Pedagogic Discourses in the Swedish Primary Teacher Education Programme From a Subject Perspective

Abstract

This study directs attention to the ways in which pre-service teachers' knowledge base are constructed in and through the examination practice in the various subjects of the Primary teacher education programme in Sweden. The empirical material consists of policy material (course plans, study guides and examination tasks). The results show differences between the pedagogic discourses, in the various subjects, concerning examination forms, what is examined in terms of content, and which generic competencies are given importance in and through the examinations. Finally, the result shows that pedagogic discourse primarily shape the primary teacher students into a horizontal discourse, which can make it difficult for them to handle complex teaching situations in their future professional lives.

Examensarbeten i svensk grundlärarutbildning – en innehållsanalys av didaktik och ämnen

“…As for topics of the projects, most (N=144, 55%) were included in the topic areas Learning and instruction and Classroom management, which could imply that most student teachers chose to deepen their knowledge in areas aligned with the demands of professional work, which are a central part of the examination goals of primary teacher education. Sjöberg (2019Sjöberg ( , 2020 has argued that primary teacher education maintains a vocational tradition that limits student teachers' opportunities for developing academic skills. Since most projects were about instruction and organisation of teaching, one could argue that critical analyses of education have a limited role in degree projects, which seems consistent with previous research.…”