They will become new professors in 2025
On 14 November, Gunilla Lindqvist and Johan Prytz will be installed as new professors at the Faculty of Educational Sciences during a public ceremony in the Grand Auditorium. Here they present their research.
Gunilla Lindqvist, Institutionen för pedagogik, didaktik och utbildningssociologi. Foto: Mikael Wallerstedt
Gunilla Lindqvist, education specialising in special education
In my 2013 thesis, I examined how different professional groups in preschools and schools in a municipality view their work with children and students in need of special support. A recurring theme in my research since then has been how different professional groups – from preschool to higher education – understand and handle their role in problematic educational situations. Based on theories about the division of labour in the workplace, I examine how different professional groups discuss and negotiate which professional group should be authorised to work with which clients, for example children, pupils or students, what knowledge is required and what tasks should be included in the assignment.
Together with researchers in Norway, Denmark and Finland, I am also conducting comparative studies on the training and role of special educators in the Nordic countries. My research is often practice-oriented, and several of my studies have been conducted in collaboration with preschool teachers, teachers and head teachers. Another focus of my research is educational leadership and the conditions for learning in changing educational and teaching environments. A further area of interest is how the concept of inclusion is understood and used in practice, policy and research.
Johan Prytz, Institutionen för pedagogik, didaktik och utbildningssociologi. Foto: Mikael Wallerstedt
Johan Prytz, curriculum studies specialising in mathematics
Curriculum studies is about teaching, learning and the content to be taught or learned. It is a broad field that covers the teaching situation, the learning process and a variety of contextual factors that influence teaching and learning.
My research has mainly focused on mathematics teaching, with an emphasis on curriculum reforms, governance and attempts to bring about change and innovation in teaching – often from a historical perspective. The results show which factors have influenced the success or failure of reforms. One of the more interesting findings is that the design of mathematics curricula has great potential to influence the quality of teaching and student learning.
The historical perspective can make important contributions to curriculum studies in general. Change processes within school systems tend to be protracted. This means that the consequences of reforms may only become apparent long after the reforms have been officially completed. A historical perspective is therefore necessary to gain a deeper and more complete understanding of reform processes within school systems.