Den mätbara litteraturläsaren - En tendens i Lgr11 och en konsekvens för svensklärarutbildningen

Abstract

The measurable fiction reader. A tendency in Lgr11 and a consequence for teacher education. Based on the new syllabus for Swedish in the primary school, this article discusses measurable knowledge and scientific foundations in relation to reading and teaching literature. In addition, some possible consequences for teacher education regarding the school subject of Swedish following these changes are discussed. The results show that the explicit scientific base of the school subject Swedish, that is Comparative Literature and the Swedish Language, is insufficient as a foundation for the subject. Furthermore, Swedish as a school subject has been distanced from the established scientific basis of Comparative Literature. Our analysis also shows that the explicitly expressed intention of clarity behind the syllabus results in lists of content that are characterised by measurability, while the democratic values promoted in the curriculum are not even mentioned in the educational purpose of the subject. Finally, the article problematizes the scientific foundations of the teacher programme in Swedish.

The Role of Aesthetics in Swedish Literature Studies: A Survey beyond Measurability of the Teaching of Literature

“…The instrumental teaching approach is supported by results from a recent study on literature studies (Wintersparv et al, 2019). The study formed the first part of a larger project, in which the current survey aims to further explore the findings, which support those from other Swedish surveys (Ewald, 2007;Johansson, 2014;Lundström et al, 2011), representing a reading mode far from one involving the aesthetics and the Reading Experience, which, De-Malach and Poyas (2018) maintain, is a dominant criterion for a text's appropriateness for teaching. If the way in which curricular stipulations are phrased results in a possibly negative correlation between literature studies and students' interest in written fiction and their inclination to engage in reading, it is crucial to examine how teachers operationalize their teaching of literature within the curricular framework.…”

“…Swedish curricula rarely treat fiction as a subject with intrinsic values, but mainly regard it as a means to other ends, such as language learning, critical thinking, and the forming of a cultural identity (Öhman, 2015). This utilitarian focus is discussed by Lundström et al (2011) as reducing the incentives to read fiction, which further connects literature studies in school and students' general reading habits. In addition, Lundström et al (2011) assert that the curriculum promotes measurability, causing additional elements of instrumentality in literature studies together with the orientation around literary genres and literary history.…”

“…In the following, I present the current state of literature studies in Swedish L1 education, in which measurability and instrumentality are central (Linnér, 1984;Lundström et al, 2011;Öhman, 2015). I will contrast existing conditions with ideas about how the artistic and the scholarly is being sharply separated (Dewey, 1934(Dewey, /2005.…”

Function and use of literary texts in Nordic schools

“…They infer that this can lead to a situation where teachers turn towards concrete and measurable aspects of the curriculum. Lundström et al (2011) note that it is easier to measure what students learn about literature than it is to measure what they learn from literature. Therefore, teachers might prioritize formal aspects in their literature instruction.…”

“…When it comes to classroom teaching and learning practices on a general level, comparative classroom analyses have shown that there are many similarities across the Nordic countries (Klette, 2018). On the other hand, factors such as curricula, textbooks, and traditions influence teachers' instruction (Lundström et al, 2011;Mossberg Schüllerqvist, 2008;Rørbech & Skyggebjerg, 2020), which entails that students in different countries are taught different subject content in different ways.…”