The overall purpose of this study is to contribute with increased knowledge of what happens when ideas from science education research are introduced in a teaching tradition where other purposes and ideas have dominated for a long time and how gaps between these can be bridged. The study consists of three sub-studies. The first part of the study examines how inquiry-based science teaching as it is presented in the Swedish curricula has been interpreted by teachers. Twelve lower secondary teachers were recorded during group reflections on inquiry-based teaching. The study indicates that the teachers interpreted inquiry-based teaching selectively on the basis of what characterizes the laboratory teaching tradition. The second sub-study examines approaches that can be used to avoid selective interpretation of ideas during in-service teacher training. A teacher professional development program was designed to make underlying assumptions in the laboratory teaching tradition visible through three didactic models. The study is based on data from group reflections, group interviews, presentations and written documentation from 10 lower secondary teachers.  The results show that several teachers gradually become more aware of separating between different purposes when designing inquiry-based teaching. The last sub-study problematizes the gap between the view of inquiry-based teaching in science education literature and the teaching tradition. The sub-study presents a didactic model in the form of a conceptual apparatus for inquiry-based teaching, which is based on critical realism as an epistemological foundation. Arguments are presented for how this conceptual apparatus can contribute to bridging the gap between the teaching tradition and science education literature.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med ökade kunskaper om vad som äger rum när idéer från NV-didaktisk forskningslitteratur introduceras i en undervisningstradition där andra idéer dominerat under lång tid och hur gap mellan dessa kan överbryggas. Studien består av tre delstudier. I första delstudien undersöks hur undersökande arbete i styrdokumenten har tolkats av praktiserande NO-lärare i grundskolan. Studien indikerar att lärarna omedvetet tolkat undersökande arbete selektivt utifrån de idéer som dominerar inom undervisningstraditionen. I andra delstudien undersöks tillvägagångssätt för att undvika att detta sker omedvetet i lärarfortbildningar. En fortbildning designades där den laborativa undervisningstraditionen gjordes explicit, bland annat med hjälp av tre didaktiska modeller. Studien indikerar att selektiva traditioner är en variabel som är relevant att uppmärksamma i lärarfortbildningar. I sista delstudien problematiseras skillnader i synen på undersökande arbete i NV-didaktisk litteratur jämfört med undervisningstraditionen. I delstudien presenteras en didaktisk modell för undersökande arbete som bygger på kritisk realism som vetenskapsteoretiskt fundament.