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Evaluation of the new curriculum reform (EDUCATE)

About the project

EDUCATE is an evaluation of how the curricular renewal is operationalised in the school subjects. The project will conduct comparative classroom studies in primary, lower and upper secondary school over time and across school reforms (LK06 and LK20). 

EDUCATE aims to develop understanding of how teachers include life skills, exploratory and digital competence in the subjects English, religion, mathematics, science, Norwegian, social studies and German. We aim to carry out systematic video observations of classroom teaching in the same classes over time at schools in different parts of the country, combined with surveys, interviews, student work and international large scale assessment (ICILS og TIMSS). 

Sub-projects

EDUCATE is organised into three sub-projects. In addition, two public sector ph.d. projects are connected to EDUCATE:

Sub-project 1: student perspectives, school development and teachers’ professional community

Project leader: Lisbeth M Brevik. Project members: Beate Goldschmidt-Gjerløw, Rebecca Linnéa Söderström Barreng, Inga Staal Jenset and Judit Novak. 

Sub-project 1 looks at student perspectives, school development and teachers’ professional community across subjects. Sub-project 1 investigates how the new national curriculum is expressed in processes of school development through school managements’ support for operationalisation of digital and exploratory competence in subjects and teachers’ professional development.

Sub-project 2: exploratory competence and life skills

Sub-project leader: Gerard Doetjes. Project members: Kirsten Marie Hartvigsen, Mai Lill Suhr Lunde, Camilla Gudmundsdatter Magnusson and Henriette Hogga Siljan.

Sub-project 2 analyses the extent to which the new national curriculum contributes to a more exploratory competence and life skills in subjects. Sub-project 2 examines how teachers work to develop students’ exploratory competence in the classroom and how they work with life skills both within and across subjects.

Sub-project 3: digital competence and algorithmic thinking

Sub-project leader: Greta Björk Gudmundsdottir. Project members: Nora Elise Hesby Mathé, Ove Edvard Hatlevik and Roar Bakken Stovner.

Sub-project 3 analyses the extent to which the new national curriculum contributes to a strengthened digital competence and algorithmic thinking. Sub-project 3 examines how teachers work to develop students’ digital competence, how digital competence is realised through teaching and assessment practices in subjects, as well as teachers and students’ experiences of such practices over time.

Public sector ph.d: life skills and digital competence

PhD candidates: Ingrid Handeland and Anja Isaksen

The two public sector ph.d. projects are financed by Research Council Norway (RCN) for the period 2022-2026, in collaboration with Oslo Municipal Officer/Marienlyst school and Viken municipality/Strømmen upper secondary school. Both doctoral projects investigate how life skills is taught in school subjects, specifically in English, in relation to the new curriculum reform in Norway (Fagfornyelsen).  

Read more about Ingrid Handeland's project: Life skills in secondary school. A comparative study of teaching and competence from different perspectives.

Read more about Anja Isaksen's project: Life skills and digital competence in upper secondary school in light of the new curriculum reform.

Call for Postdoctoral Fellowship

• Are you a researcher looking to enhance your career development?

The University of Oslo would like to invite eligible researchers to express their interest in developing an application for a Postdoctoral Fellowship to pursue a research project at the Department of Teacher Education and School Research related to the research focus of the project EDUCATE.

The Postdoctoral Fellowship deadline is TBA

Who can apply?

• You are a promising researcher and hold a degree equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree by the call deadline. Appointment is dependent on the public defence of the doctoral thesis being approved.
• Your doctoral degree is within educational measurement or relevant fields such as education, didactics, pedagogy, psychology, etc.
• You have previous experience with collecting and analysing large (longitudinal) datasets, incl. statistical analysis.
• You may be of any nationality and are willing to move to Norway. The position is to be based at the Department of Teacher Education and School Research, University of Oslo
• You have fluent oral and written communication skills in English (required)
• You have fluent oral and written communication skills in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language (advantageous)
• You are not eligible to apply if you have been previously appointed for a Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

What does the funding cover?

• Applications are invited for a fully funded Postdoctoral Fellowship (SKO 1352) for a period of three years, 10% of which is devoted to required duties, usually in the form of teaching activities.

Contact information

• Professor Lisbeth M Brevik, project leader, e-mail: l.m.brevik@ils.uio.no
• Professor Greta B Gudmundsdottir, work package leader, e-mail: g.b.gudmundsdottir @ils.uio.no
• Associate Professor Gerard Doetjes, work package leader, e-mail: gerke.doetjes@ils.uio.no

Objectives

1. develop knowledge of how the realisation of live skills, exploratory and digital competence in the new curriculum influences and potentially changes classroom practices,
2. develop new and sought after knowledge of how teachers conduct their teaching and assessment of exploratory and digital competence in naturally occurring instruction,
3. examine the experiences with such practices among students, teachers and school leaders, and
4. identify teacher and student perspectives on changes in teaching practices to suggest implications for future practice.

Financing

EDUCATE is funded by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (2021-25).