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Background: Data obtained from international studies of health behaviour among school-age children show evidence of strong relationships between alienation from school and health behaviour such as smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and food choices. This article discusses these connections between health problems and underachievement. Objective: The aim is to raise the question of whether, and if so, how school development could be a way to handle both the alienation and the health problems. Design and Results: Interviews and observations were accomplished in association with an evaluation study of ''health-promoting school'' projects at 15 compulsory schools in central Sweden. Different kinds of encounters between health promotion work and school development were distinguished. Conclusions: The empirical data indicate possibilities in health promotion projects to develop deliberation and dialogical teaching methods, which include possibilities for dialogue and enhanced learning among underachieving students. These approaches to health promotion could be thought of as salutogenesis or empowerment and are not dissimilar to, and could even be confused with, school development.

The aim of the study was to exemplify pupils' mastering of mathematical literacy. The study is a comparative multiple case study. In pupils' talk of mathematical activities aspects of mathematical literacy are discerned. A distinction is made between pupils: (1) pupils in mathematical difficulties, (2) pupils with another mother tongue than Swedish or (3) pupils without mathematical difficulties. The study was performed as a comparative multiple case study. The "cases" were constituted by the three groups of pupils, and these were compared. Seventy-two pupils in grade 5 in six different primary schools in Sweden participated: twenty-four pupils in mathematical difficulties (twelve girls and twelve boys), twenty-four pupils with another native language than Swedish (twelve girls and twelve boys) and twenty-four pupils without mathematical difficulties (twelve girls and twelve boys). After each of the performed lessons in which the activities were carried out the pupils were interviewed (groupwise in the above defined groups) about their experience of the activities. In the analysis of the results three ideal types were described, one for each group of pupils. The ideal types were discussed with relation to mathematical literacy.

The object of this study is to examine children's perspectives on health and what elements make them feel good. Health promoting contributions rarely emanate from children's perspectives but most often from a child perspective, what adults consider children need in order to feel well. There are relatively few studies made from children's viewpoints on health-children should be made more involved in the shaping of health interventions. The study was carried out at two nine-year compulsory schools in Western Sweden, 78 pupils aged 9 through 11years participated. To collect the material interviews was the principal source, and the result is mainly supported by an analysis of the contents from 52 interviews. What the children declared to be the most important element for health were relations. This circumstance was stated in 88 percent of the interviews, and it was in substance the relations to family and friends that were brought up. A condition to lift children's perspectives is that they are taken seriously, that their part-taking leads to influence and a real utilization of their opinions. A conclusion from this study is that activities that handle health for children and young people should consider children's perspectives: partly through focusing the work on promoting children's social and familial relations, and partly to let the children participate more in the final shape of contents and working methods.

Background: Data obtained from international studies of health behaviour among school-age children show evidence of strong relationships between alienation from school and health behaviour such as smoking, alcohol use, physical activity and food choices. This article discusses these connections between health problems and underachievement. Objective: The aim is to raise the question of whether, and if so, how school development could be a way to handle both the alienation and the health problems. Design and Results: Interviews and observations were accomplished in association with an evaluation study of ''health-promoting school'' projects at 15 compulsory schools in central Sweden. Different kinds of encounters between health promotion work and school development were distinguished. Conclusions: The empirical data indicate possibilities in health promotion projects to develop deliberation and dialogical teaching methods, which include possibilities for dialogue and enhanced learning among underachieving students. These approaches to health promotion could be thought of as salutogenesis or empowerment and are not dissimilar to, and could even be confused with, school development.