Pupils' lack of concentration is a concern in everyday classrooms in Norway as in many other countries. Whereas research has defined different behaviour issues in classroom contexts, there has been less focus on how the counsellors, working at the Educational and Psychological Counselling Service (EPCS), describe different behaviour issues. This article is based on a study that aims to develop a deeper understanding of how the counsellors perceive the term 'concentration difficulties'. Even though the term is widely used in templates and in national strategic documents to describe pupils' disruptive behaviour, few other studies emphasise this perspective. The study has a phenomenological-hermeneutic inspired approach and is based on individual in-depth interviews with counsellors working at the EPCS. The key findings suggest that the counsellors understanding of the term are influenced by their personal perceptions of the term, their education and the way they facilitate adapted learning.
The issue of lack of consistency between teacher education and professional practice has been a subject of debate for a long time. In Norway, like many other countries, both scientific communities and governing bodies have put this on the agenda. The current study is qualitative, using a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach. The aim is to deepen the understanding of a communicative space between student teachers and pupils, both face-toface and online, in order to develop student teachers' interaction competence. The data comprise reflection logs, group interview and video recordings from both live and online meetings with student teachers and pupils, and is analysed by using qualitative content analysis. The findings demonstrate that online communication is different from ordinary classroom communication and therefore student teachers need to interact with pupils online in order to develop these skills. Reflecting on these kinds of situations while still in education helps student teachers to develop their ability to reflect critically on their own practice and prepare them for their future work as teachers.
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