Dalarna University's logo and link to the university's website

du.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • chicago-author-date
  • chicago-note-bibliography
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Prövningen av en skola för alla: nationella provet i matematik i det tredje skolåret
Department of science and mathematics education, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7182-5649
2015 (Swedish)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)Alternative title
Is school for everyone? : the national test in mathematics at Grade three in Sweden (English)
Abstract [en]

This thesis presents the contribution to research that my doctoral education led to. My starting point was a large scale qualitative research project (here after called the VR-project) which reviewed the implementation of national tests in the third grade on the subject of mathematics. The VR-project investigated how the test affected the pupils with a special focus on pupils in need of special support. An urge to look further into issues concerning the support, the pupil in need and the test was revealed in he initial VR-project. These issues therefore constitutes the problem area of this thesis. The VR-project studied a total of 22 classrooms in two different municipalities' during 2010- 2012. The methodology used for this project was inspired by ethnography and discourse analysis. The raw data consisted of test instructions, video observations of the actual test subjects, interviews from teachers and pupils about the test, the support that was given throughout the testing as well as the observations and interviews of the pupils requiring special assistance. Activated discourses and positions of the participants were demarcated. The results revealed that a traditional testing discourse, a caring discourse and a competitive discourse are activated during the tests. The testing discourse is stable and traditional. Much of what was shown and said in classrooms, routines and rules regarding the test were repeated in all the schools and in all the classrooms. The discourse on support is affected by ambiguity, which is revealed especially when issues of pupils’ equity is put against the tests equality. This is connected to the teachers restricted agency to give support due to the teacher position as a test taker. The positions in need that are available to students are not the same in pupils, teachers and steering documents. The situation is especially troublesome for pupils that do not manage Swedish good enough to take the test and for pupils in need of special support. Some of the conclusions from this thesis is that the national test format: Disciplines not only the pupil, but also the teacher, the classroom and the school at large. Results indicate that the test:

Activates a focus on achievementLeads attention away from learning Activates issues of accountability Influences pupils and teachers with stakes involved

Besides evaluating knowledge, the test disciplines not only the pupil, but also the teacher, the classroom and the school at large. Discussing the national test as an arena for equity might be a way towards attaining equality in education for all pupils.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Umeå: Umeå Universitet , 2015. , p. 114
Keywords [en]
National test, Mathematics, Third grade, Special needs, Special support, Student in need of support, Discourse, Pupil, Teacher
Keywords [sv]
Nationella prov, matematik, test, i behov av stöd, tredje skolåret, stöd
National Category
Social Sciences Pedagogy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-47361ISBN: 978-91-7601-314-4 (print)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:du-47361DiVA, id: diva2:1816391
Public defence
2015-10-16, Naturvetarhuset, N320, Umeå, 10:00 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Projects
Nationella prov i matematik – vad gör testandet med eleverna?Available from: 2023-12-05 Created: 2023-12-01 Last updated: 2023-12-05Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-109174

Authority records

Bagger, Anette

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Bagger, Anette
Social SciencesPedagogy

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

isbn
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

isbn
urn-nbn
Total: 33 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • chicago-author-date
  • chicago-note-bibliography
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf