD software and the ability to understand relationships between a CAD model on screen and the final product.

The third topic [3] - a valuation of artefacts - is the outcome of sub- study 2 (Figure 4). This topic was found interesting and further analysed, resulting in the development of a comparison procedure. The result demonstrates how the interviewees interpret and discuss artefacts’ functionality linked to cultural values.

These three topics are found to be relevant for technology education at upper secondary school level geared towards design and product development to explore. To act within the team can inspire the development of activities in which project and teamwork are in focus. The purpose of the CAD model in product development is to visualise a product that does not yet exist. To CAD highlights the complexity of this visualisation ability. In the educational context the students can train this ability by developing digital models into physical models or prototypes. Valuations of artefacts, the interviewees associate artefacts’ functionality with certain characteristics. In education students should learn that we are not neutral in our relations to products and other artefacts. In conclusion, a need for teachers to discuss artefacts from different perspectives such as sustainability, usability, identity and so on is also pointed out.

This thesis consists of two essays and an introduction. The main theme is gender awareness in technology education and the theoretical standpoint is gender theory.

The first essay examines the subject of technology in compulsory school, scrutinizes the status of gender awareness in technology education and what methods are used to break gender boundaries. By observations, interviews and questionnaire pupils’, teachers’ and school leaders’ apprehensions of technology and technology education are examined. The gender issue is known to everyone, but awareness in strategies and education methods is rather deficient. The already rather invisible subject of technology, lack of qualifications among teachers, material and methods obstructs gender awareness. To make changes the school leader has a key position.

The second essay considers gender oriental recruitment actions for increasing the number of female students in higher technology education. The actions have been governmental, from the profession and from local schools. By literature studies actions are mapped and organized according to their physical and structural arena. Five arenas have been identified: square, mass, entrance, class room and board room. Actions at public arenas aimed to increase interest and change attitudes dominate. Structural actions, preferably initiated from the government, have been tried, often with good results. These actions challenge the power system at the board room and class room and are therefore met with resistance.

There is a growing demand for studies applying quantitative methods to large-scale data sets for the purpose of evaluating the effects of educational reforms (UVK, 2010). In this thesis the statistical method, Propensity Score Analysis (PSA), is presented and explored in the evaluating context of an extensive educational initiative within science and technology education; the Science and Technology for All-program (NTA). The research question put forward reads; under what conditions are PSA-analyses a useful method when measuring the effects from a school improvement initiative in S & T?

The study considers the use of PSA when looking for long-term effects that could be measured, what to take into consideration to be able to measure this, and how this could be done. The baseline references (outcome variables) used in order to measure/evaluate the long-term effects from the studied program is students’ achievements in the national test (score and grades) and their grades in year 9. Some findings revealed regarding the object of study (long-term effects from using NTA) are also presented.

The PSA method is found to be a useful tool that makes it possible to create artificial control groups when experimental studies are impossible or inappropriate; which is often the case in school education research. The method opens up for making use of the rich source of registry data gathered by authorities. PSA proves reliable and relatively insensitive to the effects of covariates and heterogeneous effecter if the number of samples is large enough. The use of PSA (or other statistical methods) also makes it possible to measure outcomes several years after treatment. There are issues of concern when using PSA. One is the obvious demand for organized collection of measurement data. Another issue of concern is the choice of outcome variables. In this study the chosen outcome variables (pupils’ score and grading in national tests and grades in year 9) open up for discussions regarding aspects that might not be reflected/measured in national tests and/or teachers’ grading. Findings regarding the long-term effects from using NTA) show significantly positive effects in physics on test scores (average increase 16.5%) and test grades, but not in biology and chemistry. In this study no significant effects are found for course grades. PSA approach has proved to be a reliable method. There is however a limitation in terms of the method's ability to capture more subtle aspects of learning. A combination of quantitative and qualitative approach when studying long-term effects from educational intervention is therefore suggested.

This thesis provides findings from a qualitative study that explores the assessment process undertaken by teachers in Swedish primary technology education. The thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how teachers assess in technology education. In this study assessment with the purpose of acquiring information in order to adjust the teaching to the pupils’ needs for future progress is explored in particular. Teachers’ work with assessment is explored in two teacher-focused sub-studies. Sub-study 1 focuses on the long-cycle formative assessment and on the formal documentation of pupils’ attainment, the so-called IDP with written assessment. Sub-study 2 explores the short cycle of formative assessment and highlights two teachers’ classroom assessments practice. The results presented are built upon authentic samples of assessment documents (IDPs), classroom observations and teacher interviews.

The study shows that the teachers are alone in the planning, executing and follow-up of technology education. Support is both asked for and needed.

With the intention to contribute to research in computer programming education the thesis depicts the mind-set of teachers and their beliefs in relation to the early enactment of the informatics curriculum in Swedish upper secondary school. Two perspectives are covered in the thesis. Based on original documents and interviews with curriculum developers, the enactment of the informatics/programming curriculum during the 1970s and 1980s is explored (Paper 1). This historical perspective is supplemented with a perspective from the present day where current teaching practice is explored through teachers’ statements (seminars with associated questionnaires) regarding their beliefs about teaching and learning programming (Paper 2).

The historical data reveals that experimental work within the informatics curriculum was initiated in the mid-1970s. In the early stages of the curriculum development process a contemporary post gymnasium programme in computing was used as a blueprint. The curriculum relied on programming as well as system development, wherefore a question of importance was raised early in the process; should the subject matter of informatics, be taught by ‘regular’ Natural Sciences and Mathematics teachers or by contemporary vocational education teachers in ADP? The question was initially solved using stereotypical examples of how to apply system development, which was later suggested as a replacement for programming activities. The initial incitement to offer informatics education during the 1970s was discovered in the recruitment of a broader group of students within the Natural Science Programme and the perception that it would contribute to the development of students’ ability to think logically and problem solving skills.

The thesis unravels an instructional dependence among today’s teachers where students’ logical and analytical abilities (even before the courses start) are considered crucial to students’ learning, while teachers question the importance of their pedagogy. Teachers in the study commonly express the belief that their instructions hardly matter to the students’ learning. Instead these teachers perceive learning programming as an individual act. The inquiry also discover two types of instruction; a large group putting emphasis on the syntax of programming languages, and a smaller group putting emphasis on the students’ experiences of learning concepts of computer science (not necessarily to do with syntax), which corresponds with the existence of two groups of teachers during the 1980s; the partisans who perceived learning as based on repeating sequences in a behaviouristic manner, and defenders who perceived learning as based on discovery and self-teaching.

In summary the inquiry depicts an instructional tradition based on teachers’ beliefs where the historical development of the subject sets the framework for the teaching. Directly and indirectly the historical development and related traditions govern what programming teachers in upper secondary school will/are able to present to their students.