Earlier research from Western countries has indicated that individuals with low socioeconomic status(SES) initiate tobacco smoking even though smoking is a stigmatized practice. We propose thattheoretical developments of Bourdieu’s theories on capital can reveal a plausible mechanism thatexplains smoking motivation in the face of stigmatization, and we perform a double-blind randomizedcontrolled experiment with the impressions of a smoking adolescent girl to test and elaborate on ourproposition. The empirical data was collected through questionnaires distributed to 622 Swedishadolescents during the fall of 2015. Half the questionnaires included a picture of a smoking girl and halfthe questionnaires included an identical picture without the act of smoking. Binary logistic regressionsindicate that the girl in the picture was perceived as significantly less likable, more popular, less kind,less compassionate, more deceitful, more conceited, and more liable to bully when she smoked a cigarettethan when she did not smoke. The theoretical analysis implies that adolescents with low SES may seekto smoke in the face of stigmatization because of a motivating mechanism that functions in accordancewith Bourdieu’s economic logic of action. The concluding section presents implications for tobaccocontrolpolicies.

In the Achievement Goal Theory, different reasons for learning are contrasted. Mastery and Performance are most commonly used while less attention is paid to Social Responsibility goal orientations, despite that this is an integral part of many curricula. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the psychometric properties of a scale of Social Responsibility goal orientation by means of the polytomous Rasch model. The analysis is based on longitudinal data among Swedish students. One cohort (born 1992) of students in school year 9 (15-16 years old) were subjected to analysis. In total, 6,010 students responded to a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. A scale consisting of six polytomous items is analysed. General-fit statistics as well as their graphical representations (ICC) are used to evaluate the fit to the Rasch model. The social responsibility scale seems to fit the Rasch model fairly well, with good separation of individuals, and showing no reversed item thresholds, i.e., the response categories work as intended. However, there are indications of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) by gender and local dependency.

Chi-square statistics are commonly used for tests of fit of measurement models. Chi-square is also sensitive to sample size, which is why several approaches to handle large samples in test of fit analysis have been developed. One strategy to handle the sample size problem may be to adjust the sample size in the analysis of fit. An alternative is to adopt a random sample approach. The purpose of this study was to analyze and to compare these two strategies using simulated data. Given an original sample size of 21,000, for reductions of sample sizes down to the order of 5,000 the adjusted sample size function works as good as the random sample approach. In contrast, when applying adjustments to sample sizes of lower order the adjustment function is less effective at approximating the chi-square value for an actual random sample of the relevant size. Hence, the fit is exaggerated and misfit under-estimated using the adjusted sample size function. Although there are big differences in chi-square values between the two approaches at lower sample sizes, the inferences based on the p-values may be the same.

Skolan är ett område som i högsta grad berör allmänheten. Detta märks både i den allmänna debatten i nyhetsrapportering och i vetenskapliga undersökningar av olika slag. Under de senaste fem valen har exempelvis skolfrågan varit en av de mest centrala frågorna. Enligt SVTs väljarundersökning 2014 var också skolfrågan en av de mest betydelsefulla frågorna för val av parti. Den svenska grundskolan har under senare år även utgjort ett hett debattämne i svensk massmedia. Debatten har hämtat näring från de försämrade resultaten för svenska grundskoleelever vid internationella jämförelser, inte minst utifrån den så kallade PISA-undersökningen och andra internationella men också nationella jämförelser. I detta kapitel analyseras olika aspekter av förtroendet för den värmländska skolan och attityder till några vanliga politiska förslag på skolans område

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(1) Background: Adolescents spend a considerable amount of their time in the school environment.  Most adolescents are also subjected to compulsory school attendance, implying that they have to deal with the environment on a daily basis. In that sense the school environment is inescapable. There are several different measures on student experiences of the school environment, but School Climate is one of the most prominent. However, there seems to be no agreement upon definition and operationalization of the School Climate concept. Also, it is uncommon to find descriptions of robust psychometric analyses of School Climate measures.    

(2) Aims: The purpose of the present study is to examine the psychometric properties of a scale of Adolescent Perceptions of School Climate by means of the Rasch model for ordered response categories.  

(3) Sample: Using a paper-and-pencil based survey, the data was collected among 758 students  enrolled (school year 3-7) in schools located in central Perth of Western Australia in 2013.

(4) Methods: A scale consisting of seven polytomous items is analysed by means of the polytomous Rasch model. General fit statistics as well as their graphical representations (ICC) are used to evaluate if the data fit the Rasch model. A particular focus is also directed towards possible Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sex and grade.

(5) Results: At a general level of analysis the scale seems to fit the Rasch model fairly well, with good separation of the individuals. Some items showed reversed item thresholds, i.e. the response categories did not work properly and as expected. Also, at a finer level of analysis focusing on DIF, the scale works fairly well, but with exceptions important in order to understand differences between younger and older adolescents.  

(6) Conclusions: Although the scale fits the Rasch model fairly well, there is room for improvements. In particular the precision of measurement may be increased by improving the targeting through inclusion of additional items of appropriate severity.      

Future directions

As there seems to be a lack of instruments useful for invariant measurement of School Climate  across age groups and genders, efforts to develop instruments are required.   

(1) Background: Adolescents spend a considerable amount of their time in the school environment.  Most adolescents are also subjected to compulsory school attendance, implying that they have to deal with the environment on a daily basis. In health research adolescent perceptions about the school environment are often linked to mental and psychosomatic health. However, measurements seems to be focused on psychosocial or psychological aspects of the school environment more often than physical.  

(2) Aims: The purpose of the present study is to examine the psychometric properties of a scale of Adolescent Perceptions of the Physical School Environment by means of the Rasch model for ordered response categories.  

(3) Sample: The analysis is based on the survey Young in Värmland which is a paper-and-pencil based survey, conducted recurrently since 1988 targeting all adolescent in school year 9 residing the county of Värmland, Sweden. So far, more than 20,000 individuals have participated in the survey. In the analysis presented here, five items based on adolescents’ perceptions of the physical school environment were subjected to analysis using RUMM2030, in total about 22,000 individuals.

(4) Methods: A scale consisting of five polytomous items is analysed by means of the polytomous Rasch model. General fit statistics as well as their graphical representations (ICC) are used to evaluate if the scale fit the Rasch model. A particular focus is also directed towards possible Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sex.

(5) Results: At a general level of analysis the scale subjected to analysis seems to fit the Rasch model fairly well, with good separation of the individuals, and showing no reversed item thresholds, i.e. the response categories work properly and as expected. Also, at a finer level of analysis focusing on DIF, the scale works fairly well, but with exceptions important in order to understand differences between boys and girls.  

(6) Conclusions: Although the scale fits the Rasch model fairly well, there is room for improvements. In particular the precision of measurement may be increased by improving the targeting through inclusion of additional items of appropriate severity.             

(1) Background: Significance tests are commonly sensitive to sample size, and Chi-Squared statistics is not an exception. Nevertheless, Chi-Squared statistics are commonly used for test of fit of measurement models. Thus, for analysts working with very large (or very small) sample sizes this may require particular attention. However, several different approaches to handle a large sample size in test of fit analysis have been developed. Thus, one strategy may be to adjust the fit statistic to correspond to an equivalent sample of different size. This strategy has been implemented in the RUMM2030 software. Another strategy may be to adopt a random sample approach.

(2) Aims: The RUMM2030 Chi-Square value adjustment facility has been available for a long time, but still there seems to a lack of studies describing the empirical consequences of adjusting a sample to a smaller effective sample in the statistical analysis of fit. Alternatively a random sample approach could be adopted in order to handle the large sample size problem. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare these two strategies as test of fit approximations, using Swedish adolescent data.  

(3) Sample:The analysis is based on the survey Young in Värmland which is a paper-and-pencil based survey conducted recurrently since 1988 targeting all adolescent in school year 9 residing the county of Värmland, Sweden. So far, more than 20,000 individuals have participated in the survey. In the analysis presented here, seven items based on the adolescents, experiences of the psychosocial school environment were subjected to analysis, in total 21,088 individuals.

(4) Methods: For the purposes of this study, the original sample size was adjusted to several different effective samples using the RUMM2030 adjustment function, in the test of fit analysis. In addition, 10 random samples for each sample size were drawn from the original sample, and averaged Chi-Square values calculated. The Chi-Square values obtained using the two strategies were compared.

(5) Results: Given the original sample of 21,088, adjusting to samples of 5,000 or larger, the RUMM2030 adjustment facility work as well as a random sample approach. In contrast, when adjusting to lower samples the adjustment function is less effective in approximating the Chi-Square value for an actual random sample of the relevant size. Hence, fit is exaggerated and misfit under estimated using the adjustment function. However, that is true for fitting but not for misfitting items.   

(6) Conclusion: Even though the inferences based on p-values may be the same despite big Chi-Square value differences between the two approaches, the danger of using fit statistics mechanically cannot be enough stressed.

Background: Significance tests are commonly sensitive to sample size, and Chi-Squared statistics is not an exception. Nevertheless, Chi-Squared statistics are commonly used for test of fit of measurement models. Thus, for analysts working with very large (or very small) sample sizes this may require particular attention. However, several different approaches to handle a large sample size in test of fit analysis have been developed. Thus, one strategy may be to adjust the fit statistic to correspond to an equivalent sample of different size. This strategy has been implemented in the RUMM2030 software. Another strategy may be to adopt a random sample approach.

Aims: The RUMM2030 Chi-Square value adjustment facility has been available for a long time, but still there are few studies describing the empirical consequences of adjusting the sample to correspond to a smaller effective sample size in the statistical analysis of fit. Alternatively a random sample approach could be adopted in order to handle the large sample size problem. The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare these two strategies as test of fit approximations, using Swedish adolescent data. 

Sample:The analysis is based on the survey Young in Värmland which is a paper-and-pencil based survey conducted recurrently since 1988 targeting all adolescent in school year 9 residing the county of Värmland, Sweden. So far, more than 20,000 individuals have participated in the survey. In the analysis presented here, seven items based on the adolescents, experiences of the school environment were subjected to analysis, in total 21,088 individuals.

Methods: For the purposes of this study, the original sample size was adjusted to several different effective samples using the RUMM2030 adjustment function, in the test of fit analysis. In addition, 10 random samples for each sample size were drawn from the original sample, and averaged Chi-Square values calculated. The Chi-Square values obtained using the two strategies were compared.

Results: Given the original sample of 21,000, adjusting to samples 5,000 or larger, the RUMM2030 adjustment facility work as well as a random sample approach. In contrast, when adjusting to lower samples the adjustment function is less effective in approximating the Chi-Square value for an actual random sample of the relevant size. Hence, fit is exaggerated and misfit under estimated using the adjustment function, in particular is that true for fitting but not misfitting items.  

Conclusion: Even though the inferences based on p-values may be the same despite big Chi-Square value differences between the two approaches, the danger of using fit statistics mechanically cannot be enough stressed. Neither the adjustment function, nor the random sample approach is sufficient in evaluating model fit, instead several complementing methods should be used.

In adolescence, the experiences of psychosomatic health complaints emerge among some students. During later parts of adolescence (14-16 years old), differences between girls and boys have been observed. Adolescents spend a considerable amount of their time in school, but still the family is very influential. In order to improve adolescent psychosomatic health, it is important to rule out how different factors influence health for different groups of adolescents.To analyze the associations between school pressure, family relationships and psychosomatic health complaints among Swedish adolescents. A specific objective is to rule out whether the associations are similar for boys and girls i.e. to investigate potential statistical interaction effects by sex.This study is based on HBSC data collected in 2013/14 among Swedish adolescents. Statistical analysis was conducted using linear regression analysis (OLS) and multinomial logistic regression.Tentative results indicate that there are strong connections between students’ experiences of school pressure (risk factor), as well as family relationships (protective factor), and psychosomatic complaints (psychological, somatic and psychosomatic). However, it is important to recognize that the associations may work differently for girls and boys.In order to be able to improve the health of adolescents, it may be necessary to rule out the influence of different factors on psychosomatic health, and if this influence is similar for different groups of adolescents.

Objectives: The aim of this thesis is to study the association between social relations and health in different social spheres, and to examine possible interaction effects.

Material and Methods: In Paper I, the link between measures of the psychosocial neighbourhood environment, the psychosocial working environment, and psychosomatic health is analyzed by using a subset of data from the survey Life and Health 2000.

In Paper II, the association between adolescent social relationships in school and psychosomatic health was analyzed by using the survey Young in Värmland.

In Paper III, the association between parental monitoring, peer activity frequency, and adolescent alcohol use was studied by using Young in Värmland as the data source.

In Paper IV, the links between adolescent perceptions of the psychosocial school climate, activities with parents, and psychosomatic health, were analysed by using Young in Värmland as the data source.

Results: The results from Paper I indicate that social relations in the neighbourhood environment, as well as the working environment, are independently related to psychosomatic health. The independent contributions imply that efforts to improve health can be successfully directed to the psychosocial neighbourhood environment, as well as to the psychosocial working environment.

The results from Paper II show that the social relations adolescents have in school may differ between subgroups of adolescents. The health effects of teacher contacts were stronger for the theoretically oriented students compared to the non-theoretically oriented students, suggesting that adolescents should be considered a heterogeneous group rather than a homogeneous one with respect to their social relations in school. Efforts to improve equity in health should consider these differences in order to be successful.

In Paper III the results imply that even though both parents and the peer group are important in order to understand the alcohol use patterns of adolescents, the importance of parents should not be underestimated. Parental monitoring had a protective effect on adolescent alcohol use, regardless of the frequency of peer activities.

In Paper IV, both the psychosocial school climate, and the frequency of activities with parents were related to psychosomatic health. The positive health effects of the psychosocial school climate were, furthermore, reinforced as a function of the frequency of activities with parents. This suggests that efforts to improve health should be directed to the school environment as well as to the family environment in order to be successful.

Conclusions: The importance and meaning of social relations differ between different social arenas as well as between sub-groups of individuals.

Background: The PsychoSomatic problems Scale (PSP-Scale) has frequently been used in the Scandinavian countries in order to monitor adolescent psychosomatic health. According to Psychometric analyses based on the the polytomous Rasch model, the PSP-scale shows good measurement properties (see Hagquist, 2008). However, the properties of the PSP-scale have not been examined for non-European samples and for younger adolescents.

Aims: The purpose of the present study is to examine the psychometric properties of the PsychoSomatic Problems Scale by means of the polytomous Rasch model using an Australian sample of younger adolescents (school year 3-7).   

Sample: Using a paper-and-pencil based survey, the data was collected among 758 adolescents enrolled (school year 3-7) in schools in central Perth of Western Australia in 2013.  

Methods: The PSP-scale consists of eight polytomous items intended to tap information about student experiences of psychosomatic health complaints. The PSP-scale was analysed by means of the polytomous Rasch model. General fit statistics as well as their graphical representations (ICC) are used to evaluate if the data fit the Rasch model. A particular focus is also directed towards possible Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across school year and sex.

Results: At a general level of analysis, the scale seems to fit the Rasch model fairly well, with good targeting and separation of the individuals. However, some of the items showed reversed item thresholds, indicating that the response categories did not work as expected in the Australian setting. Further there seems to be some tendencies of Differential item functioning by grade.

Conclusions: In comparing the psychosomatic problems among different age groups, in particular younger and older, the analyst needs to be particularly cautious. Also, cultural and language aspects need to be addressed if an instrument is to be used in a different setting than the one it was developed in.   

Future directions: There seems to be a lack of instruments useful for invariant measurement of psychosomatic health among adolescents in different age groups. However, in order to achieve invariant measurement across age groups, efforts to develop instruments are required, in particular if older and younger adolescents  are to be compared. 

Further comments:

Hagquist, C. (2008). Psychometric Properties of the PsychoSomatic Problems Scale: A Rasch Analysis on Adolescent Data. Social Indicators Research, 86: 511-523.

Aim

School related determinants (e.g. student motivation and goals) may be important for student achievement as well as their mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the links between two goal orientations (mastery and performance) and psychosomatic health problems by investigating the general patterns as well as the patterns for specific classifications of students, in particular by investigating the potential statistical interaction effects by gender.

Subject and methods

Swedish nationally representative data among 4573 school year 9 students (15–16 years old) responding to the Evaluation Through Follow-up (ETF) questionnaire, in 2014, were used. Linear regression analysis as well as multinomial logistic regression were applied in order to address the research questions.

Results

Both the mastery orientation and the performance orientation are independently associated with adolescent psychosomatic health problems. The links between these goal orientations and psychosomatic health show different patterns. The mastery goal orientation may be considered a protective factor as there is a negative link to psychosomatic problems; the performance orientation may be considered a risk factor due to the positive association with psychosomatic health problems. The effect of performance orientation on psychosomatic health complaints was significantly stronger for girls (OR = 4.28) compared to boys (OR = 2.04). In particular, low mastery/high performance students may be at risk for experiencing poor psychosomatic health.

Conclusion

Adolescent psychosomatic health may be improved by the encouragement of student goals related to adaptive and successful goal profiles such as mastery orientation.

Introduction: In the Achievement Goal Theory, different reasons for learning are contrasted. Mastery and Performance are most commonly used while less attention is paid to Social Responsibility goal orientations, despite that this is an integral part of many curricula. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of a scale of Social Responsibility goal orientation by means of the polytomous Rasch model. Mehods: This study is based on data from the longitudinal ETF project (Evaluation Through Follow up) among Swedish students. Two cohorts (born in 1992 and 1998) of students in school year 9 were subjected to analysis. Data was collected by a self-administered postal questionnaires to randomly selected students. In total, 6,010 students responded in 1992 and 4,573 in 1998. A scale consisting of 6 polytomous items is analysed. General fit statistics as well as their graphical representations (ICC) are used to evaluate the fit to the Rasch model. Strategies to handle large samples in statistical test of fit are discussed.   Results: The social responsibility scale seems to fit the Rasch model fairly well, with good separation of individuals, and showing no reversed item thresholds, i.e. the response categories work as intended. The estimates are also relatively stable over cohorts. However, there are indications of Differential Item Functioning (DIF) by sex.    Conclusions: Although, the Social Responsibility scale fits the Rasch model fairly well, there are room for improvements. In particular, targeting may be improved by the inclusion of additional items of appropriate difficulty. 

Aim: This study investigates the association between two types of social relations during leisure time (to parents and peers) and the frequency of alcohol use among Swedish adolescents, taking possible interaction effects into account.

Methods: The data were collected during the 1995–2005 time period by using a questionnaire handed out in the class room. The study includes about 10,000 Swedish adolescents aged 15–16 years.

Results: The results show that there are strong associations between the social relations adolescents have during leisure time (both to parents and peers) and the frequency of alcohol use. High levels of peer activity were associated with higher frequencies of alcohol use. Although the effects of relations with parents were modified by peer activity frequencies, high levels of parental monitoring were significantly associated with lower frequencies of alcohol use, regardless of the peer activity frequencies.

Conclusions: Parental monitoring is an efficient way to prevent or reduce adolescents’ alcohol use, although its importance may vary due to peer activity frequency.

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyse the connection between two types of social relations in school (to peers and to teachers) and psychosomatic health complaints among adolescents in school Year 9 in the Swedish compulsory school. In particular,              the focus is on the importance of students’ academic orientation as a possible modifier of the association between social relations and psychosomatic health complaints.

Methods: The data were collected during the 1995–2005 time period from approximately 10 000 Swedish adolescents in the age of 15–16 years by using a questionnaire that was handed out in the class room.

Results: There are strong associations between adolescents’ social relations in school (both to peers and to teachers) and psychosomatic health complaints. Worse relationships are connected to worse psychosomatic health. The health effects of teacher contacts                     were significantly modified by academic orientation; they were stronger for theoretically (i.e. those with better health) than for non-theoretically oriented students.

Conclusion: Interpreted from a social class perspective, the results may reflect that the theoretically oriented students to a higher degree strive to conform to the culture present in school making this group of students more sensitive for teacher relations                     manifested as recognitions, rewards or penalties. In order to promote social equity in health, efforts to improve social relations in school should not solely focus on the teacher–student relationships but also on the relationships between peers.

The aim of this study was to analyse the link between psychosocial factors in the neighbourhood and work environments, and psychosomatic health problems.

Methods   The data were collected in the survey “Life and Health ”, which was conducted in 2000 in six Swedish county councils. A total of 71,580 questionnaires were distributed to randomly selected individuals aged 18 –79. A total of 46,636 respondents completed the questionnaire. This gives a response rate of around 65%. For the purpose of this study only gainfully employed individuals aged 18 – 64 are included, which gives a total of 22,164 individuals: 11,247 (50.7%) women and 10,917 (49.3%) men. Two scales were used to measure the psychosocial environments in the neighbourhood and at work. The link between these scales and psychosomatic health problems was analysed by using multinomial logistic regression.

Results  The results show that both “Psychosocial Neighbourhood Environment” (PNE) and “Psychosocial Working Environment” (PWE), independently, are related to psychosomatic health problems. Hence, the health effects of social relations in the neighbourhood were not modified by the quality of social relations at work, or vice versa. The levels of psychosomatic health problems are highest for people experiencing a low degree of social solidarity in the neighbourhood and for those experiencing low degrees of supportive work relationships.

Examination utgör en central del i våra utbildningar, inte desto mindre verkar det vara ovanligt med djupare reflektioner över kvaliteten i dessa.

Det projekt som vi vill dela med oss av här är ett pågående utvecklingsprojekt som har till syfte att  analysera examinationen i samhällskunskap inom ämneslärarutbildningen. Redovisningen baserar sig på en kvantitativ analys av hur väl en salsskrivning i samhällskunskap 1 på ämneslärarprogrammet tjänar sitt syfte, d.v.s. fungerar tentamen bra som examination betraktat? Hur skulle den kunna göras bättre?

En central fråga rör om tentamens svårighetsgrad verkar vara anpassad till den studentgrupp som avses. Om några frågor skulle visa sig vara för enkla – alla studenter klarar frågorna - hjälper ju inte dessa oss med att mäta studenternas kunskaper. På motsatt sätt kan man tänka sig att några frågor är alldeles för svåra, d.v.s. inga studenter klarar av frågorna.  Analysen visar bl.a. att:

• Genom att formulera väl övervägda frågor i förhållande till aktuella lärandemål skulle den insats och tidsåtgång som krävs för bedömning av tentamen kunna göras mer effektiv med ökad kvalitet, och studenter utsätts inte för onödiga frågor.

The Civic Culture by Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba is a path-breaking work within political science. Although The Civic Culture still provides inspiration for studies, new approaches to political culture have identified alternative citizen orientations that may be replacing the value orientations identified at the time. The more recent studies have examined specific attitudes such as political trust, party identification, and political efficacy or types of political subcultures such as critical citizens, stealth citizens or disenchanted citizens. These studies provide insights into the developments of specific attitudinal orientations, but do not discern the mix of political orientations among the population, which The Civic Culture suggests is central for democratic stability. The implications of these changes for the composition of political cultures are therefore still unknown. In this article, we, as suggested by The Civic Culture, examine the composition of political cultures to shed new light on the differences in political culture between old and new democracies. We use the fourth round of the European Social Survey to examine this question in 25 European democracies. The results suggest that there is a need to revise some of the main conclusions of The Civic Culture when it comes to the connection between political culture and democratic stability. Although civic citizens are widespread in old democracies, there is no single political culture sustaining a stable democracy. We also find considerable heterogeneity in the composition of the political cultures within old and new democracies alike, suggesting that there may be considerable variation in the cultural conditions for creating a stable democracy.

Research on social aspects of academic motivation is scarce. Based on twonationally representative cohorts within the Swedish longitudinal ETFproject,the study examined (a) relationships between academicmastery/performance, social and future achievement goal orientations inthe Swedish grade 9 compulsory school (2008/2014); (b) theirimplications for academic achievement; (c) interaction effects by genderand parental education. Social responsibility exerts the strongest effecton achievement; independently and combined. Girls strive for thesegoals more often than boys. All orientations are important forachievement; and for disadvantaged students in particular. The findingsare important for interventions on enhancing motivation and reducingachievement gaps between student groups.

The study investigated student experiences of teaching practices in grade 9 at 2003, 2008 and 2014 after the Swedish education reforms of the 1990s. Teaching practices in both municipal and independent schools were related to student achievement and family background. Data from three nationally representative cohorts within the ongoing Swedish longitudinal ETF-project have been used. The results show changes from more conventional to more individualistic teaching practices. Independent schools emphasize more self-regulated learning. Child-centred forms of work are though found to be equally beneficial for student achievement as more conventional teaching methods. In spite of education reforms, family background is equally important for student achievement as earlier. Obtained results are discussed in relation to increased school competition in Sweden.

The purpose was to investigate the association between disability, and psychosomatic problems among adolescents at compulsory regular school also taking into account parental and student achievement expectations and student self-efficacy. We analysed cross-sectional questionnaire data collected in 2010, from 2004 Swedish adolescents. The results showed that the degree of psychosomatic problems and self-efficacy varied with regard to whether the adolescent reported having a disability or not. The distribution of parents’ and adolescents’ own achievement expectations did not differ significantly with regard to having a disability. Neither achievement expectations nor self-efficacy did moderate the association between disability and psychosomatic problems.

Föreliggande rapport redovisar resultat från en enkätstudie som riktades till rektorer på grundskola och gymnasium. Undersökningen genomfördes under hösten 2019 inom ramen för ULF (Utbildning, Lärande, Forskning), som är en nationell försöksverksamhet. Målet med försöksverksamheten är att utveckla och pröva hållbara samverkansmodeller mellan akademi och skola vad gäller forskning, skolverksamhet och lärarutbildning.

Enkätstudien syftar till att undersöka om kollegial samverkan runt planering och efterarbete kan utgöra en grund för skolutveckling och forskningssamverkan mellan skola och akademi. Enkäten efterfrågade även hur rektorer ser på forskningens roll i skolan. I rapporten sätts resultat från rektorsenkäten även i relation till en lärarenkät genomförd 2018 (Nordgren et al., 2019).

Våra studier visar att kollegial samplanering runt undervisning skulle kunna vara central för en samverkan om forskning och utveckling. Resultaten påvisar emellertid stora skillnader mellan hur rektorer och lärare uppfattar villkoren för, och organisationen av utvecklingsarbetet runt undervisning.  Ett annat centralt resultat är att rektorer och lärare visar sig intresserade av forskning och samverkan mellan skola och akademi, men båda grupperna ger uttryck för att deras villkor att systematiskt utveckla sin verksamhet är begränsade.

Denna rapport ger ett omfattande och rikt underlag för lärare, rektorer, forskare och skolpolitiker att reflektera över vilka strategier som kan vara långsiktiga och hållbara för att understödja en skola på vetenskaplig grund.

This study explores how teachers perceive the working conditions for planning and preparing their lessons, focusing on collegial collaboration and systematic and formative teaching. The data were collected through a survey (n = 2285) on infrastructure for teaching development and time for planning and preparation. The results show a systematic correlation between a supportive, collegial structure for planning and preparation and teachers' validation of their teaching and working conditions. However, our findings also indicate that collaborative work is insufficient to support efficient formative teaching and that there are general shortfalls in the infrastructural settings around teachers' planning and preparation. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

I denna rapport beskrivs de huvudsakliga resultaten från en enkätstudie om hur lärare i svensk skola uppfattar sina förutsättningar att planeraoch efterarbeta sina lektioner. Studien visar för det första att de flesta lärare inte har organiserad tid för kollegialt samarbete runt planering och efterarbete av lektioner. För det andra visar studien att när det finns organiserat samarbete så är lärarna betydligt mer positiva till sin arbetsmiljö och sina möjligheter att planera och efterarbeta sina lektioner. För det tredje visar studien att skolor i liten utsträckning arbetar med formativ undervisning. Detta även på skolor med tid för organiserat samarbete. Sammantaget tyder resultaten på att vissa grundläggande förutsättningar för en skola på vetenskaplig grund saknas.

Purpose:This article analyses the psychometric properties of the Social Provisions Scale 10-items version.Methods:The Social Provisions Scale was analysed by means of the polytomous Rasch model, applied todata on 93 young adults (16–30 years) out of school or work, participating in different nature-based serv-ices, due to mental or drug-related problems.Results:The psychometric analysis concludes that the original scale has difficulties related to targetingand construct validity. In order to improve the psychometric properties, the scale was modified to includeeight items measuring functional support. The modification was based on theoretical and statisticalconsiderations.Conclusion:After modifications the scale showed not only satisfying psychometric properties, but it alsoclarified uncertainties regarding construct validity of the measure. However, further analysis on larger sam-ples are required

In previous studies, social context and social support have been found to be important in nature-based services. However, no studies have previously focused on the meaning of different dimensions of social support in these contexts. The aim of this study is therefore to uncover dimensions of social support in relation to mental health among young adults with mental health problems participating in nature-based services in Norway. This study applies data from a survey of 93 young adults participating in nature-based services; in addition, qualitative interview data from 20 interviews are also used. The data are analysed using qualitative content analysis, descriptive statistics, and correlation analysis. The results indicate that participants in nature-based services experience emotional, esteem, informational, and instrumental support in addition to social integration and opportunities for nurturance in these services. The service leader, other participants, and the animals are important contributors to these dimensions of social support. Nature-based services may be a helpful intervention for young adults with mental health problems. The unique context of these services, including nature and animals, adds special qualities to mental health and social work practices.

Young adults with mental health problems who do not attend school or work constitute a significant welfare challenge in Norway. The welfare services available to these individuals include nature-based services, which are primarily located on farms and integrate the natural and agricultural environment into their daily activities. The aim of this study is to examine young adults (16–30 years old) not attending school or work who participated in nature-based services in Norway. In particular, the study analyses mental health problems among the participants and in-group variations regarding their symptoms of mental health problems using the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (HSCL-10). This paper compares symptoms of mental health problems among participants in nature-based services with those of a sample from the general population and a sample of those receiving clinical in-patient mental healthcare. A questionnaire was developed for the study and was completed by 93 participants in nature-based services. The majority of these participants were recruited from the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), local mental health services, and school authorities. Results indicate that just more than half of the respondents exhibited symptoms of mental health problems based on their HSCL-10 scores. In general, they reported fewer symptoms than the clinical in-patient sample (18–30 years old) and more symptoms than the general population sample (18–19 years old). Among the participants in nature-based services, those recruited through NAV and local mental health services exhibited no differences in symptoms. Half of the participants older than 23 years in nature-based services had not completed upper secondary school. The participants, including those with symptoms of mental health problems and low expectations at the outset of their participation, generally expressed high satisfaction with the services.

The use of game elements as a means to stimulate students’ motivation has increased in a number of disciplines across theworld after 2010, but apart from a few exceptional cases, it has not been possible to show a significant effect on academicachievement. In this study, the effects of game elements on academic achievement have been investigated among 458 studentsin a teacher education program, distributed across 10 course instances over 11 years (2010–2020). Statistical analyses indi-cated that a game element consisting of a number of hand-in assignments contributed significantly to the total points of thefinal written exam. Although a comparison with the students’ results in the two previous modules showed that two thirds ofthe positive effect could be explained by selection, the remaining one third of the positive effect could still be explained interms of the game elements significantly improving the achievements on the final written exam.