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Aim

In this paper, we present the results of an ongoing scoping review on Swedish and Finnish compulsory learning and schooling (läroplikt och skolplikt) in relation to principals' leadership. The aim of the study has been to identify existing research on the topic. It has also been central to identify what is crucial for principals' leadership and agency based on compulsory schooling versus learning, and what consequences these different governance mechanisms and approaches have on education.

Theory

The curriculum theory is used as a theoretical framework. The study thus examines how different arenas influence the formulation, transformation, and realization of policies. The formulation arena refers to how negotiations and selection processes have led to the development of concepts related to compulsory learning and schooling in policy documents. The realization arena focuses on how these concepts are implemented and interpreted in schools by principals. Finally, the transformation arena explores the complexity of translating these concepts into practice, considering various aspects, for example political (Lindensjö & Lundgren, 2014).This theory is relevant for understanding how the concepts of compulsory learning and compulsory schooling can be interpreted and enacted by principals in each country. The agency of leadership and its impact on students' education is particularly central.

Method

The method used for this scoping review is the PRISMA tool which is a standardized way of showing how articles are selected for scoping reviews. Using several combinations of specific search terms, 2431444references were identified and entered into the PRISMA flowchart. After relevant screening, 21 references remained. These articles were analysed thematically. The goal of the thematic analysis, when organizing, structuring, and studying the articles, was to identify meaning making patterns (Braun & Clarke, 2016, 2019), as well as to identify differences.

Findings

One indication: there is a limited number of Swedish and Finnish studies specifically addressing compulsory schooling and learning in relation to principals' leadership. A second indication: these issues are mainly studied within the legal research field regarding how legislation can be interpreted and applied. A third indication: this research area has clear knowledge gaps in Sweden and Finland, making it important to conduct studies on compulsory learning and schooling in relation to principals' leadership and agency. What can however be identified is that principals as decision-makers face significant pressure. How principals in Sweden and Finland understand, interpret, and enact the concepts of compulsory learning and schooling can determine how they organize and lead their institutions through pedagogical leadership, thereby becoming key actors in how the law is applied.

Relevance

The study aims to add new knowledge about compulsory schooling and learning and its impact on the development regarding school governance. The ambition is to explore what implications this has for the understanding of Swedish and Finnish compulsory learning and schooling. This is relevant for educational research in other Nordic countries, as well as the overarching purpose and ambition of schooling in relation to both education and learning across the Nordic region.

Sedan andra världskrigets slut har det pågått en bearbetning av minnet av Förintelsen. Minnesbearbetningen pågår både inom den judiska gruppen men också på nationell, samhällelig nivå och kan förstås som en väg, ett sätt, för att försöka begripa det obegripliga (Handelman, 1998, Kingsepp, 2012). Minnesbearbetningen kommer till uttryck i ett transmedialt berättande som gestaltas i form av museala utställningar, teaterföreställningar, konstutställningar, radioprogram, spelfilmer, poesi och romaner, bara för att nämna några områden (Kingsepp, 2008). I denna artikel vill jag undersöka den andra generationens litterära berättelser i tre historiska romaner av Åsbrink (2012), Rosenberg (2013) och Einhorn (2019). De överlevandes barn bearbetar de överlevandes upplevelser, minnen och överlevnad under och efter Förintelsen. Berättelserna utgör ett sätt, en väg, för de efterlevande att bearbeta både det historiska skeendet men också familjens och släktens historia (Kidron, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, Balf, 2012, Sarri Krantz, 2018, 2024). Men i denna artikeln är den teoretiska utgångspunkten Webbers (2007) resonemang om det sociala och religiösa judiska påbudet att både minnas och berätta. Detta kan förstås som en plikt, en förpliktelse, att föra minnena vidare till kommande generationer både inom den judiska gruppen men också till det omgivande samhället. I analysen av den andra generationens litterära berättande riktas blicken framförallt mot den tematiska bearbetningen. Här är det särskilt intressant att undersöka vad som framstår som både centralt och angeläget för den andra generationen att fokusera sitt berättande kring. Artikeln är på detta sätt ett kunskapsbidrag till studiet av den generationella minnesbearbetningen av Förintelsen där just plikten, förpliktelsen, är central.

The purpose of this article is to contribute with new perspectives and knowledge regarding the factors that lead to change and professional development among teachers who aspire for future leadership roles, with a specific focus on transformative learning. The study employed questionnaires consisting of open ended questions, generating qualitative data. An inductive and exploratory approach was maintained, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Drawing on the theory of transformative learning, the findings demonstrate the importance of developing professional learning within an academic context. The results highlight the need for participants to strengthen their leadership skills, deepen their understanding of the requirements associated with a career transition, and engage with leadership theories that can initiate capacity change. Such processes can foster both individual and organizational development. Furthermore, the professional development offered by the course prepares aspiring principals to build individual leadership competencies, develop personal resilience, and acquire tools for leading and developing schools, and their students, so that they can remain adaptable in a society characterized by continuous social, political, economic, and cultural change and challenges. The study underscores the importance of developing relevant competencies among aspiring principals, as these may influence the next generation of global citizens.

Research aim

School leaders play a crucial role in fostering democratic values in education, yet they increasingly navigate tensions between policy demands, social inequalities, and political discourse (Moos et al., 2020). The policies influencing and framing the pedagogical leadership has a focus on creating a democratic environment with human rights at the forefront. The leadership has a possibility to contribute to such realisation (Uljens, 2015). This paper aims to add new knowledge about the connection between school policy on one hand and the implication for civic literacy, and leadership, on the other hand (Adolfsson, 2024).

Theoretical framework

The paper uses the theoretical framework and idea of civic literacy, Wahlstrom (2022), which emphasizes civic literacy in order to gain a practical approach to “democratic stance in education”. Three dimensions are identified: “Developing knowledge about the world […], Learning to act responsibly in the world […] Realising oneself in the world”. When focusing on these dimensions, there is an enhanced possibility to make a change in the organisation and classroom but also to commit to a leadership that has stronger focus on democratic values for school leaders, thus explore and expand the educational leadership (2022, p 1004).

Research design

Our first methodological step involves studying documents that define the country's school context: the Swedish Curriculum for the Elementary school from 1982, 1994, 2024 and the Danish School act from4201975, 2014, 2019. Our second methodological perspective builds on two key conceptualizations: discrimination and democracy. These concepts guide our analysis of the Swedish and Danish policies. Our analysis follows a two-stage process in examining the documents, with a focus on democratic perspectives and signs of discrimination. In the first stage, we situate each policy within its broader historical and societal context by analysing dominant discourses and existing research. In the second stage, we analyse the policy documents through the mentioned perspectives.

Results

The two selected cases appear different as they represent contrasting policy logics. The comparison reveals important insights about how democratic ideals interact with governance trends in education policy. Both cases build on the social democratic welfare state model, yet they illustrate different ways in which democratic values are challenged in contemporary education systems. The Danish case highlights how accountability pressures school leaders to ensure that students follow specific educational pathways. In contrast, the Swedish case demonstrates how democratic ideals remain a formalized part of the educational framework, yet face challenges in practice. The two educational systems are built on strong democratic foundations that schools are expected to uphold and foster. However, the analysis reveals significant democratic challenges embedded within the legislation which we will discuss.

Relevance

The policy acts in Denmark and Sweden emphasize the role of schools in fostering a democratic culture and cultivating democratic agency among students. The research presented in this paper has relevance for Nordic educational research at large since it highlights factors that are applicable for school leaders in other Nordic countries.

An anthropological study of the third generation survivors and their public commemoration

The Holocaust is a historical event that remains present in Swedish society. It is commemorated within the cultural sector, political discussions, academia, and educational sector by both the Swedish majority population and the Jewish minority. During the 2010s, the grandchildren of the survivors of the Holocaust began to come forward, referring to themselves as the third generation survivors (Sarri Krantz, 2018). Some individuals from this generation have voluntarily taken on the responsibility of telling their grandparents’ and their own stories, using both oral and written testimonies. Together, these narratives form a transmedial storytelling (Jenkins, 2006; Kingsepp, 2008) that incorporates mythical structures, elements, and language (Lévi-Strauss, 1995; Kingsepp, 2012). The purpose of the paper presentation is therefore to highlight this pattern. The study is based on social anthropological fieldwork (Aud Talle, 2008) conducted in Stockholm during the 2010s. Observations were carried out in several locations in and around Stockholm (Hannerz, 2001), and interviews were conducted with individuals from the third generation. To study this more closely, the social anthropological fieldwork was complemented with a study and an analysis of the transmedial storytelling conducted by the third generation. The analysis focused on the specific varieties of telling stories, particularly speeches, texts and radio programs by the third generation. The analysis also focused on the mythical structures, elements, and language which they have chosen to use when telling their, and their grandparents, stories. One of the results, and an aspect of importance, is that, by taking on the responsibility of carrying the message forward about both the Holocaust and about contemporary and historical antisemitism to present and future generations, their stories serve as a vital and important testimony and message for the Jewish group and society at large.

This article discusses instructional leadership and its implications for professional development of formative assessment conducted by teachers. Theories of instructional leadership claim that distributed leadership is seen as a strategy for principals to manage a complex mission. Therefore, distributed leadership has been studied in six upper secondary schools. Two methods have been used: a survey and semi-structured interviews. The results show that principals and assistant principals distribute the professional development of teachers to other teachers with leadership assignments. However, research on distributed leadership indicates that principals need to be present in contexts where the professional development of teachers take place.

Målet med PUMA-projektet Seminariet och rektorerna – att utforma utbildningsförnyelse som har betydelse för rektorers livslånga lärande har varit att utveckla och anpassa seminarieformen så att kursdeltagarna utvecklar generiska förmågor till gagn för det livslånga lärandet och dagens, samt morgondagens, samhällsförändringar. Att just utveckla undervisningen, liksom att variera undervisningsformer och läraktiviteter, är något som framhålls i Uppsala universitets pedagogiska program (2018). Detta projekt ligger således i linje med universitets pedagogiska ambition.

Fokus har därför initialt riktats mot att identifiera rektorsutbildningens kursers respektive mål samt hur och på vilket sätt det sker en progression inom och mellan kurserna. Under arbetsåret 2024–2025 har det genomförts olika typer av datainsamling samt framåtsyftande aktiviteter för att utveckla undervisningen och utbildningen. 

Enlight abstract

The seminars in academia emerged as a reaction against the long-standing tradition of lectures dominated by a monologue where the university lecturer talked and the students listened. To break this tradition, the seminar was introduced with the ambition to create a forum where dialogue and discussion were at the center. The ambition was further to create a context where participants could express "scientific experimental curiosity" and "Bildung" (Öberg, 2011, p. 55). Bildung can be understood as a desire and ambition to immerse oneself in an ongoing dialogue that encompasses an investigative approach. The dialogue occurs both between teachers and participants but also among the course participants themselves (Uljens, 2021). In a Swedish context, however, the goal for students has been to develop critical thinking (Öberg, 2011). Öberg (2011) points out that there is some skepticism regarding the seminars in that it can be difficult for beginners, both teachers and students, to understand and master the form and purpose of the seminar. 

Against this backdrop we have studied the development of competencies and abilities by Swedish principals during one academic year, the last one of three in the national training program for principals. The method used was surveys on four different occasions during one academic year. Säljö (2010, 2014, 2021) argues that learning occurs in a sociocultural context where dialogue and communication are central. It happens through a reciprocal approach where one both speaks and listens in an ongoing interaction. In the study the results show two aspects: the participants state how they perceive the learning outcome during the seminars and they also reveal an interpretation of their own intellectual development during seminars. The open responses also show that the sociocultural context is of crucial importance for the principals. In the comments from the participants, the situated social practice emerges as a theme along with the sociocultural context. It is the situated social practice, which the seminar constitutes, that creates both a space and an opportunity for the course participants to test new and old ideas, to discuss, to reconsider arguments, to think again, and to think outside the box. Regardless of which ability or competence is developed, it happens together in an ongoing conversation and mutual listening, which enables the participants to achieve a dialogue that collectively leads to broadening their perspectives. According to Öberg (2011), this is the purpose of the seminar. The study shows that participants develop competencies and abilities that are general and desirable in relation to higher education during seminars (Öberg, 2011).

However, in the responses of the surveys the participants have not mentioned any of the perspectives addressed in the conference theme. In order to spark a conversation, we would therefore like to present a case, based on the study and our experience of teaching in higher education, which can be used in order to create a conversation focusing on the development of the teaching and learning during the seminars in higher education. There are two aspects we would like to discuss:

How can teaching in higher education develop in order to have a focus on playful and creative teaching methods during seminars?How can teaching in higher education develop in order to have a focus on promoting spontaneity and open-ended conversations?