Combining individual group work assessment with expectations of collaboration and shared learning can be seen as a paradox. In this chapter we explore and problematise whether it is possible to combine cooperative learning, an approach that has great potential to contribute to joint knowledge development between students, with teacher’s curricula knowledge requirements to assess student knowledge and abilities individually. The latter can create competition between the students. We propose adding a further dimension of contemporary global perspectives on cooperative learning in education by increasing knowledge about what happens in the meeting between cooperative learning and individual group work assessment. We will address some salient possibilities and challenges regarding individual group work assessment based on theory and research, but primarily we will discuss results from our group work assessment intervention project. We will also contribute by noting some practical implications presented as recommendations for teachers who employ the assessment practice when using cooperative learning. 

The aim of this study was to investigate professional agency in the context of higher education as manifested in Swedish teacher educators perceptions regarding their working life in a digital society and to seek to obtain insights on salient factors influencing professional agency and identity. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with teacher educators working at four different universities were analysed using directed content analysis. The theoretical perspective taken is a subject-centred socio-cultural approach to professional agency. This is an approach where the social context (the socio-cultural conditions) and individuals agency (professional subjects) are mutually constitutive but analytically separate. Agency is something that is exercised, and in this study, professional agency was explored in the work context, in teaching practice and in relation to the professional identity. The results of this study not only confirm the complexity of being a professional TE in the times of digitalisation but more importantly demonstrate a paradox in the TEs perceived high agency that both enables and hinders self-development (the individual) as well as development of the working community, the organisation, and the university. The study implies that considerations and understanding of the TEs autonomy and perceived agency are significant for professional and work development.

New parents are offered parental education groups as a way to support their transition to parenthood. Interactive approaches in these groups are of importance, but studies have reported a lack of activities that support interaction. Cooperative learning is a structured method when working with groups and based on five elements essential to maximizing the cooperative potential of groups. The aim was to investigate the leadership skills of child healthcare nurses as leaders for parental education groups, their ideas about creating conditions for well-functioning groups, and what is required to achieve this. The results were analyzed and discussed using social interdependence theory as a framework and especially the five elements of cooperative learning. Further, the study used a qualitative descriptive design, and eight qualitative interviews were analyzed deductively using thematic analysis. The results showed that in their narratives the nurses display vocational knowledge and describe conditions important for their groups from a cooperative learning perspective. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the nurses had difficulty explicitly instructing parents to use their personal experiences and social skills to get groups to function effectively. Knowledge developed in the workplaces from the experience of leading groups is mostly implicit, and formal knowledge and awareness of leadership is necessary for development of the role.

Developing skills in a professional setting is linked to practical experience. The relationship between experience and acquisition of skills can be seen as a transition from novice to expert. In a nursing setting, this has been studied using the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. The aim was to investigate how experience influences midwives and child healthcare nurses views of difficulties and rewards in working with parental education groups. The study has a cross-sectional design with a mixed methods approach. A total of 437 midwives and child healthcare nurses answered a web-based survey. First, a qualitative analysis was carried out, and then patterns of experience were analysed. The results showed that less experience as a leader corresponds to a greater focus on ones own role and on personal benefits from working with parents, but not on the specific context of the group. With experience, leaders had a greater focus on the group itself and rewards of making it function well. Not being able to take the current group and the specific context into account when working as a leader reduces possibilities of achieving a well-functioning group and the goals of the parental education.

Group work can provide students with valuable opportunities for cooperative learning both of knowledge and abilities related to academic factors and of collaborative skills. However, the requirement from the curriculum to assess students’ knowledge and ability individually in group work is a challenging and complex task for teachers. In addition, research on group work assessment in educational context is a neglected research area, and especially individual group work assessment. Accordingly, little theoretical knowledge or useful tools have been provided to assist teachers in this important but difficult task. A special challenge, compared to traditional assessment in education, seems to be how to discern individual knowledge from the joint work when assessing. One way for teachers to assess students during group work, and simultaneously promote their further work and learning, is to provide them with individual formative assessment, by employing feedback. Recent studies indicates that teachers’ feedback to the students also may support individual accountability, i.e., facilitates students’ ability to work more independently in group work where everyone is responsible for their part of the work but also for the group's joint assignments. Against this backdrop, the aim of this presentation is to explore and problematize in what way teachers’ formative written feedback, on students’ individual work during group work promotes or impedes collaboration and individual accountability.  

Social Interdependence Theory emphasizing positive interdependence as means for promoting collaboration as well as individual accountability for well-functioning group work, together with Shute’s (2008) guidelines for useful feedback, are utilized as overarching theoretical perspectives. Shute claims that there are several types of feedback that can be delivered and a large variability of the effects for the students. Useful feedback depends, according to Shute (2008), on motive, opportunity and means, that is, meet the student’s needs and is given when the student is prepared to use the feedback. 

The study focuses on written formative feedback as means for formative assessment. Data were obtained through 149 feedback documents from six teachers. Feedback was given during a group work assignment when students were working on the individual part of the common group task. The teachers were asked to use their own words in the written response to each student. The analysis was accomplished using an inductive thematic approach and Shute’s (2008) synthesized recommendations and guidelines to interpret and understand the teachers’ written feedback. 

The results display that the written feedback to the students includes comments on following levels: individual (“you”), group (“your group) and “not distinct” (not possible to discern which level). Furthermore, the results display that the teachers convey feedback in manageable units, focusing on the task to enhance the quality of the work or to promote collaboration and individual accountability. Thus, the paper contributes with relevant Nordic educational research by presenting theoretical knowledge on the sparsely researched area concerning written individual feedback as a means for formative assessment in connection with group work assessment.

References 

Shute, V. J. (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 153–189.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors that can predict collective efficacy in student work groups year 5 and 8 at compulsory school and to see if there are gender and year differences for efficacy beliefs and aspects of interdependence. A total of 283 completed questionnaires were analysed. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to predict collective efficacy and 2 × 2 ANOVA was used to analyse gender and year differences and interactions for following five factors: collective efficacy, self-efficacy, negative interdependence, positive interdependence and importance of good assessment and marks. The result showed that independent of gender, year and school, self-efficacy, positive and negative interdependence predicted collective efficacy in connection with group work assessment. The result also showed that there were better conditions for cooperation in year 5 compared to year 8. Additionally, it was significantly more important for girls than boys to achieve good assessment and marks.

Den här texten vänder sig till er som leder eller ska leda föräldragrupper. Med föräldragrupper menar vi de grupper som fungerar som stöd för blivande och nyblivna föräldrar, dvs. det handlar om föräldragrupper på mödrahälsovården (MHV) för blivande föräldrar som leds av barnmorskor och föräldragrupper inom barnhälso­vården (BHV) för nyblivna föräldrar som leds av barnsjuksköterskor eller distrikts­sköterskor. Texten är uppdelad på 7 kapitel. I det första kapitlet tar vi upp de stödjande aktivi­te­ter som riktas till blivande och nya föräldrar. Kapitel ett omfattar också vad övergången till vad föräldraskap innebär, både det som kan vara fysiskt och psykiskt påfrestande men också utvecklande. Vi kommer även in på grupper av nya föräldrar som kan behöva extra stöd, t.ex. ensamstående, samkönade, unga föräldrar och föräldrar som inte pratar svenska. I kapitel två flyttar vi fokus till vad det är som ska stödjas–barnens och föräldrarnas behov. Kapitel tre behandlar föräldrarnas förväntningar och tankar om föräldra­grupper–vad vill föräldrar att för­äldragrupper ska ta upp och hur vill de att de ska genomföras. I kapitel fyra riktas till ledaren och ledarrollen. Vi kommer in på olika förhållningssätt kopplat till att vara ledare, men också att skapa förutsättningar för ett lärande för deltagande föräldrar. Vi granskar hur den profession­ella rollen ser ut, men också svårigheterna med att uppfylla alla de förväntningar som finns på ledare för föräldragrupper. Femte kapitlet tar upp hur gruppen fungerar och vad som kan underlätta, men också försvåra arbetet med en grupp. Det handlar bl.a. om hur man skapar trygghet, om roller, normer och strukturer i en föräldragrupp. Vi avslutar med två kapitel som har fokus på strategier och metoder för att lättare kunna tackla potentiella problem och svårigheter, som man kan uppleva finns i föräldragrupper, och istället vända det till något positivt. I dessa två kapitel beskriver vi kooperativt lärande och kollegial handledning och ger också konkreta idéer på hur dessa två metoder eller strategier kan tillämpas på föräldra­gruppen.

Aims: The first year after childbirth involves a major transition for women, which can accentuate inadequacies and feelings of powerlessness, making them vulnerable to depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and frequency of maternal postpartum depressive symptoms at different times after giving birth (0-21 months). Methods: Data were collected cross-sectionally using a web questionnaire containing the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A total of 888 mothers with children in the age range 0-21 months responded. Results: The results showed different levels of depression over the range of months included in the study. The overall prevalence using EPDS > 12 was 27.8%. There were higher levels at 9-12 months and 17-21 months. The highest levels of symptoms of depression were found at nine, 12, and 17 months after birth, and the lowest levels at two and 16 months. Conclusions:

Group work assessment is a challenging and complex practice for teachers. This study focuses on the challenges teachers perceive before and after participating in a group work assessment project that emphasizes individual assessment. By conducting a qualitative thematic analysis of twelve interviews with six teachers at upper secondary schools in Sweden, several challenges could be identified. The most prominent challenge concerning group work assessment is how to discern students’ individual performance within groups. This challenge has consequences for both the validity and the fairness of the assessment. Further, teachers experienced challenges with (un)fairness in group work assessment, in terms of both achieving fairness and having to deal with students’ emotions regarding perceived unfairness. The results also show how teachers perceive inadequate conditions, such as a lack of time and methods, and generate challenges in their practice, which is also related to reliability.

Being assessed in group work is a balance between cooperation and competition. Self-efficacy and collective efficacy are important concepts in understanding how group work progresses and what attitudes assessment evokes. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a short educational intervention on the association between efficacy beliefs and attitudes towards being assessed in group work. In a randomized, controlled study of 22 pupil work groups, half of them got a short educational intervention. The work groups were formed for this study. The pupils answered a questionnaire before the intervention and after doing group work for 3 to 6 weeks with a study-specific task. A moderated mediation analysis showed that attitudes towards being assessed in group work significantly are related to self-efficacy mediated through perceived collective efficacy and that this relationship is stronger in the intervention group. In the context of work group assessment, we have shown that self-efficacy and collective efficacy are two separate, but related concepts that are dependent on each other when it comes to pupil attitudes towards group work assessment, and that a relatively short educational intervention to teachers and pupils had an effect on the attitude. However, the older girls attitude towards group work assessment was the least positive of all, which may indicate that the intervention depends on gender and age.

This study explores child health care nurses pedagogical knowledge when supporting parents in their parenthood using various teaching practices, that is how to organise and process the content during parent education groups in primary health care. The aim is to identify teaching practices used by child health care nurses and to analyse such practices with regard to Aristotles three forms of knowledge to comprehensively examine child health care nurses use of knowledge in practice. A qualitative methodological design alongside the analysis of video-recordings was used. The results showed that child health care nurses used four teaching practices: lecturing, demonstration, conversation and supervision. Their use ofepistemewas prominent, but they also seemed to mastertechnein combination withepistemeduring the first three teaching practices. During the conversation teaching practice, the child health nurses rarely succeeded. Consequently, they missed opportunities to identify mothers expressed concerns and to act in the best interests of both the mothers and their infants by the use ofphronesis. In health care, however, theoretical episteme is superordinate to productive knowledge or phronesis, which also became evident in this study. Nevertheless, more interactive pedagogical practices are needed if more use of phronesis is to become a reality in parent education groups.

The aim of this qualitative study of fatherhood group sessions offered as part of child health care services for new parents was to examine the activities, roles, and topics initiated by the leader and describe fathers participation. Eight new fathers took part in three audio- and video-recorded sessions led by a male leader. Three qualitative content analysis approaches were used to analyze the data. The analysis showed that the group leader took on four leadership roles, mainly that of discussion leader, but also expert, friend, and organizer. When the group leader acted as discussion leader, fathers participated by discussing challenges and changes in their new situation. Challenges were related to raising the child, partner relationships, everyday life, and gender equality. Fathers also discussed changes in their partner relationships and an increased focus on practicalities in daily life. Fatherhood groups can help new fathers form social networks and can create space for fathers to work through challenging topics, such as gender equality in parenting. The discussion leaders choice of role is crucial to creating the space for such discussions.

Group work assessment is often described by teachers as complex and challenging, with individual assessment and fair assessment emerging as dilemmas. The aim of this literature review is to explore and systematize research about group work assessment in educational settings. This is an integrated research area consisting of research combining group work and classroom assessment. A database search was conducted, inspired by the guidelines of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The analysis and categorization evolved into a typology consisting of five themes: (a) purpose of group work assessment, (b) what is assessed in group work, (c) methods for group work assessment, (d) effects and consequences of group work assessment, and (e) quality in group work assessment. The findings reveal that research in the field of group work assessment notably focuses on social skills and group processes. Peer assessment plays a prominent role and teachers as assessors are surprising absences in the reviewed research.

Lärarens roll som ledare har stor betydelse för hur grupparbete genomförs men också för hur elever och studenter kommer att uppleva undervisningsmetoden. Rollen som ledare påbörjas innan grupparbetet startas och fortgår under hela grupparbetet. Arbetet avslutas först när utvärdering och bedömning är slutförda. Arbetsledarrollen inkluderar ansvar för planering, organisering, genomförande samt uppföljning (Gillies, Ashman & Terwel, 2008; Forslund Frykedal & Hammar Chiriac, 2017, 2018; Hammar Chiriac, 2020; Thornberg, 2020). Dessa viktiga aspekter av lärarens ledarskap kommer att problematiseras i det här kapitlet vilket innebär att betydelsen av gruppens utveckling och betydelsen av vilka processer gruppen genomgår kommer att belysas med avseende på lärarens ledarskap. Det finns alltså ett ömsesidigt beroende mellan gruppen, dess arbete och den ledarroll som läraren bör inta. Oavsett var i utbildningssystemet som de studerande befinner sig kommer lärarens ledarskap att påverka arbetet och processen i grupparbetet.

Objective: To study midwives experience in their role as a preceptor and their perception on how to best support midwifery students in obstetrics units. Obstetric units are an important learning area for student midwives but knowledge on how to become a good midwife preceptor is limited. Design: This qualitative study explores midwife preceptors experience of supervising midwifery students in three obstetric units in Sweden. Following ethical approval seventeen midwife preceptors were interviewed and data were analysed thematically. Findings: Thematic analysis of the interviews resulted in the identification of two themes and five sub-themes: (1) self-efficacy in the preceptor role which involves (a) being confident in the professional position and (b) having the support of management and colleagues and (2) supporting the student to attain self-confidence and independence which entails (a) helping the student to grow, (b) facilitating reflection in learning situations, and (c) "taking a step back". Key conclusion: Good preceptorship occurs when midwives achieve full self-efficacy, when they master the preceptor role, and when they have enhanced their abilities to help, the student reach confidence and independence. Implications for practice: Health care organisations needs to develop and support midwifery preceptorships. 

This study investigated whether an intervention, in the form of short educational sessions, influenced pupils’experiences of group work or cooperative learning (CL). The hypothesis tested was that an intervention forteachers and pupils would lead to pupils’ increased (a) collective efficacy, (b) self-efficacy and, (c) positiveinterdependence, as well as (d) less negative interdependence. The participants were pupils from years 5 and 8 inthree compulsory schools in Sweden, working in 22 groups divided into one intervention group and one controlgroup (11 work groups in each condition). Data were collected through a questionnaire before and afterparticipation in the study and analysed using a repeated measure ANOVA and 2×2 ANOVA. The results showedan increased collective efficacy, self-efficacy and positive interdependence and a reduction of negativeinterdependence. The conclusion is that the intervention provided for teachers and pupils did have an effect, thuspromoting successful working as a group.

Background – In Sweden expectant and new parents are offered parental education groups (PE) during pregnancy in Antenatal Care (AC) and after delivery in Child health Care (CHC) with the goal of preparing for childbirth and parenthood. Parents also seek information from  other sources such as the webb and magazines to gain information. Nevertheless, many parents feel unprepared for parenthood. During pregnancy and the time closest to childbirth is an important part of the transition to parenting and parents are very receptive to advice and information. To gain more knowledge about parents’ participation in PE the aim of this study was to explore expectant and new parents’ reasons to participate or not participate in PE.

Method – A web questionnaire including open questions was answered by 915 parents with children aged 0 to 21 months. Open questions about (a) reasons to not participate, (b) anything that could change their mind and (c) parenting support instead of the PE was analyses using content analysis.

Findings – The parents expressed reasons not to attend on an individual, group and organizational level. At an individual level they expressed personal reasons or that they had other forms of support. When it came to the group level the parents asked for more heterogeneity and openness regarding both the groups’ content and methods, not excluding parents and that parents’ different interests could be accommodated within the group. Reasons for not attending PE at organizational level were due to lack of information or invitation from AC or CHC, or that  PE was not available.

Conclusion

Parents ask for more nonconformity and diversity in PE. Despite of different approaches or attitudes all parents should be able to feel included in a way that would be relevant for them to participate in PE.

The aim of this workshop is to provide an opportunity for delegates to participate in an intervention as means for enhancing assessment skills in cooperative learning. To differentiate assessment of individuals' intellectual abilities, academic and social skills from the whole group's when using cooperative learning instructions is according earlier research a challenge for teachers (e.g. Forslund Frykedal & Hammar Chiriac, 2011; Ross & Rolheiser, 2003). In this workshop participants will take part in, discuss and reflect upon objects and methods concerning assessment in cooperative learning. This by, in small groups, use Social Interdependence Theoy's five elements (a) interdepedence, (b) accountability, (c) promotive interaction, (d) iterpersonal and small group skills and (e) group processes when reviewing and discerning assessable objects in cooperative situations. The discerned objects will then be presented, discussed nd reflected upon in cross-groups. Additionally, participation in the workshop also includes peer-assessment of group-members abilities and skills in terms of "two stars and a wish". During this interactive workshop, participants will work in different constellations, such as pairs, small groups and cross-groups, giving experiences in the interdependence between CL and assessment. An exercise that will give delegates assessment tools useful in pedagogical practice.

References

Forslund Frykedal, K., & Hammar Chiriac, E. (2011). Assessment of students' learning when working in groups. Educational Research, 3, 331-345.

Ross, J., & Rolheiser, C. (2003). Student assessment practices in co-opertive learning. In R.M. Gillies & A.F. Ashman (Eds.), Co-operative learning. The social and intellectual outcomes of learning in groups (pp.119-135). New York: Routledge.

The aim of this study was to describe and understand parental group (PG) leaders experiences of creating conditions for interaction and communication. The data consisted of 10 interviews with 14 leaders. The transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that the leaders ambition was to create a parent-centred learning environment by establishing conditions for interaction and communication between the parents in the PGs. However, the leaders experience was that their professional competencies were insufficient and that they lacked pedagogical tools to create constructive group discussions. Nevertheless, they found other ways to facilitate interactive processes. Based on their experience in the PG, the leaders constructed informal socio-emotional roles for themselves (e.g. caring role and personal role) and let their more formal task roles (e.g. professional role, group leader and consulting role) recede into the background, so as to remove the imbalance of power between the leaders and the parents. They believed this would make the parents feel more confident and make it easier for them to start communicating and interacting. This personal approach places them in a vulnerable position in the PG, in which it is easy for them to feel offended by parents criticism, questioning or silence.

Aims and objectives To explore expectant and new parents reasons not to participate in parental education (PE) groups in antenatal care or child health care. Background In Sweden, expectant and new parents are offered PE groups in antenatal care and in child health care. Although many parents feel unprepared for parenthood, an urgent task is to attract parents to attend the PE groups. Design A total of 915 parents with children aged 0 to 21 months answered a web questionnaire with open questions about (a) reasons not to participate; (b) anything that could change their mind; and (c) parenting support instead of PE groups. This was analysed using content analysis. The study follows the SRQR guidelines. Results Parents expressed private reasons for not attending PE groups. Some parents also asked for more heterogeneity regarding content and methods, as well as accommodation of parents different interests. Other parents asked for like-minded individuals who were in similar situation to themselves. Lack of information or invitations from antenatal care or child health care, or that PE groups were unavailable, were additional reasons for not participating in groups. Conclusions Reasons for not attending PE groups were multifaceted from personal, self-interested and norm-critical reasons, to that the groups were not available or that the parents were not aware of their existence. Relevance to clinical practice Parents of today are a diverse group with different interests and needs. Nevertheless, all parents need to feel included in a way that makes participation in PE groups relevant for them. Thus, it is important for leaders to be aware of structures and norms, and to be able to create a group climate and a pedagogy of acceptance where group members value each others differences. However, to attract parents to participate in PE groups, it is necessary for clinical practice to work on individual, group and organisational levels.

This study takes an exploratory approach to investigating Swedish teacher educators' perceptions regarding their profession in relation to the digitalization of society and education, including higher education. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that the teache reducators perceive digitalization on a scale that ranges from simply using tools to being part of a technology-initiated revolution of educational institutions and society. From this range of digital developments emanate individual, group, and organizational requirements/demands, needs, and consequences for being, that is, personal experiences of how digitalization affects the work, and acting, that is, doing something in response to the demands of using and teaching with digital technology. The teacher educator is situated primarily in being with the requirements for working professionally and acting as a teacher, which creates tensions and challenges for the individual and the professional self. Teacher educators require support to strengthen their professional identity, to facilitate activities for professional development, and to stimulate reflective practice. A further difficulty is the lack of relevant policies and strategies. This study highlights the complex challenge of teaching and learning simultaneously in a profession that implicates autonomy and responsibility of its practitioners. This creates limitations for the teacher educators to move from being to acting.

Previous research has shown that teachers use an indistinct vocabulary, employfew concepts, and expose an embryonic professional language whentalking about group work assessment, thus indicating a lack of a professionallanguage. Building on Granström’s three different modes of language useeveryday, pseudo-meta- and meta-language, the purpose of this article was toexamine the teachers’ use of languages when talking about group work assessment.Specifically, if and how teachers’ use of modes of languages are influencedby them partaking in 1) a study about assessment in group work and2) in an intervention in form of a short educational session. Data were gatheredfrom interviews with eight teachers working in years five and eight infive Swedish compulsory schools and analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively.The results revealed that all of the teachers use Granstöm’s mode oflanguages to a varying degree when talking about assessment in cooperativesituations. A core finding was that intervention in the form of a short educationinfluenced the teachers’ way of talking in a positive way. By participatingin the intervention, the teachers developed and expanded their mode of language,thereby promoting the use of a common professional language aboutgroup work assessment.

Objectives: to describe topics (1) presented by midwives during antenatal classes and the amount of time spent on these topics and (2) raised and discussed by first-time parents and the amount of time spent on these topics. Design: qualitative; data were gathered using video or tape recordings and analysed using a three-pronged content analysis approach, i.e., conventional, summative, and directed analyses. Setting and participants: 3 antenatal courses in 2 antenatal units in a large Swedish city; 3 midwives; and 34 course participants. Findings: class content focused on childbirth preparation (67% of the entire antenatal course) and on parenting preparation (33%). Childbirth preparation facilitated parents understanding of the childbirth process, birthing milieu, the partners role, what could go wrong during delivery, and pain relief advantages and disadvantages. Parenting preparation enabled parents to (i) plan for those first moments with the newborn; (ii) care for/physically handle the infant; (iii) manage breastfeeding; (iv) manage the period at home immediately after childbirth; and (v) maintain their relationship. During the classes, parents expressed concerns about what could happened to newborns. Parents questions to midwives and discussion topics among parents were evenly distributed between childbirth preparation (52%) and parenting preparation (48%). Key conclusions: childbirth preparation and pain relief consumed 67% of course time. Parents particularly reflected on child issues, relationship, sex, and anxiety. Female and male participants actively listened to the midwives, appeared receptive to complex issues, and needed more time to ask questions. Parents appreciated the classes yet needed to more information for managing various post-childbirth situations. Implications for practice: while midwifery services vary among hospitals, regions, and countries, midwives might equalise content focus, offer classes in the second trimester, provide more time for parents to talk to each other, allow time in the course plan for parents to bring up new topics, and investigate: (i) ways in which antenatal course development and planning can improve; (ii) measures for evaluating courses; (iii) facilitator training; and (iv) parent satisfaction surveys.

Group work is an educational mode that promotes learning and socialisation among students. In this study, we focused on the inclusive processes when students work in small groups. The aim was to investigate and describe students’ inclusive and collaborative processes in group work and how the teacher supported or impeded these transactions. Social Interdependence Theory was utilised as the theoretical perspective overarching the study. The observational data employed were collected by video-recording group work. A part of Black-Hawkins framework of participation was used to define inclusion and for the analysis of inclusive and collaborative processes. The results suggest that students’ active participation in the discussions around the group work structures and analytical discussions, together with the teacher’s more defined feedback and avoidance of the traditional authoritative role, are examples of prerequisites for group work to be enacted in an inclusive manner.

Expectant and new parents are offered parental education groups as a way to support their transition to parenthood. Group leadership in these groups has been found to be challenging. Using a qualitative and summative design, the aim of the present study was to investigate how health professionals describe their role in parental education groups compared to their actual behavior. Thirteen health professional leaders in antenatal and child health services were interviewed. These descriptions were compared with the leaders actual behavior in video and audio-recordings of 16 different group sessions. The results revealed that regardless of how the leaders described their role, they acted as experts and left little time to parents for discussions and active participation. In particular, leaders who described themselves as discussion leaders did not walk the talk; that is, they did not do what they said they do when leading groups. That could be explained by lack of professional awareness, group leadership, and pedagogical skills. In order to provide high-quality parental support, leaders need training in group leadership and pedagogy combined with supervision and support on a regular basis.

Tycker du att din svåraste arbetsuppgift som lärare är att anpassa undervisningen efter varje elevs förutsättningar och behov? Då är du inte ensam!

Att anpassa undervisning är en grundbok som erbjuder en teoretisk och praktisk vägledning mot en undervisning anpassad till individ och grupp. Författarna sätter dagens rådande teorier om anpassningar i perspektiv och sammanhang genom en historisk återblick. De varvar sedan didaktiska aspekter av undervisningen – som metoder, strategier och dilemman – med färska exempel och erfarenheter från den svenska skolan. Här synliggörs de medvetna val som du som lärare måste göra, både gällande ämnesinnehållets strukturer och arbetsformer.

Fokus ligger på vikten av ett systematiskt arbete – dels i syfte att låta effektiva anpassningar genomsyra den dagliga verksamheten, dels för att skapa en hållbar arbetssituation.

Boken vänder sig till lärarstudenter och verksamma lärare i grundskolan.

Background

The transition to parenthood is an overwhelming life event. From a theoretical perspective, transition to parenthood is a developmental transition that contains certain phases and patterns.

Aim

This study aim was twofold (i) discover, describe and comprehend transitional conditions that parents perceive as facilitating and inhibiting during transition to parenthood and to (ii) use that knowledge to develop recommendations for professional interventions that support and facilitate transition to parenthood.

Design

Meleis transition theory framed the study's deductive qualitative approach – from planning to analysis.

Methods

In a secondary analysis, data were analysed (as per Meleis transition theory) from two studies that implemented interviews with 60 parents in Sweden between 2013 and 2014. Interview questions dealt with parents’ experiences of the transition to parenthood – in relation to experiences with parent-education groups, professional support and continuity after childbirth.

Ethical issues

A university research ethics board has approved the research.

Results

These factors facilitated transition to parenthood: perceiving parenthood as a normal part of life; enjoying the child's growth; being prepared and having knowledge; experiencing social support; receiving professional support, receiving information about resources within the health care; participating in well-functioning parent-education groups; and hearing professionals comment on gender differences as being complementary. These factors inhibited transition to parenthood: having unrealistic expectations; feeling stress and loss of control; experiencing breastfeeding demands and lack of sleep; facing a judgmental attitude about breastfeeding; being unprepared for reality; lacking information about reality; lacking professional support and information; lacking healthcare resources; participating in parent-education groups that did not function optimally; and hearing professionals accentuate gender differences in a problematic way.

Conclusion

Transition theory is appropriate for helping professionals understand and identify practices that might support parents during transition to parenthood. The study led to certain recommendations that are important for professionals to consider.

Group work is an educational mode that promotes both learning and socialization among students, and students’ engagement and participation in the group work has proven to be important. Empirical research conducted on the implementation of inclusive and collaborative processes in group work is sparse. Based on social psychological perspective we will in this study focus on inclusive and collaborative processes when students are working in small groups.

The aim of the study was to investigate and describe students’ inclusive and collaborative processes in group work and how the teacher supports or impedes these transactions.

Social Interdependence Theory (Johnson & Johnson, 2002), one of the dominant influences on Cooperative learning, was utilized as the theoretical perspective overarching the study. Data were obtained through observations made from video-recording 500 minutes of group work undertaken in one Year 5 classroom at a municipal school in Sweden and were analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006). Part of Black-Hawkins (2010, 2013) framework of participation was used to define inclusion and for the analysis of inclusive and collaborative processes.

The results suggest that students’ active participation in the analytical discussions around the group task and discussions around group work structures, together with the teacher’s more defined feedback and avoidance of the traditional authoritative role are examples on prerequisites for group work to be enacted in an inclusive and collaborative manner. These prerequisites give the students opportunities to be accountable both for the individual and the group’s collective work. 

When group work is used as pedagogical practice in compulsory schools, teachers are expected to assess each student’s individual knowledge even if learning has been gained in interaction with other students. This can be particularly challenge for teachers, i.e., the dilemma of reconciling the demands for individual assessment while fulfilling the demand to teach cooperation abilities through group work. Earlier studies concerning group work as classroom activity (Forslund Frykedal & Hammar Chiriac, 2010, 2011; Hammar Chiriac & Forslund Frykedal, 2011) reveal that assessment is a highly relevant but challenging factor when organising group work in educational settings. To our knowledge, assessment in group work is a rather neglected research area with very little attention being paid to research about this phenomenon. Previous research therefore provides little theoretical knowledge or useful tools to assist teachers in resolving these apparently conflicting demands. The main focus in this chapter is to present and elucidate our current knowledge about assessment in group work. Some of the aspects considered and problematized in this chapter are:

• Purpose of the assessment;
• What is assessed;
• How the assessment is carried out;
• Which level is in focus – individual level, group level or both;
• How the feedback is implemented; and
• Who is assessing – teacher, students or both.

Furthermore, an empirically grounded model with the purpose of clarifying different aspects of group assessment will be presented. Finally, the chapter is concluded with some pedagogical implications being suggested.

The aim of the study was to describe and to understand midwives’ and child health care nurses’ experiences of working with parent education groups through their descriptions of the role and what they find rewarding and challenging in that work. Data were collected through three open-ended questions from a web survey: “How do you refer to your role when working in parent education?” “What is the biggest challenge or difficulty for you when working in parent education?” and “What is most rewarding when working in parent education?” The answers were analysed by using qualitative content analysis and correlation analysis. The results show that the midwives and child health care nurses either included or excluded the group when describing their role as leaders and their influence on parents. The same applies to what they found rewarding and what was difficult and challenging for them in working with the groups. Primarily, the leaders who excluded the group expressed a lack of competence on a professional level in managing groups and using the right teaching methods to process the knowledge content. One important question to deal with is how to best support midwives and nurses in child health care to be prepared for working with parent education groups. One obvious thing is to provide specialized training in an educational sense. An important aspect could also be providing supervision, individually or in groups.

When cooperative learning is used as pedagogical practice in Swedish compulsory schools teachers are expected to assess each student’s level of abilities in relation to knowledge requirements in the National Curriculum 2011. The request for individual assessment in addition to the demand of teaching collaboration abilities seems to be a challenge for teachers.

The aim of this project is to study assessment of knowledge and abilities in cooperative learning, but also if it is possible to train teachers’ and students ability to assess by use of education.

The study has an experimental longitudinal design with three experimental groups, randomly assigned to two different interventions or to a control group. Data are collected before, during and after the intervention, by means of several sources.

The main purpose of this presentation is to present some preliminary results based on analysis of interviews with teachers.

Preliminary results elucidate some of the teachers’ problems concerning assessment in cooperative learning as well as some pedagogical implications.  For both cooperative learning and assessment to function optimally it seems to be of vital importance that teachers have the necessary competence to construct clearly structured tasks, select abilities that are possible to assess but also have knowledge about how to assess these abilities during the group work.

This presentation summarises and elucidates an urgent and basic problem in the pedagogical practice that may generate knowledge of importance for teachers’ professional practice and further development of cooperative learning in the classroom.   

The overall interest in this study is actions of the diverse participants in the mathematics primary classroom. More specifically, attention is put on typical communication strategies that teachers and students, in our research context, use during mathematics lessons. We present some examples with classroom data to illustrate how the strategies are used and hat opportunities to learn mathematics are offered as an outcome from the implemented actions by teachers and students.

Aims and objectives. To investigate the didactic and social leadership in parent education groups based on a parent perspective, and to conceptualize parent experiences of the leader roles in these groups.

Background.  Leadership in parent education groups has been associated with a lack of confidence in one's ability to function in that role. Research on how it can be delivered to produce a favourable outcome is scarce. It can be difficult to abandon the role of expert and let participants set their own learning agenda. To facilitate these processes requires leadership skills, knowledge of group dynamics, as well as pedagogical skills.

Design.  Qualitative interview study.

Methods. Semi-structured interviews with parents (25 participants, 21 interviews). Transcripts were analysed using, first, thematic analysis, then comparative analysis.

Results.  The study resulted in a four-field model, The Leadership – Teaching Approach model. It consists of the dimensions "Teaching approaches" ("Knowledge is imparted" and "Knowledge is jointly constructed "), and "Leadership approaches" ("Instrumental approach" and "Investigative approach").

Conclusions. Using an investigative approach is necessary in order to get a well-functioning group that can help the expectant and new parents in the transition to parenthood. Supervision can help develop an awareness of one's professional role as a nurse and leader of a parent education group.

Relevance to clinical practice.  The actions and choices of nurses as leaders of parent groups have an impact on how the participants perceive and take in the content and purpose of the group, and whether they perceive it as meaningful. Getting support in reflecting about one’s role as a leader in this context can help create a learning environment in which the participants can become engaged in the activities and be strengthened by the experience. 

This study aims to provide a better understanding of teachers’ managing roles when using group work in the classroom. Building on Granström’s (2007) two concepts of leadership and teachership, a more specific aim is to investigate teachers’ managing roles when using group work and how teachers’ presumptions affect the way in which they manage the pedagogical mode. The results show that teachers’ managing roles influence teachers’ willingness to use group work. Teachers may be unwilling to use group work based on their presumption that it teaches students only collaboration abilities and not subject knowledge. This may be a supplemental yet significant explanation as to why group work continues to decrease in classrooms.

The aim of this article was to investigate students’ experience of a given mathematical problem and the types of group interaction and communication that occur when students experience a task as (a) too difficult, (b) reasonable difficult or (c) too simple. Collaborative work with mathematical problems is a commonly used teaching method but one of the difficulties for teachers is to observe the learning processes of children who are working collaboratively. Earlier research has demonstrated that the task has an influence on the group processes and the group members’ interaction. In this study we were interested in how tasks with different degree of difficulty influenced the students’ when they work in a group with mathematical problem solving tasks. Four group work sessions were documented with a video camera and we found that students’ different ways of experience a mathematical task affect the interactions processes, quality talk and certain social modes of thinking. The results show that teachers’ settings of the problem and how the students manage the interaction processes in the group were important to what competencies students were exposed to and what they thereby were able to learn.

Grupparbete är en vanligt förekommande arbetsform på alla nivåer i det svenska utbildningssystemet, från skola till universitet. Ofta används grupparbete som en av flera möjliga undervisningsformer utan att man funderar över dess möjligheter och konsekvenser. Ibland fungerar det väl och till belåtenhet för elever och studenter. Vid andra tillfällen uppstår mindre konstruktiva processer.

Mer kunskap om grupparbeten som arbetsform har efterfrågats, både av studerande och av lärare. I Handbok för grupparbete presenteras viktiga aspekter att tänka på vid arbete i grupp och vad som händer när arbetsformen används i undervisning. I denna tredje upplaga av boken har alla kapitel vidareutvecklats och aktualiserats. Dessutom har antologin kompletterats med några för boken nya aspekter som är av intresse och bör beaktas för att skapa fungerande grupparbete i undervisning, nämligen ledarskap och bedömning vid grupparbete.

Handbok för grupparbete vänder sig till alla som använder grupparbete som arbetsform, inom både universitet, högskola, skola och vuxenutbildning samt till dem som mer specifikt studerar grupprocesser inom olika utbildningsprogram. Även elever och studenter som ingår i någon form av studiegrupp, projektgrupp eller liknande kan ha stor glädje av bokens innehåll.

Gunnel Colnerud, professor vid Institutionen för beteendevetenskap och lärande, vid Linköpings universitet har under den största delen av sitt yrkesverksamma liv varit engagerad i skolfrågor av olika slag. Ofta har fokus för hennes intresse och uppdrag legat i att förstå skolans vardagsliv och det komplexa uppdrag som läraryrket innebär. Gunnel fyller 67 år i januari 2015 och denna vänbok är en hyllning till henne från kollegor, både nationellt och internationellt, samt tidigare doktorander. Bidragen i antologin, Lärares etik och professionella arbete - skolan som moralisk praktik, är tänkt att spegla de områden som Gunnel i sin forskning varit engagerad i.

Innan Gunnel påbörjade sin forskarutbildning i pedagogik var hon verksam som psykolog inom skolhälsovården. Denna erfarenhet av att ha mött barn och elevers utsatthet samt lärares ständiga arbete med att möta olika typer av förändringar och hantera en komplex yrkesroll är något som Gunnel burit med sig in i sin forskning, vilket inte minst syns i hennes outtröttliga engagemang i att vara en forskare som bidrar till skolans praktik.

I mitten av nittiotalet Jade Gunnel fram sin avhandling som byggde på intervjuer med yrkesverksamma lärare och handlade om etiska dilemman lärare ställs inför i sitt yrkesutövande. Gunnel har allt sedan avhandlingsarbetet varit mycket engagerad i etiska frågor i relation till läraruppdraget och var en av de pådrivande krafterna i att tillsammans med Sveriges båda lärarförbund formulera gemensamma yrkesetiska principer, som kom att benämnas Lärares yrkesetik. I detta arbete gjorde Gunnel betydande insatser genom att problematisera yrkesetik som fenomen, medverka i otaliga utbildningsinsatser för lärare och lärarstudenter inom området och sist men inte minst bidra till att etablera yrkesetik som forskningsfält.

Ett kännetecknande drag för Gunnels forskning har varit den starka viljan och övertygelsen om att forskning om skola behöver ske i relation till och med skolans praktik. Tillsammans med sin make och kollega professor Kjell Granström etablerade Gunnel en forskarmiljö med fokus på praxisnära forskning. Vi som är redaktörer för denna vänbok har alla haft förmånen att vara doktorander till Gunnel eller Kjell och fått möjlighet att växa som forskare i en forskarmiljö som präglats av kreativitet, engagemang och spännande diskussioner.

Det har inom det svenska skolsystemet länge funnits en strävan att utveckla en skola som med hjälp av individualiserade arbetssätt ökar möjligheten för varje elev att lära och utvecklas utifrån sina förutsättningar. Individualisering är följaktligen en term som ofta används i svensk skolkontext och som begrepp finns det omskrivet i alla skolans styrdokument. Eleven i centrum har därför kommit att betraktas som ett viktigt inslag i undervisningen och i linje med det har arbetsformer som utgår från individens förutsättningar och förmågor blivit ideal.

Grupparbete är en vanligt förekommande arbetsform på alla nivåer i det svenska utbildningssystemet, från skola till universitet. Ofta används grupparbete som en av flera möjliga undervisningsformer utan att man funderar över dess möjligheter och konsekvenser. Ibland fungerar det väl och till belåtenhet för elever och studenter. Vid andra tillfällen uppstår mindre konstruktiva processer.

Mer kunskap om grupparbeten som arbetsform har efterfrågats, både av studerande och av lärare. I Handbok för grupparbete presenteras viktiga aspekter att tänka på vid arbete i grupp och vad som händer när arbetsformen används i undervisning. I denna tredje upplaga av boken har alla kapitel vidareutvecklats och aktualiserats. Dessutom har antologin kompletterats med några för boken nya aspekter som är av intresse och bör beaktas för att skapa fungerande grupparbete i undervisning, nämligen ledarskap och bedömning vid grupparbete.

Handbok för grupparbete vänder sig till alla som använder grupparbete som arbetsform, inom både universitet, högskola, skola och vuxenutbildning samt till dem som mer specifikt studerar grupprocesser inom olika utbildningsprogram. Även elever och studenter som ingår i någon form av studiegrupp, projektgrupp eller liknande kan ha stor glädje av bokens innehåll.

Introduction

There is strong scientific support of the benefits of students learning and working in groups.  Comprehensive research studies have verified that learning in groups has several advantages compared with traditional lessons and promotes both academic achievement and socialisation. Research on group work in educational settings has traditionally focused on under which circumstances group work will be effective and how to accomplish this effectiveness. More resent research have also paid attention to the participants experiences regarding group work. During the last decade we have conducted several studies on group work in different levels of the educational system, emphasising the participants’ experiences of this particular pedagogical practise. The participants have been students (in compulsory and higher education) and teachers (teaching children age 13-16).

Material and methods

The overarching purpose of this paper is to present a qualitative interpretive meta-analysis derived from our research were the objective has been to capture the participants’ views of group work and to let the participants’ voices be the prime source of information addressing their experiences of group-work. Can the result from this meta-study enrich our knowledge and supply a better understanding on the essence of successful group work?

Results

The result reveals that it is possible to discern different participants’ more (i.e. group composition, assessment) or less (i.e. trust, ambition) shared conditions on group work.

Additionally, further analyses revealed the interplay between conditions and group work as object or means, as well as, structure and processes inside or outside the group, which displayed the relation between different participants’ perspective on group work.

Conclusions

The informants’ statements clearly demonstrate the importance of to show consideration to the participants’ voices in order to create high-quality group work. The result from this meta-study enriches our knowledge and supplies a better understanding on the essence of successful group work.