Krister Hertting

Learning within and beyond the Classroom: Compulsory School Students Voicing Their Positive Experiences of School.

The aim of this study was to describe, reflect upon, and create a deeper understanding of aspects relevant for promoting a positive school environment from a student perspective. The data was analyzed by using an inductive phenomenological method and based on written responses from 200 Swedish students from grades 5–9. The results indicated that the students found aspects within, as well as beyond, the classroom relevant for a positive school environment. For instance, outings were considered relevant for building and maintaining friendships and for learning processes. Moreover, the students discussed formal and informal conditions and considered social as well as structural circumstances important for having a good time in school. The relation between learning and well-being was also emphasized by the students.

Improving the School Environment from a Student Perspective:Tensions and opportunities

Managerial documents for the national school system in Sweden have emphasised taking students’ voices as a starting point in forming education, and several previous studies have indicated the benefits of giving students opportunities to participate in school. This study aimed to explore students’ reflections on what they would do if they were to decide how to make school the best place for learning. A total of 200 students aged 11 to 15 years from four schools (rural and urban) in two municipalities in the northern part of Sweden participated. The empirical data consisted of the students’ written reflections. The findings fall within four themes: (i) influencing educational settings; (ii) striving for reciprocity; (iii) managing time struggles; and (iv) satisfying well-being needs. Tensions between the students’ previous experiences and future visions appeared. The findings can offer direction regarding aspects of the learning environment in school that could be improved.

Bridges and barriers learning experiences from an international research project

This paper is based on experiences gained from working in a collaborative project, between researchers from a university in Sweden and a university in Australia. The overall aim of the paper is to illuminate and discuss learning experiences of working in an international research project in a global context. The key research questions explored in the paper are: (i) which bridges and barriers are identified as critical aspects for collaboration? (ii) how can our experiences be understood in the light of theories on learning? In order to answer the posed research questions, members of the research team have conducted written reflections, which provide the empirical foundation for this paper. We use Wenger’s theory of communities of practice as a theoretical point of department. The analysis of the empirical materials, the written reflections, resulted in four themes; Choice of partner(s), The meaning of personal encounters, Encounter between different academic cultures, and the issue of languages. As conclusions, we want to emphasis that boundary-breaking encounters that take place in a research project like this are challenging, but at the same time, they provide opportunities for new and rich understandings of research. We have found that to create a community of practice in which new and rich understandings of research can be accomplished is challenging, much due to the issue of geographical, cultural, and linguistic distance.