In the Danish Folkeskole (primary and lower secondary school) and teacher education, increasingly plurilingual student populations call for responsive plurilingual pedagogies in teacher education. This paper explores second-order didactics in plurilingual teaching combined with task-based and playful approaches in the English and French teacher education at University College Copenhagen. (pdf)

This study investigates how cultural and linguistic diversity is discursively construed in mathematics teacher education for Grades 4–6 in Sweden at policy level. Discourse analysis was used to examine 55 mathematics course syllabi and 20 educational curricula from various Swedish universities. (pdf)

As higher education places increasing demands on academic reading and writing, students with Swedish as a second language face growing linguistic and epistemic challenges due to the instructional language not being their mother tongue. (pdf)

In this study, we aimed to examine perspectives related to multilingualism as expressed by students in teacher education programmes for Swedish language teachers at three universities in Finland. (pdf)

This longitudinal study investigated 838 Finnish students’ school absenteeism (SA; sickness, truancy, and other reasons) during the primary-to-lower secondary school transition. The students (mean age = 12.3 years, girls 54.2%) were surveyed (a) spring of the sixth grade (b) autumn of the seventh grade, and (c) spring oft the seventh grade. (pdf)

Aiming to protect and advance professionals’ job interests, professional organizations play influential roles in the politics of education worldwide. However, examinations of these organizations as political actors remain limited. This study addresses this research gap by exploring the policy capacity of four professional organizations in the Norwegian education sector – specifically, the skills and resources…

The article explores the academic wellbeing of upper secondary school students in Denmark. It discusses previous conceptualizations and ways of measuring academic wellbeing and finds that the field suffers from a lack of conceptual clarity. (pdf)

A shortage of qualified, stable early childhood education and care (ECEC) personnel undermines effective service delivery and increases turnover, perpetuating negative cycles of segregation. Research has shown that recruiting ECEC educators is challenging in Finland. However, the development of recruitment difficulties and their influence on daily practices has yet to be examined. (pdf)

Early numeracy skills are falling, leading to quests for new instructional approaches. Blended learning has potential to improve motivation and achievement in mathematics. We investigated the effects on pupil achievement and motivation of using Dragonbox School in 2019-2020, which aims for a holistic early numeracy approach with teacher training, books, physical concretes, and digital components. (pdf)

Slightly more than three decades have passed since major educational reforms were implemented in Sweden, radically changing the conditions for social groups to navigate the educational landscape. Following decentralization, and the introduction of independent schools and school choice in the 1990s, managing market mechanisms became crucial for parents when assessing their children’s educational opportunities. (pdf)

Owing to historical legacy, the Catholic church is the largest provider of primary education in the Republic of Ireland. Governance of primary schools, including responsibility for upholding school ethos, falls under the legal remit of the largely volunteer school Board of Management (Board of Governors/School Board). This article examines Board of Management oversight of ethos…

The challenges facing school leaders are becoming more acute and complex year on year. The pace of change and the potential for disruption, in all its forms, remain a reality unlikely to dissipate any time soon. For many school leaders, leading from the edge has become the norm, as unpredictable events and issues occur more…