What effects the teacher and the curriculum have on students´learning

Abstract

The aim with this examination paper is to compare science education at Sixth Form inEngland and in Sweden in regard to the curriculum and how it affects students' learning. I also investigated teachers' experience of the curriculum and how it affects planning and structuring of science education. As well as investigating how students perceivetheir science education and how the educational structure in the classroom affectsstudents' learning. I used a qualitative text analysis, observations and interviews as my methods. The qualitative text analysis was used when investigating the differences in the curriculum regarding the extent of and details in the subject content. Theobservations were a non-participating observation. Five teachers were interviewed, twoin Sweden and three in England as well as eight students in each country in groups offour, in focus group interviews.

The main results from this investigation is that the curriculum in England isvery extensive and detailed concerning the subject content which leaves no room forteachers to address anything else besides the subject content in the curriculum. Theteachers experience lack of time for all details of the subject content presented in the English curriculum. The teachers in Sweden experience much more freedom concerningthe planning and teaching science due to the more general subject content in theSwedish curriculum. This curriculum presents the science topics but lacks detailedinformation of the subject content to address and its extent. English students feelpressurised in accomplishing good grades which are mainly based on their exam results,while students in Sweden feel that they have sufficient with opportunities todemonstrate their scientific knowledge to the teacher. The educational structure in theclassroom in England is mainly based on students' individual work. The Swedishstudents mainly work together which could have a positive effect on their learningprocess.