Our new graduate schools for teacher educators
The University of Gothenburg and the Faculty of Education have been granted funding for several graduate schools for teacher educators in the most recent national call. Together, these initiatives strengthen the scientific foundation of teacher education and provide future teacher educators with in-depth expertise in some of the most topical areas in education — ranging from equity and quality in subject teaching to artificial intelligence, cognition and special needs education.
– We look forward to seeing how these graduate schools and their doctoral students will contribute to making the Faculty of Education an even more dynamic and stimulating research environment in the years ahead, says Christina Osbeck, Dean of the Faculty of Education.
Overall, the Faculty of Education participates in six graduate schools, with doctoral students placed at several of the Faculty’s departments.
STEPS – strengthening teacher education for equitable practice in Swedish schools
Principal investigator at the Faculty of Education: Kajsa Yang Hansen
Participating universities: University of Gothenburg, Uppsala University, Stockholm University
Number of doctoral students at the Faculty of Education: 3
About the graduate school
STEPS educates a new generation of teacher educators with expertise in issues relating to equity, inclusion and social justice in schools. The research projects address, among other things, the effects of segregation, spatial inequality in preschool, and ethical dilemmas in teaching. The doctoral programme is linked to a national network and includes several international collaborations.
ASSESS III – large-scale assessment in the education system
Principal investigator at the Faculty of Education: Alli Klapp
Participating universities: University of Gothenburg, Stockholm University, Umeå University
Number of doctoral students at the Faculty of Education: 3
About the graduate school
ASSESS III strengthens the competence of teacher educators in assessment, large-scale testing and education system development. Doctoral students study issues such as reliability and validity, equity, differences between student groups, and how assessment data can be used to support school development. The graduate school combines large-scale quantitative analyses with practice-oriented research.
GRAITE – graduate school for AI and teacher education
Co-investigator at the Faculty of Education: Lena Pareto
Participating universities: Nine Swedish universities
Number of doctoral students at the Faculty of Education: To be determined
About the graduate school
GRAITE develops knowledge about how artificial intelligence is reshaping the role of teachers, teaching practices and teacher education. The graduate school targets teacher educators who need to understand, use and critically evaluate AI technologies. Research projects address topics ranging from ethical considerations to the integration of digital technologies across subjects, as well as the impact of AI on the teaching profession and the democratic mission of schools.
BEPPE – best practice? Graduate school on subject didactic models in primary teacher education
Co-investigators at the Faculty of Education: Angelika Kullberg, Åke Ingerman, Anna Lyngfeldt and Christina Osbeck
Principal investigator: Martin Stolare, Karlstad University
Number of doctoral students at the Faculty of Education: 4
About the graduate school
BEPPE aims to strengthen subject-specific didactic competence in primary teacher education (years F–6). The graduate school focuses on three established didactic models: variation theory, inquiry-based learning and the four resources model. Through classroom-based studies in several subjects, the research contributes knowledge about what characterises high-quality teaching and how it varies depending on subject and educational context.
Cognition in the classroom
Co-investigator at the Faculty of Education: Jakob Åberg Johnels
Principal investigator: Åsa Wengelin, University of Gothenburg
Number of doctoral students at the Faculty of Education: 2
About the graduate school
This graduate school focuses on how cognitive perspectives can be integrated into language, reading and writing instruction from preschool to upper secondary school. It addresses the growing need for research-based knowledge about children’s language and literacy development and how teachers can work systematically with these issues. The graduate school also builds expertise in experimental and corpus-based research methods.
Graduate school in special needs education: intervention research in schools
Co-investigator at the Faculty of Education: Jakob Åberg Johnels
Principal investigator: Jenny Wilder, Stockholm University
Number of doctoral students at the Faculty of Education: 1
About the graduate school
This graduate school develops research on interventions in inclusive school environments, with a particular focus on students with learning difficulties and neurodevelopmental conditions. Research projects address areas such as language, reading and writing development, mathematics learning, and educational challenges for students with intellectual disabilities. The overall aim is to strengthen schools’ capacity to work in an evidence-based manner.